This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

In the office, Du Heng took the expense list for Yang Yuansheng from Wang Zhenzhen, his face also showing a worried look.

”Sister Wang, has this expense been reimbursed already?” Du Heng asked with concern, looking at the long string of digits.

Wang Zhenzhen nodded. ”All expense reimbursements are made at the maximum rate, and we’ve also helped Yang Yuansheng apply for catastrophic illness assistance. That part of the reimbursement has also been taken into account. Apart from Yang Yuansheng’s food expenses of 310 yuan, which will be deducted from our meal expenses, there’s still a shortfall of 3,560 yuan on the books. I just wanted to ask, what are we going to do about this money? Are we using the Health Clinic’s funds to cover it, or are you considering other alternatives?”

Is this a lot of money? Not really for him; he’d spent much more than that just last night, treating those brutes to dinner. But this is public money, not personal funds. Even a cent is a big deal on the public books. What’s more, for Yang Yuansheng at this moment, it is certainly a lot of money. He definitely couldn’t afford it now. Most importantly, Du Heng had promised him he wouldn’t have to worry about the money.

In an instant, Du Heng had two solutions in mind.

The first solution was to pay a bit more himself and ask other staff members of the hospital to each contribute about one or two hundred yuan. This way, he wouldn’t draw attention to himself, and it could be seen as a philanthropic initiative by the Health Clinic. After that, he could give the money to Yang Yuansheng to cover the shortfall. But how to put it? Donations would definitely be feasible, and everyone could probably accept contributing one or two hundred yuan. However, this matter was to help the Township Government. They couldn’t be expected to put in both the effort and the money, right? Besides, the other day when the Pharmacy Doctor found the lost medicine, Du Heng had sponsored him 800 yuan that very night so he could repay the favor. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. So, unless absolutely necessary, Du Heng didn’t want to do it. It was too much of a loss!

The second solution was to go directly to Song Jiaying with the expense list and let her, the leader who assigned the task, handle it. However, there was also a problem with this. In the past two months, things hadn’t been peaceful on their end. Inspection teams from the district and city, both overt and covert, had come several times. They were extremely frustrated right now. If he were to show up with this, would it seem tactless? Would they get angry and kick him out?

Du Heng thought for a moment. He had to swallow his pride and give it a shot. If she really refused to acknowledge it, then they could discuss donations.

”Sister Wang, I’ll borrow the list for a bit. I’ll give it back to you later.”

”Be quick then. It’s the beginning of the month, and I have a lot of work to do.” After saying that, Wang Zhenzhen was about to turn and leave when she suddenly stopped and said, ”Dean, hire someone for me too. There are too many patients now, and I really have my hands full.”

Du Heng rubbed his short hair with some regret. Hiring another person meant an additional salary to pay. Moreover, he would have to cover the salary for this position himself. This was unlike the three newly hired nurses, for whom the Bureau covered thirty percent of their basic salaries once their hiring was reported to them. But what Wang Zhenzhen said was reasonable. It was indeed difficult for one person to handle finance, registration, fee collection, and medical insurance reimbursement issues all at once.

”Sister Wang, let me think about it. I’ll get back to you.”

”You need to hurry. My work is piling up, and everyone can see it.”

”I’ll discuss it with Secretary Lu and get back to you this afternoon, alright?”

Wang Zhenzhen didn’t press Du Heng for an immediate answer. Seeing that Du Heng had responded this way, she agreed.

Watching Wang Zhenzhen leave, Du Heng glanced at the expense list in his hand, sighed, and stood up. He didn’t change his clothes. He just found a clip to hold the papers and then headed for the neighboring compound.

Song Jiaying was still the same, except her belly was bigger. Now, when she walked, she had to put both hands behind her back to support her waist.

”President Du, is there something I can do for you?”

”Yes, I’ve come to report on the task.”

Song Jiaying’s face lit up. ”That’s perfect! We’re summarizing and reporting tomorrow. Your news came at just the right time. So, the final issue has been resolved?”

”That depends on how you look at it.”

”Then tell me everything.”

Du Heng organized his thoughts for a moment. ”Regarding Yang Yuansheng’s situation, in terms of current family income, there has been no progress. He hasn’t managed to increase his income or find any new work or opportunities this past month.”

Song Jiaying wasn’t in a hurry. She knew that if Du Heng said this much, there would definitely be more.

”In the long run, however, there has been a change. Yang Yuansheng’s problem was his chronic illness, coupled with having a child in university, which meant his family was living hand-to-mouth. As his illness worsened, he lost his ability to work and thus his source of income, essentially living on borrowed money. Now, Yang Yuansheng’s illness has been effectively treated, and he has largely recovered. He can perform non-heavy physical work, and he owns a truck. Therefore, it is foreseeable that his family’s situation can be turned around.”

This was definitely good news. Song Jiaying’s smile grew wider. The freckles that had appeared due to her pregnancy seemed to be smiling too. ”Great, very good! I knew President Du would figure out a way. Wang Shiyuan, Zhao Qiang, and Yang Yuansheng—these were all major headaches for us. I didn’t expect you to resolve all of them so easily.”

Then she glanced at the paper in Du Heng’s hand. ”Is that the summary you’re holding? Leave it on my desk. During tomorrow’s meeting, I will highlight the work done by your Health Clinic. You were assigned seven tasks, and you’ve completed all of them perfectly. It seems your Health Clinic is indeed full of talent.”

Being praised to such an extent, Du Heng was happy, but only a little. They were medical practitioners, not administrative workers like Song Jiaying. Being praised for these things felt just... okay.

”This isn’t a summary. I haven’t written that.”

Song Jiaying was a bit confused. ”Then what’s that in your hand?”

”It’s Yang Yuansheng’s treatment expense list. Take a look,” Du Heng handed the folder to Song Jiaying.

Song Jiaying, being third-in-command in this compound, was exceptionally shrewd. As soon as she saw the list, she knew what Du Heng was up to.

This time, she didn’t dawdle or haggle like the last time Du Heng came asking for money. Besides, a little over four thousand yuan wasn’t a large sum and was well within her authority to approve. Without even asking Du Heng, she directly wrote out an approval slip for him.

”President Du, I’m being generous, aren’t I?” she said as she quickly wrote it out.

”Mayor Song, you’re very generous.”

”Since I’m being so generous, next time I ask for your help, you can’t keep pushing back like you did this time.”

”Don’t worry. Whatever task you, Mayor Song, assign to us in the future, we will make every effort to complete it.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Du Heng immediately headed to the Township Finance office with the approval slip.

Then, there were some phone calls to confirm, the list was photocopied, Du Heng signed it, and the money was immediately transferred.