This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

When Du Heng said he wouldn’t get involved, Deputy Dean Qiao immediately understood his stance.

But this declaration caused a sense of unease to creep into Deputy Dean Qiao’s heart. It wasn’t that he looked down on the doctors in his own hospital, but the gap between them and the doctors at the Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital was truly significant. This difference wasn’t just reflected in academic knowledge but also in experience, work ethic, attitude towards learning, and various other aspects. To say nothing of other things, the workload at the Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital was definitely overwhelming. In contrast, the work at the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital was so light that describing it as ’leisurely’ would almost make their ’leisurely’ pace seem busy. Doctors emerging from these two distinct environments would naturally exhibit different responses when faced with pressure.

However, Deputy Dean Qiao also understood Du Heng’s intention: to use this comparison to instill in his hospital’s doctors a sense of shame that would motivate them to strive for improvement. A gap in itself wasn’t terrifying; what was truly frightening was the refusal to acknowledge it, the failure to try and bridge it, and the choice to turn a blind eye and evade the issue. If they continued to harbor such thoughts and act accordingly, not only would these doctors be rendered useless, but their own hospital would likely stagnate indefinitely. For instance, some district Maternal and Child Health Care Stations were originally tasked with providing both maternal and child healthcare services. But now, apart from processing routine childbirth procedures, their role had been reduced to merely distributing promotional leaflets and contraceptives. In short, they had become defunct. While the rapid development of other hospitals was an objective contributing factor, their own inaction could not be ignored. They had managed to transform a partially government-funded institution, one expected to generate some of its own revenue, into an administrative unit operating on fixed salaries—and astonishingly, they hadn’t been shut down. Perhaps they were the only ones who could achieve such a thing.

Once Deputy Dean Qiao understood Du Heng’s thinking, he didn’t expend any more energy on the matter. He knew that Du Heng rarely changed his mind once a decision was made, especially concerning professional issues. He then discussed some other details with Du Heng to facilitate communication with the Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital. Afterward, he picked up the items he had brought in earlier and prepared to leave.

Du Heng stretched lazily. After gallivanting around for several days, this level of intense work actually felt a bit unfamiliar to him.

Seeing Deputy Dean Qiao’s departing figure, Du Heng called out after him, ”Is the Secretary in?”

”No, he’s been with Director Li for the past few days.”

”Oh, that’s good.”

Du Heng watched Deputy Dean Qiao leave, but a nagging feeling persisted that he had forgotten to discuss something important. However, he couldn’t recall what it was at that moment, so he shook his head and dismissed the thought. The mere thought of finally being free from these troublesome administrative tasks made Du Heng grin from ear to ear, and he started to walk out, following Deputy Dean Qiao.

”Dean, where are you off to?” Just as he reached the doorway, Qiu Pingzhen approached with a stack of documents, saying with a smile, ”There are a few documents here that need your signature for archiving.”

No sooner had Qiu Pingzhen finished speaking than Director Zheng from the Hospital Office also hurried over. ”Dean, I also have something to discuss with you.”

A pained expression flickered across Du Heng’s face. But unable to vent his frustration, he could only retract his steps and return to his office.

In truth, many of these matters didn’t strictly require his signature or even his review, but it was impossible to fend off everyone who sought him out.

By the time he finished dealing with this flurry of activity, it was already afternoon. Finally, he had a moment to go and check on Gong Daoyang’s condition.

In the hospital room, all the other relatives had departed, leaving only Wang Zhenzhen and one of Gong Daoyang’s colleagues from the police station to help look after him.

”Sister Zhenzhen, how is Gong doing now?” Du Heng asked softly as he entered the hospital room and saw Gong Daoyang unconscious on the sick bed, quietly walking over to Wang Zhenzhen’s side.

Wang Zhenzhen turned to look at Du Heng, her face etched with worry. ”He took his medicine this morning and has been in a deep sleep ever since. He woke up around noon and sat up for a bit, but he was just like before—didn’t recognize anyone, didn’t remember anything. He had another dose of medicine at two in the afternoon and has been asleep until now.”

As she spoke, Wang Zhenzhen looked at Du Heng with sorrowful eyes. ”Xiao Heng, when will your Brother Gong recover?”

Du Heng comforted her softly, ”Sister Zhenzhen, ’illness arrives like a collapsing mountain, but departs like reeling silk from a cocoon.’ Especially with Gong’s condition, which involves neurological issues, it’s different from other ailments. Recovery can’t be rushed; we have to take it slowly, step by step. There’s an old saying: ’Movement nurtures the form, stillness nurtures the spirit.’ For Gong’s current condition, deep sleep is the best form of convalescence, so please don’t worry too much. According to my prognosis, Gong should regain consciousness within three days at most.”

Noticing Wang Zhenzhen’s slightly puzzled expression, Du Heng clarified, ”When I say ’regain consciousness,’ I mean he’ll be able to recognize people and recall past events.”

”Really?” Hearing a definite timeframe from Du Heng, a hint of relief finally appeared on Wang Zhenzhen’s face.

Du Heng nodded at once, offering her his strongest assurance. ”There will definitely be an improvement within three days. Trust me.”

”Of course, I trust you. Right now, you’re the only one I can trust,” Wang Zhenzhen said, nodding her head emphatically.

After reassuring Wang Zhenzhen, Du Heng stepped forward to check on Gong Daoyang. Then, he turned back and asked, ”Sister Zhenzhen, has Gong used the toilet?”

Wang Zhenzhen quickly replied, ”Oh, I almost forgot to mention that. When he woke up at noon, he had a bowel movement. It’s just that his stool... it was a bit... a bit...”

It was unclear whether Wang Zhenzhen couldn’t bring herself to say more or simply didn’t know how to describe it; her words trailed off.