This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

However, Du Heng today was no longer the same person he was four months ago. After a brief moment of excitement, he quickly gathered himself.

”Indeed, this sounds like a good plan, but what are their conditions?” Du Heng asked after a moment of consideration. ”Or rather, what kind of partnership is it?”

Deputy Dean Qiao responded with a slight smile, ”The preliminary discussion concluded that the Health Clinic will be jointly managed by our hospital and the district bureau.”

Upon hearing the term ”joint management,” Du Heng’s brow furrowed. This implied that when problems arose in the future, there could be a tug of war between the two sides, which would not be conducive to effective administration and development.

”What does ’joint management’ entail exactly?”

”The district bureau’s stance is that the fundamental community role of the Health Clinic cannot be altered. The Health Clinic must continue providing medical services within its jurisdiction while also carrying out routine tasks assigned by the district bureau.”

Instantly, tasks such as visiting upper villages, inspecting schools, and canteens popped into Du Heng’s mind. These duties had been his main work in recent years.

However, in rural areas, these tasks were necessary and indispensable.

If there were no primary care institutions like the Health Clinic, the poorer rural residents might only consider visiting a hospital when they were in unbearable pain or near death.

”That is a given. The mission and responsibilities of the Health Clinic should definitely not be changed. Is there anything else?”

”We should help establish maternity and child care services in the Health Clinic in order to protect the health rights of rural women and children.”

Du Heng nodded. ”That is necessary, and it’s indeed our strength.” At this point, a faint smile appeared on his face.

From Deputy Dean Qiao’s comments, it was clear that the district bureau’s leaders genuinely cared for the wellbeing of the Health Clinic and the ordinary people of Central Lake.

”Anything else?”

Upon hearing these words again, Deputy Dean Qiao shook his head. ”No, that’s all the Shanghu District Bureau requested. Their role in day-to-day management is merely supervisory. We are to take full responsibility for operational management and administrative control.”

Du Heng raised his eyebrows slightly. ”Is staff placement and finance management completely entrusted to us?”

”Yes, but they do maintain the right to oversee and scrutinize, and any personnel changes must be notified and reported.”

”What about the reshuffling of authorized personnel?”

”Movements between ourselves and the branch hospital are considered internal transfers, and the authorized job positions will not change,” Deputy Dean Qiao said softly. ”Dean Du, I have drafted the specifics in my office, and I’ll hand them over to you later.”

”You can read through them carefully and make any changes if needed, and I’ll discuss them with the district bureau afterward.”

Du Heng nodded in agreement. ”Have the other leaders of the hospital been consulted?”

”I spoke with everyone yesterday, and they expressed no objections. They feel the ideas in the draft are acceptable.”

”Then I won’t read it now. Let’s bring it to the Hospital Committee next week. Once everyone agrees, we can proceed with implementation.”

Deputy Dean Qiao looked at Du Heng in surprise and quickly nodded. ”Alright, I’ll stay in touch with the district bureau.”

After seeing off Deputy Dean Qiao, Du Heng stepped out of the office building and gazed into the deep blue sky.

He remembered the July heat in Jinzhou when he was still in school. It was just as hot as it is now, but there was a certain dampness distinct from the current dry heat.

There is a saying that there are two things in life you can never look at directly: a person’s heart and the sun.

Du Heng had never wanted to test if he could look straight into a person’s heart, but he had tested his ability to gaze at the sun.

The sun in the Jinzhou sky now was blinding. A single glance left his sight blackened, filled with tiny flickering golden stars.

Yet in the past, no matter the time, you could always look directly at Jinzhou’s sun.

Its face, from when it rose in the east until it set in the west, always seemed veiled by a layer of gauze.

Yet, it wasn’t the light, airy haze that one might associate with a sheltered maiden; it was more akin to the crude, grubby gauze worn by rural women.

He couldn’t remember when the grey skies cleared, revealing a deep blue that made the sun unbearable to look at.

He had never paid attention to these changes until now. Perhaps he had noticed them before but dismissed them as irrelevant.

Du Heng snuck a glance at the sun, his vision immediately filled with a glaring brightness. He quickly averted his gaze, rubbing his eyes.

The sun was indeed domineering.

Yet, the corners of his mouth lifted into a sunny, radiant grin.

With these joyful thoughts, Du Heng drove to the Municipal Bureau. First, he invited a few leaders, expressing his sincere desire for their attendance at the upcoming ceremony.

After receiving the leaders’ approvals, Du Heng began discussing the transformation of the Health Clinic into a branch hospital.

This resulted in further praise from the leaders. They commended Du Heng’s leadership abilities and acknowledged the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital as a united, innovative, and powerful team.

This positive mood continued into the evening after dinner, to the point where he hardly felt like studying.

As usual, Wu Shengnan started her nightly skincare routine, applying a sticky substance to her face. After evenly spreading it, she sat next to Du Heng, tilting her head back, and gave him a surprised look.

”Did you eat something funny today? Why haven’t you stopped smiling?” Wu Shengnan asked while gently patting the gel onto her face. ”And why aren’t you studying? You rarely have time to watch a TV drama.”

Du Heng chuckled, but the joy inside him was not something he could or wanted to share with anyone, not even Wu Shengnan.

This was a joy he held privately. Speaking of it would inevitably come across as boastful.

Looking at the gel-like substance on Wu Shengnan’s face, Du Heng asked softly, ”You used to use facemasks, didn’t you? What are you using today?”

”Fresh aloe vera gel,” Wu Shengnan boasted. ”I learned this from my colleagues. They say it moisturizes, whitens, and even exfoliates and removes blackheads.”

Du Heng’s eyes widened in surprise. ”Aloe vera gel? Freshly squeezed? HAHAHA, who did you learn that from?”

Wu Shengnan turned her head, glancing at Du Heng, and pouted. ”What do you mean?”

”Aloe vera does have moisturizing and whitening components, but it won’t absorb through your facial skin and improve your skin quality.”

Du Heng laughed. ”And I can also tell you that all these moisturizing products you’re using are pretty much useless.”

”Nonsense! I feel great when I use those masks,” Wu Shengnan retorted, unconvinced, her patting motions becoming a little haphazard.

Du Heng wasn’t annoyed. He continued to smile and say, ”How about we put it this way: if you want to moisturize, isn’t applying water to your face, or soaking your face in water, the best and most direct way?”

”Right,” Wu Shengnan answered as a matter of course.

”So did you pat it in?” Du Heng teased with a laugh. ”If you could, wouldn’t washing your face every morning already achieve the purpose of hydrating your skin?”

”If that’s already done, why do you need to hydrate again?”

”Are you insinuating that you begrudge my using facemasks?”

”Now where did you get that idea? Is that what I meant?” Du Heng replied cheerfully. ”If these things were effective, forget one mask, you could apply ten at once, and I’d be fine with it.”

”But skin is the largest organ in the human body. Its primary function is to protect the body, not to absorb water. And it doesn’t have water-absorbing properties; since humans began developing, it wasn’t designed with this feature.”

”If it did, then people who constantly soak in water would be dripping wet.”

”So what should I do?”

”Drink more water. Whenever you have time, drink. It can fill your blood vessels and boost your metabolism, keeping your kidneys in good condition.”

Du Heng immediately began to educate Wu Shengnan. ”Drinking water should be a regular habit. You shouldn’t wait until you’re thirsty to hydrate.”

”When you feel thirsty, it means your body is already dehydrated. And when your body lacks water, it’s systemic dehydration, which naturally includes your skin.”

”I’m still going to use my facemask, okay?”

”Of course, it’s okay. I never said you can’t use facemasks.”

”Then why are you going on about it so much now?”

”As for this fresh aloe vera gel, I think you’d better wash it off. It isn’t even as effective as a facemask and could cause some problems.”

Hearing Du Heng speak seriously, Wu Shengnan sat up straight.

She knew that Du Heng wasn’t a stingy person and was knowledgeable in his field, so he must have a reason for his words.

”About the aloe vera gel, we can discuss whether it moisturizes and whitens later.”

”But what I can tell you for certain now is that with so much gel smeared on your face, your facial pores will definitely be clogged by it.”

”Once they’re clogged, it can’t be washed off with our usual face-washing methods.”

”Moreover, once they’re clogged and the pores can’t discharge oil, you may get little bumps on your face, or even inflammation.”

”Really?” Wu Shengnan’s eyes widened immediately.

”Of course, why would I lie to you?” Du Heng spread his hands helplessly. ”Honestly, if you really want to whiten and moisturize your skin, you know about my Scar Removal Ointment, right? That’s way better than what you’re using now.”

However, Wu Shengnan shook her head dismissively. ”That Ointment smells too strong. After applying it, I smell like Chinese herbal medicine.”

Du Heng was helpless. ”Well, in that case, I can’t do anything about it. You can keep using your facemasks.”

Wu Shengnan huffed and promptly stood up, heading to the bathroom. It took her a long time to finally emerge, refreshed and clean.

”Husband, I’m being honest. Your Scar Removal Ointment works better than facemasks. But its strong smell—

”I put it on at night, and by the next day, I still smell strongly of Chinese herbal medicine.”

As Wu Shengnan spoke, she curled up next to Du Heng, grasping his arm. ”Husband, can you think of a solution to make that smell pleasant, or even just lighter?”

”If you succeed, it might be more profitable than your medicine.”

Du Heng clicked his tongue. He had never really considered Wu Shengnan’s proposal before.

He was just considering the possibilities and how to make the changes when he heard Wu Shengnan suddenly say...

”Oh, by the way, Husband, how much money have you made from the patent for your medicine?”

Du Heng was caught off guard by the question.

It was already July, and according to the agreement, it was time to receive the licensing fee for the first half of the year.

But he hadn’t prioritized this matter, and since he had left it all to Attorney Zhou to handle, he had no idea how much money he had made or whether he had received the licensing fee for the first half of the year.

”Wait a moment. Let me call and ask.”