Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Will He Be Here?

There was only one minibus trip a day to Wu Bian Village, and it required a change of vehicles along the way.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Su Meixi knew that staying in the county town would mean butting heads with Mr. Su, and besides, someone had to go to Wu Bian Village. She had learned some boxing and self-defense, so she could protect herself in case of danger.

Besides, it wasn’t necessarily dangerous; it might just be a bit rugged.

Su Meixi had gone to the bus station early in the morning and waited for an hour before about a dozen people showed up, half of whom were locals, and the rest were tourists, likely part of a group.

The group was made up of self-media people, and the blogger picked up the camera enthusiastically and introduced, “Guess where we are going today? Leave a comment, and if you guess right, you might have a chance to participate in our giveaway…”

After putting down the camera, the blogger started to complain, “If not for shooting videos, who would come to this godforsaken place? There’s nothing here—it’s dry, cold, and at a high altitude.”

...

His companion said, “You think this is bad? Wait until we get to Wu Bian County to experience what it’s really like when even the birds don’t bother to shit!”

Nowadays, travel bloggers, in search of traffic, like to venture into places others dare not go, such as uninhabited areas, vast deserts, deep into the jungles of Africa, and some even adventure into Myanmar.

Some, clearly in a team, would claim they were traveling alone.

Of course, there are also some who explore the world for its own sake, just fewer in number.

After the minibus left the county town, the houses grew sparser, and the landscape was dominated by barren mountains.

The mountains here were rocky, devoid of vegetation, and one could even see snow on the mountaintops, creating an endless sense of desolation.

The more she saw of the scenery, the more she felt as if she were entering a desolate wasteland.

For someone who liked bustling social scenes, this place would feel torturous, but for Su Meixi, it was a chance to relax her mind and escape many troubles.

She soon fell asleep by the window.

About three hours later, someone called for them to get off.

This was a transfer station, with a long row of buildings housing stores, a gas station, a local products shop, and a small restaurant, providing an oddly interesting mix.

Tourists or self-driving travelers passing through would stop here to eat.

Some people from the bus got off, and some locals, to save money, would take out dry food and find a spot to squat and eat.

The travel blogger’s group, however, went to eat in the small restaurant. They perked up again, ordering several dishes from the enthusiastic restaurant owner, and happily filmed a video while eating, pretending to enjoy the place immensely.

Su Meixi bought a cup of noodles at the gas station and sat down to eat on an empty chair.

While eating, she saw several military trucks drive up.

The trucks were here to refuel and add water, and several soldiers got out.

The locals respected the military men, and the restaurant owner warmly invited them in for a meal.

However, they declined since they had already eaten. While waiting to refuel, the soldiers toured the transfer station, offering help wherever needed, helping to carry and lift things.

Watching them, Su Meixi couldn’t help but think of Gu Wei.

Could Gu Wei be here?

Then she thought, how could that be possible.

With his family background, he wouldn’t likely be stationed in such a remote area.

Half an hour later, Su Meixi and the others boarded one of the trucks.

Due to the complex terrain and lingering snow in some areas, traveling by truck was safer.

Another half hour passed, and they finally reached Wu Bian Town.

Getting off the truck, Su Meixi looked around the town.

Although small, the town had everything—a motel, a health clinic, a restaurant, a small supermarket, and even a kindergarten.

The town was sparsely populated. She had heard that, including the surrounding villages it governed, there were fewer than a thousand people left – with most of the young people gone to work elsewhere, leaving mostly elderly folks and children.

The travel blogger and his companions had already booked a hotel, and a group of them went to the hotel.

The local people who were in the same car had all dispersed, leaving Su Meixi alone.

She took out her cellphone and called the local health clinic.

No one answered for a long time.

She simply asked around as she went along.

The health clinic was similar to a small doctor’s office; it only had an old doctor and a nurse.

At that time, in the afternoon, the clinic was occupied by about a dozen patients; the old doctor and the nurse were extremely busy. All these patients had been brought in after being poisoned by wild mushrooms. Some were vomiting, some were talking nonsense, and others were wailing.

Su Meixi quickly put down her suitcase and approached the old doctor. “Hello, I was wondering—”

The old doctor merely glanced up at her and spoke in broken Mandarin, “You don’t look sick. There’s a pharmacy across the street; you can check there if you need to buy any medicine.”

“No, I’m—”

Before Su Meixi could explain herself, a male patient experiencing severe pain cursed loudly, “What kind of crappy health post is this? Is it even functional? I’ve been in pain for so long; when will I finally get some medicine?”

The old doctor was still attending to a patient. He shouted, “Just bear with it. Who told you to be so bold, eating whatever wild stuff you find?”

“I ate it already, you can’t just let me die!”

Seeing this, Su Meixi quickly interjected, “Let me take a look.”

With that, she walked over to the man and in her distinctive accent, she said, “I’m the new doctor here. Can you tell me what’s uncomfortable?”

The male patient, seeing that it was a beautiful woman, slightly eased his anger and then, clutching his stomach, exclaimed, “It hurts; it feels like there’s a pair of scissors constantly cutting my intestines!”

Su Meixi put on a mask, took his pulse, and observed his complexion and tongue coating—it was food poisoning.

She noticed a medicine cabinet in the clinic and hurriedly searched through it, finding some furosemide and hydroflumethiazide, among other diuretics, and some atropine. Then she administered the appropriate medication based on the patient’s condition.

She also brought him a big pot of water, “Drink water, you need to drink lots of water to flush out the toxins, otherwise, we’ll need to pump your stomach.”

The man, enduring the pain, obediently took his medicine and drank the water.

The old doctor also noticed Su Meixi’s actions.

Seeing her skilled movements and the fact that the patients calmed down in her presence, he realized she must be a doctor.

He remembered receiving a notice from the county health bureau yesterday, saying that a female doctor would come to assist today; it must be her, he guessed.

The old doctor then left her to her own devices.

Su Meixi continued to help several other patients, setting up IV drips for those severely dehydrated, and for those not as severely affected, she had them drink water and take medication.

She stayed busy until it was dark; only then did the patients start to stabilize.

The old doctor took off his mask to wash his hands, and Su Meixi followed him.

She introduced herself again, “Dr. Ma, my name is Su Meixi, I’m the doctor who came to support your clinic.”

Ma is a common surname in Wu Bian Town. Dr. Ma removed his mask, looked at Su Meixi, and asked in surprise, “Why would such a young woman want to come to a place like this?”

Su Meixi smiled and replied, “I go wherever they send me.”

“It’s hard on you. Those patients outside are tourists who came a few days ago; I don’t know why they decided to eat mushrooms. Although they’re stable now, someone still needs to stay on duty tonight. Can you handle it?”

Su Meixi didn’t hesitate to respond, “I can handle it.”

“Then go eat something at the restaurant outside, and come back later for the night shift. Your accommodation is in the house behind the clinic; I’ll show you around after dinner.”

“Okay,” Su Meixi nodded.