Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 189 - 184 Clinic Trivial Matters
"What’s wrong?"
Chairman Kang, a piece of potato still in his mouth, lifted his bowl and began to wolf down his food. The moment he’d filled his mouth, he noticed Wang Jian’s expression and looked puzzled. After chewing a few times and swallowing, he muttered, "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
"..."
"Hahaha," Xu Qian laughed out loud. "You should really eat slower."
"Look at the way you eat. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you hadn’t eaten for a week."
This comment didn’t improve Chairman Kang’s expression; if anything, he looked even more bewildered. He paused with a piece of chicken held between his chopsticks and stared blankly at Wang Jian and Xu Qian.
Though speechless, Wang Jian couldn’t bear to watch any longer. "Go on, eat," he said, echoing Xu Qian. "No one’s going to fight you for it."
"Oh, okay," Chairman Kang said after swallowing. "Aside from medicine, I don’t really have any hobbies. I just love to eat."
"So, my table manners aren’t the most elegant. I hope you don’t mind."
"Do you not cook for yourself?" Wang Jian asked suddenly.
Chairman Kang nodded. "I don’t. Any free time I have, I spend studying or practicing medicine with my family."
"That explains it," Wang Jian said with a laugh. "If you loved cooking as much as you love eating, you probably wouldn’t be single. Girls these days are into that."
"Really?" Having been fooled by his roommate once before, Chairman Kang’s face first lit up with joy, but then his expression turned doubtful. "My roommate told me that girls like proactive guys. If he hadn’t, I never would’ve done something so foolish. Brother, you better not be lying to me now!" he exclaimed, putting on the air of a man who had learned his lesson.
Before Wang Jian could reply, Chairman Kang continued, his tone turning somewhat wistful. "Ever since I was little, I’ve been focused on studying hard and aiming high, and my family kept a close watch on me... I thought I could start dating in college, but my coursework turned out to be even more demanding than in high school, leaving me with no time at all. Whenever I met a girl I was interested in, I had no idea how to pursue her. My life is so miserable..."
"Dating in college isn’t always a good thing. Maybe things will get better for you after graduation."
In truth, medical students were likely to be even busier after graduating. Wang Jian just smiled, offering a few words of comfort before asking, "How many girls have you liked?"
Chairman Kang paused to think. "Uh, I had a crush on one girl in high school, but it was unrequited. In college, I’ve liked several, but it was always over before anything could even start."
"Are you sure you don’t fall for people too easily? And you’ve never actually dated, not even once? Is your first love still out there?"
Wang Jian asked this instinctively, simultaneously wondering if he was the same way. Do I fall for any pretty girl I see? I can’t be that... can I?
Xu Qian shot Wang Jian a look, as if chiding him for being so blunt. Without waiting for Chairman Kang to reply, she interjected, "You’ve really never been in a relationship?"
Xu Qian herself found it hard to believe. Chairman Kang wasn’t bad-looking and had a strong scholarly aura; it seemed unlikely that no girl would be interested in him.
To her surprise, Chairman Kang nodded. "That’s right, never."
He seemed completely unbothered by this admission and proceeded to wolf down a few more mouthfuls of rice. Noticing his bowl was empty, he asked, "Sister-in-law, is there any more rice?"
Seeing this, Xu Qian smiled. "Yes, plenty. It’s in the rice cooker. Help yourself to as much as you want."
"Okay."
As Chairman Kang went to get more rice, Xu Qian gave Wang Jian a peculiar look. "Has he really never dated anyone?"
Wang Jian thought for a moment. The kid really did seem green. Chasing a girl all the way to the village with such blind fervor wasn’t something a person with any romantic experience would do. Anyone who had ever been in a relationship wouldn’t have done something so socially inept. Besides, after talking with Chairman Kang about Ren Yu, Wang Jian had realized his interest was merely a fleeting fancy, fueled by his roommate’s encouragement. This kid probably didn’t even know what liking someone truly meant, likely mistaking simple fondness for genuine affection.
"It’s probably true," Wang Jian said matter-of-factly. "He comes from a long line of doctors, and they’ve been grooming him for a medical career since he was a child. He likely never had the time to date."
It was precisely that dedication that allowed Chairman Kang to practice medicine under Wang Jian’s guidance while still in school. Wang Jian knew that without having met Xu Changqing, he wouldn’t have possessed such skills himself.
"I think I could eat two more bowls," Chairman Kang announced happily, his love for good food apparent.
If Xu Qian hadn’t deliberately made extra, there wouldn’t have been enough for such a voracious appetite.
Watching him, she finally understood why he didn’t have a girlfriend. It wasn’t because of his demanding studies, but because he was simply too naive and dense when it came to romance.
***
In the afternoon, after a short nap, Wang Jian and Chairman Kang set out from the house.
Although it was mid-September, the sun was still blazing high in the sky. Braving the peak heat at two p.m., they walked through the village, where the occasional patch of shade offered the only relief. The oppressive heat kept them silent and quickened their pace. The village streets were deserted, the only sound being the hum of outdoor air conditioning units.
"This late-summer heat should pass soon, right?" Chairman Kang had always lived in the north, where summers, though hot, cooled down more quickly. "Back in Capital City, it wouldn’t be this scorching at this time of year."
"It’ll get better after National Day," Wang Jian replied. "Because of all the mountains here, the temperature drops at night. It should start to cool down after four in the afternoon. The nights in the mountains are already getting chilly; you won’t even need a fan to sleep tonight."
"Is that so?" Chairman Kang wiped the sweat from his face. "I wish it felt like nighttime right now... Will anyone really come to the clinic in this heat?"
Wang Jian knew he was asking if they would get any patients. "People will definitely come. The hotter the weather, the more health issues pop up. Besides, have you forgotten what we saw on our way back this morning?"
"Hmm..."
As Chairman Kang wondered what he meant, they arrived at the entrance to the village committee office. It looked completely different from how he remembered it that morning. When he had passed by earlier, he could see the entire committee grounds. It had been deserted, the iron gate shut tight.
Now, during what should have been the quietest part of the day, a lively buzz emanated from within the gates. Sometime during the day, a large canopy had been set up, under which large misting fans were blowing.
"It’s Doctor Wang!"
"Doctor Wang is here!"
"Village Chief Li was right! Looks like I’ll get my illness treated today after all."
"Heh, you’re right. Doctor Wang is just as distinguished as everyone in the village said."
"I wonder if he has a girlfriend. My daughter is about to graduate from college; it’s time she got married."
...
Hearing the commotion at the gate, the crowd inside grew even more animated. Only then did Wang Jian notice at least a dozen people were sitting there. Aside from the free clinic event, he had never seen the village committee this bustling. Even with the misting fans, sitting out in this weather could easily lead to heatstroke. Among the crowd were familiar faces from the village, but most were from other villages, people Wang Jian didn’t recognize.
Before Wang Jian could ask what was going on, Li Dayu, who had been keeping the crowd company, strode over. With a grand wave of his arm, he introduced the two doctors.
"Everyone, I wasn’t lying! Doctor Wang is back from Capital City. Now that you see him in person, you must believe me, right?"
"And this gentleman next to him is Doctor Kang. Doctor Wang brought him back from Capital City, and he’ll be seeing patients at our village clinic from now on." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
...
Li Dayu rubbed his belly, grinning from ear to ear as if he’d won the lottery.
As Wang Jian watched Li Dayu chat and laugh with the patients, their conversation revealed some unexpected details. Even Chairman Kang whispered in surprise, "Brother, your village chief is really something. We weren’t even here yet, and he already arranged the patient queue based on age and the severity of their conditions. That’s impressive."
Chairman Kang was also reminded of the village doctor group. This village chief could organize, plan, and implement things immediately. He was a man who got things done.
"He certainly is," Wang Jian nodded in agreement. He hadn’t noticed this side of Li Dayu before.
"Village Chief, since you’ve already organized everything, we’ll head inside. We’ll start in about ten minutes, after I tidy up a bit," Wang Jian said.
"You got it." Li Dayu nodded, waving them in. "It’s hot out here, so hurry inside. I’ll set up a mahjong table for them. They won’t have any complaints about waiting then. You two can just relax and wait for the patients to come in."
Wang Jian immediately gave Li Dayu a big thumbs-up, thinking the arrangement was absolutely brilliant. The villagers didn’t have many pastimes. In their free time, if they weren’t cooling off in the shade, they were playing cards. A game of mahjong would capture everyone’s attention and entertain the spectators as well. With this distraction, waiting ten minutes would be nothing; they wouldn’t mind waiting all afternoon.
Upon entering the clinic, Wang Jian and Chairman Kang immediately began to clean. Having been away for a few days, the clinic wasn’t terribly dusty, but cleanliness was paramount for a medical facility. The two of them wiped everything down and disinfected the entire space before they felt it was ready for patients.
"When the patients come in, just watch me first," Wang Jian instructed. "After each one, I’ll review the case with you. You can ask me anything, and I’ll ask you some questions too. I hope it helps you learn."
