Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 219 - 213 City Hospital’s plea for help

Early the next morning, Wang Jian woke up. Before his eyes were even open, he subconsciously reached for the space beside him. The bed was smooth and empty; there was no one else.

Wang Jian glanced to the side. It felt like a lifetime ago. This damned drink...

Was it really a dream after all?

Wang Jian let out a foul breath. His head ached; he had definitely drunk too much last night. He threw an arm over his face to block the sunlight from the window. The morning sun is always especially harsh after a night of drinking, unbearable for most people.

Today, Zhang Li and the others were taking the train to Demon City. Wang Jian had just finished getting ready to go to the Zhang residence when Xu Qian called out from behind him, "They left before dawn. You’re too late if you want to find them now."

"That early?" Wang Jian touched his temples, his head still throbbing. He glanced at the time on his phone and sighed. "Way too early."

"What’s so early about it?" Xu Qian said matter-of-factly. "They get on the train at this hour, but they won’t even reach Demon City until the afternoon. After they tidy up a bit, it’ll probably be nighttime. Leaving this early is completely normal."

"You have a point." Wang Jian sighed, a little unhappy that he hadn’t been able to see them off.

Seeing him constantly rubbing his temples, Xu Qian brought out a bowl of hot soup and placed it in front of him. "Drink up. It’s hangover soup from my family’s traditional recipe. It works very well."

Xu Qian gazed at Wang Jian dotingly. "Are you going to City Hospital today?"

While sipping the hot soup, Wang Jian replied, "Yes, things are quiet at the clinic today. The emergency department said they need me for something..."

"The emergency department?" Chairman Kang, who was also sitting at the table, asked curiously, "What do they want with us?"

"You don’t need to go," Wang Jian said, shaking his head. "You need to stay here at the clinic. If any patients show up, you can see to them. As for City Hospital... I’m not entirely sure about the details. Apparently, they admitted a strange patient last night. They’ve already administered emergency treatment, but they still can’t determine the cause. My senior from medical school wants me to take a look."

After speaking, Wang Jian looked directly at Chairman Kang. "Can you handle it?"

Chairman Kang nodded. "I may not have graduated yet, but I’ve already obtained my medical license. I have no problem handling minor illnesses."

"Then that’s settled," Wang Jian said. "If this case is worth studying, I’ll fill you in on the details when I get back."

"Right," Wang Jian asked again, "are you still practicing those movements I taught you?"

"Yes," came the reply, not from Chairman Kang, but from Xu Qian. She smiled from the side. "I see him practicing his boxing every morning when I get up. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’s a martial artist, not a doctor."

"Hahaha," Chairman Kang laughed as well. "I have to say, since I started practicing, I feel like my health has improved. I just haven’t felt that qi sensation yet."

In fact, Wang Jian had taught Xu Qian the same techniques, but unfortunately, she had yet to feel the qi sensation either.

"Don’t rush. Take it slow," Wang Jian comforted them. "Maybe one day it will just come to you suddenly, like a flash of inspiration."

That was how it had happened for him—it was a natural process. He wasn’t just offering empty platitudes; he truly had no concrete advice to give.

The sun climbed higher, but the air no longer held the intense heat of midsummer. Zhang Li and Li Liping were on the high-speed train to Demon City. The two of them traveled light, pulling just three suitcases behind them. Li Liping had initially wanted to pack as much as possible but was overruled by Zhang Li, who insisted they could buy whatever they needed in Demon City and that money wasn’t an issue.

The train had already departed Shanghai City. "Didn’t I tell you to talk with Xiao Jian last night?" Zhang Li asked. "I noticed you didn’t say a single word, and you didn’t even have a drink. Aren’t you afraid you’ll regret it?"

Li Liping sat by the window, the sunlight streaming in. "There was nothing to say. What was there to talk about?"

Seeing she wasn’t pretending, Zhang Li laughed. "Don’t be so stubborn. Once we get to Demon City, it’ll be hard to see him again."

"It’s fine," Li Liping said calmly. "It’s not about one or two nights. You all drank so much yesterday and said everything that needed to be said. There was nothing for me to add."

"That’s true." Thinking about how much fun they’d had drinking, Zhang Li nodded. They really had said all their farewells. Leaving like this was good.

"By the way," Zhang Li said suddenly, "while we were drinking yesterday, Wang Jian told me something."

「City Hospital」

At the entrance of City Hospital, Liang Xiu was being blocked by a couple. The man and woman were each carrying a basket of eggs and a bag overflowing with vegetables. With pleading expressions, they clung to Liang Xiu, refusing to let her pass.

"Dr. Liang, these are from our own garden. You mustn’t refuse." With that, they tried to force the two baskets into her hands, their posture making it clear they would not take no for an answer.

Such a scene was a rare sight at the hospital entrance. Even Liang Xiu had never encountered anything quite like it.

"Sir, I really can’t accept this. I’ve already called a specialist for your son’s case, so please rest assured," Liang Xiu said, helplessly trying to push their offerings away. She continued to explain, "Our hospital has a strict policy against accepting gifts from patients or their families."

"Oh, come now," the old man said. His hands were covered in cracked calluses, a fact Liang Xiu felt clearly as he gripped her arm. "Dr. Liang, this isn’t some red envelope bribe. It’s nothing. Our son still hasn’t woken up. We need you to please give his case some extra attention."

The elderly woman beside him also spoke up, her face etched with sorrow. "Our son has never had a serious illness in his life. What could have happened? How could something like this suddenly occur?"

"I will do my best," Liang Xiu replied, feeling a little ashamed. The couple’s son had been admitted after a car accident. Although the emergency procedures had been handled, he remained unconscious. His vital signs were perfectly normal, yet he just wouldn’t wake up. They had already treated every possible cause they could find and were now completely stumped. Without knowing the underlying cause, they didn’t know how to proceed.

In such a helpless situation, Liang Xiu couldn’t offer them any real answers. The couple had been like this since last night, leaving Liang Xiu distressed and ashamed of her inability to help. Her only hope now was that Wang Jian truly had a way to figure out what was wrong with the patient.

After finally managing to console the elderly couple and persuade them to return to the ward, Liang Xiu let out a sigh of relief and pulled out her phone to call Wang Jian.

"Where are you?"

"Almost at the hospital entrance."

"Ah! I see you."

Liang Xiu hung up. Spotting Wang Jian walking over from the intersection, she waved from a distance.

"Have you eaten?" Liang Xiu was direct, leading Wang Jian upstairs. "If you’d arrived a few minutes earlier, you would’ve run into the patient’s parents."

"I ate before I came." Seeing Liang Xiu’s expression, Wang Jian initially thought she had dealt with a medical disturbance. After she explained what had happened, however, he wasn’t surprised. He had witnessed similar scenes back in Capital City, though at that time, the patients’ families were pleading with the hospital professors, so it had little to do with him. "As long as it’s not a medical disturbance, it’s all manageable."

As they walked upstairs, Liang Xiu asked, "I heard they’re filming a documentary at your clinic lately. The television crew didn’t follow you here, did they?"

Wang Jian shook his head. "This case didn’t happen at my clinic. Why would they follow me?"

"You can’t be so sure," Liang Xiu said. She had heard that last time, a TV station reporter named Angel had come to the emergency room to gather material and had interviewed several people. "I heard that for this documentary, they’re gathering stories from all over the province, even the whole country. You’re the only one they’re featuring in our city. This is a rare opportunity."

Wang Jian laughed. "What’s so rare about it? As long as they don’t get in the way of me seeing my patients, I’ll be counting my blessings."

"First, go get changed. Then I’ll take you to the ward to see him."

"Okay."