"What’s wrong?"
Chairman Kang, a piece of potato still in his mouth, lifted his bowl and began to wolf down his food. The mont he’d filled his mouth, he noticed Wang Jian’s expression and looked puzzled. After chewing a few tis and swallowing, he muttered, "Why is everyone looking at 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 comnt 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 dicine, 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 ti I have, I spend studying or practicing dicine 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 that girls like proactive guys. If he hadn’t, I never would’ve done sothing so foolish. Brother, you better not be lying to now!" he exclaid, putting on the air of a man who had learned his lesson.
Before Wang Jian could reply, Chairman Kang continued, his tone turning sowhat wistful. "Ever since I was little, I’ve been focused on studying hard and aiming high, and my family kept a close watch on ... I thought I could start dating in college, but my coursework turned out to be even more demanding than in high school, leaving with no ti at all. Whenever I t 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, dical 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 sa 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 seed unlikely that no girl would be interested in him.
To her surprise, Chairman Kang nodded. "That’s right, never."
He seed 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 mont. The kid really did seem green. Chasing a girl all the way to the village with such blind fervor wasn’t sothing a person with any romantic experience would do. Anyone who had ever been in a relationship wouldn’t have done sothing so socially inept. Besides, after talking with Chairman Kang about Ren Yu, Wang Jian had realized his interest was rely a fleeting fancy, fueled by his roommate’s encouragent. This kid probably didn’t even know what liking soone truly ant, likely mistaking simple fondness for genuine affection.
"It’s probably true," Wang Jian said matter-of-factly. "He cos from a long line of doctors, and they’ve been grooming him for a dical career since he was a child. He likely never had the ti to date."
It was precisely that dedication that allowed Chairman Kang to practice dicine under Wang Jian’s guidance while still in school. Wang Jian knew that without having t 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 ca 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-sumr heat should pass soon, right?" Chairman Kang had always lived in the north, where sumrs, though hot, cooled down more quickly. "Back in Capital City, it wouldn’t be this scorching at this ti 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 nightti right now... Will anyone really co to the clinic in this heat?"
Wang Jian knew he was asking if they would get any patients. "People will definitely co. 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 ant, they arrived at the entrance to the village committee office. It looked completely different from how he rembered 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. Soti 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 ti 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 , 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."
...
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 so unexpected details. Even Chairman Kang whispered in surprise, "Brother, your village chief is really sothing. 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 implent things imdiately. He was a man who got things done.
"He certainly is," Wang Jian nodded in agreent. 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 co in."
Wang Jian imdiately gave Li Dayu a big thumbs-up, thinking the arrangent was absolutely brilliant. The villagers didn’t have many pastis. In their free ti, if they weren’t cooling off in the shade, they were playing cards. A ga 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 imdiately began to clean. Having been away for a few days, the clinic wasn’t terribly dusty, but cleanliness was paramount for a dical facility. The two of them wiped everything down and disinfected the entire space before they felt it was ready for patients.
"When the patients co in, just watch first," Wang Jian instructed. "After each one, I’ll review the case with you. You can ask anything, and I’ll ask you so questions too. I hope it helps you learn."
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