Chapter 431: Building a Hospital Integrating Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine

"Mingzhu, it's so good that you're back. We sisters can fight side by side again. You've studied outside for many years, so you must teach me the things I don't understand."

"Sister Qiu Nan, I've rarely been at the hospital these past few years; I've mostly been teaching and educating people. There is still much you will have to teach me."

"Can't you two just learn from each other? But Mingzhu, you still need to adapt to the hospital."

Zhong interrupted them. She had already been retired for a few years, but she was still an Honorary Dean.

"Yes, okay."

Their Military Division Hospital was fine, but some hospitals outside already had medical chaos.

Zhong Mingzhu returned home after work and happened to run into Wei Chun and the other two who had just finished school.

"Wandong, can you adapt to high school here?"

"Aunt Zhong, I'm doing fine. Memory is our strong suit, and I had already read the domestic high school textbooks back in Xiangjiang. This time, I'm just using the school's name to take the college entrance exam."

Zhang Wandong originally didn't want to come over, but her mother had opened a clinic here, and her great-grandfather was getting on in years, so she felt bad about causing trouble every time.

The key was that two of her senior martial uncles had also come along this time, accompanied by their fourth son, while their disciples were left at the Xiangjiang clinic.

"That's good. What about you two?"

"About the same as my sister."

"Yes, okay."

The reopening of the Wang Family Clinic was heard about throughout the surrounding hutongs. Old neighbors saw Wang Zhangming and Wang Chang'an and asked one after another:

"Doctor Wang, where is the Divine Doctor Wang?"

"My master is still in Xiangjiang, but he will be back in a while."

"Good, good, good. It's good that he's coming back."

"That's right, we'll have somewhere to go for medical treatment now."

"My father was still talking about the Divine Doctor Wang before he passed away. It's a pity he couldn't see him one last time."

"Sigh."

There were indeed many of the Divine Doctor Wang's neighbors and patients here; they were all old acquaintances. Last time, Lao Wang had met with everyone, but he had returned to Xiangjiang afterward.

Now, Lao Wang felt his time was approaching and prepared to spend his last ten-plus years in Sijiucheng.

Lao Wang was now one hundred and two years old, but his body was about the same as a man in his seventies or eighties. Plus, being proficient in Traditional Chinese Medicine, living into the new century would be easy for him.

Of course, Zhang Ping'an's two senior martial brothers had only come back to pave the way. They were now old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors in their sixties and could already be considered Great National Hands, and they were now focusing more on training the younger generation.

Zhang Ping'an also planned to establish a private hospital integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine in Sijiucheng, but it had not been approved yet.

Now that everyone had gathered, it was time to pull strings to get the hospital finalized.

Zhang Ping'an had been running around for this matter since after the New Year, but the complexity of the procedures left him helpless.

The next day, Zhang Ping'an had no choice but to find Zhong, as she was the only person he knew who worked in a medical institution.

"This is a good thing. I'll ask for you. Wait, is Mingzhu going to follow along when the time comes?"

"Uh... let her be. We have enough manpower for now anyway."

Wang Xiaoling and Zhong Mingzhu had trained quite a few people over the years. Although there were fewer than fifty who were truly outstanding, it was enough for a new hospital, not to mention there were other students.

"Good."

Afterward, a few phone calls from Zhong saved Zhang Ping'an at least half a month of time.

"Alright, these are the procedures for establishing a new hospital. Remember them well. Once you have the materials ready, I will take you to the Health Bureau."

"Okay, thank you, Big Sister."

"It's nothing. You're doing a good deed, after all."

Zhong did not think Zhang Ping'an would use the hospital to make money; it was mostly for training the younger generation.

It seemed that because Zhong had put in a word beforehand, all of Zhang Ping'an's procedures went exceptionally smoothly. In just two days, Zhang Ping'an had finished all the paperwork.

Then he just had to wait for the thaw to start construction. This was a plot of wasteland of over 120 mu, also in Dongcheng District.

"Brother Ping'an, you should have gone to Big Sister much earlier."

"That's right, I regret it. I didn't want to trouble Big Sister at first, which is why I wasted so much time for nothing. In the end, I still had to go to her."

"We aren't outsiders. You should use your connections. Haven't you heard that it's easy to get things done when you have people in high places?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Zhang Ping'an was also used to solving problems by himself, but he had overestimated himself. Perhaps in later generations, spending a little money would have settled it;

but in this era, one really had to run to each department one by one. The time cost was too high, and they wouldn't even take money.

"Brother Ping'an, who are you planning to have as the Dean?"

"Me."

"You?"

"What? Although I don't have a certificate, I'm more than qualified to be the Dean."

"No, I mean, do you have the time? When are you not a hands-off Shopkeeper?"

"Ahem, why are you telling such blunt truths?" Zhang Ping'an coughed awkwardly.

"Then you come."

"I meant my sister. She has already retired and has experience; she couldn't be more suitable."

"Hmm? That's true." Zhang Ping'an's heart stirred slightly.

Zhong was sixty-five this year and had been retired for five years, but she wasn't used to being idle, so she held the title of Honorary Dean and would occasionally go to the hospital to take a look.

Although Zhong was not as exaggerated as Zhong Mingzhu, she looked like she was only in her fifties. Even if she served as Dean for five years, she could still train a successor.

"Then I'll leave the task of persuading Big Sister to you. You can be the second Dean when the time comes."

"Okay."

A month later, the Oriental Hospital began construction. The hospital, covering over a hundred mu, was not small; it was equivalent to the size of a county hospital, but it could be completed before the end of the year.

In a flash, summer vacation arrived; Qi Tongren had already joined the army back in April. Although his talent for marksmanship wasn't as exaggerated as Tongwei's, he was still a promising sprout, and with proper cultivation, he wouldn't turn out badly.

As for Qi Tongwei, he went to work at the Oriental Supermarket in Modu, where he witnessed the prosperity of the commercial district once again.

"Our factory used Treasury Bonds to offset one-third of our wages again this month. Tell me, what is this stuff actually good for?"

"Who knows? Our factory offset part of our wages with them too. You can't spend them; they're just like waste paper."

"Exactly. Sigh, our wages weren't much to begin with, and now it's even harder."

Qi Tongwei heard this clearly on his way home from work, and his heart stirred slightly. He seemed to have read newspaper reports about Treasury Bonds, so he silently noted this information, preparing to go back and study it.

Qi Tongwei bought several weeks' worth of newspapers at a newsstand. After flipping through them, he indeed found information about Treasury Bonds, but it was a pity that they couldn't be traded yet, so Qi Tongwei temporarily set the matter aside.

After summer vacation, Qi Tongwei returned to Jingzhou with two hundred yuan in wages and began another year of welcoming new students.

He was now the Vice Chairman of the Student Union, and he had to participate in formulating many plans.

"Hello, Senior. I am Chen Qingquan. Is this our Political and Law Department?"

"That's right. Fill out these forms here, and someone will take you to your dormitory in a moment."

"Good, good, good. Our Political and Law Department is the best; one must study law and politics."

If Zhang Ping'an were here, he would certainly recognize that this was the future Vice President of the Jingzhou Intermediate Worker Court, the one who loved to study foreign languages; however, the current Chen Qingquan was just a young man in his early twenties.

"Heh," Qi Tongwei was also amused by his comical appearance.

"This Junior Chen will probably come to the Student Union in the future; otherwise, it would be a waste of his excellent eloquence."

"Mm, our Student Union certainly welcomes people like Junior Chen."

Qi Tongwei was now much more tactful in his conduct, not only because of reading the History of Ming, but also due to Gao Yuliang's guidance, coupled with the insights he gained while working during the summer.

This was what created the person he was today; it couldn't be called good or bad, but speaking with him made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.