Get-together
Get-together
"I see. It doesn't hurt to ask anyway," the head of the hospital said. "Have you been busy working lately?"
"Not really," Pan Jun said.
"You are still young. Keep up the good work," the head of the hospital said.
"Is there anything else you need me to do?" Pan Jun asked.
"No, I'll talk to you another time," the head of the hospital said.
After Pan Jun left the office, the head of the hospital, Director Liang, suddenly looked unpleasant.
"He's applied for a patent. That was a quick move!" He looked toward the door. "I doubt if Dr. Pan was telling me the truth."
In the village, a lot of people had noticed the change on the U-shaped land at the foot of Nanshan Hill.
"Wow! Who planted so many trees here?" People were surprised to see the hundreds of trees Wang Yao had planted.
"Were they planted by Yao?" one of the villagers asked. "I saw trucks with trees here a few days ago."
"Why did he plant so many trees here? By the way, does this place belong to him?" a female villager asked.
"I think so," a middle-aged villager said. "Haven't you seen the statement from the Village Committee?"
"What? Has he contracted more areas?" an old villager asked.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter. These areas would be wasted if no one looked after them. You can't do farming there anyway," the middle-aged villager said. He had a good impression of Wang Yao, so he was talking in his favor.
"Why did he plant so many trees?" the female villager asked.
"Maybe he just wants to make a profit from them," a young villager said.
"Take a look at those trees. Most of them are poplar and eucalyptus trees, and this one is elm," the female villager said. "Are you sure he can make a profit from these trees?"
"Why do you care?" the middle-aged villager asked.
"You are right. It has nothing to do with me. I'm leaving," the female villager said.
Fewer villagers went to Nanshan Hill.
"Well, there are fewer people here. Soon, old people like me will be the only ones here," the old villager said.
"You are right. Young people don't want to stay here," the middle-aged villager said. "But there is an exception."
"Are you talking about Yao?" the old villager asked. "He's a weird young man."
Most villagers thought Wang Yao was weird. They didn't understand why he wanted to stay in the isolated small village since he was an extraordinary doctor. They didn't get what was on his mind.
"I don't understand the younger generation," the old villager said.
Wang Yao, the weird young man to most villagers, was seeing patients in his clinic. He had unexpected guests at noon.
It was Tian Yuantu and Wei Hai.
"What brings you guys here?" Wang Yao asked.
"I haven't seen you for ages. I'm here because I miss you," Wei Hai said with a smile. "Wow, you have more and more patients."
"Yeah," Wang Yao said. "Have you had lunch?"
"Not yet," Wei Hai said.
"My treat," Wang Yao said.
They went to the same restaurant as always. The three of them ordered several dishes and a pot of wine.
"Did you drive here?" Wang Yao asked.
"No, we arranged drivers to pick us up later," Wei Hai said.
Both Wei Hai and Tian Yuantu were successful businessmen, so they had their designated drivers on call.
"It's nice to be rich," Wang Yao joked.
The three of them were chatting while eating.
"I need to ask you guys something." Wang Yao told Wei Hai and Tian Yuantu about Zhen Weijun's proposal.
"Pharmaceutical company?" Wei Hai asked.
"I think it is a good thing. Pharmaceutical companies make good profits. With assistance from Zhen family, it will be way easier to establish a company," Tian Yuantu said.
"I find most people you know are from prestige families," Wei Hai said as he stuffed some food into his mouth.
The Zhen family was well-known. They didn't expect Zhen Weijun would come to see Wang Yao for treatment. And, it seemed that he had established a good relationship with Wang Yao.
"Sun Yunsheng introduced me to them. I suppose the Sun Family has done business with the Zhen family before," Wang Yao said.
"Yes, and their wealth level is similar," Tian Yuantu said. " Sun Zhengrong is based north of Yangzi River while Zhen Weijun and his family are based south. One of Zhen Weijun's relatives is a senior officer in the government. He played a vital role in promoting the family business. Sun Zhengrong doesn't have such an advantage. You should have a good think about the proposal."
"That's right." Wei Hai agreed.
"I'm quite interested in the proposal," Wang Yao said.
He had had a rich knowledge of herbs and medicine. It would be a shame if he only used his knowledge to treat patients. He also had an infinitive task to promote and restore the name of a Chinese Pharmacist. Establishing a pharmaceutical company would be a great way to complete that task.
"You have our support. Let me know if you need anything from me," Wei Hai said.
"Right, it would be even better if we could invest in your company," Tian Yuantu joked.
"By the way, I have a suggestion. You must have absolute authority in the company. Otherwise, you'll just be a money-making tool for them," Wei Hai said.
"Yes, I've thought about that," Wang Yao said.
"Good, let me propose a toast," Wei Hai said.
"OK," Wang Yao said.
"I hope our friendship will last forever," Wei Hai said.
The three of them didn't finish lunch until 2 p.m. Both Wei Hai and Tian Yuantu were in good moods. They drank a lot of wine. Their drivers had already arrived, but they were waiting outside. So, they didn't mind drinking a bit more than usual.
"I have to go. My treat next time when you come to Haiqu," Wei Hai said.
"OK," Wang Yao said.
"Don't forget to call me when you are in Haiqu next time," Wei Hai said.
Wang Yao watched them leave as he stood on the narrow road. The trees on the sides of the road were moving in the wind.
It was nice to catch up with friends. They chatted and had several glasses of wine together. They didn't talk about anything political or really important. It was just casual conversations like most friends did.
True friendships were like water. Some relationships, despite looking good like wine, were not true friendships.
The Li Family Creek was located deep in the hills. Previously, not many people in Lianshan knew about it because it was too isolated and had no selling point, unlike some other places that were either famous for their BBQ food or pancakes. Li Family Creek had nothing at all in the past. Nowadays, most people in Lianshan knew about the place thanks to the hot springs.
The company running the resort made a great effort to advertise their services. Those who ran the company were from the south. They built a large facility for the hot springs. It attracted a lot of visitors on weekends and holidays.
Most people in Lianshan had only seen hot springs on TV. Now, they had a chance to try the hot springs in their own county. Of course, they would visit the resort for curiosity.
"Wow, it is so comfortable to be in the warm water," a visitor said.
He and his friends came to the resort to try the hot springs. The temperature of the water was a bit high.
"Exactly," his friend said.
"I think they should build a group of houses here. A lot of people would be interested in buying one," the first visitor said.
"I agree with you," his friend said.
"Are you serious?" another friend asked. "I heard the hills here had poisonous insects before. Two people died because of the insects."
"What? Seriously?" the first visitor asked with surprise. "It can't be possible. What insects could kill people?"
"Exactly," his friend said.
In a Li Family Creek house, a man was lying in bed. His eyes were shut closed. His face had turned green.
"What happened?" his wife asked. "You were fine before you went out."
"I was bitten by an insect on the hill," the man said.
"What insect?" the woman asked.
"It is not the time to talk about this. Take him to the hospital now," the man's mother said.
"You are right. I'll take you to the hospital," his wife said.
A car left the villager in a hurry. The man's wife took him to the emergency department of Lianshan People's hospital.
"Doctor, can you please take a look at him?" the wife anxiously asked.
"Hmm?" The doctor on call came forward as soon as he saw the patient.
"What happened to him?" the doctor asked.
"I think he was poisoned," the patient's wife said.
"What poison? What has he had for dinner?" the doctor asked.
"No, he was bitten on the hill," the wife said.
"Bitten by a snake?" There were not many poisonous snakes in the north. In Lianshan, many people had never come across anyone bitten by a poisonous snake for decades. There were no wild poisonous snakes in Lianshan.
"Not a snake. He was bitten by an insect," the wife said.
"What insect could be so poisonous?" the doctor asked as he was examining the patient.
"I have no idea," the wife said.
"Insect?" Another doctor came long as he heard the word. It was Pan Jun.
"Hello, Dr. Pan," the doctor on call said.
"Let me take a look." Pan Jun quickly went to exam the patient's body.
His heart rate was too fast, and his blood pressure was too high. He was short of breath and unconscious.
"Where are you from?" Pan Jun asked.
"Li Family Creek," the wife said murmured.
"Li Family Creek?" Pan Jun.
The place was famous for its hot springs, so most people knew about it. Pan Jun also knew that Li Family Creek was close to Wang Yao's village, which was blocked in the past due to an outbreak of a horrible contagious disease caused by poisonous insects.
Is this case related to the contagious disease that happened a while ago? Pan Jun wondered.
"Dr. Pan, what should we do?" the doctor on call asked.
"Send him to do a blood test, and be quick. Get the breathing machine ready," Pan Jun instructed.
"OK," the resident doctor said.
The medical staff acted with great efficiency.
I should let Dr. Wang know about this. Pan Jun gave Wang Yao a call.
"Someone from Li Family Creek was poisoned?" Wang Yao asked.
"Yes, his wife said he was bitten by an insect," Pan Jun said.
"I see," Wang Yao said.
"Do you have any good treatment plan?" Pan Jun asked.
"I guess you don't have any medications in the hospital that are effective in treating this kind of disease, but I have something effective," Wang Yao said.
"Really?" Pan Jun asked.
However, the patient was in the hospital. It was not appropriate for them to go to Wang Yao's clinic.
"I'll leave it to you to decide," Wang Yao said.
"OK," Pan Jun said.
The patient was admitted to the hospital after being examined.
"Hello, Dr. Xu, how is that patient who was bitten by an insect now?" Pan Jun asked.
"He is in critical condition. He is likely to have heart failure," Dr. Xu said.
"Can you make him better?" Pan Jun asked.
"I'm not sure," Dr. Xu said. "I can't guarantee anything at this stage. They said he was poisoned. I did find small marks on his body, and he had been showing intoxication symptoms. To be honest, shouldn't he be sent to Trauma? Why is he here?"
"I can't help you with this," Pan Jun said as he walked away.
Are you joking? Sending him to Trauma? The doctors there are useless! Pan Jun thought.
"Hey, don't go away!" Dr. Xu shouted.
In the hospital room, the patient regained consciousness.
"How are you feeling?" his wife anxiously asked.
"Find… Find..." He called out a person's name before passing out.
"What's wrong?" his wife asked.
"What did he say?" a nurse nearby asked.
"He wants to speak to Maoming," the patient's wife said.
"Who is Maoming?" the nurse asked.
"Now I remember. Maoming's son was also been bitten by an insect. He is fine now," the patient's wife said.
"Where did he get treated?" the nurse asked.
"I can't remember," the wife said.
She immediately called her family to ask about Maoming's son.