If Li Shengli’s actions were well intended but poorly executed, then Shen Congyun was neither well-meaning nor interested in doing anything at all.

Li Shengli, born into hardship and educated by the organization, had a high level of ideological awareness. Although his skills were lacking, his enthusiasm was unmatched. On the other hand, Shen Congyun was a loafer, and his enthusiasm was the lowest of all.

Li Shengli snorted coldly, “Tell me, where have you been?”

Shen Congyun, with his head lowered, idly picking at the dirt under his nails, responded nonchalantly, “Where else? I went on rounds in the countryside. Isn’t that the agreement with the higher-level commune? We have to make regular rounds.”

Li Shengli roared, “You’ve got the nerve to say that! You’ve been gone for a whole week. Did you crawl there?”

Still looking down, Shen Congyun spoke weakly, “Well, what can I do? I’m old. I can’t walk mountain roads like you young folks.”

Li Shengli snapped, “Even if you had a cane, you wouldn’t need a week!”

Shen Congyun replied, “I had to treat patients, you know? I wasn’t sightseeing. Each Brigade has sick people, and I have to see all of them. You know how thorough I am when treating patients. One person takes a long time. I’d love to be as fast as you, but I can’t misdiagnose or mistreat anyone, can I?”

“You...!” Li Shengli was so angry that his eyes bulged.

Liu Sanquan instinctively moved to the side, not wanting to provoke anyone.

Shen Congyun, still sluggish and deflated, muttered under his breath and tried to walk into the clinic.

Gao-Yuan frowned and said, “Taking time to be thorough is one thing, but being too slow will affect the patients’ treatment. After all, we’re each responsible for over ten thousand people’s health. There are so many patients waiting.”

Shen Congyun glanced at Gao-Yuan and asked, “And who might this leader be?”

Liu Sanquan quickly replied, “This is Doctor Gao-Yuan.”

“Doctor... Gao-Yuan?” Shen Congyun looked at Gao-Yuan with confusion, clearly having no memory of him. Without saying another word, he turned and went inside.

Gao-Yuan frowned deeply and rubbed his aching head.

Despite this small clinic having only a handful of people, it was like a pile of loose sand, full of conflicts and divisions.

He looked at the two before him.

Liu Sanquan hunched his shoulders and, clutching his medical kit, said, “I still have rounds to do. I’ll be going now.”

Watching Liu Sanquan’s retreating figure, Gao-Yuan shook his head slightly.

Liu Sanquan was ordinary in every way—his background, his medical skills, even his personality. He wasn’t particularly proactive, nor did he slack off. He avoided trouble, but he was timid and afraid of conflict, always choosing to evade problems rather than face them head-on, showing little responsibility.

Gao-Yuan then turned his attention to Li Shengli.

Still fuming, Li Shengli said to Gao-Yuan, “Just look at the people we have! I’ve said it before: you can’t trust these landlords' descendants! He’s only still here because we don’t have enough doctors. Otherwise, who would keep someone like him?”

Gao-Yuan frowned and walked over to the clinic door. Sure enough, Shen Congyun was already dozing off.

Li Shengli was about to rush in to confront him when someone entered the clinic.

“Shengli!”

Li Shengli turned around and immediately straightened up. “Hey, Old Squad Leader!”

Gao-Yuan looked at the newcomer. It was the militia platoon leader, who also served as their instructor, Cao Xinjian.

Cao Xinjian covered his mouth and casually waved at Li Shengli, asking, “Is there only one doctor here?”

Li Shengli glanced back, unwillingly muttering, “Shen Congyun’s here too.”

Cao Xinjian said, “Alright, carry on. I’ll go see him for treatment.”

Without another word, Cao Xinjian headed into the clinic.

Li Shengli frozen, feeling utterly deflated. He was standing right there, yet Cao Xinjian chose not to consult him. It was a huge blow to his morale.

Gao-Yuan saw through his thoughts and said, “That’s why you need to work hard on your studies. Being a doctor is about skill, not connections.”

“Yes.” Li Shengli responded, then turned to tidy up.

Standing by the door, Gao-Yuan could still hear the conversation inside the clinic.

“My mouth suddenly broke out in sores. It started about an hour ago, and now my tongue, mouth, and lips are all covered in sores. How could I get such severe heat so quickly? It’s unbearable! Give me some medicine, fast.”

“Flipped lip sores, huh? Oh, just take some cooling medicine, Daoshan Powder mixed with Liangge Powder.”

Gao-Yuan showed a hint of doubt.

“Shall we go?” Li Shengli had his medical kit on his back, ready for rounds.

“Alright, let’s go.” Gao-Yuan accompanied Li Shengli out. As they were leaving, he glanced back once more, feeling that something was off.

He calculated the timing. In his previous life, he hadn’t arrived at this clinic until a few days later, just in time for Zhang Yuancai’s mother’s funeral. He knew Cao Xinjian too, who later became a regiment commander in the large militia organization.

However, Gao-Yuan distinctly remembered that Cao Xinjian didn’t trust traditional Chinese medicine. Even later, when they were at the township health clinic, Cao always went for Western medicine and never sought out Chinese remedies. So why was he consulting a Chinese doctor now?

“What’s wrong?” Li Shengli asked again.

“Nothing. Let’s go,” Gao-Yuan suppressed his doubts and followed Li Shengli out.

...

That afternoon, Gao-Yuan accompanied Li Shengli on several patient visits.

He explained how to differentiate symptoms in detail, using the later methods for training barefoot doctors. He used simple, easy-to-understand terms to teach him how to observe, listen, question, and examine, as well as the Eight Guiding Principles of Differentiation and how to diagnose and treat common ailments.

Due to his limited education, Li Shengli couldn’t start from scratch with the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, Treatise on Cold Damage, or Essentials from the Golden Cabinet, all of which were too difficult and time-consuming to master—unsuitable for the current rural medical situation.

He needed to quickly grasp how to handle common illnesses.

After a day of clinical instruction with a true master guiding him, Li Shengli gained much. His head now felt heavy with information—far too much to digest all at once.

Gao-Yuan told him, “When you get home, review what you recorded today. To study medicine, effort might get you to pass, but you need to push hard to excel. If there’s not enough time during the day, use your evenings as well.”

“Yes!” Li Shengli, full of energy, stood at attention.

The two of them started back.

As they passed a house, Li Shengli said, “This is my old squad leader’s house. I wonder if he’s feeling better.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone burst out of the house, flailing wildly.

“What on earth!” Li Shengli was startled.

Gao Yuan also froze in surprise.

Cao Xinjian’s wife and son hurried out after him.

“Slow down, Cao!” his wife called.

“Sister-in-law?” Li Shengli was puzzled. Looking again at Cao Xinjian, he asked, “Old Squad Leader, what happened to you? What did you eat?”

Gao-Yuan looked over as well, noticing that Cao Xinjian’s lips were swollen to the size of peaches, dramatically turned outward, and already cracked and bleeding.

Seeing them, Cao Xinjian pointed to his mouth, groaning but unable to speak. The more he struggled to communicate, the more agitated he became, tearing at his clothes in frustration.

Gao-Yuan frowned immediately. “You’d better take Comrade Cao inside first.”

Cao Xinjian’s wife quickly agreed, “Yes, come back inside. You can’t go to the clinic like this. Shengli, go get the doctor.”

Li Shengli turned to Gao-Yuan, asking, “What happened to him?”

Gao-Yuan shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s go inside and take a look.”

Cao Xinjian’s wife led her husband inside, and Li Shengli rushed to help.

Once inside, Gao-Yuan asked, “What happened? When I saw him earlier, it wasn’t this bad.”

Cao Xinjian’s wife, also confused, replied, “I’m baffled too. This morning, he only had a few sores in his mouth. He took some medicine, and I brewed it for him in the afternoon. After he drank it, not long after, he said he felt a rush of heat from his navel up to his face. His lips swelled quickly, and his tongue is swollen and painful. He can’t speak. A little while later, he turned into this frightening sight.”

Li Shengli exclaimed, “I’ve never seen heat so severe! Old Squad Leader, you really are an iron-blooded man; even your temper is fiery!”

Gao-Yuan cast an exasperated look at Li Shengli.