Gao-Yuan sighed. The tragedies of the latter half of this old man’s life stemmed entirely from a mistaken mindset.

"You were wrong," Gao-Yuan said. "Your mistake was in focusing too much on networking and too little on medicine."

Shen Congyun replied, "Do you really think I sleep until noon every day and get drunk every night? In truth, I practice medical techniques diligently every day and study medical books every night. I’ve only been waiting for one chance, one opportunity to prove myself!"

"But you should also open your eyes and see the society around you, see the times we live in. This isn't the old Qing society anymore—this is a new era!" Gao-Yuan pointed out. "Look at the current leaders. What kind of people are they? How did they fight to build this nation?"

"With your medical ethics and your attitude toward the masses, even if a leader were to come, they wouldn’t trust you to treat them. If they had a temper, they wouldn’t even give you a glance."

"You harm and look down upon the very people they vowed to protect from the beginning. You call them dirty and smelly, but those leaders proudly call themselves the servants of these farmers and workers."

Shen Congyun was stunned by Gao-Yuan’s words.

Gao-Yuan was exasperated; he had never met anyone so oblivious to the current state of things. But he couldn't entirely blame the old man—after all, someone who would still spend all their money in 1949 lighting a cold stove for a former leader wasn’t likely to possess great foresight.

"I..." Shen Congyun mumbled, at a loss.

Gao-Yuan continued earnestly, "As a physician, one must aspire to be a great healer, moved by compassion. You should vow to relieve the suffering of all beings, regardless of their status or wealth. You must be calm and focused, free from desire."

"Even without quoting ancient wisdom, in today’s world, look at Doctor Norman Bethune. Do people revere him because he treated some high-ranking leader? No! It's because he upheld the noblest ideals of humanity and worked with a heart for the people. That’s what made him the purest, most esteemed physician."

"This is the value most cherished in our new era. You will only gain recognition if you let go of fame and fortune. If you cling to old ways, continue to despise the masses, and pursue the favor of the powerful, you will meet a bitter end."

Gao-Yuan stopped short of saying the final thought on his mind—he really didn’t want to witness Shen Congyun lamenting all his wrong choices before attempting to hang himself again.

Shen Congyun had already been deeply shaken by Gao-Yuan earlier, and now, after hearing all this, he became even more distracted.

Gao-Yuan stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "You really should think about the choices you've made in the second half of your life. Even if not for yourself, at least for Yan Kuan and Yan Ren. Maybe they, too, hope that their father can bring them out with dignity, allowing them to reclaim the Shen family name."

Shen Congyun lifted his head with difficulty. "How... how do you know everything?"

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Gao-Yuan replied, "This isn’t exactly a secret. If it's something you can’t achieve in your lifetime, at least there’s still hope in them. They are also the future of the Shen family."

Shen Congyun remained speechless.

Gao-Yuan patted his shoulder again and said, "Think about it carefully."

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It was almost evening. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Gao-Yuan headed home. His house was far away, and it would be dark by the time he arrived.

Just as he left, Cao Xinjian showed up.

"Hey, old squad leader, feeling better?" Li Shengli asked.

Cao Xinjian replied, "Nothing serious, just a bit of numbness and spiciness in my mouth. Gao-Yuan gave me a prescription earlier, so I came to get the medicine."

"Alright, Comrade He, please register him and get the medicine," Li Shengli called inside.

"Where's Gao-Yuan?" Cao Xinjian asked.

Li Shengli pointed toward the street. "Just left."

Cao Xinjian followed the direction indicated, catching a glimpse of Gao-Yuan's departing figure.

Li Shengli asked, "Do you need me to call him back?"

Cao Xinjian shook his head. "What do you think of Gao-Yuan?"

Li Shengli was taken aback, not expecting such a question. After a brief pause, he said, "I think he's someone who benefits the people."

Cao Xinjian looked at Li Shengli, then shifted his gaze back toward Gao-Yuan.

In the setting sun, Gao-Yuan's shadow stretched long across the ground.

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The next day, Gao-Yuan returned to the joint clinic.

In truth, many had overlooked a small fact: Gao-Yuan hadn’t officially joined the clinic, yet he had been coming to work every day, and nobody seemed to find this odd.

"Good morning, everyone," Gao-Yuan greeted as he walked in.

Everyone in the clinic looked toward him.

Miss He, who handled miscellaneous tasks, smiled and said, "Dr. Gao, you live so far away, yet you manage to get here so early every day. You must be waking up before dawn!"

Gao-Yuan smiled.

Miss He continued, "But you're not the first one here today; someone else arrived early."

"Oh?" Gao-Yuan followed her gaze and saw Shen Congyun sitting at a table, earnestly reading a medical book. He wasn’t dozing off or lazily picking at his nails.

Across from him, Li Shengli and Liu Sanquan looked at him in disbelief.

Gao-Yuan observed Shen Congyun closely. The old man had even changed into clean clothes, tidied his hair, and shaved his face. He was unusually neat and polished—so much so that even Gao-Yuan was surprised.

Shen Congyun, however, seemed oblivious, completely absorbed in his book.

Just then, a patient came to the door. "Excuse me, doctor? My granddaughter has a fever. Can you prescribe some medicine?"

Hearing this, Li Shengli stood up, but before he could move, a shadow suddenly rushed past him. Startled, he instinctively reached for his waist, only to grasp at air. When he looked again, he was utterly stunned.

"Ma’am, come in, come in. Please, have a seat and drink some water first," said the shadow, who turned out to be none other than Shen Congyun.

"Is this the same old rogue?" Li Shengli turned to ask Liu Sanquan.

But Liu Sanquan’s eyes were wide with shock as well.

Gao-Yuan also watched Shen Congyun in amazement.

The elderly woman, however, was completely thrown off. Shen Congyun’s bad attitude was notorious, but since his medical skills were indeed good, they often had no choice but to seek him out for treatment.

Now, the old woman didn’t know what to think.

"Maybe we should come back later?" She looked flustered.

Shen Congyun, in all seriousness, replied, "You’re healthy, so there's no rush. But look at your granddaughter—she still has a fever, and she seems listless. Do you really want her to go back home and wait?"

"I…" The old woman shot a pleading glance at Li Shengli.

Li Shengli slammed his hand on the table. "Shen Congyun, what are you trying to pull?"

Shen Congyun calmly placed a cup of water in front of the old woman and said, "I’m treating a patient. What else would I be doing? What do you think I’m trying to do?"

His response left Li Shengli momentarily speechless.

Even Gao-Yuan scratched his head in confusion. What was going on? Could the old man really have changed this quickly? It seemed impossible.

Shen Congyun then brought the little girl over and, with a smile that revealed his yellow teeth, kindly asked, "Little one, where do you feel uncomfortable? Tell grandpa."

Upon seeing that smile, the little girl burst into tears.