Gao-Yuan and Zhao Huanzhang hurried back on foot.

Zhao Huanzhang, panting heavily as he quickened his pace, asked, “Do we really need to rush this much? Why don’t we stay overnight in town and head back tomorrow? It’s pitch dark now, and we won’t make much progress.”

But Gao-Yuan shook his head. “No, tomorrow will be too late. The flu outbreak must be quite severe by now.”

“Isn’t it only severe in the neighboring county?” Zhao Huanzhang asked, surprised.

Gao-Yuan's tone became grave. “Our area won't be much better. Even though epidemic stations have been set up in each county, they were all established this year. The staff barely know what they’re doing, and their response is terribly slow.”

He continued, “The health bureau urgently called for Director Qi Dongsheng to attend a meeting. There’s only one reason for that—things are much worse than they anticipated, worse than we imagined. That’s why we need to get back immediately.”

Zhao Huanzhang thought for a moment and agreed with Gao-Yuan’s assessment. Looking around, he asked, “Should we try to find a wagon going to Zhangzhuang? It’s tough walking like this.”

Gao-Yuan replied, “At this hour, there won’t be any wagons heading to the countryside. Let’s just keep moving.”

“Sigh...” Zhao Huanzhang could only sigh and quicken his pace.

...

Zhangzhuang United Clinic

The clinic was in utter chaos. It was packed with people seeking medical attention, their incessant coughing filling the air. The noise was overwhelming—a cacophony of shouting and complaints, making it difficult to hear anything unless voices were raised.

Three doctors remained in the clinic, sitting side by side, each with a long line of patients in front of them. Even Li Shengli, the least skilled of the doctors, had a considerable queue, though most of his patients were dealing with mild illnesses.

Fortunately, before leaving, Gao-Yuan had spent a few days training Li Shengli, focusing primarily on treating colds. Though Li Shengli was still scratching his head in confusion at times, he was no longer prescribing medication recklessly as he had before, a significant improvement.

Liu Sanquan’s medical skills were slightly better, but when it came to more serious or complicated cases, he, too, found himself at a loss. His cautious approach meant that his treatment efficiency was quite low.

As for Shen Congyun, the once slippery old fox, he had undergone a significant transformation. In the past, he would have found a place to hide at the first sign of such a workload. But now, no matter how busy things got, he refused to leave.

His face had been plastered with a smile all day, unsettling the patients. This former grumpy old doctor had suddenly become a cheerful Buddha-like figure, making everyone uneasy. Even several children had been frightened to tears by his sudden change in demeanor.

Shen Congyun tried his best to maintain what he believed was a kind expression, and he never stopped talking. As soon as a patient arrived, he would remind them to sing his praises, especially if they were local officials. When the patients left with their prescriptions, he would repeat the same instructions.

Because of his endless chatter, Shen Congyun’s efficiency was the lowest among the three doctors.

In addition to the sick patients, there were others who came looking for Gao-Yuan.

Gao’s mother tugged at Li Shengli’s sleeve and asked, “Doctor Li, why isn’t my Gao-Yuan back yet? It’s getting dark again.”

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Li Shengli, busy attending to a patient, turned and said, “Auntie, didn’t I tell you? Dr. Gao went to the county town with Zhao Huanzhang.”

Gao’s mother, her face filled with worry, said, “What’s going on? It’s been days, and we haven’t even received a message from him. Be honest with me—he hasn’t been taken away again, has he?”

Li Shengli was speechless. “Auntie, what are you thinking? Why would they take Dr. Gao away for no reason? Besides, you live in Fucun. Even if we wanted to send a message, there’s no one who could go that deep into the village.”

Gao’s mother, realizing the logic in his words, still wasn’t entirely reassured. She added, “Doctor Li, my Gao-Yuan is a simple and good-hearted man. Please don’t let anyone wrong him.”

Li Shengli, half-laughing, half-crying, responded, “Don’t worry, Auntie. Take a seat over there. I’ve got plenty to do here, but rest assured, no one will harm Dr. Gao.”

Reluctantly, Gao’s mother stepped aside, still worried.

Before Li Shengli could turn back, Yang Dad caught him by the arm.

“What’s the matter, Uncle Yang?” Li Shengli asked, his patience wearing thin.

Yang Dad, his brows furrowed, anxiously asked, “When is Zhao Huanzhang coming back? When will you all be able to start your village rounds again? Many of the elderly in our village are too sick to travel this far. You need to come as soon as possible.”

Li Shengli glanced at the chaotic scene around him and sighed. “Uncle, I’m worried too, but look around. We’re completely overwhelmed. I haven’t even had time for a drink of water all day.”

Yang Dad looked around, his frown deepening. He was growing increasingly frustrated. The clinic served the medical needs of three nearby townships, with over forty thousand people depending on these four doctors. With Zhao Huanzhang away, they were barely managing the walk-in patients, let alone making house calls to the more remote villages.

At that moment, Yang Degui approached, handing his father a dry tobacco pipe. “Dad, have a smoke to calm down.”

Yang Dad took the pipe and puffed several times in quick succession, the smoke escaping his lips heavy with his growing anxiety.

Before he could say anything more, Nurse He Yu called out from behind the counter, “Hey, we’re running low on medicine. We’re almost out of cinnamon twig, gypsum, forsythia, and several others. We need to replenish our supplies soon.”

Li Shengli looked over at Liu Sanquan.

Liu Sanquan gave an awkward chuckle, clearly unwilling to deal with the issue. He pretended not to hear and kept his head down, focusing on his patient.

Li Shengli glanced over at Shen Congyun, who was still rambling on to his patient.

Feeling a headache coming on, Li Shengli said, “I know, I know. The pharmacy said they haven’t received their shipment yet. I’ll check again later.”

Yang Degui scratched his head, looking helpless in the midst of the chaos.

Yang Dad could only try again. “Doctor Li, you really need to find a solution. The situation in our village is serious. Several people are already in critical condition. I’m not exaggerating—I even brought one of them here today.”

Li Shengli looked over and recognized the patient. It was Uncle Wei, whom Gao-Yuan had treated last time for mistreating Aunt Wei, leading to her severe bleeding. Of course, it was later proven that Gao-Yuan had done nothing wrong.

It hadn’t been long since then, and now Aunt Wei had recovered, but Uncle Wei had fallen ill. Li Shengli asked, “Uncle Wei, how are you feeling? Has your fever gone down?”

Aunt Wei, who had accompanied him, answered, “No, he’s still burning up.”

Li Shengli said, “Shen Congyun, your previous prescription didn’t work. Take another look.”

“Wait a moment,” Shen Congyun said as he reassured his current patient and got up to examine Uncle Wei. He, too, was puzzled. Uncle Wei’s condition hadn’t improved at all.

Uncle Wei, growing agitated, raised his voice. “Doctor Shen, I feel terrible! My whole body aches, my head feels like it’s going to split open, and my neck is stiff and painful. I can’t even turn it. Every time I try, it hurts so much. Why didn’t the medicine help at all?”

Li Shengli walked over, suspiciously asking Shen Congyun, “Did you prescribe the wrong medicine again?”

At this, Shen Congyun bristled. “What do you mean by ‘again’? Are you accusing me of always making mistakes?”

“Well, it’s not like you haven’t before,” Li Shengli retorted.

Throwing up his hands in frustration, Shen Congyun declared, “Fine, I made a mistake. You treat him then! He’s all yours.”

Li Shengli, angered, shot back, “Is this how you handle things?”

Shen Congyun stuffed his hands into his sleeves, slipping back into his usual lazy demeanor. “If you’re so capable, you handle it. I’ve got nothing more to offer.”

Seeing the two doctors about to argue again, Liu Sanquan hunched over, trying to make himself as small as possible, like a turtle retreating into its shell.

Yang Degui stepped in to medierate.

But the argument had already brought the clinic to a standstill, and the patients in line grew increasingly frustrated, adding to the chaos. The clinic erupted into a noisy uproar once more.

Yang Dad, witnessing the scene, felt a deep chill in his heart. This was a disaster. How had things become such a mess? When would they be able to go to his village and treat the sick? So many people were waiting.

Meanwhile, Li Shengli and Shen Congyun continued their standoff, glaring at each other, neither willing to back down.

Just then, a deep voice boomed from the entrance, “What are you doing?”