They worked late into the night, finally treating the last of the patients at the clinic.

"Oh my back..." Shen Congyun groaned, pounding his aching lower back as he struggled to stand up. "Good grief, I've practiced medicine for so many years, and I've never been this exhausted."

Li Shengli glanced over at Shen Congyun, ready to snap at him. But seeing the old man had, for the first time, stayed late into the night with them, Li swallowed his words.

Zhao Huanzhang let out a long sigh. He had rushed back from the county earlier without a moment’s rest and had worked non-stop since then. After taking a sip of water, she asked, "Doctor Gao, are you planning to send all those medicinal herbs to the village?"

Gao-Yuan nodded. "Yes, it's too difficult for rural areas to get proper medicine. If we want to win this battle, we can't afford any supply problems with the herbs."

Zhao Huanzhang thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you planning to organize us to go on a medical tour of the villages?"

"Exactly," Gao-Yuan replied with a firm nod.

"When do you plan for us to go?" Zhao Huang inquired further.

The other doctors turned their gazes toward Gao-Yuan.

In truth, without realizing it, Gao-Yuan had become the central figure of the joint clinic. Even Zhao Huanzhang, the director, now sought his input on all important matters.

Looking at the expectant faces of the others, Gao-Yuan said, "We'll leave now."

"Now?" All four doctors stared at him in disbelief.

"What time is it?" Shen Congyun looked outside into the pitch-black night.

Zhao Huanzhang tried to reason with him. "Doctor Gao, if we leave now, we'll only arrive at your village by dawn. It's too rushed. Let's get some rest first. You know, sharpening the axe won't delay the job of cutting firewood."

"He's right," the others chimed in, echoing Zhao’s sentiment.

But Gao Yuan shook his head resolutely. "No, we must leave right now!"

"But why?" Shen Congyun couldn't help but ask.

"Over forty thousand people across three villages are waiting for us five doctors." Gao-Yuan explained seriously. "The situation is critical. If we delay even one day, the number of patients will increase, and their conditions will worsen. The faster we act, the better our chances of winning this fight."

"Alright, it's just a night march. I'm in!" Li Shengli slapped the table and stood up with enthusiasm.

He was eager, but the others looked more reluctant, especially Zhao Huanzhang, who was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

Shen Congyun folded his arms and his face, a picture of reluctance.

Gao-Yuan understood their fatigue, but the urgency of the situation left no room for rest. His ultimate goal wasn’t just the nearby villages but also Huo Village, deep in the countryside.

Supporting Huo Village was his final objective!

If they didn’t speed up, what would happen to Huo Village?

Gao-Yuan glanced at the fired-up Li Shengli and then at the other three, who were still dragging their feet. His brows furrowed.

Zhao Huanzhang tried to persuade him again. "Doctor Gao, I know you're enthusiastic, but you have to consider the reality of the situation. We’ve all been working non-stop and need to rest. I’m sure the other doctors in the village clinics are already asleep. No one else is rushing to visit the patients overnight."

Gao-Yuan replied, "Precisely because they won’t travel overnight, we must."

"Why?" Zhao Huanzhang was puzzled.

"Because you are different from them," Gao-Yuan said firmly.

Shen Congyun, already confused, couldn’t hold back anymore. "How are we different? We all have two shoulders and one head, don’t we?"

Gao-Yuan looked directly at Shen Congyun. "How can you say that? Have they ever endured the hardships you've gone through? Do they bear the same responsibilities as you? Have you forgotten the bitter humiliation when you were forced to marry? into the Yan family, to the point where you couldn’t even keep your own family name?"

Shen Congyun was stunned into silence.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"You once said you wanted to draw the attention of important figures. You wanted to restore the honor of the Shen family. You wanted your sons to be able to reclaim Shen's name. If you go back to sleep like the other doctors, how will anyone ever notice you? How will you ever stand out?" Gao-Yuan continued.

These words struck straight to Shen Congyun's heart.

Sure enough, after hearing them, his lips trembled.

Gao-Yuan pressed on. "For the revival of the Shen family, you’ve endured decades of suffering. What’s one more sleepless night climbing a mountain? You are the hope of your entire family!"

Shen Congyun slowly raised his head.

Zhao Huanzhang could see the fire igniting in Shen Congyun’s eyes. He was astonished—just a few words, and Gao-Yuan had managed to stir up the old man’s fighting spirit?

Before Zhao could fully process what was happening, he felt Gao-Yuan’s gaze land on him.

Zhao Huanzhang froze.

Gao-Yuan said, "You are even more different. You’re not a small landlord; your family is one of the most prominent landowners around!"

Zhao Huanzhang’s face darkened at the mention.

"But you are also the joint heir to the Menghe Medical School, one of the Four Great Medical Houses. You’ve learned so much, yet now you’re content to be cautious. fearful doctor? Does that satisfy you? Have you forgotten your grand oath to alleviate the suffering of all living beings?"

"I…" Zhao Huanzhang faltered, unsure how to respond.

Gao-Yuan’s eyes locked with his. "I know what’s holding you back. I understand your caution. I know your junior brother Zhu is now the esteemed director of the city’s Chinese medicine hospital and a representative of the area. And here you are just an anonymous rural doctor. But now is the best time for Chinese medicine! You have the chance to prove yourself. If Zhu could do it, so can you!"

Placing a hand on Zhao Huanzhang’s shoulder, Gao-Yuan said, "Doctor Zhao, our people are suffering. They need you! You, too, can become one of our comrades!"

"C-comrades…" Zhao Huanzhang stammered over the unfamiliar word, something he had never dared to dream of.

Zhao glanced over at Li Shengli, who, despite their usual rivalry, now nodded firmly in agreement.

Seeing even Li Shengli acknowledge it, Zhao Huanzhang felt his own spirit ignite. The fire in Shen Congyun’s eyes was now reflected in his own, burning even brighter!

In that moment, Zhao Huanzhang, too, was filled with passion!

Liu Sanquan, watching this unfold, was stunned. He couldn’t help but marvel at how skillfully Gao-Yuan had managed to fire up these men with just a few words, rousing them to such a fever pitch that they refused to rest.

As Gao-Yuan approached, Liu Sanquan’s heart began to race uncontrollably, his breathing quickening. He stared at Gao-Yuan’s face, eagerly wondering how he would inspire him. Deep down, he too longed for his own moment of passion.

Gao-Yuan patted Liu Sanquan on the shoulder and said, "Doctor Liu, you’ll stay here at the clinic."

"Huh?" Liu Sanquan thought he must have misheard.

"We can't all leave; otherwise, there'll be no one to treat the patients who come to the clinic," Gao-Yuan explained.

Liu Sanquan was on the verge of tears. He looked around in disbelief—why had the script suddenly changed for him?

…

Late at night, in Fu Village.

Grandpa Yang stood leaning on his cane, gazing expectantly toward the village entrance.

Several people nearby were trying to persuade him to go back home.

But Grandpa Yang stubbornly shaken his head. "So many people in the village are sick. We desperately need doctors. I’m waiting for Xiaoyuan to return!"

Uncle Zhang sighed. "Oh, my dear Grandpa Yang, look at the time. Who’s going to come now?"

Grandpa Yang, eyes still fixed on the distant darkness, replied, "Xiaoyuan said he’d come, and he will. I believe him."

The others fell silent.

Uncle Zhang shook his head. "We’re lucky that the clinic doctors visit our village regularly at all. I’ve lived in Fu Village for decades, and I’ve never seen a doctor come here in the middle of the night to treat patients."

Others joined in with their opinions.

"Yes, if they come tomorrow, we should count ourselves lucky."

"I doubt they'll even come tomorrow. The other villages also have many sick people. They’ve always prioritized the outer villages; whoever cares about us?"

"Exactly, Grandpa Yang, just go home. Don’t rely on Gao-Yuan’s word. Do you really believe him? After all, he’s just a—"

Grandpa Yang shot a glare at the man, thumping his cane on the ground. "What did you just say?"

The man swallowed his words, but his face still showed defiance, as if he believed what he said was the truth.

Uncle Zhang turned to Father Yang and asked, "What did they say earlier? Did they mention they were coming tonight?"

Father Yang, smoking his pipe and rubbing the sore spot from his fall, frowned. “Xiao Yuan said that after treating the patients at the clinic, they'd come right away.”

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhang sighed in exasperation. “So, they never actually said they'd come tonight—just that they'd come as soon as possible?”

“I...” Yang’s father was at a loss for words.

Uncle Zhang clapped his hands together and said, “Forget it. It's not happening tonight. We’ll just have to wait and see tomorrow.”

With that, Uncle Zhang left, followed by the others who had been waiting.

Yang’s father finished his last cigarette, but no one came. The night had grown deeper, and he turned to persuade his father. "Dad, let's go back. They’re not coming tonight. It’s my fault for not making things clearer.”

Old Man Yang shook his head. “No, they will come. I believe Xiao Yuan will make the trip tonight. He definitely will.”

Yang’s father didn’t know how to persuade him anymore. With a deep sigh, unable to argue with his stubborn father, he went home and brought back a whole sack of tobacco. prepared to stay out until dawn.

It was late into the night when a light drizzle began to fall.

“It’s raining, Dad. Let’s go back,” Yang’s father urged, trying to pull him away.

But Old Man Yang stood firm, staring into the distance. No matter what, he refused to leave.

Yang’s father was on the verge of jumping up in frustration.

And just then, several dim lantern lights appeared in the distance, cutting through the darkness. A few stumbling figures could be seen, drenched in rain, struggling their way up the mountain.

Old Man Yang straightened up, his cane striking the ground with force. His voice trembled with excitement as he exclaimed, “I knew it! I just knew it!”