On his second visit to give a lecture, Gao-Yuan received a warm welcome. This time, the county hospital doctors greeted him at the entrance.

Before the lecture, Gao-Yuan went to check on the sick child again. The child was still in the hospital, but his condition had stabilised significantly. He could eat on his own, communicate clearly, and showed no signs of cognitive impairment. After advising continued medication and observation, Gao-Yuan visited the elderly stroke patient.

Other doctors trailed behind Gao-Yuan, creating a scene similar to when the provincial hospital’s expert team visited rural areas. This sight left the stroke patient's son in awe; just the day before, this doctor had been standing in the background, but now he seemed to be leading the way.

The patient's son instinctively stood up and reached out to shake Gao-Yuan's hand. "Doctor Gao, nice to meet you."

The formality of the address had changed.

Gao-Yuan shook his hand and asked, “How’s your father doing today?”

The son replied, “Much better. After he took the decoction you prescribed, he could sit up and eat today and even talk with us.”

Gao-Yuan nodded and examined the patient’s condition, finding remarkable improvement. After giving some instructions, he left, and the patient’s son escorted him to the door.

Dr. Miao Ran, who had been following Gao-Yuan, asked, “Instructor Gao, how did the stroke patient recover so quickly?”

Gao-Yuan explained, “The patient had a strong constitution, and we treated him promptly. This type of acute illness comes on fast, but with timely intervention, recovery can be swift. Oh, by the way, I imagine you’ve all noticed that I used musk in treating both patients.”

The doctors nodded in agreement.

“Musk is a valuable medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine, and for good reason. It has powerful effects on stimulating the central nervous system, protecting the brain from hypoxia, alleviating suffocation, and stopping spasms. When used sparingly, it can work wonders. It’s a significant factor in these patients’ rapid recovery,” Gao-Yuan elaborated.

“The provincial hospital previously assumed the child had suffered prolonged brain hypoxia and concluded he would be left with cognitive impairment. I’ve treated cases like this before; with timely use of musk, a child’s cognitive abilities can be effectively preserved. You might want to pursue further research in this area.”

The doctors were deeply intrigued, having witnessed the remarkable effects of mushrooms firsthand.

Dr. Qiao Zheng expressed his gratitude: “Instructor Gao, thank you for your guidance. Over the past few days, we’ve learnt a lot and have come to a renewed understanding of traditional Chinese medicine.”

Taking the opportunity, Gao-Yuan said, “You’re very welcome. Traditional Chinese and Western medicine each have their strengths. Cooperation between the two, with each discipline playing to its advantages, is the ideal approach. If we encounter more challenging cases in the future, I’d be glad if we could work together to treat them.”

Without hesitation, Dr. Qiao Zheng agreed, “Nothing would please us more.”

Everyone shared a friendly smile, and even Dr. Miao Ran gave Gao-Yuan a nod of approval.

A few days later, after finishing his lectures, Gao-Yuan left the hospital and decided to check in at the Epidemic Prevention Station.

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When he arrived, he found the station empty. After asking around, he learnt that everyone there had been called to a meeting at the Health Bureau. So, Gao-Yuan headed to the bureau.

As he reached the ground floor, someone called out from above, “Hey, Doctor Gao!”

He looked up and recognised Director Wang Hanzhang, who waved at him. “Come on up. You’re just in time to join the meeting.”

“Huh?” Gao-Yuan hesitated for a moment before hurrying upstairs.

Upon entering the meeting room, he noticed several familiar faces: Director Li from the hospital, Senior TCM Practitioner Yan Qiao, and Dr. Li Runyu were all present. The “station chiefs” from the Epidemic Prevention Station sat despondently at the end of the table.

Director Wang lit a cigarette and gestured for Gao-Yuan to sit next to him.

“Alright.” Gao-Yuan found a chair and sat down.

As soon as Gao-Yuan joined them, Senior Practitioner Yan Qiao and Dr. Li Runyu exchanged dark looks. Director Li, however, nodded politely at him, acknowledging his positive reputation at the hospital.

Director Wang tossed a pack of cigarettes onto the table in front of Gao-Yuan, signalling him to help himself.

Politely, Gao-Yuan waved it off.

After taking a deep drag, Director Wang tapped his fingers on the table. “Well? You all had plenty to say earlier, didn’t you? Epidemic Prevention Station, your job is to prevent diseases and carry out a ‘prevention-first’ public health policy. So, where were you all when we were battling the flu outbreak? Every one of you disappeared!”

Gao-Yuan observed Director Wang and then looked at the group of “station chiefs,” all of whom kept their heads down.

Director Wang continued, “Director Li, you’re responsible for managing the station. Care to explain this?”

Director Li responded awkwardly, “There were just so many flu cases; our hospital couldn’t keep up, so we had them help treat patients at the hospital.”

Director Wang, irritated, shot back, “The organisation trusted you to oversee epidemic prevention, and this is how you managed it?”

Director Li looked even more embarrassed.

Gao-Yuan couldn’t help but smile wryly. Most county epidemic prevention stations had only been established this year. Usually, a hospital director or deputy director served as head, with minimal resources allocated. Their county’s station had one room and a single desk—no chairs, which led locals to joke about the five “standing chiefs” always standing around.

There was a pervasive lack of understanding and commitment to preventive work, with most personnel sent from the hospital being either idlers, simpletons, or those with connections. During slow times, they mostly sat around chatting; when things got busy, they were called back to help at the hospital.

Director Wang was now scolding them for precisely this issue. “Don’t brush this off lightly! I’ll have you know that during this flu crisis, our response has been severely lacking, and health authorities at all levels have taken notice. As doctors and committee members of the Health Association, you’re all also responsible for this criticism.”

Everyone in the room kept their heads low, accepting the rebuke in silence.

Director Wang extinguished his cigarette and softened his tone slightly. “That said, compared to neighbouring counties, we did a commendable job in providing medical support to remote towns. This has been recognised by the higher-ups.”

Everyone turned their gaze to Gao-Yuan.

Director Wang looked over at him as well. “Doctor Gao, your team’s work has been outstanding. Without your support, we would have been left with nothing but reproach.”

Humbly, Gao-Yuan replied, “It was our duty.”

Director Wang turned back to the others and said, “Look at him. Look at yourselves. You claim you didn’t have the capacity to support He Township, yet somehow he did. You couldn’t coordinate Western and traditional medicine? Well, I specifically sent Doctor Gao to give you lectures, and how did that go? I saw it myself; they escorted him all the way to the main street when he left.”

“Why can’t you foster collaboration? Why didn’t you have the resources to help? This is about your attitude. If you truly wanted to make things work, could you not have done it?” Director Wang pulled out a stack of letters and tossed them onto the table. “Take a look. These are letters of commendation from the residents of He Township. How many letters of commendation have any of you received?”

People felt even more uncomfortable, heads dropping further.

Shaking his head in frustration, Director Wang said, “Learn from him. Adopt a more proactive attitude. Let me be clear: if you don’t present a suitable epidemic prevention plan, don’t blame me for holding you accountable.”

Dr. Li Runyu, feeling annoyed, spoke up, “Since Doctor Gao is so excellent and is our model, I think he should be the one to propose a plan for us to discuss, shouldn’t he?”

Director Wang’s eyebrows shot up.

The others echoed Li Runyu’s suggestion, calling for Gao-Yuan to present a plan.

Only then did Director Wang pause, glancing at Gao-Yuan. He wondered if his praise had gone too far and provoked resentment towards Gao-Yuan.

However, Gao-Yuan gave him a slight nod, signalling that he was unbothered.