A doctor who travels through two eras

Chapter 119: Letter of Introduction is Lifeline

"Xiao Qi, this is your letter of introduction to Qinghai this time.

This is very important. Without this letter of introduction, you will not be able to take the train or stay in other places. At the same time, local hospitals and rural cooperatives will not receive you, and you will not be able to purchase medicinal materials. So remember to keep it safe!"

Section Chief Kong placed a letter of introduction in front of Lin Sanqi and gave him a few more instructions.

Lin Sanqi picked up the letter of introduction and saw the red title "Capital Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine" on it.

The content stated Lin Sanqi's position and the content of his work in Qinghai. At the end, it stated that assistance was requested from units at all levels. The entire text was written in vertical font and was stamped with an official unit seal at the end.

This letter of introduction can be understood as a "pass" or "identity card", a must-have item for traveling far away.

After reading it, Lin Sanqi realized the importance of the letter of introduction, so he folded it in half and carefully put it into his backpack.

Section Chief Kong took out a stack of cash and food coupons from the drawer and placed them on the table:
"Xiao Qi, this time you go to Qinghai, you mainly purchase two kinds of medicines, one is 500 kilograms of Mahuajiao, and the other is 1000 kilograms of Tangut rhubarb.

This is 4000 yuan, of which 3500 yuan is for purchasing medicines, and the other 500 yuan is for your business trip.

You need to know exactly how much you are spending and not to waste money unnecessarily. After all, every penny belongs to the government, and you can only get reimbursed with invoices and ticket stubs.”

Chen Sanqi nodded repeatedly. Money issues are always a big problem, especially for government employees.

"This stack is the food coupons for your business trip. I'll give you 15 days of food coupons, 5 jin a day, so a total of 75 jin. I've given you so much because I've taken into account the expenses of entertaining guests and building relationships with local people. You've also hidden them well. If you lose the food coupons, you'll go hungry."

There are allowances for business trips, but haircuts are a very sensitive issue these days, so they are usually replaced with other subsidies.

Awesome institutions like Capital Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine directly provide national food coupons. One pound of national food coupons can be sold for 4 or 5 yuan on the black market. Isn't this definitely a subsidy in disguise?

However, Lin Sanqi didn't care about the money and food coupons. He didn't even count them and just put them casually into his backpack, which made Section Chief Kong shake his head.

In fact, Section Chief Kong had no idea that Lin Sanqi had been going to the black market every night these days, selling tea, grain and brown sugar, and had saved up 10,000 yuan in cash in preparation for going to Qinghai.

As for food coupons, well, you can get as many as you want...

Finally, Section Chief Kong took out a pistol and a box of bullets from the drawer.

Now Lin Sanqi's eyes lit up.

Kong Shuihu saw Lin Sanqi's expression and smiled knowingly:
"Boy, this is a Type 54 pistol. Your trip to Qinghai this time is quite dangerous, so I specially prepared it for you in advance.

This pistol can be used for self-defense. The effective range for attacking the enemy at close range is 50 meters, and it can also shoot within 100 meters. In addition, I gave you 100 rounds of bullets. Ahem, this number is a bit excessive, so don't tell anyone."

Lin Sanqi nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Don't worry, Uncle Kong, I know what's going on and I promise I won't reveal a single word."

According to regulations, procurement department staff can only receive 16 rounds of ammunition when on business trips, which is equivalent to two magazines.

But Chief Kong knew that it was Lin Sanqi's first time to handle a gun, and he would inevitably not be able to shoot properly when he encountered danger. If he really encountered some criminals or wolves in the wild, I'm afraid that 16 bullets would be far from enough, so he gave him 100 bullets at once, a whole box.

"Xiao Qi, this pistol is only for self-defense. You have to carry it close to your body, even when you sleep, you have to put it under your pillow. Remember this.

If the bullets are lost, it's lost. I can report them as damage, but the gun must not be lost. Also, unless your life is threatened, don't use the gun. If something really happens, we are far away in the capital and can't do anything."

Lin Sanqi nodded heavily. Although he loved guns, he was not an American and had never thought about shooting every day.

Owning a gun is just an extra layer of protection for your own safety.

Finally, Chief Kong took out a small cardboard card from the drawer:
"Nao, this is the train ticket, take it, but the train only goes to Xi'an. You have to buy the ticket from Xi'an to Xining yourself, and you have to take care of the return ticket, cargo consignment, etc. by yourself."

In 1959, the railway from Lanzhou to Xining was just opened. There was no direct train between the capital and Xining, so people had to transfer along the way.

This was the norm in 1959. Long distances almost always required a transfer, especially in border areas. It was very common to take a four-day and four-night train ride for a single trip, so taking a train was definitely a physically demanding activity in those days.

"Okay, Xiao Qi, I've told you everything I need to tell you. Remember, your personal safety is your top priority when you're out. If you really encounter an emergency, you can throw away anything, including cash. You must not put money before your life. Do you understand?"

Lin Sanqi was somewhat touched. After all, the main propaganda theme these days was that one could sacrifice one's life to protect national property, but Section Chief Kong wanted him to save his life first and not worry about the property.

This is definitely the care that elders have for their younger generations.

"Don't worry, Chief Kong. You and Dean Shen have telegraphed to the local hospital in Qinghai to find connections for me. I'm just going through the motions. How could I encounter any danger? Haha." Chief Kong was relieved when he heard this. After all, as long as he arrived in Xining and didn't leave the city, everything else would be safe. He relaxed and asked:

"Do you have any other needs? Tell me now and I will solve them for you."

Lin Sanqi scratched his head a little embarrassedly:
"That's right, 15 days may not be enough for my trip to Qinghai this time. I hope Uncle Kong can give me a few more days..."

Section Chief Kong was a little puzzled: "Oh? 15 days are not enough? I have already calculated it based on the extra days for you, what are you going to do?"

Lin Sanqi made an excuse:
"This is not my first time traveling far away. I have to change trains in Xi'an and Lanzhou, so I want to take this opportunity to have some fun and try some local delicacies. But don't worry, I will pay for all the expenses myself and will not take advantage of the opportunity to spend public funds."

Section Chief Kong laughed when he heard this:
"So you want to go out for some fun. That's not impossible. The beautiful mountains and rivers of our motherland are worth seeing. Anyway, your Northwest Group has the lightest procurement task. If you want to play, go ahead. But I will only give you one month at most, and you must come back after one month.

In addition, when you are out and about, if you encounter an emergency, you must send a telegram as soon as possible. Even if there is no accident, you must send a phone call once a week to report that you are safe. Don't be like a kite with a broken string that can't be found. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

Lin Sanqi calculated that a month would be enough for a round trip to Xining. After all, we have trains now, unlike in ancient times when people relied entirely on horse-drawn carriages.

Lin Sanqi, who was also relaxed, put everything on the table into his backpack and took out an aluminum box from his backpack:

"Uncle Kong, take this. It's a special brand of Zhonghua cigarettes. Have a smoke for fun."

After Lin Sanqi finished speaking, he put the box into the drawer of Kong Shuihu's office as quickly as possible, and then left quickly as if nothing had happened.

After Lin Sanqi left, Section Chief Kong excitedly opened the drawer and then the iron box. Inside were 100 cigarettes with butts, and the word "Zhonghua" was printed on the cigarettes.

For old smokers, this kind of cigarette is absolutely the ultimate enjoyment in the world.

"This guy is really amazing. He can even get this kind of cigarettes."

Section Chief Kong laughed for a long time, then seeing that there was no one around, he quietly hid the iron box at the innermost part of the filing cabinet, and then, as if worried, he placed a pile of books outside to make sure no one could see it.

Finally, he leisurely lit up a Zhonghua cigarette and began to puff away smoke, feeling like a god in his life.

Lin Sanqi came out of the purchasing department and trotted all the way to an unused warehouse, a place he had already chosen. Then he quickly walked through the door and returned to 2023.

After leaving home, Lin Sanqi changed his clothes, then rode his electric bike and quickly headed towards the village industrial zone.

"Brother Jiu, I'm coming again. Oh my god, it's too hot outside."

Lin Qinming was wearing glasses and working on typesetting. When he saw Lin Sanqi coming in, he asked curiously:

"Qizi, what trouble have you run into again?"

Lin Sanqi threw out the letter of introduction he had just received: "Hey, Brother Jiu, I want you to help me make a letter."

"Letter?" Lin Qinming wiped it and took the letter of introduction and read it:
"What use is there for this kind of letter of introduction from the 1950s and 1960s? No one would buy it at the antique market. It's meaningless."

"Oh, Brother Jiu, don't worry about this. Just help me copy it exactly. Change these words, and change Mahuajiao to Dongchongxiacao. The workload is not too big. Please help me work overtime!"

Lin Qinming laughed and scolded: "Damn it, how can you command people to work like this? It's even more outrageous than Grandpa."

Lin Sanqi took out a wild ginseng from behind:

"Don't bother, brother. I'm thinking of you. This is 20-year-old authentic wild ginseng. It can easily be sold for tens of thousands of dollars outside. Come and take it to replenish your body."

Lin Qinming took the ginseng in surprise, and his face was full of smiles:
"Brother, no need, no need, hahaha, then sit for a while, I will help you forge it, oh no, help you copy the letter of introduction. Change it to cordyceps, right? Sprinkle some water~~~"

Ginseng is the motivation. One hour later, Lin Sanqi got the second letter of introduction in his hand.

Lin Sanqi placed them on the table and compared them for a long time. Except for the handwriting on the letter of introduction, the other papers and seals were exactly the same and there was no difference.

With this letter of introduction, Lin Sanqi's purchase of Cordyceps sinensis from Qinghai became a public act and was covered with a layer of legality.

At this point, Lin Sanqi had already prepared salt, sugar, tea and other supplies, as well as 10,000 yuan in cash, plus a letter of introduction. All preparations before going to Qinghai were complete...

(End of this chapter)