A doctor who travels through two eras

Village Chief Huang looked at Lin Sanqi and asked, "Minister Lin, why don't you preside over the exam?"

Lin Sanqi waved his hand:
“I’m not involved. This is part of village self-governance, and it will be promoted nationwide in the future. We cadres can’t possibly go to every village to preside over the exams, can we? So it’s better for you village cadres to do it.”

Village Chief Huang was happy that outsiders wouldn't interfere, so he puffed out his chest and said:

“Alright, everyone has a chance. Now, in front of the whole village, each person will read a passage from this booklet, and each person will read two pages.”

"In addition, I need to explain that if you have a family tradition of traditional Chinese medicine or a background in Western medicine, you can be admitted without taking the exam. However, since there are no such people in our village, we need to take the exam."

Everyone can understand why Lin Sanqi set this rule; having no foundation is definitely different from having one.

In Village Chief Huang's hand was a small, palm-sized booklet with a red cover—the famous "Barefoot Doctor's Manual."

Even the most basic "Barefoot Doctor's Manual" contains many specialized medical terms, many of which are direct translations and very difficult to pronounce. People without a certain level of education simply cannot read them.

If a person cannot even recognize, understand, or comprehend all the words in the Barefoot Doctor's Manual, then that person is definitely unqualified.

Sure enough, after this test, only 3 out of 13 people passed, while the other 10 were eliminated.

Including the little rascal I just mentioned who could read, his father was literate and taught him some basic characters, but he was far from being able to read through the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual".

Some villagers jeered, "Little rascal, are you convinced you've been eliminated?"

Little Rascal, also a bachelor, said smugly:

"I admit defeat. It was a public competition, and I'm no match for you in skill. I'm convinced of my inferiority, but I'm still better than you. At least I can read some words, but what about you?"

hahaha~~~
Everyone chuckled.

Village Chief Huang looked at the three remaining people in the center of the field: Wang Xidong, Huang Mutou, and Huang Shi.

These three people are the most educated young people in the village. They are the only two junior high school graduates and one is a primary school graduate. In this remote mountain village, they can be considered intellectuals.

At this moment, Village Chief Huang spoke up again:

"Alright, after a simple test, there are three young men left. Next, it's election time. Each household will receive a peanut."

Now, three young men have three bowls behind them. People will put peanuts in the bowl of whoever they think is more suitable to be a barefoot doctor, whoever can endure the hardship the most, and whoever is more enthusiastic about serving the villagers.

Our village, Dizhu Village, has 120 households, which means 120 peanuts. Everyone should be conscientious. Anyone who cheats will be disqualified and have 100 work points deducted.

To prevent retaliation, we'll put up a curtain to block everyone's view. Don't worry, Uncle Jiu and I will be inside personally supervising to ensure no one cheats.

Lin Sanqi nodded inwardly; this was a good idea.

If peanuts are thrown in front of everyone, it could cause trouble if some members of powerful families who are not elected use their numbers to threaten the villagers who did not vote for them.

Some people are forced to elect candidates out of fear of "village bullies," and such elections may not reflect the true will of the people.

Not all rural people are kind and simple. Only local tyrants like village chiefs and village party secretaries can keep them in check. Even cadres from higher levels are no match for them.

Sure enough, the villagers were delighted to hear that they could hold free elections and began whispering among themselves.

Wang Xidong, Huang Mutou, and Huang Shi were extremely nervous, because this was a major event that would affect their entire lives, but now they could only wait for the election.

At this point, it comes down to who wins people's hearts more.

Lin Sanqi's initiative to hold free elections was to tell all farmers across the country two things:
First: Send your children to school. Education can change their destiny. Job opportunities are usually given to educated people.

Second: Do good deeds and accumulate virtue in the village in ordinary times, so that people will choose you when it matters.

The election of 120 households was quick; half an hour later, under Lin Sanqi's personal supervision, the peanuts in the bowls were counted.

Wang Xidong 62 grains, Huangmutou 28 grains, Huangshi 30 grains.

In front of the entire village, Village Chief Huang counted twice before announcing:

"Now I announce that Wang Xidong, who received the most votes, will become the first barefoot doctor in the history of our Dizhu Village. Everyone, please welcome him!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xidong excitedly clenched his fists several times.

Wang Xidong's family members jumped up excitedly, then sang and danced, appearing extremely excited.

This scene gave Lin Sanqi a sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of when Sabalanci announced that Beijing would be the host city for the Olympics. Village Chief Huang finally looked at Lin Sanqi and cautiously asked:

"Minister Lin, the election is over. Does the higher-ups approve of the results?"

Lin Sanqi smiled and nodded: "I agree."

After saying that, Lin Sanqi turned to his secretary, Li Yujie, who was taking notes beside him:

"Dizhu Village has a low literacy rate among its villagers, and the number of applicants was not large, so the election was relatively simple."

For rural areas surrounding large cities, or rural areas in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions where literacy rates are relatively high, an additional test should be added.

The exam consists of three subjects: Chinese, mathematics, and a simple medical-related test. The top three scorers will proceed to an interview. If a score of 90 or above on the medical test is achieved, the candidate will be admitted without an interview.

In addition, during the vote monitoring process, the village chief cannot be the only witness; a member of the public must be randomly selected from the audience to witness the vote. This person must not share the same surname or family as the village chief.

If the voting results are leaked afterward, then needless to say, two vote monitors will be found, and candidates from the same family as the monitors will be disqualified with a single vote. They will not be allowed to act as unqualified doctors.

Li Yujie nodded and carefully wrote it down in his notebook.

This approach ensures fairness and impartiality to the greatest extent possible, but for local bullies in rural areas, there are always ways to circumvent the policies.

Lin Sanqi couldn't handle it anymore.

In any case, barefoot doctors are there to treat and save lives, which is a matter of life and death.

If the villagers elect someone with connections, or someone who's completely incompetent, and people frequently die as a result, then they deserve to be beaten to death.

That night, Lin Sanqi slept at Wang Jin's house. Because she had received advance notice, Lin Sanqi's temporary room had been specially renovated, and the bedding was all brand new.

Before going to bed, Wang Jin's parents, wife, and two sons went to find Lin Sanqi.

Lin Sanqi asked while washing his feet:
"Uncle Wang, is Auntie sure she doesn't want to go to Hong Kong?"

Wang Jin nodded and said:
"My parents said they couldn't bear to leave their homeland and didn't want to die far from home, so they didn't want to come to Hong Kong with me."

I've thought about it too. I have three brothers and two sisters, so taking care of my parents shouldn't be a problem.

I plan to send HK$50 back home every month as retirement money for my parents. Whichever sibling is willing to support them, that HK$50 will belong to them.

50 Hong Kong dollars is about 60 yuan in today's RMB.

In this impoverished county, a monthly salary of 60 yuan is definitely considered a very high salary. A smart guy could totally make supporting his parents a career.

“Okay, your arrangement is good. Since you have the ability, it is only right that you contribute more money. The elderly still have a few years of good fortune to enjoy.”

Lin Sanqi thought of a neighbor in the Princess's Mansion in the capital, Wu Xinhou, a gynecologist at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

Wu Xinhou's hometown is in the Yimeng Mountain area of ​​Shandong Province. He sends 5 yuan back to his hometown every month and occasionally sends some food.

But he himself had four children, plus a wife who didn't work, so they lived a very tight life. No one starved to death during those three years, but the whole family was skin and bones from hunger.

Looking at Wang Jin on the other hand, with an annual salary of over ten thousand Hong Kong dollars, spending 600 Hong Kong dollars to support his parents is a piece of cake; he can save that money by skipping one nightclub visit.

Wang Jin's wife is an honest and hardworking farmer. In recent years, her husband has been sending money home, so she has become much wealthier.

At this moment, he cautiously spoke:

"Boss, will my trip to Hong Kong with the kids cause you and Ah Jin any trouble? I've heard that food and rent are extremely expensive there."

Lin Sanqi smiled and comforted him:
“Since I’m planning to bring you to Hong Kong, I’ll definitely have some arrangements in mind. For example, I’ll build a new staff village in the New Territories, near Ma Que Ling in Sha Tau Kok.”

All of them are 20-story high-rise buildings, one apartment per family. Although the area is only 60 square meters, it is enough for all of you to live in. Moreover, as long as you continue to work at Lingnan Hall, the rent will not be charged.

The Lin family has now bought up almost the entire eastern border area of ​​the New Territories.

Finding a vacant lot to build houses as staff dormitories would not infringe on the interests of real estate developers in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, so there was no resistance at all.

The Hong Kong government's approach is even simpler: whoever provides the funding is the boss. With massive public relations funds poured in, you can plan however you want, build whatever you want—it'll all pass unanimously. (End of Chapter)