After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

After the military truck entered the provincial highway, the canvas in the truck bed billowed and collapsed in the night wind, and the metal floor trembled with the bumpy road. Liu Xiaolan knelt beside the stretcher, holding the oxygen mask on Tian Xiaobao's face with one hand and resting her other hand on the child's wrist. Every now and then, she would look down at her watch. Li Hong sat opposite her, with a notebook on her knees, and the tip of her pencil was being shaken so much that it drew crooked lines on the paper.

"21:10, heart rate 148, respiration rate 28, cyanosis of lips, mask fits well, extremities are cold."

After Liu Xiaolan finished speaking, she pressed her fingers down on the child's wrist again.

Li Hong wrote down the numbers, then looked up and asked, "Teacher Ye, your breathing is a little more steady than before, does that mean we're safe?"

Ye Zhen sat at the head of the stretcher, the tubing of her stethoscope wrapped around her wrist, her gaze fixed on the rise and fall of Tian Xiaobao's chest.

"You can't count it that way. The oxygen only pulled him back from the brink of death. His heart problem is still there. Even if it doesn't flare up on the way, he'll still need to go to the ICU once we get to Beicheng."

Cuihong huddled in the corner of the truck bed, clutching the old cloth bag in her arms. When she heard the words "ICU," her lips moved, but she swallowed her words back.

Tian Gensheng sat at the back of the car, his back against the cold partition, his hands clutching the red card, the edges of which were softened by the sweat in his palms.

After looking at it for a while, he finally asked, "Dr. Ye, what is the ICU?"

Ye Zhen warmed the stethoscope tip in her palm and then placed her hand on the child's chest wall.

"In the intensive care unit, there is oxygen, monitors, and nurses watching over the child constantly. Even if the child's heart rate increases or breathing worsens in the middle of the night, it can be dealt with immediately."

Tian Gensheng gripped the card even tighter.

Is that place expensive?

Gao Haiping leaned against the other side of the truck bed, a medicine box beside his legs. Hearing this, he frowned.

"Gensheng, Dr. Ye just mentioned at your house that Huaxia Heart Hospital covers review and treatment, and the cost of eligible surgeries is also covered by the program. Don't keep asking about it."

Tian Gensheng lowered his head, his voice hoarse.

"It's not that I don't believe it, I'm just afraid. The city hospital is so big, what if they go back on their word? I won't even be able to get in."

Ye Zhen moved the stethoscope away and turned to look at him.

"The red card in your hand has a number, the referral form has a stamp and my signature. There are people waiting at the entrance of the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital tonight. Just hold your child well, you don't need to ask anyone for anything else."

Upon hearing this, Cuihong finally raised her head.

"Is someone really waiting?"

Liu Xiaolan, adjusting her mask, took over the conversation.

"Auntie, if Dr. Ye says someone is waiting, then someone is definitely waiting. This isn't the first time our main hospital has received an emergency patient in the middle of the night. We always prepare oxygen channels and resuscitation beds in advance."

Li Hong tucked the pencil into the notebook and said softly, "Auntie, don't be afraid. I'll help you with the procedures when we get there. It doesn't matter if you can't read; I'll read to you."

Cuihong wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded quickly.

The military truck suddenly slowed down, and the people in the truck bed swayed forward. Liu Xiaolan quickly pressed the oxygen mask firmly, while Ye Zhen held onto the side bar of the stretcher with one hand and checked Tian Xiaobao's wrist pulse with the other.

"Don't panic, check on the child first."

Gao Haiping lifted a corner of the canvas and looked ahead. Under the kerosene lamp at the three-way intersection, a jeep with local license plates was parked across the middle of the road. Two people in uniforms were standing next to the vehicle, and one of them raised his hand to signal the driver to stop.

The soldier in the driver's cab stepped on the brakes, leaned out, and asked, "What's wrong?"

The man on the roadside walked over, holding a flashlight, and swept the beam of light across the front of the car and the license plate.

"Routine check, verifying vehicle permits and passenger identification. Who's in the back?"

Without asking any questions, the soldier pulled out a brown paper envelope from the storage compartment in the driver's cab, first showing the military vehicle registration certificate, and then handing over an emergency mission order stamped with a red seal.

"If you encounter any problems while on an emergency mission, please contact the duty room indicated by the unit number."

The man took the paper, glanced at it, and his expression changed.

Another person next to him leaned over, about to speak, but immediately shut up after seeing the unit number below the mission order.

Inside the truck bed, Tian Gensheng asked in a low voice, "Dr. Ye, will they stop us again?"

Ye Zhen didn't lift the curtain to look; she just lowered her head and pulled Tian Xiaobao's quilt closer to his shoulders and neck.

"Won't."

Gao Haiping looked ahead. The two men in uniform exchanged a glance, quickly handed the mission order back to the soldier, and then ran back to the jeep, telling the driver to back the car to the side of the dirt road.

The soldier put away his identification, shifted gears again, and the truck veered to the side, allowing the military truck to pass through the cleared space.

He glanced in the rearview mirror, grinned, but said nothing.

Li Hong peeked through the canvas and saw the jeep lagging behind. After a long pause, she whispered, "Teacher Ye, was this arranged by Commander Gu?"

Ye Zhen put the stethoscope back next to the medicine box.

He knew someone would try to stop him on the way.

Liu Xiaolan let out a soft breath.

"No wonder the car arrived so quickly, and it brought enough oxygen."

Gao Haiping lowered the curtain and sat back down in his original spot.

"Only when someone fills in the hole can we send the child to the north of the city."

Liu Xiaolan smiled slightly, then quickly looked down at her watch.

"21.5, heart rate 142, respiratory rate 26, mask is airtight, fingers are still cold."

Li Hong quickly took notes.

As Cuihong listened to the string of numbers, she slowly loosened her grip on the cloth bag.

In the conference room of the provincial health department, Qian Dehou's report had progressed to the third section.

Ma Guoliang stood next to the slide projector, showing one photo after another: villagers giving a thumbs-up to the entrance of the health center; the corridor of the township health center with its whitewashed walls; and a satisfaction survey form stamped with the village committee's official seal. The edges of the photos were pressed flat, and the accompanying data was neatly copied.

Qian Dehou sat to the right of the main seat, his tone steady.

"Minister Li, this set of materials reflects the feedback from grassroots people in our province on the congenital heart disease screening work of Huaxia Heart. Although the mountainous areas have inconvenient transportation and limited funds, we have insisted on sending cadres down to the grassroots level, carrying out publicity to households, and registering individuals, and have basically achieved screening for all those who should be screened."

Ma Guoliang continued, "Here are also follow-up survey forms from several villages surrounding Qingshan Town. The public satisfaction rate reached 96.8%. The few areas not covered were mainly affected by landslides on mountain roads, and we will continue to complete the surveys later."

Vice Minister Li sat in the center of the conference table, with a teacup beside him and a yellow telegram lying next to it.

He didn't interrupt, and even nodded when Qian Dehou mentioned the door-to-door publicity campaign.

Secretary Chen stood at the door, her gaze shifting from Vice Minister Li's face to the telegram. Her lips moved twice, but she ultimately swallowed her words.

Seeing this, Qian Dehou turned to the last page.

"Overall, our province's work has its shortcomings, but the direction is correct, the situation is clear, and the people approve of it."

Ma Guoliang turned off the slide and added a sentence.

"We know there is still a gap compared to developed provinces, but the conditions in mountainous areas are indeed what they are, and our comrades have done their best."

Vice Minister Li picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put the cup back in its place.

No one spoke in the meeting room.

Qian Dehou closed the folder, sat up straight, and his expression was very measured.

"Minister Li, this is the complete situation of our province. Please provide your criticism and suggestions."

Vice Minister Li did not respond immediately.

He opened the folder in front of him and started flipping through it from the first page. The rustling of the pages could be clearly heard in the conference room.

He turned to the seventh page, paused, and pointed his finger at the data column for Qingshan Town.