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

At 7:11 a.m. the next morning, Ye Zhen sat in her office with the manila envelope that Gao Haiping had prepared overnight spread out in front of her.

Gu Zheng leaned against the door frame, holding a bowl of millet porridge in his hand. A towel was placed at the bottom of the bowl, and steam rose from the rim.

"Eat first."

Ye Zhen didn't look up. She pressed her fingers on the knot of the rope sealing the file folder and tightened the end of the rope by half a turn.

"Finish eating before you call." Gu Zheng placed the bowl on the corner of the table, with the chopsticks positioned perfectly on the rim so they wouldn't slip off.

Ye Zhen glanced at the bowl of porridge, picked up her chopsticks, took two sips, and then put it down.

Gu Zheng didn't urge him, but took out a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it over.

"The number is for Xiao Chen's residence in the provincial capital. He'll transfer the call when you call."

Ye Zhen took the slip of paper, glanced at it, memorized the number, and then placed the slip of paper under the file folder.

She picked up the black telephone receiver on the table and dialed.

The phone rang once.

"Feed?" Vice Minister Li's voice came from the other end.

Ye Zhen held the receiver, her back very straight.

"Minister Li, this is Ye Zhen. I've finished preparing the information here."

"I've been waiting for your call. Tell me, what did you find out?"

Ye Zhen opened the first page of the file folder, which contained a summary table handwritten by Gao Haiping, with the data marked in red.

"I'll give you the numbers first."

From Vice Minister Li's end came the sound of a chair being pulled forward and the soft clatter of paper and pen hitting the table.

"you say."

Ye Zhen spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly.

"We actually visited three villages and obtained information on 37 school-age children."

"Initial screening results: two cases with red cards, one case with a yellow card, and one deceased patient who was not diagnosed."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Ye Zhen didn't urge her or say anything more; she just waited.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

She could hear Vice Minister Li's breathing coming through the telephone line; it was a little heavy.

Eight seconds later, Vice Minister Li spoke.

"You continue."

Ye Zhen turned to the second page, which contained individual records for each case.

"The first case is Xiaoman, a boy from Shiao Village, who is seven years old."

"Severe Tetralogy of Fallot, extremely poor exercise tolerance, squatting after walking twenty steps, cyanosis of the lips, obvious clubbing of the fingers, and a loud systolic murmur can be heard on cardiac auscultation."

"They are still at home in Shiao Village. Their family has agreed to the transfer, but it has not yet been completed due to transportation conditions and obstruction from the town health center."

"This child needs to get to Beicheng within forty-eight hours."

Vice Minister Li asked, "Obstruction? Who is obstructing us?"

Ye Zhen said, "Cao Qing, the deputy director of Baishi Town Health Center, led a group of people into a villager's home and tried to confiscate my medical records."

The sound of a pen tip striking paper came from the other end of the phone, and it was quite forceful.

"I've noted it down. Continue."

"The second case is Tian Xiaobao, a five-year-old boy from Luoying Village."

Ye Zhen's voice was steady.

"He had extremely severe congenital heart disease and had already suffered multiple episodes of oxygen deprivation when we entered the mountains. During our transfer, we were intercepted by Section Chief Sun and his men from the county health bureau. Fortunately, we were escorted by a military vehicle and were not detained."

"The child was brought to the Beicheng Military General Hospital at 3 a.m. last night and is currently in the ICU, receiving acid-base correction and fluid replacement. Surgery will be scheduled once the blood gas and electrolyte levels stabilize."

Vice Minister Li asked, "How is the child doing now?"

"The situation is stable for now, but the foundation is too weak, and preoperative preparation will take at least two more days."

"Okay, we must save her."

Ye Zhen turned to the third page.

"The third case is Huaihua, a five-year-old girl from Shiao Village."

"Suspected ventricular septal defect, marked in yellow, with a murmur on auscultation, but no severe hypoxia at present. You can go to the county hospital for a follow-up echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis at a later date."

"The family members are the grandmother and the parents work away from home all year round. The elderly woman is very resistant to medical treatment, but we have already accepted the referral form."

Vice Minister Li nodded in agreement.

Ye Zhen turned to the fourth page.

Her finger paused on the paper for a moment.

Gu Zheng stood at the door, his gaze falling on the hand holding the receiver.

The finger joints were taut, the outline of the knuckles protruding from under the skin, and the fingertips pressed against the edge of the paper, leaving a shallow crease.

"The fourth case."

Ye Zhen's voice remained unchanged, as did her speaking speed; it was as flat and steady as the previous three examples.

"Chungen, male, from Huaishuping Village, three years and two months old."

"the late."

"Undiagnosed."

The sound of pens scribbling on the other end of the phone stopped.

Ye Zhen continued, "According to the neighbors and the midwife, the child was born with a purple complexion and a weak cry. He didn't gain much weight until he was three years old. His condition worsened last winter. He couldn't breathe in the middle of the night, and his family carried him to town, but he died before they got there."

She paused for a second.

"From birth to death, no medical institution screened this child, no one listened to his heart, and no one saw what color his lips were."

"His door was locked, and there was a wooden horse on the windowsill, which his father had carved for him."

The phone crackled once over the line, then once more, and finally lit on the third try.

Vice Minister Li took a drag of his cigarette, and the sound of his exhalation was long.

Do you have any evidence?

Ye Zhen said, "Yes."

"The first document is the oilcloth birth ledger of Granny Wang, the midwife of Shiao Village. It records the birth information of all newborns in the village over the past fifteen years. We identified three suspected cases from it, two of whom were confirmed through initial screening."

"The second document is the absence log of Zheng Mei, a substitute teacher at Shiao Village Primary School. Xiaoman missed eleven classes due to health reasons, always citing illness as the reason, and no one ever followed up. Huaihua and Xiaoman's visit records."

"The third one is from Dr. Luo Yushan of Qingshan Town Health Center. He has been practicing medicine for more than 20 years and has recorded the children he thinks are abnormal. Tian Xiaobao's name is prominently listed, but this child is not on the town's official register."

"The fourth document is the oral testimony of Tian Youfu, the barefoot doctor of Luoying Village. It was recorded in the presence of me, Gao Haiping, Liu Xiaolan, Li Hong, Luo Yushan and I. He personally admitted that the town had never organized a real village screening, and all the records were copied afterward."

"The fifth document is the initial medical record I made for Tian Xiaobao in Luoying Village. It includes heart rate, respiration, peripheral circulation, and lip color, each with a time mark. There is also a blood sample, which has been sent to Beicheng along with the child."

"All the above materials were compiled and archived by Gao Haiping. The cover reads 'Undercover Record,' with Ye Zhen in charge and Gao Haiping, Li Hong, and Liu Xiaolan accompanying and recording."

She tightened the sealing string on the file folder one more turn.

"Six documents, complete timeline, closed chain of evidence, with witness testimonies and physical evidence."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Vice Minister Li's cigarette ash landed on the table. He didn't notice that the ash had rubbed a light gray mark on the edge of the paper.

"Xiao Ye, I have something to tell you."

Ye Zhen said, "Please go ahead."

Vice Minister Li lowered his voice, his tone laced with gritted teeth.

"Yesterday afternoon, Qian Dehou gave me a one-and-a-half-hour report in the conference room."

"The slideshow had more than 30 slides, including photos of people giving a thumbs up, a corridor with whitewashed walls in the health center, and a satisfaction survey form stamped with the village committee's official seal."

"He told me that all those who should be screened were screened, and the public satisfaction rate was 96.8%."

Ye Zhen held the receiver but did not answer.

Vice Minister Li continued, "Ma Guoliang added that the few uncovered areas were due to landslides on mountain roads."

After he finished speaking, Ye Zhen spoke in the same tone as before.

He's lying.

"And he knows, you know he's lying."