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

When the mutton noodles were served, the steam blurred the rim of the large, rough porcelain bowl.

The noodle shop was small, with five greasy wooden tables lined up against the wall, and flames leaping from the honeycomb briquette stoves at the base of the wall. A faded "Model of Hygiene" certificate was pasted on the wall, its edges long since peeling.

The proprietress, wearing an apron covered in flour, placed two bowls of noodles heavily on the table, almost spilling the spicy broth.

"Eat it while it's hot!" she shouted loudly, then turned and yelled at the kitchen, "Old Zhang! Can you cut the pig's ears a little faster? The customers are getting impatient!"

The sound of a spatula hitting a wok came from the kitchen, accompanied by the boss's hesitant and submissive responses.

Gu Zheng picked up his bamboo chopsticks, first blew on a mouthful of noodles to cool it down, and then placed it next to Ye Zhen's bowl. "Try it. This soup base is made by simmering beef and mutton bones overnight; it's really good."

Ye Zhen picked up a noodle and put it in her mouth. The hand-pulled noodles were slightly firm but extremely chewy. The red and green chili oil and cilantro, along with the bright broth, made for an authentic flavor.

"It tastes good." She nodded.

The proprietress happened to come over with an aluminum vinegar bottle to add vinegar, and upon hearing this, a smile spread across her face. "That's right, our soup is so tender, the bones practically melt in the broth." She looked Ye Zhen up and down, "Is this your first time here, young lady? You look unfamiliar."

"Yes, it's her first time," Gu Zheng replied.

The proprietress nodded and turned to clean the next table. As soon as she turned away, her anger flared again, directed at the kitchen staff. She hissed, "You cut the pig's ears so thick! Did you learn your knife skills from a weight? Last time Aunt Wang complained the braising sauce wasn't flavorful enough, did you skip the spices again?"

"I swear to God, I know the recipe by heart, how could I dare to omit any ingredients..."

"Then explain why business is worse this month than last month?"

"...Is it getting hot?"

"fart!"

Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice to Ye Zhen, saying, "This landlady has a fiery temper."

Ye Zhen took a sip of soup, her cool gaze sweeping over the proprietress's back.

She walked with a brisk pace, the rag in her hand swishing loudly, her neck unconsciously jutting forward as she spoke, her eyes slightly bulging outward. Just now, when she bent down to add vinegar, Ye Zhen keenly noticed the veins bulging on the back of her hand, and the subtle but persistent tremor in her fingertips.

"Boss lady," Ye Zhen suddenly spoke up.

The proprietress was vigorously wiping the table with a rag when she heard the noise and looked up: "What's wrong, young lady?"

Ye Zhen put down her chopsticks. "Have you been feeling particularly hungry lately, eating a lot, but still losing weight?"

The proprietress suddenly stopped wiping the table.

She straightened up, looking at Ye Zhen in astonishment: "How did you know?"

"Also, do you often break out in a sweat? Does your heart race and you can hear it pounding in your chest?"

With a "thud," the rag in the proprietress's hand fell onto the table.

Her eyes widened in surprise: "Girl, you can tell fortunes?"

Gu Zheng put down his bowl, glanced at his wife, a knowing smile playing on his lips, and didn't say anything.

Ye Zhen's expression was calm, and her tone exuded absolute professionalism: "I am a doctor. I noticed that your neck is rather thick and your eyes are slightly protruding. Combined with the trembling in your hands when you added vinegar just now, I suspect that you have hyperthyroidism, also known as hyperthyroidism."

The proprietress opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a sound for a long time.

The kitchen owner peeked out from behind the curtain: "Honey, what's wrong?"

"None of your business! Keep an eye on the stove!" the proprietress yelled without turning her head, then quickly moved to Ye Zhen's table, her voice trembling, "Miss, this... what kind of hyperthyroidism is this? Is it a serious illness?"

"It's because your thyroid gland is secreting too much hormone," Ye Zhen patiently explained. "It can cause a rapid heart rate, hand tremors, increased appetite but weight loss, and irritability. If left uncontrolled for a long time, it can develop into hyperthyroid heart disease."

The proprietress was completely stunned, her hand unconsciously gripping the corner of her apron tightly.

"Can...can it be cured?"

"It's treatable; medication can control it." Ye Zhen looked at her. "Have you been to the hospital for a checkup recently?"

"I don't have that kind of free time!" the proprietress said with a wry smile. "I'm always walking around with my feet on the back of my head. I thought it was because I'm working so hard from dawn till dusk that I'm exhausted."

"It's not from being tired. The force with which you yelled at the boss just now wasn't weak," Ye Zhen said incisively. "Have you ever felt that sometimes after you've lost your temper, your heart feels like it's going to jump out of your throat, and your hands shake so much you can't hold anything?"

The proprietress turned pale and plopped down on the long bench. "Perfect... Last time Old Zhang knocked over the soy sauce bottle, I had just cursed him a couple of times when I suddenly panicked and couldn't stand up. I had to lean on the stove and catch my breath for a long time."

The proprietress took a deep breath, and when she looked at Ye Zhen again, her eyes were full of awe: "Young lady, which major hospital do you work for?"

Ye Zhen said calmly, "Northern Military Region General Hospital."

Before the proprietress could respond, a loud "clang" suddenly came from the next table.

A middle-aged man in blue overalls, eating noodles with garlic, was so startled he dropped his chopsticks. He was still clutching a newspaper, staring intently at Ye Zhen's face, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"Oh my God!" The man jumped up, his voice trembling with excitement. "You...you're Dr. Ye? Dr. Ye Zhen?!"

The few customers who were silently slurping their noodles in the noodle shop were all startled and looked up by the shout.

The proprietress was startled: "Old Li, why are you so jumpy?"

"What are you doing! A celestial being has descended to earth and is sitting in your shop and you don't even know it!" The man called Old Li was trembling with excitement. He rushed over and slammed the newspaper he was holding onto the table.

The front page of the newspaper featured a large black-and-white photograph—in a simple corridor of the military hospital, WHO Director-General Mahele was handing an appointment letter to a young female doctor who hadn't even taken off her mask.

The bold, eye-catching headline reads: "A Shining Light of China! World-renowned Medical Experts Pay Tribute to Our Female Doctors!"

"Look! Look closely!" Old Li pointed to the photo in the newspaper, then to Ye Zhen, spitting as he spoke. "Even the foreign experts from the WHO have to bow to her! She's a founding member of the World Health Organization! The newspaper said even a British knight had to travel all the way to be her assistant! She's a national treasure of our country!"

The entire noodle shop fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud "boom," the entire venue erupted in chaos!

"My goodness! It really is that miracle doctor from the newspaper!"

"Wow! I actually ate noodles in the same pot as a living god!"

"Doctor! Dr. Ye! Please take a look at my chronic leg pain!"

Several diners stopped eating their noodles and swarmed around her, their eyes filled with fervor as if they wanted to worship Ye Zhen.

The proprietress looked down at the newspaper, then at the composed and aloof young woman in front of her, and her mind went blank. Her legs went weak and she almost knelt down.

No wonder people could tell she was sick at a glance; she's an ancestor that even foreigners have to kowtow to and worship as their master!

"Dean Ye... Dean Ye, Immortal Ye!" The proprietress was so excited she was incoherent, her eyes reddening. "I was so blind, I didn't recognize such a great person..."

"I'm just an ordinary doctor." Ye Zhen was unaccustomed to such a frenzied scene. She frowned slightly, stood up, and said, "Please take some time to see an endocrinologist and get your blood tested. Don't delay."

"Oh! Oh! I'll go check tomorrow!" The proprietress wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly.

Seeing his wife being stared at like a "living Buddha" by everyone, Gu Zheng felt a surge of pride welling up inside him. He stood up, his tall, imposing figure instantly blocking Ye Zhen's path, his aura radiating outwards, subtly separating those who wanted to push forward.

He pulled a few small bills from his pocket and placed them on the table: "Boss lady, this is for the noodles."

"No way! Absolutely not!" The proprietress jumped up as if she'd been stepped on, shoving the money back at Gu Zheng. "It's a blessing from our ancestors that Dr. Ye even dared to come into my little shop! Why would I take money from him?"

After saying that, she rushed into the kitchen like a gust of wind, and less than ten seconds later, she rushed out carrying a huge oil paper bag, which she stuffed into Gu Zheng's arms without saying a word.

"Old Zhang just sliced ​​some top-quality braised beef, and two big pig's trotters! Doctor Ye looks too thin, he needs to eat more!" The proprietress held Gu Zheng's hand tightly, raising her voice, "If you give me any money, you're slapping my old face!"

Gu Zheng glanced at the heavy oil paper package in his arms, then looked down at Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen nodded helplessly: "Thank you then. Remember to check as soon as possible."

"I'll remember! You'll definitely go!" The proprietress led a room full of diners, escorting the two of them like a high-ranking official to the big locust tree at the entrance of the alley.

Even after getting into the jeep, Ye Zhen, in the passenger seat, could still faintly hear shouts coming from behind.

"She's hot-tempered, but she's honest." Gu Zheng tossed the oil paper package onto the back seat, started the car, and couldn't help but smile. "But honey, with your current fame, we won't even be able to eat in peace at a roadside stall anymore."

Ye Zhen took out a piece of orange gummy candy that the proprietress had forced on her from her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth, where the sweetness melted.

"Even if you can't eat peacefully, you still have to eat." She looked out the window at the receding red bricks and green tiles, her tone calm but firm. "As a doctor, even after taking off my white coat, I still have to deal with the mundane realities of life."

Gu Zheng gave her a deep look, chuckled softly, stepped on the gas, and the jeep smoothly merged into the warm sunshine of early summer in Beijing in the 1980s.