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

On the whiteboard at the nurses' station, the words "Little Stone" were circled again, and the label for Catheterization Room No. 1 was added next to it.

At the other end of the corridor, Lao Shi was led by Lin Yi towards the pre-operative preparation room.

The most valuable thing this man from northern Shaanxi owned was his pair of worn-out liberation shoes.

He followed Lin Yi, taking each step carefully, as if afraid of dirtying the hospital's smooth floor tiles.

His hands kept rubbing against the blue cloth jacket, and in his bloodshot eyes, there was fear, but even more so, a desperate hope.

"Doctor, my child... I'm counting on you."

Old Shi's lips trembled as he tried to say something polite, but he couldn't find a good word. In the end, he could only awkwardly bow to Lin Yi, who was leading the way.

Lin Yi quickly helped him up: "Uncle, don't worry."

"With Teacher Ye, every patient is the same."

Half an hour later.

The red light in the operating room went out.

As the little stone was smoothly pushed out, Old Stone, who was guarding the door, knelt down straight in front of Ye Zhen who came out with a "thump".

"Master Ye!"

You saved my child's life!

I kowtow to you!

Gu Zheng swiftly stepped forward, but before he could even reach out, Ye Zhen had already dodged to the side, her brows furrowing.

"Lin Yi, help him up."

Lin Yi quickly stepped forward and pulled Old Shi up from the ground: "Uncle, you can't do this!"

This is what our teacher Ye hates the most!

Healing the sick and saving lives is a doctor's duty; we don't tolerate feudal superstitions!

Old Shi was being supported, his legs were still weak, tears and snot were all over his face, and he kept repeating his great benefactor over and over again.

Ye Zhen walked straight to the flatbed cart and looked down to examine the color of Xiao Shitou's fingertips and his breathing rate.

"After the surgery, Li Hong will be personally monitoring the data for twelve hours."

She left those words behind, turned and went into the bathroom, as if what she had just done was a trivial matter.

Little Stone and Julian were both admitted to the intensive care unit.

A thin, sallow-skinned Chinese child and a blond, blue-eyed German child lay on adjacent hospital beds, looking at each other with a mixture of curiosity and timidity.

As evening fell, Carl, carrying an exquisitely packaged cardboard box, walked to Little Stone's bedside.

Old Shi was feeding Little Stone millet porridge when he saw this and hurriedly stood up.

"It was you and your son who gave up the most precious surgery time for Julian."

Carl asked Li Hong to read his words over and over. He looked at the Chinese man who was a head shorter than him and bowed deeply.

"Our whole family will remember this kindness."

Old Shi blushed at this generous gift and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no!"

The doctor said, "When it comes to saving lives, it's all about who's more anxious, regardless of nationality."

Encouraged by his father, Julian turned to look at the little stone.

"A gift for you."

He spoke haltingly in the Chinese he had just learned.

Little Stone looked timidly at his father.

Old Shi nodded before reaching out to take it.

Opening the box revealed a palm-sized Mercedes-Benz model car. Its silver-gray metallic paint shimmered under the light, and the doors could even be opened.

Little Stone exclaimed "Wow!" and stared wide-eyed.

He had never even touched a real toy car in his life, let alone such an exquisite toy.

Old Shi felt both happy and embarrassed as he watched his son adore the toy.

"This is too valuable, we can't accept it." Old Shi waved his hand at Li Hong, "Please tell him, we country folk believe in not accepting gifts without merit."

After listening to Li Hong's translation, Carl shook his head repeatedly, insisting on pushing the model into Xiao Shitou's arms, gesturing that this was a friendship between the two children.

Old Shi couldn't persuade him otherwise. Seeing the little stone's envious yet hesitant expression, he sighed heavily.

They gave us such an expensive gift, what can we give in return?

He patted Little Stone on the shoulder and lowered his voice: "Stone, let's give him one too."

Little Stone paused for a moment, then understood what his father meant.

He touched the car with some reluctance, then carefully took something out of his pocket.

It was a small donkey carved from wood.

The carving is very rough, and the four legs are of different lengths, barely enough for it to stand upright.

But the donkey's body was rubbed until it was shiny and smooth, clearly indicating that it was a treasure that he had kept close to his body for many years.

"Here...for you."

Little Stone handed the wooden donkey to Julian, his face turning bright red.

This is his only toy.

It was carved for him by an old carpenter in the village using scrap wood from the mountain.

Karl crouched down and took the little donkey from Julian's hands.

As a seasoned automotive engineer, he could tell at a glance how poorly made this thing was.

But when he saw the smooth marks worn down on the wooden donkey's back, the 1.9-meter-tall German man's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

He understood it all too well.

For a child from a wealthy family, giving away an expensive toy might simply be a form of sharing.

But for a child who has nothing, giving away their only treasure is to entrust a sincere heart.

Karl handed the wooden donkey to Julian.

Then, he turned around and grabbed Old Shi's hands, which were covered in calluses and cracks.

"Brother Shi," Karl said, staring intently into Old Shi's eyes, his tone more solemn than ever before, making sure Li Hong translated every single word, "When the children are all grown up and strong, I swear, I will bring Julian and my wife to personally visit you in your hometown."

Old Shi understood, grinned, revealing a few teeth yellowed from smoking: "Sure! My home is in Lijia Gou, Yan'an, Shaanxi! The loess plateau there stretches to the sky, and in autumn the mountains are covered in wild lilies. If you come, brother, I'll slaughter chickens and sheep right there in the yard—plenty to go around!"

Karl laughed along, "When the time comes, Brother Shi, you must treat me to a drink of your hometown's wine."

"No problem! My homemade sorghum liquor, buried in the cellar, is very strong, and there's plenty for you!"

BBC director George, standing not far away, quietly recorded everything with his camera.

Just then, the door to the ward was suddenly kicked open.

A young nurse, pale-faced, barged in without even knocking.

Teacher Ye!

Where is Teacher Ye?

Ye Zhen, who was organizing medical records in the next office, came out upon hearing the noise, her brows furrowing: "What is it?"

Emergency!

They were just brought in from the emergency room!

The nurse, breathless, pointed downstairs and shouted urgently.

Something's happened!

A worker fell off the derrick, and a threaded steel bar, about two fingers thick, pierced through his back and came out through his chest!

Dean Zhou sent me to find you. He's in the emergency room, and the bleeding just won't stop!

The directors all shook their heads, saying the person was beyond saving!

The entire floor fell silent instantly.

Even Carl and Old Stone stopped talking and looked over in astonishment.

Where are they?

Ye Zhen's voice was completely calm.

"In the emergency room!"

Ye Zhen slammed the medical record folder shut and shoved it into Lin Yi's arms.

"Walk!"