Me! A high-ranking official!

Their village is a large village with 1,400 to 1,500 people. Although it was almost 9 p.m., the clinic was brightly lit, and there were still a few people receiving IV drips and queuing to see a doctor.

Old Chinese medicine doctor Yang Erxiu was wearing reading glasses, his brows lowered, and his expression focused as he took the pulse of an elderly woman, while his college-graduate son, Yang Zhenhai, sat at an empty table next to him, scrolling aimlessly through his phone screen.

Yang Zhenhai glanced up casually and suddenly saw Zhao Jianguo walking in through the door. He paused for a moment, then stood up and said with a smile, "Brother Jianguo? What brings you here so late? Are you feeling unwell?"

Zhao Jianguo smiled and leaned closer, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered, "Zhenhai, I'm not sick. I came here specifically to see you."

"Looking for me?" Yang Zhenhai pointed to himself in surprise, his face full of doubt. "What's wrong? What's the matter?"

Zhao Jianguo glanced at Yang Erxiu, who was intently taking a patient's pulse, then beckoned to Yang Zhenhai and said in a low voice, "Uncle is treating someone right now, don't disturb him. Come on, let's go outside for a smoke and talk things over!"

Yang Zhenhai followed him into the night outside the clinic, completely bewildered. He was quite curious. Zhao Jianguo used to work in the county bureau and was a government official. He rarely returned to the village. Although the two had grown up in the same village, they were a few years apart in age and didn't have a deep relationship. Why was Zhao Jianguo coming to see him in the middle of the night?

As soon as they stopped, Zhao Jianguo smiled, took out his cigarette case, handed one to Yang Zhenhai, lit it, and then lit one for himself. He said with a smile, "Zhenhai, we're practically brothers from the same village, so I won't beat around the bush. I'd like to ask you to come to our Luo Family Village clinic as our resident village doctor!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhenhai's hand holding the cigarette froze, and he stood there stunned, asking incredulously, "Go to your area to be a village doctor? This... why would you do that?"

Zhao Jianguo exhaled a smoke ring, and using the light coming through the window of the clinic, looked at Yang Zhenhai and analyzed earnestly: "Zhenhai, I know that your uncle is a famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor in the surrounding area. His reputation is widespread, not only in our local area, but also in the surrounding counties and cities. People come to him for treatment. In a year, your clinic's income is definitely not small. You are not short of money. You can just wait to take over the business in peace and you can be guaranteed a good income."

"But Zhenhai," he changed the subject, his tone becoming very sincere, "I know you have a formal university education, and you certainly don't lack systematic theoretical knowledge. What you really lack is solid practical experience!"

These words struck a chord with Yang Zhenhai, who listened intently to his analysis. Zhao Jianguo continued, "Look, most of the people who come here for treatment are here because of my reputation. How many are actually willing to sit down and see you for a proper diagnosis? Even if I were willing to mentor you personally, people don't trust your young face. Without a large number of patients to impart experience to you, traditional Chinese medicine, lacking practical experience and a large number of case studies, will not develop your medical skills even if you stay indoors reading medical books for ten years!"

Zhao Jianguo looked at him and patted his arm: "Perfect timing! Luojia Village, where I'm currently stationed, isn't far from here. I just rode my electric bike all the way here to test it out. Even in the dark without streetlights, it only takes half an hour at most. There are many elderly people left behind in our village, and they suffer from all sorts of chronic illnesses, headaches, and other ailments. The patient base is definitely sufficient!"

"The most crucial point is that our village is currently an empty shell; there's no village doctor! If villagers feel even slightly unwell, they have to painfully travel to the next village for treatment. We're not talking about how much money you can make there; the most important thing is that you can work independently there and quickly accumulate a wealth of clinical experience! Patients have no other choice, and since you're a direct descendant of Uncle Yang Erxiu, just based on that prestigious reputation, people will definitely line up to see you! Even people from other villages might come specifically to see you!"

"This is your best chance to take the lead and establish your own brand. Think about it, doesn't what I'm saying make sense?"

Yang Zhenhai listened to Zhao Jianguo's heartfelt words, standing in the night wind, stunned, not even bothering to flick the long ash from his cigarette that had accumulated between his fingers.

Only you truly know your own predicament.

He was originally an undergraduate graduate from an ordinary university of traditional Chinese medicine. He failed the postgraduate entrance examination two years ago and applied for a job at a large hospital in the city with his degree, but they didn't even give him a second glance. He wanted to go to a traditional Chinese medicine hospital in the county, but he would have to endure more than ten years of waiting for people to give him a hard time. He felt frustrated, so he returned to his village.

On the one hand, he was free at home, and on the other hand, his family was indeed well-off, so there was no need for him to suffer that humiliation outside. But his father, Yang Erxiu, was only in his sixties and in good health. He could easily work for another ten or eight years. The current reality was that the villagers only recognized Old Yang's face when they went to see a doctor. When his son, Yang Erxiu, occasionally went up to take his pulse and ask a question, and gave a prescription, the patients would still look uneasy and insist that his father examine him again.

This was a huge blow to the self-esteem of a young man with formal training. He worried about his future but was at a loss for how to break the deadlock.

Now, listening to Zhao Jianguo's detailed explanation, Yang Zhenhai felt as if he had seen a door to a new world, and his heart immediately became lively.

Zhao Jianguo saw through the eagerness in his eyes at a glance and immediately pressed his advantage: "Zhenhai, don't worry about the conditions! The building and cabinets for the Luojia Village clinic are already in place. You can open the door anytime you go. In the initial stage, you and your father just need to bring a batch of commonly used Chinese and Western medicines. If you lack any equipment or supplies there, just let me know. As the Party Secretary, I will do everything I can to help you obtain them!"

With a confident wave of his hand, he assured everyone, "As long as you're willing to take on this responsibility, whether it's registering with the town health center, changing your personal professional license, or even handling some village doctor subsidies, I, Zhao Jianguo, will take care of all these troublesome matters and solve them all for you smoothly!"

This promise carried immense weight. In the medical system, many people working at the grassroots level were afraid that these cumbersome procedures would hinder their progress. Zhao Jianguo, with his background as a county bureau cadre, directly took care of it, dispelling Yang Zhenhai's last remaining concerns.

Yang Zhenhai hesitated, his Adam's apple bobbing. He also felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go solo, but he was still working for his family, and this was no small matter: "Brother Jianguo... what you said makes perfect sense. However... this is no small matter, I still need to go back and discuss it with my dad, and hear his opinion."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianguo laughed heartily, stubbed out his cigarette, and said, "Of course, no problem! I'm sure you understand the pros and cons! Alright, go back tonight and discuss it with your dad. If everything's fine, I'll be waiting for you at the Luo Family Village Clinic anytime!"

Yang Zhenhai's eyes brightened, and he nodded emphatically.