If Liu Chunhua hadn't mentioned it, Lin Zhilan would have almost forgotten about those two. "Why did she suddenly go back?"
Regarding the previous incident, Division Commander Qin had already apologized to Lin Zhilan on their behalf and even delivered handwritten apology letters from Huang Ying and Jiang Xiaohong. Lin Zhilan had also promised not to pursue the matter further.
Things were perfectly fine, so why the sudden departure?
Liu Chunhua curled her lips. "I heard she got into a fight with her sister-in-law. Her face was scratched up so badly, how could she possibly stay?"
"Oh right," Liu Chunhua suddenly remembered. "Xiao Lin, why have you been running to the hospital every day lately? Did something happen?"
Things succeed through secrecy. Lin Zhilan didn't like to broadcast matters that weren't yet certain, so she just smiled. "An elder is sick, so I'm going to visit."
Liu Chunhua wanted to pry further, but Lin Zhilan directly called her daughter and Chengzhou to go home.
Su Lang hadn't hidden his conversation with Commissar Zhuang that night from her.
Even knowing that the Jiang family had resources and power, Lin Zhilan, just like Su Lang, never entertained the thought of sending Jiang Chengzhou away.
Even disregarding emotions, the Jiang family now had two grandsons from different mothers, so they definitely wouldn't tilt all their resources toward Jiang Chengzhou.
Once he went back, he would be the one competing for resources with that younger son. No matter how partial Elder Jiang was to Chengzhou, the other side was also his biological son and grandson. If a real conflict broke out, Elder Jiang would have to balance both sides.
In her previous life, Lin Zhilan came from a divorced family. Every holiday, she had to visit either her father's or her mother's newly formed families.
When facing those younger half-siblings, she could feel their subtle hostility, and she could also sense her parents' awkwardness and dilemma.
After she started working, she simply used her busy hospital schedule as an excuse to decline those invitations, whether sincere or fake. It made things much easier for both sides.
In the book, even after Su Lang's death, Jiang Chengzhou hadn't chosen to return to the Jiang family.
Now that he had his uncle, aunt, and younger sister, why would he go back?
As for resources?
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang were on the same page.
Su Lang was young, capable, and had military merits.
Lin Zhilan had her medical skills and her spatial spiritual spring.
Just the two of them were enough to provide the two children with a good material and educational environment. Anything beyond that would require the children's own efforts.
Jiang Chengzhou sat at the desk in his room, staring blankly at the notebook in front of him.
Lin Zhilan placed a pencil on the desk. "Chengzhou, what kind of knowledge did you learn at school before?"
Jiang Chengzhou looked bewildered. "Huh?"
"What did the teacher teach you?"
"Taught us how to pull weeds and catch earthworms."
Lin Zhilan: "..."
Only after asking seriously did she realize that the so-called toddler class was just a daycare. They didn't have actual lessons at all.
Yan Yuan's grandfather thought it was like the old-style private schools that taught reading and writing, so he paid two yuan to send Yan Yuan there. However, less than two days later, Yan Yuan went to the teacher himself to ask for a tuition refund.
Lin Zhilan asked, "Then do you know how to count?"
Jiang Chengzhou answered rapidly, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, thousands, millions."
"That's it? Can you write them?"
Jiang Chengzhou suddenly realized the poverty of his knowledge and said honestly, "That's it. I don't know how to write."
"Alright," Lin Zhilan rallied her spirits. "Then today, we'll start by learning to write numbers."
The little illiterate had no right to refuse.
Lin Zhilan thought that since she had mentored so many graduate students, teaching a child now would be a piece of cake.
But half an hour later, she realized she was wrong.
Jiang Chengzhou, this single-minded child,
He couldn't write the number 2!
To be precise, he didn't know how to make curves when writing.
Lin Zhilan grabbed his hand and wrote a whole row. As soon as she let go, he had no idea which way his curves should turn.
Finally, Lin Zhilan chose to spare herself and the child.
"It's fine if you can't write it now. You'll get it later. You're not stupid, after all."
Jiang Chengzhou gave a silly chuckle, and Lin Zhilan couldn't help but laugh as well.
Silly child.
Before Jiang Chengzhou even finished learning the ten numbers, he started acting like there were thorns on his stool, unable to sit still.
On the other hand, Little Linlin, who was studying alongside him, earnestly held a watercolor pen and scribbled on the paper, muttering to herself.
A child's attention span was only so long. Lin Zhilan showed mercy, patted her daughter's little bottom, and let them go out to play.
Jiang Chengzhou cheered and ran out to gather his friends.
Little Linlin asked her mother to squat down, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then followed her brother out.
This is probably the joy of raising children, Lin Zhilan thought to herself.
The next day, when she came out of Cheng Qingshan's hospital ward, Ye Congshan was already waiting at the door.
"Doctor Lin, I heard you're going to treat Luo Zhiyong's leg?"
"Yes."
"Can I observe?"
Half of Ye Congshan's hair was already white, and he was much older than Lin Zhilan. However, in the medical field, the capable are teachers. Faced with his almost flattering attitude, Lin Zhilan didn't feel overwhelmed with trepidation.
"You can," she said.
Ye Congshan became even more grateful and followed closely behind her.
Lin Zhilan paused her steps slightly to walk side by side with him.
Luo Zhiyong was already waiting nervously in the ward, having specifically changed into a pair of loose pants.
This time, he didn't need to take them off; rolling them up would be enough.
Lin Zhilan didn't waste words. She asked Lin Zijun to help with sterilization and took out the silver needles, their sharp tips flashing with a silvery light.
Luo Zhiyong gritted his teeth.
A few seconds passed, and he stretched his neck to look in confusion.
Several needles had already been inserted into his calf, but he didn't feel a thing.
"Huh?" Ye Congshan looked at the spots Lin Zhilan was needling. "You're not targeting the Zusanli acupoint?"
"No," Lin Zhilan began her teaching. "This is Yanglingquan, the influential point of tendons among the Eight Influential Points. It is also the He-Sea point of the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang. Acupuncture here can soothe the liver, benefit the gallbladder, relax tendons, activate collaterals, and clear the joints."
Ye Congshan nodded, and Lin Zijun started taking notes frantically.
Lin Zhilan then inserted needles into the Waixiyan, Yinlingquan, and Huantiao acupoints, explaining each one in detail.
While Lin Zhilan went to wash her hands, Ye Congshan asked Luo Zhiyong, "Young comrade, how do you feel right now?"
Luo Zhiyong replied, "A bit numb, and a little warm. It actually feels quite comfortable."
Lin Zijun tilted his head to observe the silver needles, but Ye Congshan gave him a smack. "Hurry up and take notes!"
"Oh, right."
Lin Zhilan returned from washing her hands just in time and said slowly, "We will leave the needles in for half an hour. It will get increasingly itchy and painful later, so remember to bear with it and don't move."
Luo Zhiyong: "Understood!"
Taking advantage of this gap, Lin Zhilan went to the pharmacy to write a prescription and also took the opportunity to check the quality of the hospital's traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
Hmm, she could only say they were usable.
While she was gathering the medicine over there, Ye Congshan and Lin Zijun kept a close eye on Luo Zhiyong's reactions.
It only took a few minutes for Luo Zhiyong to go from keeping a straight face to sweating profusely with bulging veins.
Even Lin Zijun broke into a cold sweat for him.
Gradually, his complexion returned to normal, and his clenched fists relaxed.
Right at that moment, Lin Zhilan appeared in the ward right on cue and began to remove the needles for him.
Lin Zhilan asked, "Doctor Ye, does he have to pay for his own medication?"
Ye Congshan answered, "No, the military will cover it."
