Thinking of Wang Rou's illness, a wave of panic washed over him, and he ran to knock on Chen Hehua's door.
"Mom, Wang Rou is missing. I'm going out to look for her right now."
"No need!" Chen Hehua rolled over and called out toward the door. "Your wife went to Dr. Lin's house. Commander Su isn't home, so she went to sleep over with Dr. Lin."
Li Jiang was speechless.
His feelings were complicated right now. Aside from gratitude toward Lin Zhilan, he also felt a bizarre, inexplicable emotion.
If he wasn't worried about upsetting his wife, he really wanted to ask her: if he and Dr. Lin fell into the water at the same time, who would she save?
Next door in Linlin's room, Lin Zhilan was telling her daughter a bedtime story. Wang Rou lay on the inside of the bed, listening quietly.
Soothed by Lin Zhilan's gentle voice and soft, rhythmic patting, Linlin's breathing gradually lengthened as she fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Zhilan tucked the covers around her daughter and whispered playfully to Wang Rou, "Can't sleep? Do you want me to pat you to sleep too?"
Wang Rou blinked. "Mhm."
Lin Zhilan paused in surprise, then let out a soft chuckle. She gently patted Wang Rou's back with her palm. "Go to sleep."
Tears instantly spilled from Wang Rou's eyes, rolling down from her temples into her hair, bringing a trace of coolness.
Sister Lin was simply the best person in the whole world.
She was like a ray of light, Wang Rou thought to herself.
Soon, lulled by Lin Zhilan's soft humming, she too drifted into dreamland.
Early the next morning.
When Lin Zhilan got up, Wang Rou and Linlin were still asleep, but Jiang Chengzhou was already playing in the yard.
She put the rice she had soaked the night before on the stove and called her nephew over.
"Chengzhou, your sister and Auntie Wang aren't awake yet. Later, when they wake up, you and your sister can come to the hospital if you want. If you don't want to go, you can just stay home and play."
Jiang Chengzhou's eyes darted around thoughtfully. "My sister and I will play at home."
Children always loved novelty. Now that his curiosity and the novelty of the hospital had worn off, Jiang Chengzhou wasn't too keen on going there anymore.
"Playing at home is fine," Lin Zhilan instructed, "but you must not touch the fire, and you can't take your sister upstairs. Can you do that?"
"I can."
"Such a good boy. I'll send you to school soon."
Jiang Chengzhou vaguely felt that this wasn't exactly a good thing. He just lowered his head, smiled, and stayed silent.
After breakfast, Lin Zhilan said, "Chengzhou, I'm going to work. It's fine if Auntie Wang and your sister sleep in a bit. You don't need to wake them up."
"Don't worry, Aunt, I know." The little boy patted his chest in assurance.
Lin Zhilan patted his head and left for work at the hospital.
The traditional Chinese medicine department was much livelier today. Lin Zijun looked excited. "Dr. Lin, a lot of people came to buy the ointment today."
"I see." Lin Zhilan smiled at the military wives who had come to buy the ointment. "Remember to remind them that the ointment must be used continuously for five days. Otherwise, to be fully cured, they'll have to restart the count."
"Don't worry, Dr. Lin, I've already told them."
"Good."
The military wives pricked up their ears to listen to their conversation.
Lin Zhilan was beautiful and spoke softly, inexplicably putting people at ease.
They were also quite surprised. She was obviously just a young wife, so why did she feel so incredibly trustworthy?
Thinking it over, it was probably because of the skills she had shown yesterday when she saved Qiangzi.
More people bought the ointment, and within a couple of days, all those who had purchased it reported a significant reduction in their pain.
Word spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred.
The news about the highly effective ointment from the military hospital's traditional Chinese medicine department quickly spread far and wide.
"Dr. Lin, the pain relief ointment is all sold out." Lin Zijun held the empty jar. A few days ago, he was worried it was too expensive to sell, but he never expected it to sell out so quickly.
"That's fine. We'll make some more today."
Lin Zhilan went to weigh the herbs. "How much money have we made in total so far?"
At the mention of this, Lin Zijun grinned from ear to ear. "A total of one hundred and seventy-five yuan and one mao."
When he went home and told his family about the department's situation, his mother had scolded him roundly.
She called him utterly stupid, saying the traditional Chinese medicine department had no patients to begin with, and since they were responsible for their own profits and losses, they wouldn't even be able to pay salaries when the time came!
Lin Zijun looked at the ledger and giggled foolishly. How could they possibly not be able to pay salaries?
From now on, their traditional Chinese medicine department was going to be rolling in it!
Lin Zhilan did some mental calculations. After deducting the salaries for the three of them, there was still a surplus that could be used to buy more medicinal herbs.
Ye Congshan was happy, of course, but he was also worried.
The entire department was being sustained by the ointment, but there was still no one coming in for medical consultations.
Just as he was thinking this, a mother and daughter walked in.
The mother was wearing the currently popular Lenin suit with a white false collar and shiny black leather shoes. She was either a high-ranking official or from a wealthy family.
As for the daughter, she didn't have the same imposing presence. She kept her head down and dawdled as she walked.
Du Hongmei rushed her daughter. "Weren't you the one making a fuss about coming here? Why are you dawdling now?! I told you I'd take you to the capital's hospital next New Year, but you insisted on getting treated here. When your face rots, see if I care about you anymore!"
Fang Wenwen pouted and followed her inside.
Du Hongmei first looked around the room critically. Because of the dispensing and grinding of herbs, the department looked a bit messy.
She frowned with a hint of disgust and looked at the oldest person there, Ye Congshan. "Are you the doctor, Lin?"
Fang Wenwen tugged at her clothes. "It's not him."
Lin Zijun curled his lip and shouted toward the pharmacy room, "Dr. Lin, a patient is here."
The moment Lin Zhilan walked out, Du Hongmei felt she was unreliable.
She was too young and too pretty.
How did she look like a highly skilled doctor in any way?
Du Hongmei made no effort to hide the doubt in her eyes. Lin Zhilan, however, wasn't as angry as Lin Zijun. Her tone was cool and emotionless. "Here for your face? Follow me."
"Oh," Fang Wenwen replied instinctively, bypassing her mother and entering the consultation room.
"Stick out your tongue and let me see."
"Ah—"
"Alright, put your hand here."
"Okay."
"Do you usually lose hair?"
"Yes, I lose quite a lot."
Lin Zhilan retracted her hand and began to write a prescription.
Fang Wenwen asked, "Is that it?"
"Mhm." Lin Zhilan handed her the prescription. "Take this prescription outside to Dr. Ye to get your medicine. By the way, do you have an earthenware pot for boiling medicine at home?"
Fang Wenwen turned to look at her mother.
Du Hongmei still didn't quite believe in Lin Zhilan's medical skills, but seeing her daughter's expectant gaze, she could only say grumpily, "We didn't bring one. I'll buy you one later."
Lin Zhilan chimed in at the right moment. "Our department can boil the medicine for you. It costs five cents a time."
"Mom~" Fang Wenwen pouted.
"Alright, alright, we'll have it boiled here."
Lin Zijun snickered off to the side.
Du Hongmei didn't expect her daughter's face to be cured here at all. Since her daughter wouldn't give up, she'd humor her and get two doses of medicine. When it showed no effect, the girl would naturally give up.
Du Hongmei took the prescription out to get the medicine filled.
When it was time to pay, she was dumbfounded.
"Thirteen yuan and eight mao? Are you robbing me?!"
Ye Congshan explained to her, "The doctor's consultation fee is ten yuan. Three yuan and eight mao is for the medicine."
"Ten yuan? What is she, some kind of miracle doctor?"
Lin Zhilan came out of the consultation room. "This consultation fee is not a one-time charge. I will take full responsibility until Fang Wenwen's face is completely healed."
"And if it doesn't get better, I have to keep buying medicine here?!" Du Hongmei was furious, convinced that this was a scam to cheat them out of their money.
Lin Zhilan was just about to say something when someone suddenly rushed in from outside and shouted, "Dr. Lin, you have to go back right away! Jiang Chengzhou has fallen into the sea!"
