Chapter 112: The Clinic Moves into Zhoujiazhuang

After entering the house, Zhou Yimin handed the two cured ducks and the bottle of rapeseed oil to Eldest Aunt.

He saw Eldest Uncle carefully organizing various traditional Chinese medicines, methodically placing them into medicine boxes—four boxes in total, all packed full.

“Eldest Uncle!”

Zhou Yimin greeted him.

Eldest Uncle looked up and smiled, “Yimin, sit for a bit. We’ll be heading out soon.”

Zhou Yimin nodded. “Alright.”

Eldest Aunt saw that the items were indeed meant for them and accepted them without hesitation. After all, they were asking her husband for a favor—this was payment for labor, nothing shameful about accepting it.

Those cured ducks looked delicious, their unique aroma already wafting through the room.

And the large bottle of rapeseed oil—just by the feel, she could tell it was about five jin (about 2.5 kg). That would be enough oil for their household to use for nearly half a year.

Not long after, Zhou Dazhong came in as well.

Eldest Aunt, knowing the close relationship between Zhou Dazhong and Zhou Yimin, quickly poured water for the two.

“No need to trouble yourself, Eldest Aunt. We’re not thirsty,” Zhou Yimin said.

A little while later, Eldest Uncle had finished packing everything. Four and a half cubic-sized boxes were filled with medicine. He had accepted Zhou Yimin’s invitation two days ago to go to Zhoujiazhuang to offer medical consultations.

“Alright, let’s go,” Eldest Uncle Chen Baishu said. He had originally requested time off from the steel factory yesterday.

But once the factory learned that he was going to Zhoujiazhuang at Zhou Yimin’s request to provide medical consultations, the leadership decided to officially assign him to assist the village.

After all, the steel factory had close ties with Zhoujiazhuang and had even donated to their school previously.

This counted as another form of support—before, it had been educational aid; now, it was medical assistance.

Just yesterday, Factory Director Hu and the others had held a meeting to discuss the factory’s plans to provide targeted support to Zhoujiazhuang. They knew the village had started growing vegetables, and once the harvest came, the factory would handle purchasing—Zhou Yimin would be in charge of that.

Upon hearing Eldest Uncle’s words, Zhou Yimin and Zhou Dazhong carried the medicine boxes out to the tricycle.

Zhou Yimin drove with Chen Baishu riding with him, while Zhou Dazhong hauled the medicine boxes behind them.

Meanwhile, back in Zhoujiazhuang, the old village secretary had already arranged for an unused house to be cleaned. It had one main hall and two side rooms—essentially a two-bedroom unit.

Inside the hall, long benches had been set up along the walls, with a counter resembling a medicine cabinet at the front, and a desk placed beside it.

One of the rooms had a wooden bed; the other had been turned into a kitchen, with a stove, iron pot, and a stack of firewood.

A doctor moving into Zhoujiazhuang? Naturally, the villagers welcomed it with open arms!

After Zhou Yimin had asked Zhou Dazhong’s mother to pass on the message, the old secretary gathered people to prepare the clinic space. While not luxurious, it was clean and tidy.

Now, the villagers wouldn’t have to travel all the way to the Hongxing Commune to see a doctor.

This was a medical benefit Zhou Yimin had fought to bring to the village.

The idea had originally come to him a few days ago when a group of elderly villagers had casually chatted at his home about their various chronic ailments.

Thinking of his own grandparents, Zhou Yimin had first planned to take them to the city for a full checkup.

But considering their personalities, he changed his mind and decided instead to regularly bring doctors into the village to treat the elderly.

“Clean everything up properly,” the old secretary called out.

Ever since Yimin had returned, the village had been improving nonstop.

First, he resolved the food issue. Then, he secured a plot of arable land, opening a new path to generate income. After that, he tackled the education problem—ensuring the children not only had access to school, but also had enough to eat and warm clothes to wear. Now, he was addressing the difficulty of accessing medical care by bringing a doctor to the village.

To be honest, Zhou Yimin now held a very high reputation in the village. If he wanted to become the village chief, no one would oppose him—not even the old secretary.

However, Yimin was currently a proud worker at the steel factory and certainly wouldn’t come back just to be a village official.

Being a worker was far more desirable than being a rural cadre.

Once the clinic setup was complete, the old secretary brought people to the village entrance to greet them.

“Is it today?” he asked Zhou Dazhong’s mother again, confirming the message.

“That’s what Sixteenth Brother said. It’s definitely today.”

Before long, Zhou Yimin and the others arrived.

Zhou Yimin led the way with Chen Baishu on the tricycle, while Zhou Dazhong followed behind with the medicine boxes. One after the other, they entered the village.

Seeing the warm welcome, Chen Baishu was touched—half the village had come to greet him! He got off the vehicle and greeted the old secretary and the others one by one.

“Our steel factory leadership has said that from now on, I’ll come to Zhoujiazhuang twice a week to provide consultations and treat everyone,” Chen Baishu passed along the factory’s goodwill.

The old secretary led the applause. “Thank you, truly thank you to the steel factory for supporting our village.”

Then he personally took Chen Baishu to the carefully prepared clinic and told him to speak up if he needed anything—if it was within Zhoujiazhuang’s ability, they would do it without hesitation.

“No need to be so polite, Secretary. This place is great. It’ll do just fine,” said Chen Baishu.

Zhou Yimin added, “I have a spare hot water kettle at home. I’ll bring it over later. Also, Eldest Uncle, please come to my house for a meal first.”

Since he had invited him, of course he had to treat him well.

Chen Baishu didn’t stand on ceremony and nodded. “Sure.”

He then began taking out the medicines from the boxes and placing them neatly on the cabinet shelves.

“Let’s start with the elderly today,” Zhou Yimin reminded him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” said the old secretary.

Young people were not allowed to crowd the clinic today unless there was something urgent. Everyone understood that the purpose of bringing the doctor was to make it easier for the elderly to get regular treatment.

“Eldest Uncle, if you need any more medicine in the future, just tell me. I’ll see if I can get it for you,” Zhou Yimin said to Chen Baishu.

Chen Baishu knew Zhou Yimin wasn’t all talk—he likely had some powerful connections. He might really be able to source rare medicines.

“Alright! I’ll let you know if anything comes up. Oh, right—I could use an extra pair of hands. Someone with a quick and careful mind would be best,” said Chen Baishu.

He couldn’t manage everything alone—consulting patients, prescribing medicine, etc.

“I can help! I know a bit about traditional Chinese medicine.”

A young man stepped forward.

Zhou Yimin recognized him—it was Dachun’s younger brother, Daqiu.

“Oh? You know herbs? Let me test you,” said Chen Baishu, intrigued and eager to quiz Daqiu. If he really knew his stuff, he’d be the perfect assistant.

He began testing Daqiu on herbal identification and even his ability to gather the right medicines.

After just two or three minutes, Chen Baishu was quite satisfied with Daqiu.

The old secretary said, “Alright, Daqiu, you’ll help out here from now on. The village will count your work toward your labor points.”

Zhou Yimin seemed to be deep in thought about something.

(End of Chapter)