Chapter 114 - 99: Weishan Island

The Quality Control Team Two of Changxing Hospital headed to the Weishan Island Branch for an inspection. First, they needed to take a bus to the passenger dock in Weishan County and then a ferry to Weishan Island. Although there was a closer route from Ancient Spring Town, the ferry service there was infrequent, so they decided to depart from the county dock.In addition to the team leader Yan Huaiyi and assistant Xu Chunliang, a new member joined them this time—Tang Mingmei, the head nurse of the Neurology Department. Her visit to the Changxing Branch had a touch of prestige since, after the quality control inspection, the original head of the Nursing Department would officially retire and Tang Mingmei would take over.

With a seasoned beauty in their company, Deputy Director Yan Huaiyi felt this trip would be less tedious. The saying "men and women working together makes light work" surely holds some truth.

Weishan Lake is Dongzhou’s largest freshwater lake, covering 660 square kilometers. Its long and narrow surface stretches 120 kilometers from north to south and 30 kilometers at its widest point east to west. About two-thirds fall under Dongzhou’s jurisdiction, and the remaining third under Jizhou City in Lunan Province.

Weishan Island is the largest island in the lake, with a land area of 30 square kilometers and a total population of 90,000, though currently less than 40,000 reside there permanently.

One significant achievement during Gu Houyi’s tenure was taking over Weishan Island Hospital, not for economic gain but for poverty alleviation. Although adorned with the title of Weishan County’s Second People’s Hospital, it was in fact nothing more than a township hospital and not even among the top five in Weishan County in terms of overall strength.

Weishan County is administratively part of Dongzhou, merely a county-level city with too many hospitals and dispersed resources. Located in a remote area with no specialty departments, Weishan Island Hospital lacked a strong medical team, serving only local patients and was long beset by financial difficulties.

After initially sending several key personnel when they acquired Weishan Island Hospital, Changxing saw them gradually return as it was hard to get along with the existing staff at the branch. Although they appeared cooperative, they often worked against the newcomers in secret, seeking support rather than a full takeover.

Gu Houyi’s ambitious three-year plan to transform Weishan Island Hospital floundered against reality. However, this year, the Dongzhou City Government, in conjunction with Jizhou City Government, planned to vigorously develop Weishan Lake tourism, aiming to build a world-class domestic resort within their five-year plan.

Because of this plan, Weishan Island development reentered public attention. Yet, more than half a year later, there was no tangible action, and many believed it might be another instance of much ado about nothing.

If Weishan Island could indeed become a world-class domestic resort, the influx of tourists would necessitate improved facilities, and the hospital, as an essential component, would undoubtedly benefit.

At the beginning of this year, Gu Houyi personally visited the Weishan Island Branch and was very dissatisfied with its current state. Just as he was about to address these issues, a transfer order took him away from Changxing.

After taking office, Zhao Feiyang had yet to visit the Weishan Island Branch. At a hospital board meeting, he publicly criticized some leaders for being overly ambitious, seeking to expand without thorough investigation for the sake of quick accomplishments, referring to such actions as opening branches indiscriminately.

Although Zhao Feiyang did not name names, it was clear to everyone he meant Gu Houyi, as the Weishan Island Branch consistently underperformed, dragging Changxing down.

A special vehicle from Changxing Hospital delivered the quality control group to Weishan County, but they had to rely on public transportation to reach Weishan Island, making the ferry their only option.

The ferry’s sanitary conditions in the county were worrisome. Tang Mingmei, who was somewhat of a germaphobe, repeatedly wiped down the ferry seats. Even if she cleaned them, the cabin’s unpleasant odor was inescapable.

Most travelers to the island were locals, and the air was suffused with a sweaty musk mixed with the stench of fish. Many ignored the no-smoking signs and puffed on cheap tobacco, while others made instant noodles with the free hot water.

The roar of engines, loud chatter, children’s screams, cries, and the cackling of chickens and ducks all blended into a chaotic symphony.

Tang Mingmei donned sunglasses and a mask, wrapped tightly from head to toe. Still, the odors and noise seeped into her being. She leaned her face toward the window, but outside was crowded too; a thick smoke wafted from a window crack, hitting her face, and she nearly suffocated.

Xu Chunliang sat on the aisle side, separated from Tang Mingmei by Deputy Director Yan Huaiyi, who was in exceptionally high spirits today. From the moment they boarded, he had been chatting incessantly and coherently, rarely stuttering.

Tang Mingmei had no interest in his topics. If it weren’t for the chance to burnish her credentials before taking charge of the Nursing Department, she wouldn’t have wanted to come to this island far from the city.

Xu Chunliang handed over two bottles of water to them. Tang Mingmei thanked him but felt so drained by the noise that she could barely muster the strength to open the cap.

Noticing this, Xu Chunliang opened a bottle for her and handed it over, stretching his arm each time to pass it across Yan Huaiyi.

Tang Mingmei took a sip of water and suddenly screamed as she stood up, spotting a cockroach crawling on the chair back in front of her.

Yan Huaiyi was startled by her, and upon finding the cause, he somewhat blamed Tang Mingmei for overreacting. What’s so surprising about finding a cockroach in this environment? Once on the island, snakes, insects, and rats could all appear. Wasn’t Tang Mingmei nearly forty? How could she still be so squeamish?

Tang Mingmei wasn’t being squeamish; she was just scared of bugs. Ever since she saw that cockroach, she couldn’t sit still anymore and said she needed to go outside for some fresh air.

Yan Huaiyi asked Xu Chunliang to accompany her. When you’re out, you should always look after female colleagues, especially someone as charming as Tang Mingmei.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, which was a stark blue, lifelessly monotonous. The lake water was a joyless yellow-green. Tang Mingmei opened her UV-blocking umbrella and looked at Weishan Island sitting like a green snail in the middle of the lake. She couldn’t help but sigh, "There’s really nothing to see here."

Xu Chunliang squinted at the sun, shading his eyes with his hand: "Why did our hospital choose such a remote place to set up a branch in the first place?"

Tang Mingmei explained to Xu Chunliang that the government spearheaded it. The health system had initially assigned hospitals to support different counties, and Changxing ended up supporting Weishan Island Hospital. Over time, they grew like family. As for why buy Weishan Island to establish a branch, you’d have to ask the former director, Gu Houyi.

Tang Mingmei had been to the Weishan Island Branch before, but she always returned on the same day and never stayed overnight.

This time, as it’s a quality control inspection, scheduled for three weeks—the longest yet—thinking about spending the next twenty or so days on this island made Tang Mingmei somewhat worried. She just hoped the island wouldn’t have frequent power or water outages, as she couldn’t go a single day without a shower.

Hearing her worry about water outages on the island, Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but laugh. With water all around Weishan Island, how could there be a water shortage?

Tang Mingmei meant the tap water. She heard there were five power outages and two water outages in just three days last week. The infrastructure in Weishan Island is outdated, with many facilities still in use from the seventies. She advised Xu Chunliang not to have high expectations for this trip and to be mentally prepared for hardships.

As they chatted, they got closer to Weishan Island. A beautiful yacht sailed by from afar, startling many waterfowl and catching a lot of attention. There are many fishing boats on Weishan Lake, but such a beautiful yacht is rare and stood out like a crane among chickens. The yacht looked new, likely purchased recently.

Tang Mingmei looked at it enviously, wishing they were on that boat.

Xu Chunliang noticed the words "Xianhong" painted on the yacht’s exterior, reminding him of an old comrade Gao Xinhua recommended before he came here, Tong Guangsheng. Tong Guangsheng is the owner of Xianhong Farm, and judging by this yacht, Xianhong Farm must be sizable.

The ferry docked at Weishan Island pier, and Xu Chunliang helped Tang Mingmei with her luggage. He and Yan Huaiyi each brought a 20-inch suitcase, while Tang Mingmei, somewhat exaggerating, brought two 28-inch suitcases. Knowing it was a branch quality control inspection, anyone would think she was going abroad.

The branch had arranged a car waiting at the pier— a large Jinbei van, which usually doubled as a service and ambulance vehicle, occasionally even a hearse. Although medical professionals are less superstitious, Yan Huaiyi still felt uneasy. The branch obviously has a Santana 2000. Even though the car is old, it’s still a sedan. He’s currently the deputy director of Changxing; doesn’t his rank qualify him for a Santana?

Besides the driver, Old Lu, Jin Yonghao, the director of Weishan Island Branch, specially came to welcome them. He was dispatched by Changxing and was dubbed the supervisor by the Weishan Island Hospital staff, who believed he was there to monitor their work and report back to Changxing’s leadership.

The political significance of Changxing Investing in Weishan Island Branch outweighs the economic benefits. In fact, this investment has not brought Changxing any economic gain but has added extra expenses. According to the agreement with Weishan County Government, they have to cover salaries and benefits for over two hundred employees of the Weishan Island Branch.

Changxing foresaw potential difficulties post-takeover, so they outsourced the management of the pharmacy to Heng’an Pharmaceutical Company. Within two short years, the branch had already defaulted on 2.1 million yuan in medicine payments.

Changxing attributes the branch’s current state to the employees’ resistance against the head office’s work arrangements, while Weishan Island Branch believes Changxing tricked them out of their fixed assets with symbolic investment, denying them equal benefits and treatment with head office employees.

Since last year, the branch employees’ hostility toward Changxing has increased significantly. They’ve petitioned the county several times, attempting to terminate cooperation with Changxing, only to be rejected unanimously. County leaders see the island’s hospital situation clearly: due to its unique geography and population, this hospital cannot be profitable. If Changxing doesn’t take over, no one else will take on this burden. Reverting to the previous arrangement would only increase county financial expenditure.

Most of Changxing’s side wants to drop this burden, and they would gladly relieve themselves of it, provided the Weishan County Government consents.