Chapter 13 - 6: Starting at Changxing

Changxing Hospital is one of the five most influential comprehensive hospitals in Dongzhou City, but it ranks last in strength among the five.After the reform and opening up, the medical system has undergone several reforms, and each of the five major hospitals that have stood firm in Dongzhou City has its own advantageous projects.

Changxing used to excel in Oncology and Urology, being the first hospital in Dongzhou to introduce a linear accelerator, and the first to perform kidney transplant surgery. It was once prosperous in the early 1990s. However, after entering the 21st century, Changxing experienced a serious brain drain, and it did not receive preferential treatment from the city in terms of policy, resulting in slow development and gradually falling behind the other four hospitals.

Although Dean Gu Houyi dedicated himself to the development of the hospital, he was ultimately too old, and his management skills inevitably lagged behind. Many of the middle-level cadres in the hospital were his fellow villagers. Gu Houyi often said he appointed people based on merit rather than connections, but internally, the hospital said he was nepotistic.

This should be Gu Houyi’s last year at Changxing. As a department-level official, he could completely choose to take it easy, but he was unwilling to do so. While other hospitals were building and expanding new facilities, Changxing’s second-phase expansion plan was proposed six years ago, but it faced continuous setbacks. Just when the city finally approved it, they encountered obstacles in demolitions.

Gu Houyi originally wanted to complete the hospital’s second-phase project before his retirement, as it would be a satisfactory explanation both for the hospital and himself.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. With great ambition but insufficient time, he decided to at least start the second-phase expansion project. He was determined to lay the foundation and start construction before leaving, driven by the pure desire to do something for Changxing.

At the Monday morning meeting, Gu Houyi once again passionately delineated the blueprint for the second-phase expansion, although the middle-level cadres had already heard it countless times and no longer found it novel. However, this time it was for real; the demolition project was about to begin. Before long, the shantytowns around Changxing would be razed, and in a few years, a modern hospital ward building would rise from the ground.

Vice Director Geng Wenxiu sat in the small conference room diligently taking notes, calculating in her mind about Gu Houyi’s upcoming retirement next year. After Gu Houyi leaves, who would be the most likely to take his position?

She glanced at Gao Xinhua beside her and immediately ruled him out. Gao Xinhua came from the military and transitioned into the civilian workforce, but his academic qualifications were lacking, and he had no age advantage. Being a deputy director was already the pinnacle of his career.

Yan Huaiyi, the first vice director, from the third echelon, had a postgraduate degree, but everyone knew his first degree was an associate degree. His postgraduate studies were done in-service, without a master’s degree. At 51 years old, he had missed the golden period for promotion. Poor public speaking skills rendered him stammering on stage, unsuitable for major responsibilities.

Qin Guoliang, director of the Cardiology Department, held a doctorate in medicine and was an elite recruited at great cost by the hospital. His title of vice director was nominal as he was too busy with cardiology business to manage the hospital. Additionally, as someone from outside, it was hard to win public support.

Geng Wenxiu mentally eliminated the competitors one by one, feeling increasingly optimistic about her own chances of succeeding Gu Houyi. With the World Women’s Conference held in Beijing this October, she believed riding this wave offered her a good chance to advance.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t even hear Gu Houyi announce the meeting’s conclusion. It was only when Gao Xinhua reminded her that she snapped back to reality.

The two naturally walked out together. Geng Wenxiu, standing at 1.72 meters tall and wearing high heels, appeared even more imposing than Gao Xinhua. Habitually, she flicked her hair: "Old Gao, have all those stubborn households moved out?"

Gao Xinhua smiled and said, "They’ve moved."

Geng Wenxiu knew this matter was his responsibility. She glanced at him and said, "Impressive, you even handled the stubborn old man at Huichun Hall?" She had also tried to handle the situation earlier but was unceremoniously driven away by Elder Xu. Coming from a cadre family, Geng Wenxiu was proud and still remembered the incident.

Gao Xinhua nodded and briefly explained the situation to her. After all, it was no secret.

Geng Wenxiu frowned slightly and said, "I didn’t expect Dean Gu to make concessions? Opening this precedence isn’t good, surely there will be gossip in the future."

In fact, Gao Xinhua was quite repulsed by this woman. Arrogant due to her family background, she looked down on everyone and had a terrible reputation in the hospital. He always believed that no matter how beautiful a woman is, once she is filled with a desire for power, she loses her femininity. Furthermore, this particular woman was neither beautiful nor intelligent, yet acted authoritarian and overbearing.

Feigning that he had forgotten something, Gao Xinhua turned back to the conference room. With different paths, he didn’t want to work with her, preferring to walk a few extra steps rather than accompany her.

After only a few steps, his phone rang. It was Xu Changshan calling, still worried about his grandson. Today was Xu Chunliang’s first day reporting to the hospital. It seemed more reassuring to call Gao Xinhua directly.

If not for Elder Xu’s reminder, Gao Xinhua almost forgot about Xu Chunliang reporting today. Even as a deputy, there were many responsibilities to handle in the hospital, leaving little room for such minor matters.

Gao Xinhua assured Elder Xu that he would take good care of Xu Chunliang. As long as he was at the hospital, Xu Chunliang wouldn’t be bullied.

Today was the day for new employees to report. Everyone first went to the HR department to register. Conventionally, they would undergo a medical examination and centralized training, and then the Education and Training Department would assign them departments for rotation training.

Xu Chunliang was an exception. He only had a high school education, yet among this batch of newcomers, he was the only one with a formal staff position, fortunately known by only a few.

The hospital had to brainstorm Xu Chunliang’s arrangement. Placing him in a worker’s position wouldn’t be justifiable to Xu Changshan, but with neither a bachelor’s degree nor a physician’s license, the only option was to play the special talent card.

Huichun Hall is an old brand in Jiangzhou. Xu Changshan is a non-hereditary man. Based on this clue, Xu Chunliang was given the title of a non-hereditary man. His intended department is the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Department. However, Director Zhu Mingyuan has already clearly expressed his refusal. If the hospital forcibly places a high school graduate in his department, he would rather choose to resign.

In the Changxing comprehensive hospital, although the TCM department doesn’t have much of a presence, Director Zhu Mingyuan, the chief physician, still holds considerable prestige. His intense reaction is also due to another reason; he believes that the TCM department’s lack of popularity has much to do with the existence of Huichun Hall.

Many of his patients later went to Huichun Hall, and he heard many rumors saying that his skills were not as good as Xu Changshan’s. In Zhu Mingyuan’s view, Xu Changshan is just a Jianghu doctor, using a few so-called secret recipes passed down through the generations to swindle people without systematic learning.

He considers himself a legitimate national doctor, having graduated from the Beijing National Medical University, a chief physician, vice-president of the city’s TCM association, and a permanent director, having published numerous papers at home and abroad. In what way is he inferior to Xu Changshan?

He bears no prejudice against Xu Chunliang. If Xu Chunliang were a proper university graduate, he would not cause trouble, but a high school student, reportedly a repeat student who failed the entrance exam three consecutive years, to let such a person enter his department would lower the department’s average level. As the head of the TCM department, he cannot afford such embarrassment.

Ma Hongmei, the head of the personnel department, is also very troubled over this matter. The placement is in the TCM department, but the TCM department refuses to accept it. Either the administrative departments are fully staffed, or they are overstaffed. To untie the knot, one must seek the person who tied it. Knowing that this kid is a talent brought in exceptionally by Vice Director Gao Xinhua, they still need to seek Vice Director Gao’s opinion.

Just then, Gao Xinhua called to inquire about Xu Chunliang’s onboarding, and Ma Hongmei complained over the phone.

Gao Xinhua certainly understood Ma Hongmei’s difficulties. Xu Chunliang could certainly not rotate like others; he knows nothing about medicine, and arranging for a medical novice in a clinical department could cause unforeseen problems.

Ma Hongmei said, "Dean Gao, Director Zhu’s attitude is very firm. If we force Xu Chunliang into their department, he will immediately resign."

Gao Xinhua secretly cursed; this Zhu Minghua is just using his seniority, lacking skills but with a big temper. He thought for a while and said, "Then let’s first find him a position in the administrative support, familiarize him with the hospital’s environment, and observe his abilities."


Ma Hongmei said, "You know well the condition of our hospital’s administrative departments, none of which has extra space. It’s easy to arrange for a support post, but he’s not in a worker’s position."

Gao Xinhua said, "Position is one thing, work is another. It’s not a bad thing for young people to try several positions."

If Xu Chunliang is arranged in a popular department now, it could create a huge uproar. Everyone now thinks Xu Chunliang is his connection. Gao Xinhua doesn’t want to be pushed into the spotlight.

First, reduce the heat, wait for a suitable opportunity to arrange a more comfortable position for him, but this requires specially going to explain to Elder Xu in person.

So Xu Chunliang joined the electrician team under the guise of rotation. The hospital’s electrician team is a worker position. Because Ma Hongmei specifically instructed, the head of the science and education department, Pan Mingming, personally brought Xu Chunliang to the electrician team and specifically emphasized that this new addition to the electrician team is for rotation.

New employee rotation is not uncommon, but rotating to the electrician team is unprecedented. The electrician team in the hospital is an inconspicuous small department, with eight staff members divided into four shifts. They usually work 24 hours and rest for 72 hours. The hospital turns a blind eye to their conduct.

Only the team leader, Jia Xuegong, specializes in electrical work, the other seven have transferred internally within the hospital. They can’t do any high-skilled work; their daily tasks are nothing more than changing a bulb or pulling a switch. They typically seek external help for complicated tasks.

Today, it was team leader Jia Xuegong and Xiaofeng on duty. When Pan Mingming brought Xu Chunliang over, the two were studying stocks. In Changxing, they belong to the lower tier, and their income cannot compare with medical staff. Fortunately, they have plenty of free time, and during their rests, they do side jobs to supplement their income.

Xiaofeng usually delivers meals, while Jia Xuegong has opened a marinated food shop.

Even during duty, most times there are no tasks, leaving them either trading stocks or chatting.

After Pan Mingming left, Jia Xuegong introduced the situation of the electrician team to Xu Chunliang. Xu Chunliang’s arrival had disrupted the previous balance, making it somewhat difficult to arrange, so it was tentatively decided to let Xu Chunliang work the regular day shift, with normal weekends off.

Before leaving, Pan Mingming specially called Jia Xuegong aside and subtly informed him that Xu Chunliang is connected to Dean Gao, to prevent any bullying in the electrician team.

The words were pointed out to this extent; how could Jia Xuegong not understand? So he didn’t dare to assign any tasks to Xu Chunliang, not even minor tasks like making tea or serving water that newcomers should perform.

The rotations in the electrician team were like a revolving lantern, everyone’s mind was not on work, knowing well that Xu Chunliang had a connection above, in a few days, he would leave, so no one found it worthwhile to make things difficult or offend him.

Xu Chunliang’s current main task was answering phone calls, where nine times out of ten, the content was about a specific department’s light being broken or a trip switch issue, essentially having a cup of tea and sitting by the phone all day long.

Xu Chunliang, having idle time, proactively requested to join the work. Typically, when going out to work, one person carries tools, and another carries a ladder. With Xu Chunliang joining, team leader Jia Xuegong could only carry the light tube, as a team leader should set an example and shouldn’t be empty-handed.