This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Wang Juguo led Du Heng along the road toward the village entrance.

After they had taken a few steps, Wang Juguo couldn't resist removing the tobacco pipe from behind his ear.

This time, however, he smoked more slowly than he had at the Village Committee, and the smoke he exhaled was much lighter.

The aroma of the dry tobacco was really strong, and since Du Heng didn't smoke, he had to move to another position.

"Didn't the village offer any assistance?" Du Heng asked.

"How can you say that? If it weren't for the help from every household in the village, that couple would have starved to death long ago." Wang Juguo was clearly displeased by Du Heng's question. He's insulting me, insulting our entire village!

The tobacco in his hand suddenly seemed to lose its fragrance. Extinguishing it with one hand, he clasped both hands behind his back. "The village applied for a subsistence allowance for them. After everyone finishes their own work, they all pitch in to help their family a bit. But as you know, farm work never truly ends until the heavy snow covers the ground. Every family has their own lives to lead; it's impossible for them to continuously help just this one family."

Many people were walking back and forth on the road. Some of them had seen Du Heng before, so everyone exchanged greetings with him and Wang Juguo.

Du Heng recognized their faces from his last visit to the village but couldn't recall their names. He responded awkwardly to their greetings.

Upon reaching the village entrance, Wang Juguo pointed to a spot on the left side of the road, by the mountain, saying, "See that? The third house is theirs."

Du Heng looked in the direction Wang Juguo indicated. It was a single-story house with wings on the south and west sides. The main entrance featured a large, green-painted iron gate, evidently custom-made. Now, however, the paint was peeling, revealing rust spots, and the gateway was overgrown with weeds.

Judging by the house's appearance, Wang Shiyuan's family must have been well-off before, Du Heng thought. It wasn't hard to imagine how happy Wang Shiyuan's life must have been back then.

However, looking at the red-brick, single-story house now, there were unmistakable signs of decay and desolation.

Wang Juguo walked up to the closed gate, banged on it loudly a few times, and called out, "Shiyuan, are you home?"

After he shouted several times without a response, a woman wearing an apron emerged from the neighboring yard. "Shiyuan isn't home. He took his wife to the fields this morning."

Wang Juguo stopped knocking and, with his hands behind his back, started to walk away. "Which field did they go to?"

"It seems they went to the cornfield downhill."

"Alright, I'll go check."

The woman wiped her hands on her apron and took a couple more steps out, her eyes repeatedly glancing towards Du Heng. "Director," she asked, "are you looking for Shiyuan for something?"

Wang Juguo replied, "President Du from the Health Clinic is here to see Shiyuan. I'm showing him the way."

"So this is the President? He's so young." The woman said this, wiping her hands on her apron again as she walked towards Du Heng. "Leader, it's good that you've come! You should see for yourselves; Shiyuan is having an extremely hard time. And he's a good man. He hasn't sent his wife to a mental hospital and is always looking for remedies to treat her illness."

Du Heng didn't know what to say.

Wang Juguo waved dismissively at the woman. "You're such a chatterbox! Now that President Du is here, it shows the government is concerned about Shiyuan's situation. Alright, hurry home and get back to your work."

After saying his piece to the woman, Wang Juguo walked forward with his hands behind his back, ignoring her.

Du Heng offered an apologetic smile and quickly caught up with Wang Juguo.

They walked along the road for about thirty meters, then turned downhill, following the edge of the fields. After passing four or five plots of land, they saw a man emerge from a cornfield. About a meter behind him, a woman followed, a thumb-thick rope connecting them.

The man tossed the weeds he was holding to the edge of the field and was about to turn back into the crops when Wang Juguo quickly raised his hand and called out, "Shiyuan, hold on! President Du from the Health Clinic is here to ask about your situation."

The man looked somewhat dazed. It took him a good four or five seconds after Wang Juguo called out to respond, "Is he here to give us money?"

Wang Juguo frowned.

The past five or six years of hardship had clearly taken a toll on Wang Shiyuan; he had become increasingly listless.

Previously, officials from the township or district would come, inquire about their situation, give them some money, promise to solve their family's problems, and then leave, with no follow-up.

After so many similar experiences, he seemed to have grown accustomed to visitors simply giving him money. He no longer thought about other possibilities.

"Freshen up a bit, and we'll talk at your house. The President of the Health Clinic is here this time, and President Du is very well-known now. Perhaps he can find a way to help your wife."

Wang Shiyuan's eyes immediately brightened. He stared intently at Du Heng. "You're President Du, right? Can you really cure my wife?"

Du Heng glanced at Wang Juguo. How could he make such a guarantee without knowing the details of the patient's condition?

But, being asked directly, he could only say, "Let me assess her condition first, and then we can discuss it."

"Alright, alright! You go on ahead. We'll be right up." Wang Shiyuan seemed much more animated than before.

Wang Juguo turned to head back. "President Du, let's return to his house to talk."

Du Heng could only sigh inwardly and follow Wang Juguo back.

The room was relatively tidy, but everything in it was old and worn. Of course, there wasn't much in the room to begin with: a few small, grimy stools and a small square table. That was about it.

Throughout this, the rope around Wang Shiyuan's waist remained tied.

Wang Shiyuan had been smiling ever since he entered the room, a somewhat servile smile.

His wife, following behind him, was dressed neatly and cleanly by him. Her hair was a bit messy, likely from recently making her way through the cornfield, tangled by the leaves.

Wang Juguo spoke to Wang Shiyuan about poverty alleviation and the purpose of Du Heng's visit.

Du Heng, meanwhile, was closely examining Wang Shiyuan's wife. Her skin was a bit dry and slightly yellowish, and her lips were a little dark. What drew his attention most were her eyes; they were devoid of luster, showing no signs of vitality. In fact, upon careful observation, Du Heng realized her eyes had no focus; her gaze was scattered.

Once Wang Juguo finished explaining the situation, both men turned their gaze to Du Heng.

Du Heng considered for a moment, then said, "Let's be frank. I'm here this time to address the problem of poverty due to illness in your family, to help you both lead a better life. Director Wang mentioned that the main issue is your wife's condition, and you've spent a lot of money because of her illness. To care for her, you haven't been able to work properly. So, if we can resolve your wife's problem, would it be fair to say your family's situation will improve?"

Wang Shiyuan nodded affirmatively. "President Du, rest assured, as long as my wife's illness can be cured, I definitely won't cause the government any trouble. I have skills; I can earn money. We also have a lot of land, so as long as my hands are free, food and drink won't be an issue. I've even thought about borrowing some money to start an agritourism business."