Chapter 61: Lin Shaowen Sent on Leave

"What does the factory have to say?" Lin Shaowen asked calmly.

He didn't even need to give it a second thought; those anonymous complaint letters were definitely the work of those beasts living in the courtyard quad.

"Take a temporary leave of absence, and rest for a few days before coming back to work." Factory Director Yang patted him on the shoulder.

A leave of absence was a given; after all, the factory needed to put on a show and take a stance.

As for the investigation... investigate my foot. The report claimed that Lin Shaowen had accepted gifts from patients.

The workers were so poor they were scraping the bottom of the barrel; where would they get anything to give Lin Shaowen? The ones who actually gave him gifts were powerful and influential people. Were they going to go around asking those people if they had bribed the doctor? Did they feel their lives were simply too comfortable?

"Alright, then I'll head home to rest."

Lin Shaowen nodded with a smile, got up, and left without a moment of hesitation.

Yang Weiguo and Li Xinmin exchanged glances, a lingering sense of unease in their hearts.

Would this kid end up switching allegiances and working for someone else?

The news of Lin Shaowen being placed under isolated investigation spread in an instant. Except for Qin Huairu, almost everyone was overjoyed. Silly Zhu even started singing Hebei梆子 in the back kitchen, infuriating Qin Huairu to the point where she almost hit him with a wok.

The Courtyard Quad.

"Oh, Director Lin is back so early."

As soon as Lin Shaowen stepped into the courtyard, he heard the sarcastic voice of Third Aunt Jia (Mrs. Jia).

The old men, old women, and young wives sunning themselves in the courtyard all looked at Lin Shaowen with curiosity. Could it be that everyone had really gone to report him?

"That's right," Lin Shaowen said with a smiling nod. "I'm not like your Dongxu, who has so much promise that he gets chewed out by his leaders like a grandson every single day, and still has to force a smile."

"You little beast, let's see you be arrogant now. Do you know how serious this is?" Mrs. Jia stopped pretending altogether.

"Mhm, I know." Lin Shaowen looked around and said with a beaming smile, "There aren't any doctors left in the rolling mill now. You'd better pray to the gods that the men in your families don't get hurt, otherwise you'll all end up just like Mrs. Jia..."

The expressions on everyone's faces changed instantly at these words.

That's right. Lin Shaowen was on leave, which meant the factory didn't have a doctor.

Even though everyone disliked Lin Shaowen, both Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Red Star Hospital held him in extremely high regard. If it weren't for Lin Shaowen during the previous boiler explosion, the death toll definitely wouldn't have stopped at just two people.

"You guys keep playing, I'm going home to sleep."

Lin Shaowen pushed his bicycle away while humming a cheerful tune.

"You thousand-slash little beast! Even if Butcher Lin is dead, is the factory going to start eating hairy pigs?" Mrs. Jia spat in the direction Lin Shaowen had gone.

Hearing this, the others relaxed their moods and went back to chatting.

After changing into a light and comfortable outfit, Lin Shaowen lay down on the rocking chair under the shade trellis, gently swaying back and forth.

As for the matter of being reported, he didn't care about it at all... in fact, he felt a secret thrill.

After all, the mindset of a corporate wage slave was deeply ingrained in him. If you can get a paid vacation, why would you work? If it weren't for maintaining the cover of a formal work unit to avoid being labeled a loafer by the neighborhood committee, he would have been ready to retire already.

Right, he hadn't done his daily fishing yet.

Lin Shaowen activated the isolation array and stepped into his island realm.

Casually grabbing a bottle of beer, he sat at the edge of the beach, flicking his fishing rod to send the line flying out in a graceful parabola.

Sandy beach, sunshine, drinking beer and fishing—what an absolute paradise.

"First cast."

"Acquired: *Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica*. Do you wish to learn it?"

"Bingo."

Lin Shaowen instantly felt energized.

If there was anything that could excite him right now, it was progress in his medical skills. He currently possessed many unorthodox medical techniques, such as *The Blue Pouch Classic* and *The Tianhui Medical Bamboo Slips*... The medical arts contained within them were complex and formidable indeed.

However, his true understanding of pharmacology was rather shallow.

Most of the time, he prescribed medicine strictly according to medical texts, which made him quite uneasy since every patient's condition was uniquely different.

"Second cast."

"Acquired: *Five-Color Pulse Diagnosis*. Do you wish to learn it?"

"No way."

Lin Shaowen stared in disbelief at the small cyan book hanging from his fishing rod. What was going on today? He had hit the jackpot twice in a row.

A massive flood of pulse-diagnosis knowledge instantly surged into his mind, exhilarating his entire being.

If Zhao Qingming were to let him take his pulse again right now, it certainly wouldn't take him nearly as long.

Lin Shaowen rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"Third cast."

"Acquired skill: *Master Marksmanship*. Do you wish to learn it?"

Lin Shaowen fell silent for a moment before silently choosing to learn it.

As expected, you shouldn't pop champagne halfway through the match. He was a doctor, not a soldier; what good was a marksmanship skill to him? Although firearms weren't strictly banned right now, guns were serious business, and any gunshot meant a major incident.

Besides, he had no channels to acquire a firearm anyway.

He shook his head, glanced at the time on the clock tower, grabbed two more bottles of beer, caught a large Australian lobster, and exited the island.

After enjoying a magnificent lunch, he lay back down on the lounge chair, gazing up at the ceiling fan rotating overhead, feeling rather drowsy.

After an unknown length of time, a sudden knocking on the door woke him up.

"Who is it?" Lin Shaowen roared in annoyance.

"Open the door."

Qin Zhong's voice came from outside.

Lin Shaowen shuddered, immediately trotted over, and opened the door.

"Teacher, President Zhang..."

"Mhm."

Qin Zhong acknowledged him and walked straight toward the shade trellis.

Zhang Yuyang patted Lin Shaowen on the shoulder and followed along.

The sun was scorching.

Seeing the icy cold beer, cigarettes, and a full basin of fruit under the trellis, Qin Zhong couldn't help feeling a bit exhausted. To think he had rushed over without stopping the moment he heard Lin Shaowen had been suspended, but this kid... no wonder he got reported; he knew how to enjoy life far too well.

"Still have to work this afternoon?" Lin Shaowen asked the two men with a smile.

"I took time off. Work my foot," Qin Zhong said with a stern face.

"Me too," Zhang Yuyang chimed in with a laugh.

"Alright then."

Lin Shaowen turned and headed into the kitchen, returning shortly with an iron bucket filled halfway with ice cubes for show, atop which sat six bottles of ice-cold beer.

Without waiting for Qin Zhong or Zhang Yuyang to speak, he popped the caps off without a second word.

The two old men looked at the frost-covered beer bottles and swallowed hard.

"Come on, have a drink."

Lin Shaowen shoved a bottle into each of their hands before grabbing one for himself.

Qin Zhong and Zhang Yuyang exchanged glances, and without waiting for further pleasantries, they began drinking on their own.

After a long moment.

Qin Zhong let out a satisfied burp, then laughed and scolded, "No wonder you got reported, kid. Your lifestyle is even more bourgeois than an actual capitalist."

"Exactly, this beer was sent by Lou the Half-City, wasn't it?" Zhang Yuyang joined in with a laugh.

Lin Shaowen shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.

"What are your plans?" Qin Zhong asked again.

"Isn't this a vacation? What plans could I have?" Lin Shaowen asked, looking surprised.

"Do you just plan to muddle along in the rolling mill forever?" Qin Zhong asked, exasperated by his lack of ambition.

"President Qin, please mind your phrasing. I am doing revolutionary work here," Lin Shaowen said solemnly.

"Go on with you." Qin Zhong tapped him on the head before speaking with a serious tone, "Why don't you take this opportunity to quit? You can transfer to Peking Union Medical College Hospital or go back to the university."

"Hey, Old Qin, going to Peking Union is fine, but why go back to the university?" Zhang Yuyang protested unhappily.

They had agreed beforehand that Qin Zhong would help him persuade Lin Shaowen to join Peking Union.

"Cough, cough, cough—to pursue a doctoral degree," Qin Zhong said, his old face turning red. "With Shaowen's current skills, further education at the university is the best choice."

"Oh, screw you," Zhang Yuyang cursed, raising his voice. "What do doctors rely on? Practice! Hiding in an ivory tower is about as useful as a fart."

"Old Zhang, I've tolerated you for a long time... Aren't you a graduate of the medical university yourself?" Qin Zhong rebuked angrily.

"Precisely because I came out of a school, I know how shallow the things they teach actually are."

"You motherf..."