Chapter 62: Special Consultant

After arguing for quite a while, the two old men had almost come to blows, leaving Lin Shaowen thoroughly terrified.

With their combined ages totaling over a hundred years, if one of them had suffered any injury here, wouldn't he be held responsible?

He hurriedly stepped forward to mediate, finally putting a stop to their quarrel with great difficulty.

"Tell me, Shaowen, are you really planning to put down roots at the rolling mill?" Zhang Yuyang shifted his focus back to him.

"Putting down roots is a bit of a stretch, but I genuinely want to do something for my fellow workers," Lin Shaowen said, half-joking and half-serious. "Your Peking Union Medical College has the top-tier technology in the whole country; whether I'm there or not really doesn't make much difference."

"Who says so?" Zhang Yuyang retorted. "Do you have any idea how effective the *Musk Heart-Preserving Pill* you researched is? The state has already classified the formula as top-secret. It's only to protect your safety that we haven't publicized it with great fanfare."

"Top-secret?" Lin Shaowen was dumbfounded.

Those two words carried an immense amount of weight.

"Here, this is your citation and bonus, along with the appointment letter from Union Medical College."

Zhang Yuyang pulled a document, a stack of ration coupons, and some cash out of his briefcase.

Lin Shaowen glanced at the cash—a full one thousand yuan.

The ration coupons were a mixed assortment, covering all sorts of goods.

Then there were several documents: one was confidentiality regulations, and the remaining two were appointment letters from Union Medical College.

Lin Shaowen looked up at Zhang Yuyang, but the older man's face remained completely calm and composed.

One appointment letter hired Lin Shaowen as a doctor at Union Medical College, serving as an attending physician with section-chief rank benefits—this was likely a private favor pulled by Zhang Yuyang. The other one was presumably the official appointment issued to him from above, hiring him as a "Special Consultant" to Union Medical College.

A consultant received no base salary, but came with subsidies: a monthly allowance of thirty yuan plus various ration coupons.

This was the state's compensation after adopting his medical formula; otherwise, how could a mere one thousand yuan be enough? Although drug research and development costs weren't that exorbitant yet, researching new medicines still consumed countless human and material resources.

"Shaowen, you should really come to Union to systematically study medical knowledge," Qin Zhong advised. "Your talent is exceptionally high, higher even than mine and Old Zhang's. The peak you can reach in the future will definitely surpass the likes of us..."

Actually, his words were somewhat modest.

The professional peak of a doctor was ultimately the same as other scientists—there was only one final path, and that was becoming an academician of the academies.

And the two men sitting before him were already standing at the very pinnacle of their profession.

"Teacher, my father once taught me that a person's most difficult moments are not when they are pressed by life, but when they must hold fast to their ideals along a path full of temptations and interests."

Lin Shaowen took the consultant's appointment letter and swiftly signed his name.

"You, oh you..."

Both Zhang Yuyang and Qin Zhong shook their heads with bitter smiles.

They ought to feel gratified to have such an idealistic and ambitious disciple, yet they still couldn't shake the feeling that Lin Shaowen lacked ambition and drive.

It was a very contradictory state of mind.

"Since you insist on sticking to the rolling mill, I won't force you. But Consultant Lin, I am formally notifying you that next week our Union medical team will go to the countryside for a week-long mobile clinic. I hope you will join us."

After delivering this extremely formal verbal notice, Zhang Yuyang pulled out a written notification.

"Can I refuse?" Lin Shaowen asked with a wry smile.

He was on vacation right now, for goodness' sake. Who on earth wanted to go down to the countryside?

"No, you cannot," Zhang Yuyang said sternly. "Union will closely monitor your future schedule, and should any critical patients arise, we will come pick you up for a joint consultation at any time."

"That money must feel rather hot in your hands, eh?" Qin Zhong gloated.

"What if I refuse to sign?" Lin Shaowen asked with a bitter face.

"Of course you can, but you will need to face the penalties for breach of contract. Generally speaking... two years of re-education through labor," Zhang Yuyang said with a beaming smile.

"Consultant Lin, have you now tasted President Zhang's methods?" Qin Zhong teased.

"I'll go, I'll go, alright?" Lin Shaowen cupped his hands in surrender.

"That's more like it."

Zhang Yuyang immediately burst into laughter.

Lin Shaowen went back to the kitchen to fetch a few bottles of beer, along with a plate of cold tossed pig's head meat and peanuts, and the three of them began to drink under the pergola.

They drank from the afternoon all the way until dusk.

The two men, whose alcohol tolerance wasn't up to the task, were seen out by Lin Shaowen. Fortunately, they had arrived in one of Union's cars, and the driver had been waiting outside the gate all along, sparing Lin Shaowen from having to escort them home himself.

"Lin... Consultant Lin, the hospital will send some supplies tomorrow. Remember to receive them," Zhang Yuyang slurred, his tongue somewhat tied.

"Got it."

Lin Shaowen smiled and waved, signaling the driver to start the car.

Once the car had driven far away, he returned to the courtyard.

"Xiaolin, what did that old man just call you... Consultant Lin?"

As the courtyard's gatekeeper, Yan Bugui truly lived up to the title, not only observing who came and went, but listening to conversations with absolute clarity.

"Old Yan, you heard wrong. There's no such thing as a consultant," Lin Shaowen laughed.

"Impossible, I definitely didn't hear wrong," Yan Bugui insisted.

"Alright, if nothing else's the matter, I'm heading back to rest."

Too lazy to argue with him any further, Lin Shaowen walked straight back to the rear courtyard.

Many people watched his relaxed demeanor with expressions of utter bewilderment.

Wasn't this guy suspended? Why did he still look so happy?

"Go on and be arrogant. Your good days are still ahead of you," First Madam Jia cursed with a gloomy face.

"Just wait, sooner or later I'll finish you off," Liu Haizhong muttered with a dark expression as well.

Yi Zhonghai said nothing, though his eyes were filled with smug amusement.

This time, Lin Shaowen had truly taken a massive stumble.

The West Side Courtyard.

Qin Huairu had already cleaned the table and brewed him a pot of hot tea.

Several documents had also been neatly organized by her and placed to one side.

"You're back? Why don't you go take a bath first?"

Seeing Lin Shaowen return, Qin Huairu immediately stepped forward to support him.

"You shouldn't take a bath after drinking; what if you pass out in the bathroom?" Lin Shaowen teased.

"I'll wash you then," Qin Huairu replied very naturally.

"That would be rather embarrassing..."

"Qin Huairu, are you a hooligan? Stripping people's clothes at the drop of a hat."

"I say... stripping the clothes is one thing, but you're taking off the trousers too?"

...

Lin Shaowen was ultimately half-pushed and half-pulled into the bathroom, where Qin Huairu washed his hair and scrubbed his back.

To be honest, when it came to waiting on a man, Qin Huairu really knew all the right tricks.

Late at night.

Lin Shaowen lay in bed, with Qin Huairu snuggled in his arms.

"I have to go to the countryside next week, so I might not be home."

"Ah? What are you going to the countryside for?"

"Union hired me as a consultant, and I need to go down with them for rural medical clinics."

"Consultant?"

Qin Huairu sat straight up, her tone turning urgent. "You're not working at the factory anymore?"

Ever since Lin Shaowen took her in, the two of them hadn't enjoyed such carefree days.

If he stopped working at the factory, seeing each other in the future would become exceedingly difficult.

"No, I'm still working at the factory," Lin Shaowen said, reaching out to pull her back into his embrace with a smile. "Union Hospital only hired me as a consultant—consider it being an external staff member for their unit."

"Does it come with a salary? If there's no pay, we're not doing it," Qin Huairu pouted.

"You little miser."

Lin Shaowen pinched her dainty nose and said, "Since you love money so much, why don't you go collect my salary for me every month? Thirty yuan a month, kept as your private stash."

"How much?" Qin Huairu's eyes widened in disbelief.

A monthly subsidy of thirty yuan?

Plus Lin Shaowen's original salary of one hundred and nine yuan—goodness gracious, wouldn't that come out to one hundred and thirty-nine yuan a month?