Chapter Sixty-Eight: Merely Lazy?

A man with graying temples answered. “This is…”

Jiang Huan replied, “My brother and this young man hit it off. Think of this as a bit of personal support from me. Take it without worry—I expect nothing in return.”

The man glanced at Jiang Huan, then suddenly straightened his posture and gave her a solemn bow.

Those around them, seeing this, also stood up straighter and followed his lead.

“Miss Jiang, if—just if—you have the capacity, my brothers and I would rely on you to give us a path forward.” He had, in fact, pledged his allegiance.

Wu Gang had tried to persuade him for a long time.

But this man had only seen the food Jiang Huan brought.

And in the course of a conversation, she generously provided a pile of supplies to help his teammates.

It wasn’t that they looked down on Wu Gang, but after everything they’d been through in recent months, his outlook had shifted. The world had changed—irreversibly.

Their hearts were still passionate, but they no longer wished to exhaust themselves or their comrades to satisfy those who would never know gratitude.

Call it selfishness, then.

Jiang Huan was caught off guard; there was no time to refuse. For a single bag of supplies, she was suddenly entrusted with the future of a group of able-bodied men.

Wu Gang didn’t feel much jealousy. In fact, these men following Jiang Huan would also mean adding a strong defensive force to Xingcheng Residential Complex.

Little Fu frowned.

These men—he’d brought them.

How had they suddenly become Jiang Huan’s?

The goodwill Jiang Huan had earned earlier by drawing her gun and stabilizing the situation now seemed a distant memory to Little Fu.

Jiang Huan glanced at Wu Gang. “Captain Wu, we can squeeze out seven or eight rooms in Building Six if we try. How about this: I’ll take care of their supplies, but in daily life they still work with property management, standing guard and searching for resources.”

Wu Gang replied, “That’s easily arranged. I should be thanking you for keeping so many people and strengthening our community.”

Jiang Huan nodded, skipping further pleasantries, and turned to the group of thin young men. “Those of you who need to go to the hospital, stay here. The rest of you, go to the fifteenth floor and find Liu Ling. Tell her you’re all part of Building Six now and ask her to consolidate the spare rooms and arrange for you to move in.

“Oh, and the sixteenth floor can be tidied up to fit two more families. If it’s still not enough, we’ll figure something out.”

There were about thirty people. The general layout here was two bedrooms per unit, each bedroom could house two or three, plus the living room; six units would be enough.

Now, aside from the seventeenth and nineteenth floors, which belonged to her, there were no more vacancies.

With everyone’s accommodations settled, Jiang Huan accompanied them on a trip to the hospital.

The others went with the injured to seek treatment, while Jiang Huan wandered through the hospital.

Passing by the pharmacy, she overheard two men arguing with a doctor. Words like “efficacy” and “inferior goods” drifted over, causing her to pause before heading toward Surgery.

She listened in and learned that the two men used to run a traditional medicine shop that once partnered with the hospital. Later, as the hospital grew dominant and ran out of herbs, they invited the pair to consult, mainly coveting their stored herbs and medical supplies.

Now that those supplies were depleted and the hospital had the support of the base, their attitude toward the father and son had cooled, even turning gossipy.

Unfortunately, the father and son were both sticklers for principles.

She noticed they weren’t adept at solo traditional prescriptions and were carelessly writing up formulas. The herbs weren’t proper stock, either, but some wellness tea sets from an unknown online retailer, with poorly separated packets. They sold them at high prices for contribution points. When their suggestions were ignored, they filed complaints.

But traditional medicine had always been a hard path, with few believers. Due to society’s pace and the difficulty of discerning quality, it was already a struggle, and now, under these circumstances, traditional medicine was at the very bottom of the medical pyramid. No one responded sincerely, leading to today’s quarrel.

“Truly, timing is everything,” Jiang Huan thought. Anyone able to run their own pharmacy and get hired by a hospital must be more capable than the couple living downstairs.

And from the argument, it was clear—the father was of a family lineage, but the son had a proper medical university degree and a license.

Having made up her mind, Jiang Huan set out to strike while the iron was hot. She took a detour to the restroom and returned with a satchel slung over her shoulder. By the time she got back, the father and son were losing ground in the argument.

Jiang Huan approached. “Could I trouble you gentlemen to help me identify these herbs?”

The father was still fuming, but the son, seeing no one else on their side, took the opportunity to pull his father aside with Jiang Huan.

Upon hearing her request, the father forced himself to calm down, no longer huffing. “Miss, what exactly do you need checked… This herb—”

He suddenly broke off a piece of bark-like material, chewed it, spat it out, and handed something else for his son to taste.

After sampling three kinds, their expressions changed instantly. “Miss, are you also a traditional medicine practitioner?”

Jiang Huan shook her head, indicating she was not. “These herbs were intended for a small island, but after the disaster, I came by them by chance.”

“These are exceptionally well-preserved—barely touched by frost, and in pristine condition. Even if we went to the source ourselves, we wouldn’t do better,” the father lamented. “Everything for export is top quality, while our own needs are neglected.”

Jiang Huan seized the moment. “Our community is organizing self-help. We have numbers and organization, but we lack a skilled traditional medicine doctor. I overheard your dispute earlier, so I’ll be straightforward—if you don’t mind our place being small and lacking in advanced equipment, I’d like to hire both of you as traditional medicine physicians for our community. The benefits are generous, no less than what you’re getting here.”

The middle-aged man said nothing, but the father replied first. “These days, even for a simple cold and weak digestion, everyone wants an MRI. But traditional medicine has survived for generations without MRIs. No one can truly deny its value, and there’s still a scramble for it. That says everything.

“Since you have faith in us, we have no reason to refuse. We’re wasting our skills here, and it’s a shame to see all those herbs go unused. We’ll come with you—just give us a moment to pack up.”

Jiang Huan made a welcoming gesture and, seeing the middle-aged man looking uneasy, reassured him. “My companions and I came for treatment; our car is parked outside, and two children from our community are with us. You’ll meet them soon. Don’t worry, I’m not part of some dubious organization.”

The middle-aged man gave a sheepish smile and finally introduced himself. “My name is Wan Chonglou, and my father is Wan Yaozong. Sorry, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but after being here so long, it’s complicated to leave all of a sudden.”

“What’s so complicated?” the old man grumbled. “What could anyone want from us? Besides a head full of acupuncture and herbal knowledge, and diagnostic skills, what else do we have?”

Jiang Huan thought to herself that the father and son complemented each other well.

“I’ll wait for you by the door,” she said, “and check on my companions’ treatment.”

The Wan family took twenty minutes to settle their affairs and met Jiang Huan at the entrance to discuss terms.

“My only requirement is that my family of five has enough to eat. Also, we have a home and don’t want to leave it, but we can take turns on duty. My daughter-in-law is my son’s classmate, and my wife is a pharmacist—both are useful.”

Jiang Huan laughed, understanding the hint. “You’re all welcome.”

Wu Gang accompanied several people out of the hospital, his expression less than cheerful.

He only managed a forced smile when he saw Jiang Huan.

Learning that she had poached two doctors and was about to show them around, he could only wait for them to get in the car.

Wu Gang thought to himself… He’d always believed she was unsociable and disliked dealing with people, so he handled all the community affairs. Turns out, it wasn’t that she couldn’t recruit talent—she was just too lazy to bother.

(End of chapter)