Chapter 58: The Plan

After drinking two cups, Du Ruo made an excuse that his stomach was uncomfortable and wanted to leave. As he got up, he gave Zeng Yi a meaningful look.

"I'll see Du Director off and take the opportunity to check his condition!" Zeng Yi used this as an excuse to escort Du Ruo downstairs.

The two entered the elevator, and Du Ruo said, "Younger Brother Zeng, Yuan Wenjie is not someone easy to deal with!" As the director of the municipal bureau, Du Ruo was well aware of Yuan Wenjie's actions, but due to the difference in their positions, he could only pretend not to see and not interfere.

Zeng Yi nodded; he had no intention of dealing with Yuan Wenjie. "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Du. I understand."

Du Ruo knew Zeng Yi was a smart person and said, "Yuan Wenjie has a Feilong Construction Company. I estimate he will come to find you in a few days!"

This was something Gu Di had already mentioned, and Zeng Yi had not given it much thought at the time. Now, with Du Ruo's reminder, he understood. Since Yuan Wenjie was involved in construction, most of the projects he undertook were government projects. Once the health base plan was determined, this guy would definitely try to get involved.

After seeing Du Ruo off, Zeng Yi didn't feel like going back up. He called Gu Di, saying that a provincial leader had suddenly fallen ill, and he needed to go and handle it, asking Gu Di to explain on his behalf to the other young masters. Then he left.

The expert group was responsible for the health care of important provincial leaders, at least at the vice-provincial level. Although Yuan Wenjie was angry, he could do nothing about it.

For the next two days, Zeng Yi went to work at the Health Department as usual. Due to Feng Yuqin's urgency, the members of the preparatory group were almost always together, discussing the health base plan.

Guo Penghui proposed a plan today: "I think we can build a garden-style sanatorium within a national scenic area. As for the form, we shouldn't make it like a hospital with beds. Instead, it can be hotel-style or home-style, so it can serve both as a sanatorium and a living space, achieving two goals at once."

This plan was not much different from previous ones, just more specific. There was no real innovation in this area, as health bases across the country were mostly similar.

"Director Guo's plan is very good and comprehensive, with both macro-level guidance and micro-level practicality. I personally agree with it, and I would like to add two points," said another director of the Health Bureau, Wang Lixing, who was a bit older than Guo Penghui and very serious. "The selected scenic area must have complete facilities and convenient transportation. Additionally, the public foundation must be good."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The public foundation was very important. A good public foundation here did not mean being close to the local people but rather ensuring strict security to prevent any civilians from entering the health base and affecting the leaders' recuperation. If there were frequent protests or complaints, no one, not even the leaders, could tolerate it.

Mentioning this, the members present became very spirited, offering suggestions. Some suggested building a dedicated road for the base; others proposed making the base open to the public to disguise its true purpose; still others suggested having local police provide special security.

Zeng Yi felt a bit depressed. These seemed to be the responsibility of the Security Bureau, not the Health Bureau. The Health Bureau only needed to provide the plan, and the Security Bureau would handle the security details. Once the base was built and the leaders moved in, the Security Bureau would follow up to ensure safety. It seemed unnecessary for everyone to worry about it.

Everyone's concern about this issue, besides trying to curry favor with the leaders, was likely also because they were thinking about the privileges and benefits they would enjoy if they became leaders one day.

Thinking about this, Zeng Yi found it amusing. They hadn't even become leaders yet, but they were already concerned about the public foundation. Truly, they were thinking ahead!

Why, despite constant talk of abolishing privileges, do they still exist and even grow stronger? This might be related to everyone's mindset. No one is a saint, and everyone wants to live more comfortably than others. To some extent, the privileges of leaders are not just the actions of individual leaders but the collective will of all officials.

In "Water Margin," Song Jiang, a minor official, was neither as wise as Wu Yong nor as brave as Lin Chong. Yet, by shouting, "Follow me, and in the future, we will eat meat, drink wine, and divide gold and silver," he immediately gained many followers. There was a reason for this. If Song Jiang's slogan had been "Worry before the world worries," few would have followed him.

After a long detour, everyone returned to the main topic of the meeting, continuing to discuss the health base plan.

"Consultant Zeng, why don't you share your thoughts?" Guo Penghui lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and the smoke instantly covered half of his face.

"I did some research yesterday and would like to report it to everyone," Zeng Yi said, picking up a piece of paper he had prepared. "I looked up the information and found that, besides this new health base, our department already has sixteen various cadre sanatoriums, health bases, and agency hospitals. These institutions have significant functional overlaps with the new health base we are planning. I was thinking, could we consider how to handle these existing institutions while building the new base?"

"Xiao Zeng's point is a fact and should be taken seriously," Guo Penghui said, though he was a bit puzzled about why Zeng Yi raised this issue. Some of these existing institutions were under the Health Bureau's jurisdiction, while others were under the department's. The Health Bureau had no authority over the latter.

"Xiao Zeng, since you raised this issue, why don't you share your thoughts first?" Guo Penghui flicked the ash off his cigarette and said.

"I was thinking, could we select some key medical staff from these existing institutions to form a large hospital, and then use this hospital as the core to build the new health base?" Zeng Yi smiled. "Director Guo told me yesterday that to do a good job, one must first have the right tools. This greatly inspired me. I believe that, ultimately, the issue of the health base comes down to health care. Of course, my idea may be immature, and I welcome any corrections."

The members of the preparatory group had always thought of building the base first and then establishing medical facilities within it, a method they had used before. Zeng Yi's reverse approach surprised them.

The reason leaders still went to the provincial hospital when they were sick, despite the many sanatoriums and health bases, was that the medical facilities in these places were too small and not reassuring.

Many people in the Health Bureau were aware of this, but building a new hospital was not easy. Buildings could be constructed, but a hospital required more than just a building; it needed talent.

The Health Bureau had proposed this before, but many leaders in the department, who had come from large hospitals, were not enthusiastic about seeing their existing resources divided. As a result, the few sanatoriums the Health Bureau had built ended up being neither fish nor fowl, with some never being visited by any leaders and eventually being opened to the public as resorts.

Guo Penghui found this issue headache-inducing. It was not within the Health Bureau's jurisdiction and was a thankless task. Why bring it up? It would be better to focus on building the health base and completing the task assigned by the higher-ups.

However, upon further reflection, Guo Penghui thought this idea might be feasible. Individually, the medical facilities in these sanatoriums were not significant, but each had its strengths. Combined, the medical staff from these places numbered around six to seven hundred. If some key personnel were selected to form a new, high-level hospital, it could be impressive.

Thinking this, Guo Penghui looked at Zeng Yi differently. It seemed that Zeng Yi had truly put effort into studying the situation, as this proposal bypassed many obstacles.

Guo Penghui made a decision, saying, "Xiao Zeng's idea is very valuable. I think it should be recorded and submitted to Director Feng as an alternative plan."

The group then discussed various plans, making some additions and improvements. When the meeting ended, Guo Penghui instructed his secretary to quickly compile the plans and send them to Feng Yuqin.

When Zeng Yi returned from the Health Department, he saw Yuan Wenjie getting out of a Porsche parked by the roadside.

Yuan Wenjie had never thought he was sick, but after Zeng Yi pointed it out, he felt unwell all over, especially his heart. At night, he could only sleep by placing his hand on his chest, feeling the strong, rhythmic beating of his heart.

In the past two days, Yuan Wenjie had seen several doctors, but none could explain what "penetrating heart disease" was. However, using Zeng Yi's method still caused him pain, while others did not have the same feeling.

Yuan Wenjie became even more convinced that he was sick, having nightmares every night, even dreaming that his heart had stopped beating. Unable to wait for Zeng Yi to come to him, he asked Gu Di for Zeng Yi's address and came to his door.

"Doctor Zeng, you made me wait a long time!" Yuan Wenjie was seething with anger but had to put on a smile.

"Sorry, I was in a meeting at the Health Department this morning," Zeng Yi explained, opened the door, and said, "Come in, please. My place is a bit simple."

As soon as Yuan Wenjie entered, he smelled the scent of traditional Chinese medicine and slightly frowned. "This place is really simple!"