Chapter 96: Shared Suffering

Gu Houyi still remembered the feeling when the demolition issue of Huichun Hall was resolved. It was as if a mountain blocking his path had been removed. He had finally cleared out the old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and his outdated clinic, feeling a great burden lifted. Just as he was about to lead all the employees forward on this road, an accident led to his early departure.

Gu Houyi then realized that he and Xu Changshan were not much different; both were objects to be cleared away. The only difference was the timing.

Their gazes met in the air, like the patriarchs of two schools. Xu Changshan smiled first and greeted, "Director Gu, it's been a long time."

Gu Houyi nodded and smiled, "Mr. Xu, are you buying vegetables?"

Xu Changshan actually had a shorter route, but he always chose to pass by here because he could see Huichun Hall, where he had almost devoted his entire life. Now the building was gone, and the vacant land after the demolition had been included in the second phase expansion of Changxing Hospital. Yet, he still wanted to see it. Each time he passed by, he would recall his youth, his family, his wife who had been with him through thick and thin, and his children who had once surrounded him.

Back then, he was the center of the family, and everyone relied on him. Now, he was old, his wife had left him forever, and his children had all become independent. He was no longer a necessity in their lives. He could still smile at life, but behind the smile was a deep sense of loss. What kept him going was not just Huichun Hall, but mainly his beloved grandson. As his grandson grew day by day, he began to worry that one day, even his grandson would no longer need his protection.

Gu Houyi had once been the center of Changxing, with all the employees surrounding him, looking up to him. He regarded Changxing as a big family and himself as the father of this family. He hoped to lead the employees to build this family into a thriving enterprise. Just as the opportunity finally arrived, he suddenly realized that this family no longer needed him. What a profound sorrow.

Their gazes turned to the construction site beside them.

"When will the construction start?"

Gu Houyi shook his head, "I don't know. I went to the Science Association."

Xu Changshan then remembered that Changxing had a new director. Recalling the unmasked disappointment on Gu Houyi's face when they met, Xu Changshan felt a bit apologetic, "Come to see it?"

"Passing by," Gu Houyi would never admit that he had come specially.

Xu Changshan said, "I chose this route to see Huichun Hall one more time."

Gu Houyi thought, isn't Huichun Hall already demolished?

"I have to thank you. You caused me a lot of trouble in the past." Xu Changshan was not thanking him for demolishing Huichun Hall. This gratitude was entirely for his beloved grandson. If it weren't for Gu Houyi helping Xu Chunliang find a job, what would his grandson be like now? Xu Changshan couldn't even imagine.

"You flatter me, I should thank you," Gu Houyi replied.

They both exchanged pleasantries, feeling a sense of shared suffering.

Xu Changshan invited Gu Houyi to visit the new location of Huichun Hall across the river for tea, and Gu Houyi said he would definitely visit when he had time.

Watching Xu Changshan leave, Gu Houyi hurriedly walked home. The dream was still there, but he no longer had the chance to realize it.

During this period, Xu Chunliang accompanied Yan Huiyi to conduct quality inspections at the city's branch hospitals and community clinics. Before starting, he thought the workload would be very heavy, but once he began, he found the work much easier than expected, especially compared to the medical affairs department, which was much more relaxed.

After all, the former mainly dealt with patients, while the latter dealt with medical staff.

Before they started the inspections, the branches and community clinics had already received notifications and made thorough preparations. This so-called quality control inspection was essentially just a formality. Everyone might perform well during the inspection, but once it was over, everything would return to its original state. Even Deputy Director Yan Huiyi thought this inspection was superficial and had little effect.

Inspection and reception went hand in hand. No matter where they went, the department heads would prepare the reception meticulously. Yan Huiyi was very cautious about this. He was well aware of his position in Zhao Feiyang's heart. If he accepted any banquet, it might be reported to Zhao Feiyang the next day by someone with ulterior motives.

Zhao Feiyang might use this opportunity to create trouble, especially during this sensitive period. He had to be careful, so Yan Huiyi refused all banquets. Leading by example, Xu Chunliang naturally wouldn't accept any invitations separately. During the few days of inspections in the city, they mostly had working lunches, and if they worked overtime in the evening, they still had working meals.

Fengcai Community was the last unit they inspected in the city. The inspection went smoothly, and they finished by 4 PM. Yan Huiyi still refused the community clinic director's dinner invitation, telling Xu Chunliang to go home early and rest. They would head to the last unit, Weishan Island Hospital, on Monday morning, which was the focus of this quality inspection.

On his way home, Xu Chunliang received a call from Li Jiakuan of Gusu Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Li Jiakuan was in Dongzhou for a meeting and wanted to visit Mr. Xu, and also catch up with Xu Chunliang. They had met on the way to the provincial capital, where they had jointly rescued the businessman Luan Yuchuan on the high-speed train.

Xu Chunliang welcomed him and specifically instructed Li Jiakuan not to mention their rescue on the high-speed train in front of his grandfather, citing the strict rules of Huichun Hall that prohibited him from using his medical skills outside until he completed his apprenticeship.

Li Jiakuan understood that the rules of traditional Chinese medicine families were very strict. Since Xu Chunliang had said so, he wouldn't cause any trouble.

They agreed to meet at Huichun Hall in an hour. Xu Chunliang hung up and called his grandfather, planning to go out for dinner together.

Xu Changshan told him there was no need to go out. He had invited Zheng Peian and Gao Xinzhua to see him off, and they had bought a lot of good dishes. Zheng Peian was already preparing in the kitchen.

Xu Chunliang knew his grandfather didn't like eating out, and Zheng Peian's cooking skills were comparable to those of a five-star hotel chef, so he agreed.

Li Jiakuan arrived on time at Huichun Hall, bringing Gusu specialties like roast chicken, sausages, two bottles of sesame oil, and a box of wine.

Xu Chunliang guessed he wouldn't come empty-handed and was a bit embarrassed by the amount of gifts. Li Jiakuan said he was visiting Mr. Xu and that these were gifts for him, all local specialties and not very expensive.

Hearing that a guest had arrived, Xu Changshan came out to welcome him. He had no impression of Li Jiakuan.

Li Jiakuan introduced himself, saying he had heard Mr. Xu's lectures in the past and admired his medical skills and character.

Zheng Peian, who was cooking, also came out when he heard the commotion. He was surprised to see Li Jiakuan, as they had known each other for a long time. They both graduated from Nanjiang Traditional Chinese Medicine College, with Li Jiakuan being three years ahead of Zheng Peian. When Zheng Peian first entered the campus, he attended a gathering of Dongzhou natives, where they met. After graduation, they lost contact, especially since Zheng Peian spent ten years in Xiangnan.

Despite the long time apart, they recognized each other at first sight. Back then, Zheng Peian was a young and inexperienced student, and Li Jiakuan had a full head of black hair. But they still called each other by name and chatted warmly, shaking hands.

Gao Xinzhua arrived last, bringing two bottles of wine.

Xu Chunliang introduced everyone and asked his grandfather to accompany Li Jiakuan and Gao Xinzhua for tea while he helped Zheng Peian serve the dishes.

Zheng Peian tore open the roast chicken and sliced the sausages, smiling at Xu Chunliang, "The old man said he was seeing you off, but he should have invited your friends. Why did he call us old guys?"

Xu Chunliang couldn't help but laugh, "Don't let him hear that. To him, we're all kids. This is just a pretext. He just wants someone to drink with. I'm only going for three weeks, what's there to see off?"

Zheng Peian said, "The key is to make him happy." He asked Xu Chunliang to wash the perilla leaves he had just picked.

Xu Changshan had stockpiled a lot of good wine. Huichun Hall hadn't had so many people for dinner in a while, so he brought out his six-year-old Qinghua Lang wine.

Gao Xinzhua commented, "Good wine, Uncle Xu. Your standards are high today."

Xu Chunliang didn't even know his grandfather had so much good wine.

Xu Changshan smiled and showed off, saying he had plenty of good wine. Besides the ones at Huichun Hall, he had two large jars of wine stored in the Huangyan Cave in Huoshan, Anhui.

When he stockpiled this Qinghua Lang, Xu Chunliang had just finished junior high school. He originally planned to use it for a graduation banquet when the boy got into university, but the boy failed the exam after three years of preparation.

When all seemed lost, a new path appeared. Xu Changshan never imagined that he would use the demolition opportunity to help his grandson secure a stable job in the health system. Even more unexpectedly, his beloved grandson showed exceptional talent in the workplace after entering society. According to Gao Xinzhua, the boy had achieved many accomplishments since joining Changxing and was highly appreciated by the leadership. This time, he was even personally selected by the director to join the quality control team.

If it were just Gao Xinzhua saying this, Xu Changshan wouldn't fully believe it, but since Zheng Peian also said the same, it proved that Xu Chunliang was indeed capable.

Xu Changshan raised his glass to welcome Li Jiakuan. Li Jiakuan, being a kind person, had always admired the old man and first toasted to him, then to Gao Xinzhua.

Gao Xinzhua laughed, saying he couldn't accept it, as they were about the same age and peers, so there was no need to toast to him.

Li Jiakuan checked on the spot and found they were the same age, but he was a few months older.

Gao Xinzhua laughed, "You're the older brother, I should toast to you."

Li Jiakuan waved his hands, "No, no, you're a big leader, I'm just a village doctor, I should toast to you."

After some polite exchanges, they both drank two cups together.