Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 201: Is Someone Eavesdropping Outside?
She smiled and waved her hand dismissively.
"Really, it’s nothing. I’m fine, not uncomfortable at all. A doctor knows how to take care of herself. I know what I’m doing."
She then turned the conversation back to them, concerned.
"Has the clinic been busy lately? Is work going smoothly? Don’t just worry about me; you two need to take care of yourselves as well."
At the mention of the clinic, a worried expression immediately clouded Dr. Xiao Yu’s face.
He first glanced at Ya’er before speaking slowly.
"Overall, it’s been okay. We have plenty of patients, and everyone is doing their best."
He paused, his voice dropping a little.
"It’s just... our resources are really limited. We’re missing a lot of diagnostic equipment. The blood pressure monitors are so old the needles aren’t accurate, the glucometers often malfunction, and don’t even get me started on ultrasound machines or ECGs."
"Sometimes, when we get a slightly more complicated case, we’re just scrambling. We can’t even run a complete blood count. We have no choice but to send patients back and forth to the big hospital in the county seat. Not only is it a huge hassle for them, but if we delay their diagnosis... Sigh."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the helplessness and self-blame in his tone were heavy.
Listening from the side, Ya’er also sighed softly.
"It’s true, Dean Song. When the equipment can’t keep up, it really ties our hands. Sometimes, we see a patient in severe pain and can’t even make a basic assessment. It feels terrible."
Song Qingya listened quietly without interrupting.
Her fingers rested lightly on the tabletop, her fingertips tapping gently.
’That’s right. There is a batch of old equipment in the hospital warehouse.’
’Dean Yuan mentioned it before. He said it had been used for a few years but wasn’t in terrible shape.’
’The hospital originally planned to scrap it, but the procedures were one after another. Going through the whole process would probably take two or three months.’
’So the equipment has just been sitting idle in the warehouse.’
She leaned forward slightly, a serious expression on her face.
"I have an idea."
"That batch of equipment in the warehouse slated for disposal is actually still usable. Some of it just hasn’t been turned on in a long time. It just needs to be powered up and calibrated, maybe a little lubrication and a small part replaced, and it’ll be back to normal."
"I was thinking, rather than letting it sit there waiting to be scrapped, why not put it to good use? Could we go through the proper channels to have it transferred to the clinic?"
She looked at the two of them, her tone calm but her gaze firm.
"This way, nothing goes to waste, and it can be put to good use. Your clinic’s conditions would improve a bit. With a full set of instruments, the doctors can run more tests, and the diagnostic accuracy will increase."
"It would also be more convenient for the local folks when they need to see a doctor. They wouldn’t have to travel dozens of miles over bumpy roads to the county seat just for a complete blood count or an ECG. What do you two think?"
After speaking, she leaned back in her chair and waited quietly for their response.
At first, Xiao Yu and Ya’er didn’t react, listening in a daze.
When they finally understood what she was proposing, their eyes went wide.
Xiao Yu shot to his feet, the movement so abrupt that it sent his chair sliding back half a foot.
"Dean... Dean Song! Are you serious? You can really give us that equipment?"
"That’s a whole set of equipment! Our clinic hasn’t had a single decent ultrasound machine in all these years!"
Ya’er stood up as well, clutching the hem of her clothes, her voice trembling.
"Oh my god, this is a lifesaver! Dean Song, this is a huge help!"
Her eyes reddened as she spoke, her voice catching in her throat.
"You don’t know... last winter, an old woman came in with severe abdominal pain. We suspected cholecystitis, but we didn’t have an ultrasound machine, so we could only prescribe medication based on experience. By the time she was sent to the county hospital, it turned out to be acute appendicitis, and her appendix had already perforated."
"If we had a machine back then and had found it earlier, maybe it wouldn’t have been delayed for so long."
Just as the three of them were talking, there was a sudden, soft THUMP from outside the door.
The smile on Song Qingya’s face vanished instantly.
Her gaze snapped sharply to the door, and her ears twitched slightly.
Xiao Yu and Ya’er were startled as well.
They immediately fell silent, held their breath, and followed her gaze, all staring at the wooden door.
Was there someone outside?
Eavesdropping?
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Song Qingya got up, walked to the door, and raised her voice.
"Who’s there?"
There was a second of silence from outside, followed by a woman’s voice, trying to sound calm.
"Dean Song, it’s me, Yang Meiling."
Her voice was trembling, laced with a sycophantic tone.
Song Qingya yanked the door open and stared coldly at the person standing outside.
Yang Meiling was standing right at the doorway, clutching a damp mop rag in her hand.
Startled by the door suddenly opening, she quickly forced a smile onto her face.
"Dean Song, I heard you had arrived, so I wanted to come and offer my congratulations."
In reality, her heart was pounding. She was terrified that Song Qingya would fire her on the spot and she’d lose her job.
But what she had just overheard got her wheels turning.
’An opportunity has arrived.’
So, she had deliberately knocked against the doorframe to make a noise, ensuring the people inside would notice her.
Song Qingya said nothing, stepping aside with a blank expression.
Yang Meiling quickly lowered her head and walked in, hunching her shoulders as she stood by the door, not daring to take another step inside.
When Xiao Yu and Ya’er saw her, the joy on their faces immediately faded.
They exchanged a look, their guards going up.
"Dean Song, just now... just now, I overheard a few things at the door. It’s my fault."
Yang Meiling’s voice grew quieter as she spoke.
"I shouldn’t have listened to Doctor Qi’s nonsense and joined in the rabble-rousing. Please don’t take it to heart."
She lowered her head, but secretly watched Song Qingya’s reaction from the corner of her eye.
Song Qingya let out a soft "Mm," her voice flat, betraying no emotion.
"Did you need something?"
Seeing her cold demeanor, Yang Meiling’s heart skipped a beat.
But she’d already come this far; she couldn’t back down now.
She could only grit her teeth and shuffle a step forward.
"Dean Song, I was outside just now and unintentionally overheard you say..."
She secretly glanced at Song Qingya’s face, and seeing it was still expressionless, she mustered her courage and continued.
"...that you’re going to give a batch of old equipment to the clinic?"
Song Qingya looked up at her.
"Yes, that’s the plan."
Yang Meiling’s eyes lit up, and she immediately jumped in.
"Dean Song, you see, I’ve been helping out in logistics lately, so I’m quite familiar with the warehouse."
As she spoke, she unconsciously straightened her back.
"How about you let me handle the work of allocating and moving the equipment?"
She tried hard to force a sincere expression, the corners of her mouth pulled up so high her smile nearly reached her eyes.
"You’ve just taken office and have so many important matters to attend to. Why should you have to worry about something like this?"
"Leave it to me! I guarantee I’ll handle it in perfect order!"
She paused, afraid Song Qingya wouldn’t agree, and quickly added, "Tomorrow! I’ll take some people to inventory the items and deliver them first thing tomorrow!"
Song Qingya sneered inwardly.
’This Yang Meiling, volunteering to take on the job... it’s not that simple.’
’She’s trying to take this opportunity to build a connection, to latch onto the new dean’s coattails.’
’If she were to tamper with something, I, as the one who ultimately signed off on it, would definitely not be able to escape responsibility.’
But... looking at Yang Meiling’s impatient expression, an imperceptible coldness flashed in Song Qingya’s eyes.
’A pawn that delivers itself to your doorstep... it would be a waste not to use it.’
She lowered her gaze slightly, her fingertips gently tracing the corner of the table.
