DSMIS CH39

Chapter 39: Shall We Celebrate the New Year Together?

Shen Xing slept very well that night. The effects of the ibuprofen hadn’t entirely worn off, and upon waking up, the headache and dizziness from the previous day had subsided significantly. He looked at the slightly thin-skinned person beside him and rubbed his nose: “I was just afraid I’d steal the blanket and you’d catch a cold last night. Is your leg okay?”

Jiang Lin took a deep breath before finding his voice: “It’s fine. Are you feeling better?”

Shen Xing threw off the blanket and the down jacket he had wrapped around himself: “Much better. I’m a new man again. I have to get up, you sleep a little longer.”

This kind of exchange wouldn’t seem out of place between roommates, but to Captain Jiang, who harbored some other thoughts, it felt exceptionally intimate.

Actually, he wasn’t one to sleep in. His biological clock was very precise; most of the time, he got up as soon as he woke up. But right now, he was a little afraid to get up. Even though he had noticed the ‘abnormality’ when Shen Xing’s hand fumbled around earlier, being touched through the blanket and being seen directly were two different things. He huddled under the covers and nodded.

Although Shen Xing really wanted to take a shower, he didn’t dare risk it since he had outpatient duties today. He settled for just washing his face and brushing his teeth.

Jiang Lin waited until he entered the bathroom before breathing a sigh of relief. He sat up, downed a bottle of ice-cold mineral water to calm himself down, and the moment Shen Xing came out, he quickly grabbed his clothes and ducked into the bathroom.

“Hey, didn’t I tell you to sleep a bit longer?”

The reply came through the door: “Heibao and Qianjin are anxious to go out.”

Shen Xing looked at the two dogs snuggled together by the door. Are they?

In the end, the two of them went out together. Stepping outside, Shen Xing realized everything was covered in white; it had snowed last night. The village was situated at a high altitude. Looking up, the snow-capped peaks of the distant, towering mountains were even more pronounced than yesterday. Normally, Shen Xing would definitely stop to appreciate the view for a moment, but today, he couldn’t bring himself to be happy: “It snowed. Will the drive back be dangerous?”

“It’s fine. When I rented the car yesterday, I specifically chose one with good off-road capabilities and checked the tire treads. There are snow chains in the trunk. I’ll put them on in a bit. Driving slowly will be fine.”

“Alright, then head back right after breakfast. The snow gets more slippery once it’s packed down.”

Jiang Lin nodded.

Consultations started at eight. They woke up early, and after finishing breakfast, it was only 7:30. Worried about Jiang Lin’s leg, Shen Xing was about to take the dogs for a walk when Jiang Lin stopped him: “Your altitude sickness has only just improved. Don’t walk too much. I’ll walk them later when I drive the car out.”

Shen Xing smiled: “You’re the best, Hero.”

Jiang Lin used this time to install the snow chains on the four wheels. Seeing the steel chains secured onto the tires finally put Shen Xing’s mind at ease a bit.

Seeing it was almost time for work, Shen Xing crouched down and rubbed his dog’s chubby face: “Listen to Uncle Jiang when you go back, understand? Don’t eat random things off the street, or Heibao will bark at you again.”

Standing by the car, Jiang Lin quietly looked down at Doctor Shen, who was instructing the dog as if talking to his own son. The Samoyed nudged its head into Shen Xing’s embrace. A wave of reluctance surged within Shen Xing, but it was time for work. He pulled Qianjin off him: “Daddy has to go to work now. Go back with Uncle Jiang. Go on.”

Jiang Lin took Qianjin’s leash. Shen Xing thought the Samoyed would try to cling to him like it did at Xu Chun’s house, and he had braced himself to ruthlessly push it away. To his surprise, watching him leave, the white furball only followed for a few steps, tilted its large head, wagged its tail at him… and then turned around to go play with Heibao…

Seeing Shen Xing’s complicated expression, Jiang Lin wanted to laugh: “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.”

Shen Xing watched Jiang Lin’s car drive out of the courtyard before turning to head to the clinic. The snow outside started falling again. All morning, his thoughts kept drifting to Jiang Lin, terrified something might happen to him on the road. During breaks between patients, he didn’t forget to message him, reminding him not to drive non-stop and to find a place to rest if his leg hurt.

It wasn’t until 1 PM, when Jiang Lin sent him a photo from downstairs of their apartment building, that the heavy stone in his heart finally settled.

Shen Xing held consultations at the health center for four days. He set aside the remaining three days to visit the homes of the elderly who had mobility issues and couldn’t come to the clinic.

Drolma looked at him, still a bit worried: “Doctor Shen, the roads outside many homes in our village aren’t that good. Your car probably won’t be able to drive in. But don’t worry, I’ve already arranged a vehicle. I won’t make you walk.”

Although the modified Land Cruiser had top-tier off-road capabilities, it was undeniably bulky. Shen Xing wasn’t surprised that it couldn’t navigate the narrow village paths, and he readily agreed.

January on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was arguably the coldest time of the year. The wind whipping against his face reminded him of the biting northwesterly winds from his childhood in the Northeast. So, when he went out the next day, Shen Xing specifically wore the long down jacket Jiang Lin had lent him.

He drove according to Drolma’s directions, pulling over and parking at the entrance of a narrow path where the car couldn’t enter. However, upon getting out and seeing the “vehicle” Drolma had arranged, he stood frozen for three seconds. The vehicle in front of him was a donkey cart!

Yes, no puns, no nicknames—just a simple cart pulled by two donkeys.

He pointed at the cart and asked, somewhat uncertainly: “Is… is this the one?”

Drolma looked a bit embarrassed: “This household is located at the very end. The path is too narrow, and the snow makes it hard for motorcycles to pass. Don’t worry, many villagers use donkey carts to get in and out. It’s quite stable.”

And so, Shen Xing sat in the back of the donkey cart, clutching his medical kit. This cart seemed to have been modified from a tricycle, somewhat resembling an old-fashioned rickshaw, except human power had been replaced by donkey power. But he had to admit, it really was quite stable. The two donkeys knew the route well and walked at a steady pace. Sitting in the back, Shen Xing recorded a video and casually sent it to Jiang Lin.

The patient was an elderly woman named Quma, 65 years old, living alone. Her eyesight was poor due to severe cataracts, and her mobility was limited. Shen Xing could only provide a basic consultation and leave some medicated plasters. As they were leaving, Drolma said: “Doctor Shen, I’m going to gather some firewood for her while I’m here. Wait for me here, it’ll be quick.”

Because Quma’s eyesight was poor, nearby neighbors or village committee members would often help her gather firewood or clean up sheep dung when they visited. Shen Xing followed him to help.

“Hey, Doctor Shen, don’t strain yourself.”

Over the past two days, Shen Xing had grown accustomed to being treated like a fragile porcelain doll that would shatter after three steps: “I’m really fine. By the way, I remember there’s this ‘Bright Vision Project’ initiated in many places that provides free cataract surgeries for economically disadvantaged groups, with priority given to the elderly over 60. Do we have that here?”

Drolma looked conflicted: “That policy exists, but it requires a specialized examination at a designated hospital’s ophthalmology department to determine eligibility and whether surgery is viable. If she were a ‘five guarantees’ household (childless and infirm elderly guaranteed food, clothing, medical care, housing, and burial expenses), the village committee could organize it centrally. But Quma has a son; he just hasn’t returned in two or three years. So, there’s no one to take her for the examination.”

Shen Xing let out a soft “Ah” and didn’t say anything more.

Almost everyone unable to visit the health center was an elderly person with mobility issues, and every household had its own unique struggles. When Shen Xing returned that evening, he was much quieter than usual after a day of consultations.

So much so that when Jiang Lin video-called him that night, he immediately noticed something was wrong: “What’s the matter? Did the donkey cart ride leave you dizzy?”

He had only seen the video after his morning meeting. He could almost vividly picture Doctor Shen sitting in the back of the donkey cart, holding up his phone with a look of pure novelty. How had he wilted after just one day?

“No, it’s just… getting this close to the patients’ lives leaves you feeling a bit powerless, along with a sudden urge to act. But I’ve calmed down now.”

The moment he walked out of Quma’s house, he had the impulsive urge to contact a hospital and arrange surgery for her. But he dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it arose. Putting aside the inherent risks of surgery—what if an accident happened? He couldn’t bear the responsibility. Furthermore, every household he visited afterward had its own difficulties. He was just an ordinary doctor, not a Bodhisattva.

Although he didn’t explicitly state what happened, Jiang Lin, having visited the villages for awareness campaigns himself, could guess the gist of it: “Just do what is within your power. The fact that you’ve come all the way to the village to go door-to-door and help them solve even a fraction of their problems is already an incredible feat.”

Seeing the person across the screen trying to comfort him again, Shen Xing smiled: “I know. I’m not emo. I’ll stay here for one more day, and then I have to head to the next village. But you know what? Sitting on that donkey cart today with my medical kit actually made me feel a bit like a wandering physician from ancient times. It was quite a novel and grounding experience.”

“After visiting two more villages, you should be coming back for the New Year, right?”

“Yeah, I estimate I’ll be back right before the holiday. You’re not going back to Tianjin City for the New Year, are you?”

Jiang Lin rubbed the ears of Qianjin, who was leaning against him watching the screen, and nodded: “No. The demand for patrol duty is even higher during the New Year. What about you?”

Shen Xing smiled: “What a coincidence. The demand in the ER is also high during the New Year. I’ll definitely be holding down the fort at my post.”

Jiang Lin’s hand movements around Qianjin’s ears quickened slightly: “Then let’s just make do here together. Is there anything you particularly like to eat? I can buy some New Year’s goods over the next two weeks.”

The phrase “buy New Year’s goods” instantly pulled Shen Xing back to his childhood, bringing with it a unique, indescribable sense of warmth. He had originally thought his New Year would be quite desolate, but spending it with Jiang Lin actually seemed pretty nice. Without even realizing it himself, he began to look forward to the holiday.

After that, the two of them chatted randomly about what their families usually ate for the New Year and what they needed to prepare. They didn’t hang up until it was quite late.

When Shen Xing left this village, his altitude sickness hadn’t completely subsided. He never would have guessed that the catalyst for his full recovery would be performing CPR on a 58-year-old Tibetan man suffering a sudden heart attack.

The second village had a significantly smaller population than the first, and the aging issue was even more severe. On his second day of consultations, Shen Xing started driving with Sangye and a guide from the village committee to visit households. Along the way, he suddenly noticed a Tibetan herdsman by the road who looked like something was wrong. He hesitated for a moment before stopping the car and rushing over.

He saw the Tibetan man, who looked to be in his sixties, pressing hard against his chest, sweating profusely, and constantly gagging as if trying to vomit. Shen Xing recognized the symptoms of a myocardial infarction almost instantly. He immediately turned back to the car to get medicine, but right at that moment, the man suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

Shen Xing lunged forward to catch him and lay him flat. After tapping his shoulders and shouting loudly with no response, he decisively initiated CPR and instructed the others to call for an ambulance from the town, as the Cardiology deputy director from their county hospital happened to be stationed there today.

This kind of emergency rescue consumes an enormous amount of physical energy. He and Sangye took turns to maintain high-quality CPR. While performing the compressions, Shen Xing didn’t feel much, but once the ambulance took the patient away, he felt as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body. His hands were shaking, and his breathing was so rapid he felt he might pass out the next second. Terrified, Sangye hurriedly gave him oxygen and glucose, then ignored his protests and drove him straight back to his room.

Shen Xing slept groggily the entire afternoon. He didn’t wake up until Jiang Lin video-called him that evening. Jiang Lin was startled by his pale complexion.

Shen Xing quickly waved his hand: “You really don’t need to come over. I’m highly salvageable; I’m feeling much better already. It’s just that doing CPR consumes too much oxygen. Give me a second, let me ask about the patient’s condition.”

Jiang Lin nodded and hung up the video call first. Shen Xing called the Cardiology deputy director to check the situation before dialing Jiang Lin back.

“How is it?”

Shen Xing let out a long sigh of relief: “Thank goodness, he was saved. He’s in the ward right now. Once he’s stabilized a bit more, they’ll send him to the county hospital for a detailed examination. It was such a stroke of luck. If I had driven by even a little later, the outcome would probably have been disastrous.”

The golden window for treating a heart attack is extremely short. If no one had stumbled upon him, the outcome was entirely predictable.

Jiang Lin also smiled: “You really became a Bodhisattva saving the suffering today.”

Wrapped in his blanket and holding his phone, Shen Xing felt incredibly energized and elated: “You know what, Hero? I feel an immense sense of accomplishment right now. It’s exactly the same feeling I had when I successfully completed my first independent surgery. I feel like I’ve finally found some meaning in coming here.”

Even though it was just a preliminary diagnosis of a heart attack and performing CPR—which truly isn’t considered a major event in a hospital and is a mandatory skill in the ER—today felt different. Because here, he was irreplaceable. If he hadn’t been there, the situation might have truly been unsalvageable.

Back when he sat in the outpatient clinic at Yuetan Hospital, receiving patients from all over every day, his interaction with patients was limited to consultations, prescribing tests, and reviewing reports. Even for surgical inpatients, their interactions were confined to daily ward rounds and explaining the condition to family members; it was strictly professional.

But now, he was tangibly closer to their lives. He could genuinely do something for them, solve a real problem. That grounded feeling was something he had never experienced in the hospital.

Looking at the person in the video, who resembled a cat with sparkling eyes, Jiang Lin didn’t hold back his praise: “Mm. Doctor Shen is the most amazing.”

This actually made Shen Xing a little embarrassed: “You sound like you’re coaxing a kindergartener.”

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Author’s Note:

Captain Jiang definitely wishes he could pull Doctor Shen into his arms right now [Eating Melon]