Her Cultivation Diary
Chapter 447 - Chapter 447 447. Annual income of 100000_1

Chapter 447: 447. Annual income of 100,000_1 Chapter 447: 447. Annual income of 100,000_1 “There is! Sister Secretary!”

Qiaoqiao excitedly ran to the kitchen and soon returned with a white porcelain bowl and a spoon in hand.

Red goji berries dotted the fragmented silver ear mushrooms; in the heat of the day, the refreshing taste moisturized her throat all the way down to her stomach, making her feel indescribably comfortable.

Guo Dong subconsciously swallowed her saliva.

Secretary Xiaozu seemed to realize something and called out with extra enthusiasm, “Qiaoqiao, your doctor sister actually paid for it, so serve her a bowl too.”

Reluctantly, Qiaoqiao nodded obediently, “Alright then. I’ll use a disposable bowl.”

Truth be told, when she received the bowl and saw the reluctance on Qiaoqiao’s face, Guo Dong couldn’t help but feel a smug satisfaction–hmph, no matter how expensive the stuff was, her 200 yuan had definitely been well spent!

At that moment, Secretary Xiaozu asked, “Since you’re not busy, do you want to come with me to check out the clinic’s house?”

“Oh, let me tell you, there’s a red-brick courtyard with a surrounding fence and railings, and the flowers planted in the flowerbeds next to it are blooming beautifully!”

“If you move in, it’s honestly a steal!”

Guo Dong: …

She looked at the bowl in her hands and silently took the straw hat that Qiaoqiao handed her, then followed Secretary Xiaozu’s flip-flop rhythm down the scorchingly hot road.

…

Under the blazing sun, Secretary Xiaozu’s enthusiasm was like flames; walking on the road, the heat made the soles of her shoes soften and warm up, but she hardly noticed, as she continued to passionately describe the bright prospects of being a village doctor to Guo Dong.

However, Guo Dong was a properly educated and certified person who had interned at hospitals and had even run her own clinic before.

She wasn’t interested in hearing about prospects and futures; she asked the critical question:

“How much did this Doctor Li used to make in a month?”

Secretary Xiaozu pondered for a moment: “Not little, less than 100,000 yuan last year.”

“How much?” Guo Dong asked again.

“Less than 50,000 yuan.”

“Specifically?”

“33,000.”

Guo Dong was almost amused:

“33,000 yuan? No wonder he ran off! What else could he do with that money?”

“Don’t underestimate it though!”

But Secretary Xiaozu wasn’t the least bit embarrassed; she seriously continued, “You should know, a few years back whether there was money or not was another matter!”

“Now the government first built the clinics, and then started giving subsidies. In our village with fewer than 1,000 people, the village doctor can get a 400 yuan subsidy every month!”

“So…”

Guo Dong did the math: “Doctor Li was only making 33,000 yuan a year including the monthly subsidy of 400?”

Secretary Xiaozu’s thick skin was something even Song Tan couldn’t match; she replied without batting an eyelid:

“Oh dear, you’re still young, don’t just look at the money! As our policies continue to improve, and the longer you’re rooted in our village, your official appointment is just a matter of time.”

“Besides, aren’t you a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine? It just so happens, we have a policy for village doctors–fees for TCM diagnoses and the cost of Chinese herbal slices are all collected by the doctor themselves.”

“Of course, you do need to supply the medicines yourself. But look, isn’t this the same as running your own clinic?”

“Also, don’t you still have a bunch of clients? Just wait, when they need something, they can drive over here, it won’t be much trouble.”

You have to understand, the trust modern middle-aged and elderly people have in traditional Chinese medicine is such that they would rather travel to another city to get an appointment if necessary.

Just like Secretary Xiaozu’s mom, who used to sneak off to the countryside to get her fortune told–

Ahem.

That’s something we can’t talk about.

Anyway, that’s just how people are, isn’t it? Countries have many traditions like that.

Guo Dong didn’t say anything more.

She realized that although Secretary Xiaozu’s words could be quite harsh, when it really came down to it, living here did have its benefits.

Not to mention anything else, but just this bumpy, treacherous mountain road– even if her mom called relatives to take her back, the hassle wouldn’t be worth it to everyone.

Of course, the same bumpy, treacherous road would likely deter many patients–there are pros and cons to everything.

The two of them fell silent in an instant.

But Secretary Xiaozu’s mouth wasn’t idle; he was currently cradling a bowl, sipping spoonfuls of sweet tremella soup.

Guo Dong: …

She took a spoonful herself–ah, why wouldn’t they provide meals?

As the two turned around a small hill, they came across what Secretary Xiaozu had described: a red-brick courtyard with neatly stacked piles of firewood along the wall.

A large area of honeysuckle climbed up from the wall, blooming golden and silver flowers with a rich fragrance in this season.

Under the wall on one side, a few clusters of sunflowers were sparsely planted, layered and dense, and they were growing quite vigorously.

Just then, a small dog charged out of the house, and at first sight, Guo Dong was greatly shocked:

“What kind of dog is this?”

“What?”

Secretary Xiaozu was taken aback, looked back, and then answered as if it were obvious: “Teddy, haven’t you seen one before?”

Guo Dong: …

She had seen Teddies, white ones, gray ones, reddish-brown ones, some with curly fur, some looking scruffy, and even others that had been taken to pet shops for meticulous styling and blow-drying, fluffy like pom-poms…

But this one in front of her, never mind the untidy curly fur for the moment, the top-of-the-head instant noodle-like centre-parted fringe completely covering its eyes–how did it resemble the vest-wearing little Teddies she had seen before?!

Secretary Xiaozu, however, took it for granted: “Don’t know where this mixed-breed dog came from. Dr. Li just feeds it casually, so it looks scruffy–do you like dogs? If you like, I can ask if this dog can be given to you?”

“No, no, thank you.” Guo Dong quickly declined.

“This dog should still be taken by Dr. Li.”

“I was just saying!” Secretary Xiaozu seemed very calm: “You’ve seen the dogs at Song Tan’s place. Not to brag, but the quality of those seven treasures is rare to find; once you’ve had the vast ocean, smaller waters won’t do, you’ll hardly be impressed with other little dogs unless it’s love at first sight.”

No sooner had he finished speaking, a thin old man walked out of the courtyard and raised his eyebrows upon seeing her:

“Lao Song’s family might have great dogs, but they’re not mine, and I’m not interested! I just love my little curly-haired one–oh my good boy, we’ll go to town and get your hair cut, poor thing, can’t even see your eyes.”

Then he looked at Zu Jun: “Director Zhu, all the patients have left. You don’t need to come by tomorrow.”

“I’ll be moving out first thing tomorrow morning.”

He glanced at the small red-brick house in front of him, his expression wistful: “Ah, I really don’t want to go into town. It’s so much more comfortable staying at home!”

“Isn’t it though,” Secretary Xiaozu kept trying to persuade him, considering that Guo Dong’s situation wasn’t set in stone, right?

You have to work hard on both fronts.

“Look at our village’s air and soil, eating doesn’t cost a thing, life is leisurely, you can play cards and sleep as you please… It’s definitely a hundred times more comfortable than living in town!”