RYEY -Chapter 521 Establishing the First Private Hospital

Cheng Qiao took Li Ming with her. She would only stay a few days at most before returning to Liangzhou. She had been away for too long. Although Shen Ying was at the clinic, she couldn’t leave the family farm entirely to Uncle Chen and the others.

“Li Ming, Mom needs to tell you something important. You must remember it.”

Li Ming had never seen Cheng Qiao so serious. Instinctively, he straightened his back. Although he was the third child in the family, his surname was Li, so he was technically the eldest of the Li family.

“The first thing is, the land and houses in Xiangyang Village belong to your eldest uncle. Even if you go back to Xiangyang Village, you are just a guest there.”

“I understand. Even though I grew up in Xiangyang Village, my eldest uncle is the firstborn, so the land and houses there should belong to him. The old house in Xiangyang County is the real family property.”

“Do you know how that old house in Xiangyang County came to be?”

Li Ming shook his head; he truly didn’t know.

“It was left by your grandfather. He clearly stated it was for his eldest grandson.”

“That would be Brother Cheng Li’s, then.”

“No, it’s for you. You are the eldest grandson of the Li family; your brother’s surname is Cheng.”

Li Ming solemnly took the key to the old house from Cheng Qiao’s hand and carefully placed it in his pocket.

“Yes, I’ve already had Uncle Shouhou renovate it. You can visit when you have time. Our family also holds shares in the wholesale market in Xiangyang County. That responsibility will fall to you in the future.”

“Mom, I’m only ten years old.”

“Ten is not too young, especially in our family. You must grow up; otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?”

Otherwise… Cheng Qiao didn’t say it out loud, but she gently wrapped her arms around Li Ming’s shoulders. Among the four children, Li Ming had it the hardest.

Cheng Li had her father accompanying her, the twins had their master teaching them, but Li Ming, though cared for by Mother Li, often ended up taking care of her instead.

“Mom, thank you.”

“Thank me for what?”

“Thank you for helping us so much. You’re helping Mom and Dad fulfill their duties.”

Li Ming patted his little chest proudly. After all, his surname was Li.

“The grocery store is now managed by Aunt Zheng. Learn from her when you have time. After you graduate from university, if you want, you can take over the grocery store and the wholesale market.”

“Of course I want to. It’s Mom and Dad’s hard work. As a descendant of the Li family, it’s my duty to carry the grocery store and the wholesale market forward.”

Cheng Qiao couldn’t help but smile. This little kid even said “carry forward.” Running a business is not easy; keeping it stable is already an achievement.

Cheng Qiao sent Li Ming to school. Without Mother Li around, she only felt reassured when he stayed at school. She also made sure to leave him enough money and tickets just in case.

When Cheng Qiao returned to Liangzhou Clinic, she learned that during her absence, Gu Yuhua had practically dominated the clinic.

Gu Yuhua, having nowhere to turn, began recruiting talent widely. Although Liangzhou Military Hospital belonged to the garrison, it was also open to the citizens of Liangzhou.

By offering high salaries and benefits, Gu Yuhua attracted skilled doctors, instantly boosting the reputation of Liangzhou Hospital.

Thus, in Liangzhou, when people talked about hospitals, everyone only knew about Liangzhou Military Hospital, completely ignoring the clinic.

Fortunately, Shen Ying didn’t care. Their clinic only served the garrison troops; even military families weren’t allowed in.

Gu Yuhua’s approach, however, annoyed Shen Ying. But as an assistant, she had to wait for Cheng Qiao to return before taking any action.

Cheng Qiao quietly listened to Shen Ying vent. If even calm Shen Ying was losing her composure, it meant Gu Yuhua had really crossed her bottom line.

“Shen, you’re two years older than me. Why don’t you just find a husband instead of worrying about this old fool?”

“Cheng Qiao, I’m talking business.”

“I’m talking business too.”

“I don’t want to get married. It’s boring.”

“How is it boring?”

“Just… boring.”

Shen Ying spun around and ran. She didn’t want to discuss this topic. Cheng Qiao sighed; you can’t rush fate.

She picked up a pen and started sketching on paper. During her recent trip to the capital, she had reported her ideas about the future direction of the clinic.

The clinic wouldn’t open to the public, serving only the Liangzhou garrison. Liangzhou already had a military hospital; opening another would be wasteful and could cause unhealthy competition.

So she proposed converting Liangzhou Military Hospital to a civilian hospital, and turning the clinic into a military hospital. Both Yao Peng and Wu Hongxin thought this was a good idea.

However, they said the country currently lacked extra funds to renovate the clinic unless Cheng Qiao personally funded a private hospital.

Currently, private hospitals were not allowed. The only way was to use special permissions from special departments to establish one.

Cheng Qiao knew this represented the maximum authority those two old men could grant. She calculated that if she sold the dowry left to her by her mother, Zhao Min, it would be feasible.

Thinking this through, Cheng Qiao picked up the phone and called Zhao Hui, who was expanding his business, now reaching as far as the island port.

“You girl! When you need me, I’m your long uncle; when you don’t, you can’t even spare time to greet me for New Year!”

Cheng Qiao blushed. She had indeed neglected this, but to make amends, she intended to involve Zhao Hui in investing in the private hospital.

“What? You actually…”

Zhao Hui was speechless. Such a big piece of cake, and Cheng Qiao was taking it! He had to seize this investment opportunity.

“No need to say anything. Wait a week. I’ll come in person.”

Cheng Qiao stared at the receiver in surprise. Apart from the busy signal, Zhao Hui had hung up. She could only smile wryly and hang up.

Her uncle probably didn’t realize the cost she would pay to invest in this hospital. She had already been recognized as a Medical Saint; having her treat ordinary patients in a hospital was a waste of her talent.

So establishing a private hospital was the only way to fully utilize her abilities, and it would also have a special department dedicated to treating injured individuals with supernatural abilities.

Treating those with supernatural abilities is completely different from ordinary patients; it requires unique medicines and techniques that ordinary doctors cannot reach, and Here’s the translation of the passage you provided:

—

Thinking this through, Cheng Qiao carefully analyzed and budgeted the department’s investment, then wrote it up in a report. She had to squeeze out a little profit somehow—she couldn’t let Wu Hongxin and Yao Peng get too smug.

When Zhao Hui, weary from travel, arrived in Liangzhou and saw Cheng Qiao’s family farm and a residence comparable to a courtyard in the capital, he was so surprised that he almost forgot the purpose of his visit.

“Cheng Qiao, you really are a genius. You’re so many times better than your mother.”

“Is my mother really that bad?”

“Not really, it’s just… her taste in men isn’t perfect… well, not terrible, it’s just… never mind.”

Seeing Cheng Qiao’s expression start to harden, Zhao Hui immediately shut his mouth. He felt a bit wronged—he hadn’t said anything wrong. Zhao Min certainly had the qualifications to choose a better man.

But then again, if that were the case, he wouldn’t have such a good niece like Cheng Qiao. Hmm, Zhao Min’s taste in men wasn’t so bad after all.