Chapter 117 Extremely Short of Staff

Words : 1352 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Wu Buwei and Wang Zhenzhen were both wiping with wet wipes. After one wipe, the paper was blue, and the baby was white. After another wipe, the paper was even bluer, and the baby even whiter. Wang Zhenzhen was laughing, Wu Buwei was stifling his laughter, and Du Heng felt a pang of frustration in his stomach. He almost thought all his medical knowledge had become useless. It even made him doubt himself and lose confidence. In a short while, thanks to Wang Zhenzhen and Wu Buwei’s efforts, a white, chubby baby appeared before everyone. The original "blue elf" had instantly transformed into a porcelain doll. It let out a couple of "WAH WAH" cries, utterly adorable. "My dear grandson, you scared Grandma to death!" The child’s grandmother, seeing the baby’s true color emerge, lunged forward with a cry, sobbing heartbrokenly. Perhaps the grandmother’s actions and exaggerated wails were too much; the baby, who hadn’t cried since arriving, also began to wail loudly. Wang Zhenzhen spent a long time consoling the distraught, weeping grandmother. Then, she took out a soothing pacifier and managed to quiet the little handful. Du Heng watched with a wry smile. When the child’s grandmother finally calmed down, he picked up the silk scarf and said, "Auntie, you see? It was this silk scarf of yours that caused all the trouble. The color ran!" The child’s grandmother snatched it away and tossed it directly into the trash can. "I don’t want it anymore, I don’t want it! It nearly scared me to death." Seeing the grandmother clutching the baby tightly and refusing to let go, Du Heng could only shake his head in resignation. He still had a few things to tell her, because the color running from the scarf wasn’t the most dangerous incident of the day. "Auntie, there are a few things I need to discuss with you." "Go ahead, I’m listening." "First, when you take the baby out, it’s best to use a stroller with a sun canopy. Don’t let the baby be exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods. A baby’s skin is very delicate, and strong sunlight can damage it. Also, your grandson is already five months old; there’s no need for him to sunbathe anymore." The child’s grandmother asked, puzzled, "That’s not right. The doctor at his birth said he should get plenty of sun." Du Heng was momentarily speechless. "Auntie, how old is the child?" "Five months." "Exactly, five months. Did he have slightly high jaundice levels when he was born?" "Yes, he did! How did you know?" This Auntie has a knack for derailing conversations, Du Heng thought. "Auntie, newborns with jaundice, but not severely high levels, benefit from some sun exposure to aid recovery. However, they shouldn’t be under intense, direct sunlight. A baby’s skin is too tender; strong sunlight will harm the child. Besides, your grandson is five months old now; he doesn’t need to sunbathe anymore." "Alright, I understand. Thank you, Doctor." "You’re welcome. It’s my duty..." Wait, what am I saying? I forgot the most important part! "Auntie, please don’t thank me just yet. When the baby is sleeping, do you cover his face directly with the silk scarf?" "Yes, I was afraid the sunlight would harm his face. Look at this little face, his skin is so delicate. By the way, Doctor, do you have any baby lotion here? I heard the ones sold outside are full of additives and bad for a baby’s skin." Du Heng took a deep breath. I need to address this quickly, or she’ll go off on another tangent. "Auntie, please don’t change the subject. Do you realize how dangerous your actions were today? The baby is only five months old. If that silk scarf had been any thicker, it could have suffocated him." "It’s so light, how could that be possible?" she retorted, but her expression showed she was already feeling uneasy. Du Heng decided not to press the issue further; he had made his point. "Just be careful in the future. Don’t cover the baby’s mouth and nose again." With that, he left the office. He needed to go complain to the higher-ups, to tell them to fill the vacant doctor positions. However, just as he reached the stairwell, intending to go to the Dean’s office, Wang Lili blocked his path. Du Heng took a step back. "What do you want?" Wang Lili’s expression was serious and resolute. "I need personnel. At least two people." "For what?" Du Heng asked, looking at Wang Lili with confusion. Wang Lili grew a bit exasperated. "You’re asking ’for what’? Don’t you know that starting next week, we have to vaccinate the children in the township kindergartens and the first and second grade of elementary school?" Vaccinations? Du Heng suddenly slapped his forehead. Song had mentioned this during the handover. However, since Wang Lili had always been responsible for it, it had only been touched upon briefly. Every May and October, they had to centrally administer booster shots to the kindergarteners and first and second-grade students in their jurisdiction, ensuring all nationally-regulated free vaccines were given and no child was missed. Regarding this, one had to give a big thumbs up to the country’s policies. It was precisely these free vaccines that had drastically reduced the incidence of highly infectious childhood diseases like Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, which used to be common. Other serious childhood diseases like leprosy and Japanese encephalitis had also largely disappeared. There were twelve types of free vaccines, totaling twenty-four shots, all to be administered within the first seven years of a child’s life. For the first three years, parents were responsible for taking their children to the local Health Clinic or a designated hospital for vaccinations at the appropriate intervals. Once children started kindergarten around the age of four, the schools would coordinate with the Health Clinic or Community Hospitals for unified vaccination drives. Du Heng rubbed his forehead, a headache blooming. I really regret taking this acting Dean position, he thought. His salary had only increased by 500 yuan, yet the number of troublesome matters had multiplied. "How did you manage it in previous years?" "Previously, Old Zhang and I used to go to the schools together. After he retired last year, Tingting and I went." "So, just continue as you did. Won’t that work, same as last year?" Du Heng suggested. Wang Lili’s eyes nearly rolled back into her head, so dramatically that Du Heng felt his own eyes ache just watching her. "If you have something to say, just say it. Stop rolling those big, beautiful eyes of yours." His comment made Wang Lili laugh despite herself. "You have the nerve to say that? Last year, Tingting and I could go together because we didn’t have any inpatients. But look now! We have eight inpatients. If Tingting and I both go, who will take care of the patients?" "Then..." "Are you going to suggest we split up, one person for each task?" Wang Lili cut him off. "Yes, exactly." "Yes? What ’yes’?! Do you think our days are easy? That one person can handle eight patients without any problem? And don’t forget, we don’t just cover the daytime; we have night shifts too!" She glared at Du Heng again. An increase in inpatients was good for everyone; at the very least, it meant a bonus of several hundred yuan each month. But more patients also meant an increased workload. If they had enough staff, they could implement a rotation system, making it easier for everyone. But now, they were short-staffed; it was just her and Li Nating. "And another thing, you have no idea how much trouble it is to vaccinate those children. They run all over the place! Just catching them is exhausting. And when you finally do catch one, they struggle so fiercely that one person can’t manage it alone." Wang Lili threw her hands up in exasperation. "Enough talk. Just assign more people, or you can do this job yourself." This truly stumped Du Heng. They were indeed short-handed.

Chapter 117 Extremely Short of Staff

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