Chapter 144: If they aren’t holding that spot, why should they do that work?

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: If they aren’t holding that spot, why should they do that work?

Just then, the Production Team Leader came over. "What’s going on here?"

Xue Linfang hurried to take the initiative. "Team Leader, I’m returning to work starting today. Chu Zhiqing mentioned earlier that you also had her fill in temporarily. Now that Doctor Gong is returning to the village and I’m starting work, she should step down now that her work is done. I figured the village health clinic doesn’t see many patients on a typical day, so I thought villagers needing medical attention could see Doctor Gong at his home. I can just work a bit harder when needed. If Chu Zhiqing works in the fields, the production team will gain another laborer, and we won’t be wasting work points."

Xue Linfang had been able to study under Doctor Gong only because her Third Sister-in-law, Xu Hongzao, was Xu Wenchang’s niece; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been her turn.

The Production Team Leader was already quite dissatisfied with Chuyunyi’s tactlessness and was naturally not inclined to side with her. He had been wondering how to deal with her anyway. "Lin Fang is right. There’s indeed no need for three people in the village health clinic. So, Chu Zhiqing, you’ll return to working in the fields starting today."

Yunyi naturally wouldn’t object. "Okay, I have no objections. However, since the Branch Secretary and the Production Team Leader are both here, it’s a good time to go over the clinic’s accounts to put everyone’s mind at ease."

Xue Linfang had wanted to make an issue of this, but she hadn’t expected this Chu Zhiqing to be so astute. Still, getting rid of her was the main thing; the rest were minor details.

The Branch Secretary could see that the Production Team Leader was doing this deliberately. Seeing that Chu Zhiqing also didn’t want to partner with Xue Linfang anymore, he didn’t say anything further.

He called out to the accountant in the crowd, Lu Dahai, "Dahai, come here."

Lu Dahai was meticulous. Over the past few days, he had recorded every transaction in the clinic’s accounts clearly. Yunyi was also diligent; the medicines in the cabinet were arranged very neatly. It didn’t take long to check everything.

Yunyi pointed to the herbs drying on the trays inside. "These are herbs I collected and processed myself. They’ll be ready for use after about one more day of drying."

Then, she handed over the keys. "Branch Secretary, here are the keys to the health clinic. Please take good care of them."

She turned to Xue Linfang. "I’ve completed the handover on my end. Do you have any questions?"

A flash of triumph crossed Xue Linfang’s face. "No, I don’t."

Yunyi nodded slightly. "If there are no problems, then I’ll be going. If anything comes up later, it has nothing to do with me. Don’t come knocking on my door later saying something’s missing or something’s lacking."

Xue Linfang naturally understood her meaning. She did want to cause trouble, but the clinic was tiny, and in front of so many people, she couldn’t very well make things difficult for Yunyi.

Yunyi nodded at Accountant Lu, then looked at the Branch Secretary and the Production Team Leader. "There are no issues here. I’ll go wait for work assignments over there."

Outside, a buzz of discussion could be heard. "Chu Zhiqing’s medical skills are even better than Doctor Gong’s! For her to just quit like that... who will I go to for acupuncture in the future?"

"They say Doctor Gong is returning to the village today. In the future, we should go to his house for medical consultations and to Lin Fang at the health clinic for medicine."

"But Doctor Gong doesn’t perform acupuncture! This won’t do. I have to talk to the Production Team Leader and the Branch Secretary about it."

With that, the speaker pushed through the crowd and barged in. "Production Team Leader, Branch Secretary, you can’t let Chu Zhiqing leave the health clinic! Her medical skills are excellent, and her acupuncture is unmatched. She’s given me acupuncture a few times these past few days, and the swelling in my legs has gone down a lot. If she goes to the fields to earn work points, who will I turn to for acupuncture?"

At that moment, several elders also squeezed in. "Exactly! We’ve all been receiving acupuncture from Chu Zhiqing recently, and our health has improved a lot."

Xue Linfang started to panic. "Aunties, Chu Zhiqing is just changing jobs; she’s not leaving our production team. If you think her acupuncture is good, you can still find her later. It’s not like she’s running away."

As soon as she said this, the way everyone looked at her changed. The auntie from before spoke up, "Xue Linfang, you sure know how to talk. She’s not in that position anymore, so why should she do the work?"

"Exactly! You have neither her magnanimity nor her medical skills, yet you’re here trying to get her to do free labor. What a schemer!"

At these words, Xue Linfang, still young, visibly lost her composure. "Auntie, we all live in the same village. You’ve all watched me grow up. How can you say such things about me? I was only thinking about what’s best for the village!"

Someone scoffed. "Clearly, Chu Zhiqing has excellent medical skills. Why make her leave? Since you’re so selfless, why don’t *you* go work in the fields yourself then!"

At this, the Xue family members in the crowd couldn’t remain silent. Xue Linfang’s mother stepped forward. "Is there no respect for first come, first served anymore? Our Lin Fang was just on leave; she never said she was quitting! Besides, Doctor Gong has taken good care of all of you for years. Listen to what you’re saying now! Going by your logic, then Doctor Gong shouldn’t come back to work at the health clinic either, right?"