Chapter 346: Old Friends and New Beginnings

“Go on, go on! Make sure you treat her well. With all that’s happened at the factory and our villa getting seized, we really haven’t been the best hosts. Be sure to explain everything to the young lady. I’ll head to the bank soon and pay off the loan, so the court can lift the hold on our home.”

Now that we’ve got almost fifty million from the sale, we can finally clear all our debts.

The factory will be up and running again soon.

Plus, with the expanded workshops and new imported equipment, our production capacity will be even stronger.

We’ll be more competitive than ever.

There’s no doubt their business will only grow from here.

Business is all about taking risks for rewards. This time the huge gamble nearly bankrupted the Zhou family’s factory, but now that they’ve pulled through, they’ve gained more than they ever imagined.

What Mom cares most about is her future daughter-in-law. What parent doesn’t hope to see their children succeed and settle down?

Hearing that her son was spending time with his future wife, she couldn’t be happier.

After leaving the factory, Zhou Can called Yin Qin.

“Sis-in-law, Stinson really couldn’t slip past you. You still managed to get that batch of food, bought it at sixty-two thousand per ton. I honestly admire his nerve.”

“Ha, that guy is infamous for his greed and slyness. His reputation in the foreign trade world is terrible. He’s swindled plenty of our people—everyone hates him, but no one can do much about it. I bet he never dreamed I’d team up with a small county food factory to set him up, let alone act inside and out to dig a pit for him.”

Yin Qin felt especially satisfied hearing that Stinson had finally been tripped up.

“You and Brother Cui went all out to help my family get payback, even risking your company’s reputation. I can’t thank you both enough,” Zhou Can said, sincere and grateful.

That eight hundred thousand in penalty fees doesn’t mean much to Zhou Can or the Cui couple.

But Yin Qin breaking the contract straight after signing could seriously damage her company’s name. Trust is everything, especially for a big firm.

Even if Yin Qin and Mr. Cui didn’t mind, Zhou Can couldn’t just pretend it didn’t matter.

He had to bring it up.

“It’s really not as bad as you imagine. We only tricked Stinson. All our people will just cheer us on. As for his company—so what if they never work with us again? We never did much together anyway. Plus, my reason for breaking the contract is rock solid. We’re paying every cent of the penalty, all by the book. Foreigners do business differently. They go strictly by the rules, so this won’t hurt me nearly as much as you think.”

Yin Qin didn’t care about it at all.

“Stinson lost money this time, but for him it’s pocket change. It’s not enough to really shake him. Sooner or later, some bigger company will deal with him. My firm’s power is limited—I can only hit him once.”

A lot of foreign capital makes a killing here.

Companies like Stinson’s are even more ruthless. Even with the batch priced at sixty-two thousand per ton, at worst he’s out twenty million. That’s nothing he can’t handle.

“Getting him once is good enough. At least it lets him know we aren’t easy targets. Maybe he’ll think twice next time.”

Zhou Can had spent enough time in the hospital to know that you can only do your best with most things.

After his call with Yin Qin, he took Su Qianqian out to have some fun around the old hometown—no need to dwell on details.

By five in the afternoon, Su Qianqian declared herself exhausted.

Zhou Can took her back to the hotel to rest.

After dinner it was already past six. Winter days are short, so darkness had fallen outside.

Full and satisfied, Zhou Can figured it was time to take her back to their room and strengthen their relationship a little.

This trip home had brought them even closer.

Their marriage plans were almost set.

Right then, his phone rang.

It was his childhood friend, Cheng Dazhuang.

After four days back home, Zhou Can still hadn’t found time to meet his old buddy. He had to admit he’d been neglecting his friends for love.

But work at the factory was nonstop, and with massive debts hanging over his family, he hadn’t wanted to reach out to old classmates and friends.

People might jump to the wrong conclusion—maybe he was after money.

If he got rejected for a meetup, it would just be humiliating.

Human nature really can’t take much testing.

“Acan, I heard you’re back in the county?”

“Yeah, I’m back.”

“If I hadn’t seen you post in your Moments today, I’d have no idea you were home. Years since we last met—let’s catch up!”

“Not afraid I’ll ask to borrow money? If not, I’ll come by.”

Zhou Can joked.

“You know my story. I haven’t bounced back since that business loss years ago. Still, if you show up, I can manage fifty or sixty thousand for you. No big deal.”

Cheng Dazhuang was probably still a trainee doctor—his income barely enough to get by.

Pulling together fifty grand to lend Zhou Can couldn’t be easy.

“Haha, then I’m definitely coming!”

“Come on! I’ve got night shift tonight, so I can keep you company. Third floor, doctors’ office, Inpatient Department, County People’s Hospital.”

After hanging up, Cheng Dazhuang sent over his location.

“Qianqian, my old friend wants to catch up. You and Wei Fang get some rest at the hotel.”

“Alright! Stay safe!”

Su Qianqian took the car keys from Wei Fang and handed them to him.

“You’re not worried my BMW is too low-end and might embarrass you? Just drive it. Hailing a cab at night is a pain, and you’ll be safer behind the wheel.”

For most people, a BMW worth tens of thousands is a symbol of success.

Driving one anywhere gets you plenty of respect.

But Su Qianqian understood Zhou Can’s real wealth—tens of thousands was nothing for a hidden tycoon like him.

“How’s a BMW embarrassing? To me, it’s flashy enough as is.”

Lately, whenever they went out, Wei Fang played the role of full-time driver.

Zhou Can drove the BMW straight to the County People’s Hospital.

He went right for the third floor doctors’ office in the Inpatient Unit.

At night, the hospital felt deserted, with only flickering corridor lights keeping the place lit.

Compared to Tuyu, the County People’s Hospital was nothing fancy.

The Inpatient Unit was a single building.

Tuyu, on the other hand, divided its departments into several big complexes. Obstetrics even had an entire building to itself.

Because the county hospital didn’t have many inpatients, all departments had to share the same building. Even so, plenty of beds were empty.

“Who are you looking for?”

Once he stepped onto the third floor and glanced around, he immediately caught the attention of the nurse on duty.

Under the nurse’s suspicious stare, Zhou Can felt truly innocent.

Honestly, did he look like some criminal?

“I’m looking for a Dr. Cheng Dazhuang. I’m his friend.”

Zhou Can quickly explained himself.

“Oh, you’re Dr. Cheng’s friend! He’s in that office—you can go right in.”

The nurse’s tone immediately warmed up.

The county hospital wasn’t big—maybe a couple hundred doctors, less than three hundred for the larger ones.

Compared to Tuyu’s doctors, Cheng Dazhuang might not seem like much. But here, he had completed over two years of training as a resident and was about to be promoted.

He held a decent position.

As his friend, Zhou Can earned friendlier treatment from the nurse—human nature at work.

The doctors’ office lights were on and the door was open.

Two male doctors sat inside. One of them was Cheng Dazhuang.

“Dazhuang!”

Zhou Can called out.

“Haha, you finally made it! It’s been years. Have a seat!” Cheng Dazhuang looked truly delighted to see him.

He jumped up, grabbed a chair and offered him a seat.

The other doctor on duty glanced at Zhou Can.

He didn’t speak, quickly going back to his paperwork.

“With what happened to your family, there’s not much I could do. I scraped together fifty thousand—if you need it, I can transfer it to you on Alipay.”

Cheng Dazhuang didn’t beat around the bush.

“Thanks for the offer, buddy. I appreciate the thought, but I don’t need it.”

Zhou Can hurriedly stopped him from sending the money.

“Is it too little? I know it’s not enough to fix things, but maybe it’ll help. Don’t worry, pay me back when you can, and if not, just treat it as a gift.”

Cheng Dazhuang was willing to give with no strings attached—true generosity.

Nowadays, people who lend money hold all the risk.

If you loan someone cash, you should be ready to never see it again.

“It’s not about the amount! When times are tough, even a single dollar is a godsend. But honestly, my family crisis is over now, so keep your money and use it for your future wedding.”

Zhou Can didn’t hide anything from him.

News that the Zhou factory was back on its feet would spread before long—then Cheng Dazhuang would know anyway.

“For real? I heard from someone at the court that things were bad for your family. Can’t believe you fixed things in just a few days.” Cheng Dazhuang looked doubtful.

“Maybe luck was on our side. We sold off that special food order and solved the debt crisis.”

Zhou Can didn’t want to go into detail about the family business.

“How’s work here? The other day you looked like you could barely stay awake—can’t be good!”

Zhou Can asked with concern.

“What can I say, just muddling through. I failed the medical licensing exam and have to wait until next year to try again. They say it’s even harder the second time.”

Cheng Dazhuang’s mood was clearly at rock bottom.

He had none of the ambition or drive you’d hope for in a young person.

That made Zhou Can worry for him even more.

“You can’t just coast like that. Which part tripped you up? I can help you.”

By now, Zhou Can’s skills were on par with the attending physicians at Tuyu.

He really did have what it took to train others.

He had plenty of experience with both clinical practice and theory.

“Ugh! I’m lacking everywhere. Theory’s bad, practical skills too. According to hospital rules, when my residency ends next year, it’s either move to administration or get let go.”

Cheng Dazhuang sounded dejected.

Even in a small county hospital, competition was fierce.

If you don’t work hard, you can’t blame society for being harsh.

The less you strive, the easier it is to fall behind.

Just look at the difference—Zhou Can was thriving, future bright as ever. But Cheng Dazhuang was stuck and about to lose even his job as a doctor.

“What about you? With how talented you are, you must’ve passed, right?” Cheng Dazhuang asked about Zhou Can’s situation.

“I just got lucky and passed.”

With grades as good as his, Zhou Can only said “lucky” to spare his friend’s feelings.

“Dazhuang, don’t give up. As long as you work hard, I’ll do everything I can to help you get your license,” Zhou Can said sincerely.

“I want to pass too, but it’s so hard. I can’t afford to survive on just two or three grand a month.” he said, bitterness in his voice.

“If you put in the effort, I’ll support you, no matter whether it’s money or training. If it’s too tough to study here, come to the provincial capital. I’ll find a way for you at Tuyu Hospital.”

Zhou Can spoke with conviction.

Getting Cheng Dazhuang hired at Tuyu Hospital might not be realistic, but arranging a spot as a visiting fellow was doable.

After all, Zhou Can’s position now let him talk straight to the vice director.

Hearing the words ‘Tuyu Hospital’, even the thirty-six or thirty-seven-year-old doctor looked up again.

Within the province, Tuyu Hospital was a household name in the medical field—a true heavyweight.

“Dr. Cheng, is your friend really a doctor from Tuyu Hospital?”

Zhou Can had been in the room a while. This doctor hadn’t even greeted him, but now that he knew Zhou Can worked at Tuyu, he started talking right away. Adults could be so practical.

“Yep! His name’s Zhou Can. He’s a resident at Tuyu Hospital—impressive, right? Acan, this is my colleague, Dr. Luo Jian. He’s an attending in our hospital’s General Surgery, top-notch at what he does.”

“Nice to meet you!”

Zhou Can nodded toward Dr. Luo.

It was only out of respect for Cheng Dazhuang. If it weren’t for him, Zhou Can wouldn’t even bother—he wouldn’t blink for the hospital director, much less an attending.

“Nice to meet you!”

Dr. Luo kept it polite and nodded back.

“Landing a residency at Tuyu is no small feat. But from what I hear, competition is brutal—maybe only one in five get to stay on. That must be rough, right?”

He was clearly probing for details.

“Rough is putting it mildly. It’s ridiculously tough,” Zhou Can said, playing along.

“Ha, every hospital’s tough these days. Still, with your skills you’ll be fine! I bet you’ll get a permanent spot.”

Dr. Luo kept probing, smiling all the while.

“No guarantees. Tuyu attracts the country’s best medical talents. I’m just a bachelor’s grad—not a big deal,” Zhou Can replied, saying what the other wanted to hear.

Sure enough, Dr. Luo’s interest cooled off after that.

“Yeah… having just a bachelor’s is a little low for a provincial-tier hospital, but you’re still outstanding. Even if you don’t get to stay at Tuyu, you’ll still be welcome in any city hospital.”

True enough—just passing Tuyu’s exam means that even after three years of residency, you’ll have more options than most medical grads.

Hospitals across the province recognize doctors trained at Tuyu.

Finishing residency at Tuyu is worth its weight in gold. In the medical field, it’s sometimes better than a simple undergraduate degree.

“Dr. Luo, didn’t you have a patient complaining about stomach pain? Why not have Zhou Can take a look? He’s from Tuyu—might have some fresh ideas!”

Cheng Dazhuang suggested enthusiastically.

“Oh… I don’t know. Isn’t that too much to ask?” Dr. Luo hesitated. As far as he was concerned, a resident was still new, even if they came from Tuyu.

“Don’t worry, Zhou Can’s my brother—he’s always been helpful, even when we were kids, always helping old folks across the street.”

That made Dr. Luo laugh out loud.

Zhou Can grinned, a little embarrassed himself.

“Dr. Luo, that patient keeps yelling about stomach pain—really wants a doctor to check on him.” A nurse rushed in to tell them.

There’s a call button next to every hospital bed—press it and the nurse station gets the alert.

As soon as it’s pressed, someone is sent right away.

“I’ll go right now,” Dr. Luo said, closing his book and heading out.