Chapter 39: Spoiled Since Childhood

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Spoiled Since Childhood

On Tuesday, the third day after Yu Zhiming returned to his county, he received a call from the Human Resources department of Huashan Hospital.

They informed him that his talent recruitment agreement and medical examination report had passed the hospital’s review and would be officially stamped and effective immediately.

The relevant agreements, along with the official offer letter and file transfer request from Huashan Hospital, would be sent to Yu Zhiming via EMS.

Yu Zhiming asked and was told that the one million yuan settling-in fee would be transferred to his bank account within five business days.

On that same day, Yu Zhiming submitted his formal letter of resignation to the county hospital.

His departure process had officially begun...

That Friday, during his lunch break, Yu Zhiming received a call from Fu Xiaoxue.

The young woman smugly told him some news.

Her all-English conversational interview for the Finance (Sino-British) program at Binhai Jiaotong University had gone smoothly, and she was very likely to be accepted.

The reason was that her interview had lasted for over an hour and a half.

Sister Wenzhu was very optimistic, saying this was longer than most of the previous students’ interviews.

It meant the interviewers were very interested in her.

Yu Zhiming asked about the content of the interview.

Fu Xiaoxue chuckled and told him that even though the interview was super long, they only discussed one topic.

One of the interviewers had asked who the most influential person in her life was.

Fu Xiaoxue said that her uncle had the biggest impact on her life.

So, in front of the interviewers, she recounted her uncle’s life story from childhood to the present, telling it in great detail as if listing family treasures.

As a result, the interviewers all became very interested and asked her many questions about her uncle.

This made Yu Zhiming secretly proud.

’I’ve finally become someone’s role model. Even if it’s just for my own niece, it’s still an honor, isn’t it?’

The next morning, Saturday, Yu Zhiming drove to the train station to pick up Fu Xiaoxue, who had taken an overnight sleeper train, and they returned to their old family home in the town.

He gave the gifts he brought back from Binhai to his parents and his eldest sister and invited them to stay with him in the county seat for a while.

After all, in a little while, Yu Zhiming would be leaving for his job in Binhai.

The next time he came back would probably be for the Spring Festival.

But his parents both refused. They complained that living in an apartment felt cramped and that there was no one to talk to.

Resigned, Yu Zhiming had no choice but to return to the county seat alone on Sunday.

On Monday of the following week, Yu Zhiming received two pieces of good news in succession.

First, his Fourth Sister, who was still in Binhai, had finally rented an apartment.

Yu Xiangwan explained that the apartment was in a large residential area in the city center—a quiet oasis in a bustling neighborhood.

Moreover, it wasn’t too far from Huashan Hospital. There were two direct bus routes to the hospital, one with six stops and the other with eight.

The apartment had one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom, covering forty-seven square meters, and was on the top floor of an eleven-story building.

The rent was 4,500 yuan a month, and she had signed a two-year lease.

The landlord also gave them permission to renovate the place.

Second, the one million yuan settling-in fee had arrived in his account.

The fee came at just the right time. Yu Zhiming immediately transferred 150,000 yuan to his Fourth Sister.

This was for six months’ rent and the security deposit, with the rest to be used for renovation costs.

As for the renovation, Yu Xiangwan suggested letting their eldest brother-in-law and eldest nephew handle it.

Recently, because of that near-fatal freezing incident, the renovation company they had worked with for years had stopped partnering with them.

The two of them were currently just picking up odd jobs here and there.

Yu Zhiming said that his Fourth Sister could make all the decisions about the renovation; he would just be responsible for the money.

With the settling-in fee in hand, Yu Zhiming made good on his previous bold promise and paid back the money he owed his second and third sisters.

Not only that, he paid them back double the amount to thank his sisters and brothers-in-law for their years of support.

While he had the cash, Yu Zhiming also paid off the rest of his mortgage ahead of schedule...

Rent and renovation were 150,000, his second and third sisters each got 120,000, his eldest sister got 60,000, and the mortgage was about 270,000.

He also gave his parents 60,000...

When Yu Zhiming came to his senses, he realized that in less than a week, the one million yuan had dwindled to just 220,000.

Then he remembered the 160,000 yuan a year he had promised for Fu Xiaoxue’s tuition, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

’Money really doesn’t last, does it?’

He secretly hoped that Xiaoxue wouldn’t pass the interview for that Sino-British program after all.

On Friday of the second week, the college entrance exam scores were announced.

Fu Xiaoxue’s score was a bit better than she had estimated: 612.

Although her score was good, it definitely wasn’t enough to get into the standard admission programs at Binhai’s top universities.

Facing Xiaoxue’s expectant gaze, Yu Zhiming puffed out his chest and, though it pained him financially, told her to apply for the Finance (Sino-British) program at Binhai Jiaotong University in the early admission round.

As long as they were bold enough to accept her, the tuition fee wouldn’t be a problem...

Time quickly flew by to Friday of the third week.

As closing time approached, Yu Zhiming was still in his office organizing patient files.

Ever since he submitted his resignation, he had stopped taking new patients. Aside from caring for the few patients he still had, he spent most of his time organizing case files and seeking advice from others.

These were the case files of patients he had been responsible for treating at the county hospital over the past few years.

Yu Zhiming had retrieved all their medical records, diagnoses, and treatment plans from the archives to review them in detail.

Each of these medical records represented Yu Zhiming’s experience and growth at the county hospital.

They were a doctor’s precious treasure.

By reorganizing them, Yu Zhiming was reviewing past knowledge to gain new insights, identifying and filling gaps in his understanding. He felt he had improved a great deal...

As for seeking advice from others, that was also an important part of Yu Zhiming’s daily work.

Although most doctors at the county hospital lacked the academic knowledge and qualifications of doctors at major hospitals, after years of working at a local hospital, they had all accumulated some of their own unique insights.

Faced with the humble inquiries of Yu Zhiming, who was about to move on to Binhai, they were willing to foster goodwill. Hoping it might be useful in the future, they didn’t hold back in offering him a pointer or two.

This also allowed Yu Zhiming to learn a great deal...

As Yu Zhiming was bent over his desk working, he had the faint feeling that someone was staring at him.

He turned his head to look...

There was a beautiful, short-haired woman in the office, wearing a blouse, capri pants, and sneakers, her face beaming with a smile.

Yu Zhiming scrambled to his feet, his voice filled with pleasant surprise. "Su Tong, what are you doing here?"

Su Tong grinned. "It’s summer vacation, so I’m heading home to rest for a few days. I heard you’re about to make the big leap to Binhai, where your stock is going to skyrocket, so I got off the train midway to come and curry some favor."

"Am I welcome?"

Yu Zhiming gave a dopey grin. "Welcome? Of course you’re welcome! Extremely welcome."

"Su Tong, just give me a few minutes..."

He quickly and neatly packed up the materials and items on his desk and took off his white coat.

"It’s quitting time. I don’t have much to do these days, so I can leave right on the dot."

"Just one more second..."

Yu Zhiming picked up his phone again and sent a voice message to his second sister, telling her a friend had come to visit and he wouldn’t be coming over for dinner.

Lately, living alone, this was how Yu Zhiming managed his three meals...

For breakfast, he would just grab a bite at a street stall outside.

For lunch, he ate the boxed meal his third sister, a nurse, brought for him.

And for dinner, he would go to his second sister’s house.

Just like in his first year or two after he started working...

Yu Zhiming grabbed Su Tong’s suitcase and said with a light chuckle, "Let’s go get something to eat first, then we can go back to my place to rest."

He then added, a bit nervously, "It’s just me at my place right now. My Fourth Sister is still in Binhai renovating the apartment."

"My niece went back to her own home in town, too."

"If you’d rather stay at a hotel..."

Su Tong looked at Yu Zhiming, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "What, are you afraid you’re going to eat me or something?"

"Since there’s no one else at your place, I’ll just stay there."

"Hey, since you live alone, let’s not eat out. You can just whip up something simple to serve me."

"I’m not a picky eater!"

Yu Zhiming gave an awkward laugh. "I’ve been eating at my sisters’ places lately. There’s no food in the fridge at home."

"And I... I’m not much of a cook..."

His saying "not much of a cook" was quite an understatement.

It was more than just "not much."

As a man who had been spoiled since childhood by his parents and four older sisters, Yu Zhiming had basically been waited on hand and foot his whole life.

He rarely even boiled his own water...