Chapter 164: Passing the Examination, Lookout Mountain

In the afternoon, Ming Dai arrived at the practical examination site on time.

Only twelve people had passed the written test in the morning, which was a pitifully small number compared to the total number of applicants.

However, unlike other professions, there could be no compromise or falsification when it came to being a doctor.

Fortunately, the afternoon examination was non-competitive; anyone who passed would be certified, which allowed the candidates to relax quite a bit.

The practical test involved drawing questions at random, and Ming Dai drew a patient suffering from dizziness.

After examining and diagnosing the patient for quite a while, she discovered that the dizziness was not caused by a brain disorder, but rather by oxygen deprivation.

This was strange. How could someone suffer from oxygen deprivation for no apparent reason?

After taking the patient's pulse, Ming Dai felt around the patient's head and neck for a while, and finally discovered a major problem with the cervical vertebrae.

It was this cervical spine issue that had caused insufficient blood supply to the patient's brain, resulting in dizziness, which could lead to fainting in severe cases.

After a detailed inquiry, she discovered that the patient had a long-standing habit of sleeping on high pillows and supporting only her neck, leaving her cervical spine and shoulders suspended in the air for prolonged periods. Over time, this caused problems and led to insufficient cerebral blood supply.

Ming Dai gave her two acupuncture treatments and applied a few minutes of massage.

After a series of popping sounds, the patient's dizziness vanished. She stood up and showered Ming Dai with gratitude, repeatedly hailing her as a miraculous doctor.

Doctor Gao, who was observing from the side, was also extremely satisfied. The more he looked at Ming Dai, the more he cherished her talent, and he even developed the intention of taking her on as an apprentice.

In the end, Ming Dai passed the exam with top scores in both the written and practical tests, officially becoming a glorious barefoot doctor!

To encourage them, the county hospital even provided twenty, ten, and five yuan as cash rewards for the top three candidates, encouraging them to continue their studies in the countryside and shine brightly in the cause of medical and health dissemination work!

Doctor Gao also sought out Ming Dai privately, asking if she would like to stay at the county hospital as his student.

Ming Dai politely declined on the grounds that an educated youth should remain in the countryside to receive re-education from the lower-middle peasants.

Doctor Gao felt it was a great pity, offered a few words of encouragement, and then left.

As soon as Ming Dai stepped out of the county hospital, she found a secluded spot and entered her spatial dimension.

She had to go in!

Zhou Sinian had gotten so bored that he had started leading Little Mimi to terrorize the chicks in the space!

As soon as she entered, what met her eyes was Zhou Sinian cutting off their path, Little Mimi launching a fierce tiger-like pounce, and the chicks screaming in terror, scrambling and tumbling back and forth across the chicken coop, occasionally crashing into heaps.

"Zhou Sinian! Little Mimi!"

At the sound of Ming Dai's voice, the human and the cat guiltily froze in their tracks.

Ming Dai hurried over and delivered two swift "thuds" to their foreheads.

Conscious of his guilt, Zhou Sinian cooperatively lowered his head so Ming Dai could reach him.

Little Mimi stared at her in utter disbelief, refusing to accept that it had just been hit!

Ming Dai looked at Zhou Sinian's aggrieved face and Little Mimi's expression of "I'll definitely do it again next time," feeling a massive headache coming on.

She truly hadn't expected that while Little Mimi was helping Zhou Sinian overcome his fear, it would also turn into yet another unruly child!

In just a single day, the two of them had wreaked havoc on the chicks, ducklings, and goslings, leaving feathers scattered all over the place!

If the wild boar pen hadn't been full of dung, Zhou Sinian probably wouldn't have spared them either.

Having been punished, Zhou Sinian looked aggrieved. "Ming Dai, chicks need exercise to become free-range chickens! Only free-range chicken meat is springy and delicious!"

Ming Dai rubbed her temples. "That's only after they grow up! If you toss them around like this, half the chicks are going to be exhausted to death by you two!"

Zhou Sinian looked disconsolately at the little chicks shivering in the corner of the coop. "When will they grow up?"

Ming Dai rolled her eyes. She should be asking him when *he* was going to grow up!

He was at most eight years old right now! Not a year older!

After disciplining the unruly pair and banishing Little Mimi to the villa for confinement, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian disguised themselves again and headed over to Director Ma's house to stake it out.

When they arrived in the vicinity, it was already dark, and several of Ma Yinglong's loyal underlings had just rushed over.

When Ge Er and Zhang San saw their boss in such a state, there was no need to explain; feeling his pain as if it were their own, they hugged their boss and wept, their voices so loud that Ming Dai could hear them clearly from outside.

Zhao Si stood to the side wiping away tears, three parts sympathetic and seven parts terrified!

He was the only one left now!

After the crying subsided and their emotions stabilized, the four men sat together to brainstorm solutions.

Zhou Sinian scouted out the best vantage point, lay prone on the rooftop with Ming Dai, and prepared to listen in.

Inside the house, the four men sat clustered together, looking troubled and not knowing how to broach the subject.

Finally, Ge Er took the initiative to speak. "Boss, it has already targeted you now! We can't drag this out any longer. What do they say on that side?"

Ma Yinglong remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. "Old Four, go deliver a message tomorrow and arrange a meeting for tomorrow night."

Zhao Si nodded in agreement.

Thinking of what had happened today, Ma Yinglong touched his aching chest and closed his eyes tightly.

"Sort out the things in each of your hands, and find a time to return them together."

Ge Er and Zhang San fell silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Zhao Si hesitated and asked, "Boss, do we really have to return them? What we took was just a small share to begin with, while the major share is all with them. Is there really any necessity for us to return ours?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the other three turned to stare at him simultaneously.

Ma Yinglong said coldly, "You don't have to return yours."

Ge Er tried to persuade him with a heart-wrenching tone. "Listen to the boss, we have experience!"

Zhang San even burst into tears, whimpering softly. He didn't want to return his share either, but he had no choice!

He hadn't even taken a wife yet!

Zhao Si nodded sheepishly. "I'll return it, I'll return it too!"

Ming Dai was extremely satisfied upon hearing this. People truly needed a bit of stimulation; look at how their political awareness had shot right up after a little nudge!

Just as Ming Dai was thinking this, another voice came from below.

"Then Boss, what about the rest of the stuff hidden in the mountains? There are still things hidden in three places: Yufeng Mountain, Qinjialing, and Paomashan, and all of them are big scores!"

Ma Yinglong furrowed his brows deeply. "I don't know if it took those as well."

Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian exchanged glances. They hadn't taken those yet, but they would as soon as they went back!

With a heavy expression, Ma Yinglong continued, "The other three places are fine, but I'm afraid of the stuff at Wangwang Mountain. If the things there are lost, that's what will truly cost us our lives!"

Wangwang Mountain?

Ming Dai remembered that place; Zhou Sinian's maternal grandfather and uncle had been sent down to labor there.

Zhang San shook his head firmly. "Boss, nothing is more important than our lives! We've all witnessed how terrifying and ferocious that wild boar spirit is—who knows how many centuries old it is. If we provoke it any further, we might lose our lives altogether! Let them handle the rest themselves; come blessing or disaster, they can bear it themselves!"

Ge Er chimed in with persuasion as well, clearly frightened out of his wits.

In the end, Ma Yinglong gritted his teeth. "Fine! Old Four, make an appointment to meet them tomorrow night at the usual spot outside the city!"

Zhao Si assented, and the men began discussing how to return the items in their possession.

They finally unanimously decided to put them back on Jiming Mountain.

After hearing the whole conversation, Ming Dai followed Zhou Sinian and left the Ma residence.

Taking advantage of the moonlight, the two of them bolted straight toward the remaining mountain peaks.

Finding the nearest one, Yufeng Mountain, they slipped inside, activated the space's treasure-hunting function, and quickly located the hidden items.

It was the familiar wooden boxes and the familiar heavy weight; Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian beamed with joy.

The two of them searched until the following morning before finally locating all the items from the three locations and moving them into the space.

That night, the two returned to the county town and staked out the perimeter, waiting for Ma Yinglong to appear.

Soon enough, Ma Yinglong and his three cohorts snuck over, riding bicycles toward the woods outside the town.

Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian quietly followed. Reaching the small grove, the men put away their bicycles and squatted up in a tree fork.

The four men below waited anxiously, frequently gazing down the path.

At midnight, two vague figures finally appeared on the trail.

Ma Yinglong frowned and went up to meet them. "Why so late?"

The newcomer chuckled softly. "Got held up by something, but aren't I here now? Director Ma, what on earth made you risk contacting me directly?"

The people below began to talk, and Ming Dai, listening from the tree, found the voice increasingly familiar.

Taking advantage of the cold, ghostly moonlight, she strained to identify the speaker.

Finally, she realized that the newcomer was actually... ! ! !