Chapter 141: Riding a Bicycle to the Meeting

Chapter 141: Riding a Bicycle to the Meeting

The next morning, Su Zhaozhao rode her bicycle to the office.

At the entrance, she happened to run into Director Liu.

Director Liu glanced at her approvingly, "Xiao Su, you look really energetic today!"

Su Zhaozhao's outfit was actually no different from usual.

A white shirt, blue pants, and a traditional-style jacket over them. For convenience while riding, she wore practical shoes.

She had a military green shoulder bag and a military water bottle slung over her shoulder.

The only noticeable difference was in her hairstyle. Previously, her hair had been left loose to her shoulders, but now she had tied it up halfway, and her slightly longer bangs were appropriately clipped back, revealing her full forehead.

Su Zhaozhao smiled, "We need to show our best selves at the branch meeting so we don’t let the office down."

Director Liu chuckled. "She always knows how to say the right things."

Once Section Chief Xie and the others arrived, the four of them pedaled together, their bicycles forming a neat line as they hit the streets.

In those days, bicycles were like luxury cars. The sight of four bicycles appearing together was quite spectacular.

As they rode by, people on the sidewalk turned to watch them.

The children, especially, chased after the bicycles until they could no longer keep up.

Soon, they were riding on the main road.

The weather was perfect.

With sunshine and a gentle breeze, it was neither cold nor hot—a perfect day for an outing.

Even though it wasn’t a day off, the weather made the work trip feel like a pleasant outing.

With the whole morning ahead of them, Director Liu and the others rode very slowly, leisurely, like an old ox pulling a cart.

When Su Zhaozhao rode too fast, they would tell her, "Xiao Su, slow down. The road is long, and riding too fast now will leave you tired later."

The tall-frame bicycle was hard to pedal.

Especially for a female comrade like Su Zhaozhao.

The group rode leisurely like this all the way to the city, with Su Zhaozhao following behind Director Liu and the others, arriving at the Sea City branch.

The Sea City branch office was located in an old Western-style building, on the second floor, with other units occupying the other floors.

There was a designated area to park bicycles on the first floor, overseen by an old man.

Entry required showing a pass, and Director Liu took out his permit, leading Su Zhaozhao and the others inside.

On the second floor, Director Liu also guided them to sign in and collect meal tickets.

"Every time we come, it's always eating first, then the meeting," Section Chief Xie told Su Zhaozhao, "If you have something to do in the afternoon, you can go out for a stroll, just make sure to return on time for the meeting."

By this time, it was almost noon.

Su Zhaozhao followed the leaders to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria is on the first floor, and everyone from the offices in this building eats here.

Su Zhaozhao and her group arrived early, and only a few people were seated at a couple of tables in the cafeteria.

"Lao Liu, over here!"

Director Liu spotted an old friend and led them over.

"Lao Wang, you arrived pretty early this time."

The person Director Liu called Lao Wang was a middle-aged man about the same age as him.

"We just got here, right after you."

Su Zhaozhao was the only one who didn’t know anyone, and no one seemed to recognize her either. Director Xie and the other comrade who came with them had already started chatting with the people opposite.

Fortunately, after a few words, Director Liu finally remembered her and made the introduction.

"Xiao Su, this is Director Wang from the Qingshan Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative."

"Hello, Director Wang."

Director Wang pointed at Su Zhaozhao and asked Director Liu, "Is this Comrade Su Zhaozhao from your unit?"

Director Liu nodded with a smile, "That's right, it's her."

Director Wang extended both hands, his tone filled with surprise, "I've heard so much about you, Comrade Xiao Su!"

Su Zhaozhao smiled and quickly shook hands in response, "Director Wang flatters me. It's my honor to have your recognition." Her voice was clear and pleasant, her tone modest and polite.

Director Wang let go of her hand and laughed, "Because of you, Director Liu can't stop talking about you lately. Even Director Ren mentioned your name in a meeting and had us conduct training based on the first aid plan you wrote. Oh, and the promotional materials, the town committee office took several copies back to post."

The others gave Su Zhaozhao curious looks.

After a few words, everyone lined up to get their meals and sat together to continue chatting.

Director Liu asked Director Wang, "How's the training going in your unit?"

Director Wang waved his hand, "Don't even mention it. Our unit isn't like yours with a Xiao Su; we can't just conduct the training ourselves. Although we have a training plan, this is a life-saving skill we're talking about. It can't just be theory. If we don't teach something correctly, it could cost a life. Director Ren asked us to finish this month and submit a report. I'm really worried about it."

"Then why don't you get medical staff to do the training? Just pay them a training fee."

"The doctors at our town's clinic..." At this point, Director Wang waved his hand, "They're no good."

Seeing this, Director Liu knew there must be a story (or an incident).

"What's wrong with them?"

Su Zhaozhao also pricked up her ears.

"Last month, a pregnant comrade was misdiagnosed with gastritis and given a bunch of medicine that caused her to lose the baby. She only found out she was pregnant after the miscarriage. She had been trying to conceive for over a decade and finally got pregnant. She just wanted to be cautious and have the doctor check her, but instead, she was misdiagnosed. Do you think her family would let the clinic get away with that?"

"They went to the clinic and caused a scene there. Even the town committee couldn't handle it. It became a huge scandal in our town! Now, the doctors at the clinic are too scared to show up for work. Even if they do, I doubt anyone would dare to see them."

"So, would I really trust them to do the training? The doctors in the city are good, but they're hard to invite."

In this day and age, you can't really trust the town's clinics.

Some doctors and nurses are able to hold onto their secure jobs not because of their medical skills, but due to various connections and backgrounds.

Su Zhaozhao had read in reports that medical errors were common in the countryside in the 80s and 90s, where patients were often given only penicillin or glucose, imagine what it's like today.

Everyone was left feeling a bit somber after hearing about the incident that Director Wang mentioned.

Director Wang suddenly looked at Su Zhaozhao, "Xiao Su, how about you lead the training for us?"

Su Zhaozhao blinked in surprise, "Me?"

"Yes, you!"

The more Director Wang thought, the more sense it made, "You wrote the training plan, you designed the promotional materials, and you also run the training at your unit. Moreover, the people you trained have even saved lives. Everyone can see how capable you are!"