CHAPTER 255: CHAPTER 253: EXCHANGE OF SUPPLIES

After finalizing the renovation plan with Chen Xin, Second Uncle began preparing the materials needed for the renovation.

This was a significant expense for the village. If it weren’t for Chen Xin, the person advocating for the renovation, and the fact that he had proven through his actions that he could improve the living conditions of the refuge, Second Uncle might not have had the determination to carry out the renovation.

Although there was a large greenhouse, a substantial portion of its produce had to be traded for other foods and various materials, and the rest was for the villagers to eat, so the village was not wealthy. To exchange for the materials needed for the upgrade, they had to cut back on expenses in the other two areas.

And in the current world situation, that wasn’t an easy decision to make.

Even though Second Uncle was the village head, he needed to gather everyone for a meeting to discuss this and could only make the decision after gaining everyone’s agreement.

However, being able to improve living conditions was something everyone in the village very much looked forward to. Despite needing to live a bit frugally for the time being, the decision was unanimously passed, agreeing to use the vegetables to be harvested from the greenhouse this month to exchange the materials needed for the upgrade.

The reason everyone made this decision was partly the hope for a better life and partly their trust in Chen Xin.

The trust from his family also made Chen Xin feel the pressure, although he had no intention of betraying that trust.

The matter of exchanging materials was personally handled by Second Uncle. After having the ripe vegetables in the greenhouse harvested, he took these vegetables to town himself.

Chen Xin also followed to the town, not only to deal with the material exchange but also to have his head wound dressed at the town hospital.

Originally, Chen Xin could have changed his dressing in his own vehicle, but his mother insisted he go to the town hospital to see a doctor for dressing.

Chen Xin didn’t oppose this idea; after all, it was just on the way.

However, when he arrived at the town hospital, he somewhat regretted it.

The reason being, there were too many people in the hospital.

The town hospital was expanded from the original town health center. The old health center could only provide basic medical services and was not designed to accommodate a large number of patients. After the town’s population more than doubled, it was only reasonable that the health center could not handle such a burden and was expanded.

But even after the expansion, the town health center still struggled to meet the healthcare needs of over fifty thousand people, making it feel even more overcrowded than the county hospital to Chen Xin.

Ultimately, it was due to an insufficient number of doctors and too many patients seeking treatment.

Unlike the county hospital, which mostly treated frostbite patients, the town hospital’s patients mainly suffered from hypothermia, which was evident from their conditions.

This didn’t affect Chen Xin much since he was only there to change a dressing, not for a consultation. Any nurse could handle his situation.

With the help of a nurse, Chen Xin had the dressing on his head wound changed and was just about to leave the hospital to find Second Uncle and the others when he bumped into Zeng Liu in the corridor.

"Mr. Chen Xin, what brings you to the hospital?" Zeng Liu quickly greeted the benefactor who had helped her.

Meeting Chen Xin at the hospital was an unexpected surprise for Zeng Liu. After all, she genuinely appreciated what Chen Xin had done for her.

"Miss Zeng Liu, are you working here now?" Chen Xin, noticing Zeng Liu wearing a white coat, wasn’t too surprised.

For the overstressed town hospital, even one more healthcare worker was beneficial, even if Zeng Liu was just a Pharmacist.

Zeng Liu nodded and confirmed, "I have a Pharmacist’s certificate. After we registered with the staff, Sister Ning and Old Tang were assigned to other shelters for police work, and I was assigned here to continue as a Pharmacist.

Honestly, if Mr. Chen Xin hadn’t helped us leave that county, we might have died. I can’t thank you enough for saving our lives!"

With that, Zeng Liu wanted to bow to Chen Xin to express her gratitude.

However, Chen Xin quickly stopped her, dismissively saying, "It was nothing, really. Besides, you helped treat my hand fracture, so it was just a fair trade."

Upon Chen Xin’s comment, Zeng Liu had to put away her gratitude, but she still felt thankful in her heart.

"Have you found your family, Mr. Chen Xin?" Zeng Liu remembered Chen Xin mentioning that he was in town looking for his parents and thus expressed her concern.

Chen Xin nodded, smiled at Zeng Liu, and said, "Yes, I found my parents. Once things settle down here, I’ll head back to Xiang Province with them."

Hearing this, Zeng Liu couldn’t help but show a look of envy, "That’s wonderful news for you, Mr. Chen Xin, especially in these times, reuniting with family is such a blessing!"

Zeng Liu’s envy was genuine considering her family was gone. Seeing Chen Xin reunite with his family filled her with a sincere feeling of envy and some sadness.

After all, who wouldn’t want to be with their family?

Perhaps sensing Zeng Liu’s emotions, Chen Xin chatted with her a bit more before leaving.

Meanwhile, Zeng Liu watched Chen Xin leave, falling into a daze and hesitation. Before reaching the town, Chen Xin had promised her that if they didn’t encounter other shelters, she could accompany him back to the three towns.

Compared to this unfamiliar town where only three companions had joined her, Zeng Liu had some friends in the three towns where she attended university.

However, this thought barely crossed her mind before she dismissed it.

Having already received such kindness from Chen Xin, she couldn’t bring herself to ask for more.

So, with her mind set, Zeng Liu just shook her head and went back to work.

As for Chen Xin, after leaving the hospital, he used the information Second Uncle had given him to find where they were exchanging materials.

But when Chen Xin found Second Uncle and the others, they seemed to have encountered some trouble.

After some conversation with Second Uncle, Chen Xin understood the situation they were facing.

It wasn’t that anyone was giving them a hard time but rather that they couldn’t exchange enough materials in the town.