Qin Rou was taken aback. “Ah Cheng? He has training today.”
Gu Jianing said, “You might need to ask your husband to come here.”
Qin Rou let out an “Ah,” then immediately thought of a possibility, her face paling with fear. “Doctor, doctor, do I have some incurable illness? Am I going to die? Wuwu…”
Gu Jianing hadn’t expected Qin Rou to cry so easily, scaring herself like this. She quickly explained and reassured her, “No, don’t let your imagination run wild. There’s nothing wrong with your health.”
As Qin Rou stared blankly, Gu Jianing continued, “I’ve taken your pulse, and I can confirm there’s nothing wrong with your body. No serious illness, and no factors preventing you from conceiving.”
Qin Rou: Then… then isn’t that great news?
“But why haven’t I been able to get pregnant for over five years?”
“Comrade Qin, that’s precisely why I asked for your husband to come. Conceiving a child isn’t just the woman’s responsibility—both partners must be healthy for it to happen. Since you’re fine, the issue must lie with your husband, so…”
“No way!” Qin Rou was stunned.
To be honest, neither she nor Ah Cheng had ever considered the possibility that the problem might lie with him, because Qi Yuan Cheng was… very capable in bed.
“Of course it’s possible,” Gu Jianing said. “Comrade Qin, if you want to have a child, you should bring your husband here. I need to examine him and take his pulse to determine where the issue lies and how to treat it.”
“Of course, whether he comes or not is up to you. You can go back and think it over.”
“Alright.” Qin Rou left in a daze.
Watching Qin Rou’s retreating figure, Gu Jianing was actually 100% certain that the problem lay with her husband.
Because both the scan results and her pulse diagnosis confirmed that Qin Rou’s body was perfectly healthy.
The question was whether her husband would be willing to come in for treatment.
She knew that in this era, just as in modern times, many couples struggling with infertility placed the blame solely on the woman. It was always the woman who underwent treatment, while the man never even considered that he might be the issue. Worse, some men knew they had a problem but, for the sake of pride, dignity, or other reasons, continued to shift the blame onto their wives—leaving them to endure the accusations, insults, and guilt.
Not long after Qin Rou left, Xiao Duo arrived with Amber, though his expression was far from pleasant.
“I… I’m here to change Amber’s bandages.”
“Mm.”
[Hello, sister! I’m here.] Amber greeted Gu Jianing as soon as she arrived.
Gu Jianing patted Amber’s head. “Hello to you too, Amber.”
Xiao Duo watched Amber’s excitement and the interaction between the two, his heart souring.
Although he had taken Amber home that day, he could clearly sense that Amber had grown distant from him, which pained him deeply.
Truthfully, he hadn’t wanted to come see Gu Jianing today.
After all, he could have taken Amber to any other doctor for a bandage change.
But he had a premonition—if Amber kept seeing Dr. Gu, she might just run off with her one day and leave him behind.
But in the end, after much internal struggle, Xiao Duo still brought Amber to Gu Jianing for the bandage change.
No matter what, Amber’s injury couldn’t be neglected—after all, Dr. Gu’s medical skills were the best.
But now, watching their interaction, Xiao Duo’s heart ached with bitterness, as if he could already see Amber leaving him for good.
“Thank you.”
After Gu Jianing finished changing Amber’s bandages, Xiao Duo hastily expressed his gratitude and hurried away with Amber, as if even an extra minute with Gu Jianing was unbearable.
[*Sister, I’ll come back to see you!*]
Amber’s voice drifted from afar, and Gu Jianing couldn’t help but laugh helplessly, silently replying in her heart: *I’ll be waiting.*
…
The next day, as soon as Gu Jianing arrived at work, Dr. Zhou informed her that someone was looking for her.
When she entered the office, she saw a middle-aged woman she didn’t recognize. After some questioning, she learned that the rescue efforts in Xinghua Village had concluded two days prior, and the authorities planned to commend those who had performed exceptionally during the operation.
As for who would be commended? Naturally, it was decided by popular vote.
Among the medical staff, Gu Jianing received the most nominations. Despite being pregnant, she had persisted on the frontlines of the rescue, tirelessly treating patients with her exceptional skills and saving many critically injured individuals on the brink of death.
When it came to medical personnel, who else but Gu Jianing deserved this recognition? Her selection was the unanimous choice.
Today, this woman—Comrade Li—had come to inform Gu Jianing of the decision and invite her to attend the commendation ceremony the following evening.
“Understood, Comrade Li. I’ll be there on time. However…” Gu Jianing paused. “I’d like to ask—aside from people, will there be any commendations for the military dogs?”
Comrade Li was visibly taken aback. Gu Jianing immediately realized the answer was no. She continued, “This rescue operation wasn’t just carried out by medical workers, soldiers, villagers, or military spouses—it also involved military dogs.”
“Those dogs were on the frontlines too, working without rest. I even know of one military dog that, despite being pregnant, braved the rain alongside the soldiers and helped rescue many people.”
“So, I believe their contributions shouldn’t be overlooked. If possible, I’d like them to be recognized as well.”
Li Hong was deeply moved by Gu Jianing’s words. Previously, commendations had always been reserved for people, but now Gu Jianing was advocating for the military dogs to be honored.
And it made perfect sense.
The dogs had contributed too—racing through the rain to the rescue site, working tirelessly from the very beginning.
Their efforts truly shouldn’t be ignored.
However, commending military dogs was unprecedented.
“Comrade Gu, I’ll take your suggestion to the leadership. I’m sure they’ll consider it, but I can’t guarantee the outcome.”
“I understand. Still, I’ll be looking forward to it.”
As soon as Li Hong left, Dr. Zhou peeked into the office, eyes sparkling with excitement and gossip. “Dr. Gu, so? Did that comrade just say the authorities are going to commend you?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s really happening? That’s fantastic! Our Traditional Medicine Department finally has a doctor being recognized! You have no idea how many benefits come with this commendation…”
As Dr. Zhou explained, Gu Jianing learned that being commended greatly aided future promotions and even came with a monetary reward. Moreover, if a military spouse was honored, the prestige could also positively influence her husband’s career advancement.
After all, husband and wife were a single unit.
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