584 I’ll Drink to You (1/2)

”Come on everyone, have a smoke.” The Water Monster was holding a box of Chunghwa cigarettes and distributing cigarettes to everyone present.

All the patients in the reception hall were basically locals from Bazhaixiang, and even though some of them were not acquainted, they had seen each other before.

The Water Monster was not stingy at all. He distributed cigarettes to doctors and patients alike. He lit up the cigarettes that were taken and did not bother to convince those who did not take his cigarettes to take one.

Hua Tao then asked someone to bring a box of vacuum flask and distributed one to everyone along with a box of tea leaves. He said with a smile, ”I reckoned that none of you bought your own cup along. The tea leaves are native to Bazhaixiang. They're not famous, but as they grow wild in the mountains, there's a unique taste to them.”

”Then, I must definitely give it a try.” Department Director Hong had always been very fond of people who lit cigarettes for him. He immediately asked someone to make him some tea. He then smoked as he offered consultation to patients.

Hua Tao immediately felt that he and Department Director Hong were the same kind of person. He walked over with a smile and said, ”I feel that tea from Bazhaixiang goes really well with cigarettes. Alternating puffs of cigarettes and sips of tea really makes you feel like you're in heaven. And taking a sip of tea after every two puffs of cigarettes, this must be how being a God feels like.”

”This sounds like something beggars would say.” Wang Haiyang waved to get rid of the annoying layer of smoke that clouded his field of vision.

”I don't think beggars can afford Chunghwa cigarettes.” Department Director Hong waved the cigarette in his hand and said rather happily, ”From my observation, the average lifespan of people who smoke Chunghwa cigarettes are higher than people who don't smoke.”

Huo Tao immediately became elated. ”You can increase your lifespan by smoking? I must tell my wife this. Women nowadays are seriously annoying. Before we got married, whenever I smoked and drank, she said that it's a sign of masculinity. However, after we got married, she kept nagging me to stop smoking. She complained that smoking is bad for health and that cigarette smoke is very smelly. What's so special about Chunghwa cigarettes?”

”It's because people who smoke Chunghwa cigarettes are richer.” Department Director Hong smiled.

Hua Tao froze for a moment and laughed out loud, ”Isn't it great to be rich? No matter what, it's always amazing to live to a ripe old age. Oh, by the way, I bought two wild boars and two pheasants today. They are really nutritious. All of you can give them a try later.”

Department Director Hong nodded with a smile. Since he was in the village for a volunteer medical consultation, there was no harm in sampling some wild boar meat and other food exclusive to villages. It was an extra bonus, anyway.

One of the patients who were queueing up for a consultation took the opportunity to call out, ”Director Hua, whoever heard what you said gets a share, right? I don't mind not getting any wild boar belly, but you should at least let me have some meat, don't you think so?”

”No, do you know how expensive wild boars are? I still need to save up so that I can enjoy a longer lifespan.”

”Hmph, you guys probably hunted for those wild boars in the mountains yourself.”

”What nonsense are you sprouting? Who dares to wield guns nowadays? I daren't, anyway. These wild boars fell to their deaths.” Hua Tao made small talk as he distributed cigarettes. The entire reception hall of the hospital was full of smoke, giving everyone the illusion that they were in heaven.

Even though smoking openly in the reception hall of Yun Hua Hospital would definitely get doctors into trouble, no one in the Bazhaixiang hospital branch cared about it.

Some of the people decided to take out their own cigarettes to combat the secondhand smoke surrounding them by inhaling firsthand smoke.

There were also some patients who immediately turned and left. They did not even bother to queue up for a consultation anymore.

A few doctors from Yun Hua Hospital who were non-smokers furrowed their eyebrows. They wanted to comment on the situation but felt that they were not in a position to do so.

If the only people present were staff members of the Bazhaixiang hospital branch, these associate chief physicians and physicians would have started scolding people. However, since there were patients around, they could not put on such a crude act. Those doctors furrowed their eyebrows and tried their best to endure the smell. Some of them simply rose and went to the back to escape the smoke.

At this moment, Ling Ran entered the reception hall from the back, and the patient whose nails were just cut limped behind him.

”Is the reception hall a smoking area now?” Ling Ran instinctively furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the way the reception hall was full of smoke.

Ever since he started performing finger replantation surgery, Ling Ran was aversive towards cigarettes and secondhand smoke.

Hua Tao said with a smile, ”Bazhaixiang is just a small village, and there's no such thing as non-smoking areas.”

”Hospitals are non-smoking areas.” Ling Ran furrowed his eyebrows as he spoke. He then said to Yu Yuan and Lu Wenbin, ”Go and open all the doors and windows.”

Lu Wenbin and Yu Yuan jogged toward the doors and windows and opened all of them.

At this moment, patients who were non-smokers started grumbling too.

”What's so great about smoking?”