When something like this happened, Henry Walker naturally couldn’t just stand by. Just as he was about to turn his head and drive away, he suddenly saw a sly smile appear on the face of the woman in green.

As clear water brings forth the lotus, so natural beauty needs no adornment!

In that instant, this phrase flashed through Henry Walker’s mind, and at that moment, it felt as if something soft had gently touched his heart.

The woman in green seemed to sense something as well. She looked up at the eyes in the rearview mirror and happened to see Henry Walker staring blankly at her. Their gazes met, and she quickly looked away in a fluster.

“It hurts, teacher... it hurts...”

The moaning from inside the car snapped Henry Walker back to reality. Saving the person was the priority—what was he thinking about? As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Henry Walker turned to the somewhat flustered female teacher and said, “You all discuss among yourselves—who’s coming with me to the clinic? Saving her is the most important thing right now.”

As he spoke, Henry Walker got into the car.

Grace Dawson saw Secretary Walker get in and quickly followed. The teacher in green and the child called Erhu also got in right after.

“Sit tight!” he reminded those in the back. Henry Walker stepped on the gas, and with a roar, the jeep shot forward.

Chapter 0004: Flattering the Wrong Horse

The East-West Street of Xihezi Township is only about a kilometer long. It’s said that once, two rural women went to the market together. One of them urgently needed to relieve herself and went looking for a spot. By the time she found a suitable place and hadn’t even finished her business, the other had already strolled up and down East-West Street twice!

The township clinic of Xihezi, like most township-level institutions, is also located on East-West Street. In fact, the clinic is separated from the township government by just a wall—the clinic is to the east, the government to the west.

In the 1980s and 90s, township clinics, whether in terms of salaries or operating expenses, were mostly managed by the township. Therefore, township leaders still held some authority over the clinic director. However, in the month or so since Henry Walker took office, the director of the township clinic had acted as if he were ill himself and had never once visited Henry Walker.

Glancing from afar at the township government compound, Henry Walker stepped on the gas, and the jeep sped straight into the clinic’s courtyard.

Before Henry Walker could even get out of the car, several people in white coats ran out from the outpatient room. Especially the chubby man in his forties at the front—he moved with surprising agility, forcefully pushing aside the people in front of him and squeezing up to Henry Walker’s car.

Before Henry Walker could open the door, the man’s greasy face broke into a fawning grin, as if a cockscomb flower had bloomed. He obsequiously said, “Well, look who it is—Township Chief Carter! No wonder the two trees in the clinic yard have been full of chattering magpies today. Turns out you’re here to inspect our work! Please, come in...”

Before he could finish, he saw Henry Walker getting out of the car. The clinic director froze for a moment, looking awkward, and said sheepishly, “Oh, it’s not Township Chief Carter!”

He immediately stepped aside. But just as his enthusiasm faded, Grace Dawson and the young female teacher had already carried the sick Xiaoling out of the car.

“Doctor, come quickly and take a look—what’s wrong with this child?” The young female teacher, seeing the doctors right there, finally felt a weight lift from her heart.

The chubby man, seeing a patient, waved to the doctors behind him, signaling them to quickly carry the child over. He himself, however, walked up to Grace Dawson and asked, “Grace, why don’t I see Township Chief Carter? Where did he go?”

To ask about the township head in front of the party secretary—wasn’t that just blatantly disrespecting the secretary? But you couldn’t really blame the chubby director. Henry Walker had been in office for days but had never set foot in his territory, and the various township-level officials had never taken the initiative to report to Secretary Walker. Not knowing him was perfectly normal.

If she hadn’t seen Henry Walker slap William Carter from the police station, Grace Dawson probably wouldn’t have hesitated to answer. But after witnessing the secretary’s authority, Grace Dawson now felt a twinge of anxiety.

If she answered poorly and Secretary Walker held it against her, it would be bad for her future prospects. But if she went too far and word got back to Township Chief Carter, he wasn’t one to let things slide—he might make trouble for her, and that wasn’t something she could handle!

Although Grace Dawson hadn’t worked at the township government for long, she knew all too well about the twists and turns in the compound. She understood that a small figure like herself couldn’t withstand the wrath of either of the two big bosses.

What should I do? What should I say?

Just as Grace Dawson was at a loss for how to answer, Henry Walker spoke up: “Township Chief Carter had business in the village. We happened to come across this sick child on the way, so we brought her here!”