Wildfire

Chapter 9

Not-A-Philanthropist Tao Xiaodong towed his luggage the next day, brushing all of his work off. He packed a few sets of clothes, along with a tattoo machine, inks, and consumables, abandoning anything business-related to Da Huang.

First, he made a stop at a parlour in Italy for ten days, during which he worked speedily around the clock. The owner, a highly recognised world-class tattoo artist, was a friend with whom he ran way back. Tao Xiaodong had stayed over there for slightly more than a year when he was young, and in the fledgling days of his business, the other had often sent people to help out at his place to boost its credibility. Tao Xiaodong never forgot this favour. Now that he had gained fame and was similarly a world-class tattoo artist, he’d take a few days every year to freelance at the other’s parlour in Italy, using this opportunity to catch up with an old friend and learn from each other.

Thereafter, he met up with those from the hospital at a road junction leading from Lhasa to another city in Tibet.

The hospital had contacted Tao Xiaodong en route. Once learning that they were passing through the same way, he got off his ride at Qüxü County, waiting for about an hour before the team from the hospital arrived.

They had arranged a few coaches and equipment vans for their transport, as well as two MPVs that headed this small fleet. One of them stopped right in front of Tao Xiaodong. As the driver got off to help him with his luggage, the car door slid open. Tao Xiaodong smiled when he saw who it was. He greeted, “Dr. Tang.”

Tang Suoyan smiled faintly, saying to him, “Xiaodong.”

They weren’t allowed to stop the vehicle for too long at the roadside. Tao Xiaodong quickly got into the car, sitting in the middle row with Tang Suoyan. Including him, there were a total of five people taking this car, and Tang Suoyan did the introductions for him.

The driver was a local volunteer. An anaesthesiologist, Consultant Xu, sat in the front passenger seat, while an ophthalmologist from Tang Suoyan’s department, Dr. Liu, sat in the back. After they each went through the usual greetings, Consultant Xu turned his head back to tell Tao Xiaodong, “You were supposed to take the other car at first. The hospital made special arrangements for some of my colleagues to receive you. They were planning to show you the sights of the Tibetan landscape along the way.”

Tao Xiaodong flapped his hand and said, “Nevermind that. I don’t need any special treatment.”

Consultant Xu said with a smile, “Consultant Tang also said to do away with it and let you sit with us, claiming that you’d be more comfortable like this.”

Tao Xiaodong smiled at Tang Suoyan. “Mm. I’ve known Dr. Tang for a long time now.”

Tang Suoyan also smiled, asking him, “Is Xiao Nan doing well?”

“Pretty well. You were out on business during his last check-up, so Dr. Chen examined him instead. His condition is quite stable,” said Tao Xiaodong.

“Mn. Xiao Nan’s condition has never been too bad. He wished me Happy New Year during the lunar new year. I talked to him for a while. He’s still very well-behaved, just like he was when he was young.” Tang Suoyan took a bottle of water for Tao Xiaodong, handing it over.

Tao Xiaodong took it from him, chuckling. “That’s because he likes you.”

This was a medical aid project run by San Hospital. It was somewhat a tradition.

The hospital would organise mission trips every year, targeted at impoverished areas like Tibet and Sichuan where medical care fell behind. The various departments set out on both short-term and long-term missions. A few years ago, the state had appealed to hospitals at provincial and municipal levels to set up general disciplinary teams, providing humanitarian aid to backward areas. Consequently, San Hospital also arranged for a team to be stationed in Tibet for the long term.