Chapter 225: Taking Over the Maternity and Childcare Hospital
“To be precise… it’s close to 12,000 square meters.”
Su Tao’s scalp tingled for a moment upon hearing that number.
12,000 square meters… would cost her 120 crystal cores.
That was huge.
She had heard before that the maternity and childcare hospital next to Dongyang Hospital was well-equipped and spacious, but she had never visited it herself.
Now, hearing such a massive figure, she couldn’t help but admire how much the old commander valued maternity and childcare. He was willing to allocate such a large piece of land for it.
In Dongyang, whether it was residential areas, commercial districts, or even government and military facilities, land use was always minimized to the extreme.
She scratched her head and asked, “Which areas of the maternity and childcare hospital are the most important, and how much land do they each occupy?”
The old commander had his assistant bring over a map of the hospital and circled the key areas for her:
“This is the maternal and child healthcare zone, covering about 3,000 square meters. It’s where most of the pregnant women and newborns are.”
“This is the orphanage, occupying 1,500 square meters, with 400 children aged 3 to 12.”
“This is the daycare center, covering 2,000 square meters, housing 200 preschool children.”
“Opposite to it is an elementary school, which also takes up over 2,000 square meters…”
The old commander spoke slowly and carefully, marking each location with both hope and concern in his eyes.
Su Tao could sense his expectations—he wanted her to take in all these people and the land in one go.
She pressed her lips together and said, “I just roughly counted these crystal cores. There are about thirty. For now, I can only secure the maternity and childcare hospital. The other areas will require more crystal cores.”
The old commander had anticipated this but still let out a long sigh and said, “That’s fine. I know it’s difficult for you, child. I’ll arrange for crystal cores to be sent to you regularly. To be honest, these in the box are all the crystal cores Dongyang has left. I didn’t even keep any for the younger generation’s evolution—just in case you needed more.”
“…And yet, it’s still not enough.”
He let out a couple of harsh coughs, prompting Xing Shuyu to step forward and pat his back.
Su Tao suddenly felt like the box of crystal cores in her hands weighed a thousand pounds, so heavy that she almost couldn’t hold it.
After a while, the old commander waved over a middle-aged woman with a stern expression and introduced her to Su Tao:
“This is Director Guo. She has been in charge of all the affairs at Dongyang’s maternity and childcare hospital for years. You can instruct her on anything that needs to be done.”
This was essentially handing Director Guo over to Su Tao’s management.
Director Guo, wearing glasses and resembling a strict school dean, was momentarily surprised by Su Tao’s young age but still gave a slight nod.
Su Tao could sense her distance… and some distrust.
Oh well. She really was young and probably didn’t look very reliable. There was plenty of time ahead to prove herself.
Director Guo then provided a detailed overview of the hospital’s situation.
She also mentioned that once the hospital was incorporated into Taoyang’s territory, any revenue it generated would belong to Taoyang.
For instance, maternity services—prenatal checkups, deliveries, etc.—weren’t free. However, Dongyang residents with proper identification could receive a 50% discount.
Daycare tuition was also expensive. Only well-off families could afford to send their children to Dongyang’s daycare center.
Even the elementary school had high costs.
The only non-profitable part of the hospital was the orphanage, and even then, it only took in healthy, smart-looking children.
Other orphans… were left to quietly fade away in unseen corners.
After hearing the full picture of the hospital’s operations, Su Tao let out a deep sigh in her heart.
Overall, Dongyang’s maternity and childcare hospital was highly stratified. Those with money and contribution points could access top-tier prenatal services, safely deliver their children, and send them to a proper school for education.
Even orphans had to be smart and healthy; the rest were simply discarded.
It was cruel, but in some ways, it ensured the maximum utilization of resources.
Many of the people holding key positions in Dongyang’s government and military had once grown up in the orphanage.
Seeing Su Tao frown, Director Guo assumed she disagreed and reminded her:
“Boss Su, as long as the apocalypse continues, this is the best operational model. We are not saints or deities. We cannot create a peaceful, pre-apocalyptic society where everyone is treated equally.”
Su Tao nodded. “I understand.”
Director Guo sighed in relief. At least this young superior wasn’t stubborn and could listen to reason.
Feeling more at ease, she asked, “Would you like to visit the maternity and childcare hospital? I can also have the finance department prepare the revenue report for the first half of the month. Since the old commander decided to hand over management to you, we haven’t separated the accounts.”
Su Tao was momentarily stunned but then delighted.
She had been worried about running out of federal credits to buy protective shields after securing the maternity healthcare zone.
The old commander had truly thought everything through for her.
So she followed Director Guo to the hospital for a brief tour.
After seeing it firsthand, she understood why Dongyang’s economic and military growth lagged so far behind Wutai Base.
The old commander had poured all the money and resources into healthcare and childcare.
The hospital’s equipment was state-of-the-art, some of it even looking brand new. There were plenty of medical supplies.
The hygiene and cleanliness were well maintained, and there were enough doctors, nurses, and childcare workers.
No wonder Dongyang’s population remained stable and even showed steady growth.
With such a well-equipped maternity and childcare hospital, families in Dongyang who could afford it were willing to have children.
Director Guo fitted an identity bracelet on a crying newborn and said to Su Tao:
“The most valuable thing in the apocalypse isn’t supplies or crystal cores—it’s people. Without people, there’s no one to buy supplies or fight for crystal cores.”
Su Tao met her gaze seriously.
“Give me one year, and I can double Dongyang’s population. Do you believe me?”
Director Guo was stunned for a moment, then smiled slightly without responding.
Clearly, she didn’t believe it.
Even the old commander had taken twenty years to grow Dongyang’s population from 20,000 to 50,000.
Doubling it in just one year?
That was too idealistic. A child’s thinking.
She changed the topic. “The finance team has finalized the accounts. How would you like to receive the funds?”
Su Tao didn’t argue further and simply provided the account number managed by Qian Rongrong.
As they continued discussing the hospital, night fell.
Upon returning to Taoyang, Su Tao was met with Qian Rongrong’s excitement.
“Tao, did you just hit the jackpot? Our account suddenly has six million federal credits and over a million contribution points!”
The entire office turned to look.
Zhuang Wan blinked in surprise. “The old commander called you over just to give you money?”
Su Tao stared back at her.
“Daydreaming already? You think money comes for free? It’s for a job. Anyway, it’s almost ten—why are you all still here? Are you waiting for me to buy you supper?”
The employees immediately cheered, congratulating their boss and demanding a celebratory meal.
Feeling generous, Su Tao spent some time browsing the food shop and bought forty self-heating hot pots, treating everyone to a lively late-night feast.
The aroma drifted beyond the walls, drawing longing gazes from the survivors outside Taoyang.
So the people living in Taoyang not only had full stomachs, but they could also eat such delicious food?
Some clutched their hard, half-eaten bread as their stomachs growled—but they still couldn’t bear to take a bite.
Late at night, Su Tao sat up in bed, opened the system, and retrieved the 35 crystal cores given by the old commander.
She spent 30 to gain control over the maternity healthcare zone.
A large green section appeared on the Taoyang map.
And with that, the future of Taoyang’s expansion truly began.
Su Tao didn’t plan to spend too much money or time renovating the maternal and child healthcare center for now. The old chief had built it well enough—maintaining it would suffice. She figured they could wait until there were more mothers and newborns than the facility could accommodate before making any major upgrades.
So, she only installed a few surveillance cameras, renovated the restrooms, and built a water station.
Otherwise, they would have to find someone to deliver water to the maternity hospital every month, which would be a hassle.
Finally, looking at the account balance of over 11 million, Su Tao took a deep breath and spent 3 million to build a protective shield, enclosing the maternal and child healthcare center within a safe zone.
At the same time, the expectant mothers in the maternity ward suddenly felt a cool breeze.
Some who were still awake quietly started chatting:
“I feel like the temperature just dropped. I was sweating like crazy just a moment ago.”
“Yeah, I thought it was just me! It’s a lot cooler now. Even my morning sickness feels better.”
Tao Xue, the wife of Dongyang’s power grid bureau chief and someone who knew a little about what was going on, was also in the maternity ward. Hearing this, her eyes lit up, and she quickly sent a message to her husband:
“Did Taoyang take over the maternity hospital?”
Bureau Chief Qiu of the power grid was still sulking over having three crystal cores taken away by the old chief. Seeing the message, he wasn’t in the best mood and replied curtly:
“Yeah, they took it. Who wouldn’t want to, with that many crystal cores? Why are you asking?”
Tao Xue was delighted:
“It suddenly got cooler here. I heard that Taoyang has a spring-like climate all year round, but I never really experienced it myself. Now I get it—it’s really comfortable. Even my baby has settled down. Before, I was so hot I couldn’t sleep, and neither could he. When he didn’t sleep well, he would keep kicking me.”
Reading this, Bureau Chief Qiu felt a little better.
At least his wife got to enjoy the benefits first—some of the officials who were forced to hand over crystal cores didn’t even have pregnant family members.
Tao Xue stroked her belly, then suddenly thought of something and quickly typed another message:
“Hasn’t your sister been married for three years now? When are they planning to have a baby?”
Bureau Chief Qiu replied:
“Yeah, it’s been three years. They’re planning to have one soon. Why do you ask?”
Tao Xue found him slow-witted:
“Are you dumb? When your sister gets pregnant, have her come to Dongyang for prenatal care. It’s so comfortable here, and safe too.”
Bureau Chief Qiu thought about it and agreed, but he still had concerns:
“She’s in Wutai. Wutai is way more developed than Dongyang, and her husband is the deputy mayor. He’ll definitely make proper arrangements for her. Besides, the journey here isn’t exactly safe, and it’s quite far.”
Tao Xue refused to back down:
“No matter how good it is over there, it can’t be better than here. As for safety, since Xiao Ding is already heading to Taoyang to buy supplies, he can just bring her along. That settles it—I’ll call her tomorrow to ask.”
The sudden drop in temperature at the maternal and child healthcare center wasn’t just noticed by the pregnant women; the nurses and doctors on duty felt it too.
Two young nurses even went outside for a stroll. They found the cool air incredibly refreshing and were about to walk further when they suddenly hit what felt like an invisible wall—they couldn’t pass through no matter what they tried.
After feeling around for a bit, they realized that a new large gate had appeared in front of the building. The only way out was through that gate.
But the moment they stepped outside, the sweltering heat rushed at them, forcing them to retreat.
The two nurses widened their eyes in shock.
It was as if the inside and outside were two completely different worlds.
That very night, news of the sudden temperature drop at the maternity hospital and Taoyang taking over began spreading like wildfire across Dongyang.
The next morning, just as Su Tao was about to find Gan Hongyu and the others to discuss the launch of the “Taoyang Official Website,” she noticed Fan Chuanhui heading out with his camera.
When she asked, she found out he was rushing to the maternity hospital to shoot promotional material for the new website.
Su Tao chuckled and let him go.
By the time she arrived at the small meeting room, Gan Hongyu and the team were already waiting. As soon as she walked in, they excitedly reported on the website’s launch:
“The traffic is way higher than I expected! Yesterday alone, we had over 100,000 visits. Each section of the website averaged 60,000 to 70,000 views, and the most-clicked page was ‘Supplies Procurement.’ You should check with Mr. Lin, who’s in charge of that section.”
Lin Fangzhi, who had stayed up late processing messages, spaced out for two seconds before sending Su Tao the compiled order information.
One glance at the list, and Su Tao was stunned.
There were over 20 confirmed orders, all with deposits paid and waiting for shipment.
More than 100 additional items were sitting in shopping carts, awaiting payment.
And there had been over a thousand inquiries…
Feeling sympathy, Su Tao patted Lin Fangzhi’s head. “You’ve worked hard. I’ll ask Zhuang Wan to hire two customer service reps for you.”
Lin Fangzhi nodded vigorously.
Meng Qian’s workload was also piling up.
Housing applications through the website were pouring in. Since people could now see detailed photos of each housing option, the demand skyrocketed. The pictures alone were enough to make people want to move in.
Only Zhuang Wan had a bit of a break—because they hadn’t posted any job openings, she had avoided the flood of inquiries.
But judging by everyone’s workload, another round of recruitment was inevitable. Her free time wouldn’t last long.
After getting a grasp of the overall situation, Su Tao thought for a moment and said:
“Hongyu, I want you guys to create another subpage for missing person notices—something where people can post and search for lost family members. If anyone has clues, they can submit information through the site.”
In the shadows, Jiang Yu’s heartbeat quickened.
With Taoyang’s rising reputation, web traffic would skyrocket.
Gan Hongyu and Feng An both nodded. “That’s easy. We can have it ready in three days.”
Su Tao thanked them.
She wanted this missing persons page to run as a free service, helping people reunite with lost loved ones in the post-apocalyptic world.
The more popular Taoyang became, the more people would visit the website, and the higher the chances of spreading missing persons information.
Just as she finished giving these instructions, Jiang Yu stepped out of the shadows, lips slightly parted as if about to say something—
But before he could, Meng Xiaobo came running over, panting:
“Boss, that guy who claimed to be your second brother is back again. But this time, he doesn’t seem to be here for a job. He looks pretty smug… and he says he brought you a gift.”
