A Hospital in Another World?

Seraina requested the cowpox vaccine, but it was just a joke. Seeing Garrett’s face lined with frustration, she giggled and waved her hand behind her back:
"Come on, it’s your turn!"
"Alright, Miss Seraina!"
The responses came unevenly. Soon, about 20 men and women lined up neatly in front of Garrett.
"I’ve already spoken with the nurses! Garrett, vaccinate them with that... what... smallpox vaccine!"
Seraina looked triumphant. Garrett glanced over and immediately held his forehead.
Ah... this team of nurses... no matter how many times I see them, it still stings the eyes...
At the front was a girl about eleven or twelve years old. With soft blonde hair and deep blue eyes, her cheeks were chubby and rosy, invoking tenderness. Dressed in an extra small white nurse’s uniform, she appeared shy and adorable.
Seeing Garrett, the little girl’s eyes brightened. She gracefully lifted the hem of her nurse’s dress and performed a curtsy:
"Ah, Jenny, you’re here too," Garrett nodded to her. Looking behind Jenny, from the second to the fifth...
In short, a line of women ranging from their twenties to forties stood there. Strong and with large, rough hands, they were clearly accustomed to hard work. Their nurse uniforms were visually acceptable.
Behind the women stood a row of barbarians in nurse uniforms...
Seraina, what are you doing with barbarians! Not to mention, even if you involve a group of barbarians, why make them nurses!
While nurses do need strength, for tasks like pushing patients or moving beds, hospitals don’t lack people for heavy work. There are skeletons for carrying water, lifting things, and mopping the floor, aren’t there?
They even come with their own look and can be regularly replaced, all above standard in terms of appearance... If you’re going to make barbarians nurses, at least don’t put them in nurse uniforms!
If it really came down to it, you should have consulted me first! There are uniforms for male nurses, so you didn’t have to directly copy the female ones!
Nevertheless, Garrett had no intention of changing the nurse uniforms. If Seraina didn’t bring it up, he wouldn’t either:
I can’t be the only one fussing over this!
Seraina creating a nursing team wasn’t entirely for humor. On one hand, it was at Garrett’s request; on the other, she was bored during her time in Nevis.
Garrett was too busy. Journals to read, papers to write, new spells to learn. Visiting dignitaries, checking apprentices’ work...
Writing research proposals, applying for research funding, one thing after another, all his responsibility.
With such a busy schedule, his time with Miss Silver Dragon naturally dwindled. After a month, Seraina was left wandering aimlessly, utterly bored:
No need to learn third-tier magic, can’t visit other mages’ towers, journals are uninteresting—
Even the Tower Spirits MOSS stopped chatting with her!
According to that necromancer, if they kept chatting, MOSS would have broken down...
And that black cat, after being petted once by her, would immediately flee upon seeing her from afar.
So boring!
Super boring!
Utterly boring!
If it weren’t for the microscope to play with, infrared and ultraviolet light to experiment with, and plenty of seaweed, coral, beef, and corn to cook, acidify, and alkalinize...
Seeing Seraina nearly exploding from boredom, torn between flying home and finding a place to sleep, Garrett reluctantly played his trump card:
"Seraina, why not... help me train a batch of nurses?"
"What’s a nurse?"
"A nurse... is someone who knows some medical knowledge, assists in treatments, and helps doctors care for patients... They don’t necessarily have to know how to treat or be spellcasters, but they are very important assistants to doctors..."
"Why can’t I be a healer then?"
Miss Silver Dragon immediately felt slighted. Just "some" medical knowledge is enough? They don’t even need to be spellcasters? Why are you setting such low standards for me, are you afraid I won’t do well?
"Of course, you can," Garrett quickly reassured her with a smile:
"Your spellcasting level is much higher than mine, being a healer is definitely no issue. But Seraina, trained healers are few, and they’re never enough..."
He watched her mood clear up like the sky after a storm, unable to suppress a smile:
"If we could include some people with basic training, it would greatly save the healers’ energy and help many more people. Plus, it feels much better for the sick and injured."
"But..."
Miss Silver Dragon’s eyes wandered,
still feeling something was off.
After all, if they can’t become spellcasters, they’ll be considered inferior. Having her lead these people seemed to lower her status.
"Of course, there’s a special reason I’m asking you to do this," Garrett seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot:
"Spellcasters looking down on common people is common in this world. But if it’s Seraina, you certainly won’t look down on them, right?"
"Hehe... of course!" Miss Silver Dragon’s eyes narrowed into a smile. Although to Garrett, that smile basically equated to:
I won’t particularly look down on them, because spellcasters and common people are all the same in my eyes...
Seraina plunged into organizing the nursing team. To help her, who lacked connections, get started quickly, Garrett offered his villa and the servants therein.
Honestly, he hadn’t lived in that villa for more than a few days after getting it. Instead of letting the servants idle away, doing meaningless cleaning day after day, he’d rather pull a few out for something meaningful.
Little Jenny was thus chosen. She had been reading in Garrett’s mansion for a year, and her basic literacy was no longer an issue. Garrett originally intended to send her to study magic—
However, after Miss Silver Dragon’s assessment, the little girl seemed to lack magical talent.
Garrett was actually somewhat puzzled by Miss Silver Dragon’s standards—You aren’t using dragons as a benchmark, are you?
But after the little girl cried all night and showed up with swollen red eyes the next day, volunteering to be a nurse, Garrett found no reason to stop her:
Literate people were already rare, having such a girl around could share half of Seraina’s management duties. Being favored by Miss Silver Dragon, whatever slipped through her fingers would make the girl’s future much easier.
Following that, Jenny’s mother recommended a few acquainted washerwomen, all honest and hardworking, who had helped her before. The mansion’s cook recommended two relatives, the maid from the Aurora family also recommended two acquaintances.
The number was about right, but Seraina, after counting the number of wards and consulting rooms, felt there were too few people, too little strength, and after conspiring with Bernard for a bit, brought in several barbarians...
Alright then...
Miss, as long as you’re happy...
After all, you recruited them, and you’re responsible for their training. If the female nurses fail the assessment, directly demote them to washing bed sheets; if the male nurses fail, send them all to be security guards, to raise rabbits, sheep, pigs...
Garrett lined up a row of syringes, injecting each person in turn. With each one, he inevitably asked:
"Feeling unwell recently?"
"Have you had any illnesses lately? Pneumonia? Liver discomfort? Dizziness or headaches?"
"Are you pregnant?"
"This injection we’re giving you in the arm can provide protection, but there’s a small chance it could lead to serious illness. Of course, we will treat you, but we still need to confirm—Are you willing to be vaccinated? It’s okay if you’re not, everything is voluntary..."
As Garrett asked, Carlos, sitting to his right, furiously recorded everything. Once done, he pushed the form forward, smiling at the person:
"If everything’s confirmed, please press your handprint here—yes, dip it in the ink pad first, then press the handprint, thank you..."
Why does sir need to keep these records? These washerwomen are hired anyway, they only have to obey!
Garrett noticed his gaze, just offering a gentle smile. It’s still too early, if this young man wishes to pursue a medical path, the principles and constraints of medical ethics will gradually be taught to him—he just finished asking the peasant women, then continued with the barbarians:
"Feeling unwell anywhere recently?"
"No! We’re very strong!"
The leading male nurse thumped his chest so hard, Garrett nearly got blown away.
Alright, I know you’re sturdy, I know you’re tough... but I still have to ask! Answer me!
One asked, another recorded, while Miss Anita Winvey handled the injections. Once all the nurses were dealt with, Garrett stretched lazily, pulling Seraina towards the back research lab. Hmm, vaccine development and such.
They passed through a corridor and suddenly heard a few washerwomen chatting quietly not far ahead:
"This thing... can it really prevent us from getting smallpox?"
"Who knows. The master told you to do it, dare you not?"
"Isn’t it said to be voluntary?"
"Psht!—Of course, it’s voluntary. The master employing us is voluntary too!"
Seraina’s eyebrows shot up, ready to rush out and interrogate. Garrett quickly grabbed her, Seraina stopping and turning to see Garrett’s face devoid of anger, just serious, quietly listening:
"You think... putting stuff from cattle on us, might
make us grow cow skin?"
"Cow skin wouldn’t be bad, considering my husband’s already dead, I wouldn’t fear beatings then. Just hope it doesn’t grow cow horns..."
"If it grows the cow’s... that, you’d die laughing!"
"Die old woman, it’s you who’s gonna die!"
The conversation took a sharp turn, Garrett shaking his head, only able to lament that veteran nurses and head nurses, when they start driving, can flatten a young doctor face-first. He quietly slipped away with Seraina, only exhaling deeply when they returned to the study:
"It’s a long road ahead!"
He spread out his notebook and quickly wrote. Seraina leaned over, seeing his notes:
"People are quite resistant to the cowpox vaccine... Worried about growing bovine parts... During promotion, consider not mentioning the origin of the vaccine..."
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