Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

"How long have you been here?" Chen Ping asked.

"It's been over a year," Cui Ying replied.

"More than a year?" Chen Ping was a little surprised. "Then you're more senior than me."

"What's this about qualifications?" Cui Ying smiled. "There are only a few of us. We're all colleagues, so there's no question of qualifications."

"Dean Zhao is a very nice person," Chen Ping said.

"It's pretty good, but they're stingy," Cui Ying said, pursing her lips.

"Why is Dean Zhao being so stingy?" Chen Ping asked curiously.

"He doesn't want to shed a single drop of blood. I've been here for over a year, and when I first arrived, he treated me to a meal, which was just noodles."

"Just you wait, he'll definitely treat you tomorrow too, but it'll probably just be noodles," Cui Ying said.

Chen Ping smiled and said, "You've been working with Dean Zhao for over a year now, it seems you've figured him out."

"Of course," Cui Ying said confidently. "I'm good at judging people. Dean Zhao is henpecked and has no money, so he's stingy."

"Then tell me, who am I?" Chen Ping asked.

Cui Ying looked Chen Ping up and down carefully and said, "You are a very capable person, and you are upright and generous. It's just a pity that you don't have any money, so you can't be generous even if you want to."

Chen Ping was taken aback, his face full of disbelief. "How did you figure out I had no money?"

"It's a secret." Cui Ying smiled, glanced at the clock on the wall, "It's almost eleven o'clock, I'm going to sleep now, goodnight."

After saying that, Cui Ying got up and left to go to the dormitory next door to sleep.

Chen Ping watched Cui Ying's departing figure and couldn't help but smile.

He is indeed very poor now. He left with nothing after the divorce, not even a change of clothes, let alone money.

He left everything in the house to his ex-wife, Su Meng.

The next morning, Chen Ping was woken up by the crowing of roosters.

Not the kind of rooster crowing you occasionally hear in the city, but the kind that's really crowing loudly right under the window.

One sound after another, like an alarm clock.

Chen Ping opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a while before realizing where he was.

White walls, old windows, a bathroom partitioned off by wooden boards in the corner, and a wooden box on the table.

Siping Township Health Center.

Chen Ping sat up and rubbed his face.

I chatted with Cui Ying until almost 11 p.m. last night, so I went to bed late and my head is still a bit heavy.

He threw off the covers, got out of bed, walked to the window, and opened it.

The mountain breeze rushed in at dawn, cool and refreshing, carrying the scent of grass and dew.

He shuddered, and his mind cleared up considerably.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten, and the distant mountains were shrouded in a thin mist, like a white veil.

Chen Ping took a deep breath.

I have to say, the air here is fucking fresh.

It's a world of difference from Tianhai City, where every breath you take is filled with exhaust fumes and the smell of dust.

He turned around and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

The water flowing from the tap was icy cold, and when it hit his face, it made him gasp for breath.

There's no water heater; they say you can take a shower, but that's really just a quick rinse in the summer.

Chen Ping hastily wiped his face with a towel and tidied his hair, considering himself done.

When he was changing his clothes, he realized that he didn't even have a change of clothes.

I was wearing this outfit when I came yesterday; the shirt was wrinkled and there were mud spots on the trouser legs.

He patted it down, but he had no choice but to make do.

As I pushed open the door to go out, the door next door also opened.

Cui Ying came out, wearing a light blue T-shirt, with her hair in a ponytail, and carrying a small bag.

Last night, the lights were dim, so he couldn't see clearly. Now that it's daylight, Chen Ping can finally see what she looks like.

Her skin was quite fair, and while her features weren't particularly refined, they were clean and bright. However, there was a faint bluish tint under her eyes, suggesting she hadn't slept well last night.

"Good morning," Chen Ping greeted.

"morning."

Cui Ying glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his wrinkled shirt for a moment, then said nothing. "Let's go have breakfast."

"Does the cafeteria have food?"

"canteen?"

Cui Ying laughed, "The clinic's canteen has been closed for a long time, and there's no one to cook. There's a stall at the street corner that sells soy milk and fried dough sticks; I eat there every day."

Chen Ping patted his pocket.

I only had a few dozen yuan in change in my pocket, which was left over from buying a bus ticket yesterday.

He did have some savings in his bank account, but he couldn't withdraw the money in Siping Township.

"Um..." he said a little embarrassedly, "Could you lend me some money first? I'll pay you back later when I get it."

Cui Ying glanced at Chen Ping, didn't ask any further questions, and simply nodded: "Let's go, it's on me today."

The two people walked across the front yard of the health center.

The clinic was quiet in the morning; the doors to the clinics were all closed, and a few leaves had fallen on the bench outside.

The banner at the hospital entrance, which read "Welcome the leaders of the Municipal People's Hospital to visit our hospital and guide our work," swayed slightly in the morning breeze.

Once you step out of the health center gate, you'll find yourself on the main street of Siping Township.

The streets were a bit more lively than when I came yesterday afternoon.

Shops on both sides of the road opened one after another, and vendors selling breakfast, vegetables, and groceries began to set up stalls.

An old man squatted at his doorstep, with two baskets of fresh, dewy green vegetables in front of him.

The owner of the barbershop across the street was sweeping the floor when she saw Cui Ying and called out with a smile, "Little Cui, you're up so early!"

"Good morning, Sister Zhang!" Cui Ying replied with a smile.

There weren't many people on the street, but the few groups of two or three still gave it a lively feel.

Cui Ying led Chen Ping into a small alley, and after walking a few steps, they saw a breakfast stall.

The stall wasn't big; it was just a pushcart with two folding tables and a few plastic chairs set up next to it.

A large pot was placed on the cart, steaming and bubbling, and the aroma of soy milk wafted far and wide.

Next to it, a tin bucket held a dozen or so golden-brown fried dough sticks, fresh out of the fryer, still sizzling with oil.

The boss was a man in his fifties, wearing a greasy apron, and he worked very efficiently.

Upon seeing Cui Ying, a smile immediately spread across his face.

"Little Cui is here!"

The middle-aged man had a loud voice, "The usual? Two fried dough sticks and a bowl of soy milk?"

"Yes." Cui Ying nodded, then pointed to Chen Ping, "Add another one, the same one."

The uncle then noticed Chen Ping, looked him up and down, and then glanced at Cui Ying, his eyes suddenly becoming meaningful.

"Hey, Cui, it's only been a few days, and you've got a boyfriend?" The middle-aged man grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking. "You're a pretty good-looking young man!"

Cui Ying's face flushed red: "Uncle Liu, don't talk nonsense! This is a new doctor from the health center, sent by the city to provide counterpart support."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's for support." The uncle chuckled twice, his expression clearly showing disbelief. "Alright, alright, it's for support, good for support. Young man, have a seat, it'll be ready in a minute."

Chen Ping smiled, didn't explain anything, and sat down next to Cui Ying at the folding table.

The plastic chair was a bit low; when Chen Ping, a grown man, sat on it, his knees almost touched his chin.

Seeing his expression, Cui Ying couldn't help but laugh.