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

He stood up, picked up the phone on the table, dialed the police station's number, and after several transfers, finally found the police officer handling the case.

He explained the situation, saying that Chen Ping was a doctor invited by the county hospital for a consultation, and that the child was waiting for him to save his life.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before someone said, "We're following the rules. He assaulted someone, so we have to investigate."

Dean Ma hung up the phone and drove to the Public Security Bureau himself.

He waited in the reception hall for half an hour before a police officer came out and led him into the office.

He showed the surveillance video to the police and said that Chen Ping acted in self-defense and did not attack anyone.

After watching the video, the police officer said, "We will investigate. Go back and wait for news."

Dean Ma said he wanted to see Chen Ping. The police officer hesitated for a moment, then took him to the detention room.

The iron gate opened, and Chen Ping, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, stood up when he saw Dean Ma.

"Dr. Chen, my child is waiting for you to give him the acupuncture." Dean Ma's voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were red.

Chen Ping looked at him without saying a word.

Dean Ma turned around and looked at the police officer: "Can I take this person away? The child is waiting for help; will you take responsibility if something happens?"

The police officer shook his head: "No, we can't release him until the case is fully investigated."

Before Dean Ma could say anything more, Chen Ping spoke up, "Dean Ma, can I borrow your phone for a moment?"

Dean Ma handed over the phone.

Chen Ping took the phone, pulled a business card from his pocket, white background with black lettering, no title, just a name and a phone number.

He dialed the number, it rang twice, and he answered.

"Secretary Li, this is Chen Ping. I'm at the Public Security Bureau. Something has happened. Could you please let County Chief Fang know?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Xiao Li's voice became very serious: "Dr. Chen, please don't hang up, I'll handle it right away."

Less than twenty minutes later, a black sedan pulled up in front of the police station.

Xiao Li got out of the car, his briefcase tucked under his arm, and walked quickly but steadily.

He walked into the police station and, unlike Director Ma, didn't wait in the reception hall. He went straight to the third floor and knocked on the deputy director's door.

The door opened, Xiao Li went in, and closed the door.

No one knows what was said inside, but three minutes later, the door opened, and Xiao Li came out, followed by the deputy director, who looked rather grim.

They went downstairs and walked to the door of the detention cell. The deputy director personally opened the door, returned Chen Ping's phone and wallet to him, and said, "Dr. Chen, there was a misunderstanding. You can go now."

Chen Ping took the items, glanced at him, said nothing, and walked out of the detention cell.

Xiao Li followed behind, stopped at the door, turned around, looked at the deputy director, and said in an icy voice, "County Chief Fang said he will personally look into this matter."

The deputy director's face paled, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Chen Ping got into Dean Ma's car and returned to the county hospital.

He went upstairs and into the ward. The boy's temperature had risen to 39.2 degrees Celsius, he was breathing rapidly, and his lips had turned purple.

He washed his hands, took out his silver needles, and inserted them one by one.

The fingers twisted, lifted, and flicked. By the fifth needle, the boy's breathing had stabilized, and the color of his lips had changed from purple to pale red.

When the eighth needle was inserted, the blood oxygen saturation on the electrocardiogram monitor jumped from 91 to 96.

After the twelve needles were inserted, the boy's brows relaxed, his hands stopped clenching, and he lay quietly, just like in the morning.

Dean Ma stood to the side and let out a long, deep breath, as if exhaling all the tension and fear of the past few hours.

Chen Ping carefully put the needles away, wiped them clean, and returned them to the needle case.

He walked out of the ward, and there stood Xiao Li in the corridor, holding a mobile phone and talking to someone.

He saw Chen Ping come out, said into his phone, "Dr. Chen is out," and handed the phone to Chen Ping.

"County Chief Fang."

Chen Ping took the phone.

"Dr. Chen, you've been wronged."

The voice on the other end of the phone was deep, not angry, but cold as if its bottom line had been touched. "I'll handle this. You can focus on getting better."

"Thank you, County Chief Fang." Chen Ping nodded.

The phone hangs up.

Xiao Li took the phone, glanced at Chen Ping, nodded, and turned to leave.

Chen Ping stood in the corridor, looking out the window.

It was getting dark, and the setting sun hung on the mountaintop, its color as red as blood.

He knew that since County Chief Fang was personally involved, Ma Hu wouldn't be able to escape responsibility.

Fang Jianguo went to the Public Security Bureau in person.

He wasn't wearing a uniform, nor did he have any attendants; he was alone, with a black sedan parked in front of the police station.

When he walked in, the deputy director was already waiting at the door, bending over with a smile on his face, but the smile disappeared before it reached his eyes.

Fang Jianguo didn't look at him, but went straight into the conference room and plugged the USB drive into the computer.

A video appeared on the screen, which Dean Ma had copied from the hospital's monitoring room. It showed Ma Hu and his men blocking Chen Ping's way. Ma Hu made the first move, and Chen Ping retaliated. The whole process was clear, with every frame showing.

"This is the surveillance footage from the hospital entrance."

Fang Jianguo's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the conference room could hear it: "It's clear who struck first and who was defending themselves."

The deputy director, standing to the side, could no longer maintain his smile; the corners of his mouth drooped down like a piece of melted wax.

Fang Jianguo turned around, looked at him for two seconds, and then spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail: "The disciplinary committee people will be here tomorrow. Hand over your work and suspend your duties for now."

The deputy director's legs went weak, and he had to hold onto the table to keep from falling.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Fang Jianguo had already turned and left.

The next day, Ma Hu and his four henchmen were all arrested.

It's not administrative detention, it's criminal detention for disturbing public order; the evidence is conclusive.

Ma Hu shouted in the interrogation room that he wanted to see his cousin, but no one paid any attention to him.

He didn't know that his cousin, who was a deputy director, had gone in before him.

Chen Ping heard the news in his hospital room.

Xiao Li sent a short message with just a few words: "Dr. Chen, everything has been taken care of. You can focus on your treatment now."

Chen Ping glanced at the phone, put it back in his pocket, and continued giving the boy acupuncture.

The boy's complexion has improved a lot. This morning his temperature dropped below 37 degrees Celsius, and he was able to eat half a bowl of porridge. The porridge was millet porridge, cooked until thick, with a layer of rice oil floating on top.

The boy's mother fed him spoonful by spoonful. After eating half a bowl, the boy said he didn't want to eat anymore. His mother coaxed him and fed him two more spoonfuls before he put the bowl down.

The boy can now lean against the bed and look at his phone for a while, scrolling through short videos. When he comes across a funny one, he even laughs.

The lady sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her son with great satisfaction, and then glanced at Chen Ping with a grateful look.

Fang Jianguo did not come again.

But Chen Ping knew that some things didn't need to be said in person; doing them was enough.

He finished inserting the needles, put them away, stood up, and walked to the window.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, illuminating the garden below the inpatient building, where several elderly people in hospital gowns were sitting on benches basking in the sun.

Chen Ping saw Zhao Guosheng appear in the courtyard, carrying some fruit, and quickly enter the inpatient building.