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

Chen Ping put down his chopsticks and looked at Cui Ying.

Cui Ying was still pouting, looking quite helpless.

"Your dad goes out for business dinners, but it's all for the sake of this family."

Chen Ping said softly, "The company is so big, with hundreds of people waiting to get paid. If he doesn't go to socialize, who will?"

You think he wants to drink? His lungs are so bad; one drink and he'll feel terrible for days. But he can't refuse; some things are settled over drinks.

Cui Ying raised her head, glanced at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to retort, but she couldn't find the words.

"I'm not speaking up for your dad."

Chen Ping picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup. The soup was no longer too hot, just the right temperature. "I just feel that being a father is not easy. All the glamorous and respectable things you see outside may not even be able to get a hot meal when you get home."

Your dad comes home very late every day. Do you think he's out enjoying himself? He's out smiling and flattering people, trying to outdrink them. When he gets home, he's too tired to even talk, and you still argue with him.

Cui Ying lowered her head, making her expression unreadable.

"Your mother has it tough too."

Chen Ping put down the bowl and leaned back in his chair. "You've been in Siping Township for over a year. Do you think she could sleep well? She worried every day about whether you were eating well, whether you were living safely, and whether anyone was bullying you."

"Even though she didn't say it, she was worried. When you were at the health center the other day, didn't your mom call you more than a dozen times? You didn't answer a single one, so how many text messages did she send you?"

Cui Ying raised her head. "They just want to control me, but I won't let them."

"It's a blessing to have parents to look after you."

Chen Ping lowered his voice, so low it was as if he were talking to himself, "Not everyone gets to have someone nagging you, keeping an eye on you, worrying that you'll suffer, or being wronged."

Cui Ying looked at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping's expression remained indifferent, as if he didn't care about anything, but she noticed that his eyes twitched, as if he remembered something, but then he suppressed them.

"Then you should let your parents keep an eye on you and see if you're truly happy."

Cui Ying didn't think before she said those words; her mouth moved faster than her brain, and she only realized what she had said after it was out.

Chen Ping remained silent.

I picked up my chopsticks, took a peanut, put it in my mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

The whole process was very slow, so slow that Cui Ying's heart sank little by little.

"Chen Ping, I...I didn't mean that..."

Cui Ying's voice changed, becoming soft and urgent, as if afraid that speaking too loudly would break something, "I forgot, I shouldn't have..."

Cui Ying forgot that Chen Ping had told him that his parents had disappeared when he was young and had never cared for him.

Chen Ping smiled faintly. "It's alright. I don't have that kind of luck, but you do. Don't wait until it's gone to realize its value."

Cui Ying's eyes reddened.

She reached out, across the table, and grasped Chen Ping's hand.

His hands were a size larger than hers, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. Her hand rested on top of his; it was warm and slightly damp with sweat.

"I'm sorry, I..." Cui Ying felt guilty and didn't know how to explain that she didn't mean it.

"I told you it's okay." Chen Ping patted the back of her hand, pulled it back, picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating his noodles.

Cui Ying sat opposite him, watching him eat noodles for a long time.

She remembered what he had said, the years he had grown up alone, how he left with nothing after his divorce, without even a change of clothes, and the canvas bag and old wooden box he carried when he first came to the Siping Township Health Center.

Her nose stung, she sniffed, and held it in.

Just as Chen Ping was finishing his noodles, his phone rang.

A name popped up on the screen: Lao Wang.

Chen Ping answered the phone, but before he could even speak, the voice on the other end boomed out, carrying a smoky, drunken tone and an air of excitement.

"Chen Ping! You're still in Tianhai, right? Come out for a drink! Lao Liu, Da Xiong, and Zhang Hao are all here! We're just waiting for you!"

Chen Ping was taken aback.

He knew Lao Liu and Da Xiong; they had just eaten together a while ago. Zhang Hao was also his roommate, living in the bed opposite his. After graduation, Zhang Hao went to the provincial capital, and they hadn't seen each other for several years.

"Why is Zhang Hao in Tianhai?" Chen Ping asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I'm asking you out for a drink! What else could it be?"

Old Wang's voice was so loud that everyone around could hear him, "Let me tell you, Zhang Hao is here this time, it's not easy to get us all together, you can't not give him face."

"The usual place, the street you used to live on, east of that 'Chuanmen' barbecue place, remember? Eight o'clock, don't be late!"

Chen Ping glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost eight o'clock.

He hesitated for a moment, and before he could speak, Old Wang added, "Don't worry, that bastard Zhao Pengfei isn't here. It's just the few of us brothers. Hurry up, let's get it lit first."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Ping held the phone, looked at it for two seconds, and then put it in his pocket.

"What's wrong?" Cui Ying asked.

"A few of my college buddies invited me out for barbecue." Chen Ping stood up, cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, and took them into the kitchen.

Cui Ying followed behind him, leaning against the kitchen door frame.

"Are they the same classmates from the restaurant the other day?" Cui Ying asked.

Chen Ping put the bowl in the sink, turned on the tap to rinse it, placed it on the drain rack, and shook the water off his hands.

"There's one exception. This guy has been in the provincial capital and just arrived," Chen Ping said, shaking his head.

"Did you come all the way from the provincial capital just to drink with you?" Cui Ying asked.

"They might just be passing by and then have a get-together!" Chen Ping said.

Chen Ping genuinely didn't know why Zhang Hao had suddenly come to Tianhai.

Cui Ying glanced at him, didn't ask any more questions, took his sneakers out of the shoe cabinet, and placed them by the door.

"Your head injury has just healed, so drink less alcohol," Cui Ying advised.

"understood."

Chen Ping changed his shoes and went out.

The streetlights were still the same color, a dim, yellowish hue, and the shadows of the osmanthus trees swayed on the ground.

He walked out of the residential area, hailed a taxi on the roadside, and gave the name of the barbecue restaurant.

The driver was a chatterbox, talking non-stop the whole way, saying things like, "House prices in Tianhai City have gone up again recently," "My son scored over 600 points on the college entrance exam this year," and "College graduates aren't finding jobs easily these days." Chen Ping responded half-heartedly, his mind wandering to other things.

"Chuanmen" BBQ is located on an old street. The storefront is small, but the business is good. The entrance is full of electric bikes and motorcycles, and you can see through the glass that the place is full of people, with smoke swirling around.

Chen Ping pushed open the door and was immediately hit by a wave of heat, mixed with the aroma of chili peppers, cumin, and roasted meat, which made him squint.

Old Wang sat in the innermost corner, waving at him with his arm raised high, as if afraid he wouldn't see it.

The table was already full of things.

Lamb skewers, beef skewers, beef tendon, chicken wings, grilled eggplant, grilled chives, and a case of beer, several bottles opened, the bottle caps scattered on the table, rolling around.

Old Liu sat next to Old Wang, wearing black-rimmed glasses. His hair was half gone, and his belly was bigger than before.

Big Bear sat opposite, still the same size, taking up the space of two people, with a pile of empty skewers in front of him, still chewing.

Zhang Hao sat at the very back, wearing a dark jacket, his hair neatly combed, and a watch on his wrist reflecting the light, looking like he was doing quite well.