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

Chapter 158 Didn't Come

By the time we finished eating, it was already dark.

Wang Tao burped and said, "I'm full today, so I'll have the energy to work tomorrow."

Li Fang rolled her eyes at Wang Tao and retorted, "When have you ever not eaten enough?"

Wang Tao chuckled and didn't retort.

The crowd dispersed.

Wang Tao left, Liu Wei went to lock the clinic door, Li Fang checked the pharmacy window, and Wang Jianguo also slowly walked away with his hands behind his back.

Zhao Guosheng stood in the courtyard, looking at the brand-new health center, his face full of wrinkles with a smile.

"Director, if you don't want to leave, you can stay at the health center. There are plenty of dormitories now."

After checking the pharmacy window, Li Fang looked at Zhao Guosheng standing in the yard and joked.

"Let's go, let's go, my wife won't let us go..."

Zhao Guosheng walked away with a smile.

The courtyard was quiet.

The moon rose, hanging above the poplar treetops, shining brightly.

The wind blew by, and the poplar leaves rustled, just like before.

Cui Ying took Zhou Xiaohe's hand and walked around the yard, breathing in the fresh air. Zhou Xiaohe's smile never faded.

"It's getting late, time to go to sleep."

Cui Ying called Zhou Xiaohe to go to sleep.

Cui Ying took a clean sheet from the cabinet and spread it on the bed.

Zhou Xiaohe helped her pull the corner of the blanket, and the two of them spread the blanket out neatly.

Chen Ping lay on his bed. The leaves of the pothos on the windowsill were a bright green, and the moonlight shone on them, making them glow slightly.

The sound of Cui Ying and Zhou Xiaohe talking could be heard from next door. Their voices were low and indistinct, with occasional soft laughter, like the wind rustling through the leaves.

Chen Ping closed his eyes and mentally reviewed tomorrow's events: ribbon-cutting, Zhang Jianmin's arrival, a speech, firecrackers, and red silk ribbons.

As he pondered, his eyelids grew heavy, his breathing became even, he turned over, faced the wall, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Chen Ping opened his eyes at around six o'clock.

After getting up and washing up, he saw that Cui Ying and Zhou Xiaohe were still not up.

Chen Ping moved around in the yard for a while, and then Aunt Li arrived to make breakfast for everyone.

"Dr. Chen, up so early?"

Aunt Li was somewhat surprised to see Chen Ping already moving around in the yard.

After all, young people love to sleep in; who would get up before noon?

"There's a lot going on today for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, so I got up a little early," Chen Ping said with a smile.

Aunt Li went to make breakfast, and soon the aroma of millet porridge wafted from the kitchen, mixed with the sweet smell of steamed sweet potatoes.

Chen Ping ran two more laps in the yard, stretched his legs, and broke out in a light sweat.

Since Cui Ying and Zhou Xiaohe hadn't made a sound yet, he didn't want to knock on the door. So he stood under the locust tree by the door, gazing at the distant, faintly visible mountains.

About twenty minutes later, Cui Ying's door opened.

She was wearing a light blue sweatshirt, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her face had a rosy glow from just waking up.

Zhou Xiaohe followed behind her, wearing a thin white jacket and with her hair tied up, looking much more energetic than yesterday.

Zhou Xiaohe still looked sleepy, but her eyes were bright. She stretched at the door, took a long breath, and then exhaled.

"It feels really strange without the roosters crowing."

Cui Ying rubbed her neck and glanced at Chen Ping. "When I was staying at the health center, I was woken up by chickens every day. Now that there are no chickens, I have to set my own alarm clock."

Chen Ping smiled and said, "You'll get used to it."

Zhou Xiaohe didn't understand what they were talking about. She tilted her head and glanced at Cui Ying. Cui Ying didn't explain and pulled her back to wash up.

Just after seven o'clock, Wang Tao arrived.

He wore a new white T-shirt today, with creases at the collar, and his hair was washed several times and combed so neatly that not a single stray hair was visible.

He started wandering around the yard as soon as he entered, touching and looking at everything, tugging at the banner and moving the flowerpots around, busy as a spinning top.

Liu Wei followed closely behind, wearing a dark blue jacket and carrying a folder with several sheets of paper inside, the contents of which were unknown.

He saw Chen Ping, nodded, and went straight to the consultation room without saying a word.

Li Fang arrived in her high heels, the clattering sound audible from afar.

She wore makeup today, with lipstick on her lips and big, permed curls draped over her shoulders, making her look like a completely different person.

When Wang Tao saw her, he was stunned for a moment and said, "Sister Fang, you look really beautiful today."

Li Fang rolled her eyes at him and said, "When have I ever looked bad?"

"She'll look good every day. When I'm looking for a wife, I'll only find someone as beautiful as Sister Fang." Wang Tao chuckled.

This time, Li Fang didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth were turned up high, and she must have been very happy inside.

What woman doesn't like to be complimented on her beauty?

Wang Jianguo was the last to arrive.

He was still the same as always, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, with three pens clipped to his pocket, reading glasses hanging on his chest, and walking slowly and unhurriedly.

He entered the courtyard, glanced around, nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and went to the clinic with his hands behind his back.

Zhao Guosheng arrived shortly after Wang Jianguo, carrying a black plastic bag filled with red firecrackers.

He placed the bag on the edge of the flower bed, dusted off his hands, and called out, "Everyone, come here."

Everyone gathered in the courtyard.

Zhao Guosheng stood under the banner, glanced at his watch, and then looked at Chen Ping.

"There are still a little over two hours left. Everyone, please double-check your assigned areas and review the procedures one last time. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Secretary Zhang will give the speech, Dr. Chen, you stand beside him, Wang Tao, you hand over the scissors, and Li Fang, you hold the red ribbon. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

Zhao Guosheng added, "Set off the firecrackers last. Wang Tao, you're in charge. Light them and run, don't burn your hair."

Wang Tao chuckled and said, "I'm not stupid."

As the sun rose higher, patches of light dappled the ground through the gaps in the locust tree leaves.

People started arriving outside the courtyard. First came a few elderly men and women, leaning on canes, walking slowly.

Then there were young wives with children, the children holding balloons—red, yellow, and blue—floating in the wind.

Then more and more people arrived, some pushing carts, some carrying bags, some with their hands behind their backs, forming a large crowd that completely blocked the entrance to the health center.

"Dr. Chen!"

Someone shouted at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping waved to them and smiled.

Some people in the crowd were whispering among themselves.

"This Dr. Chen is very skilled; he cured my back pain."

"The health center is now well-maintained, just like the ones in the city."

"I won't have to go all the way to the county for medical treatment anymore."

These words drifted into Chen Ping's ears. He didn't say anything, but his lips twitched slightly.

9:30.

Zhao Guosheng started looking at his watch, looking at it again and again, his brows slowly furrowing.

He walked over to Chen Ping and lowered his voice, "Secretary Zhang hasn't arrived yet. Why don't you call and ask?"

Chen Ping took out his phone and dialed Zhang Jianmin's number.