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

Zhao Guosheng's face darkened, he rubbed his hands together, and sat down by the flower bed.

Wang Tao ran over and asked, "Where's Secretary Zhang? Why isn't he here yet?"

Zhao Guosheng frowned and said, "Let's wait and see."

Chen Ping was getting anxious, and the other staff members at the health center were also glancing towards the door from time to time.

This ribbon-cutting ceremony was like a rebirth for the Siping Township Health Center; it was very important to them.

But Zhang Jianmin hadn't arrived yet, and everyone was afraid that something might go wrong.

Time passed minute by minute.

The sun climbed to its zenith above the locust tree, and the crowd grew larger and larger, with some people starting to whisper among themselves.

An old man called out, "Dean Zhao, what time does it start?"

Zhao Guosheng stood up, smiled, and replied, "Soon, soon," before sitting down again.

9:50.

Zhao Guosheng couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and walked to Chen Ping, sweat dripping down his face.

"Dr. Chen, we still can't get through to Secretary Zhang on the phone?" Zhao Guosheng asked.

Chen Ping dialed again, but still no one answered, so he nodded.

Zhao Guosheng rubbed his hands together, his lips moved several times, but he didn't know what to say.

Wang Tao grew anxious and ran over to ask, "Should we start now? Can't we wait any longer?"

Liu Wei also came over and said, "With so many people watching, it's not good to keep waiting."

Li Fang stood at the door, clutching a crumpled red silk ribbon in her hand.

Zhao Guosheng glanced at Chen Ping, but Chen Ping didn't say anything and kept looking in the direction of the courtyard gate.

9:58.

The crowd at the entrance of the courtyard suddenly stirred. Some people shouted, "Make way, make way!" and others stepped aside to make way.

Several black sedans drove in, their gleaming bodies reflecting the sunlight.

At the front was a black Audi, followed by two black minivans, which filed in and stopped in the middle of the yard.

The car door opened.

Zhang Jianmin got out of the last car, walked quickly to the first car, and opened the back door.

The white-haired old man got out of the car yesterday, wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit. His hair was still neatly combed, and he looked much more energetic than yesterday, with a faint smile on his face.

The courtyard fell silent.

Everyone stared at the old man, at his car—a car that didn't look like anything from a rural village—and at the several well-dressed, serious-looking officials following behind him.

Someone in the crowd whispered, "Who is this?", but no one answered.

Zhao Guosheng suddenly stood up from the edge of the flower bed, his face frozen in place, mouth agape, eyes fixed on the old man.

His hands were trembling, and he spilled tea all over his hand without even noticing. The teacup almost fell to the ground, but he managed to grab it.

Chen Ping glanced at Zhao Guosheng, then at the old man, and stepped forward to greet him.

"Secretary Zhang, our old leader, is here." Chen Ping's voice was soft, and he had a smile on his face.

Zhang Jianmin nodded, his expression somewhat complicated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The old man glanced at Chen Ping, his lips twitched, and he reached out his hand.

Chen Ping grasped the old man's hand; it was still dry, warm, and strong. He held it for a moment, then released it.

"Where is Dean Zhao?"

The old man asked.

Zhang Jianmin turned around and called out "Dean Zhao," which brought Zhao Guosheng back to his senses.

He didn't even have time to put the jar down; he held it in his hand and walked over quickly, faster than he usually was. When he reached the old man, he stopped, opened his mouth several times, and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Old...old leader, what brings you here?"

The old man's smile deepened, and he patted Zhao Guosheng on the shoulder, just as lightly as he had patted Chen Ping yesterday. "The Siping Township Health Center is finished being renovated. Can't this old fellow from Siping Township come back to take a look?"

Zhao Guosheng's eyes immediately reddened.

He held the teacup, his hands trembling so badly that he spilled tea all over the floor. His lips quivered for several seconds before he finally managed to say, "Welcome back, old leader," his voice hoarse and unlike his own.

Zhang Jianmin said from the side, "Old leader, it's about time, let's cut the ribbon first."

The old man nodded, and Zhao Guosheng quickly turned around to greet everyone.

Wang Tao ran back to get the scissors, and Li Fang unfolded the crumpled red silk in her hand and folded it again.

Liu Wei moved a table and placed it under the banner, while Wang Jianguo found a piece of red cloth from somewhere and spread it on the table.

Standing beside the table, Zhang Jianmin turned to the villagers who were watching and said, "Fellow villagers, today the renovation of Siping Township Health Center is completed and it is officially open for business. Please allow our former leader to say a few words to everyone."

Scattered applause broke out. Someone recognized the old man and exclaimed, "Isn't this someone from the Song family?" Then someone else shouted, "It really is someone from the Song family! They're back!"

The crowd began to murmur.

The old man raised his hand, and the applause stopped.

He didn't have a microphone, and his voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the courtyard could hear him clearly.

"I grew up in Siping Township and left when I was nineteen. Back then, the health center was just a few mud-brick houses. When I left, I thought to myself, when will the health center in my hometown be like the one in the city, so that I won't have to worry about seeing a doctor?"

He paused, glanced at the row of newly painted bungalows, at the newly replaced iron gate, and at Zhao Guosheng and Chen Ping standing beside him. "I'm back today, and I've seen it. It's even better than I expected."

The applause rang out again, this time much more unified than before.

Wang Tao walked over carrying a tray with three pairs of scissors tied with red silk ribbons.

The old man took one, Zhao Guosheng took one, and Zhang Jianmin also took one.

The three people stood in a row, the red ribbon was stretched straight, and with a snip of scissors, the ribbon was cut into several pieces. Wang Tao lit firecrackers on the side, and they exploded with a crackling sound.

The crowd backed away, children covered their ears and laughed, smoke rose up, looking white in the sunlight, and it took a while to dissipate.

After the firecrackers were finished, Zhao Guosheng led the old man on a tour of the health center.

First, let's look at the consultation room. The old man paused at the door and glanced inside.

New desk, new chair, new computer; human anatomy diagrams and health posters hang on the wall; floor tiles are so polished you can see your reflection.

He didn't go in, nodded, and continued walking forward.

Inside the pharmacy, the medicines were neatly arranged with their labels facing out. Li Fang stood behind the counter, so nervous that she didn't know where to put her hands.

The old man glanced at her, smiled, and said, "You've worked hard."

Li Fang quickly said, "It's not hard work, it's not hard work," her voice trembling.

In the ward, the liver cancer patient was leaning against the bed. He was stunned when he saw so many people come in.

The old man walked over, glanced at him, and asked him how he was doing.

The patient nodded and said "okay," then pointed to the woman feeding him and said, "My wife says this place is better than the city hospital."

The old man smiled, patted the patient on the shoulder, and said, "Take good care of yourself."