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

He remembered the man squatting on the ground, and his outstretched hands, rough and with black dirt stuck in his fingernails. He had picked up a hoe, a chicken-killing knife, and a ladle to scoop up medicine powder. He hadn't intended to harm anyone; he just didn't know how to use those things.

But Chen Ping also knew that if he hadn't discovered it in time, if the children had been poisoned more severely, if one of the children had suffered irreversible damage to their kidneys or liver, this man would have faced more than just an investigation and a fine.

Being pitiful is not a reason to absolve oneself of responsibility.

Zhang Jianmin stood next to Chen Ping, looking in the same direction as him. After a while, he turned around, patted Chen Ping on the shoulder, and said, "Let's go."

The two people got into the car.

Zhang Jianmin started the engine and turned around to drive towards Siping Township.

Chen Ping leaned against the passenger seat, looking out the window.

The trees along the roadside seemed to recede into the distance, sunlight filtering through the leaves and dappling the ground.

When I returned to the health center, there were still seven or eight people standing in the courtyard. They were all the parents of the children from last night. They had come on their own without their children.

They formed a semicircle, with Principal Zhao in the middle. He stood with his head down, holding his phone, and remained silent.

Among the crowd, a man in a dark jacket was the most agitated and had the loudest voice, his finger almost poking Principal Zhao's nose.

He roared, his voice filled with rage, "Principal Zhao! Say something! We entrusted our children to this school because we trusted you! And what happened? The children were all poisoned, almost causing a major disaster! What kind of principal are you?"

Several women nearby chimed in, their voices not loud, but each word was barbed and piercing.

"That's right, Principal Zhao, if anything happens to our child, we'll never forgive you!"

"They seem like respectable people usually, how come they can't even guarantee the safety of a child?"

"We don't care about anything else, we just want to know how you're going to explain this to us!"

Zhao Guosheng stood at the door of the consultation room, frowning. He wanted to go forward and say a few words of advice, but he didn't know how to start. He could only stand there awkwardly.

Zhang Jianmin got out of the car and walked quickly to the middle of the crowd.

Upon seeing him, the parents immediately swarmed around him, shouting all at once, "Secretary Zhang, you've finally come! You have to stand up for our children's poisoning!"

"Secretary Zhang, those responsible must be severely punished; we can't let this go!"

"Our children shouldn't suffer like this for nothing!"

Zhang Jianmin raised his hand and pressed down, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable force, and the courtyard instantly fell silent.

"Please be quiet, everyone. I know you're anxious, and I understand how you feel."

He paused, then slowly said, "The school has clearly promised to cover all the children's medical expenses, and parents will not have to spend a single penny. As for the cause of the poisoning, the police station has gone to the scene to investigate and collect evidence. Those responsible will be arrested and punished as appropriate, and there will be no leniency."

"Your disturbance at the entrance of the health center is disrupting the center's normal medical services and delaying the medical care of all the residents of Siping Township. As for Principal Zhao's issues and your demands, come with me to the township government. We'll sit down and discuss it calmly, and resolve everything one by one. Let's go."

After saying that, Zhang Jianmin turned and left.

The parents exchanged glances. Although they were still somewhat unwilling, they knew that making a scene here would be pointless, so they could only follow along reluctantly.

Just as Principal Zhao was about to take a step, Zhang Jianmin stopped and looked back at him with a stern look in his eyes.

Principal Zhao shrank back, lowered his head, and quickly followed.

The courtyard finally returned to quiet.

Chen Ping stood at the door of the clinic, watching their figures gradually disappear outside the gate.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the rose bushes in the flowerbed, and the shadow of the old locust tree swayed on the ground, adding to the sense of loneliness.

Wang Tao peeked out of the examination room and cautiously asked, "Dr. Chen, are you alright?"

Chen Ping shook his head and said softly, "It's alright."

Wang Tao nodded and pulled his head back inside.

Liu Wei came out of the pharmacy carrying a stack of empty medicine boxes, casually tossed them into the trash can, clapped his hands, and asked, "Dr. Chen, have you found out what happened? Could it be that someone deliberately poisoned us?"

Liu Wei's words immediately made Wang Tao, who had already gone back, stick his head out again and stare intently at Chen Ping.

Wang Fang also came out of the pharmacy and moved closer. She also wanted to know why so many children had suddenly been poisoned.

"You guys, stop asking around about everything. Let's wait for the government to make an announcement."

Zhao Guosheng reprimanded Liu Wei and the others.

However, no one moved. Seeing this, Zhao Guosheng didn't say anything more, but he also pricked up his ears and stood at the door of the consultation room, wanting to hear what was going on.

Wang Jianguo walked out of his clinic carrying a water cup, as if he was going to get some water.

But when he got close to Chen Ping, he slowed down and almost stopped.

It's clear that Wang Jianguo is also curious about how the children got poisoned.

Chen Ping laughed when he saw the way they looked. The curiosity of the Chinese people really doesn't discriminate based on age or age.

"Cough cough... my throat is a little dry..."

Chen Ping coughed twice deliberately as he spoke.

"I'll get you some water." Upon hearing this, Wang Tao immediately went to get water for Chen Ping.

"I have some here..."

Cui Ying walked over from the accounting office, holding a glass of warm water, and handed it to Chen Ping.

It's still that same mug with the kitten printed on it, and the water temperature is just right—not too hot, not too cold.

Chen Ping took it, took a sip, and felt a faint warmth slide down his throat into his stomach, accompanied by a subtle sweetness.

Seeing that Chen Ping had drunk the water, everyone waited quietly for him to reveal the reason why the children had been poisoned.

Did someone deliberately poison the animals?

Chen Ping couldn't help but laugh as he watched them crane their necks, prick up their ears, and pretend to be nonchalant.

He picked up his mug, took another sip of water to moisten his throat, and slowly opened his mouth.

"No one poisoned it. It was just a chicken-killing and feather-plucking person who mixed two types of hair removal agents together. The chemical reaction produced toxic gas, and the exhaust fan was blowing in the direction of the children's picnic. Coincidentally, the weather was bad yesterday, so the toxic gas dissipated slowly and all of it accumulated in the gully."

The children were poisoned after inhaling it. It had nothing to do with the school or the teachers; it was just an accident.

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Wang Tao's expression changed from tense to disappointed; he opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again.

Liu Wei muttered, "After all that, that's it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fang shook her head and turned back to the pharmacy.

Wang Jianguo stood at the door of the clinic with a water cup in his hand. After listening to the doctor's explanation, he slowly walked back, his steps much slower than when he came, without even getting water.