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

The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the corridor windows, shining on Chen Ping's face and his eyelashes, casting a small fan-shaped shadow.

Cui Ying sat next to him, motionless. Her left side was a little numb from being pressed down, but she didn't move.

The blanket was covered up to Chen Ping's chin, with the edges tucked under his shoulders to keep him warm.

The corridor was quiet, with only the dripping of IV drips from the ward and the occasional clatter of dishes from the kitchen in the distance.

Wang Tao was the first to wake up. He walked out of the clinic with his hair sticking up and a wooden mark on his face.

He yawned, tears welling up in his eyes, and suddenly stopped in his tracks as he walked down the corridor.

He saw Chen Ping leaning on Cui Ying's shoulder, his eyes closed, the blanket covering his neck, his breathing even.

Cui Ying turned her head, glanced at him, and put her index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.

Wang Tao opened his mouth briefly, then closed it again. His eyes widened, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up. He gave Cui Ying a thumbs-up, tiptoed to the corner of the corridor, and didn't dare to make a sound.

Wang Tao didn't leave; instead, he hid around the corner, watching Chen Ping and Cui Ying with a wicked grin.

Li Fang also woke up from her nap at the pharmacy and came out, her hair still loose, tying it up as she walked.

She saw Wang Tao's sneaky look and followed his gaze, and saw Chen Ping leaning on Cui Ying's shoulder.

She covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking, her eyes narrowing into slits as she laughed.

Liu Wei walked over from behind, unaware of what had happened in front of him, when Li Fang grabbed him. He looked over, his lips twitched, but he didn't laugh out loud; however, his ears turned red.

The three people stood at the corner of the corridor, pushing and shoving each other, none of them wanting to leave, just standing there watching.

Wang Jianguo was the last to come out. He walked slowly, his reading glasses hanging on his chest. When he saw the three people blocking the corner, he frowned, walked over, glanced at them, took off his reading glasses, wiped them, put them back on, turned around and left without saying a word.

"Let me see if Dr. Chen is really asleep. He might be trying to take advantage of Sister Ying again."

After saying that, Wang Tao crouched down and tiptoed closer to Chen Ping, his face almost touching Chen Ping's.

Chen Ping's eyelids twitched, but he didn't wake up.

Wang Tao turned his head, winked at Li Fang and Liu Wei, and mouthed the word "really".

Cui Ying glared at him, pointed in the direction of the examination room, and mouthed the word "get to work".

Wang Tao shrank his neck, laughed, and slipped away.

Li Fang and Liu Wei also dispersed, their footsteps much quieter than usual as they left.

Chen Ping stirred and woke up.

He opened his eyes and found himself leaning on Cui Ying's shoulder. There was a small patch of dark water on the spot where his head was resting, which had seeped from Cui Ying's shoulder all the way down to her collarbone. It was shiny and reflected the sunlight.

He quickly wiped a little bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, straightened up, and the blanket slipped off his shoulders.

Cui Ying turned her head to look at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, but didn't say anything.

Chen Ping's face flushed slightly. He cleared his throat and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I've gotten your clothes dirty. I'll wash them for you."

Cui Ying glanced down at the water stain on her shoulder, touched it, and found it was still wet. She smiled and said, "You're really something, drooling even in your sleep."

Chen Ping felt even more embarrassed. He reached out to wipe his hand, but pulled it back halfway. He then took out a pack of tissues from his pocket, pulled out two tissues, and handed them over.

Cui Ying didn't take it. Instead, she took out a handkerchief from her pocket, wiped her shoulder, stood up and stretched her numb arms, folded the blanket, and handed it to Chen Ping.

"The blanket belongs to the lady in the ward; could you please return it?"

After Cui Ying finished speaking, she turned and left.

After taking two steps, he stopped and said, "I'll wash my own clothes, no need for you to bother."

Cui Ying's ponytail swayed on her shoulder as she turned down the corridor and entered the accounting office, the door of which was not closed.

Chen Ping sat on the bench, clutching a folded blanket in his hand. After sitting for two seconds, he stood up and walked towards the ward.

The eldest sister was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a ball of yarn in her hand, knitting something. The ball of yarn was on the bedside table, rolling around.

The man wasn't in bed. Chen Ping was taken aback. The older sister gestured with her chin toward the window. The man was standing in front of the window, leaning on the windowsill. His legs were trembling, but he managed to stand still.

He heard footsteps, turned around, saw Chen Ping, and smiled. It wasn't a big smile, but it was different from when he first arrived; it had a lively feel to it.

"I can stand up today." The man's voice was still a little weak, but stronger than a few days ago.

Chen Ping walked over and put the blanket on the bed. "Big sister, I've put the blanket here for you."

The woman nodded, glanced at Chen Ping, then at the doorway, and her lips twitched slightly.

"Dr. Chen, Accountant Cui is such a good girl. She comes to see us every day, asks us what we need, and even paid for a case of milk for my husband out of her own pocket."

The older sister pulled out a section of yarn from the ball of yarn and wound it around the knitting needle. Her movements were slow but skillful. "You two are a match made in heaven, just like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, a perfect pair."

Chen Ping smiled but didn't reply.

He walked to the window, took the man's wrist, and placed three fingers on it.

The pulse was better than yesterday, but it was still weak, as weak as a newly sprouted seedling that couldn't withstand wind and rain.

He released his grip and put the man's hand down. "Brother, start walking in the yard tomorrow. Today, start by walking in the house. If you can't walk anymore, sit down. Don't push yourself."

The man nodded.

Chen Ping turned and left the ward.

There were more patients in the afternoon than in the morning.

Wang Tao shouted commands at the door, his voice had gone from hoarse to breathy, and the words he shouted sounded like they had been sanded.

Li Fang was dispensing medicine in the pharmacy, and her hands were much faster than in the morning. After a nap, she felt refreshed.

Wang Jianguo sat in the consultation room, taking blood pressure and testing blood sugar for some elderly people. There were basically no patients.

Although he was an experienced doctor, almost everyone who came to the health center sought out Chen Ping; no one went to see him, the old doctor.

Wang Jianguo wasn't angry. He was about to retire, so this way he could enjoy some peace and quiet.

Chen Ping sat in the consultation room, examining each patient one by one.

They have all sorts of ailments: back pain, leg pain, stomach pain, insomnia, coughs.

He would use needles where he could, prescribe medicine where he could, and resolve problems on the spot if he could; otherwise, he would explain the situation and tell the person to go to the county hospital.

The patients were all satisfied when they left. Some said, "Dr. Chen's medical skills are excellent," and others said, "Dr. Chen's attitude is good." Chen Ping just smiled and didn't say anything more.

Around 3 p.m., a series of hurried footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

A woman walked in, leading a little girl. The woman was in her early forties, wearing a faded floral shirt, her hair clipped back, and her expression was anxious and flustered, with red eyes as if she had been crying.

The little girl was eight or nine years old and wore a pair of thick glasses with lenses that looked like the bottom of a beer bottle, with concentric circles that made her eyes appear very small.

Her mother held her hand as she walked, neither running nor making a fuss, but her steps were a little unsteady.