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

Seeing this, Zhao Guosheng stood up, his face beaming with smiles, and bowed much lower than usual. "Mayor Wang, Director Li, Station Chief Sun, thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come for dinner."

"Our health center has been able to be renovated so well thanks to the support of the township leaders. We're all old acquaintances, so there's no need for anyone to stand on ceremony today."

The three men glanced at Zhao Guosheng, nodded slightly, and said nothing.

Seeing this, Zhao Guosheng sat down awkwardly.

Soon, the dishes were served: braised pork knuckle, roast duck, sea bass...

All the dishes were hearty and expensive.

Seeing the table full of food, the three of them finally smiled.

"Mayor Wang, Director Li, Station Chief Sun, we have prepared a small feast with just a few simple dishes. We hope you leaders will not mind."

Zhao Guosheng stood up, holding his wine glass. "Let me first offer a toast to the leaders..."

After saying that, Zhao Guosheng drank it all in one gulp.

"Dean Zhao, you're getting on in years, drink slowly..." Zhang Jianmin quickly advised upon seeing this.

Township Head Wang picked up his wine glass, touched his lips to the rim, and took a small sip.

Director Li picked up the cup, took a sip, frowned, swallowed it, and put the cup down.

Station Chief Sun picked up the glass, took a sip, and without saying a word, put a piece of food into his mouth.

Seeing this, Zhao Guosheng was very embarrassed, but he didn't dare to show it.

"Mayor Wang, Director Li, Station Chief Sun, let's have a casual drink here, not inside the government building. Don't be so reserved, drink as much as you like."

After Zhang Jianmin finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, the three of them also picked up their glasses and drank the wine inside.

They may not give Zhao Guosheng face, but since Zhang Jianmin has spoken, they have to give him face.

Seeing this, Chen Ping picked up the wine bottle and filled the bottles for the other leaders.

Then, holding his wine glass, he made a round of toasts.

Township Head Wang glanced at Chen Ping and asked, "Are you Chen Ping, the doctor who's recently become quite famous in Siping Township?"

Chen Ping nodded. "Yes, it's me!"

Township Head Wang nodded, picked up his wine glass and gently touched Chen Ping's glass to the glass, making a soft sound.

He took a sip, put down the cup, wiped his mouth with a tissue, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers on the table twice.

"Dr. Chen, Secretary Zhang has told me about your plan to build a medical center. The idea is good, but the township is very strict about new projects now, especially land approval, which is not an easy thing to do."

"You need to come up with a concrete plan. You can't just say 'build a building.' You need to clearly explain the purpose, scale, source of funding, operating model, and expected benefits. You can't leave anything out. Otherwise, when you get to the meeting, if others object, even Secretary Zhang can't help you."

Mayor Wang's words sounded very official.

Chen Ping nodded. "Okay, I'll finalize the plan as soon as possible."

Township Head Wang didn't say anything more. He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, chewed it, and then pointed to the steamed fish with his chopsticks, saying to Director Li, "Old Li, this fish is good. You should try it."

Director Li picked up a piece of meat from the fish's belly with his chopsticks, chewed it slowly, and nodded.

Station Chief Sun ate the whole time, barely saying a word. He moved his chopsticks quickly, not caring about his image at all. He ate almost half of the delicious dishes himself.

Cui Ying sat next to Chen Ping, and didn't say much.

She doesn't drink alcohol; her glass contains only plain water. When someone offers her a toast, she takes a sip.

When she was halfway through the meal, she gently nudged Chen Ping.

Chen Ping understood immediately. He picked up the black plastic bag from the side of the table, placed it on the chair, took out several cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes, and laid them out one by one on the table, pushing them towards Mayor Wang, Director Li, and Station Chief Sun.

"Mayor Wang, Director Li, Station Chief Sun, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please take good care of the medical center."

Chen Ping said very politely.

Township Head Wang glanced at the cigarette in front of him, but didn't reach for it. He raised his chin and his lips twitched slightly. "Dr. Chen, what are you doing? Building a medical center is a good thing for our Siping Township Health Center, and even for our Siping Township."

"It's a good thing, but we still need to follow the proper procedures. We can't break the rules just because of a few packs of cigarettes. Take the things back. As for the medical center, we'll definitely help if we can."

He spoke with a strong tone and an expression of utmost selflessness.

But when he spoke, he didn't look at Chen Ping; the corners of his mouth were turned down, and his chin was still raised.

Director Li didn't say anything, but gently moved his hand on the table, took the pack of cigarettes from the table to the side of the chair, placed it on the ground, and blocked it with his foot.

The movement was small, but everyone at the table saw it.

Station Chief Sun was even more direct. He picked up the cigarettes, glanced at them, unpacked them, took out a pack, placed it on the table, and stuffed the rest into his briefcase, zipping it up.

The movement was as natural as if it were one's own belongings.

"Mayor Wang, since it's Dr. Chen's kind gesture, please accept it. It's nothing valuable, just a few packs of cigarettes."

Zhang Jianmin pushed the cigarette in front of Township Head Wang.

"Secretary Zhang, we don't need all this. Dr. Chen came to you, and since you've brought up the approval process, I'll definitely support you during the meeting."

As he spoke, Mayor Wang casually placed the remaining cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes at his feet.

Zhao Guosheng sat next to him, his smile a little stiff, but he kept smiling and didn't let it fall.

Chen Ping was also a bit dumbfounded. He rarely experienced this kind of wining and dining in official circles, and he didn't expect that Mayor Wang would take away all the cigarettes.

Chen Ping originally wanted to give Zhang Jianmin two points, but now he couldn't say anything more.

Next, when Chen Ping and Zhao Guosheng were toasting, their expressions became noticeably more polite, and the atmosphere became more lively.

At 7:30, Mayor Wang stood up, picked up his phone from the table, glanced at the time, and said, "That's about it. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

Director Li stood up, screwed the lid on the thermos, tucked it under his arm, picked up the cigarette he had been holding with his foot, and walked out of the private room one after the other with Township Head Wang.

Station Master Sun stuffed the last piece of braised pork into his mouth, chewed it, stood up, picked up his bulging briefcase, and followed behind.

When the three of them left, Chen Ping and Zhao Guosheng got up to see them off. The three of them picked their teeth and no one was polite to Chen Ping and Zhao Guosheng. They were as casual as if they were eating at their own home.

Zhang Jianmin remained seated, watching the three men leave before downing the rest of his drink in one gulp.

He glanced at Chen Ping, then at Zhao Guosheng, his lips twitching slightly, as if he wanted to say something or just sigh.

"Dr. Chen, don't take it to heart. That's just how they are. They've been in the township government for a long time; they may not be high-ranking officials, but they act like big shots. I'll keep an eye on the clinic for you. Make sure your treatment plan is detailed and doesn't give them any leverage," Zhang Jianmin said.