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

Chen Ping took the mask off his ears and rubbed his ears, which were red from the mask straps. "Dr. Wang, don't say that. It was just a coincidence. Amniotic fluid embolism is basically anaphylactic shock combined with disseminated intravascular coagulation. Once the allergic reaction is suppressed and the coagulation function is stabilized, the rest depends on the patient's own constitution. She is young and has a good constitution, so she pulled through."

Although Chen Ping spoke lightly, everyone present was a medical professional and knew what amniotic fluid embolism meant.

"A coincidence?" Wang Jianguo shook his head and smiled. "What's the name of your acupuncture technique? Last time you treated snake venom with it, it was called Seven Stars Chasing the Moon. What about this time?"

"This time we used Guyuan hemostatic injection, which is specifically for hemorrhage."

Chen Ping had no intention of keeping anything to himself, but he also didn't plan to hold an acupuncture class in the corridor.

He turned around, glanced at the numbers still fluctuating on the monitor in the operating room, and only after confirming that all the vital signs were stable did he say to Zhou Jie beside him, "You and Sun Xiaoyan take turns. One of you stay here at noon to keep watch and record the vital signs every half hour. Notify me immediately if there are any changes."

Zhou Jie nodded.

Sun Xiaoyan had already pulled up a chair and sat down next to the operating table, holding a nursing record sheet in her hand and a pen clipped to her notebook, looking like she had no intention of leaving.

Zhou Jie glanced at her and said, "Go eat first, then come back and relieve me."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't even look up. "You go first."

Zhou Jie didn't argue with her and went to the cafeteria with Chen Ping and the others.

The food in the cafeteria has been reheated.

Aunt Li poured the cooled winter melon meatball soup back into the pot and boiled it again. The meatballs fell apart a bit, but the soup became thicker.

There was a layer of oil at the bottom of the plate of braised pork ribs. The water spinach with garlic sauce had wilted a bit and wasn't as bright green as when it was fresh out of the pot, but the flavor was still there.

The group sat around the large round table, much quieter than usual.

Wang Tao ate his rice silently, while Li Fang picked up food more slowly than usual.

The delivery and resuscitation just now have exhausted everyone's strength.

Zhao Guosheng ate a few bites, put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and looked at Chen Ping, saying, "My heart is still pounding from what happened today. If you ask me, our health center should set up an obstetrics and gynecology department, even if it's just one consultation room. If it weren't for you here today, that mother and child would be in grave danger."

Chen Ping picked up a piece of water spinach with his chopsticks, chewed it, and then spoke, "Dean Zhao, setting up an obstetrics and gynecology department isn't something you can just do on a whim. You need specialized obstetricians and gynecologists, delivery beds, neonatal resuscitation tables, and the facilities to prepare blood."

"It was just a lucky break today; I was there from beginning to end, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. But we can't always rely on luck."

Zhao Guosheng nodded, knowing that Chen Ping was telling the truth, and didn't bring it up again.

After all, health centers have limited resources, and it's not realistic to offer every department; at the very least, the availability of doctors would be difficult to secure.

Which doctor with the means would want to work at this godforsaken clinic?

After lunch, Chen Ping went to the ward again.

The pregnant woman had been transferred from the operating room to a ward and was lying in bed. Her face was still pale, but her lips had regained some color.

The numbers on the monitor were steady and clear: blood pressure over 120, heart rate just over 90, and blood oxygen 98.

The man sat on the edge of the bed, holding his wife's hand in one hand and the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in the other.

The baby was fast asleep after having eaten his fill of milk, his little mouth making sucking motions as if he were eating in his dream.

Chen Ping took the pregnant woman's pulse. The pulse was still weak, but it was no longer rapid and the rhythm was regular.

Liver and kidney function, coagulation function, and other indicators cannot be determined by pulse alone, but judging from complexion and tongue coating, the recovery is on the right track.

"Stay here for two more days for observation. If there are no problems, you can be discharged. After you go back, take good care of yourself during your postpartum period. Don't do any work in the fields, and don't touch cold water," Chen Ping instructed.

The man stood up, grasped Chen Ping's hands tightly, and his eyes reddened again. "Dr. Chen, you are a benefactor to our whole family. I will definitely treat you to a drink when my son turns one month old."

Chen Ping smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and left the ward.

He walked to the door of Zhao Guosheng's office and knocked on the open door.

Zhao Guosheng was sitting behind his desk flipping through an old newspaper when he heard the sound and looked up.

"Dean Zhao, I'd like to ask for half a day off this afternoon. The construction team will be starting work tomorrow, and they'll be setting off firecrackers for good luck when they're digging the foundation trenches. I'm going to buy some firecrackers."

Zhao Guosheng put down the newspaper and frowned. "Firecrackers are hard to buy now. They've been regulated for several years now, and they're not sold in town."

"I'll ask Wang Tao. He knows a lot of people, so he should know where to find it," Chen Ping said.

Although the government regulates and prohibits the setting off of firecrackers, they are still used at weddings and funerals, so many people secretly sell them.

When Chen Ping found Wang Tao, the guy was mopping the floor in the corridor, drawing the number eight on the ground with the mop, and talking to Zhou Jie next to him.

Zhou Jie held the medical record book in her hand, a smile playing on her lips, it was hard to tell whether she was amused by him or just thought he was being sarcastic.

"Wang Tao, do you know where I can buy firecrackers?" Chen Ping asked.

Wang Tao straightened up, slammed the mop on the ground, and his eyes lit up. "Dr. Chen, what do you need firecrackers for?"

"The foundation trench for the clinic will be dug tomorrow. We'll put up a picture for good luck."

"Then you've come to the right person. I have a buddy whose family deals in this stuff. But they're cracking down on it now, so he doesn't sell it in town; he stores it in a yard in the village. I'll give you a call, and you can pick me up when you get there."

Wang Tao took out his phone, found a number, dialed it, said a few words, and hung up. "Okay, Dr. Chen, you can go directly there. He's waiting for you."

Chen Ping went to the address Wang Tao had given him.

The place wasn't on the main street; you had to turn into a small alley and then another corner before you could see an ordinary house.

The courtyard wall was very high, and the gate was made of sheet metal and was tightly closed.

Three cameras were mounted on the wall, each at a different angle, capturing the narrow alleyway in front of the door clearly.

Chen Ping walked to the door, where there was a doorbell on the iron gate. He pressed it.

Footsteps came from inside, then stopped, probably looking out through the peephole.

Then the door opened a crack, revealing half a face. It was a man in his early thirties with a buzz cut and a wary look in his eyes.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Wang Tao introduced him; he just called you."

The crack in the door widened slightly, and the crew-cut man looked Chen Ping up and down before opening the door. "Come in."

There were some cardboard boxes piled up in the yard, covered with plastic sheeting.

The crew-cut man led Chen Ping into the small house on the west side. The house had no windows and was lit by a fluorescent light.

Several cardboard boxes were stacked against the wall. Opening one, I found neatly arranged red firecrackers of various sizes inside.