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

Old Sun walked over from the foundation pit, took off his safety helmet and held it in his hand, his face streaked with sweat and dirt.

He pulled Chen Ping aside, rubbed his hands together, and said with a troubled tone, "Dr. Chen, with this work stoppage, my dozen or so workers can't just sit around doing nothing. They're making a lot of money every day. How about I take them to another construction site and leave this place for now?"

Chen Ping reached out and patted Old Sun on the shoulder. "Master Sun, don't transfer any of the workers. Let them rest for a few days. I'll pay their wages as usual, you don't need to pay anything. Give me a few days, let me think of a solution."

Chen Ping knew that once the workers left, they wouldn't be able to be brought back anytime soon. The medical center couldn't be shut down; he was hoping to finish building it before the new year.

Old Sun was stunned for a moment, looking at Chen Ping with some disbelief.

"What? Master Sun doesn't believe me? Otherwise, I'll give you your wages first." Chen Ping said, reaching for his phone.

"No, no, no, how could I not believe Dr. Chen?" Old Sun waved his hands repeatedly. "Then let the workers rest for a few days, pay them the minimum wage, and I'll tell everyone, they'll all understand."

After saying that, Old Sun walked towards the construction site.

Standing in the corridor, Zhang Jianmin watched Old Sun walk away before turning to Chen Ping and saying, "Dr. Chen, don't be too anxious. Think it over carefully first. You used to work at the city hospital, so you should be able to pull some strings and see if you can find someone who can help."

"I'll try to calm the enforcement team down first, stop the work, and not demolish it. I'll buy you some time."

Chen Ping thanked Zhang Jianmin.

Zhang Jianmin nodded and walked towards the group of law enforcement officers. He said something to them, and then the group confiscated the tools that Lao Sun and his team were using before driving away without dismantling the equipment.

Zhang Jianmin rushed back to the meeting.

At lunchtime, a large pot of sauerkraut fish stewed by Aunt Li was placed on the big round table in the cafeteria. The fish was so tender that it would fall apart with just a touch of chopsticks. The sauerkraut was homemade, salty, sour, and slightly spicy, and it went very well with rice.

There was also stir-fried water spinach with minced garlic, cucumber salad, and a large bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup.

Everyone sat down around the table, and Wang Tao, as usual, was the first to pick up his chopsticks. He took a piece of fish belly meat and stuffed it into his mouth, grimacing from the heat.

Li Fang tapped him with her chopsticks to tell him to eat slowly. Turning her head, she saw Chen Ping holding a bowl but hardly picking at any food. He had been shoveling rice under his chopsticks for almost half an hour but hadn't eaten much.

Zhao Guosheng noticed it too, picked up a piece of fish and put it in Chen Ping's bowl, without saying a word, just glancing at him.

Chen Ping nodded, picked it up and ate it, chewing very slowly, it was unclear whether he had tasted it or not.

Cui Ying sat next to Chen Ping, remaining mostly silent.

She finished her water, glanced at Chen Ping's barely touched rice, and leaned closer to whisper, "Should I call my dad? He knows a lot of people in the city, and he can talk to several department heads. Maybe he can find someone to help."

Chen Ping shook his head, put down his chopsticks and looked at her, "No need. I know who's behind this. Even if your dad has connections, it might not work. It would just make your dad owe people favors for nothing."

Cui Ying opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again, lowered her head, picked up her bowl, and gently stirred the contents of the bowl with her chopsticks.

She didn't insist, but she didn't eat much either.

After lunch, everyone went for a nap.

Chen Ping didn't go back to his dormitory. Instead, he sat on the stone steps at the dormitory entrance, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and stared blankly at the abandoned foundation in the backyard.

Sunlight shone on the foundation pit, casting the shadows of the steel bars at an angle at the bottom of the pit, next to which were several bags of leftover cement from the pouring process.

Old Sun and his workers have already left, leaving only an empty construction site.

Zhao Guosheng walked over at some point, put the jar on the edge of the flower bed, sat down on the steps next to Chen Ping, lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and suddenly spoke.

Have you contacted Old Song yet?

Chen Ping paused for a moment, holding the cigarette between his fingers, and turned his head to look at Zhao Guosheng.

"The last time he came to the health center to see you, he drank with you at Old Zhou's restaurant. You could tell how close he was to you."

Zhao Guosheng flicked his cigarette ash and looked in the direction of the foundation pit. "Although Old Song has retired from the provincial government, which of his students and associates isn't in a key position? The truth is, this matter is deliberately obstructed by someone. Whether or not a house can be built here depends on a single word from above."

"If someone in the province were to stand up and say a word, wouldn't those people have to behave themselves? Old Song has a good impression of you. Give him a call; maybe he can help you out."

Chen Ping stared at the cigarette in his hand for a few seconds; the ash had piled up quite a bit, and he'd forgotten to flick it off.

He stubbed out his cigarette on the steps, took out his phone from his pocket, scrolled to the black-and-white photo of the WeChat profile picture, stood up, walked to the poplar tree, and made a voice call.

The phone rang several times, and Chen Ping was filled with anxiety, wondering if Old Song would answer.

Retired leaders have precious time and may not have time to deal with a junior doctor from a township health center.

Just then, the call connected, and Old Song's voice came through, strong and clear, each word seeming to come directly from his chest, "Dr. Chen? It's rare for you to call me, what's up?"

"Mr. Song, I apologize for bothering you. I have a problem, and after thinking about it for a long time, I feel I still have to ask you for help," Chen Ping said cautiously.

"Just tell me what you need. Don't be shy. As long as it's not against the rules or the law, it's easy to handle."

Old Song is indeed a veteran leader; he blocked half the matter with just one sentence.

Violating discipline and laws is unacceptable.

But what about some things? Do they violate discipline? Do they violate the law?

Ultimately, it's up to him to decide.

If I want to do it for you, then this is not against the rules; if I don't want to do it for you, then this is against the rules.

Saying things out in advance is to leave yourself an out.

"Mr. Song, regarding my plan to build this medical center, a team of law enforcement officers came today and said that it's not allowed to be built and that it will be demolished. This is the opinion of the Municipal Health Bureau, and it's an official document issued by the city."

"So I would like to ask Mr. Song for help and see if he can make an exception to build this medical center. It would be for the development of our Siping Township and to serve the people of Siping Township."

Chen Ping began to appeal to Song Lao's sense of hometown ties.

After all, Old Song was also from Siping Township, so he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

After hearing Chen Ping's words, Old Song paused for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, "Dr. Chen, you called me just for this?"

"Yes, that's all. If it puts Elder Song in a difficult position, then there's no need to trouble him."

Chen Ping thought that since Old Song had retired, it would be difficult for him to handle such matters.

"What's the problem? I'll just call Xiao Li and tell him," Old Song said with a smile.

"Little Li?"

"Oh, that's Li Jizhong, the Party Secretary of Tianhai City. This kid used to be a company commander under me."

Mr. Song explained.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you so much, Elder Song, thank you so much..."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ping's gloomy expression vanished. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.