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

Chen Ping stood back on the podium and picked up the report that had been placed beside it.

The corner of the page was slightly folded when he put it down. He smoothed it out with his hand, cleared his throat, and continued speaking from where he had been interrupted.

The following paragraphs analyzed the current state of primary healthcare resources and offered suggestions for future work. The speaker was not loud, but the meeting room was so quiet that you could hear the sound of pages turning.

After reading the last word, he closed the report and gave a slight bow.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, then applause broke out.

It wasn't the kind of perfunctory applause that stops after a couple of claps; it was wave after wave of applause. The people in the front row clapped, and the people in the back row followed suit. Even those standing against the wall joined in the applause, which lasted for a good ten seconds.

Just as Chen Ping was about to walk off the stage, someone in the first row suddenly stood up.

The head of the obstetrics and gynecology department pushed back his chair and strode to the front of the podium.

She stood ramrod straight, turned to face the hundreds of people below the stage, and then bowed deeply to Chen Ping, her white coat collar flipped down.

She straightened up, walked to the microphone, and cleared her throat.

Everyone in the conference room was looking at her, and her voice was a little tight: "Just now in the emergency room, I stood by and watched the whole process of Dr. Chen saving people."

"With six injections, along with anticoagulants and anti-allergy medications, and without any large equipment, we pulled the pregnant woman back from the brink of death due to amniotic fluid embolism."

"I've worked in obstetrics and gynecology for thirty years, and I can't do this. I've never even seen a situation like this before."

"Today, when Dr. Chen was giving his report, I publicly questioned his diagnosis, questioned his ability, and even implied that the case might be fabricated."

"Standing here now, I feel ashamed. My narrow-mindedness and jealousy have caused me to lose the most basic objectivity and respect that a medical worker should have. Dr. Chen, I'm sorry."

After she finished speaking, she bowed to Chen Ping again.

The obstetricians and gynecologists in the front row looked at each other, then stood up one after another and bowed to Chen Ping to apologize.

Chen Ping quickly stepped forward to help the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department up, and waved his hand, saying, "It's all for the patients, there's nothing to apologize for."

His voice wasn't loud, but the microphone wasn't turned off, so everyone in the audience could hear it.

The applause rang out again, this time even louder than before.

After the report concluded, Dean Ma personally led Chen Ping to the cafeteria for lunch.

The county hospital's canteen was several times larger than that of the health center. Long queues formed at the food serving windows, and the air was filled with the aroma of braised pork and the crisp sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering in the sterilizer.

Dean Ma specially reserved a small private room in the cafeteria, saying that Dr. Chen had worked hard all morning and deserved a good meal.

But the private room was never used.

Chen Ping had just sat down at the long table with his tray when several doctors gathered around him, including internal medicine and emergency room doctors, each carrying their own trays and crowding towards him. Some even rushed over without having time to get their food.

Someone asked about acupuncture point combinations for treating acute illnesses, and someone else asked him how he handled drug shortages at the health center. Chen Ping answered while eating, his chopsticks pausing in mid-air several times as he tried to pick up food.

The head of the obstetrics and gynecology department walked over with a tray, but didn't squeeze to the front; he stood on the periphery of the crowd and waited for a while.

After the crowd dispersed somewhat, she walked over and sat down opposite Chen Ping, put down her chopsticks, and said, "Dr. Chen, thank you for not holding a grudge today."

Chen Ping swallowed the food in his mouth, shook his head, and said, "Director, please don't say that. We're all colleagues, and we're all doing this for the patients."

The two chatted for a few more minutes about handling obstetric and gynecological emergencies. Chen Ping showed her the prescription he had given to the girl with a growth in her uterus whom he had met at the health center last time, and explained his approach to the medication.

The head of the obstetrics and gynecology department took out his reading glasses from his pocket, put them on, looked at the prescription for a long time, and sighed when he handed it back to him, "Dr. Chen, it's a pity that someone with your skill level is working in a township health center."

Chen Ping smiled but didn't reply, and continued eating with his head down.

After the meal, Dean Ma asked Chen Ping to go to his office to rest for a while in preparation for his report at the county auditorium that afternoon.

Chen Ping had just sat down on the sofa when there was a gentle knock on the door.

An elderly doctor with gray hair walked in. He was not tall, his back was slightly hunched, he wore round reading glasses, and there were several pens clipped to the pocket of his white coat. He walked slowly, but his eyes were bright.

Chen Ping stood up to greet him, but the old doctor waved for him to sit down. He then sat down on a chair next to him, took out a notebook from his pocket, and opened it. Several pages were filled with notes.

He explained his purpose: there was a patient in the inpatient department of traditional Chinese medicine who had facial nerve paralysis and had been in the hospital for more than ten days. He had tried acupuncture and Chinese medicine, but there was no improvement.

We've tried every possible solution, but we're completely out of ideas. We'd like to ask Chen Ping for his help.

Chen Ping took the notebook, which contained detailed notes: The patient was a 42-year-old male with facial asymmetry on the left side, loss of forehead wrinkles, incomplete eyelid closure, shallow nasolabial folds, and decreased sense of taste.

Upon admission, the patient presented with pain behind the ear, a pale red tongue with a thin white coating, and a floating and rapid pulse.

Below is a dense list of previously used prescriptions and acupuncture points, each page written neatly.

"The initial diagnosis was wind-cold invading the meridians. We used Qianzheng Powder with modifications, combined with acupoints such as Yangbai, Sibai, Dicang, and Jiache, but the effect was not ideal."

"Later, we considered it to be a deficiency of qi and blood, so we added Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang (Angelica Blood-Nourishing Decoction), but it still didn't work. There were no obvious changes in the tongue and pulse, and the patient's symptoms did not improve." The old doctor pushed up his reading glasses, his tone filled with confusion and earnestness.

Chen Ping closed his notebook, glanced at the old doctor again, and asked, "Have you noticed when the patient's pain behind the ear is most pronounced? Is it continuous or intermittent?"

The old doctor paused for a moment, then flipped through his notebook. "The medical record says it's a persistent dull ache, but it doesn't specify when it worsened."

"How about we go check on the patient and ask them about their condition in person?"

Chen Ping shook his head and said there was no need to see the patient. "The problem isn't with the facial nerves themselves, it's with the cervical spine. The patient probably has a slight herniation in the intervertebral disc between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae, which is compressing the nerve root that comes out of the intervertebral foramen."

"Facial nerve palsy is secondary; the primary lesion is in the cervical spine. Pain behind the ear is a key sign. Simple facial nerve palsy will not cause persistent pain behind the ear; this only happens when a cervical spine problem compresses the greater auricular nerve."

"The prescriptions and acupoints you used before were all appropriate, but you didn't find the cause of the disease. The lesion is not on the face, but on the neck."

The old doctor listened intently, so engrossed that he forgot to take notes while holding his notebook.

After Chen Ping finished speaking, he slowly closed the notebook and looked at Chen Ping with admiration and amazement in his eyes.

"To be able to diagnose cervical spine problems without seeing the patient in person, your skill truly makes me ashamed."

"Dr. Chen, I've practiced medicine for most of my life, and I never expected to meet a young man like you at this age. If you don't mind, I'd like to become your apprentice and learn your acupuncture technique."

As he spoke, the old doctor was about to kneel down and become Chen Ping's apprentice.

Chen Ping quickly grabbed the old doctor's arm, "You flatter me, you flatter me. Let's learn from each other. You are very experienced, and I have a lot to learn from you."