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

Chen Ping returned to his consultation room and began seeing the patients who were waiting in line.

The couple packed their luggage and arrived at Chen Ping's clinic.

They came to say goodbye to Chen Ping, who had just finished writing a prescription for an old lady.

The two stood at the door of the clinic. The man was carrying a snakeskin bag containing the changes of clothes he had accumulated during his hospital stay and a few boxes of unfinished medicine. The woman followed behind him, her eyes still red.

The man opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only managed to squeeze out, "Dr. Chen, thank you for these past few days. We're going back now."

The man didn't dare look up at Chen Ping when he spoke.

The woman beside her nodded and said thank you, her face flushed with shame.

"Okay, go back and take your medicine on time, and follow the doctor's instructions for the rest..."

Chen Ping emphasized the words "follow the doctor's orders" in particular.

Upon hearing this, the couple both nodded, blushing and not daring to look at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping waved his hand. "Let's go!"

The couple turned around and slowly walked out along the corridor.

The man's steps were fairly steady, but from behind, Chen Ping could tell that his shoulder blades were protruding and supporting his old jacket, while his trouser legs were swinging loosely. He knew that the foundation he had built up over the years had almost completely depleted.

The woman followed beside him and took the bulging snakeskin bag from the man's hands.

When they reached the gate of the courtyard, the two looked back, bowed slightly in Chen Ping's direction, and then got onto the farm tricycle parked by the roadside.

"Why……"

Chen Ping leaned against the door of the consultation room for a moment, then sighed helplessly.

"Dr. Chen, how long do you think this man will live after he goes home?" Wang Tao asked.

"It's hard to say. If these two can behave when they go back and take their medicine on time, they should be fine for a year or two." Chen Ping shook his head. "But if they can't control themselves like they did in the ward after they go back, their lives will only last a month or two."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tao couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. "How can this couple have such a strong addiction? They'd risk their lives just to get it done!"

"Alright, enough talk, let's get to work!"

Chen Ping turned and went back to the consultation room. Zhou Jie and Sun Xiaoyan were standing there, and it was inappropriate to discuss this topic.

The patients came one after another in the morning; some had colds and coughs, some had back and leg pains, and some had bloating and indigestion.

Chen Ping was so busy taking pulses, prescribing medicine, administering acupuncture, and dispensing medication that he didn't even have time to drink water.

Wang Tao followed along, occasionally asking questions about acupoint combinations and medication dosages, which Chen Ping answered while manipulating the needles.

It was almost noon, and all the patients had left, so Chen Ping was finally able to catch his breath and have a drink of water.

Just then, the sound of a car engine and brakes came from the yard.

A slightly worn-out van rushed into the gate of the health center, with the faded words "Songling Township Health Center" painted on the side of the vehicle. Before the van had even come to a complete stop, the door was pulled open with a whoosh.

A man in his fifties jumped out of the passenger seat. He was wearing a wrinkled white lab coat, his hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead, and his leather shoes were still on the uppers, clearly because he was in a hurry and didn't have time to lift them.

As soon as he got out of the car, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Zhao Guosheng! Old Zhao! Come out quickly! Help!"

Zhao Guosheng peeked out of his office with a jar in his hand, squinted at the person, and recognized He Changqing, the director of Songling Township Health Center. He put the jar on the windowsill and went out to greet him.

The two were old acquaintances; they used to sit together, smoke, and chat a lot when they attended meetings in the county.

He Changqing grabbed Zhao Guosheng's arm, his fingers trembling, his voice urgent and trembling, and briefly explained the situation.

Their clinic admitted a patient with abdominal pain, who looked like he had acute gastroenteritis. After being given an IV drip, the patient went into shock shortly afterward. The doctors were terrified and frantically tried to help, even pushing an oxygen tank, but there was no improvement.

The conditions in Songling Township were even worse than in Siping Township. They didn't even have a decent monitor. It would take at least an hour to get the patient to the county. The patient's face had turned pale, and if it had been delayed any longer, he would have died.

He had no other choice, so he stepped on the gas and headed straight for Siping Township, almost driving off into a ditch along the way.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guosheng's face turned pale. He shook off Zhao Guosheng's hand and took a half step back. "He Changqing, aren't you trying to set me up?! You didn't take him to the county hospital when he went into shock, but instead sent him here?"

"Don't you know the medical conditions here? If a patient dies here, who's to blame—yours or mine?"

Zhao Guosheng was really anxious. Although they were old acquaintances, this was no joke.

If a patient dies at his clinic, he'll be in deep trouble no matter what.

He Changqing was so anxious that tears were almost streaming down his face. "Old Zhao, listen to me! It's too late to send him to the county! Isn't Dr. Chen here able to save even those with amniotic fluid embolism?"

"Let him take a look. If something happens to this patient, losing my position as hospital director is a minor matter; I might even go to jail. This family has two children to raise. If we cause them to die, I'll never be able to repay the debt!"

"No, what if we kill someone during treatment? How can I pay it back? How can I explain it clearly? I also have a family to support." Zhao Guosheng firmly disagreed.

"Old Zhao, Brother Zhao, I'm begging you, I'm kneeling down, please help me..."

As He Changqing spoke, he actually knelt down before Zhao Guosheng and kowtowed repeatedly.

If the person cannot be saved, not only will he be finished, but the entire health center will be finished, and even his family will be implicated.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Guosheng also knelt down with a thud, kowtowing as he said, "Old He, please spare me. I'll be retiring in a few years, so please stop messing with me."

The two men were in the courtyard, kowtowing to each other, making the ground thud loudly, while arguing heatedly, their faces red with anger.

Hearing the commotion, Chen Ping came out of the consultation room.

I was stunned by what I saw. Why were these two people kowtowing to each other on a day that wasn't a holiday?

The commotion drew the attention of others, and upon seeing the two kowtowing, Li Fang burst into laughter without restraint.

"Dean Zhao, what are you two doing? Are you becoming sworn brothers?" Li Fang asked.

"Deans, please get up. What are you doing?" Wang Jianguo stepped forward to help Zhao Guosheng and He Changqing up.

As an experienced doctor, he knew He Changqing and they had a good relationship.

He Changqing was helped up and immediately saw Chen Ping. He rushed towards Chen Ping, grabbed his hand, and cried out, "Dr. Chen, help! Help! Someone on the bus has gone into shock!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping quickly walked towards the bread truck and glanced at the back seat through the window.

A man in his forties was lying flat on the back seat. His face was ashen, his lips were cyanotic, and his chest barely rose or fell.

A young doctor next to him was holding his head, his fingers futilely pressing on the web between his thumb and forefinger, his face full of panic and helplessness.