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

Around 3 p.m., He Changqing's van drove into the yard again.

When He Changqing got out of the passenger seat, he looked much better than in the morning. He had changed into a clean white coat and had his hair combed again.

He had the driver help the patient into the car and settle him in, then, holding a bright red velvet roll in his hand, he walked straight toward Chen Ping's clinic.

As soon as he entered, He Changqing unfolded the banner and presented it to Chen Ping with both hands.

The banner was bright red with golden tassels hanging on both sides, and it had two lines of text written on it: "Miraculous hands bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded; benevolent heart and skillful hands bring kindness as heavy as a mountain."

Several patients in the consultation room craned their necks to look, and Wang Tao and Li Fang, who were at the door, also came over.

Chen Ping stared at the bright red banner for a moment, unsure whether to accept it or not.

During his time at the health center, he received many banners of appreciation, but those were from patients.

This time, it was the director of a health center who personally presented him with the banner, which made him feel a little awkward.

"Dean He, what is this...?" Chen Ping accepted the banner and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

He Changqing rubbed his hands together, his face full of gratitude: "Dr. Chen, I said this morning at the entrance of the emergency room that you didn't just save me, you saved my whole family."

"I don't know how to thank you. I went to several shops around noon to have this banner made. The calligraphy isn't great, but the sentiment is genuine. If you ever need anything from me in the future, just let me know, and I, He Changqing, will never hesitate to help."

"Dean He, you're too kind. As a doctor, treating and saving lives is our most basic medical ethics. Even if you hadn't brought the patient here, and someone else had brought the patient, I couldn't just stand by and watch them die."

Chen Ping said.

"Yes, yes, Dr. Chen's medical ethics are impeccable, and his medical skills are even more so." He Changqing gave him a thumbs up repeatedly.

Zhao Guosheng came out of his office, saw He Changqing, and pulled him into his office. Chen Ping didn't know what they talked about.

After putting away the banner, Chen Ping continued to treat the villagers.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was already setting in the west, and the shadow of the old locust tree in the yard stretched diagonally across half of the yard.

Chen Ping was writing a prescription for a patient in his clinic when he suddenly heard a sharp siren blaring from afar, tearing through the silence of the mountains with each blare.

Wang Tao put down the medical record book in his hand, ran to the corridor and looked out, muttering to himself, "What happened?"

Before the sirens had even stopped, the large iron gate of the health center was pushed open from the outside.

Zhang Jianmin strode in, his face ashen and his forehead covered in sweat. He shouted down the hallway as soon as he entered, "Dean Zhao! Dean Zhao! Evacuate the patients immediately and lock the main door!"

Zhao Guosheng strode out of the office, carrying a jar in his hand. Seeing Zhang Jianmin's expression, he knew something serious had happened. He put the jar on the windowsill and went to greet him.

People also peeked out from the clinic and pharmacy and crowded around.

Zhang Jianmin took a couple of breaths, lowered his voice but spoke quickly: "A group of poachers came down from the mountain. They have guns. The police station and the county bureau are chasing them. The streets have been sealed off. You guys need to quickly evacuate all the patients who aren't seriously ill, let them go home, lock the doors, and make sure no one is wandering around in the streets."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wei pushed his glasses up and cursed, "These poachers are lawless! They come up the mountain to hunt as soon as autumn arrives, risking their lives for money!"

Zhao Guosheng turned his head and glared at him, then began assigning tasks: "Wang Tao, Liu Wei, go to the ward and explain to the patients that they should go home first and come back tomorrow."

"Li Fang locked the controlled drugs in the pharmacy in a safe, and always carried the key with her."

"Dr. Chen, go and tell Lao Sun to stop the workers and go home immediately."

"Liu Mazi, you keep a close watch on the main gate. Once everyone's gone, lock it immediately. The rest of you, check all the doors and windows in the corridor and the clinic."

Everyone agreed in unison and went off to do their tasks.

Patients were being carried out of the corridor one by one. Wang Tao stood at the door and explained to each person in a low voice, without revealing the reason to avoid panic.

In less than fifteen minutes, the courtyard was empty. Liu Mazi locked the large iron gate from the inside with three locks and propped it up with a wooden bar.

Everyone retreated to the largest examination room, locked the door, and drew the curtains tightly shut.

Zhao Guosheng held the jar in his hand without drinking, Liu Wei rubbed his hands and paced back and forth in the corner, and Wang Tao sat next to Zhou Jie. Everyone's expression was solemn.

Everyone strained their ears to listen to the sounds outside. Occasionally, a siren or two would come from the distant mountains, muffled through the layers of trees, sounding like rumbling thunder from underground.

None of them had ever experienced anything like this before, and their eyes were filled with terror.

Chen Ping leaned against the wall, turned his head and asked Zhao Guosheng, "Dean Zhao, is there poaching in these mountains every year?"

Zhao Guosheng sighed, holding the jar, and nodded: "In the past, the people of Siping Township relied on the mountains for their livelihood, hunting and gathering wild fruits. Generation after generation, they lived like this."

"Later, the government closed the mountains for reforestation and prohibited hunting, but some people still took the risk every autumn to go up the mountain to poach wolves, black bears, and wild boars, and sell the wild game, which was very valuable."

"The police station makes arrests every year, and people do it secretly every year, but this year the commotion is so big that even the streets have been blocked off. It's probably not just a matter of a few petty thieves."

The consultation room fell silent; no one spoke.

Sun Xiaoyan sat next to Cui Ying, her hands gripping the hem of her white coat, her body trembling with nervousness.

Zhou Xiaohe was also called over from the back dormitory. Cui Ying pulled her over and sat her on her lap. The little girl wasn't afraid at all and even looked up at Cui Ying, asking, "Sister Cui Ying, won't bad guys climb over the wall and come in?"

Cui Ying gently comforted him, "There are security guards on duty, and police officers are outside. Bad guys won't dare to climb over."

Although Cui Ying said that, no one was sure whether these poachers would actually resort to desperate measures and come to the health center.

I waited until it was time to leave work, but there was still no sound from outside.

The sirens faded into the distance, and there were no other unusual noises coming from the streets.

Zhao Guosheng stood up, pulled the curtains open a crack, and looked out. The street was deserted, with only the long shadows of two rows of poplar trees stretching out in the setting sun.

He breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and told everyone to eat first before going home.

Aunt Li was already busy in the kitchen, making everything she could find in the refrigerator. She reheated the stewed beef with potatoes, stir-fried a large plate of garlic sprouts with cured meat, and steamed a big pot of white rice.

When the food was served, everyone sat down around it, and the tense atmosphere in the air finally eased a little.

While picking up food, Zhao Guosheng instructed everyone to hurry home after finishing their meal, not to linger on the way, and not to go out during the nights they stayed in the dormitory.

After dinner, some went home, and some went back to their dormitories.

Liu Mazi and Ma Zhihao patrolled the courtyard wall from top to bottom, their flashlights sweeping across the darkness. The two didn't go home; Liu Mazi, Ma Zhihao, and Fatty Zhang were on duty together that night.

Chen Ping, Cui Ying, Zhou Jie, Sun Xiaoyan, and Zhou Xiaohe moved chairs and sat in the backyard. The moonlight made the poplar leaves look white. There was a pot of tea on the stone table, but no one was in the mood to drink it.

Sun Xiaoyan sat on the stone bench with her head down and didn't say anything. Zhou Jie was next to her and gently patted the back of her hand with her fingers.

Zhou Xiaohe dozed off, her head nodding as she lay on Cui Ying's knees.

They sat there until after nine o'clock, when the night breeze became quite chilly. Cui Ying woke Zhou Xiaohe up, and the group went back to their respective dormitories.

Chen Ping went to the guardhouse for a look, told Liu Mazi not to be careless, and then returned to his dormitory!