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

Chen Ping fell silent, and it was unclear what he was going to say. His face turned ashen with anger.

After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Treatment is not an option, and neither is not treating it. What kind of logic is this?"

Zhao Guosheng turned around and pushed him into the examination room, saying, "Dr. Chen, don't worry about it. I'll handle this. You go back and wait."

Chen Ping had no choice but to return to the consultation room. After all, he wouldn't deal with scoundrels and engage in such vulgar behavior.

Zhao Guosheng tried to reason with the family, but they wouldn't give in; some sat, some lay down, and some cried all joined in.

Zhao Guosheng was pushed twice by the middle-aged woman, and finally, having no other choice, he took out his phone and called the police.

A police car arrived, and two officers got out, inquired about the situation, and took the family and Zhao Guosheng away together.

About half an hour later, Zhao Guosheng returned alone.

He stood by the flower bed for a moment. Chen Ping came out of the corridor, looked at his empty back, and then at his face.

"Dean Zhao, how is it?"

Zhao Guosheng took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke from his nose. "It's settled. They were given a thousand yuan, signed the papers, and the matter is over."

"The police can't do anything either. They just say the problem started after taking the medication. What proof do you have?"

"If someone doesn't cooperate with the alcohol test, can you force them to have their blood drawn? These are just a few old scoundrels; the police can't arrest them, and they don't even qualify for detention. At most, they'll just give them a few words of reprimand and release them."

He flicked his cigarette ash, his voice turning somber: "A thousand yuan isn't much; it'll buy me some peace and quiet. When something like this happens, you just have to accept it."

Chen Ping looked helpless after hearing this; the entire social atmosphere had been disrupted by such scoundrels.

In particular, some disrespectful elderly people take advantage of their age and high legal resistance to extort money from others.

Moreover, there are no costs associated with extorting people. If they succeed, they make a profit; if they fail, they don't lose anything. They can just move on to the next person, since the police can't do anything about it anyway.

"How about we deduct this thousand yuan from my salary?" Chen Ping said.

"Why are you shaving your head? It's not your fault." Zhao Guosheng said, throwing the cigarette butt on the ground and stomping it out. "Alright, stop thinking about it and go eat."

Zhao Guosheng called to Chen Ping and they walked together toward the cafeteria.

Just as Chen Ping reached the cafeteria entrance, Cui Ying strode out, clutching her phone, her expression complex.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ping asked.

Cui Ying pulled Chen Ping aside, glanced at Zhou Xiaohe in the cafeteria, and whispered, "Xiaohe's mother just called me and said she'll pick Xiaohe up tomorrow morning."

"It's only been a few days, is Xiaohe even able to go back?"

"Okay!" Chen Ping nodded. "Although Xiao He has only been here for a few days, her emotions are very stable. It's time for her to go back to school. She can't stay at the health center all the time; otherwise, her studies will really be wasted."

"You didn't tell Xiaohe about this, did you?"

"No, I want to talk to her tonight when I have time," Cui Ying said.

"Let's eat first. After we eat, we'll talk to Xiaohe." Chen Ping said, then walked towards the cafeteria, with Cui Ying following behind.

Seeing the two of them enter one after the other, Li Fang couldn't help but tease, "Dr. Chen, what are you whispering to Cui Ying about? You're not even enjoying your meal?"

"Sister Fang, we were saying that since you're so beautiful, why don't we find you a rich husband in the city so you won't have to work anymore?" Cui Ying said.

"That's great! I have a rich husband in the city who supports me, and a husband in the village who takes care of the kids. I don't have to do anything."

Li Fang laughed heartily.

"Sister Fang, if you had two husbands, your little sister would be very busy," Wang Tao said, his eyes darting around.

"What's my little sister busy with?" Li Fang didn't react for a moment and was stunned for a second, but she quickly realized what was going on and slapped Wang Tao on the back of the head. "Wang Tao, you little brat, you're trying to take advantage of your sister."

"Alright, eat your food. There are children here. Don't talk nonsense."

Zhao Guosheng, with a stern face, yelled at the two who were fooling around.

Everyone started eating quietly, and no one started fooling around anymore.

After dinner, those who were supposed to go home went home, and those who were supposed to go back to their dormitories went back to their dormitories.

The moon slowly rose in the courtyard, and the poplar leaves rustled softly in the wind.

Chen Ping and Cui Ying sat with Zhou Xiaohe at the stone table. The little girl dangled her legs under the stone bench and fiddled with her fingers with her head down.

Chen Ping turned his head and asked her, "Do you want to go home?"

Zhou Xiaohe paused for a moment, first shaking her head, then nodding slightly after a while, and then shaking her head again.

"I want to, but I don't want to."

Her voice was very soft, "I want to go back to school, but I don't want to leave you all, leave the health center."

Chen Ping reached out and touched her head, gently patting the back of her head. "Even if we're separated, it's only temporary. It's not like we'll never see each other again."

"When we go back to Tianhai, we can come to see you. Go back to school and study hard. You can also come to Siping Township to visit us during your holidays."

Cui Ying remained silent, but simply pulled Zhou Xiaohe closer to her.

The little girl buried her face in Cui Ying's waist and mumbled something in a low voice. It was hard to hear clearly, but Cui Ying understood, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

That night, the three of them sat in the courtyard for a long time until the night breeze became chilly, before they went back to their dormitories.

The next morning, just after eight o'clock, Zhou Xiaohe's parents arrived.

The couple parked their car in front of the health center and unloaded several boxes from it.

A box of milk powder for middle-aged and elderly people, a box of fruit, two boxes of tea, and a banner.

Zhou Xiaohe's mother carried things into the corridor one by one, and Chen Ping couldn't stop her.

After moving the gifts, she took out a thick red envelope from her bag and tried to stuff it into Chen Ping's hand, but Chen Ping pushed it back with both hands.

"Sister, I said before that Xiaohe's treatment wouldn't cost a penny. I've accepted the gifts, but please take the red envelope back," Chen Ping said.

Zhou Xiaohe's mother declined a few more times, but Chen Ping firmly refused to accept it, and in the end he had no choice but to take the red envelope back.

When they parted, Zhou Xiaohe stood in front of Cui Ying, clutching the hem of Cui Ying's clothes with both hands, holding on for a long time without letting go.

Suddenly she lunged forward, buried her face in Cui Ying's arms, and burst into tears, her whole body trembling as she cried.

Cui Ying squatted down and hugged her, tears streaming down her face. She patted her back with one hand and said, "Go back to school and study hard. Come back during the holidays, and you can bring your classmates here for a field trip."

Cui Ying's voice trembled more and more, and tears welled up like a burst dam.

Chen Ping stood to the side, watching this scene. His Adam's apple bobbed several times, and he raised his hand to rub his eyes, which were also red.

He walked over and took Zhou Xiaohe from Cui Ying's arms, bent down and squatted in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Xiaohe, go back and study hard. You're a big girl now, you have to be strong. Call us if you miss us."

Zhou Xiaohe wiped her face with her sleeve and nodded vigorously. "I will definitely study hard. I want to be a doctor in the future and help children who are suffering from psychological problems."