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

"Brother Liu..." Wang Tao lightly slapped himself on the cheek, "You guys can eat as much as you want, I definitely won't skip out on the bill today."

After saying that, Wang Tao poured wine for Liu Wei and drinks for Li Fang, but he didn't explain why he was treating them.

Seeing this, no one asked any more questions.

After several rounds of drinks, most of the dishes on the table had been eaten.

Wang Tao's face was flushed from drinking. He suddenly stood up, pushed his chair back, and walked over to Chen Ping with his wine glass in hand.

The private room fell silent instantly, and even Liu Wei put down his chopsticks.

Wang Tao stood ramrod straight, holding the cup in both hands. The playful smile on his face vanished, replaced by a serious, somewhat clumsy expression.

"Dr. Chen, this toast is for you. I've learned a lot from you these past few days—how to take a pulse, how to insert acupuncture needles, how to prescribe medicine, and how to interact with patients."

"I studied for three years in school, but I haven't learned as much as I have in these past few months. If I hadn't been learning from you, I probably would have only ever done internships and wouldn't have any real skills."

Chen Ping stood up, holding his cup, and patted him on the shoulder. "We're all colleagues, let's learn from each other. Why say such things?"

The two clinked glasses and downed them in one gulp.

Wang Tao placed the cup on the table, the bottom of the cup making a dull thud as it hit the plastic tablecloth.

Then he took a step back, bent his knees, and knelt down.

Chen Ping almost dropped the cup in his hand, and quickly reached out to pull him back. Li Fang, who was next to him, had ribs stuffed in her mouth, her chopsticks hanging in mid-air, and her eyes wide open.

Zhao Guosheng, Wang Jianguo, and Cui Ying were all stunned.

Zhou Jie and Sun Xiaoyan exchanged a glance, unsure how to react.

Only Liu Mazi sat in the corner, glanced at it, and then lowered his head to continue eating.

Wang Tao knelt on the ground, his back straight, and kowtowed three times, his forehead hitting the terrazzo floor with three thuds.

Chen Ping was stunned when he saw Wang Tao kowtowing. He tried to pull Wang Tao a couple of times, but couldn't budge him at all.

After kowtowing, Wang Tao raised his head and looked at Chen Ping with a sincere and solemn expression: "From today onwards, I, Wang Tao, formally become Dr. Chen Ping's apprentice. All of you present here are witnesses."

"As the saying goes, 'A teacher for a day is a father for life.' If I, Wang Tao, ever betray my teacher and my ancestors, I will surely die a horrible death..."

Upon hearing Wang Tao's words, everyone's eyes widened, as if they wanted to pop their eyeballs out.

Chen Ping panicked immediately, put the cup he was holding on the table, and quickly bent down to help Wang Tao up, muttering, "No, no, no, please get up quickly."

Chen Ping blushed, feeling both anxious and embarrassed. He never expected Wang Tao to pull this stunt.

"Wang Tao, get up. There's no need for you to become my apprentice. I'll teach you anything you want to learn. What are you doing? I'm not some old Chinese medicine doctor, and I'm not old enough to take on apprentices yet. We're just colleagues and friends. Get up and talk to me..."

Chen Ping tried to pull Wang Tao while talking, but he couldn't budge him at all.

Wang Tao was being held by the arm by Chen Ping, his legs refusing to leave the ground. He looked up and said solemnly, "You've already kowtowed, so the apprenticeship is complete. From today onwards, you are my master. I will serve you tea and wine and do your bidding. I will do whatever you say."

Li Fang also came to her senses at this moment, and laughed and teased, "Dr. Chen, just agree! Look at how hard he's banged his head, it's so loud, I feel sorry for him."

Liu Wei nodded vigorously beside him, "That's right, Dr. Chen should agree, otherwise all that kowtowing will have been for nothing."

Wang Jianguo didn't speak, but the corners of his mouth were turned up so wide he couldn't suppress it; he wanted to laugh but didn't dare.

Zhao Guosheng picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and laughed without any restraint. He didn't say anything, just watched.

Chen Ping stood there, looking at Wang Tao kneeling upright, feeling embarrassed, helpless, and awkward.

"Why……"

Chen Ping sighed, then pulled harder on Wang Tao and dragged him up from the ground. "Alright, alright, I promise, okay? Get up, the food's getting cold."

Wang Tao jumped up, his smile as bright as the roses by the courtyard gate. He picked up the wine bottle and filled Chen Ping's glass, saying, "Master, please sit down. Master, please eat. Master, let me fill your glass."

The word "Master" was uttered crisply and clearly, without the slightest hesitation.

Seeing this, Li Fang joked, "Wang Tao, you've kowtowed, and Dr. Chen has agreed. So you can't call Cui Ying 'Sister Cui Ying' anymore."

She turned to look at Cui Ying, then turned her gaze back to Wang Tao's face, and said, word by word, "It's time to call her 'Master's Wife'."

There was a moment of silence in the private room, then a burst of laughter erupted.

"Yes, call her Master's wife..."

Liu Wei laughed so hard he slapped the table.

Zhao Guosheng had just taken a sip of tea when he heard the words "teacher's wife" and almost choked on his laughter.

Zhou Jie and Sun Xiaoyan laughed and hugged each other, secretly glancing at Cui Ying.

Cui Ying's face turned red from her cheeks to the roots of her ears. She gently patted Li Fang's arm with her chopsticks, her voice a mix of shyness and urgency: "Sister Fang, don't talk nonsense. I have nothing to do with him. If you keep talking nonsense, I won't eat anymore."

That's what she said, but her gaze secretly shifted, glancing at Chen Ping.

Whether Wang Tao was genuinely honest or feigning it, he put down the wine bottle, turned around, and bowed respectfully to Cui Ying, his voice so loud it echoed throughout the private room: "Greetings, Master's Wife!"

Li Fang laughed even harder, clutching her stomach and pounding the table, almost knocking the chopsticks to the ground.

Cui Ying glared fiercely at Wang Tao, her ears turning bright red, and mumbled something indistinctly, which no one could understand.

Chen Ping, holding his wine glass, was both amused and exasperated. He pointed at Wang Tao with his finger and said, "Wang Tao, you better shut up and stop yelling."

Just then, Old Zhou pushed open the door and came in carrying a complimentary fruit platter.

The plate was crammed full of rather irregularly cut apple and orange segments.

Seeing everyone in the room laughing, Chen Ping stood with a red face, Cui Ying sat covering her face, and Wang Tao stood in the middle, laughing like he had just found a treasure. He asked, completely bewildered, "What's the occasion? Why are you laughing like that?"

Zhao Guosheng took the fruit plate and placed it in the middle of the table. "Great news! Today is a great day for our health center."

The group chatted and laughed, eating fruit as they went.

More than an hour later, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill. Zhao Guosheng had Liu Mazi pack up the leftovers and take them to Ma Zhihao.

When I came out of Lao Zhou's restaurant, there were hardly any people on the street.

A few streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, and a mountain breeze carrying the chill of late autumn blew in from the alley entrance, invigorating everyone.

Wang Tao walked in front, humming an off-key tune. When he saw Cui Ying coming down the steps, he quickly went up to her and said, "Master's wife, slow down, watch the steps."

"Wang Tao, I'll beat you to death..."

Cui Ying chased after him and hit him, but Wang Tao ran away. Everyone burst into laughter, which echoed throughout the street.

Back at the clinic, everyone dispersed, each going home to their own mother.

Chen Ping and the others returned to their dormitory.

When she reached the dormitory entrance, Cui Ying glanced at Chen Ping, didn't even say goodnight, and pushed the door open to go inside. Cui Ying's face was still red.