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

"Turn around," Cui Ying whispered.

Chen Ping turned around.

There were also bloodstains on his back, and several red marks from bush branches. They weren't deep, but they looked a bit scary.

Cui Ying glanced at the red marks, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back.

She carried the clothes to the door, and the moment she opened it, the night wind rushed in, blowing against Chen Ping's bare back, making him shiver.

"Eat your noodles first, don't let them get cold." Cui Ying said and left, leaving the door open.

Chen Ping stood inside the room, shirtless, feeling a little embarrassed.

He sat down and lowered his head to eat the noodles. The noodles were still hot, but they didn't taste quite right.

The sound of a running tap came from outside; Cui Ying was washing clothes, the sound of the washboard splashing and swishing.

He finished eating his noodles and cleaned up the dishes.

Cui Ying hadn't returned yet, so he stood at the door looking outside. In the moonlight, Cui Ying was squatting next to the tap, her sleeves rolled up high, washing the T-shirt.

She rubbed very vigorously, stopping to check after a few strokes, then rubbing a few more times.

"I'll do it," Chen Ping said, walking over.

"No need, I'm almost done washing."

Without looking up, Cui Ying said, "Go inside, it's cold outside."

Chen Ping didn't move; he squatted down next to her.

Cui Ying wrung out the T-shirt, shook it open, and looked at it. The bloodstains had faded a lot, but the marks were still visible.

"Rubbing it again tomorrow should make it come off."

She hung the clothes on the clothesline by the door, clapped her hands, and stood up.

The two stood in the courtyard, the moonlight shining on them.

Cui Ying's hair was disheveled, with a few strands hanging down beside her face, fluttering in the wind.

"Let's go back, it's getting late," Cui Ying said.

"Um."

The two went back to their respective rooms.

Chen Ping entered the room, did not turn on the light, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

It was a bit chilly to be shirtless, so he pulled the blanket over himself.

The sound of water came from next door; Cui Ying was washing her face. Then there was a rustling sound, probably someone changing clothes.

"Dr. Chen," a muffled voice came from next door.

"Um?"

"I have iodine here for those scratches on your back, would you like me to apply it?"

"No need, it's just a superficial wound, it'll be fine tomorrow."

"oh."

After a moment of silence, the bed creaked.

"Goodnight," Cui Ying said softly.

"Good night."

Chen Ping lay down and stared at the ceiling.

His mind was a jumble of thoughts, one moment the blood at the car accident scene, the next Cui Ying squatting by the tap washing clothes, and then her ears turning bright red as she helped him take off his clothes.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Chen Ping was awakened by knocking on the door.

"Dr. Chen, get up and have breakfast." Cui Ying's voice came from outside the door.

He sat up, rubbed his face, and then remembered that he was shirtless.

I quickly grabbed the pants I wore yesterday from the chair, put them on, and went to open the door.

Cui Ying stood at the door, holding a tray with two bowls of porridge, a plate of steamed buns, and a small plate of pickled vegetables on it.

She glanced at Chen Ping, her gaze lingering on his bare upper body for a second, then blushed and quickly shoved the tray at him.

"Put your clothes on before you eat." After she finished speaking, she turned around and went back to her room, closing the door behind her.

Chen Ping looked down at himself, smiled wryly, and put on his clothes.

The two people sat facing each other, drinking porridge.

The steamed buns were made by Cui Ying herself. They weren't big, but they were soft and fluffy, with a wheat flavor. The pickled vegetables were shredded radish that she had made herself; they were crisp and crunchy, with just the right amount of salt.

"You really didn't bring anything?" Cui Ying glanced at him.

"No..." Chen Ping shook his head.

Cui Ying lowered her head and drank her porridge without saying a word.

After finishing her bowl, she stood up and said, "I took half a day off this morning because of some things. If I can't come back for lunch, you can eat by yourself. You can eat at Uncle Liu's or cook noodles when you get back."

"Okay." Chen Ping didn't ask any further questions.

Cui Ying cleared away the dishes, went back to her room to change her clothes, and left with a small bag.

Chen Ping watched her figure disappear at the entrance of the health center, then turned and went to the front yard.

There were still quite a few patients in the morning.

Chen Ping sat in the consultation room, examining each patient one by one.

They have all sorts of ailments, from herniated discs and stomach aches to insomnia and coughs.

Wang Tao helped out from the side, while Liu Wei continued to write down the recipe in his notebook.

Everything was pretty much the same as yesterday, but Chen Ping felt like something was missing.

Cui Ying is not here.

The door to the accounting office was locked, and the windows were pitch black.

Chen Ping glanced at it as he passed by, then glanced at it again.

Around 11 a.m., a bread truck stopped in front of the health center.

The car door opened, and Cui Ying got out, carrying several bags of different sizes and colors.

She paid the fare and walked into the yard carrying the bag.

Li Fang was the first to see her, peeking out of the pharmacy window: "Hey, Xiao Cui, are you going to buy supplies?"

Cui Ying ignored her, her face flushed, and walked towards the backyard carrying the bag.

"Xiao Cui, what did you buy?" Li Fang asked, pressing for an answer.

"It's nothing," Cui Ying replied.

Wang Tao peeked out of the consultation room and saw Cui Ying passing by with a bag. His sharp eyes immediately spotted what was sticking out of the bag: "Hey... those are clothes, right? Men's clothes!"

Chen Ping was taking an old woman's pulse when he paused for a moment.

Wang Tao has a loud voice; everyone in the courtyard could hear him.

Liu Wei walked out of the consultation room, Wang Jianguo looked up from behind the newspaper, and even Zhao Guosheng peeked out from his office.

"Men's clothes?"

Li Fang's eyes lit up. She climbed out of the pharmacy window, almost tripping, and ran over to look. "It really is! Xiao Cui, who did you buy it for?"

Cui Ying had already reached the backyard gate when Li Fang blocked her way, her face turning as red as a boiled shrimp: "I bought it for my dad."

"Your dad?"

Li Fang laughed, "Your dad's wearing such a big size? He must be over 1.8 meters tall, right?"

Wang Tao leaned closer and looked at the colors of the clothes peeking out of the bag. One was dark blue, and the other was light gray. Both were men's sizes, and the sizes were clearly not meant for small people.

"Dr. Chen is only 1.8 meters tall." Wang Tao regretted saying that as soon as he finished speaking, but it was too late.

The courtyard was quiet for a second, then Li Fang burst out laughing, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up.

Liu Wei's lips twitched; he wanted to laugh but held it back.

Wang Jianguo took off his reading glasses, wiped them, put them back on, and smiled.

Zhao Guosheng stood at the office door holding a teacup, almost spitting out the tea in his mouth.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Cui Ying said anxiously, her face turning even redder. She grabbed the bag and rushed into the backyard.

Li Fang called out from behind, "Xiao Cui, just buy clothes for Dr. Chen, what's there to be embarrassed about! It's not like he can't wear them!"

The backyard door slammed shut.

Chen Ping sat in the consultation room, the old lady's hand still resting on his, and he forgot to let go.

The old lady glanced at him, then looked outside, and suddenly laughed: "Young man, someone bought you clothes, why don't you go try them on?"

Chen Ping then came to his senses, released the old lady's hand, and coughed: "Auntie, your pulse is fine, just a little weak. Go back and eat more red dates and longan."

He wrote out a prescription and asked Wang Tao to get the medicine.

Wang Tao took the prescription, winked at him, and ran off in a flash.