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

After finishing his meal, Old Song put down his chopsticks, took a sip of his tea, looked at Chen Ping and Li Jizhong, and said casually but with a hint of caution, "You two should go back and rest. Don't wander around the compound tonight."

"There are guards patrolling the courtyard at fixed times. It's easy for misunderstandings to arise if strangers walk around."

"The people living in this area have special status. The guards don't recognize you, and it would be troublesome if they stopped you and asked you all sorts of questions."

Chen Ping and Li Jizhong both nodded, and Old Song added, "We'll have breakfast at seven tomorrow morning, and then we'll go fishing."

After saying that, he stood up, put his teacup on the table, greeted an old comrade-in-arms at the next table, and left.

Chen Ping and Li Jizhong also got up and left the cafeteria.

The two walked back along the path, one after the other. The streetlights were already on, casting long shadows on the road.

The lawn was quiet, and a few windows with lights on peeked out from a building not far away. Occasionally, a low voice would drift out from one of the windows, only to be quickly drowned out by the night wind.

When they reached the building entrance, Li Jizhong turned his head and said to Chen Ping, "Get some rest," before turning into the room next door.

Chen Ping pushed open his door, went inside, and closed it.

He took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair, sat down on the edge of the bed, took out his phone and glanced at it; there were no new messages.

I had just put my phone on the bedside table to go wash up when it lit up, and the screen showed Cui Ying's name.

Chen Ping picked up the phone, pressed the answer button, and held it to his ear. "Feed?"

Cui Ying's voice came through the receiver, tinged with displeasure: "Have you arrived yet? Why didn't you send me a message? Don't you know I was worried about you?"

Chen Ping sat down against the headboard. "I arrived around 4 p.m. I was driving all day and was so tired that I took a nap. After eating and cleaning up, I arrived now. I was just about to call you to let you know I arrived safely when you called."

"Really?" Cui Ying asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Of course it's true, I'm not lying to you." Chen Ping said confidently, but it was actually a lie.

He really hadn't thought of calling Cui Ying to let her know he was safe, but if he did that now, Cui Ying would definitely be angry.

"That's more like it. I should have waited a bit longer." Cui Ying said with a smile, "Is it cold over there? I saw in the weather forecast that it's getting colder in the provincial capital."

"Fortunately, it's warm inside. The conditions at the retirement home are much better than I expected."

Chen Ping shifted his position as he spoke, "Nothing much happening at the health center today, right?"

"Nothing special. A few old patients with back pain came in this afternoon, and Wang Tao took care of them himself. He told you not to worry."

Cui Ying paused, as if hesitating for half a second, and asked, "When are you coming back?"

"Old Song said he'll take me to see his old comrade-in-arms tomorrow. After the doctor's visit, I should be fine. I might be able to go back the day after tomorrow or the day after that."

After Chen Ping finished speaking, there was a two or three-second silence on the other end of the phone, and then Cui Ying hummed in agreement, her voice a little lower than before, "Then be careful and don't catch a cold, the temperature difference between day and night is big there."

"understood."

Chen Ping responded, and the two of them were silent for a few seconds on the phone.

He was wondering whether he should say something more when Cui Ying spoke first: "Alright, that's enough. You must be tired after driving all day. Go to sleep early."

Chen Ping said "okay," hung up the phone, put his phone back on the bedside table, lay down, and pulled the blanket up to his chest.

I originally wanted to wash up, but after lying down I didn't want to get up. Driving all day was just too tiring.

And so, Chen Ping drifted off to sleep.

When Chen Ping woke up the next morning, sunlight was already streaming in through the gaps in the curtains.

He picked up his phone and glanced at it. It was a little past seven. He slept much more soundly this time than last night. He was probably really tired from driving all day. He fell asleep soon after lying down and didn't even dream.

When he finished washing up, changed his clothes, and came out of the room, Li Jizhong was already in the courtyard downstairs.

Wearing a light gray light jacket, he was strolling slowly along the path beside the lawn when he came across an elderly man with a cane sitting on a bench. He stopped, bent down, and chatted with him for a few minutes.

His voice wasn't loud, and his smile was just right—neither overly enthusiastic nor perfunctory.

Chen Ping stood at the upstairs window for a while and had to admit that Li Jizhong was indeed adept at interpersonal relationships. He knew how to speak appropriately to different people, being neither arrogant nor humble, and always maintaining the right balance.

In officialdom, if you don't handle interpersonal relationships well, you won't be valued.

Chen Ping went downstairs to the cafeteria, where breakfast was already laid out.

Millet porridge, steamed buns, tea eggs, and a few side dishes—not a lavish meal, but everything was neatly prepared.

He had just sat down, picked up his bowl of porridge, and taken a sip when Old Song walked in, wearing a Zhongshan suit, looking even more energetic than when he was in the car yesterday.

"Dr. Chen, after you finish eating, tidy up a bit, we're going fishing. Remember to bring your needle."

Chen Ping nodded. "I brought it. It's in my bag."

Old Song sat down, picked up a bowl of porridge, finished it in a few gulps, stood up, wiped his mouth, and said, "Let's go then, they should have arrived by now."

"Secretary Li, he..." Chen Ping was about to say that Li Jizhong hadn't eaten breakfast yet.

Old Song waved his hand: "He already ate."

Chen Ping then realized that he had overslept and that Li Jizhong had already eaten breakfast.

She went back to her room, grabbed her needle case, and put it in her pocket. When she went downstairs, Li Jizhong was already waiting for her, carrying a thermos filled with tea.

Old Song walked in front, and the three of them walked a short distance along the trail behind the sanatorium, around a pine forest, and then the view suddenly opened up in front of them.

A vast lotus pond stretched out before me, its surface as calm as a deep green mirror.

The lotus season has passed, leaving only withered yellow lotus leaves and stems standing sparsely in the water. Occasionally, a few water birds skim across the surface, creating small ripples.

There were already three or four people sitting by the pond, each with a fishing rod in front of them. Some were baiting their hooks, while others were leisurely waiting with teacups in their hands.

Old Zhou was also there, sitting in a folding chair at the very end. When he saw Old Song and the others arrive, he waved and said in his booming voice, "Old Song, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for ages. If you hadn't come soon, I would have caught all the fish in this pond."

Old Song walked over and sat down on the chair next to him. He took the tea that Li Jizhong handed him and took a sip. "You should cast your line first before you start talking big. Let me see how many you catch."

The bucket in front of Old Zhou was completely empty, not even a small fish. Old Song glanced at it and laughed. Old Zhou wasn't annoyed and cast his fishing rod back into the water.