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

Zhao Guosheng's voice came through, tinged with obvious nervousness and politeness: "Oh, Dean Ma, what brings you here in person? Come, come, please come in!"

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Ping walked out of his consultation room.

I saw a black sedan parked in the yard, with the words "Cangyang County People's Hospital of Tianhai City" printed on the side.

Two men stood in the courtyard. One was Dr. Ma, whom they had met at the scene of the car accident that day. The other was a man in his fifties with his hair neatly combed, wearing a dark jacket and shiny leather shoes. He looked like a leader.

Zhao Guosheng stood in front of them, his back bent much lower than usual, his face beaming with smiles, and his hands holding the jar were trembling.

"Dean Ma, are you on an incognito visit?"

Zhao Guosheng laughed, but his voice was a little tense. "Why didn't you give me any advance notice? It was a surprise attack; I didn't make any arrangements."

Dean Ma smiled but didn't reply. Instead, he glanced around and then fixed his gaze on Chen Ping.

"You must be Dr. Chen?" Dean Ma walked directly towards Chen Ping and extended his hand.

Chen Ping grasped his hand: "Dean Ma, hello, I'm Chen Ping."

"Okay, okay."

Dean Ma looked Chen Ping up and down. "He's younger than I thought. Dr. Ma told me that you used acupuncture to stop the bleeding from the ruptured spleen and also used acupuncture to decompress the chest cavity, pulling two people back from the brink of death."

At first I didn't believe it, but after seeing the photos he took of the scene and the triage records, I had no choice but to believe it.

Dr. Ma stood behind, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He had changed his white coat into casual clothes. He nodded at Chen Ping without saying a word, but his eyes were different from that night.

That day I looked down from above, today I look up from below, and there's no disdain in my eyes, only admiration.

"Dean Ma, you flatter me. The situation was urgent, and it was the only option we had," Chen Ping said modestly.

"A last resort? To use a last resort so well, that's real skill," Dean Ma praised.

Zhao Guosheng stood to the side, his smile a little stiff.

He glanced at Dean Ma, then at Chen Ping, and his heart skipped a beat.

The county hospital director came in person, not to inspect the work, but to visit people.

Who are you looking at?

Look at Chen Ping.

"Dean Ma, you've come all this way, haven't you eaten yet?"

"It's almost noon, let me make some arrangements, let's eat and chat," Zhao Guosheng said.

This is a perfect opportunity to curry favor with Dean Ma. He's been to the county hospital several times but hasn't even managed to meet the dean. Now's the perfect chance.

Dean Ma glanced at his watch: "Alright, then I'll take the trouble to bother you."

Zhao Guosheng turned and winked at Li Fang: "Li Fang, go tell Lao Zhou to reserve a private room. We'll be there in a bit."

Li Fang responded, climbed out of the pharmacy window, and ran away.

Zhao Guosheng then looked at Wang Jianguo, Liu Wei, and Wang Tao: "You guys come too, keep Dean Ma company."

Several people nodded, and then all looked at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping didn't say anything, turned around and went back to the clinic to tidy up briefly.

Cui Ying was standing at the door of the accounting office watching when Zhao Guosheng saw her and waved to her, saying, "Little Cui, you should come along too."

Upon hearing this, Cui Ying immediately followed, and whispered to Zhao Guosheng jokingly, "Dean Zhao, you're really generous today..."

"What's with the generosity? It'll be billed by the health center later, I don't have any money in my pocket..." Zhao Guosheng whispered.

Cui Ying was taken aback and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

The group went to Lao Zhou's noodle shop.

The noodle shop wasn't big, but Old Zhou had a private room next door that wasn't usually open to the public; it was reserved for locals to entertain guests.

There was a large round table in the private room that could seat about ten people. On the wall hung a calligraphy scroll that read "Guests feel at home," the paper of which had turned yellow.

Zhao Guosheng sat next to Dean Ma, Chen Ping sat on the other side, and the others just found a seat anywhere.

We ordered the food, and it arrived in no time!

Old Zhou personally served the dishes; there weren't many, but they were much better than the usual noodles.

Braised pork belly, stewed chicken, scrambled eggs, cucumber salad, stir-fried green beans, and a bowl of hot and sour soup.

For the first time ever, Zhao Guosheng ordered several bottles of beer, poured one for Dean Ma, one for Chen Ping, and one for himself.

"Dean Ma, it's rare for you to come all this way, let me toast you." Zhao Guosheng raised his glass, his hand still trembling.

Dean Ma took a sip, put down his cup, and looked at Chen Ping: "Dr. Chen, which school did you graduate from?"

"Medical university, combined bachelor's and master's degree," Chen Ping replied.

"A combined bachelor's and master's degree? Then how did you end up here?" Dean Ma asked, his face full of confusion.

Chen Ping smiled and said, "It's necessary for work."

Dean Ma glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

"Dean Ma, have some food..." Zhao Guosheng put a piece of braised pork on Dean Ma's plate.

Zhao Guosheng noticed that Dean Ma kept looking at Chen Ping and talking to him, and he was afraid that it wasn't anything good.

"Okay!" Dean Ma simply nodded slightly, without picking up the braised pork, and looked at Chen Ping, his tone becoming serious: "Dr. Chen, the reason I came today is actually to discuss something with you."

The atmosphere at the table suddenly changed.

Zhao Guosheng's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

"Our county hospital's emergency department is in dire need of a doctor like you."

Dean Ma's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "Now that you're here, you can ask for your own salary, I'll help you with your professional title, and we can discuss housing too. How much do you earn a month in Siping Township? Two thousand? Three thousand? If you come to the county hospital, your base salary will start at eight thousand, plus performance-based pay, and all five social insurances and one housing fund will be paid."

The private room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zhao Guosheng's face changed, from red to white, and from white to green.

His hand holding the cup stopped trembling, but froze, as if it had been frozen. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Cui Ying's body trembled slightly, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, looking somewhat at a loss.

She didn't look at Chen Ping, but kept her head down, staring at the bowl in front of her, her ears perked up, not wanting to miss a single word.

After a moment, Zhao Guosheng finally spoke: "Dean Ma, you... Dr. Chen has only been here for a little over a week..."

"Old Zhao, I know you'll be reluctant to part with it."

Dean Ma interrupted him, his tone polite but with an undeniable firmness: "But you also know that the county hospital is much better equipped than yours. It's a waste to have Dr. Chen's skills here."

wasted.

These three words pierced Zhao Guosheng's heart like needles.

He wanted to argue, but couldn't open his mouth.

He knew that Dean Ma was right; the county hospital's equipment, platform, and development potential were a hundred times better than those of the Siping Township Health Center.

People like Chen Ping really shouldn't be stuck in this run-down place where they can't even pay their wages.

But he couldn't bear to part with it.

For twenty years, the health center has never had a doctor like this.

A doctor who can treat snake venom, stop internal bleeding, and perform chest decompression; a doctor who can draw people from all directions to seek his medical attention; a doctor who can bring a health clinic back to life.