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

"Dr. Chen, please think it over. There's no need to rush to answer. Call me when you've made up your mind," Dean Ma said sincerely.

He took a business card out of his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

Chen Ping took the business card, looked at it, and placed it on the table.

Everyone in the private room was looking at him.

Cui Ying raised her head and finally looked at him.

There was something in Cui Ying's eyes, not nervousness, not worry, but a kind of... fear.

She was afraid he would agree, afraid he would leave, afraid he would leave this poor, remote place and return to a world she could not follow.

Cui Ying lowered her head, her fingers clenching even tighter.

Chen Ping picked up the business card, glanced at it again, then put it back on the table and pushed it in front of Dean Ma.

"Dean Ma, thank you for your kindness, but I cannot go." Chen Ping declined.

His tone was soft, but his determination was absolute!

The private room was silent for a second, then everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Zhao Guosheng, in particular, trembled slightly, and his eyes reddened.

Cui Ying loosened her grip, the hem of her clothes that she had been clutching for so long crumpled into a ball. She didn't look up, but the corners of her mouth turned up, very high.

To everyone's surprise, Chen Ping refused, and refused so decisively.

Dean Ma was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting to be rejected.

He looked at Chen Ping, his brow furrowing slightly. "Dr. Chen, are you complaining that the compensation isn't good enough? You can name your terms..."

"It's not about the salary. I came to Siping Township because of work requirements, but after staying here for more than a week, I discovered something more important."

"This place lacks medical care and medicine, and people have to travel dozens of miles of mountain roads to see a doctor."

The health center doesn't even have an electrocardiograph machine, and they can't even pay salaries. What will they do if I leave?

Who will treat those with herniated discs, stomach problems, and snake bites?

The county hospital can survive without me, but the Siping Township Health Center probably wouldn't be able to stay afloat without me.

Chen Ping's tone carried a sense of pride, a pride in serving the public good.

Dean Ma was silent for a while, then sighed: "Dr. Chen, your personality is just like mine when I was young, but you need to think it through. If you stay in a place like this for too long, your skills will decline. The county hospital has a better platform, more cases, and greater room for development."

"Dean Ma, whether technology regresses or not depends not on the platform, but on the people. I can learn and improve just as well as I can in Siping Township," Chen Ping replied.

Dean Ma stared at him for a while, then picked up his glass and downed the rest of his beer in one gulp.

"Old Zhao," he put down his cup, looking at Zhao Guosheng, "you've struck gold."

Zhao Guosheng almost burst into tears. He picked up his glass, his hands trembling violently, and said, "Dean Ma, I...I toast you."

Dean Ma waved his hand and stood up: "Alright, we've eaten and talked, I'm going back. Dr. Chen, call me anytime you change your mind. Keep your business card, don't throw it away."

Chen Ping glanced at the business card on the table, hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and put it in his pocket.

Dean Ma smiled, turned around and walked out.

Dr. Ma followed behind, walked to the door, glanced back at Chen Ping, nodded, and said nothing.

Zhao Guosheng quickly followed to see them off, and Wang Jianguo, Liu Wei, Wang Tao, and Li Fang also went out.

Only Chen Ping and Cui Ying remained in the private room.

Cui Ying kept her head down, drawing circles on the table with her finger.

He drew two circles, stopped, looked up, and looked at Chen Ping.

"Are you really not going?" she asked.

"I'm not going."

Why?

Chen Ping thought for a moment and said, "The noodles here are delicious."

Cui Ying paused for a moment, then laughed out loud, her eyes crinkling with laughter, as beautiful as she had been under the moonlight that night.

"You're such a chatterbox," Cui Ying said with a smile.

Chen Ping smiled too.

Zhao Guosheng and his group stood at the door, saw Dean Ma's car off, and then turned back.

They hadn't even eaten the whole table of food yet, and they weren't going to waste it, since this was an unprecedented gathering at the health center.

Zhao Guosheng walked back to the private room, patted Chen Ping on the shoulder, his hand was still shaking, but the pat was very heavy.

"Dr. Chen, I... I don't know what to say." Zhao Guosheng was very agitated.

"Then let's not talk about it anymore, let's drink..." Chen Ping raised his glass.

Zhao Guosheng nodded. "Let's drink. This meal is on me today, the health center doesn't need to pay."

"Great job, Dean!"

"It's rare for the dean to be so generous, let's eat our fill today."

"Boss, a few more bottles of beer, please..."

The private room became lively as everyone toasted Chen Ping, who had now become the backbone of the Siping Township Health Center.

She's even more popular than Dean Zhao Guosheng.

Chen Ping accepted all offers without hesitation, and a few bottles of beer were no problem for him.

"Sigh! With Director Ma gone, our hopes of getting the county hospital to help our health center are dashed." Wang Jianguo suddenly sighed and said this.

The moment those words were spoken, the lively atmosphere instantly fell silent.

Everyone knows that without the support of the county hospital, their salaries will likely have to wait again.

Zhao Guosheng's face was very pale at this moment, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

The moment Wang Jianguo uttered those words, the atmosphere in the private room changed.

It was so lively just a moment ago, like Chinese New Year, but now it's suddenly gotten cold.

Liu Wei's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air, his smile still on his face.

He put down his cup, glanced at Zhao Guosheng, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but then he swallowed it back.

But that resentment, though suppressed, eventually surfaced.

"Dean Zhao."

Liu Wei's voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet private room. "The road to the county hospital is closed, so what about the salary... how are we going to handle it? I'm not rushing you, but you know my family's situation. The child's tuition is 2,800 yuan next month."

My wife said if we can't come up with the money, she'll take the kids back to her parents' house. She's not bluffing; she's serious.

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

He sat there, his hand on the table, the wine in his glass still unfinished, but he dared not pick it up.

He was afraid that his hands would shake too badly and he would spill the wine, which would be embarrassing.

"Liu Wei, just bear with it a little longer..." Zhao Guosheng's voice was dry, like he was chewing a piece of tasteless wood.

"Tolerate?"

Liu Wei's voice rose a little, "Director Zhao, I've been holding back since last year. I know the health center is struggling, but I'm struggling too. My monthly salary is 3,500 yuan, which sounds like a lot, but at the end of the year, I don't get much money in hand."

My wife works at a supermarket in town, earning 1,800 a month. Even together, it's not enough to make ends meet. The kids need to go to school, the elderly need medical care, and the utility bills need to be paid. How can I possibly live like this?

Li Fang sat next to Liu Wei, head down, chopsticks on her bowl, without saying a word.

Wang Jianguo was somewhat embarrassed, but what he said was true. With the road to the county hospital blocked, the health center would only have a harder time.

Zhao Guosheng was surrounded in the middle, and the flesh on his face was trembling.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, wanting to promise something, but he couldn't say anything.

He knew that Liu Wei was right, and Wang Jianguo was right too.

Nobody's wrong; it's just that the health center is too poor.