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

Chen Ping paused for a moment, his hand holding the teacup still.

Five million?

For Chen Ping, this was undoubtedly an astronomical figure.

The total cost of renovating the entire health center and the treatment center combined is less than this amount.

He hadn't expected that the director of the provincial people's hospital would make this decision in the time it takes to eat a meal.

"Dean Liu, isn't this...isn't this too much?"

Chen Ping couldn't believe that five million was so easily obtained.

How do you view the way these leaders of major hospitals spend five million yuan as if it were only five hundred?

"This amount of money isn't much, but it's not free. Our hospital will regularly send people to your area for consultations, and doctors from your local health center will also take turns coming here for further training."

"Assistance is a two-way street. You can provide case studies and clinical experience, and we can provide equipment and technology. It's a fair exchange, so you don't need to feel indebted."

Dean Liu said.

After hearing what Director Liu said, Chen Ping felt that their health center had gotten a great deal.

If I went back and the people at the health center found out that I could go to the provincial people's hospital for further training, they'd probably go crazy.

Wang Jianye chimed in from the side, "I'll have the Medical Administration Department draft an agreement for this matter, and once the official documents are signed, we'll begin the process."

"Siping Township Health Center will serve as a pilot site to test the model first, and then it will be rolled out."

The deans and directors started chatting away.

Someone asked Chen Ping about the specific situation regarding the shortage of medicines at the grassroots level.

Someone asked how much of a shortage of doctors there is in township health centers.

Others raised the issue of medical insurance reimbursement rates.

Chen Ping answered each question one by one. He could provide some data, while he could only estimate others based on experience. However, he answered every question honestly, without exaggeration or concealment.

By the time we were halfway through the meal, the steamed fish on the table was reduced to just a skeleton.

Dean Liu put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands, looked at Chen Ping, and said in a more casual tone than before, "Dr. Chen, I have a case I'd like to hear your opinion on."

"Our hospital admitted a middle-aged male patient who had a persistent high fever for a week. The fever would subside and then come back up again, over and over."

"Blood counts are high, CRP is also high, but three different groups of antibiotics have been tried without effect."

"We've done all sorts of tests: CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, blood cultures, bone marrow aspirations—we've done everything we can, but we haven't found a clear source of infection."

"We've had two hospital-wide consultations already, but the situation is still at a standstill. If you have time, could you come to our hospital for a checkup tomorrow?"

Chen Ping didn't respond immediately. After thinking for a while, he said, "Dean Liu, the patient has been in the hospital for a week, and all the necessary tests have been done. If I went there tomorrow and could tell, that would be bragging."

"But some diseases are hidden in the blind spots of routine examinations, so we need to think about them from a different perspective."

"I'll go over there tomorrow morning to take a look. If I can figure something out, great; if not, it won't delay your treatment plan."

After listening, Dean Liu nodded and didn't say anything more about the case. He then picked up his teacup and clinked it with Chen Ping's.

After discussing primary healthcare for a few more minutes, the conversation in the private room gradually eased.

Some people talked about recent changes in medical policies, while others shared their experiences in hospital management. Chen Ping sat and listened, occasionally answering a few questions, but mostly just listening quietly.

The night outside the window had completely fallen, but the atmosphere inside the private room was still warm.

It was almost 10 o'clock when the show ended.

Chen Ping followed Wang Jianye out of the club. The night breeze blew in their faces, cool and refreshing.

Wang Jianye drove him back to the retirement home. When he parked the car downstairs, he didn't turn off the engine. He glanced at Chen Ping and said, "Dr. Chen, get some rest. I'll urge my staff to process the counterpart assistance agreement as soon as possible."

"Okay, then I'll trouble Director Wang!" Chen Ping nodded.

After Wang Jianye left, Chen Ping went upstairs to his room.

He quickly washed up, and without turning on the light, lay down on the bed under the light of the streetlights outside the window.

At this moment, Chen Ping was still excited and wanted to share the good news with others.

It's already this late, the people at the health center are probably all asleep.

Slowly, Chen Ping closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. He slept soundly with a smile on his lips.

…………

The next morning, Chen Ping ate breakfast and left the retirement home at the time he had agreed with Dean Liu the night before.

The Provincial People's Hospital is not far from the retirement home; it takes less than twenty minutes by taxi. A gray-white outpatient building stands in the morning sunlight, and a long queue has already formed at the entrance.

Dean Liu was waiting downstairs in the inpatient building. When he saw Chen Ping, he came up and shook hands with him. "Dr. Chen, thank you for your hard work. You came so early."

"It's nothing, no need for Dean Liu to wait for me personally." Chen Ping smiled.

"Of course, of course..."

Dean Liu led Chen Ping up the elevator to the ninth floor, to the infectious disease ward.

The corridor was quiet. The young nurse at the nursing station was writing nursing records with her head down. When she saw the hospital director arrive, she quickly stood up.

Dean Liu waved his hand and led Chen Ping to the door of a ward at the end of the corridor. He pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Chen Ping go in first.

The ward was a single room. Lying on the bed by the window was a man in his forties. His thin face had an unnatural redness, his lips were dry and chapped, and his hair was messy.

He leaned against the pillow, his eyes half-open and half-closed. The numbers on the electrocardiogram monitor next to him jumped steadily, and two bottles of medicine hung on the IV stand by the bed, dripping one drop at a time.

A young doctor, in his early thirties, wearing glasses and holding a medical record folder, stood beside the hospital bed.

Seeing Dean Liu lead in an unfamiliar person, he twitched his eyebrows slightly and moved his lips but did not speak.

Dean Liu gestured to the young doctor: "This is Dr. Chen from Siping Township Health Center. He's here for a consultation today."

The young doctor glanced at Chen Ping, nodded, but didn't say anything. He simply handed the medical record folder to Chen Ping, his gesture conveying a sense of detachment, as if to say, "You see."

Chen Ping took the medical record folder, flipped through a few pages, and then handed it back to the young doctor. "Could you please provide all the test results and medication records since my hospitalization?"

The young doctor paused for a moment, then turned and left. When he returned, he was carrying a thick stack of test reports, which he placed high on the bedside table.

Chen Ping didn't rush to look at the report. He first sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed and looked at the patient's complexion and expression.

Then, in a calm tone, she asked, "When did you start having a fever? What was the highest temperature you had? Did you experience chills or shivering before the fever started?"

The man spoke with weak breath and a hoarse voice: "It's been almost ten days. It started like a cold, but it just wouldn't go down. The highest fever I had was 39.5 degrees Celsius. Every time before I had a fever, I would shiver from the cold, even with two blankets on.