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

Chen Ping saw Zhang Jianmin off.

After Zhang Jianmin left, the order at the health center completely returned to normal.

Liu Wei and Wang Jianguo took the initiative to share the patient reception work and patiently diverted patients, which greatly reduced the pressure on Chen Ping's clinic.

Chen Ping sat back down at his consultation table and continued to see patients methodically, using the four diagnostic methods of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation to prescribe medicine and give instructions. The busy morning came to a smooth end.

Before long, it was noon, and all the villagers who had come for treatment had left, leaving the health center completely idle.

Chen Ping packed up his medical records, changed into casual clothes, and met up with Zhao Guosheng, who was already waiting outside.

The two rode their bicycles along the country roads towards Li Fang's village.

Li Fang's village is adjacent to Siping Township, and the journey is not far; it only takes about ten minutes to reach the village entrance.

Zhao Guosheng works in the township year-round and is very familiar with the roads and residents. He led Chen Ping into a small alley and straight to a farmhouse.

The courtyard gate was ajar; it opened with a gentle push.

The moment the two stepped into the courtyard, their gazes darkened.

The courtyard was a mess, with firewood scattered all over the ground, flowerpots by the window overturned and broken, the wooden door of the main room crooked, and tables, chairs and benches overturned and scattered with bowls, chopsticks and other odds and ends.

It was clearly vandalized and overturned on purpose, a complete mess, not at all like a normal home.

Hearing the commotion, Li Fang, who was inside the house, quickly came out.

Upon recognizing Chen Ping and Zhao Guosheng, she visibly stiffened, a flicker of panic, surprise, and evasion crossing her eyes. She instinctively turned half her face away, as if trying to conceal something.

But the purplish-blue bruise was clearly imprinted on her left cheek, her eyes were red, and there was a slight cut at the corner of her mouth. She looked disheveled and haggard, completely different from the carefree, cheerful, and smiling pharmacy lady she usually was.

"Dean Zhao, Dr. Chen... why are you here?"

Li Fang's voice was dry and hoarse, and she looked uneasy.

Before the two could reply, she quickly tried to appear calm and gestured, "Come in, come in and sit down. I'll get you some water."

She hurriedly turned and went into the house to tidy up the scattered stools. Her movements were flustered, and she didn't dare to look up and meet the eyes of the two people the whole time.

Looking at the mess in the courtyard and the glaring wounds on her face, Zhao Guosheng had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth, and his face darkened.

When Li Fang handed him two glasses of water, he immediately spoke, his tone grave: "Li Fang, tell me the truth, what happened to the injury on your face? And what happened to cause this mess at home?"

Li Fang's fingertips trembled slightly. She lowered her head and whispered perfunctorily, "N-nothing, Dean. It's just that I tripped and fell while walking in the dark a couple of nights ago and bumped my face. The house is messy because I haven't tidied it up these past few days..."

"Alright, stop lying to me. Do you think I don't know your personality? We've worked together for so many years!"

Zhao Guosheng didn't believe Li Fang's words at all.

Li Fang bit her lip, her eyes instantly reddening, unable to utter a single word.

Seeing this, Chen Ping quickly said softly, "Li Fang, we are colleagues in the same unit. We spend every day together and are like family."

"We were worried because you took two days off without a reason and refused to explain why, so we came to check on you."

"No matter what difficulties you encounter or what grievances you suffer, you don't have to bear them alone."

"If you have any difficulties or grievances, just tell us. We will help you to the best of our ability. We will work together to find a solution. There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome."

These heartwarming words instantly shattered Li Fang's tense psychological defenses.

She could no longer hold back. Her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly. The grievances she had suppressed for many days finally erupted. She covered her face, squatted on the ground, and burst into tears.

Suppressed sobs echoed in the quiet courtyard, making one's heart heavy.

After crying for a long time, Li Fang slowly calmed down and choked out all her grievances.

It turns out that the night before last, they celebrated with drinks at the health center and got home late.

As soon as she entered the house, her husband made unfounded accusations against her, slandering her for having affairs and being unfaithful.

Her husband was usually short-tempered and extremely suspicious. That day, fueled by alcohol, he flew into a rage and began to beat and verbally abuse her without saying a word.

They were also vandalizing the house, smashing tables, chairs, appliances, pots and pans to pieces, turning their once peaceful home into a complete mess.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guosheng immediately frowned.

After all, it was he who asked Wang Tao to buy alcohol that night so that everyone could have a good drink.

Unexpectedly, a drinking session turned Li Fang's family into this mess.

"Why didn't you call me? We could all come and testify for you!"

Zhao Guosheng said.

"That's right, you can call us, and the people at our health center can all testify for you, since we drank together."

Chen Ping also said.

To everyone's surprise, Li Fang shook her head: "It's no use. He knows I drank alcohol at the health center. He's just deliberately picking a fight and deliberately hitting me."

"Why would I hit you on purpose?" Chen Ping asked, his face full of confusion.

"Because he wanted to force me to divorce him..." Li Fang sighed, then slowly recounted her story.

"Dean Zhao, Dr. Chen, you're not outsiders, so I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Actually, my husband has been having an affair for a long time..."

Li Fang spoke slowly, but tears flowed like a burst dam.

Six months ago, she discovered that her husband was secretly having an affair. He was always away from home, rarely caring about his family, and his heart was no longer with them.

For the sake of her ten-year-old son and for the sake of her child having a complete family, Li Fang kept quiet and pretended not to know anything.

She silently maintained this broken marriage, hoping only to live a peaceful life and not affect her child's education and growth.

But the mistress outside kept pressing her, determined to take her place, and kept urging her husband to divorce her.

The husband was infatuated with her and began to find fault with her at every turn, deliberately making things difficult for her, and frequently beating and scolding her, all in an attempt to force Li Fang to file for divorce so that he could marry someone else without any problem.

Hearing Li Fang's tearful account, Chen Ping and Zhao Guosheng turned pale with anger.

"Why bother with this scumbag? Just divorce him. In today's society, even a sixty-year-old woman can easily find a husband."

Chen Ping gritted his teeth in anger and continued speaking with Li Fang.

The saying goes, "It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage," but Chen Ping was simply furious.

In today's society, women are highly sought after. Even women who have been married three or four times can still find a husband easily, and the dowry is not small.

"It's not that I don't want to get a divorce... it's that I'm afraid to."

Li Fang cried uncontrollably, her voice hoarse and helpless. "My child is only in elementary school, a time when he needs someone. If I leave, his life will be ruined."

"I'd rather suffer some injustice or be beaten myself than let my child be without a mother's love..."

After hearing this tearful account, Zhao Guosheng's chest heaved with anger, his face contorted with rage: "This is absolutely outrageous! He cheated on you, and then he turned around and abused you, smashed things in the house, and even tried to force you to divorce him!"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? Even a simple phone call would have been enough for us to come and testify for you and stand up for you!"