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

There were more patients in the afternoon than in the morning.

As soon as Chen Ping sat down, four or five people lined up at the door.

As Chen Ping was writing a prescription after seeing the third patient, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

Liu Wei's voice was angry, even louder than last time.

"Dean Zhao! You can't do this! My wife has taken the kids and gone back to her parents' house! She said if she doesn't get her salary soon, she's not coming back!"

Chen Ping's pen stopped in mid-air.

"Liu Wei, keep your voice down, there's a patient here..." Zhao Guosheng's voice was very low, almost pleading.

"I'm not speaking quietly!"

Liu Wei's voice grew louder, "My wife is gone! My child is gone! I'm all alone at home! How can you expect me to speak softly?"

Chen Ping put down his pen and walked to the door.

Liu Wei stood at the door of Zhao Guosheng's office, his face flushed red and the veins on his neck bulging.

Zhao Guosheng stood opposite him, holding an enamel mug. His hands were trembling, and he spilled tea, burning his hand, but he didn't even notice.

Everyone was looking in their direction, but no one spoke.

Everything that needed to be said last time has been said, so there's no point in saying anything this time.

"Dean Zhao, give me a straight answer."

Liu Wei's voice suddenly lowered, not because it softened, but because he was tired, too tired to shout anymore. "When exactly will I get paid? Tell me a date, I'll wait. If you don't tell me, I'm not done today."

Zhao Guosheng opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He glanced at the patients in the courtyard, then at Liu Wei, his face trembling.

He turned around, went back to his office, took out an account book from a drawer, opened it, closed it, opened it again, and closed it again.

He flipped through the ledger several times, and finally slammed it on the table.

"I have no money."

His voice was terribly hoarse. "There's only three thousand yuan left in the account. We need to buy medicine, pay the electricity bill, and buy disinfectant. Pay salaries? Whose salaries? Yours, Li Fang's, Wang Tao's, Wang Jianguo's? If we pay this month, what about next month? Is the health center going to close down?"

Liu Wei stood at the door, listening to these words, and his body trembled.

"Dean Zhao, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, but I'm a human being too. I need to eat and support my family. My wife is gone, my child is gone, what am I doing here alone in this wretched place?" Liu Wei was on the verge of tears.

The courtyard was quiet.

The patients stood at the door of the consultation room, looking at Liu Wei and then at Zhao Guosheng, but no one spoke.

An elderly woman whispered to the person next to her, "What's going on?"

The person next to her shook their head, telling her to be quiet.

Chen Ping stood at the door of the clinic, looking at Liu Wei's back and then at Zhao Guosheng's ashen face, feeling as if a stone was pressing on his heart.

He knew that Liu Wei was right, and Zhao Guosheng was right too.

The problem is that the higher-ups aren't allocating funds, the health center is poor, and this dilapidated place is neglected.

But saying these things is useless; money won't just fall from the sky.

He took out his phone and glanced at it.

The screen was lit up, showing more than a dozen missed calls, all from Su Meng.

The most recent one was a call I made this morning, but he didn't answer or reply.

He stared at the name for a long time, his finger hovering above the screen, wanting to press it, but then pulling it back.

Su Meng is the deputy director of the Municipal Health Bureau. If she is willing to help, she can allocate some funds and equipment to the Siping Township Health Center, and then there will be enough money to pay salaries.

All he had to do was call her, say a few kind words, and beg her for a favor.

He locked his phone and put it back in his pocket.

I don't want to ask her for help.

It's not that I can't let go of my pride, it's that I don't want to have anything to do with her anymore.

Once you're divorced, you're divorced. You should each go your own way.

Chen Ping was doing well in Siping Township; he ate well, slept well, and felt at ease.

I will not ask for help, I will not bow my head, and I will not go back.

But what about Liu Wei?

What should Li Fang do?

What should Wang Tao do?

Chen Ping stood at the door, his hands in his pockets, clutching his phone, unsure of what to do.

In the courtyard, Liu Wei spoke up again: "Dean Zhao, I don't need the full amount, can you just give me a month's salary first? I want to bring my child back. He's at his maternal grandmother's house, crying every day, saying he wants to go home..."

Zhao Guosheng's eyes reddened, and his hands, holding the jar, trembled even more violently.

He lowered his head, looking at the small amount of cold tea in the jar, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Dean Zhao..." Liu Wei's voice choked.

Just then, Zhao Guosheng's phone rang.

Zhao Guosheng was stunned for a moment, picked up his phone and glanced at it. His face changed, from gray to pale, and then from pale to bright red.

"Feed? Hello! Yes, yes, this is Zhao Guosheng... Yes, Siping Township Health Center... What? Tomorrow? Tomorrow morning? Okay, okay, we'll get ready, we'll definitely get ready!"

He hung up the phone, and stood there as if he had been electrocuted, mouth agape, eyes wide, almost dropping his phone.

"Dean Zhao? What's wrong?" Wang Jianguo walked out of the consultation room, frowning.

Zhao Guosheng turned around, looked at the people in the courtyard, his lips trembled several times, and finally shouted, "The Municipal Health Bureau! The Municipal Health Bureau is coming to inspect tomorrow!"

The courtyard was quiet for a second, then erupted into chaos.

"What? The Municipal Health Bureau?"

Wang Tao jumped out of the consultation room, "Are city leaders coming to our place?"

"Really?" Li Fang leaned halfway out of the pharmacy window. "Why would they come to a place like this?"

Wang Jianguo, equally incredulous, said, "Dean, you didn't hear me wrong, did you? Even the county health bureau leaders don't like to come, so why would the city ones?"

"You heard me right! You heard me right!"

Zhao Guosheng's voice trembled as he excitedly said, "It was clearly stated on the phone that they will arrive tomorrow morning and that we should be prepared to receive them!"

"We're closed this afternoon! Everyone, do a thorough cleaning! Wang Tao, chase those chickens out of the yard, and don't let them in again!"

Li Fang, rearrange the medicines in the pharmacy, and throw away all the expired ones! Wang Jianguo, wipe the tables and chairs in the consultation room clean, and arrange the medical records neatly! Liu Wei…”

He glanced at Liu Wei, who was still standing there, his expression changing from anger to confusion, and then to helplessness.

"Liu Wei, go and change that banner at the entrance of the health center. Write a new one that says, 'Warmly welcome the leaders from the Municipal Health Bureau to visit and provide guidance!'"

Liu Wei paused for a moment, nodded, and turned to go to the warehouse to find the banner.

Zhao Guosheng turned around again, looked at the patients in the courtyard, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Fellow villagers, the health center has some business to attend to this afternoon, so we won't be seeing patients. Please come back tomorrow, please come back tomorrow."

The patients looked at each other, muttered to themselves, and left.

None of them are serious illnesses; seeing a doctor today or tomorrow won't have any impact.

The courtyard was soon empty.

Zhao Guosheng stood at the office door, holding a jar, his hands still trembling, but the expression on his face was completely different from before.

Just now it was a deathly gray, now it's a fiery sunset, shining brightly red.

"What are you all standing there for? Get moving!" he shouted.