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

The next morning, Chen Ping was woken up by Cui Ying's knocking on the door.

It wasn't the polite "thump thump thump," it was tapping with your knuckles, three times, then three more times, like it was a death knell.

"Chen Ping, get up and eat."

Chen Ping opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for two seconds.

He didn't remember how much he drank last night, only that Wang Tao was clinging to the barrel of liquor and wouldn't let go until Liu Wei forcibly pulled him down.

My head feels a bit heavy, and my mouth tastes bitter, but I feel okay.

He responded and got up to put on his clothes, the dark blue one that Cui Ying said looked good.

Pushing open the door, Cui Ying was already waiting in the courtyard.

She was still wearing that white short-sleeved shirt, her hair was tied up, and her face was clean and tidy, showing no signs of having drunk alcohol the night before.

Chen Ping suspected that Cui Ying might have secretly taken a shower while he was asleep to wash away the smell of alcohol.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Cui Ying asked.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"That's good." Cui Ying turned and walked out. "Let's go, Uncle Liu, he fried some sugar-coated fried dough sticks today."

The two people crossed the front yard and exited the health center.

The streets were already bustling with activity. An old man selling vegetables had set up his stall, and two people were queuing in front of a tofu stall. An old woman carrying a basket was arguing with the stall owner over a few cents.

The sunlight shone on the street and on the old shops; everything was the same as usual.

But they are not exactly the same.

"Xiao Cui! Dr. Chen!"

Uncle Liu spotted them from afar, his voice booming so loud it could be heard throughout the street, "Coming! We saved some sugar-coated fried dough for you, fresh out of the pan!"

As soon as they sat down, Uncle Liu brought out fried dough sticks, sugar-coated fried dough cakes, and soy milk.

He didn't leave; he wiped his hands on his apron, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

Chen Ping glanced at him and sensed something was wrong.

Uncle Liu isn't usually like this; he usually goes back to work after delivering the food. But today he seems to have something to do.

"Dr. Chen, was your clinic involved in a fight last night?"

Uncle Liu lowered his voice, but his eyes were bright, giving off an expression that said, "I already know, so don't try to hide it from me."

Chen Ping took a bite of the sugar-coated fried dough and didn't say anything.

Cui Ying lowered her head and drank her soy milk without saying a word.

"Stop pretending, my brother already told me."

Uncle Liu chuckled, "He said that Dean Zhao charged forward with a broken beer bottle in hand, yelling and screaming, scaring a few thugs so much that they knelt down and begged for mercy. And Dr. Wang, he swung his little fists around so wide, he was really fierce."

Chen Ping almost choked on the sugar-coated fried dough.

He took a sip of soy milk, smoothed it out, and glanced at Uncle Liu: "Uncle Liu, is your brother Liu Er?"

"Yeah, didn't you eat at his place last night?"

Uncle Liu slapped his thigh. "He told me everything, embellishing it all the way through the night. He made me want to go see it myself."

Cui Ying finally couldn't hold back any longer. She put down her chopsticks, her face slightly flushed, and said, "Uncle Liu, please don't spread this around. Dean Zhao said we mustn't tell anyone."

"You're not allowed to tell anyone?"

Uncle Liu laughed, "Xiao Cui, everyone in half of Siping Township knows about the fight at your health center last night. Several passersby saw Director Zhao holding up a beer bottle, and it's been all over the place for a while now."

Chen Ping and Cui Ying exchanged a glance, both seeing the same meaning in each other's eyes: It's over, Zhao Guosheng's advice was wasted.

After breakfast, the two of them walked back.

Just as I turned into the main street, I ran into Sister Zhang from the hair salon.

She was sweeping the floor at the door when she saw them. She stopped sweeping and her eyes lit up.

"Xiao Cui! Dr. Chen! I heard you two got into a fight last night?"

Sister Zhang's voice was just as loud as Uncle Liu's. "Dr. Zhao really charged in with a beer bottle? Dr. Wang really hit him? The people at your clinic are too fierce! A group of doctors beat a few thugs to a pulp?"

Cui Ying blushed again. Chen Ping smiled, didn't reply, and quickly pulled Cui Ying away.

After walking a few steps, they ran into Old Zhou, who sells tofu.

Old Zhou, pushing his tricycle with two slabs of tofu on it, grinned when he saw them: "Dr. Chen, your clinic really made a splash last night. My wife said that Director Zhao looked like a hero in a TV drama, holding up a beer bottle."

Chen Ping was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say, so he quickly pulled Cui Ying away.

Back at the health center, Zhao Guosheng was already in the front yard.

He was holding an enamel mug, and his face didn't look good. He wasn't sick, but he had that awkward feeling of having his secret exposed in public.

Seeing Chen Ping and Cui Ying enter, he coughed and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"I ate." Chen Ping nodded.

Did you run into anyone on the street?

"We ran into each other."

"Did I ask you?"

"I asked."

Zhao Guosheng sighed, placed the jar on the windowsill, and touched his forehead: "Siping Township is so small, even the smallest thing gets known within half an hour."

Chen Ping didn't reply and went into the consultation room.

Cui Ying also entered the accounting office.

At 8:30, it's time to officially start work.

Patients arrived one after another, just as many as usual.

But today is different. After each patient finishes their consultation, they don't rush to leave; they always ask a question.

"Dean Zhao, I heard you got into a fight last night? At your age, are you even capable?"

An old man finished taking his blood pressure and asked with a smile.

Zhao Guosheng's face flushed red and then turned pale. After a long pause, he finally said, "I'm perfectly fine. I'm not afraid of a few more."

"Dr. Wang, did you really hit someone last night?" An old woman grabbed Wang Jianguo's hand, touching it like it was a precious treasure. "With your small frame, how could you possibly hit someone?"

Wang Jianguo pushed up his reading glasses and said seriously, "I was holding back, afraid of causing trouble."

"Come on, you're kidding me." The old lady laughed, revealing a mouthful of missing teeth and gums.

Li Fang was so busy in the pharmacy that she barely had time to breathe, but she couldn't escape it either.

A young woman came to pick up her medicine. Leaning against the window, she asked with a grin, "Sister Li Fang, I heard you hit someone with a plate? You're really fierce!"

Li Fang rolled her eyes: "Who said that? I just spilled a plate of food, I didn't smash it."

"Isn't it all the same?"

The handprint on Wang Tao's face hadn't faded yet; it was still bluish-purple and looked quite frightening.

He wore a mask today, trying to cover himself up, but it didn't work.

The patient knew exactly what was going on, but no one pointed it out; they just laughed.

Liu Wei was unusually quiet today, keeping his head down and writing down the prescription. He avoided anyone who looked at him.

But he couldn't escape it. An old man grabbed his hand and said, "Young man, I heard you stabbed the table with an iron skewer last night? Young man, you have guts, good for you!"

Liu Wei's face turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

Chen Ping wasn't spared either. After each patient finished their consultation, they would praise him, saying, "Dr. Chen, you're really skilled." He could only smile and say, "I've been practicing for a few days," before quickly writing a prescription and sending Wang Tao to get the medicine.

Zhao Guosheng was busy until almost ten o'clock. There were fewer people in the courtyard. He had just caught his breath when a few more people came in through the door.