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

Zhao Dezhu's face turned pale.

His lips trembled slightly, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from his throat: "Boss Ma, I... I paid back five thousand last time, didn't I...?"

"Five thousand?" Ma Hu smiled, a smile so kind it gave one goosebumps. "That five thousand is interest. The principal is thirty thousand, not a penny less."

Zhao Dezhu's legs went weak, and he had to lean against the wall to keep from falling.

Sun Xiuying stood behind him, trembling all over, but she didn't flinch. She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, but they didn't fall.

"Boss Ma, I... I really have no money left..." Zhao Dezhu's voice was almost pleading. "I've sold everything in my house, and I've borrowed from all my relatives and friends. I really..."

"No money?"

Ma Hu stood up, walked up to Zhao Dezhu, was half a head taller than him, and looked down at him. "It doesn't matter if you don't have money. Just do me a favor. If you do it, the 30,000 yuan will be wiped clean."

Zhao Dezhu raised his head, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, but mostly fear.

"What is it?"

"Call that doctor named Chen Ping." Ma Hu's voice was calm. "Get him out here. You don't need to worry about the rest."

Zhao Dezhu's face turned pale again, but this time it wasn't pale, it was ashen, like the ashen face of a dead person.

He took a step back and bumped into Sun Xiuying, who caught him.

"Boss Ma, Dr. Chen... he's a good man..." Zhao Dezhu's voice trembled. "He saved my wife's life and even pleaded for her. Otherwise, I'd still be locked up in the police station. I can't..."

Before he could finish speaking, a careless slap came flying at him.

Zhao Dezhu spun around a bit and crashed into the wall, his lip was cut and blood was flowing down his chin.

"No?" Ma Hu shook his hand as if he'd been hurt. "You fucking tell me no?"

Sun Xiuying rushed over and stood in front of Zhao Dezhu, spreading her arms like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't cry out; she gritted her teeth, her whole body trembling.

"Hit me, don't hit him." Sun Xiuying's voice trembled, but she still desperately protected Zhao Dezhu.

Ma Hu looked at her and suddenly smiled.

That smile made Sun Xiuying take a step back, but she couldn't back away because Zhao Dezhu was right behind her; there was nowhere to retreat.

Ma Hu reached out, pinched Sun Xiuying's chin, lifted her face, and looked her up and down, as if he were picking out something.

"She's not bad looking."

He released his grip, turned around, and looked at Zhao Dezhu. "Zhao Dezhu, I'm giving you one more chance. Are you going to make this call or not? If you don't, I'll take your wife away right now. You know I keep my word."

Zhao Dezhu's eyes reddened, not from crying, but from anxiety, fear, and the despair of being cornered with no way out.

He looked at Ma Hu, then at Sun Xiuying, his lips trembled several times, and finally tears fell.

"I'll hit...I'll hit..." His voice seemed to come from underground.

Ma Hu nodded and winked at the man with the buzz cut.

The man with the buzz cut handed over the phone, and Zhao Dezhu took it, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold it.

He pressed a few buttons, dialed a number, and held the phone to his ear.

It rang four times.

I accepted it.

"Feed?" came Chen Ping's voice.

Zhao Dezhu took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady: "Dr. Chen... Dr. Chen, I am Zhao Dezhu."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "Zhao Dezhu? What's wrong?"

"My wife... my wife suddenly fainted and can't be woken up. Could you... could you come and take a look?"

Zhao Dezhu's voice trembled, like a leaf in the wind, but he tried his best to control himself and not let himself cry.

"You've fainted? What are the symptoms?" Chen Ping's voice turned somber.

"I...I just suddenly fainted, I don't know..." Zhao Dezhu's tears flowed even more fiercely, but he dared not cry out loud. He covered his mouth with his hand, his voice muffled, "Dr. Chen, please save her, I beg you..."

"Don't worry, I'll be right there." Chen Ping hung up the phone.

Zhao Dezhu put down his phone, squatted on the ground, held his head, and trembled all over.

Sun Xiuying squatted down and hugged him. The two of them huddled in the corner, like two rabbits surrounded by a hunter.

Ma Hu stood up, kicked the chair aside, and looked at the seven or eight people in the yard: "Listen up, everyone. They're here. Don't rush to attack. Wait for my signal. Lead them to the back of the house first; there's no one there. Don't fight in the yard; it'll be too noisy."

The group nodded and dispersed.

Some hid inside the house, some hid behind the wall, and some stood at the door smoking, pretending to be passing by.

Ma Hu glanced at his watch, walked to the gate of the courtyard, and looked towards the direction of the village entrance.

As darkness fell, the last rays of the setting sun clung to the treetops, their color as red as blood.

He stubbed out his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it.

"Chen Ping." He repeated the name, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Tonight, I'll show you the consequences of offending me, Ma Hu."

…………

Siping Township Health Center.

Chen Ping hung up the phone, his brows furrowed.

He stood in the room for two seconds, then turned and went out the door.

"Chen Ping, dinner's ready," Cui Ying called out to Chen Ping. "Aunt Li's braised pork smells so good..."

With a dedicated chef and the health center having the funds, everyone's meals have improved significantly.

"I'm not eating anymore. There's a patient in Sunjiagou," Chen Ping said as he walked out. "Zhao Dezhu's wife fainted. I'm going to check on her."

Cui Ying hesitated for a moment, then followed, saying, "I'll go with you."

"No need, you can wait at home." Chen Ping didn't even turn his head.

Cui Ying watched his retreating figure, her lips twitching slightly. She felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Chen Ping walked to the front yard, where Wang Tao was locking the consultation room door. Seeing him, Wang Tao asked, "Dr. Chen, where are you going?"

"I'm getting my first-aid kit. There's a patient in Sunjiagou." Chen Ping walked up to Wang Tao. "Can I borrow your bicycle for a bit?"

As he spoke, Chen Ping walked into the consultation room and slung his medical kit over his shoulder!

Wang Tao quickly pushed his bicycle over; it was the same old old-fashioned bicycle, the bell didn't ring but everything else did.

He glanced at the sky; the sun had already set, leaving only a dark red glow on the horizon.

"Dr. Chen, it's getting dark, please be careful on your way."

"It's nothing." Chen Ping got on the bike, pedaled hard, the chain rattled, and he rode wobbling out of the health center gate.

Cui Ying watched Chen Ping's figure disappear around the street corner, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, her heart filled with worry.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Guosheng came out of the kitchen and saw Cui Ying standing there, so he asked.

"It's nothing, Chen Ping went to Sunjiagou, he said there's a patient there!" Cui Ying said.

"Going to Sunjiagou so late at night is too dangerous!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guosheng immediately frowned!

They are surrounded by mountains, and to get to Sunjiagou, you have to walk along a rugged mountain path, which is difficult to walk even during the day, let alone at night!