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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, there were people in the backyard.

For the first time ever, Fang Hai didn't wait for Zhao Guosheng to knock on the door and came out of the dormitory on his own.

He was wearing a dark blue jacket, and his hair was still neatly combed, but his complexion was off; it was very pale and looked somewhat frightening.

His eyes were dark and his eyelids were swollen; it was obvious he hadn't slept all night.

He stood at the dormitory entrance, stretching his arms and kicking his legs, his movements as stiff as a rusty machine.

When Chen Ping pushed open the door, Fang Hai was bending over to reach his toes. After trying twice but failing, he straightened up and met Chen Ping's eyes.

The two looked at each other for a second before Fang Hai looked away.

He straightened up, patted the dust off his trousers, turned around, and forced a smile at Chen Ping.

That smile was uglier than a grimace; the corners of his mouth were tugged upwards, but his eyes didn't move, as if he had a mask stuck to his face.

"Good morning, Dr. Chen." Fang Hai greeted Chen Ping, something he never did before.

Chen Ping looked at him and nodded: "Section Chief Fang, good morning."

Cui Ying came out of the house, holding a mug with a kitten printed on it.

She saw Fang Hai standing in the courtyard, paused for a moment, then lowered her head, walked past him, and went to Chen Ping's side.

Fang Hai forced a smile and nodded to Cui Ying: "Good morning, Accountant Cui."

Cui Ying didn't look at him, but responded with a "Good morning," her voice as flat as plain water.

Fang Hai's smile froze on his face. He stood there for two seconds, then turned around and continued to stretch his arms and kick his legs, the movements even more forceful than before, as if he were competing with himself.

Zhao Guosheng has arrived.

He walked in through the front door carrying an enamel mug, his steps unhurried, a carefree smile on his face.

He spotted Fang Hai immediately, not because Fang Hai was standing in a conspicuous place, but because Fang Hai's movements were too unnatural.

When he stretches his arms, his shoulders are raised; when he kicks his legs, his knees are stiff, like someone who can't dance trying to twist their body.

Zhao Guosheng walked over to Chen Ping. Chen Ping glanced at him, made an OK sign with his fingers, and waved it in front of his chest.

Zhao Guosheng's lips curled up slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Section Chief Fang, you're up so early today?"

Zhao Guosheng walked over, looked Fang Hai up and down, and his expression changed from a smile to concern. "You don't look well. Is it because our conditions are too bad and you haven't rested well?"

Fang Hai quickly waved his hand, but the movement was so fast that it pulled on some tendon in his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain.

"No, no, Dean Zhao, this is fine. I went to bed early last night and got up early to stretch my muscles," Fang Hai explained.

"That's good." Zhao Guosheng nodded. "If Section Chief Fang needs anything, just let me know."

"No, no, everything's fine, everything's fine." Fang Hai said "fine" several times in a row.

This attitude is completely different from the bureaucratic style he displayed when he first arrived here.

Wang Tao also arrived. He was wearing a new white T-shirt today, with creases on the collar, clearly taken straight from the packaging.

He had washed his hair with water, combed it neatly, and looked very energetic.

He saw Fang Hai moving around in the yard, paused for a moment, and then laughed—the kind of laugh that he was trying to hold back but couldn't, and which came out of his nose.

"Good morning, Section Chief Fang." Wang Tao's voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire courtyard.

Fang Hai turned around, looked at Wang Tao, and forced a smile.

This smile was a little more natural than the previous two, but it was still fake, so fake that anyone could see through it at a glance.

"Good morning, Dr. Wang."

"Did Section Chief Fang sleep well last night?" Wang Tao walked over, tilting his head to look at Fang Hai's face. "Your eyes are a bit dark; did you not sleep well?"

Fang Hai's hand trembled slightly, but he controlled it, put his hands in his pockets, and smiled: "I slept well, I slept well. Maybe it's because I'm not used to the bed. I wasn't used to it when I first arrived, but it's much better now."

"That's good."

Wang Tao nodded, walked past Fang Hai, and went to Chen Ping's side. He lowered his voice and said two words in a volume that only the two of them could hear: "You chickened out."

Chen Ping didn't reply, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Liu Wei is here, Li Fang is here, Wang Jianguo is here.

Fang Hai greeted everyone one by one, making sure not to miss a single one, his attitude was so good it was hard to believe he was the same person.

The group was a little taken aback by Fang Hai's enthusiasm, but they all nodded in response.

Fang Hai stood in the courtyard, watching them walk into the canteen one by one, his smile gradually fading.

He stood there for two seconds, head down, and then walked into the cafeteria.

The atmosphere in the cafeteria is different from yesterday.

Fang Hai, holding a bowl, sat down at the table, not in the corner, but in the middle, next to Wang Jianguo.

When he sat down, Wang Tao glanced at him, Liu Wei also glanced at him, and Li Fang moved the bowl closer to herself without saying a word.

Aunt Li brought out the steamed buns, the porridge, and the pickled vegetables. Fang Hai picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, chewed it, swallowed it, and then picked up another one.

"Aunt Li, the steamed buns are quite good," Fang Hai said.

Aunt Li paused for a moment, then smiled: "If Section Chief Fang likes to eat, then eat more."

Fang Hai nodded and picked up another steamed bun.

Wang Tao sat opposite Fang Hai, watching him eat steamed buns, a smile playing on his lips.

He picked up the bowl of porridge, took a sip, put it down, looked at Fang Hai, and suddenly asked, "Section Chief Fang, what time did you go to bed last night?"

Fang Hai's hand froze in mid-air, a steamed bun between his chopsticks, the half-eaten side facing down, oil dripping onto the table, drop by drop.

He put down the steamed bun, picked up a tissue to wipe his hands, and moved very slowly, as if he was stalling for time.

"I went to bed around nine o'clock," Fang Hai said softly.

"A little past nine o'clock?" Wang Tao smiled. "You went to bed really early."

Fang Hai didn't reply, lowered his head, and continued eating his steamed bun.

This time he ate quickly, finishing a steamed bun in a few bites, then drank a bowl of porridge, stood up, said "Enjoy your meal," and left.

Wang Tao watched his retreating figure, chuckled twice, and was kicked under the table by Li Fang, stopping his laughter.

Fang Hai walked to the door, then stopped, turned around, and looked at the people at the table.

His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but then he swallowed it back.

He stood there, hesitated for two seconds, and finally spoke.

"I'll treat everyone to lunch at Lao Zhou's Restaurant. I'll pay for it myself. Thank you all for your help these past few days."

The cafeteria fell silent.

No one spoke, no one touched their chopsticks, and even Aunt Li stopped what she was doing and stood at the kitchen door watching Fang Hai.

Wang Tao glanced at Chen Ping, but Chen Ping remained expressionless.

Liu Wei glanced at Zhao Guosheng, but Zhao Guosheng remained expressionless.

Li Fang kept her head down and drank her porridge, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Cui Ying held the mug, took a sip of water, put it down, and didn't say anything.

Fang Hai stood at the door, his smile faltering, his lips drooping, his eyes filled with both embarrassment and panic.

He was afraid of being rejected, afraid that these people wouldn't give him a way out, afraid that no one would accept the olive branch he extended.