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

Zhao Guosheng put down his chopsticks, coughed, and spoke.

"Since Section Chief Fang is treating us, of course we should go. Don't you all agree?" Zhao Guosheng asked, looking at everyone.

As he asked the question, Zhao Guosheng kept blinking, clearly trying to remind everyone.

Wang Tao was the first to react, nodding, "Yes, yes, Section Chief Fang is treating, we'll definitely go."

Liu Wei nodded in agreement, Li Fang nodded in agreement, and Wang Jianguo hummed in agreement.

Fang Hai stood at the door, his smile returning, this time more genuine than before.

He nodded, said, "Then it's settled," and turned to leave.

They walked faster than they had when they came, as if they were fleeing.

Wang Tao watched his figure disappear around the corner, put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh: "This guy changes his expression faster than turning the pages of a book."

"Alright, that's enough." Zhao Guosheng glared at him. "They're offering a way out, so let's take it. Don't push them too far; even a rabbit will bite when cornered."

Wang Tao stopped talking, picked up the bowl of porridge, and gulped down the rest of the porridge in one go.

After dinner, Zhao Guosheng called everyone to the front yard.

The shadows under the locust tree were stretched long by the sun. Several people stood in the shade, some leaning against the tree, some squatting on the ground, and some standing with jars in their hands.

Zhao Guosheng stood in the middle, holding the signed proposal in his hand. He opened it, closed it, closed it, and opened it again, as if to confirm that he was not dreaming.

"The plan has been approved."

Zhao Guosheng's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried an barely suppressed excitement: "The money's in the account, we can use it. Now the question is how to spend it, what to do first and what to do later."

Wang Tao was the first to speak: "Buy equipment! Buy equipment first!"

Li Fang said, "We've stocked up on medicine; the shelves are all empty."

Liu Wei said, "During the building renovations, the plaster on the walls of the clinic is falling off every day, and patients don't want to sit down when they come."

Wang Jianguo pushed up his reading glasses and said slowly, "Everyone's in a hurry, but we only have so much money. Fifty thousand seems like a lot, but it'll go by in no time."

Zhao Guosheng nodded and looked at Chen Ping: "Dr. Chen, what do you want to say?"

Chen Ping leaned against the locust tree, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"We'll renovate first—the clinics, wards, canteen, dormitories. We'll fix what we can, and make do with what we can't fix for now. Especially those wards at the back. Once they're cleaned up, patients can be admitted to the hospital without having to lie in the clinic. It's about appearances, but also substance. When people come to see a doctor and see a clean environment, they feel half at ease."

Wang Tao nodded in agreement, nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Secondly, regarding medicine, Li Fang is right, the medicine shelves can't be empty. We need to stock up on medicines for common illnesses, and we can't be short of medicines for emergencies. If patients come in, you find out they have an illness, but there's no medicine, then it's like you've wasted your time seeing them."

Li Fang nodded vigorously.

"Third, basic equipment. Electrocardiograph, mini ultrasound, and basic laboratory equipment—these three should be prioritized. The operating room isn't urgent, nor is the funding. We only have so much money, so let's get the most important things done first. The operating room can wait until we have more money, and the funding can wait until the health center is operational."

Zhao Guosheng opened his notebook and began writing down each point. When he finished, he looked up at everyone and asked, "Do you all agree?"

"Agreed." Wang Tao was the first to raise his hand.

"Agreed," Liu Wei raised his hand as well.

Li Fang and Wang Jianguo both nodded.

Cui Ying stood next to Chen Ping, not raising her hand, but with a smile on her lips.

Zhao Guosheng closed the notebook, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh.

"The health center is being renovated, so it has to be closed." His voice turned somber. "When the construction team comes in and the machines start running, patients won't be able to see a doctor. I estimate it will be closed for at least ten days to two weeks."

The courtyard was quiet.

Wang Tao stopped nodding, Liu Wei fell silent, and Li Fang lowered her head.

Chen Ping looked at them, knowing exactly what they were thinking.

I'm on holiday, no pay, and my family is waiting for us to cook.

Zhao Guosheng, holding the jar, looked at everyone and suddenly smiled: "During the holiday, wages will be paid as usual. Paid leave, not a penny less."

There was a moment of silence.

Wang Tao was the first to react. He jumped up from the ground, grabbed Zhao Guosheng, and spun him around twice.

Zhao Guosheng's tea jar flew off and landed on the ground, spilling tea all over the floor.

Ignoring everything else, Wang Tao hugged Zhao Guosheng and spun him around again, shouting, "Long live the Dean! Long live the Dean!"

Liu Wei rushed over and grabbed Zhao Guosheng's arm, while Wang Tao grabbed his waist. The two of them lifted Zhao Guosheng up and shook him several times.

Zhao Guosheng's face turned bright red, whether from turning around or from anger, it was hard to tell, but his mouth was stretched open, and he was smiling like a child.

Li Fang stood to the side, watching them joke around. As she laughed, her eyes reddened.

She walked over and kissed Zhao Guosheng on the cheek, making a loud smack that could be heard throughout the courtyard.

"If anyone ever says our dean is stingy again, I'll argue with them!" Li Fang wiped her mouth and laughed.

Zhao Guosheng, his face flushed red from the kisses, broke free from Wang Tao and Liu Wei's grasp, covered his face, glared at Li Fang, wanting to curse but unable to utter a word, finally managing to stammer, "You...you better watch yourself!"

Everyone laughed, even Wang Jianguo laughed so hard his reading glasses tilted.

Everyone was happy; their happiness came from the bottom of their hearts.

Chen Ping leaned against the locust tree, watching them and smiling, the corners of his mouth turned up.

Cui Ying stood next to him and smiled, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Zhao Guosheng bent down to pick up the jar from the ground, then turned around to look at Chen Ping.

"Dr. Chen, if you have nowhere to go during your vacation, you can stay at my house. The house isn't big, but there's an empty room. Your sister-in-law is a good cook, so you won't go hungry."

Before Chen Ping could speak, Wang Tao interjected, "Dr. Chen, come to my place! I live alone, it's a big house, feel free to stay anywhere!"

"Your bed is as hard as a rock. Dr. Chen has injuries. Can he sleep on it?" Li Fang rolled her eyes at him.

"Then let's go to my house," Liu Wei said. "My house is a bit far, but my mom is a great cook."

Looking at them, Chen Ping felt a warm sensation in his heart, as if something had burned it.

He smiled and said, "We'll see," neither agreeing to nor refusing anyone.

The group dispersed and returned to their respective work posts.

Cui Ying walked into Chen Ping's clinic, took a mug, filled a cup with hot water from the water dispenser, and placed it in front of him.

Chen Ping picked up his cup and took a sip.

"Where are you going during your vacation?" Cui Ying asked.

Chen Ping shook his head: "I haven't thought about it yet."

Cui Ying looked at him, stood there for two seconds, her lips moved slightly, and she said softly, "How about... you come to my house?"

Chen Ping looked up at Cui Ying.

Cui Ying blushed, her face turning red from her neck all the way to her ears, but she didn't flinch, her eyes fixed on him.

"My house is big, with lots of empty rooms, and my parents..." She paused, "...my parents probably want to meet you too."

Chen Ping looked at her without saying a word.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then Chen Ping lowered his head, picked up his cup, and took another sip of water.

"We'll see," Chen Ping said, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Cui Ying didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Chen Ping sat in the consultation room, looking at the door; Cui Ying was gone.

He looked down at the mug in his hand. The kitten on the mug had its eyes half-closed, looking lazy, as if it were taking a nap.

He smiled, put down the cup, opened the medical record book, and continued reading the medical history.

In the accounting office, Cui Ying sat in front of the computer. The screen was lit up, displaying a photo of blue sky and white clouds as the desktop background.

She didn't type anything, she just sat there, looking at the screen, a smile playing on her lips.

Her hand remained on the mouse, not moving.

With the question "Why don't you come to my house?" still lingering in his mind, Chen Ping neither agreed nor refused.

This might be a good start. Cui Ying bit her lip, and the corners of her mouth turned up even higher.