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

"right!"

Wang Tao's eyes lit up. "Dr. Chen's dormitory has a bathroom. Why don't you move in with Dr. Chen? That way it will be more convenient for you to use the toilet. Anyway, you two..."

Before he could finish speaking, Cui Ying slapped him on the back of the head.

It made a crisp snap in the cafeteria.

Wang Tao clutched the back of his head, wincing, but still smiling: "I was just telling the truth..."

Cui Ying's face turned as red as a boiled shrimp. She glared at Wang Tao, then at Chen Ping, as if she had asked Wang Tao to say it.

Chen Ping held the bowl, looking innocent, but with a smile on his lips.

Everyone laughed again, even Aunt Li, who had only been there for a few days, joined in.

Wang Tao covered the back of his head and laughed the loudest.

After everyone finished laughing, Zhao Guosheng wrote a few lines in his notebook, closed it, stood up, and looked at everyone: "Alright, everyone go back and pack your things. The construction team will be here first thing tomorrow morning. Everyone is on holiday. When you come back in two weeks, our health center will look brand new."

Everyone stood up and started clearing away the dishes.

Aunt Li quickly said, "You all go pack your things, I'll do these chores."

Everyone left.

"Dean Zhao, wait a moment..." Just as everyone was about to go home, Chen Ping called out to them!

Then Chen Ping brought out all the things that Cui Ying's parents had bought for her.

"You guys divide these things up, I don't need them," Chen Ping said.

"Dr. Chen, that won't do. This is what Xiao Cui's parents bought for you as a thank you." Zhao Guosheng waved his hand.

"Dr. Chen, you should keep it for yourself. I think it's all good stuff," Li Fang said.

"That's right, you can keep it yourself," Liu Wei said.

"What would I do with these things? I'm going back to Tianhai City tomorrow, and it's too much trouble to carry them around. Everyone should just share them."

As he spoke, Chen Ping distributed all the items to everyone.

Li Fang and Liu Wei have children, and Chen Ping shared some of the milk with them.

Seeing this, everyone had no choice but to accept the gift and thanked Chen Ping profusely.

As everyone left, only Chen Ping and Cui Ying remained in the entire health center.

"I've divided the things up, you won't be angry, will you?" Chen Ping asked.

Cui Ying was taken aback: "Why would I be angry? These were all bought for you by my parents, so they're yours now. You can do whatever you want with them."

Chen Ping smiled and said, "Go pack your things. If you pack them tomorrow, it might be too late."

Chen Ping returned to his dormitory and began packing his things.

There weren't many things: a few pieces of clothing and a wooden box. The clothes were all bought by Cui Ying.

He folded the clothes, stuffed them into a canvas bag, placed the wooden box on top, and zipped it up.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the canvas bag, lost in thought for a while.

There was a rustling sound coming from next door; Cui Ying was also packing her things.

She had far more stuff than Chen Ping—clothes, shoes, books, cosmetics—filling a whole suitcase, and she was still stuffing more in.

"Chen Ping." Cui Ying's voice came from next door.

"Um?"

"Have you packed your things?"

"alright."

"Come here and help me pack. I can't zip up my suitcase."

"Um!"

Chen Ping entered Cui Ying's dormitory.

Seeing Cui Ying's suitcase packed full, Chen Ping also had a headache, but in the end he still pressed down hard and zipped up the suitcase.

"The train leaves at eight o'clock tomorrow," Cui Ying said.

"Where are you going?"

"Tianhai City, this is the early morning bus. There aren't many people," Cui Ying said.

"oh!"

"Chen Ping." Cui Ying stared intently at Chen Ping.

"Um?"

Are you nervous?

"What's there to be nervous about?"

"Come to my house."

Chen Ping was silent for two seconds, then laughed: "Who said I was going to your house?"

Cui Ying didn't say anything.

There was silence for five seconds, six seconds, seven seconds.

"Go if you want, don't go if you don't want to..." Cui Ying's voice carried a hint of sullenness.

Chen Ping smiled, didn't reply, and walked out of Cui Ying's dormitory!

Watching Chen Ping's retreating figure, Cui Ying felt nervous.

Actually, she was nervous regardless of whether Chen Ping agreed or not.

If Chen Ping agrees to go, Cui Ying doesn't know how she will explain it to her parents.

But if she doesn't go, Cui Ying will be very disappointed.

At this moment, Cui Ying was in agony.

…………

The next morning, just as dawn broke, the construction team was brought in by Zhao Guosheng.

Three tricycles, carrying sand, cement, and bricks, chugged into the gate of the health center.

The leader was a man in his forties with dark skin.

Zhao Guosheng began pointing to the clinic, wards, canteen, and dormitory, explaining one by one where the walls needed painting, the windows needed replacing, the floor tiles needed laying, and the plumbing and electrical systems needed changing.

The foreman listened and nodded, made a few strokes in his notebook, said "Ten days is enough", and then began to instruct the workers to unload the truck.

Chen Ping came out of the backyard carrying a canvas bag, with Cui Ying following behind him, dragging a suitcase whose wheels clattered on the cement ground.

The two people stood in the yard, watching the construction team at work.

The workers moved the tables and chairs out of the clinic, piled them in the yard, and covered them with plastic sheeting.

"Let's go, stop looking."

Zhao Guosheng waved to the two of them, "Everything will be ready when you get back."

Chen Ping and Cui Ying nodded and waved to Zhao Guosheng.

"Dean Zhao, see you in two weeks."

"See you in two weeks." Zhao Guosheng nodded. "Take care on the road."

Chen Ping turned and walked out.

Cui Ying followed behind him, dragging her suitcase. When they reached the door, Cui Ying stopped, turned around, and glanced at the dilapidated gate of the health center.

The words on the gate were blurry, and there was a crooked locust tree in the courtyard.

She looked at him for two seconds, then turned around and followed Chen Ping.

The bus was parked under the bus stop sign on the street in Siping Township. The door was open, and the driver was leaning against the steering wheel smoking.

Chen Ping and Cui Ying got on the bus. There weren't many people on the bus, just a few scattered ones, with several empty seats in the back.

Chen Ping walked to the back row, put his canvas bag on the seat, and sat down by the window.

Cui Ying stuffed her suitcase under the seat and sat down next to him.

"What time is it?" Cui Ying asked.

Chen Ping glanced at his phone. "7:50, ten minutes to go."

Cui Ying leaned back in her chair, looking out the window.

Outside the window are the streets of Siping Township. An old man selling vegetables is setting up his stall, two people are queuing in front of a tofu stall, and Sister Zhang from the barbershop is sweeping the floor at the entrance. Everything is the same as usual.

She watched for a while, then looked away and looked at Chen Ping.

"You didn't answer my question last night."

"What's the problem?"

Are you nervous?

Chen Ping looked at her and smiled: "A little."

Cui Ying's lips curled up slightly, but she didn't say anything. She turned her head and looked out the window.

The scenery outside the car window began to move; streets, houses, trees, and fields receded little by little.

The bus turned out of Siping Township and onto the mountain road.

The road is bordered by a mountain wall on one side and a cliff on the other. It is winding and narrow, but the driver drove very steadily.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair, looking out the window.

The trees on the mountain were so green they looked almost black, layer upon layer, like ink had been splashed on them.

A few clouds drifted slowly eastward over the mountaintop.

He watched for a while, then closed his eyes.

Cui Ying sat next to him without saying a word.

She placed her hands on her knees, drew circles on them with her fingers, made two circles, stopped, turned her head, and glanced at Chen Ping.

He had his eyes closed, his eyelashes trembling slightly; he wasn't asleep.

She glanced at it for a second, then turned her head and continued looking out the window.

The bus bumped and jolted along the mountain road, the mountains rushing past and the roads swung backward.

Siping Township is getting farther and farther away, while Tianhai City is getting closer and closer.

Cui Ying moved her hand off her knee and placed it in the middle of the seat, less than two fingers' width away from Chen Ping's hand.

She didn't move, and neither did he.

The bus jolted, and the two people's hands touched, then separated.

No one spoke.

The bus stopped on the side of the road when it had traveled halfway!

Three young men in their twenties got on the bus.

None of the three bought tickets; they simply found seats and sat down.

No one in the car noticed that when the driver saw the three people, his eyes clearly showed panic and vigilance.

The bus continued moving, and many people were still drowsy, completely unaware that three more people had gotten on the bus.