Du Heng thought for a moment, gently tapped the steering wheel with both hands, turned his head, and asked Deputy Dean Qiao, "What specific time in the afternoon?"

"The time is tentatively set for 3 PM."

"Alright, let's go eat first. After the afternoon talk, we'll celebrate."

Deputy Dean Qiao was beaming and nodded briskly. "We'll do as the Dean says."

The conversation in the afternoon was not about the details, as there was no room for further discussion on those matters. Instead, it focused more on addressing any potential grievances Du Heng might have towards the district or the Health Clinic. They assured him that the district would do its utmost to support the clinic's development.

Moreover, whether as compensation for Du Heng or for other reasons, the district directly transferred the Dean of the Health Clinic, who had only been in office for five months.

Where he was transferred and what his new role would be were neither mentioned by them nor asked by Du Heng.

He figured that as long as appearances were maintained, it was good enough.

As soon as Du Heng stepped out of the Branch Office gates, a smile broke through his serious expression. "Deputy Dean Qiao, is the place all set?"

Deputy Dean Qiao, also wearing a radiant smile, replied cheerfully, "Old Zheng has already made the arrangements."

"Has everyone been notified?"

"Everyone is coming."

"Then, let's go!"

Du Heng was in a joyful mood. He swiftly got into the car, even stepping on the gas pedal a bit harder today than he usually dared.

Jinzhou City's hospitals had branches, and their Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital was truly in a class of its own. Although they had only taken over a single Health Clinic, it was still a historic breakthrough.

Because of this, the future prospects for those managers of the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital who were at the dinner table today would surely not be bad.

When everyone returned to work the next day, the enthusiasm of the leaders was significantly higher than before, and their faces were all, either obviously or subtly, graced with a smile. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Even Du Heng himself, when reviewing the materials Wu Buwei sent, wasn't as angry as before, despite the numerous remaining errors.

In the evening, when Du Heng returned home, Wu Shengnan, who hadn't been home for several days, had already arrived early and was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, which made him even happier.

"Are you off work today?" Du Heng casually tossed the bag in his hand onto the sofa, walked into the kitchen, and gently hugged Wu Shengnan from behind.

Wu Shengnan shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Don't mess around, I'm cooking."

Du Heng chuckled and let go, then went to lend her a hand. "How did you find the time to come back so early today? Finished all your tasks?"

Wu Shengnan's hands didn't stop moving as she stir-fried. "Our work is never really finished," she said, constantly tossing the food. "A proper balance between work and rest allows for better work, you know."

"You handle such major cases, and your work is so demanding; it makes me feel uneasy about the safety around here."

"It's inherently unsafe; you just don't usually encounter it," Wu Shengnan muttered softly, then turned off the heat and plated the food. After quickly finishing up, she said, "By the way, a big incident happened in your township the day before yesterday."

Du Heng's attention was immediately captured, and he turned to look at Wu Shengnan.

Wu Shengnan is a criminal police officer. If she calls it a big incident, then it must be serious.

Wu Shengnan didn't keep him in suspense and said directly, "Do you know about the small convenience store at the edge of Heigou Village?"

Du Heng nodded. "Of course, I do. That store is run by a man with disabled legs. He usually sits on his bed selling snacks and daily necessities. He's a very pitiful person. Last year, when I was at the Health Clinic, we even helped him with an issue related to pain in his lumbar vertebrae. Did something happen to him?"

"Mmm," Wu Shengnan affirmed softly. "The night before last, someone broke into the convenience store, strangled him unconscious on his bed with a mule's halter rope, and robbed the store of 34.7 yuan."

Du Heng's heart skipped a beat. "Is he alright?"

Wu Shengnan sighed. "The assailant not only strangled him with the rope but also pressed his head down, forcefully smashing it against the edge of the bed. The victim is still unconscious, but I heard he's out of danger."

Hearing the man was okay, Du Heng felt a wave of relief, but a surge of righteous anger also flared up within him.

He knew this man with disabled legs very well. It wasn't just that he had helped him last year; in fact, throughout his years working there, Du Heng had always looked out for him. This was partly because he passed the man's small convenience store on his way to work, and partly because the man was truly pitiful. His parents had passed away, and his sister, married far away, couldn't take care of him. He had to cook all his meals by himself while sitting on his bed.

As for the convenience store's inventory and his living supplies, the village cadres took turns helping him out.

Honestly, Heigou Village only has about twenty households, mostly elderly residents now. Just by selling daily necessities, he couldn't even make enough to cover his electricity bill.

If it weren't for the aid from the township, even affording meals would be a problem for him.

So Du Heng would visit him roughly every half a year to perform a check-up, trying his best to ensure no other parts of the man's body developed problems.

"Have they found out who did it?"

Wu Shengnan shook her head. "I heard about this when I went to the Branch Office this morning; a colleague there told me. They are handling this case, so I'm not too clear on the specifics."