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

Half an hour later, the taxi turned from the main road in the city into the villa area.

Chen Ping leaned back in his seat, looking at the familiar scenery outside the car window, and felt much more at ease.

The two lamps in front of the Cui family's house were already lit.

As soon as Chen Ping got out of the car, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Cui standing on the steps in front of the door waiting for him.

Wearing a light-colored knitted cardigan, Cui's mother waited at the courtyard gate instead of going inside, despite the night wind.

Chen Ping walked over and greeted them as "Uncle" and "Auntie".

Cui's mother reached out and patted his arm. "Yingying called three times to ask if you've arrived yet. Go wash your face, I'll get you some water."

Her tone was familiar and natural, without the slightest bit of formality, just like greeting one's own child who was coming home late.

Once inside, Chen Ping sat down on the sofa.

Mr. Cui took a bottle of Moutai from the liquor cabinet, and the bottom of the glass bottle tapped softly on the coffee table.

Without even asking Chen Ping if he wanted to drink, he placed two small glasses down and poured the wine while saying, "Yingying said you didn't eat a proper meal while you were at the nursing school. Your aunt was going to cook you a bowl of noodles, but I said it would be better to have a couple of drinks to refresh yourself."

"Uncle, I have to get up early tomorrow to run some errands," Chen Ping declined.

Mr. Cui pushed the cup towards him, saying, "Drink a little, it'll be fine."

Seeing the unyielding look on Cui Ying's father's face, Chen Ping had no choice but to agree.

"I've prepared a few ready-made side dishes for you!"

Cui Ying's mother took out a few ready-made snacks from the refrigerator to go with the drinks.

Peanuts, tiger beans, spicy chicken feet...

Looking at the dishes laid out on the coffee table, and then at the Moutai liquor.

Chen Ping wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare.

These hearty dishes paired with Moutai are absolutely perfect...

"People who drink don't care about the food, so don't look down on them."

Cui Ying's father handed the wine glass to Chen Ping.

Chen Ping took the cup and clinked it against Cui's father's.

Moutai liquor is really good. It's smooth on the palate, and only starts to heat up slowly after you've swallowed it. It's very comforting.

The two sat on the sofa and chatted casually.

Every now and then, he would pop a peanut into his mouth.

The atmosphere here, drinking together, feels like home.

Cui Ying's mother secretly recorded a video and sent it to Cui Ying.

Then the mother and daughter chatted about something, and Cui Ying's mother secretly chuckled several times.

Afterwards, Cui's mother went to the kitchen, cut a plate of apples, and brought them out, sticking toothpicks in them, and placed them on the coffee table.

She sat down on the single sofa next to them, listening to their conversation and occasionally chiming in.

At this moment, Cui Ying's mother looked at Chen Ping differently than before, with a more casual and tender expression that only family members would show.

After a while, Cui's mother suddenly spoke up: "Chen Ping, Yingying told us that your relationship is settled."

Chen Ping put down his wine glass and nodded: "Yes, I will treat her well."

Mrs. Cui smiled, picked up a piece of apple with a toothpick, and handed it to Chen Ping: "We don't need you to make any promises. We know your character; you can't be wrong."

"We just wanted to let you know that from now on, this place is just like home. You can come anytime without having to give us advance notice, and you don't need to stay outside."

Chen Ping took the apple and nodded.

He didn't say thank you; saying thank you at a time like this would only create distance.

After drinking more than half of the bottle of wine, Mr. Cui's face was already slightly flushed.

He leaned back on the sofa, then suddenly seemed to remember something, stood up by the armrest, walked to the drawer next to the entryway, rummaged through it a couple of times, took the things, and came back.

Before Chen Ping could react, two keys were slapped into his palm, still warm from Cui's father's hand.

"This house, and the car in the yard, are all part of Yingying's dowry."

Mr. Cui sat back on the sofa and said calmly, "I hadn't handed it over before, thinking I'd wait until she was truly settled before saying anything."

"Now that you've made your decision, this thing is just sitting there anyway, so take it. It'll give you a place to stay when you come to Tianhai in the future."

Chen Ping held the two keys, his palms feeling slightly numb from the sharp edges of the keys.

He glanced down at it and quickly said, "Uncle, this is too precious. We've only just started, I can't accept it."

Mr. Cui waved his hand: "Take it if you want. It'll be yours sooner or later anyway, unless you don't want a future with Yingying."

Chen Ping was taken aback, finding himself in a dilemma after hearing Cui Ying's father's words.

Seeing this, Cui's mother said from the side, "Chen Ping, don't refuse. Your uncle and I only have Yingying as our daughter. The things we prepared for her a long time ago will be yours sooner or later. If you accept them, we will feel more at ease."

Chen Ping listened and knew this was no mere formality.

Cui Ying's parents have always been straightforward and honest in their dealings, never resorting to underhanded tactics.

In the end, Chen Ping could only nod, put the key away, and say, "Okay, I'll keep it for now, and give it to Cui Ying when we get back to the health center."

Mr. Cui chuckled, picked up his wine glass, and said, "That's right. We don't care who you give it to; that's your business. Come on, let's have another one."

Chen Ping finished the rest of the drink with him, and was already feeling a bit sleepy.

Mrs. Cui glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Alright, stop drinking. Let the child go and rest. We have to get up early to run errands tomorrow."

Now, Cui's mother is like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, growing to like him more and more the more she looks at him.

In particular, Chen Ping had left a very good impression on them during his previous visits to their home.

In addition, there's Chen Ping's medical skills, connections, and personality...

They are very satisfied with this son-in-law.

"Okay, I won't drink anymore. Chen Ping, you should get some rest. Your room is all ready."

Mr. Cui blushed slightly and waved his hand as he spoke.

Chen Ping nodded. "Uncle and Aunt, you should also get some rest."

After saying that, Chen Ping went upstairs.

He knew the guest rooms on the second floor very well. He pushed open the door and saw that the blankets on the bed had been freshly aired and had a dry, pleasant smell.

He washed his face and lay down.

The alcohol I drank that night slowly dissipated, and my whole body felt soft and pliable, as if I were soaking in warm water.

He was half asleep when his phone rang.

It was a video call from Cui Ying.

Chen Ping answered the call, and on the screen was Cui Ying's delicate face, her hair loose, indicating she had just taken a shower, her skin fair and rosy.

"Have you had too much to drink?"

Her voice was light and cheerful, but she deliberately kept it down so as not to disturb others.

Chen Ping was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly, "How did you know? I didn't drink much."

"While you were drinking with my dad, my mom had already sent me a video."

"My dad just likes to drink. If you don't want to drink, you don't have to keep him company. Just ignore him," Cui Ying said.

"That won't do. He's my father-in-law, after all. What if they refuse to give my daughter to me if I don't go with him?"

Chen Ping was a little tipsy, so his speech was noticeably less composed than usual.

Upon hearing this, Cui Ying laughed heartily, "It doesn't count for him."

"Oh right, when I was drinking with my uncle just now, he gave me two keys." Chen Ping took out the two keys. "One is a car key, and the other is a house key. I'll give them to you when we get back to the clinic."

"If he gives it to you, just take it. Why are you giving it to me? Anyway, what's mine is yours, and the person is yours too." Cui Ying said, her face turning red instantly.

Upon hearing Cui Ying's words, Chen Ping suddenly felt his male hormones surging.

Especially after drinking some alcohol, the feeling becomes even more intense.

"I want to sleep in your room!" Chen Ping suddenly blurted out.

Cui Ying was taken aback, her face full of confusion. "Why would you sleep in my room? I'm not even home."

After saying that, Cui Ying seemed to suddenly understand something, and glared at Chen Ping fiercely, "Go if you want, anyway, my room isn't locked, and there's no one on the second floor."

"But let me tell you, you need to clean up properly after you're done, otherwise my mom will see it and it'll be so embarrassing..."

"Hmm!" Chen Ping nodded.

"Alright, you should go to sleep now, I'm going to sleep too."

After Cui Ying finished speaking, she hurriedly hung up the video call.

Holding his phone, Chen Ping felt the fire in his heart burning ever brighter.

He's not that kind of person, and he really wants to stay rational, but his mind is a mess right now.

As if drawn by something, Chen Ping slowly got up and went to Cui Ying's room to sleep.

The next morning, Chen Ping got up early and looked at the mess on the floor. He felt extremely remorseful. If Cui Ying's parents found out, his image would be completely ruined.

Chen Ping could only quickly finish cleaning and then go downstairs.

Cui Ying's mother had prepared breakfast in advance. After eating breakfast, Chen Ping said goodbye to Cui Ying's parents, took a taxi, and headed straight for the nursing school.