Chapter Fifty-Three: Cleaning Up the Mess

The man leading the group turned grim as soon as he was provoked. Striding forward, he grabbed Xie Qingtang by the arm, ready to strike. At that moment, Aben, who had been sitting nearby, stepped forward and rebuked them directly, “What are you doing? Let go of Doctor Xie at once!”

“This little girl is just asking for trouble, daring to provoke me. Do you know who I am? Since you’re the head of Cunsan Hall, you must be in league with Zhou Jinfan as well. He sold us fake medicine and deceived us—I doubt you’re any better,” the leader said furiously.

Hidden behind the counter, Zhou Jinfan was torn with inner conflict. He knew that it was his own wrongdoing that had brought these men to the door, yet he had let Xie Qingtang take the blame at the front. After a long inner struggle, Zhou Jinfan finally stood up from behind the counter, gritting his teeth as he addressed the leader, “Let go of our head. I alone am responsible for this matter; it has nothing to do with her.”

“So you finally show yourself, you cowardly turtle,” the leader sneered upon seeing Zhou Jinfan. He immediately released Xie Qingtang and strode over to the counter, grabbing Zhou Jinfan by the collar and hauling him out from behind it.

Witnessing this, Xie Qingtang couldn’t help but marvel at the man’s strength. Zhou Jinfan may have been slender, but he was still a grown man.

“Wait, I know I was wrong! I’ll return all the money you gave me—will that be enough?” Zhou Jinfan pleaded as he saw the man’s fist, as large as a sandbag, about to smash into his face.

But the leader was relentless, kicking him hard and sending him sprawling several meters away. “You pathetic wretch, do you think I care about your money? My eldest brother’s condition has worsened all because of your fake pills!”

Seeing her shop assistant being bullied in her own establishment, Xie Qingtang could hardly stand by. She walked up to the leader and said solemnly, “What exactly is your brother’s illness? I can cure him.”

Her resolute words gave the leader pause, his next move halted midair. He eyed her with disbelief, “Where does a slip of a girl like you get such confidence, claiming you can heal my brother?”

“Don’t underestimate our head, sir! She’s a miracle doctor—there’s no illness she can’t cure!” Zhou Jinfan piped up from behind Xie Qingtang’s slender figure, poking his head out in support.

The leader raised his fist threateningly at Zhou Jinfan before turning his skeptical gaze back to Xie Qingtang. “Little girl, don’t try to play hero. You should know I’m not one to go easy on women.”

“I don’t need your mercy. I let my skill speak for me. If I fail to cure your brother, Cunsan Hall will bear all compensation. But if I succeed, you must promise never to trouble us again,” Xie Qingtang declared with unwavering determination.

Aben also vouched for her from the side, “Doctor Xie’s medical skills are truly remarkable—she even cured me when I was poisoned before.”

This finally convinced the leader to believe her a little. Though the girl was young, there was an air of a reclusive master about her. With his brother’s condition growing ever stranger and no money left to seek treatment at Gu’s Hospital, he thought to himself that he had little choice. At last, he nodded.

“Second Brother, is this really okay? Maybe we should all pool what little we have and send Big Brother to Gu’s Hospital for treatment,” one of the other men whispered anxiously as they saw the leader agree to let Xie Qingtang examine the patient.

The leader’s face darkened with difficulty. He walked aside and sighed to the others, “We’ve already spent every coin we had on checkups and treatments for Big Brother. We all have families to feed—where would we find more money?”

“All the money we scraped together was spent on that quack’s fake pills, and Big Brother’s illness is still no better. Now this girl claims she can cure him—she seems confident and isn’t charging us anything, so we might as well give it a try.”

Of course, the main reason was that she asked for no payment. Xie Qingtang, sharp-eared, caught his words and shot a fierce glare at Zhou Jinfan.

“Head, I know I was wrong,” Zhou Jinfan replied with a sheepish grin.

After their discussion, the leader approached Xie Qingtang and said, “Fine, we’ll trust Cunsan Hall one more time.”

“Take me to the patient,” Xie Qingtang nodded, and Zhou Jinfan, perceptive as ever, had already fetched her medical kit.

Fortunately, Xie Qingtang had prepared for house calls beforehand, stocking her case with basic medicinal powders and the set of silver needles her master had given her when she left the mountain.

“Doctor Xie, be careful!” Aben called out as she rose to leave.

Xie Qingtang nodded, understanding his concern. She and Zhou Jinfan followed the group of men out of Cunsan Hall, which was temporarily closed.

“Old Master, I’m really worried about young miss,” Zhao Xianglan murmured in the backyard, having witnessed the commotion in the front hall but not daring to step out. As Xie Qingtang left, she shot Zhao Xianglan a reassuring glance and mouthed for her to take good care of her grandfather.

Grandfather Xie’s eyes shone with confidence as he said, “I believe my granddaughter will cure that man’s illness. Nothing bad will happen.”

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Grandfather Xie’s unwavering faith in Xie Qingtang startled Zhao Xianglan, but she said no more.

Following the men to a dock, Xie Qingtang realized they were all stevedores, unloading cargo from boats. No wonder they were all burly and muscular. They led her to the shantytown near the wharf, where most of the houses were makeshift structures of flimsy boards—filthy, chaotic, and wretched. As she stepped inside, a hard-to-describe stench assaulted her senses.