Chapter 61: Hidden Matters

But in just over a week, Chunshan Hall had earned several million in profit, making Zhou Jinfan absolutely delighted. He felt he had found himself a good employer; without Xie Qingtang’s potent medicinal powder, Chunshan Hall would never have come back to life.

Although the frenzy over schistosomiasis had gradually faded, every few days they still managed to sell a few packets of medicine.

During this period, Xie Qingtang prepared another week’s worth of medicine for Gu Xiujin, sending it directly to the Gu family’s villa by courier, this time not even bothering to have Li Zhao come pick it up.

“Mr. Gu, Doctor Xie sent the medicine directly,” Li Zhao said, awkwardly holding the packets as he spoke to Gu Xiujin, who sat in his wheelchair.

Gu Xiujin said nothing, only let out a cold snort and turned away.

Clearly, Xie Qingtang truly did not want him to visit Chunshan Hall.

“Where’s Doctor Xie? I really must thank her for pulling my brother back from the gates of hell.” After nearly two weeks of treatment, the man with the distended belly had finally lost his swelling; though not fully recovered, he was much improved from before.

Yun Niang wished to thank Xie Qingtang, but could not find her anywhere. Zhou Jinfan put a finger to his lips and whispered, “I don’t know what’s come over the boss these days. Aside from treating patients and tending to your brother, she spends all her time holed up in her room.”

“Now and then, she sneaks over to the medicine cabinet and carries armfuls of herbs back to her room. I really don’t know what she’s up to.”

Even Grandfather Xie and Zhao Xianglan were baffled, but whenever they asked Xie Qingtang about it, she would dodge the question and retreat to her room, refusing to speak to anyone.

Soon night fell, and Xie Qingtang finally emerged from her room, stretching her arms and arching her back to ease her fatigue, then said to Zhou Jinfan, “Not many patients today, are there?”

Whenever there were patients in the front hall, Zhou Jinfan would come to the backyard to call for Xie Qingtang; today, she had not seen many at all.

“Yes, boss, there really weren’t many today. But Chunshan Hall is running low on herbs—should we go restock tomorrow?” Zhou Jinfan asked.

Xie Qingtang hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I do need a few herbs myself. I’ll go with you this time.”

“All right, boss, understood.” Zhou Jinfan nodded. Although Xie Qingtang said she needed some herbs, he felt she simply didn’t trust him to handle the purchasing alone.

Early the next morning, Chunshan Hall closed for the day, and Xie Qingtang took Zhou Jinfan to the herbal market. As soon as they entered, the familiar fragrance of medicinal herbs enveloped her, bringing her a sense of peace and causing her eyes to squint contentedly.

Zhou Jinfan became her follower, trailing behind Xie Qingtang as they moved through the market, gathering what they needed.

“Boss, I’ll take five pounds of raw Sichuan aconite,” Xie Qingtang said with practiced ease to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper paused, then grinned. “Raw Sichuan aconite isn’t easy to store if you buy too much. Are you sure you want five pounds?”

“I am. Five pounds, exactly,” Xie Qingtang replied firmly. Zhou Jinfan, standing behind her, was puzzled; he knew Sichuan aconite was highly toxic, and usually only a tiny amount was used in prescriptions.

Herbal recipes rarely called for aconite, so Chunshan Hall usually bought just a pound at a time, yet this time Xie Qingtang wanted five.

Though curious, Zhou Jinfan said nothing. After paying, they returned to Chunshan Hall, where he was astonished to see Xie Qingtang take all five pounds of aconite into her room, not leaving a single ounce behind.

“Grandfather, I have something to do tonight. You all eat whatever you like, but don’t call me,” Xie Qingtang said, grabbing several more herbs to take into her room, announcing she would skip dinner.

Grandfather Xie frowned and asked, “Tangtang, are you hiding something from me, or do you have some plan?”

“Grandfather, how could I have any plan? I just need to leave for a while, and I don’t feel safe leaving you unprotected, so I’m making a few safety precautions,” Xie Qingtang replied, her eyes glinting.

With that, she disappeared into her room, leaving the others bewildered.

Zhou Jinfan suspected that Xie Qingtang’s so-called safety measures were more than just installing an alarm.

All night, the light in Xie Qingtang’s room burned. Early next morning, she finally emerged, dark circles under her eyes and a solemn expression. She told Zhou Jinfan, “I’ll be leaving Chunshan Hall for about three days. During that time, I’ll write down the prescription Gu Xiujin needs. If Li Zhao comes, you can dispense the medicine according to the prescription.”

“But don’t tell anyone I’ve left, understand?” she instructed. Zhou Jinfan nodded, then asked, seeing it was barely past six, “Boss, are you leaving now? You didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“The place I’m headed is far away, so I have to set out early. Here’s the prescription, and Chunshan Hall won’t be seeing patients during this time. Don’t take on any cases, understand? Your knowledge of Chinese medicine is incomplete—you could harm people if you act recklessly.”

Afraid that Zhou Jinfan, who had been studying medical texts lately, might become overconfident and treat patients without proper skill, Xie Qingtang gave him another warning.

“Boss, don’t worry, I won’t overstep. Is there anything else I should know?” Zhou Jinfan asked. Xie Qingtang led him into her room, and for the first time, Zhou Jinfan saw what she had been doing.

The table was covered with all sorts of herbs and an array of bottles and jars. Xie Qingtang pointed at them and said, “These are narcotic and poisonous powders I’ve spent the past few days preparing. If there’s danger, use these powders. The antidotes are in corresponding bottles, labeled properly—don’t mix them up.”