Chapter Seventy-One: Reunion

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Yun Niang’s elder brother could no longer hold himself upright and nearly collapsed to the floor. Fortunately, Zhou Jin Fan, quick-eyed and nimble, caught the man in time, and the group hurriedly helped him back to the rear courtyard.

After checking his pulse, Yun Niang asked anxiously, “Doctor Xie, how is my brother’s condition?”

“Don’t worry. He’s stable now. He fainted earlier only because he forced himself to go out and speak on my behalf. As long as he rests for a while, there shouldn’t be any more problems,” Xie Qingtang replied.

These words eased Yun Niang’s heart a little. Xie Qingtang then left the room, but her brows remained furrowed. Returning to the front hall, she asked Zhou Jin Fan, “Has Yun Niang’s brother been taking his medicine on time lately?”

“Yes, of course! I’ve been giving him the medicine three times a day, just as you instructed, and I haven’t asked them for any payment. I’ve also been giving him all sorts of supplements,” Zhou Jin Fan quickly answered, a hint of guilt making him all the more attentive to Yun Niang’s brother.

Xie Qingtang nodded, concern lacing her words. “Schistosomiasis has hollowed out his body more than I expected. His condition is even more severe than I thought. I’ll need to change the prescription.”

With that, she moved to the consultation desk and began to write a new prescription. The two Western doctors who had stood at the entrance earlier had not been wrong: Traditional Chinese Medicine is gentle, gradually nursing the body back to health, but its effects manifest slowly, whereas Western medicine uses concentrated drugs that work much faster.

Though Western medicine works quickly, its side effects are harsher. On this point, Xie Qingtang had confidence—when it comes to restoring the body, nothing compares to Chinese medicine.

“Young Miss, we’re running low on vegetables at home. I’ll go out and buy some,” Zhao Xianglan said, walking out from the rear courtyard with a basket in hand.

Xie Qingtang nodded. Zhao Xianglan left the pharmacy. Though Xie Qingtang occasionally prepared medicinal meals for her grandfather, most of the cooking was Zhao Xianglan’s doing.

After the prescription was changed, the reputation of the pharmacy spread online—not only because of the sachet incident, but also because of the case with the schistosomiasis patient. Internet forums buzzed with heated discussion.

Most people still doubted that Traditional Chinese Medicine could cure schistosomiasis. Since the disease had emerged, Western medicine had always played a pivotal role.

Western medicine’s treatments are swift and straightforward; in this respect, Traditional Chinese Medicine seems to lag far behind. Naturally, people thought it would be better to transfer the patient from the pharmacy to Gu’s Hospital.

“Boss, how dare they belittle Chinese medicine! I just can’t swallow this insult,” Zhou Jin Fan muttered angrily while handling medicinal herbs. Although he had once made a living selling fake medicine, he still harbored a peculiar devotion to Chinese medicine—it was, after all, his family’s tradition.

Xie Qingtang appeared much calmer. As she prepared the herbs, she said, “Let others say what they will. We need only walk our own path. It’s getting late—why hasn’t Aunt Lan returned yet?”

A trace of concern colored her words. The sky was growing darker, yet Zhao Xianglan, who had gone out to buy vegetables, had not come back.

“That’s right. In the past, Aunt Lan always came straight home after buying groceries. It was never dark by the time dinner was served. Why isn’t she back today?” Zhou Jin Fan wondered aloud.

Just as uncertainty crept into their hearts, a refined man in a suit, gold-rimmed glasses gleaming, suddenly stepped into the pharmacy. When Xie Qingtang saw him, her hands froze in mid-motion.

“Are you here to see a doctor?” Zhou Jin Fan, not noticing anything unusual at first, stepped forward out of habit, greeting the elegant middle-aged man.

The man smiled faintly, swept his gaze around, and said, “I’m not here for a consultation. I’ve come to find my daughter.”

“To find your daughter? Why would your daughter be here at the pharmacy?” Zhou Jin Fan was utterly confused, scratching his head in puzzlement.

The man’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing within them, his expression turning several degrees colder as he looked toward Xie Qingtang behind the counter. In a voice as chilling as ice, he declared, “She is my daughter—Xie Qingtang.”

At these words, Zhou Jin Fan drew a sharp breath and looked at Xie Qingtang. He shivered under the cold aura radiating from Shao Siming.

There was no mistake—standing at the entrance was Xie Qingtang’s mortal enemy and her biological father, Shao Siming.

Having been apart for more than a decade, Shao Siming seemed unchanged—still the same false elegance, his features delicate, time leaving few marks on him save for a touch of mature masculine charm. The gold-rimmed glasses only added to his scholarly air.

But only Xie Qingtang knew how ruthless this man was. After her mother’s death, he had imprisoned her grandfather for years and sent his own daughter to rot in a remote mountain village.

Everything about him spoke of ruthless means. Xie Qingtang’s hand tightened around the pestle, her eyes burning with anger and icy resolve.

A tension, like the scent of gunpowder, seemed to fill the air; a single spark would set the whole pharmacy ablaze. Zhou Jin Fan stood awkwardly, his toes curling in his shoes, at a loss for words.

“Zhou Jin Fan, return to the rear courtyard,” Xie Qingtang commanded, forcing herself to stay calm. She knew she must be cautious when facing Shao Siming.

Hearing his boss’s words, Zhou Jin Fan could not have been more eager to leave. He nodded swiftly and dashed off to the back, kicking up a trail of dust.

“Qingtang, it’s been a long time. I didn’t expect you to give me such a big surprise so soon after your return—caught me completely off guard,” Shao Siming’s voice turned cold in an instant, utterly different from before. In front of Xie Qingtang, he shed all pretense.

Xie Qingtang responded with a cold snort. She had long since seen through the man before her, and her heart was no longer vulnerable. She met him head-on: “You must be joking. How could any surprise I give you ever compare to the years of torment you’ve given me? Returning to Su City, of course, I had to bring you a gift.”