Chapter 37

Although Su Fuling hadn't yet made up her mind about offering the physical examination service, the commotion Sun Zhonghao had stirred up that morning turned out to be very effective advertising for her clinic.

Previously, many patients, besides finding herbal medicine inconvenient to take, had worried it wouldn't work. But now a rich man had taken it, and had even sent such lavish gifts and made such a grand scene. That meant this Doctor Su truly had superb medical skills and could cure illness with a single prescription. After all, in the minds of most ordinary citizens, anyone praised by the wealthy had to be impressive.

If even the rich held her in such esteem, making a special fuss to thank Doctor Su, it showed just how capable she was. It seemed they really shouldn't underestimate Doctor Su because of her age.

Because of this, when Su Fuling diagnosed patients afterward and prescribed herbal medicine, they were no longer so resistant.

In one morning, Su Fuling earned 18 merit points.

At noon, the signboard was rewritten: "To thank our valued customers for their generous support since opening, afternoon consultations will now also be free."

After fixing the signboard, Su Fuling handed over money and told Zhao Facai to go buy boxed lunches. He was an apprentice, after all—if she wasn't paying him wages, she should at least feed him. Su Fuling understood this basic rule. She also planned to give the apprentice some salary at the end of the month; raised in the new society, she truly couldn't bring herself to exploit free labor.

Zhao Facai was just about to head out when he saw Chen Shan stepping out of a car, carrying a food container.

"Ah, Mr. Chen is here."

Chen Shasha was starving, and seeing Chen Shan arrive, she cried out happily, "Shan-ge!"

Chen Shan smiled, then greeted Su Fuling. "Doctor Su, I brought food for everyone. Let's eat together. I waited a while though, so it may not be as hot as it was."

Su Fuling: "...You're too kind."

Chen Shan said, "You've passed your family's medical teachings on to Shasha, and I'm very grateful. It's just a meal. From now on, the lunches here are on me."

Su Fuling quickly waved her hands. "That won't be necessary. I prefer cooking my own food."

Zhao Facai immediately chimed in, "Master, I have pots and dishes. Tomorrow I'll buy groceries and cook."

He absolutely could not let Chen Shasha steal his place in his master's heart. He would forever be the senior disciple! The first heir of the sect's legacy!

Su Fuling thought it feasible. "Right, cooking for ourselves will be more convenient from now on. Food you make yourself is more comforting to eat."

Seeing this, Chen Shan couldn't insist. "Then at least let me treat everyone to today's meal, otherwise it'll go to waste."

Zhao Facai watched Su Fuling's expression, and only when she nodded did he hurry to take the food container and lay out the meal. Chen Shan didn't leave either, instead sitting down in the patient's consultation seat.

Su Fuling assumed he was waiting to take the containers back and didn't think much of it. She picked up her lunchbox and started eating.

She had never been picky about food, and the meal Chen Shan had brought was genuinely delicious.

After a few bites, Su Fuling was thoroughly content, and Zhao Facai promptly brought her a cup of tea. "Master, it's cooled just right. Have some tea to cut the grease."

Su Fuling: "..." So sometimes she really understood why certain masters played favorites. Anyone doted on like this would be hard-pressed not to be moved.

When the meal was finished and the containers were handed back to Chen Shan, he still didn't move.

Chen Shasha said, "Why haven't you left yet?"

Chen Shan said, "I'd also like to ask Doctor Su to give me a physical examination in a bit."

Naturally, he had heard about that morning's events. Whenever anything happened in these few streets, his men would report it to him. All the more so since Shasha was apprenticed here and under close watch.

Sure enough, Chen Shasha excitedly launched into the story of the examination. "Ge, you don't know—this morning someone came to thank Doctor Su, because yesterday..."

Chen Shan listened quietly, but his heart was anything but calm. The facts proved that Doctor Su truly had the ability to see future fortune and misfortune. She could even know where a person would be injured.

He thought of his own shoulder. The wound certainly hadn't healed; it was still aching, constantly reminding Chen Shan of the existence of a remarkable figure like Doctor Su. He naturally wanted to make contact and seek her guidance more often, but being habitually cautious, he really wasn't sure how to approach someone like her. Doctor Su felt completely different from other so-called masters, so he had to be even more careful.

Su Fuling set down her teacup. "You should have said so earlier. I could have examined you first."

Still, she advised, "Actually, sometimes these examinations are useless and just create a psychological burden. And you're not someone who follows medical advice anyway."

Chen Shan said, "It's still useful. With Doctor Su's warning, the brothers around me can take precautions in advance. Besides, I have an event the day after tomorrow. If I don't have Doctor Su check me over, what if my body is too weak and I faint during the event? I'd make a fool of myself."

Hearing this, Su Fuling pointed at the signboard. "It only shows the day's health status."

Chen Shan said, "Then I'll come back the day after tomorrow. Today I'll still have to trouble Doctor Su."

Saying no more, he directly activated the scan function.

Not a mission target. Su Fuling relaxed a little inwardly and carefully took his pulse. Since he wasn't a mission target, there naturally wouldn't be any other illness. Still, she took the opportunity to give Chen Shan a follow-up check. He was her long-term customer, after all—she had earned 16 merit points from him, but his illness hadn't been cured yet. As a responsible person, she naturally had to devote herself to curing it as soon as possible and settling the matter.

According to Chen Shan, he was already taking medicine, but the medicine's effects naturally weren't that fast. And because of his injury, his pulse was somewhat weaker.

Chen Shasha stood nervously to the side. "Doctor Su, how did my brother's examination turn out?"

She was genuinely worried that Shan-ge might be as unlucky as that customer who fell down the stairs.

Su Fuling withdrew her hand. "Nothing else is wrong, but the external injury still needs treatment. The medicine must be changed, and those brothers of yours need to come on schedule to have their dressings changed too. I'll also give you some blood-nourishing recipes—you have to stick with them."

Chen Shasha quickly said, "Shan-ge, you have to listen to Doctor Su. Don't be like other people."

Chen Shan said earnestly, "I will follow Doctor Su's instructions carefully."

Su Fuling took out the medicine kit to change his dressing. "Those few from yesterday need their dressings changed too. Remember to tell them to come when they have time."

Chen Shan said, "They're here. In the car."

Su Fuling: "..."

Chen Shasha hurried off to call the underlings who had been sitting and waiting in the car.

One of the underlings said, "Hey, Shan-ge, don't make us hide in the car next time. It's suffocating."

Chen Shan said sternly, "Act proper. What if you scare away Doctor Su's customers?"

"..."

Su Fuling said, "No need to worry about that. It's just seeing a doctor—as long as everyone follows the queuing rules."

Su Fuling insisted on changing everyone's dressings before eating; she was used to finishing her work first. This made Chen Shan quite embarrassed, and he privately reflected that he should have come earlier instead of making Doctor Su work overtime.

As Su Fuling changed the dressings, she demonstrated for Zhao Facai and Chen Shasha. She planned to hand over as much of this dressing work as possible to the two of them. Otherwise, once things got busy, she truly wouldn't be able to handle it all herself.

When they reached the last person, Chen Shasha was eager to try. "Let me, let me. Doctor Su, I've learned it from watching."

"..." The last underling's face instantly turned green.

The others burst out laughing. The underling immediately snapped, "What's so funny? Fine, Sha-jie, you do it."

Seeing this, Su Fuling handed the task to Chen Shasha. She also wanted to see whether delegating to others would affect her merit points.

Previously, Su Fuling had figured out part of the rules for how merit points were awarded.

As long as she personally conducted the diagnosis and wrote the prescription, and the patient accepted the treatment plan and would indeed recover, merit points would be granted. Whoever actually prepared and brewed the medicine didn't matter. So she reasoned that, by the same logic, these gang members had all already been diagnosed and prescribed treatment by her, so whoever applied their medicine shouldn't matter either. But she could take this opportunity to test it for certain.

"Gently, gently, you're touching the wound!" The underling being treated turned his head away, not daring to watch his wound being manhandled.

Chen Shasha was about to scold him for being too fragile when she heard Su Fuling instruct, "Shasha, be gentler. Apply it the way I just did—carefully and attentively."

Chen Shasha: "...Oh. Got it."

After the application, Su Fuling taught Chen Shasha how to tie the bandage.

When everything was done, Su Fuling was satisfied to discover that, sure enough, there was no impact. From now on, many tasks could be assigned to the apprentices. She could focus mainly on consultations and treatment, saving a great deal of energy for earning merit points.

Su Fuling even thought that if she opened a big hospital someday, wouldn't she have endless merit points? Just thinking of it, her mind filled with those master-instructor courses in the system, all seemingly beckoning to her...

Chen Shasha felt sweat beading on her forehead. Being a doctor was really not easy—even the strength in her hands had to be controlled. But she also better understood Shan-ge's hardships now. Before, Shan-ge never let her see his injuries, and none of the guys cried out in pain when they were cut. But now that she was handling wounds herself, she realized wounds were actually quite frightening, and people were actually quite fragile. Her tone finally softened a little. "From now on I can change your dressings for you."

Chen Shan nodded and said to Su Fuling, "We won't come tomorrow—I'll have Shasha change our dressings in the morning. The day after tomorrow, I'll come trouble Doctor Su again." For such small matters, he truly didn't want to keep bothering Doctor Su.

Su Fuling naturally had no objection.

Perhaps because the afternoon free-consultation promotion wasn't well publicized and many people didn't know about it, hardly anyone came even though the afternoon was free.

This was Zhao Facai's time to shine.

He immediately set about his practiced routine of photocopying promotional flyers to post everywhere.

Remembering his exaggerated slogans last time, Su Fuling said, "Keep it down-to-earth, no exaggerating. Uncle Fa, we have to be truthful—there are many illnesses even I can do nothing about."

Just like today, a tumor patient had come. She had examined him, but there was nothing she could do.

Although she did hope to encounter more cases like that to enrich her diagnostic experience, she also didn't want patients to come full of hope only to leave in disappointment.

Zhao Facai said aloud, "Okay, I understand, Master," but inwardly thought: Where's the exaggeration? I haven't even told the plain truth. If I wrote down what you're really capable of, that's what people wouldn't believe.

However, what spread even faster than Zhao Facai's flyers was that morning's excitement. Many people, after being treated, went home and talked about the miraculous examination. They couldn't bear to spend money on it themselves, but still urged people around them to get one—the goal being the chance to witness the results of someone close to them getting examined.

Everyone idled away their time passing along gossip, and word naturally traveled farther and farther. Even two streets away, people had heard. Uncle Tang also caught wind of it from elsewhere and made a special trip to Su Jueming's shop to ask about it.

Su Jueming gave someone an injection, wrote a prescription, sent the customer off, and said to Uncle Tang, "Why are you here again? Aren't you afraid your Ah Jing will come after me?"

Uncle Tang said happily, "Our Ah Jing would never. Last night she told me I could come hang out with you. She's a filial, good daughter."

Su Jueming raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect that. Ah Jing's temper has improved."

Uncle Tang rolled his eyes at him. "Our Ah Jing has always had a good temper. If she's ever given you a sour face, it's definitely because you offended her."

Hearing this, Su Jueming really wanted to throw the wretched old man out.

Uncle Tang didn't care in the slightest whether he was upset and kept pressing. "That Su Family Clinic—that's the one your niece opened, right? Is she really that amazing? Rich people gave her lots of expensive gifts and she didn't accept them."

Su Jueming said, "Our Ah Ling did open a clinic, but I doubt anyone would be giving her gifts."

"Did I hear wrong?" Uncle Tang began to doubt himself. He also felt Su Fuling didn't seem like someone with that kind of ability.

"Then how did such rumors start?" Uncle Tang fanned himself with a big palm-leaf fan. "I heard that Doctor Su can also do some amazing physical examination that predicts fortune and misfortune. I was thinking, if it's true, I'd have someone do a reading for our Ah Jing."

Su Jueming spat out a mouthful of tea. "Cough, cough, cough—hahaha! What do you mean, an examination that predicts fortune and misfortune? Do you think she's a fortune-telling master?"

Uncle Tang said, "What are you laughing at? That's what everyone says."

"That's impossible. No doctor can do something like that." His own master had been a renowned divine doctor of his day, and even he had no such ability. Predicting fortune and misfortune—that was charlatan's stuff.

Uncle Tang was speechless. "But she charges a lot, I hear. Twenty Hong Kong dollars per examination, and some people go every day."

Hearing this, Su Jueming finally found it somewhat familiar. Because his niece Su Fuling also charged exactly that much whenever she gave someone an examination. Could it really be Ah Ling...?

Forget it, he'd find time to ask her tonight.

But he was now even more certain: if the doctor giving these examinations was Ah Ling, then there was no way she was using examinations to tell fortunes. Theirs was a respectable medical family, not a family of fortune-tellers.