Chapter 58

Su Fuling naturally didn't mention the bank incident when she got home, not wanting her family to worry. She simply said she'd helped the Police Station with some clues to solve a case and received a handsome reward.

Su Jueming genuinely felt his niece was blessed with good fortune. She'd only been in Harbor City for such a short time and already earned so much money—more than he and Ajuan had managed to save through years of hard work and frugality.

Now another three thousand Hong Kong dollars as a bonus—truly impressive.

Su Fuling smiled. 'Let's eat out today, at a restaurant.' Mostly to calm her nerves, calm her nerves!

This time Su Jueming didn't refuse. With such a happy occasion, it was worth celebrating. 'Alright, today we'll bask in A-Ling's glory.'

Zhou Huijuan said, 'Let's eat at Xu's Eatery across the street. It's cheap and clean, very affordable. No need to spend too much on a meal.'

Su Jueming naturally listened to her. 'Fine, let's go to Xu's Eatery across the street.'

Hearing they were going out to eat, the two children who were still doing homework immediately stopped and jumped up from their little chairs to change shoes.

Zhou Huijuan put on a stern face. 'Finish your homework before going out!'

'...'

Mommy was so serious. David and Xiaowei pulled long faces, looking at Su Jueming and Su Fuling.

The two smiled and encouraged them. 'Do your homework.'

You couldn't undermine each other when it came to educating children. Nothing was more important than studying. After all, in their circumstances, only education could change their fate.

Fortunately, primary school homework wasn't much, and the lure of good food fully stimulated the children's efficiency. They finished half an hour earlier than usual.

By the time the family left, it wasn't even fully dark yet. Su Jueming carried his little daughter, while Zhou Huijuan and Su Fuling held the hands of David and Xiaowei, discussing what to order as they walked.

Seeing the whole family heading out together, a neighbor they met said, 'Aming, going out to eat?'

'Yeah, A-Ling's made good money, so she's treating us to a meal,' Su Jueming said proudly.

Hearing this, the neighbor immediately gave a thumbs-up. 'I heard from Granny Sun earlier that your A-Ling is really capable. She prescribed medicine for her, and after taking it, she felt much better. She said A-Ling is even better than the doctors at that big clinic.'

Su Jueming laughed heartily with pride.

'Aming, how come you're not that skilled?' the neighbor asked bluntly.

'Ahem, I'm going to eat now.' Su Jueming quickly led his family away.

Zhou Huijuan said, 'Regretting coming to Harbor City, huh?'

Su Jueming shook his head and sighed. The helplessness in his heart was hard to express. If he hadn't come to Harbor City, he could have studied medical texts with the old master and become a skilled doctor, without having to leave his hometown and be separated from his family forever. But if he hadn't come here, he wouldn't have met Ajuan, and he didn't know what would have happened to her. So, nothing in life is perfect.

Su Fuling smiled. 'Little uncle is already very impressive—you passed the Western medicine license exam. And it's never too late to learn Chinese medicine.'

Su Jueming nodded with a smile. 'Yeah, it's not too late. I feel like I've made a lot of progress now. A-Ling, let's exchange notes on pulse diagnosis sometime.'

'Sure.'

Seeing this, Zhou Huijuan pursed her lips and smiled faintly. She was increasingly grateful for A-Ling's arrival. Having someone to discuss medicine with Aming made him much happier than before.

Xu's Eatery across the street had all kinds of food. It was dinner time, so the place was quite crowded. Luckily, they came early and got a seat. The family found a spot and sat down. Zhou Huijuan carefully ordered a few cheap and practical dishes and refused to let anyone order more. Whenever she thought about spending money on eating out, she would mentally calculate how much the same dish would cost if made at home. Then she would feel pained and completely lose her appetite.

If it weren't for the fact that her niece's money came from the Police Station reward, she wouldn't have wanted to eat out at all.

After ordering, Su David and Su Xiaowei waited quietly, and the whole family watched the TV in the restaurant. Suddenly, a news report came on about the bank robbery that afternoon. The bank wasn't far from Yau Ma Tei. Seeing this, the restaurant buzzed with discussion. Everyone was in an uproar. This was big news.

Su Fuling: '...'

Su Jueming and Zhou Huijuan also started talking about how bad public security was these days. Su Xiaowei said, 'When I grow up, I want to be a policeman and catch bad guys!' He thought the uniformed police with guns on TV looked really cool.

Su Jueming said, 'Just watch your TV. Being a policeman isn't as good as studying medicine.' Mainly because the robbers in Harbor City were too rampant; he felt being a policeman wasn't safe. Now he suddenly thought that his niece shouldn't date a policeman in the future.

The news quickly broadcast how the police bravely fought the robbers, rescued the hostages, and finally caught the criminals.

Su Fuling: '...'

Suddenly, a familiar figure flashed across the screen.

Su Jueming's eyes widened. 'Did I just see A-Ling?'

Zhou Huijuan said, 'I bought that outfit...' The two turned to look at the white dress Su Fuling was wearing.

Su Fuling: '...Just the same style.'

Unfortunately, the couple wasn't so easily fooled. Besides A-Ling, there was also that Master Zhao. 'A-Ling, you encountered the robbers!' Su Jueming stood up excitedly.

The whole restaurant looked over, and for a moment it became very quiet.

Zhou Huijuan quickly pulled Su Jueming back down. Su Jueming looked around and sat down, whispering, 'Did you really encounter the robbers?'

Su David and Su Xiaowei pricked up their ears, eyes shining as they looked at their cousin. The two children didn't understand danger; they just thought it was an extraordinary experience.

Su Fuling said, 'It was just a coincidence that there were robbers. But I wasn't in danger. I hid in the very back.'

'...!!!' Even though she said that and was sitting right across from him, Su Jueming still broke out in a cold sweat, his scalp tingling. But he couldn't say anything. A-Ling didn't know she would run into robbers. It was just bad luck.

'Ah... Harbor City's public security is terrible!' Su Jueming complained.

Zhou Huijuan said, 'Even rich people get kidnapped, let alone ordinary folks like us. Anyway, it's good that A-Ling is fine. It shows our A-Ling is lucky—she turns misfortune into good fortune.'

Su Fuling smiled. 'Yeah, I think I'm really lucky. Little uncle, don't you think I'm lucky?'

'...' He really couldn't argue with that. She was indeed quite lucky.

He slapped the table. 'This meal is on me, to calm your nerves. What kind of uncle would let his frightened niece pay? That wouldn't be human.'

Zhou Huijuan said, 'I'll go order a bit more food.' She got up and went to order again.

The owner was an acquaintance and asked curiously, 'Ajuan, was your relative at the bank today too?'

Zhou Huijuan said, 'Yeah, luckily nothing happened.'

'That's really lucky. I heard none of the hostages were in danger today. Since you're so fortunate, I'll throw in a plate of shumai for your family.'

As Su Fuling ate the shumai, she said to Su Jueming with a smile, 'See, I told you, I'm really lucky.'

...

'Do you think it was luck, Ashan?' Wen Shu had naturally seen the news too, and he had known the real situation inside the bank even earlier than the news.

These robbers' affairs weren't their concern, but they needed to know who did what. So as soon as the news spread, someone immediately went to investigate. When they learned about the bizarre incident where the robbers were injured by exploding lights, everyone felt like they'd heard a strange story. But since that was the fact, they could only laugh at the robbers' terrible luck.

Wen Shu had thought the same, until he learned that Su Fuling was also inside. Then his view changed. So he called over Chen Shan, who knew Su Fuling best.

Chen Shan was silent for a few seconds. 'I don't know either. Dr. Su has never shown any other abilities.'

'Maybe she never had the chance,' Wen Shu said. 'But this kind of method is truly unheard of, so I really can't be sure whether it was caused by Dr. Su.'

Chen Shan said, 'If it really was Dr. Su's ability, then last time she went easy on Huang Bao.'

Such an ability to eliminate enemies without a trace was truly impossible to guard against.

Wen Shu nodded. 'Yes, that's also because you handled things well, probably making Dr. Su not too hostile toward our Sifang Association. Ashan, since Dr. Su is in Yau Ma Tei, you must take good care of her and make sure no clueless people disturb her. I'll inform the others that when necessary, they should follow your arrangements.' Now Wen Shu's attitude toward Dr. Su had risen another level. If before it was respect, now it carried a hint of fear. Harming people was more formidable than healing them.

'Is there some master behind Dr. Su? Ah, it's a pity we have so little information.' Wen Shu truly wanted to connect with the person behind Su Fuling. Who wouldn't want to get involved in these mysteries?

Chen Shan remained quiet, only thinking to himself again how lucky he was.

After all these years of struggling, he hadn't caught the attention of the upper echelons, but now, thanks to Dr. Su, his rise was just around the corner.

Wen Shu sighed. 'Anyway, your task is to take good care of Dr. Su. The tree may crave stillness, but the wind will not cease. Someone wants to stir up gang conflicts in Harbor City, and the forces behind them are likely considerable. Perhaps in the future, we'll need Dr. Su's help.'

Chen Shan had naturally heard Wen Shu talk about Chai Meng's betrayal. Chai Meng couldn't even name who was behind it, only knowing that the other side also had an organization overseas that could investigate their information and knew where their relatives were. Thinking of his own sister, Chen Shan clenched his fists secretly.

The next day, as soon as Su Fuling arrived at the shop entrance, she first saw Sun Zhonghao and his family of three.

An Hui was here for the second time since her hospitalization after the fall.

She simply couldn't hold back anymore; she had to come in person to thank Dr. Su. Otherwise, yesterday she might have lost her husband.

'Dr. Su, thank you so much for the reminder yesterday. Otherwise, something terrible would have happened. The bank my husband was going to yesterday was robbed,' An Hui said excitedly.

Su Fuling: '...' Yeah, what a coincidence—she told others not to go, but she went herself. Next time, she must remember to ask clearly about the other person's itinerary and avoid the same place herself.

'It's good that nothing happened.' Su Fuling walked into the shop and prepared to put down her medicine box.

Zhao Facai quickly came over to take the box from her. 'Master, from now on, let me pick you up at your apartment building. This medicine box is too heavy; it's hard work.'

Su Fuling said, 'It's fine, I'm used to it.'

Chen Shasha said, 'Exactly, Dr. Su is much younger than you. How could she not be as strong as you? If anyone should pick her up, it should be me.'

Zhao Facai no longer took Chen Shasha's words to heart. In his view, he had already seen another world. Now he looked at everyone with a certain detachment. Even if the Governor of Hong Kong stood before him, he wouldn't think much of it. So for once, he didn't retort to Chen Shasha but continued to attentively pour tea for Su Fuling. His expression was extremely respectful, as if he truly regarded Su Fuling as a revered teacher or elder.

Su Fuling found it a bit unbearable, so she simply ignored him and chatted with An Hui. 'How's your injury?'

An Hui said excitedly, 'It's much better already. I plan to be discharged and go home to recover. That way, I can also start using Dr. Su's prescription sooner.'

Su Fuling nodded. 'Let me do a follow-up examination.'

An Hui had been very obedient in the hospital these past few days, so her nutrition was adequate. Her constitution was quite good. Su Fuling smiled. 'It's fine. It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, so you still need to take good care of yourself.'

'Okay, I'll follow Dr. Su's advice. Dr. Su, we still want to get a checkup—all three of us.'

An Hui had already made a daily checkup for the whole family their top priority from now on.

Su Fuling naturally understood their mindset; something had just happened yesterday. If she couldn't see her own problems, she would also check herself every day.

She activated the scan. None of the three were mission targets. But Su Fuling still dutifully felt each person's pulse. 'All good.'

An Hui said happily, 'Hearing Dr. Su say that puts our minds at ease. Dr. Su, I had some free time these past few days and already prepared the shop renovation plan and quote. Take a look.'

Regarding the shop renovation, Su Fuling had discussed it with her family yesterday. They planned to keep it simple. Mainly, her aunt wasn't confident it would succeed, so she felt there was no need to invest too much. Su Fuling didn't know much about renovation styles, and her shop was already shabby, so she wasn't particular. But after seeing An Hui's quote, she found it wasn't very expensive.

'Did you underquote?' She had consulted He Li about the renovation quote for her shop.

An Hui said, 'Oh, no, it's not underquoted. We definitely want to save costs as much as possible, so we can use second-hand materials for some things. Renovation is a bottomless pit, but if you're frugal, you can save a lot. It all depends on how much effort you put in. Since I'm advising Dr. Su, of course I'll be thorough. I'll find a renovation team and keep a close eye on them. I guarantee Dr. Su won't waste money.'

Sun Zhonghao smiled. 'My company was decorated by my wife. She's very shrewd, Dr. Su. You can rest assured leaving it to her. She has nothing to do at home and wants something to keep her busy.'

An Hui nodded. 'Yes, Dr. Su has helped me so much. If I don't do something, I'll feel guilty every day. I'm a Buddhist, you know, I believe in cause and effect. I avoided disaster for twenty Hong Kong dollars. I'm afraid if I don't give enough, the disaster might come back.'

Is that how it works? Su Fuling: '...Thank you then. As long as no one loses money, it's fine.'

An Hui was happily about to say more when He Li and a few others arrived, urging her to move aside and not block the way.

An Hui was furious. She was already angry at He Li for deceiving her before, almost causing her to miss out on such a great person as Dr. Su. Now she wasn't even allowed to talk more with Dr. Su.

Normally, she would have started a big argument, but not now. She couldn't ruin her good image. She clenched her teeth and smiled. 'Sorry for taking up everyone's time. Dr. Su, I'll get going now. My Ah Hao knows your uncle's clinic; we'll go find him directly to discuss the plan.'

Su Fuling nodded. This matter did need to be handled by her uncle and aunt.

He Li, hearing this, became anxious. When it was her turn for the checkup, she immediately tried to seize the opportunity to help. Su Fuling said, 'But she's already done the plan. However, the sales strategy you made can still be used. My aunt has already read it.'

He Li said, 'Alright, I'll go find your uncle later to discuss the sweet soup collaboration.'

Su Fuling: '...' Forget it, she'd leave it all to her uncle and aunt. She wasn't good at these things.

After He Li and the others had their checkups, Zhao Facai poured tea for Su Fuling again. 'Master, actually, what that person said makes sense. Twenty Hong Kong dollars for a checkup is really too little. Master, you could raise the price a bit. The people coming for checkups now are all regulars; raising the price won't have much effect, and they'll accept it.'

Su Fuling shook her head. 'Forget it. This price isn't low for an ordinary family. If I raise it further, others won't be able to afford it.' Right now, a regular worker earned only about twenty-something Hong Kong dollars a day. Even in the Mainland, a month's income might be just that much.

'I don't want to only give checkups to rich people.'

Previously, Su Fuling had charged for this service to prevent people from wasting her time and hindering her from earning Merit Points. But now that she'd done many checkups, she felt this service was actually very meaningful. It could really help others, even save a family. So she planned to keep offering it and not raise the price. Both rich and ordinary families could access this service.

Hearing this, Zhao Facai thought about how his master had still run out to save people yesterday despite the situation. Although maybe she had a backup plan, a cold-hearted person wouldn't have bothered. There were so many guns; even a small mistake could be dangerous. She was willing to go that far to save people, so it seemed she really wouldn't raise prices just for money.

Although he thought this approach was a bit foolish, his respect for Su Fuling had shifted from admiration of her power to admiration of her character. Who wouldn't want to meet such a good person?

He also thought of Zhang Lei, who was so ill he didn't want to go out. Previously, his master had asked him to notify Zhang Lei to come for treatment, but Zhang Lei thought he couldn't be cured and didn't want to come. Mainly, he was afraid of spending money, because herbal medicine wasn't cheap either. At the time, Zhao Facai didn't insist, thinking it wasn't his business. Now he decided to bring him over. With such a good master, maybe she really could cure Zhang Lei. Ah, they were all poor people. When they met a benefactor like his master, they should seize the opportunity and not miss out.

At noon, Zhao Facai ate lunch and quickly left.

Su Fuling then took Chen Shasha to read books. She found that although Chen Shasha wasn't very fond of studying, she wasn't stupid. Her comprehension was quite good.

When Chen Shan arrived, he saw this scene. He felt fortunate for his decision back then.

With Shasha by Dr. Su's side, even if something happened to him in the future, he wouldn't worry about others retaliating against Shasha.

'Dr. Su,' he greeted before even entering the shop.

Chen Shasha was happy to see her brother. 'Have you eaten?'

'I have. I came specifically on Wen Shu's behalf to handle some matters.'

Su Fuling said, 'He's been taking his medicine on time, right?' She had checked this morning; that Mr. Wen had indeed not taken any random medicine.

Chen Shan smiled. 'Wen Shu has been following Dr. Su's instructions and taking his medicine on time. He says the effect is very good.'

Su Fuling: '...' Impossible, it couldn't work that fast. Was it a placebo effect?

But if the patient felt better, that was fine. Even if it was psychological, it was still beneficial to the body. Such psychological suggestion could greatly help in treatment.

Chen Shan said, 'Wen Shu rarely saw Chinese medicine doctors before. This time, he witnessed Dr. Su's medical skills and was deeply impressed. He thinks such excellent medical skills should be known to more people. He came by yesterday and saw that your shop is quite small. He feels you should have a larger Medical Clinic so that patients waiting in line won't have to endure wind and rain. So he specifically asked me to come and donate one of his properties to Dr. Su as a token of his support for the medical cause.'

Su Fuling: '...Mr. Chen, that's not necessary. I only prescribed him one dose of medicine.'

'Dr. Su, Wen Shu said this is his support for Chinese medicine. He knows you see patients for free, and this kind of charitable clinic can help many people. Wen Shu is now cultivating his character and wants to do good deeds. He has benefited himself and wants more people to benefit as well. This is his sincere intention; please don't refuse.'

Chen Shasha naturally wanted to help her brother. 'Yes, Dr. Su, with a bigger shop, more patients can be seen. It's fine now since it's not raining, but when it rains, people have nowhere to sit. Wen Shu wants to help these people by doing good deeds. Please grant his wish.'

Su Fuling: '...I don't need a donation. This isn't a public organization. But when I need to rent a larger space, I'll come to you.'

Su Fuling still didn't want to accept something so valuable. She was afraid that taking too much would entangle her. Although she treated everyone regardless of status, she didn't want to get involved in these people's conflicts. If she accepted such a valuable gift, and later they asked her to do something she didn't want to do, it would be hard to refuse. The System didn't want to become her tool, and she didn't want to become someone else's tool either.

Chen Shan smiled bitterly. Wen Shu couldn't change Dr. Su's mind either.

'Then let's rent it to Dr. Su. As for the rent, we can offset it with checkup fees. We live a dangerous life in this line of work, so we'd appreciate having checkups more conveniently. The shop is small now, and every time we come, we're afraid of disturbing other patients. If Dr. Su's shop were larger, it would be more convenient for us.'

Su Fuling: '...' That could work.

When Zhao Facai returned at noon and heard that Su Fuling was planning to move to a new shop, he was momentarily stunned. Then he became a bit anxious. 'Master, are you really moving...'

Su Fuling said, 'We can develop more business to earn money and also take on more patients.'

Right now, she could earn at most forty-plus Merit Points a day. Although saving for a month would allow her to upgrade the learning function, she couldn't resist watching videos to learn every day, and those videos were increasingly expensive, so she couldn't save up. Moreover, the System said that after her lifespan was exhausted, its help would come at a cost, so she needed to expand her business.

Seeing Zhao Facai's bitter expression, she smiled. 'Uncle Afa, you'll come with me.'

Zhao Facai's face lit up with surprise. He had been worried that after Su Fuling left, she wouldn't let him follow. Chen Shasha, on the other hand, would definitely be able to go.

Su Fuling said, 'You've only learned a little medicine so far. I promised to teach you, so of course I won't give up halfway.'

Zhao Facai immediately said, 'Master, I'll definitely study hard. By the way, let me help you pack. Whenever you decide to move, we can go ahead and clean the new place.'

'No rush. Let's see the shop first. I also need to inform the old customers.'

'Then I'll put up new ads to let everyone know we've moved.' Knowing he could continue to follow Su Fuling and that things were getting better, Zhao Facai was naturally even happier.