Chapter 71: Seventy-One

Su Fuling couldn't very well tell her uncle about her plans, so she had to find another excuse.

"Uncle, I'm this old now. I need my own space. I didn't have the conditions before, but now that I do, of course I want to make a change. I can't even buy many clothes—there's nowhere to put them."

Her mention of these everyday difficulties made Su Jueming feel a bit guilty. He knew what the situation was like back in their hometown. For one thing, the house there was spacious; A Ling didn't have to squeeze in with anyone else.

Actually, in Su Jueming's mind, once Su Fuling started school she'd be living in the dormitory, so the house would naturally be big enough. He hadn't thought about rushing to move.

But now it seemed A Ling couldn't bear this hardship. There was still a long time before school started. Rent a place to live first? Then cancel the lease after A Ling went to school?

"Then I'll discuss it with your aunt."

Su Fuling smiled. "That's what I was hoping."

That evening, Aunt Zhou Huijuan came home. She'd had a hard day, but she still looked satisfied.

As soon as she got back, she started counting money and telling Su Fuling how much they'd earned that day.

Thanks to Su Fuling's connections, their daily fixed income was considerable. Plus, with the dine-in customers drawn by the product's reputation, they now had a steady three hundred or so per day. After costs, that meant five to six thousand a month.

"I'll tell A Ling when she gets up tomorrow. Let her share in the joy," Zhou Huijuan said.

Su Jueming said, "Juan, let's rent a bigger house. It's not good being so cramped like this."

Zhou Huijuan frowned. "Why move? Isn't this fine? A bigger house would mean a lot more expenses. Are you starting to waste money now that we're earning more? Ming, don't be like that. We'll have many expenses in the future."

Seeing that he couldn't convince his wife on his own authority, Su Jueming had to tell the truth. "It's A Ling. She was used to plenty of space back home. Now that we're all squeezed together, she must be uncomfortable. Her idea was to rent a place outside, but she wants to live with everyone, so she offered to pay part of the rent, and we can rent out this house to get a bigger one."

"Let her pay rent? Aren't you afraid your elder sister will scold you?" Zhou Huijuan said.

Su Jueming said, "Let's not talk about the rent for now. What do you think about moving? I can see A Ling is serious. She's the owner of a Medical Clinic now. Squeezing onto a small bed every day is really unfair to her."

Zhou Huijuan was naturally reluctant to spend money on a bigger house—she was used to saving. But since her niece had brought up moving, she couldn't just ignore it. As Ming said, this child wasn't ordinary. She was running a Medical Clinic, co-owning a shop with her, and knew only wealthy people. If others found out she lived in a cramped little room in a small house, it would be embarrassing.

In Zhou Huijuan's heart, money was important, but face was even more important.

"Then I'll have someone keep an eye out. How big should we move?"

"Two or three bedrooms."

Early the next morning, when Su Fuling got up, her aunt happily told her about the shop's business.

In her view, since the business was a joint investment, A Ling had the right to know the income. In a family business, the biggest fear was conflict over accounts. Zhou Huijuan cared about face and didn't want to be seen as greedy or taking advantage.

Su Fuling said, "Aunt, from now on, just check the books once a month. If you're too busy, hire someone else. Don't wear yourself out."

"It's fine, I can handle it. The desserts are all prepped in advance. When customers come, they just mix it themselves," Zhou Huijuan said.

Su Fuling said, "Now that it's autumn, I'll look for some recipes suitable for the season. Ones that stop coughs and moisten the lungs. They might sell even better."

Zhou Huijuan laughed. "A Ling knows about this too?"

"It's all part of Chinese medicine. I need to understand these things when prescribing medicinal meals for patients. But the taste will be up to you to adjust, Aunt."

Zhou Huijuan was very confident in this area. "No problem."

Full of confidence about the future, Zhou Huijuan wasn't as pained about moving anymore. She asked Su Fuling what requirements she had for the house and where she wanted to live.

David and Xiao Wei only then heard that the family was moving to a bigger place. They were so happy they stopped eating. David said, "Mommy, are we really moving to a big house?"

Xiao Wei said, "Then we won't have to sleep in the living room anymore?"

Zhou Huijuan wanted to say, you two keep sleeping in the living room. Boys shouldn't be so picky. When you grow up and make something of yourselves, you can move out. But seeing the eager looks in her children's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

In Su Fuling's view, they should of course stay in Yau Ma Tei. After all, the Sifang Association looked out for them there, and their business was here too.

"See if there's a big apartment for rent in this building. Aunt, rent one with three bedrooms, so we can all have our own rooms. We earn money for happiness and joy. Our whole family should live well. No one should have to suffer."

David and Xiao Wei were overjoyed. They started planning what to put in their rooms. They used to make a lot of handicrafts, but the house was too small, and Mommy wouldn't let them keep them. They'd thrown away so many. Now it would be different.

Seeing her children's happy faces, Zhou Huijuan nodded. "Alright, we'll rent a three-bedroom."

After she said it, her eyes inexplicably grew hot.

Su Fuling handed over the money she had prepared for Zhou Huijuan to use for the rent.

Zhou Huijuan naturally refused. In her eyes, this was still a child, even if she was already accomplished.

Su Fuling said, "Aunt, I'm an adult now. I should support myself. I work hard not to be a burden. Grandpa also told me that living well through my own efforts gives me confidence."

Then she pointed at David and Xiao Wei. "When David and Xiao Wei grow up, won't you take money from them for the household?"

Both children were sensible. They knew the family was poor and had long thought about helping to support the family.

Even though one was only eight and the other six.

David patted his chest. "I'm definitely going to support Dad and Mommy when I grow up. And Shanshan—I'll buy toys for Shanshan."

Xiao Wei said, "Mommy, I'll open a huge Sweet Soup Shop for you later."

Looking at her two children, Zhou Huijuan's eyes reddened. "Alright, then I'll enjoy the good life."

She took the money from Su Fuling. "Your uncle and I are really taking advantage."

Su Fuling smiled. "We're family. What 'taking advantage'? Should I keep a ledger when I drink your sweet soup?"

Zhou Huijuan laughed. "Drink as much as you want. We've got no shortage of sweet soup in this house now."

And indeed, they didn't. At least David and Xiao Wei drank until their bellies were round, and after just a few days they were sick of it.

With the housing matter settled, Su Fuling was in an excellent mood.

Even Chen Shasha and Zhao Facai could tell she was happy.

"Doctor Su, what good news do you have today?" Chen Shasha asked curiously.

Su Fuling shook her head. "Nothing much." She didn't want to talk about family matters outside. "Remember to send today's medicine to Dean Liang's place. I'll go give the children checkups at noon."

Chen Shasha quickly acknowledged.

Just as Chen Shasha was about to hand out queue numbers to patients, the first person to walk in was a familiar face.

Chen Shasha didn't have a good impression of the police—they'd had too many conflicts before. She just gave him a number without greeting him.

Zhao Facai, on the other hand, warmly exchanged pleasantries with Wang Sihua.

Since ancient times, those in business couldn't afford to offend either the underworld or the authorities—they had to cultivate relationships. As the disciple of a master, he naturally had to help build good connections without lowering his master's status.

"Wang Sir, long time no see."

Wang Sihua said, "Yeah, you moved and I didn't even know."

"Heh, my master has real skills after all. He couldn't stay holed up in my little shop."

Wang Sihua glanced at Su Fuling's clinic, looking a bit nervous. He didn't know what kind of result he wanted.

Seeing this, Zhao Facai thought to himself, what's going on? But he didn't ask further. Anyway, his master had great skills—there was nothing she couldn't handle.

Su Fuling was also surprised to see Wang Sihua. Wang Sihua wasn't the type to come for a checkup. "Wang Sir, are you here for a physical?"

Wang Sihua sat down and sighed. "Doctor Su, I still want to ask for your help with a case I'm working on."

Su Fuling hadn't received the previous bonus that long ago. She hadn't expected Wang Sihua to come asking for her help with another case. "Have you had a lot of cases recently?"

Wang Sihua sighed again. "It's an old case. After the last one was solved, the higher-ups decided to keep the momentum and solve a few more old cases this year. This one is complicated. I really can't find a lead, so I came to you. To be honest, I feel ashamed. As a police academy graduate, I still have to rely on you to solve cases... But I thought it over—getting justice for the deceased is more important than my pride, so I came."

Hearing this, Su Fuling felt the pressure too. She really wasn't a professional detective. She asked, "Do you have any suspects?"

"No," Wang Sihua shook his head.

That was the crux of the case's complexity.

Because even the victim's identity hadn't been determined.

Su Fuling: "..."

She secretly asked the System, "System, even though the deceased isn't a mission target, the detection function shouldn't have that restriction, right? I can do a detection on someone who isn't a mission target, can't I?"

The Merit System said, "There's no restriction, but it's not recommended for the Host to use it. It would waste a detection slot and isn't conducive to the Host earning Merit Points."

Su Fuling said, "That's not right. The cause of death is also very important. If I can learn more about the causes of death, I can save more people and accumulate more merit. As they say, saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Maybe we can use it later when saving people."

The Merit System garbled for a few seconds before saying, "There's only one slot. The Host can choose for herself."

Hearing this, Su Fuling felt relieved. As long as it could be used, it was fine. At least she could find out the person's name. Maybe she could even detect the cause of death.

While she was talking to the System, to Wang Sihua she appeared to be deep in thought.

Wang Sihua waited nervously for her answer.

When Su Fuling finally looked up again, he instinctively sat up straight.

Su Fuling said, "I can try. But I can't guarantee it'll work."

Hearing this, a huge weight lifted from Wang Sihua's heart. He said in a heavy voice, "Thank you, Doctor Su."

There were still patients waiting outside, so Su Fuling naturally couldn't go right away. They agreed to meet at noon.

Before leaving, Wang Sihua hesitated. "Doctor Su, the scene might be a bit disturbing..."

Su Fuling said, "If I had a weak stomach, I wouldn't be a doctor."

Wang Sihua nodded and left.

As soon as he was gone, people started streaming in. The first ones were those here for checkups.

After her checkup, An Hui also had a follow-up on her leg.

She had been strictly taking the herbal soup Su Fuling prescribed every day.

After examining her, Su Fuling said, "No major issues. Just wait for the bone to heal. Don't move around too much."

An Hui immediately said, "I'll follow your instructions, Doctor Su. By the way, Doctor Su, I'd like to introduce you to some friends. Is that okay?"

For someone like Doctor Su, a master of her craft, An Hui naturally hoped to use this information to build business connections. But she was worried Doctor Su might have reservations.

Su Fuling said, "Of course, no problem. But I'll have to see if I can treat certain conditions. For example, I can't do anything that requires surgery."

An Hui said, "As long as you're willing to take a look, that's enough. It's always one more hope."

With Su Fuling's consent, An Hui felt relieved. If even a master like Doctor Su couldn't help, then no one else could. So she had great confidence in Su Fuling.

After that, Su Fuling did checkups for the people from the Department of Health. These people had originally been reluctant to come every day, but after Gao Wenqiang narrowly avoided an accident yesterday thanks to Doctor Su, they were all shaken and worried they might encounter an accident too, so they all came. When they heard Su Fuling say they were fine, they left happily and relieved. They didn't feel at all like they'd wasted twenty Hong Kong dollars.

After a busy morning, Su Fuling did a follow-up for Zhang Lei, who had come for his herbal soup and checkup. Then she left work early and took Zhao Facai to the Orphanage to check on the children.

They had taken the medicine yesterday and again this morning, so for minor symptoms like colds and coughs, the effects were naturally quick.

Seeing these results, Dean Liang fully believed that Su Fuling was a reliable doctor. He became even more enthusiastic toward her. This small Orphanage relied on kind-hearted people in society to continue raising these children.

"Doctor Su, thank you for helping us so much this time. You even covered the cost of my medicine. I don't know how to thank you."

Su Fuling smiled. "Compared to what you do, Dean Liang, what I've done is nothing. If the children ever feel unwell in the future, just send them directly to my Medical Clinic. As long as I'm in Harbor City, I can treat them."

Hearing this, Dean Liang worried. "Doctor Su, that's a heavy burden." Children got sick often—sometimes one would get better and another would fall ill. In the short term it wasn't much, but over time the costs would add up.

Su Fuling said, "If I run out of money, I'll let you know, Dean Liang. As long as I can afford it, I'm willing to do this."

Treating a child earned her a few Merit Points, which converted to several hundred Hong Kong dollars. Even without donations in the future, she could cover the medicine costs this way. Even if she didn't keep the Merit Points herself, she could treat it as free clinic work.

Dean Liang rubbed his hands together. "Thank you."

After leaving the Orphanage, Zhao Facai couldn't help sighing. "Master, are you really indifferent to fame and fortune? Not only do you not make money, but you even lose money."

Su Fuling smiled. "Don't worry, I won't let you guys go hungry."

Zhao Facai said, "Ah, I'm not worried. I'm just afraid you'll feel the pressure." He knew his master's family wasn't well-off. Other masters lived in mansions and drove luxury cars. But his master, such a great talent, was stuck in Yau Ma Tei, living so frugally. He didn't understand why. Could it be that true cultivation required asceticism? If so, then with his own greed for money, would he never attain enlightenment?

Thinking this, Zhao Facai shuddered. He wondered if he should change his mindset. Which was more important—attaining enlightenment or enjoying wealth?

At noon, just after Su Fuling finished eating, Wang Sihua came to pick her up.

Zhao Facai and Chen Shasha both naturally wanted to follow. Chen Shasha had missed out on the master's case-solving experience last time because she didn't want to deal with the police, and she really wanted to see it this time. But Su Fuling didn't bring anyone this time—after all, some scenes weren't suitable for ordinary people.

After Su Fuling and Wang Sihua left, Chen Shasha complained, "It's all your fault for competing with me, so Doctor Su couldn't choose. You're so greedy—you already went once last time. You wouldn't let me go this time."

Zhao Facai said, "You don't understand. I was thinking of you." He thought to himself: young people are just bold and fearless.

Chen Shasha said, "Whatever. Next time I'm going, and you'd better not fight me for it."