“Old lady, are you alright?”
The one who reached out to help the old lady was Chen Mo, who had been nearby just moments ago.
Seeing the old lady about to fall, he rushed over in a few quick strides.
“Young man, thank you. I, I’m fine.” The old lady finally came to her senses, but her face was still etched with lingering fear.
“Everyone saw it. I didn’t touch her. She fell on her own. This is clearly an attempt to extort money!” The middle-aged man, seeing this, immediately pointed at the old lady and yelled.
Chen Mo’s expression darkened. “I’ve never seen someone as shameless as you. You don’t deserve to wear this uniform.”
The middle-aged man was instantly enraged. “You brat, what business is this of yours? I’m telling you, she’s just a scoundrel trying to extort money.”
The old lady anxiously explained, “I didn’t, I didn’t come to extort money.”
Chen Mo asked, “Old lady, what exactly happened?”
Seeing Chen Mo’s earnestness, the old lady recounted the events: “My back has been hurting for the past few days, so I came here to buy some medicated plasters. He said they had a newly developed plaster that was absolutely effective and advised me to buy more to use at home.”
“At the time, I thought that since Shenzhi Tang is such a large store, they wouldn’t deceive us, so I bought three courses of treatment. But after using one course, not only did it not help, it actually got worse. So I wanted to come back and return the remaining plasters.”
“But they just wouldn’t refund me.”
Chen Mo asked, “Old lady, may I see the medicine?”
The old lady nodded and handed the plaster to Chen Mo.
After smelling it, Chen Mo frowned slightly and continued, “How much was this plaster?”
“Six hundred per plaster.”
“What? Six hundred?!” Chen Mo was startled.
Having purchased so many valuable medicinal ingredients, Chen Mo could tell that there were no expensive Chinese herbs in this plaster, yet they dared to charge such a high price.
“Yes, six hundred per plaster. One course is eight plasters, and there are two courses remaining,” the old lady replied.
The middle-aged man explained with a mocking smile, “We use many precious medicinal ingredients here, which is why it’s so expensive.”
“Nonsense.”
“You brat, who are you calling nonsense? Believe it or not, I’ll sue you for defamation!” the middle-aged man immediately retorted, displeased.
Chen Mo looked at the list of medicinal ingredients on the back of the plaster. “Defamation? Then tell me, among Ma Qian Zi, Ma Huang, Chuan Niu Xi, and Quan Xie, which of these Chinese medicinal ingredients are the precious ones you speak of?”
The middle-aged man’s expression faltered. He hadn’t expected Chen Mo to recognize these medicinal ingredients!
However, the middle-aged man had a sudden inspiration. “The formula is expensive. Do you know that this formula was passed down from my ancestors? This is called intellectual property!”
“Pah!” Chen Mo couldn’t help but spit towards the middle-aged man.
“You, you dare to spit on me!” The middle-aged man’s eyes widened.
“Spitting on you is the least of it. Anyone with even a little common sense could write this formula. I don’t know how you have the nerve to say that.”
The middle-aged man looked unconvinced. “You brat, if you’re so capable, write a formula for me to see! You’re bragging without thinking. Who do you think you are?”
“Ahem!”
The store clerk stood by, constantly signaling to the middle-aged man.
The latter didn’t know Chen Mo’s identity, but the clerk did. He was a friend of Miss Mo!
Even the manager treated him with great respect.
However, the middle-aged man, now flushed with anger, didn’t notice the clerk beside him.
Chen Mo let out a cold laugh. “Alright, then today I’ll show you what a medicated plaster is, and what ‘effective with one application’ means!”
“Heh heh, effective with one application? Kid, your ability to brag is truly unmatched.” The middle-aged man said dismissively.
Then, the middle-aged man added, “If you can really make such a plaster that’s effective with one application, I’ll refund her money in full!”
“If you can’t, then you’ll kneel on the ground and apologize to me!”
The middle-aged man said each word deliberately.
Chen Mo let out a cold laugh. “That’s too easy for you. People like you don’t deserve to be doctors. If I succeed, not only will you refund the money, but you’ll also have to take off this uniform!”
The middle-aged man nodded indifferently. “Fine, no problem!”
Chen Mo looked at the clerk. “Prepare some Chinese medicinal ingredients for me. I need to personally brew the medicated plaster.”
“Give him the ingredients. I want to see what this ‘effective with one application’ that the kid is talking about is,” the middle-aged man waved his hand and said.
The clerk could only reluctantly lead Chen Mo to the storeroom.
Seeing Chen Mo leave, the middle-aged man smirked. “You brat, wait until you’re kneeling and apologizing to me!”
Having practiced medicine for so many years, how could the middle-aged man not know that traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes conditioning, and there is no such thing as ‘effective with one application’? He was sure he would win this bet!
Soon, Chen Mo gathered a few more medicinal ingredients.
After all, this was the largest medicinal ingredient store, and all sorts of equipment for brewing and decocting medicines were available.
Because of Chen Mo’s identity, the clerk naturally didn’t dare to stop him and could only let Chen Mo brew the medicine inside.
About half an hour later.
Chen Mo held a bowl containing a portion of dark, viscous medicinal paste.
He returned to the hall, where the crowd that had gathered earlier was still present. They actually wanted to see what kind of plaster Chen Mo could make.
“Old lady, it might hurt a little. Please bear with it,” Chen Mo cautioned the old lady.
“It’s alright, young man. Thank you so much.” The old lady knew that Chen Mo was betting on her behalf.
She also decided that even if the plaster didn’t work, she would have to endure the pain and say she was cured, so as not to let this kind young man be insulted because of her.
However, at that moment, Chen Mo had already spread the plaster onto a piece of cowhide paper and applied it to the old lady’s lower back.
“Ouch!”
The old lady cried out in pain.
Cold sweat instantly covered her forehead!
Seeing this, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but laugh.
He wanted to see how long Chen Mo and the old lady could keep up the act.
But in the next second, the pained expression on the old lady’s face instantly eased, and she felt a warm current gradually penetrating her skin.
That warm sensation made the old lady feel comfortable.
After a short while, the old lady’s eyes widened in shock. “Amazing, truly amazing! My back really doesn’t hurt anymore!”
The middle-aged man on the side couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Heh heh, if you’re going to act, at least be professional about it. How long has it been? It’s already better? Do you think I’m a three-year-old child, so easily fooled?”
The old lady hurriedly explained, “I’m not lying to you, really. Look, I can straighten my back now. It’s really better!”
The middle-aged man still didn’t believe her. In his opinion, these two were definitely colluding and acting.
It was even possible that the old lady’s back pain was fake from the beginning.
“Dr. Chen, why don’t you let me try your plaster too?”
Suddenly, a middle-aged man’s voice rang out from the crowd, and a figure walked towards Chen Mo.