"What?" Rong Zhi's heart tightened. Before the other party could explain, she rushed into the room like a gust of wind.
Zhao Qiancai stood by the wall, looking anxiously at the bed. "Miss Lin, please check on him quickly. If he really dies, I won't be able to explain it."
Rong Zhi ignored him, checked the person's breath and pulse on the bed. It was already very weak. The medicine he had taken earlier was too potent and had blocked his heart meridian. Without a word, Rong Zhi took out several silver needles from her person and inserted them into the acupuncture points on his chest.
When Zhu Dahong came in, she saw Rong Zhi inserting needles. "Doctor! What are you doing? How can you use needles on my man!" she roared. Like a brute, she charged over, her palm, as big as a cattail fan, about to hit Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi frowned, switched her left hand to control the silver needles, and with her right hand, she snatched at the air, firmly grasping the large palm in her hand. With a twist to the side, a crisp cracking sound was heard. Zhu Dahong's face instantly turned pale, and she squatted on the ground, clutching her hand, her previous ferocity gone.
"I am treating an illness. If you interrupt me, your husband will truly die."
"What... he's still alive?" Zhu Dahong was stunned for a moment, then looked at the bed, a hint of surprise and hope appearing in her eyes. He had clearly stopped breathing moments ago.
"Sister-in-law Zhu, stop making trouble. With you acting like this, you'll even cause a good person to die." Zhao Qiancai sighed. It was true what the wise scholars said, that women and petty men were the hardest to deal with.
With both of them saying so, Zhu Dahong didn't dare to cause any more trouble. She didn't even dare to breathe heavily, her eyes fixed on the bed, watching as Rong Zhi inserted the silver needles, and then watching the person on the bed gradually regain color from a ghastly pallor. Zhu Dahong's eyes grew brighter and brighter. This was too miraculous. Could this divine doctor have the ability to bring the dead back to life?
"Cough... cough..." The person on the bed coughed twice. Although the sound was weak, it at least proved he was still alive.
"Dazhuang!" Zhu Dahong could no longer hold back. Clutching her hand, she rushed over and saw Zhou Dazhuang's eyes barely open. She cried out excitedly, "Dazhuang, you're finally awake. I thought you were dead." As she reached the end, she couldn't control herself, opened her mouth wide, and wailed, her voice almost blowing off the roof.
"Quiet down, the patient needs rest." Rong Zhi picked at her ear, slightly impatient. If it were in her past life, if someone had shouted and made a scene at her patient's bedside, she would have thrown them out long ago.
The crying stopped abruptly. Zhu Dahong covered her mouth, forcing the rest of the sound back down. "Thank you, divine doctor." She looked gratefully at Rong Zhi, and only then did she truly believe in Rong Zhi's skill.
"Don't call me divine doctor, my surname is Lin."
"Alright, Divine Doctor Lin."
"...I asked you to find medicinal herbs in the kitchen earlier, did you find them?"
"Medicinal herbs..." Zhu Dahong was reminded and suddenly remembered. She turned to look at the doorway, where a small figure was standing, timidly peeking inside, tears still on her small face. Zhu Dahong's expression suddenly changed. "You little brat, you almost killed your father, do you know that? I'll beat you to death!" She lunged forward and grabbed the child, hitting her. Large slaps landed on the thin shoulders. Zhou Xiaoyuan, frightened, kept dodging to the side but couldn't escape. Her pleas for mercy were suppressed in her throat, so low that they were inaudible. "Mom... stop hitting me, Mom, I know I was wrong."
All this happened in an instant. Rong Zhi hadn't even seen clearly how Zhu Dahong had moved before she was already hitting her daughter. It was evident how practiced she was.
"Sister-in-law, you don't want your husband to recover, do you?" Her voice was cool, as if pouring a basin of cold water over Zhu Dahong. Her movements suddenly stopped, and she turned back with an embarrassed expression. "Now that he's alright, don't keep hitting the child anymore." Rong Zhi felt a bit weary. In her past life, when she practiced medicine, eight out of ten times she had to deal with the patients' family disputes. Even after living two lifetimes, Rong Zhi wasn't very good at this.
"Little sister, did you remember what I told you earlier?" Rong Zhi asked the little girl. Zhou Xiaoyuan's shoulders trembled, and she nodded vigorously. Since things had come to this, Zhu Dahong couldn't bear to hit her child anymore. She was just short-tempered and impatient, but often regretted it afterward.
"I'm sorry, divine doctor. I found the Earth Root Grass in the kitchen. It was this little brat who didn't listen and brewed the wrong medicine. I wrongly blamed you."
"Wronging us is a small matter, but if your temper causes a delay in the patient's treatment, it's a matter of life and death. You don't want your child to be fatherless, do you? Then change your temper properly."
"Okay, okay, the divine doctor is right. Divine doctor, you've worked hard."
"Hey!" Zhao Qiancai glanced at the two of them. "Let's put the pleasantries aside for now. Can you untie me first?" He was numb!
"Oh! I forgot. My apologies, shopkeeper. I'll make amends." Zhu Dahong quickly stepped forward to untie the rope and apologized with a fawning smile. Zhao Qiancai rubbed his arm, finding it extremely painful, and waved his hand with a look of annoyance. "Forget the apology. If you don't drag me to the officials, I'll be grateful."
"Shopkeeper, what are you saying? I'll still need to come to your shop for medicine in the future." Zhao Qiancai pouted, recalling something, and remained silent.
Rong Zhi looked at Zhao Qiancai and gave a barely perceptible smile. "Shopkeeper Zhao, they're apologizing to you, why aren't you responding?"
"Oh, it's alright..." Zhao Qiancai reluctantly replied.
"Anything else?"
Zhao Qiancai's face fell, putting on a sour expression worse than a stone in a latrine. Rong Zhi glared at him.
"There's... cough cough." He hesitated for a moment, then said to Zhu Dahong, "Sister-in-law, Brother Zhou is an old acquaintance of mine. Although this matter has nothing to do with Jishitang, and although you wronged me and almost strangled me, I won't pursue this matter. From now on, if you come to Jishitang to sell medicine, I'll give you... a twenty percent discount."
"Cough cough!" Rong Zhi cleared her throat. "Half price, half price!" Zhao Qiancai quickly corrected himself.
"Really?" Zhu Dahong was overjoyed and blurted out without thinking, "How did you iron rooster learn to pluck feathers?"
Zhao Qiancai's face turned green. "No, I misspoke..." Zhu Dahong realized she had said the wrong thing and quickly corrected herself. "I mean, thank you for your consideration." This was indeed an unexpected bonus. In fact, Zhu Dahong was unwilling to buy medicine from Jishitang. It was Zhou Dazhuang who had an old acquaintance with Zhao Qiancai and insisted she buy from Jishitang. Jishitang was the largest pharmacy in the entire Changping County, and its medicine prices were exorbitant, almost like outright robbery. She said thank you several times, regardless of how displeased Zhao Qiancai looked.
"Since the person is fine, let's go back, Shopkeeper Zhao."
"Mm." Zhao Qiancai reluctantly agreed.
"Is the divine doctor leaving so soon? Won't you stay for a meal?"
"No, I already said not to call me divine doctor." Rong Zhi said, already walking out of the courtyard. Zhu Dahong's grateful voice could be heard shouting after their retreating figures. "Alright, divine doctor, see you soon, divine doctor!"
"..."
All the way, Zhao Qiancai sighed mournfully, as if he had just been robbed of his entire fortune. Rong Zhi initially didn't want to bother with him, but during the fifteen-minute journey, he sighed over 40 times. Rong Zhi couldn't stand it anymore.
"Is it that serious? It's just reducing the price of medicinal herbs back to normal. You sold so many expensive medicines before, how much profit did you make? Be careful, taking too many advantages might shorten your lifespan."
"Miss Lin, you don't understand..." He sighed again. "Business in our shop is poor. We only get one customer a few days. If I don't set the prices higher, Anping and I will have to drink from the northwest wind."
"It's precisely because you set the prices too high that no one comes to buy medicine here. As long as you lower the prices back to normal, I believe business will pick up soon."
"It won't," Zhao Qiancai shook his head slightly. Rong Zhi assumed he was just being dispirited because he was hurting from the price reduction, but then she suddenly remembered what Liu Hong had said, that they used to sell at the original price and only later suddenly raised them.
"Shopkeeper Zhao, did something happen at the shop before?" Zhao Qiancai was just thinking about the incident where he almost killed someone by selling medicine. Rong Zhi's sudden question made him jump.
"Nothing happened. What could have happened?"
"Really nothing?" Rong Zhi scrutinized him, his guilty expression evident. It was clear something had happened. "It's really nothing. Miss, stop guessing."
"I saved your life, and you won't even tell me this small matter? That's too disloyal."
Zhao Qiancai's lips twitched, his face even more guilty. But he really didn't want to bring up that incident from years ago. Sensing a gaze that couldn't be refused fell upon her, Zhao Qiancai couldn't help but feel strange. This young girl, despite her age, was so experienced. Not only did she subdue the formidable Zhu Dahong in a few words just now, but she could also tell at a glance that the pharmacy had an incident years ago? He had lived for over 30 years, but he felt that the young girl before him had a stronger presence than him. He could hardly bear the pressure of her gaze, his eyes darting away several times, feeling very uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Rong Zhi changed the subject. "If you don't want to say it, then forget it." Zhao Qiancai breathed a sigh of relief. "Then tell me about Divine Doctor Chu."
"Ah? Divine Doctor Chu?" Zhao Qiancai had just let his guard down, not expecting Rong Zhi to say that. "Why are you asking about Divine Doctor Chu?"
"It's nothing, just asking casually. I'm cooperating with him, so I have to know his background. What do you say, will you talk about Divine Doctor Chu, or about your pharmacy's matter?"
"This..." Zhao Qiancai hesitated. This little girl had cornered him again, and her eyes clearly indicated that he had to speak, the pressure too intense. In the end, he chose to talk about Divine Doctor Chu. After all, the pharmacy had indeed had problems, and Divine Doctor Chu was, at most, of unknown origin.
"I don't know where Divine Doctor Chu came from, but he has been practicing medicine and treating illnesses since he arrived. He's a good person. I don't know anything else." He suddenly remembered something and added, "He's not a disciple of Medicine King Valley. That's just a rumor!"
Rong Zhi looked into Zhao Qiancai's eyes. Zhao Qiancai quickly averted his gaze. He was lying.
"Oh, is he on good terms with any particular supplier of medicinal herbs?"
"Supplier of medicinal herbs?" Zhao Qiancai thought for a moment. "There's a Zhang family to the west of Changping County. They have a large medicinal herb estate. Most of the pharmacies in Changping County get their herbs from them."
The Zhang family... Rong Zhi silently noted it down. Could it be the person who delivered the Cloud Dew Flower that night?