18

The two people across the table froze.

Then Chen Shasha widened her eyes.

Lin Wenjie flew into a rage, leaping up and slapping the table. "You're talking nonsense. What did you do to me? Who told you to say this?" He turned to Chen Shasha. "Shasha, don't you even believe me?"

Chen Shasha looked at him. She really couldn't believe he was that kind of man.

He was so refined and clean-looking. And he was very self-respecting. They'd been dating for a month, but because he was too shy, they hadn't even kissed.

Could Dr. Su have made a mistake?

And some doctors deliberately exaggerated illnesses to start charging patients.

She looked at Su Fuling. "Hey, you didn't make something up, did you? If you hurt my boyfriend, I won't let you off. If you admit it now, I won't hold it against you."

You couldn't joke about things like this. If word got out, how would A-Jie face people? And how would her henchmen look at A-Jie as their brother-in-law?

Su Fuling spread her hands. "I'm stating facts. If you don't believe me, go get checked at a hospital yourself. My stall is right here; I can't run away."

Hearing Su Fuling say that, Chen Shasha was starting to believe her.

After all, Su Fuling was telling the truth—she really couldn't run away.

But there was also a chance she'd misread things...

When Chen Shasha went silent, Lin Wenjie felt even more ashamed and irritated. He looked down on Chen Shasha, but because she had power, he couldn't not be with her. Being suspected of having that filthy disease by someone he looked down on—he felt his image was ruined.

"So you believe her! Fine, if you want to break up, I won't stop you!"

At those words, Chen Shasha panicked. She'd finally caught him; how could they break up just like that?

"A-Jie, don't be upset. Maybe she misread things."

Lin Wenjie turned to leave. "We came to have our marriage fortune read, and you let this kind of person give you a diagnosis. What a mood killer."

Chen Shasha couldn't very well admit she'd come with a mission. "Alright, let's go get our marriage fortune read now."

Su Fuling, seeing this, ultimately couldn't stand to let the girl be deceived. "Weren't you just saying you wanted your marriage fortune read? I calculated it for you—the man will hinder the woman."

If the disease was transmitted to the woman, wouldn't that be hindering her?

Chen Shasha: "..."

Lin Wenjie heard this, and his delicate face twisted with anger. "Don't push people too far. Shasha, are you just going to watch her spout nonsense? If you want to break up, I won't stop you. But I'm going to sue her for defamation!"

Chen Shasha was also having doubts. This Dr. Su was a bit strange—first she said she couldn't read fortunes, only diagnose illnesses, and then she said she could read fortunes. She didn't seem like someone who could read fortunes at all.

But after all, she was Liang Zai's friend, and Mountain Brother had said not to offend people for now. She could only appease her boyfriend. "Fine, let's go find someone else to read our fortune. I don't believe her. Our marriage fortune is definitely great."

One was a doctor who seemed unreliable at first meeting; the other was her dear boyfriend. She knew whom to trust.

Master Zhao had just finished serving a client when he heard these two looking for someone to read their marriage fortune. He immediately got excited.

So this Su A-Mei setting up a stall outside was a good thing. The people she couldn't diagnose could become his clients.

He quickly stood up and ran outside to stop Chen Shasha and her companion. "Ah, in our line of work, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. For reading marriage fortunes, of course you should find someone experienced like us. I took one look from afar and saw you two as a golden boy and jade girl—a match made in heaven."

Hearing this, the man in the dress shirt's expression improved. "We'll have him read it."

Chen Shasha didn't want to make him angry either, so she had no objection.

After all, they'd already proven Dr. Su wasn't a fortune-teller—just a doctor. And her medical skills might not even be real. She'd completed her task. Now she shouldn't make her dear boyfriend angry.

"Alright."

Su Fuling reminded Master Zhao, "Master, you'd better not take this job."

Master Zhao thought she was too young, missing out on easy money. "You don't understand these things, so don't interfere."

He invited the two inside.

When Lin Wenjie saw that Master Zhao hadn't listened to Su Fuling, Su Fuling had lost face. He finally felt some of his anger subside.

But deep down, he couldn't help feeling a faint worry.

Chen Shasha was here, though, so he didn't want to show anything. He could only suppress his thoughts.

Master Zhao reading marriage fortunes was no challenge at all—a stream of lavish praise that made the clients delighted.

This was his long-standing experience. Couples deep in romance, even their parents couldn't stop them. So of course he only said good things. As for later breakups—who knew how far away that was? Could they really come after him for some fortune-telling money?

Master Zhao analyzed their faces, birth charts, and names, determining they were a perfect match. He also praised Lin Wenjie for his temperament and Chen Shasha for her beauty, saying their children would definitely be successful.

Chen Shasha was flattered and in a good mood.

Lin Wenjie was satisfied. To Chen Shasha, he said, "If we'd found him sooner, we wouldn't have had that unpleasantness."

Chen Shasha said, "Alright, are you satisfied now?"

Lin Wenjie hummed in agreement.

After hearing the pleasant words, the young couple paid happily and left hand in hand. Passing Su Fuling, Lin Wenjie even snorted at her.

Master Zhao shook his fan and came over. "See? This is how business is done. You won't do this, you won't do that, and after reading, you say unpleasant things. Aren't you deliberately driving customers away?"

Su Fuling said, "Master, while saying such pleasant words does make people feel good, but don't you worry that saying inaccurate things will harm people?"

Master Zhao said, "How would I harm people?"

Su Fuling said, "What if those two people aren't right for each other, and because they believed your words, they end up together? Wouldn't that harm them?"

Master Zhao said, "What do you know? These people only believe it for now. When it comes time to cheat, they won't stop just because of something I said."

Su Fuling said, "Have you never had anyone cause trouble for you before?"

Master Zhao often walked by the river—how could his shoes stay dry? But he still said righteously, "There will always be some unreasonable people in this world. But evil cannot prevail over good. Even if they come to cause me trouble, I have nothing to fear."

Su Fuling said, "Well, I just saw that the man has a disease. Based on this situation, he's not a good match for that lady. You're lying for money, and others will cause trouble for you too. Master, have you thought about how you're harming others and yourself?"

Master Zhao: "What disease?"

Su Fuling said, "I shouldn't publicize this patient's disease, but it's definitely not good. You don't know the situation and you're乱算 (making up readings), so be careful about harming people."

Master Zhao felt a twinge of guilt, but long-standing habits had caused him to shed some of his conscience. He made up a story: "There's no hurdle in life that can't be overcome, and disease is the same. I believe this couple won't be defeated by disease. You don't understand fate, so naturally you don't understand its mysteries."

He returned to his seat and took a satisfying sip of tea. "By the way, remember our agreement—if nothing happens to me today, you have to return the twenty to me. No reneging."

Su Fuling: "...Fine."

Su Fuling didn't argue with Master Zhao anymore. Since she'd already told the lady, she'd done her duty.

Having practiced medicine with her grandfather for many years, she'd seen too many cases like this. No matter what the doctor said, patients and their families would always have their own will. For familiar people, they could have others help with persuasion. For situations like this, where everyone was a stranger who came for a diagnosis and left, she was helpless.

She took out her notebook and recorded the case she'd diagnosed today and her personal pulse-reading observations.

This was precious experience she was accumulating.

A good TCM doctor built up their skills bit by bit.

When she returned home at noon, Su Fuling happily told her aunt that she'd done good business today, opening her account in the morning. Business was even better than yesterday.

The smile that had been absent from Zhou Huijuan's face for so long now showed a trace of relief.

This newly arrived niece had found a money-making job so quickly, which eased her pressure significantly.

At least she didn't need to support another person.

"I'll bring you lunch from now on. You don't have to come back for meals; you can stay at the stall longer."

Su Fuling said, "Auntie, it takes over ten minutes to walk there. After bringing lunch for Uncle, you're already tired. I'm planning to bring lunch to eat there. Master Zhao has a stove there for heating food."

Zhou Huijuan said, "Then I'll make some sweet soup later for you to bring to Master Zhao. We can't take advantage of people."

Because she'd been looked down on before, she was especially proud and didn't want people to laugh at her for being greedy or taking advantage.

Su Fuling said, "I know, thank you, Auntie."

Zhou Huijuan also said, "You're more capable than your uncle. At your age, he wasn't this good at making money."

Su Fuling smiled. "Because I have you and Uncle helping me, I don't have to worry about living expenses, so I can focus on making money."

She'd planned to contribute household expenses before moving out.

To observe whether anything would happen to Master Zhao today, Su Fuling left immediately after lunch without delay. Zhou Huijuan didn't think much of it—just thought she was rushing to make money.

...

"Mountain Brother, I went. That Dr. Su can't read fortunes; she admitted it herself."

As soon as Chen Shasha entered, she plopped down in Chen Shan's office.

Chen Shan said, "Can't read fortunes?"

"Yes, she only said she can diagnose illnesses. She's a doctor. Same as what A Si and the others said. Then I tested her medical skills, and they didn't seem very accurate either."

Chen Shan thought Auntie He Li and Li Liang shouldn't be so easily fooled.

Although Auntie He Li was scammed of her money, that was because she'd known the scammer for a long time, and she wasn't the only one fooled. If it were a stranger, they couldn't fool Auntie He Li.

"Tell me what happened today."

Chen Shasha then recounted how Su Fuling diagnosed her and Lin Wenjie, only she hid the illness. That disease was just too embarrassing. Even saying it out loud was hard. And she didn't want people to look down on A-Jie—even if the disease was fake, saying it would make people think all kinds of things.

Chen Shan was a cautious man. Hearing this, he asked, "How do you know what she said was inaccurate?"

Chen Shasha said, "It must be inaccurate."

Chen Shan looked at her. "What disease did she say Lin Wenjie had?"

Chen Shasha: "..."

How could an older brother not understand his own sister? Seeing her hesitant manner, he knew she was feeling guilty. Chen Shan's face hardened. "Shasha, are you hiding even from me?"

Chen Shasha had been raised by her brother Chen Shan. Seeing her brother become serious, she reluctantly said the name of the disease.

Chen Shan: "..."

"Oh, Brother, I'm sure the reading was inaccurate. You know, A-Jie is a very pure person." Chen Shasha tried to defend him. "I'm not stupid; I'm good at reading people. He's really a good guy. When we're together, he's very proper."

Chen Shan snorted. He'd moved in various circles and seen many people who were wolves in sheep's clothing. Who knew what diseases they had hidden beneath their good appearances?

Besides, he wanted to see if that Dr. Su really had actual skills.

"Have him checked!" Chen Shan ordered.

Chen Shasha said, "This is too insulting. I won't agree; A-Jie will be angry."

Chen Shan said, "I'll arrange for someone to check his body. You don't need to worry about it. This is also for your own good. If you don't let him get checked to confirm he's healthy, I won't allow you to keep seeing him."

Chen Shasha: "Brother..." She'd been raised by her brother since childhood and ultimately didn't dare say anything. "But be polite to him, okay? He's very refined, unlike us. He gets hurt easily."

Hearing this, Chen Shan only looked down on this person his sister Chen Shasha had chosen even more. Would he need his sister to protect him in the future?

Chen Shan moved quickly, arranging for his brothers to directly kidnap Lin Wenjie and take him to the hospital they usually cooperated with for a full checkup. As for whether this forced action was illegal... Chen Shan didn't care. Would the police really blame him for giving someone a medical examination?

When he was grabbed and shoved into the car, Lin Wenjie was terrified and shouted that his girlfriend was Chen Shasha of the Sifang Association's Yau Ma Tei Hall, and his brother-in-law was the Hall's boss Chen Shan.

Seeing how cowardly he was, the Sifang Association gangster simply stuffed his mouth shut.

This targeted examination quickly produced results.

When Chen Shan saw the results, his face darkened. Having that disease and still dating his sister? He threw the examination results at Chen Shasha. "You haven't done anything with him, have you?"

An older brother really didn't want to manage his sister's private life. But when it came to health-related matters, he couldn't be careless.

Chen Shasha looked like she'd been struck.

But seeing the report thrown onto her lap, she instinctively threw it aside. Hearing this, she immediately said, "Of course not, I'm very obedient. I come home every day at the right time; you know that."

Only then did Chen Shan relax. If his sister had been harmed, he would have thrown that wolf in sheep's clothing Lin Wenjie into the sea to feed the fish.

"Don't associate with this kind of person anymore, understood?"

Chen Shasha was both angry and upset. "Brother, I don't understand. How could he get that disease? He seems so innocent. You know, maybe it was unintentional. I heard you don't have to do that kind of thing to get it."

"Innocent? My people asked around, and he admitted himself—he's been having a long-term affair with someone in their building who likes to mess around."

Chen Shan took a heavy drag on his cigarette. "This time I'm having someone teach him a lesson. Don't try to stop me."

Now Chen Shan felt genuinely afraid.

His sister had almost been harmed by such a beast.

If they hadn't coincidentally thought to test that Dr. Su, and if Dr. Su hadn't had some skill, he didn't know how long it would have taken to find out. Maybe that beast really would have succeeded.

"Remember to go thank Dr. Su." Chen Shan reminded her.

Even if her fortune-reading was inaccurate, her medical skills were definitely real—she could actually diagnose Lin Wenjie's condition just from taking his pulse.

Thinking about what A Si had said, this Dr. Su had actually used medical skills to read people.

Chen Shan increasingly felt this Dr. Su was an interesting person.

Maybe he should find an opportunity to meet her.

...

Near dusk, Master Zhao kept reminding Su Fuling to remember to return those twenty Hong Kong dollars.

Su Fuling had also been observing Master Zhao's condition.

She then took Master Zhao's pulse again.

Master Zhao fanned himself with his big palm leaf fan. "I'm perfectly fine. Don't try to trick me."

Su Fuling said, "You really don't have any problems. But the day isn't over yet. I'll check again tomorrow morning."

Master Zhao raised an eyebrow. "You really don't give up until you hit a wall, do you? Fine, come find me for the money tomorrow morning."

Su Fuling had already planned: if nothing happened to Master Zhao today, tomorrow she'd scan his condition again. If he was still a mission target, that meant there was a hidden illness, and she'd use tomorrow's examination quota to check him.

Master Zhao thought about getting back twenty Hong Kong dollars tomorrow and felt happy.

And he'd already determined that Su Fuling had been guessing these past two days—all coincidences. She had no real skills.

But this person could actually intimidate the gangsters; there was something worth learning from.

Master Zhao thought to himself, should he learn some medical books? Combining fortune-telling with medicine? That could be a novel approach, helping him stand out from all the old-fashioned types.

Master Zhao was just thinking about asking Su Fuling what books he should read to learn pulse diagnosis when someone rode up on a motorbike with a rumbling engine to his door.

Looking closely, it was the pretty girl who'd come for a fortune reading in the morning.

Seeing her grateful expression, Master Zhao revealed a mysterious smile, maintaining his expert demeanor.

Chen Shasha had almost forgotten about the morning's fortune reading, but when Master Zhao approached, she immediately remembered the disgusting things Master Zhao had said in the morning. Calling her and Lin Wenjie a match made in heaven, golden boy and jade girl. So disgusting.

Especially thinking about how she'd just personally heard from the woman Lin Wenjie was secretly seeing, learning that Lin Wenjie was that kind of outwardly refined but actually perverted man—it was truly disgusting.

"How dare you show up in front of me, you scammer!"

Chen Shasha threw a punch, directly hitting Master Zhao's cheek.

"Ah—"

Master Zhao was punched dazed and stumbled to the ground.

This scene immediately attracted quite a few onlookers.

Su Fuling: "...!!!"

Chen Shasha was furious, glaring at Master Zhao. "You scammer, you dared scam me!" She ran over wanting to hit him again. "I let you scam me!"

Master Zhao was so scared he jumped up from the ground. Somehow he managed, one hand supporting his waist, to nimbly dodge Chen Shasha's reaching hand. His movements looked surprisingly flexible.

Su Fuling was almost stunned, but remembering that Master Zhao had spoken up for her in front of the gangsters, she said, "Ma'am, let's talk things through."

Master Zhao was somewhat touched. All these watching old colleagues were just watching for fun. Only the new arrival Su A-Mei had spoken up to defend him.

But he immediately heard Su Fuling say: "If there's anything wrong, you can find the police. Better not to resort to violence. If you hurt someone, it'll cause trouble for both sides."

Master Zhao: "..." Finding the police was really unnecessary.

Hearing Su Fuling's words, Chen Shasha finally came back to her senses. She remembered the purpose of her visit was to thank Dr. Su, not to fight. Dr. Su was setting up a stall at this person's door; maybe they had a good relationship.

She took a breath and sat on Su Fuling's stall,勉强 (forcing herself) to say, "Dr. Su, for your sake, I'll let him go. But if he dares scam people again, I'll definitely continue beating him. Scamming people actually scammed到 (to) me! You don't know how awful he was!"

Master Zhao: "..." Too unlucky. He asked quietly, "Where did I actually scam you?"

Chen Shasha felt embarrassed even saying it out loud. "Are you still denying it?" She raised her fist.

Master Zhao quickly hid inside his store. Then he took out a mirror to look at his face, sighing that this young pretty girl really hit hard. One punch had swollen his old face.

The onlookers hadn't dispersed yet. Everyone wanted to know what was going on.

Chen Shasha had a bad temper. She felt she'd been laughed at enough for today, and now these people were still watching!

"What are you looking at!"

Seeing her fierce appearance, everyone dispersed.

Su Fuling had no interest in watching. Seeing it was getting late, she started packing up her stall. Seeing the woman sitting on her chair, she asked, "Ma'am, do you have any business?"

When facing Su Fuling, Chen Shasha felt embarrassed. "Dr. Su, thank you for warning me this morning. Otherwise, I would have been really scammed."

Su Fuling had already guessed somewhat. "You took him to get checked?"

"My brother took him. Fortunately we checked. He'd been secretly seeing other women."

When mentioning this, Chen Shasha gritted her teeth.

Su Fuling also felt secretly relieved. "You have a good brother."

Chen Shasha smiled. "I was raised by my brother; he loves me the most."

"By the way, Dr. Su, this is all thank you money." Chen Shasha pulled out some cash.

Su Fuling really wasn't used to Harbor City people pulling out money at every turn. But then again, it was understandable compared to her hometown folks who kept sending delicious food to her house.

"No need. You already paid this morning. My fees are all standard."

"Ah, this is thank you money. My brother told me to give it to you." Chen Shasha stuffed it into her hand. "You helped me a lot."

Su Fuling pushed it back. "Really, no need. If you want to thank me, recommend more clients to me in the future."

"No problem. I'll recommend people to you when I go back. But you really don't want the money? You don't like money?"

Su Fuling smiled. "I do like money. I'm quite short on it right now. But as a doctor, I do how much work and take how much pay. I can't overcharge. And I only gave you a consultation; I only charge consultation fees. If I treat someone, that's charged separately."

Back in her hometown, she and her grandfather wouldn't accept things like eggs from patients' families either. Because her grandfather said if families regularly received things, some families who couldn't afford such things would worry, thinking that without giving gifts, they wouldn't get good treatment for their family members. Then they'd grit their teeth and send things.

That would go against a doctor's duty.

Chen Shasha had never encountered someone who refused money when handed to them. She immediately felt affection for this Dr. Su, who was younger than her.

Having seen all the fighting and money-grabbing in her circle, Chen Shasha herself wasn't a particularly good person either, and that's why she actually wanted to interact with people different from herself. Otherwise she wouldn't have pursued Lin Wenjie before.

"You're really a good doctor."

She introduced herself. "I'm Chen Shasha, from the Sifang Association. If you have any matters in the future, you can use my name."

Su Fuling found the name familiar. "Do you know Li Liang?"

"Cough, of course I know him. We're from the same Hall. I also heard A Si say you're very skilled, so I specially came to find you." Chen Shasha's thinking was simple. Since she wanted to be friends with Dr. Su in the future, she would naturally say whatever came to mind and shouldn't hide things.

And this matter couldn't be hidden anyway. If Dr. Su found out later on her own, how embarrassing would that be?

Su Fuling didn't think there was any problem with this. She smiled, "Then I should thank him for referring clients to me."

Chen Shasha smiled lightly, seeing she didn't mind her previous hiding. Then she asked curiously: "So you really can't read fortunes? Auntie He Li said you're very skilled at fortune reading."

Su Fuling shook her head. "I can only read health."

She pointed to her sign. "If you want to check your daily health status, I might be able to help. As for other things, I can't read."

"That's impressive too." She pointed to Master Zhao, who was still looking in the mirror. "She's much more skilled than this scammer!"

Su Fuling checked her watch. It was still her grandfather's legacy. Though very old, it kept accurate time.

"I need to go home."

Chen Shasha said, "I still want to treat you to a meal. You won't take money..."

Su Fuling said, "No need for a meal. Like I said, if you can recommend clients to me, that would really help."

"I'll bring people tomorrow." Chen Shasha immediately said.

Su Fuling looked at her, thinking she was more reliable than Li Liang. She liked this kind of action-oriented person.

"Great, I'll prepare more fully tomorrow."

Thinking about tomorrow's potential Merit Points income, Su Fuling was extremely happy. The more people trusted her, the more clients she could get. That would secure her Merit Points in the future.

After Chen Shasha left, she looked at Master Zhao again. His face was swollen on one side.

Su Fuling couldn't help but give Master Zhao a bottle of medicinal wine. "Master, let me check your wound?"

Master Zhao felt he had lost face.

In front of so many people, he'd been knocked down by a girl and called a scammer...

More importantly, that girl seemed not to be someone to be trifled with. He'd been targeted; there would definitely be trouble for his stall in the future.

Master Zhao was discouraged and didn't want to engage with Su Fuling.

Su Fuling said, "Master, it's free."

This Merit Point, not earning it would be wasteful.

Only at the word "free" did Master Zhao become interested. "You said that."

Su Fuling examined his face and found he did have some waist injuries from the fall, and the bruise on his face also needed treatment. Fortunately, treating bruises and injuries was also her family's specialty.

At the village clinic, these were very common issues.

Su Fuling gave him the medicinal wine and told him to apply it when he got home.

Master Zhao nodded.

"Merit Points +1"

Su Fuling immediately received 1 Merit Point. It was little, but this was extra income!

Su Fuling was happy but didn't dare laugh, afraid Master Zhao would think she was gloating. She had to hold it in.

When preparing to leave, she remembered the bet she'd made with Master Zhao today. To prevent him from reneging, she reminded him, "Master... you don't need me to return those twenty Hong Kong dollars, right?"

Master Zhao was studying the free small bottle of medicinal wine he received. Hearing this, he froze.

When he turned to look at Su Fuling again, his eyes were full of confusion, and he couldn't help but ask, "You really can't read fortunes or do divination?"

Su Fuling shook her head. "Really can't."

Master Zhao pointed to his face. "Then how do you explain this?"

Su Fuling said, "Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence?"

Master Zhao said, "You think I'm an idiot? How many times has this been a coincidence? Unless you say this person was someone you arranged to beat me up."

Su Fuling felt this really needed some explanation. She'd probably encounter this situation again in the future. She couldn't just explain everything away with "coincidence."

Su Fuling had to explain seriously: "From a medical perspective, a person's complexion also has a certain predictive nature. When I examined you this morning, I found your complexion was dull."

Master Zhao touched his face... "Diagnosis can predict that I'll be beaten today? My complexion can predict things in advance?"

Su Fuling said: "Complexion affects your brain, causing some erroneous judgments and making mistakes easier. If the complexion is very poor, it's generally also a sign of poor health. That's why I gave you the warning this morning. Anyway, this isn't fortune-telling; it's just my personal understanding and speculation. So it's not 100% accurate. Maybe it won't be accurate next time."

The more she explained, the more Master Zhao didn't believe her. As a scammer, he knew exactly how impressive Su Fuling's move was.

To read someone's daily luck just from face-reading—he'd never seen such a person! One time was a coincidence, but how many times now? With this hit rate, even if it was fake, it had become real!

"Then check for me again. What will happen tonight? Nothing bad, right?"

Su Fuling said, "You're injured now, so of course your complexion isn't good. However you look at it, it won't be good. So during your recovery period, pay attention to your health."

Master Zhao: "It's that simple... Alright, I believe you."

Now even if Su Fuling told him he would have a blood disaster, he wouldn't dare not believe her.

Seeing Su Fuling picking up her medicine box to leave, Master Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Hey... A-Mei, where did you learn this? I'm not trying to steal your secrets or anything. I just want to help promote your school."

Su Fuling certainly couldn't say it was the System. "I learned it from TCM, plus some insights of my own."

Master Zhao quickly asked, "Then who was your teacher? Earlier you said your family has practiced medicine for generations. Is it family tradition? I wonder if they accept outsiders to study?"

Su Fuling said: "My only teacher was my grandfather, but he's passed away."

"Ah, what a pity. Such a master has already passed..." Master Zhao lamented, then asked Su Fuling to tell him which books to read.

But he also knew to offer benefits first. "A-Mei, I won't charge you rent anymore. You can set up your stall here. I'll divide part of this room for you. From now on, you won't have to endure sun and rain."

When he said these things, his expression was very sincere.

If she hadn't seen him deceiving people, Su Fuling would really have thought he was an honest person.

"I'll thank you first, Master, but I'll pass on the rent-free offer. I can't take advantage of you. As for the book list, I'll write a few for you."

She emphasized: "Master, I think it's fine if you want to learn medical skills. But if you want to use medical skills for fortune-telling, forget it."

Master Zhao had a confident look. "You don't have to worry about this. I have my own plans."

Seeing he was stubborn, Su Fuling didn't persuade him further.

Anyway, reading more TCM books wasn't a bad thing.

With today's extra earnings, Su Fuling was happy. She brought vegetables home and also bought soda and candy for her cousins at the downstairs shop.

David and Little Wei were thrilled, helping her put down the medicine box and get sweet drinks from the fridge.

Even one-year-old Susan was waving her hands and dancing in her playpen.

Children's happiness was simple.

Zhou Huijuan naturally criticized her for spending money again.

"Auntie, I made a lot today."

He Li and her son, Chen Shasha and Lin Wenjie, plus Master Zhao—all together she'd made over a hundred.

In the afternoon, she'd also done face consultations for people. They didn't contribute Merit Points, but they did give three Hong Kong dollars each. An income of over a hundred for the day really put her ahead of the Yau Ma Tei working class. Plus there was other Merit Points income, so Su Fuling exaggerated a bit and said she'd made over two hundred.

Hearing Su Fuling had made so much money, Zhou Huijuan was shocked. "So much? How did you earn it?"

She was really curious.

Su Fuling explained her fee schedule.

Hearing that twenty dollars per consultation still had people coming, Zhou Huijuan was completely puzzled. Same medical treatment—how did A Ling manage to charge so high and still have people willing to pay?

But of course she was happy in her heart. Family members making money was a huge blessing.

Her complexion also improved. "A Ling, I didn't know you were so capable. You make more than your uncle. When your uncle's clinic had its best business, he also made over two hundred a day. I thought that was amazing at the time."

Su Fuling谦虚 (modestly) smiled. "It's not like this every day. I was lucky today. But it's also related to the free consultations these past few days. After people saw and thought it was good, they trusted me and recommended clients to me."

She took the opportunity to say: "People really trust my medical skills. Auntie, if you trust me, let me regulate your health."

Zhou Huijuan was confused. "I'm very healthy; I don't need regulation, do I?"

Su Fuling said, "You work hard taking care of the family. Your body has some minor issues, but they're not serious. With some regulation and taking a few medicines, you'll feel better. If you believe me, I'll prescribe for you."

In fact, from the first time she saw her aunt, she'd wanted to regulate her. This kind of physical consumption from emotional strain, if left untreated for a long time, would cause more serious emotional problems, then a vicious cycle.

She just hadn't dared to say it before. Now that she could make money with her medical skills, proving she understood medicine, she naturally dared to speak up.

Zhou Huijuan said, "This is too troublesome, isn't it?"

"It's not troublesome. Just take medicine for a few days. Then your complexion will get better and better."

Zhou Huijuan naturally wouldn't dampen her niece's enthusiasm. And since her niece could make money from medical skills, she must be very capable. She touched her face, which seemed to have become somewhat haggard, and nodded: "Okay, I'll leave it to you."

That evening, Su Fuling voluntarily went to deliver dinner to her little uncle.

While sharing the good news, she also inquired about nearby Chinese medicine shops. She planned to find a pharmacy to cooperate with. In the future, while treating patients, she could also sell some simple medicines. Her little uncle's place only had simple Western medicines and self-made medicinal plasters and medicinal wine; he didn't have the Chinese herbal medicines she needed.

Su Jueming said, "Finding a partner so quickly? If you order small quantities, they won't cooperate."

Su Fuling said, "It's not much now—over two hundred a day. It'll increase later."

Su Jueming's chopsticks almost slipped. "Over two hundred a day?"

Su Fuling nodded.

Su Jueming: "...Weren't they free?"

Su Fuling said, "Only some items are free. After building reputation, I started charging."

It had only been three days, and reputation was already spread?

Then what was he?

For a moment, Su Jueming felt like he was listening to an absurd story. Yet it was strangely realistic.

Originally, he was very satisfied with earning over a hundred every night. Now his niece was making so much, and he suddenly felt he really wasn't capable.

He studied Su Fuling. "A Ling, are your medical skills that impressive?"

Su Fuling said, "It's Grandfather's medical skills that are impressive. He left me many notes. Little Uncle, do you want to take a look?"

Su Jueming's face flushed. He really felt ashamed to look at his late father's legacy. Because these were things he'd disdainfully ignored back then. Now looking at them eagerly, he felt shameless.

Su Fuling saw his uncomfortable expression and said, "Little Uncle, Grandfather's last wish was for us to promote our country's traditional medicine. I can't do it alone—one more person is one more strength. Grandfather never said it was wrong for you to leave the old country."

Su Jueming struggled to swallow the food in his mouth. Tears fell into his bowl.

Master Zhao went to the bookstore that night to buy books. The Harbor City bookstore had quite a variety. He bought a bunch of TCM books and brought them home.

Zhao Hongxia came home from work, helped her sister-in-law cook, and called Master Zhao to dinner. Seeing his uncomfortable expression, she said, "Brother, what are you looking at?"

"I'm studying, but these don't seem related to fortune-telling at all."

Master Zhao was speechless.

Master Zhao's wife said, "I think you should stop thinking about this for now. I always said this line of work can't be sustained. We have some savings. Let's open a different business. A Xia knows how to make steamed buns; we can open a bun shop."

It was impossible not to feel for her husband getting beaten up. But since they were in the wrong, they could only swallow this loss. The only thing they could think of was changing professions in the future.

Anyway, the children were all grown up and didn't need to be supported by this. They could support themselves doing something else. Why risk this line of work? Walking by the river often leads to slipping.

Master Zhao disagreed. "You think doing business is that easy? I've been doing this for so many years. What kind of storm haven't I seen? This was just an accident; it'll be better from now on." He didn't think that girl from the Sifang Association would keep targeting him. Given time, he'd be back in business as usual.

And when he learned Su A-Mei's skills, who could still call him a scammer?

He might even make big money! Just receiving a few big clients would earn him more than a year of his current work.

And he'd get respect from those people. He could walk around Harbor City with his head held high.

He'd heard of famous masters in the industry who were like fish in water in the Harbor City rich people's circle. They made a fortune.

Su Fuling also read books all evening. Now she had some "assets" and could read more medical books.

She wasn't in a hurry to purchase those medical courses. They were too expensive. She needed to read more medical books quickly to build a solid foundation.

After reading all evening, Su Fuling felt身心 (mentally and physically) satisfied.

Some TCM books in the System were ones she'd heard of but never read, and some she'd never even heard of. She read them with total absorption.

Su Jueming also didn't sleep. Last night he stayed up reading his father's books.

After reading, he also felt regretful. If he'd followed his father back then, his medical skills would definitely be better than now.

The medical cases his father recorded were enough to benefit him greatly.

Although his master back then had good medical skills, the master never taught him these things. The master had his own son and would avoid him on many matters. He only let him do odd jobs. So Su Jueming's TCM skills were poor. It was only later by learning Western medicine that he barely became a doctor. And still the kind who could only treat minor illnesses.

Zhou Huijuan saw he'd stayed up all night and looked haggard. She reminded him: "You still have to work during the day. Be careful from now on."

Su Jueming said, "Don't worry."

Zhou Huijuan said, "Anyway, your body is your own. You need to take care of it."

Su Fuling increasingly felt the System's function was really too amazing.

She had also studied all night.

"Little Uncle, I'll come find you at noon. I want to check out the Chinese medicine shops."

Su Jueming nodded groggily.

On Fortune-Telling Street, as the recent center of attention, Su Fuling had become famous on this street.

When she arrived, everyone secretly watched her.

But no matter how they looked, they couldn't see what was special about this young A-Mei.

Being so young and saying she could diagnose people—they didn't dare let her examine them. But she could actually fool so many people. They couldn't help but speculate what methods she used. Unfortunately, the Zhao guy was too tight-lipped; no matter what they asked, he wouldn't say.

Su Fuling arrived in front of Master Zhao's stall.

She thought Master Zhao would rest for a couple of days due to his injury, but he was already open for business.

Just his face was haggard; it looked like he'd also pulled an all-nighter.

When he saw Su Fuling had arrived, Master Zhao immediately became energetic, eagerly helping to set up the table inside the shop. Then he put the sign outside. But he put his own sign away.

"Dr. Su, look, let me get you a bigger sign than mine." Master Zhao pointed to the sign on his door.

Su Fuling said, "This isn't necessary, I'm already occupying your space..."

"It is necessary. Someone with real skills like you should be known by more people. I'm also doing a good deed. I don't plan to open for business recently. I'm going to study to gain greater skills." Master Zhao smiled warmly.

Su Fuling said, "You really started learning TCM?"

"Cough, actually I also dabbled in this area before. Medicine and fortune-telling aren't separate, you know. But when I looked at those books yesterday, they didn't go smoothly. I thought if I could find someone to teach me, would it be better?"

This was the reason Master Zhao was so warm today.

He originally wanted to self-study, but found it completely wasn't working. He didn't feel anything special looking at those medical books.

So he thought he still needed someone to guide him.

Having a master guide you makes everything more convenient.

Su Fuling guessed what he wanted to learn and advised: "There's no trick to learning—just study like this. You should just read the books steadily."

Master Zhao didn't think so. He felt this was because Su Fuling was following the rule that the Dao cannot be easily transmitted.

Even though he couldn't read fortunes or do divination, he'd learned some of the surface knowledge of Daoism. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to fool so many people. So he also knew some of the internal rules of apprenticeship.

He and Dr. Su had no family connection—how could he get her to teach him real skills?

"Dr. Su, I'm sincere about learning real skills. I'd最好 (preferably) learn from you."

Su Fuling quickly said, "I really can't teach much."

Master Zhao knew she wouldn't admit to the fortune-reading issue. He immediately said, "I'm saying I want to learn TCM. An outsider like me studying these is really frustrating, so I'm planning to learn TCM from you. Even this place, I'm planning to clean up and let you use it as a Medical Clinic. In the future, I'll help you with odd jobs."

Su Fuling looked at Master Zhao in surprise.

It was really sudden!

The key was, she didn't think she was at a point where she could take on disciples. She still suspected Master Zhao wanted to learn fortune-telling. So she waved her hand. "No, I have no experience teaching students."

Master Zhao quickly said, "Ah, Dr. Su, think about it. I can help you with many things. Don't you like diagnosing patients? I can bring you business."

Su Fuling still refused. She really didn't have the ability to teach anything and didn't want to harm people by taking benefits through deception. If she gained benefits from Master Zhao through deception, what difference would there be between her and what Master Zhao did before?

"No thanks. I'll just guard my stall slowly. Reputation is earned through skill; I'm not in a hurry."

Master Zhao: "..." This Mainland A-Mei, really stubborn! With her abilities plus his skills, they could definitely attract many clients.

But he soon discovered Su Fuling really didn't lack business.