The Checkup

Chapter 23. Chen Shan was in the kitchen cooking when he heard this and laughed. 'Is she really that good?' 'She is,' Chen Shasha said, sprawled across the sofa.

'You know Ah Huan and Ah Ting, right? They look perfectly healthy, but it turns out they both had little problems. I had no idea — they never said a word.

But Doctor Su took one look and knew. She hadn't even asked them anything.' She sighed. 'I think Doctor Su is more impressive than any fortune-teller.' Then she pressed him: 'Gege, if you have time, go get a check-up.

Doctor Su is quick about it — won't take much of your time.' Chen Shan had no interest in such things. A man who lived by fighting, he'd never much cared about a headache here or a fever there.

But Shasha was worried about him, so he didn't refuse. 'Fine,' he said. 'I'll find a time.' He could always stop by whenever he happened to pass. ...

That night, Su Fuling was once again adrift in a sea of books. This time she was focused on pulse diagnosis. After the last few consultations, she had begun to see her own gaps clearly.

Most of the cases she recognized were ones her grandfather had recorded; she could only guess at a patient's condition by matching it to those notes. That was a deeply irresponsible way to practice.

The same symptoms could manifest differently in different bodies — the pulse would shift in subtle ways, the prescription would need adjusting. You couldn't simply follow the text by rote.

The next morning, Su Fuling had barely reached the clinic door when He Li and her family of three were already waiting. Looking at the three of them, Su Fuling felt it was a bit much.

'You don't need to come every single day.' He Li said, 'We do. Nothing matters more than health.' Su Fuling couldn't argue with that.

After what they'd been through, these three were probably still shaken. So she hurried inside and saw to them. Zhao Facao had arrived long before her, the table already tidied, the medicine case received at the door, the consultation items laid out in order — doing everything a proper apprentice would do.

Su Fuling found it genuinely hard to get used to, but she didn't refuse him. Teaching Uncle Afa medicine properly from here on out wouldn't be a bad thing.

At least the man had found his way back to the right path. All three patients were fine today. Healthy, nothing to worry about, nothing about to happen.

Su Fuling finished taking their pulses. 'All in good health.' The three of them exhaled in relief. Li Liang grinned. 'Wonderful — I can go to work today.' He Li said, 'It's not even a decent job.

What's the rush?' Su Fuling gave Li Liang an extra look-over. Yesterday, the moment Li Liang had mentioned going to do something, he'd lit up as a target.

Which meant the System's markings could shift with a person's choices. Fortunately, nothing had changed. Su Fuling let out a quiet breath of her own.

She was beginning to feel that health and safety were truly the most precious things in the world. After the three left in good spirits, Zhao Facao came over.

'Shifu, I'm heading out for a bit.' Su Fuling said, 'Go whenever you like — you don't need to tell me.' 'Still better to say something, so you don't go looking for me again. I'll be back before noon.' 'Fine.

Do as you please.' Zhao Facao tidied up and headed out. He was going to buy a medicine shelf, and while he was at it, order a proper signboard for Su Fuling.

Make the place look more legitimate. More patients meant more chances for him to watch and learn. Since witnessing Su Fuling's skill, Zhao Facao had lost every trace of longing for his old trade.

He wanted to learn something real. Never mind fortune-telling — just the ability to read what illness a person carried in their body was worth learning.

So he was going to do his part and help Shifu build this practice into something proper. Without Zhao Facao in the shop, Su Fuling actually felt lighter.

Having someone so much older than her calling her Shifu was something she still hadn't quite adjusted to. The free morning consultations drew the usual steady stream.

Among them came Master Chef, who had been heading to work and stopped in to have his burn dressed. He'd hurt himself the previous evening and slapped on some ointment himself.

But he trusted Su Fuling, and since it was free, he figured he'd come by. Su Fuling saw the red marker above his head — the sign of a target — and felt a quiet satisfaction.

Such a small wound, and it still earned Merit Points? The System was more generous than she'd expected. She bandaged him up briskly.

Merit Points +1. 'Come by tomorrow if you have time. I'm going to make some ointment — a burn salve. I'll set a jar aside for you to keep on hand.' Master Chef stared at her.

'Doctor Su, you're far too generous.' 'It's nothing. Just spread the word for me when you can.' Master Chef said at once, 'That I will, absolutely.' Not far away, two people were pretending to chat while watching the clinic.

One was heavyset with a brutal face; the other was lean and wore a surgical mask. The masked man gave a small nod. 'That's the place.

Make sure you teach her a proper lesson.' The heavyset man said, 'This is Four Directions Society territory. You want me to just walk in and smash the stall?

You want me to get beaten? You're not paying me nearly enough to pick a fight with the Four Directions Society.' There were rules on the street.

You collected protection money, you kept the street safe. If another gang came to cause trouble and hurt the merchants, the Four Directions Society was expected to step in.

Not every outfit operated that way, of course — some used the protection racket as nothing more than extortion. The Four Directions Society wasn't exactly saintly either, and not every branch ran things the same way.

But Chen Shan, if he wanted the protection money to keep flowing smoothly, naturally made sure his people did their jobs. The masked man said, 'Then what are you planning to do?

Don't you dare back out on me.' 'Relax. You're Ah Hong's man, aren't you? I promised her, so I'll help you. I have my own way of handling it.' At the sound of Ah Hong's name, a flash of bitter resentment crossed the masked man's eyes.

He thought of how he'd given in to temptation, how he'd ended up sick, how everyone around him now knew — but he didn't dare go after Ah Hong, didn't dare go after Chen Tingting. The only person he could take it out on was the quack who'd seen through his condition.

He had to vent this anger somewhere. And it wasn't enough just to teach her a lesson — he wanted to make sure she could never practice medicine again.

'All right. I'm going over now.' Seeing that Su Fuling's side had cleared of patients, the heavyset man sauntered over. 'I hear you see patients for free here?' Su Fuling looked up at the man — all jowls and menace.

He didn't look like a good person, but a Doctor couldn't judge by appearances. She'd seen fiercer-looking people who turned out to be perfectly decent.

'That's right,' she said. The heavyset man said, 'I don't want the free kind. I want the expensive kind. Expensive means it works.' Su Fuling pointed to the sign.

The heavyset man pulled out money without hesitation. He planned to get it back anyway. 'I want this kind.' If he paid for a consultation and she got it wrong, he'd have every reason to make a scene — and even the Four Directions Society couldn't say a word against him.

Su Fuling opened the scanning function. The man turned out to be a target after all. She began to take his pulse. The heavyset man, looking at Su Fuling's face, let a dark thought drift through his mind.

He told himself it was a pity this was Four Directions Society territory. After examining him, Su Fuling found nothing wrong.

She asked what symptoms he had. The heavyset man said, 'Can't sleep. Aching all over.' Watching his lazy, insolent manner, Su Fuling pushed the money back across the table.

'Sir, you're not here to see a Doctor. I can't treat whatever you've come for. Please take your money back.' 'What — you're turning away a customer?' The heavyset man hadn't expected her to simply refuse.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. If she wouldn't give him a reason to kick up a fuss, he'd just have to kick one up right now.

He didn't believe this little Doctor would hold her ground. 'Running a business and turning away customers — that's disrespecting me.' Su Fuling said coldly, 'There's no law in Hong City that says I can't turn someone away.

You came here to cause trouble and pick a fight with me. You think I can't show you the door?' 'Oh, so you're flat-out insulting me now?

Then don't blame me for smashing this place up.' He reached for something in the shop. Su Fuling kicked him. Straight out the door.

'...' The masked man watched from a distance. The heavyset man sat on the ground, struggling to believe he'd just been kicked out.

Su Fuling had trained with the village militia. As the clinic doctor, she was always out and about — a woman who couldn't defend herself wouldn't last long.

The retired soldiers in the village had known their close-quarters combat, and they'd taught her well. 'Right then. A fraud who cheats people and hits them too — don't blame me for not holding back.' The heavyset man, stung by the humiliation, was determined not to let Su Fuling off easily.

He called out first to seize the initiative, then moved to strike. He told himself he'd only been caught off guard before.

If he went at her again, he could lift this little Doctor with one arm. He was just raising his hand when someone grabbed him by the back of the collar from behind.

'What do you think you're doing?' The heavyset man spun to shout — and froze the moment he saw Chen Shan. Then he said, 'Brother Shan, it's not me causing trouble — she's the one running a scam and turning customers away.

I was just settling accounts with her. I haven't broken any rules.' Chen Shan looked over at Su Fuling. 'What happened?' Su Fuling didn't know Chen Shan, but she could tell he was someone with authority — probably Four Directions Society.

Knowing that Chen Shasha and Li Liang were both part of that world, she felt a measure of ease, and told him plainly: 'This man said he was here for a consultation, but he wouldn't cooperate with the examination, so I refunded his money and declined to see him.

Then he started making trouble and threatened to smash the shop.' Chen Shan said, 'Refusing to cooperate with a Doctor — that's pure provocation. You think you can pull this kind of stunt in front of the Four Directions Society?

Get out.' Chen Shan handed the man off to his Goon and told him to drag the troublemaker away and deal with him. The Four Directions Society's Goon was happy to show the merchants that their protection money was being put to use — he hauled the heavyset man off while landing a punch on him for good measure.

'This is what happens when you come to cause trouble on Four Directions Society ground.' Not far away, the masked man turned and fled. Su Fuling hadn't expected it: what the scan had shown her was already coming true.

Chen Shan looked Su Fuling over. She was even younger than his sister Chen Shasha. Out here making a living at that age — her family probably had nothing to lean on.

It reminded him of what he and Shasha had once been through, and the severity left his face. Such a young woman, trying to make her way here, and still having to deal with people like that.

As it happened, his being here today was a coincidence. Li Liang had come back to work but refused to come to this particular street — said he wanted to preserve his image in Doctor Su's eyes.

Since Shasha had told him yesterday to find a time for a check-up, Chen Shan had come over in Li Liang's place to keep an eye on things. He hadn't expected to actually walk into something.

'Doctor Su, I hear you've made quite a name for yourself on this street.' Su Fuling said, 'Everyone is too kind. It's just an empty reputation.' Chen Shan said, 'If people support you, there must be something to it.

I'll get a check-up while I'm here.' He pulled out twenty Hong Kong dollars and held them out to Su Fuling. Su Fuling waved her hand.

'You just helped me — forget the money.' She could have handled it herself without coming out the worse for it, but it would have been ugly. This man had stepped in and smoothed things over, and that had saved her no small amount of trouble.

'This is our territory. We can't let people come here and cause trouble — that has nothing to do with you. The street has its own rules.' Only then did Su Fuling accept the money, thinking that Hong City was a genuinely complicated place.

Everyone here operated by their own complicated code. 'Please, sit down. Let me take a look at you.'