Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor Gao-Yuan

Seeing that there was no actual fight happening, Gao-Yuan casually pulled a chair over and sat down, watching them bicker.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really a quarrel since Shen Congyun wasn’t talking back at all.

This old fox had long given up on arguing, becoming utterly shameless. He had mastered the art of slacking off, avoiding responsibilities at all costs. If someone wanted to scold him, they could go ahead—he wouldn’t respond. He would just slump over and act as though he hadn’t heard anything.

Li Shengli, who despised this kind of attitude, unleashed a torrent of scolding. By the time he was done, he was completely exhausted.

Meanwhile, Shen Congyun merely picked at his ear, seemingly numb to the verbal barrage.

Shen flicked away the dirt from his fingers and glanced out the window. “Oh my, it’s getting late,” he muttered.

Without another word, Shen started gathering his things, preparing to leave.

Li Shengli blocked his way and demanded, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Shen replied slowly, “Going home for dinner.”

Li Shengli, enraged, shouted, “Comrade Cao’s still in a terrifying state, and you’re just going to leave?”

Shen motioned toward Gao-Yuan with a lazy nod. “Isn’t he taking over?”

Li Shengli’s voice escalated, “But you’re the one who made things worse!”

Shen, indifferent, said, “What can I do? I can’t treat it, so what’s the point of staying? Besides, I’m getting old. When it’s mealtime, my hands and feet go weak. I can barely stand.”

Li Shengli’s nostrils flared in fury.

Shen waved dismissively, “I need to go home and rest early. I’ve got rounds to do in the villages tomorrow. If I don’t get proper rest, I’ll just delay more patients.”

“That’s even worse!” Li Shengli fumed. The more Shen spoke, the angrier he got. Once Shen left, it would be at least another week before he returned, and knowing him, it might be two weeks. This was pure irresponsibility!

Seeing how upset Li Shengli was, Shen feigned dizziness, clutching his head and moaning, “Ah, I can’t, I can’t... If I don’t eat soon, I’ll collapse. I’m about to faint right here.”

“You’re shameless!” Li Shengli was so furious he couldn’t even find the words.

Gao-Yuan finally stood up and patted Li Shengli on the shoulder. “Forget it. Let him go.”

Shen, who had been pretending to collapse, instantly perked up, grabbed his belongings, and swiftly made for the door.

Li Shengli, still fuming, protested, “You’re just letting him leave like that? Now he’ll have even fewer scruples in the future!”

Gao-Yuan shook his head. “He’s chosen this path of self-destruction. What can we do? It’s just a shame—Shen’s family used to have great medical skills.”

“What medical skills?” Li Shengli asked, confused.

Gao-Yuan glanced at the door where Shen was about to leave and sighed, “Forget it. There’s no longer a ‘Shen’s Masterful Hand.’ His family line is at an end.”

“Shen family?” Li Shengli furrowed his brow, looking toward Shen’s back. He suddenly realized something and muttered, “Wait, isn’t his last name also Shen?”

To everyone’s surprise, Shen Congyun, who had already reached the door, stopped in his tracks and turned around, staring intently at Gao-Yuan.

Li Shengli was startled because, for the first time, he saw anger in Shen’s eyes. The man who usually slouched around, either with sarcasm or laziness, was now glaring furiously—a sight that left Li Shengli momentarily stunned.

“What do you want?” Li Shengli asked warily.

Gao-Yuan, however, remained calm and simply met Shen’s gaze.

Shen didn’t say a word. He just turned and walked away, his silhouette soon disappearing into the night.

Li Shengli shook his head. “What a mess!”

Feeling drained, Gao-Yuan sighed. “Go review your notes. Make sure you understand everything we covered today.”

Li Shengli nodded. “Got it. When will you head back?”

“I’ll stay a bit longer, at least until Comrade Cao is out of danger,” Gao-Yuan replied.

At that moment, Cao Xinjian’s son arrived.

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?” Gao-Yuan asked, standing up quickly.

Li Shengli also rushed out, alarmed.

Seeing their worried faces, Cao’s son quickly waved his hands. “No, no! My father’s still asleep. Nothing’s happened. I just came to invite you both for dinner—my mother made noodles.”

Gao-Yuan politely declined, “Thank you, but we’ve already eaten.”

Cao’s son blinked in surprise, “Already? So quickly?”

Gao-Yuan nodded.

Li Shengli glanced over at Gao-Yuan. In their region, doctors typically didn’t charge consultation fees, only the cost of medicine. Sometimes, if a meal was offered out of courtesy, it would be accepted, but that was all.

Since their invitation had been declined, Cao’s son reluctantly left.

After he left, Gao-Yuan pulled a hard, dark, grainy flatbread from his bag. “Where’s the hot water?” he asked.

Li Shengli pointed to the back room. “There’s some in the clinic.”

Gao-Yuan grabbed a thermos and borrowed Liu Sanquan’s tea mug, breaking the hard flatbread into pieces and soaking it in hot water. After a while, the bread softened, and he ate it quickly, washing the mug and putting it back in its place.

“Let’s go,” Gao-Yuan said, signaling to Li Shengli. The two of them set out to check on Comrade Cao’s condition. The night had fully fallen, but both men were used to walking in the dark and weren’t afraid.

After navigating a few alleyways, they reached Cao Xinjian’s house.

Upon entering, they were greeted by Cao’s wife, who hurried out to meet them.

“How is Comrade Cao?” Gao-Yuan asked.

Excitement filled her voice as she replied, “He’s awake! He’s woken up. The swelling in his mouth has gone down, and he’s no longer in pain. He’s not agitated like before either.”

“That’s good,” Gao-Yuan said, stepping inside to examine Cao. His face had indeed returned to normal.

“Wow!” Li Shengli clapped his hands in amazement. “Old Squad Leader, if I hadn’t seen it myself earlier, I’d have thought you were never swollen at all. You’re looking like nothing ever happened!”

“Right?” Cao’s wife added, equally surprised. “People always say that illnesses hit like a mountain and leave like silk. How did he recover so quickly?”

Gao-Yuan chuckled. “What? You think it was too fast?”

“No, no!” she hurriedly waved her hands. “It’s just that this is incredible!”

The way she looked at Gao-Yuan had changed entirely.

Gao-Yuan checked Cao again and said, “It looks like the worst is over. Let him rest well tonight. I’ll come by tomorrow for a follow-up.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Cao’s wife said gratefully. “You’ve been working non-stop without even having a meal or drink. We feel so embarrassed.”

“There’s no need to worry about that,” Gao-Yuan reassured her. “As long as the patient is doing well, that’s all that matters to us doctors.”

Cao’s wife was deeply touched as she escorted them to the door.

Just as they were about to leave, Gao-Yuan’s eyes caught sight of someone lingering in the shadows.

He turned his head to get a better look.

Li Shengli followed his gaze, his instincts kicking in due to the tense atmosphere of the times. He immediately shouted, “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

“It’s me.” From the shadows emerged none other than Shen Congyun, the old man slouching as he walked out.

“What are you doing here?” Li Shengli asked, suspicious.

Gao-Yuan calmly said, “I suppose he wanted to check whether Comrade Cao had improved.”

“As if he’d care about that,” Li Shengli scoffed, not believing it for a second.

Shen kept his head low and mumbled, “I just had a big meal and was out for a walk.”

“See?” Li Shengli gestured in frustration.

Gao-Yuan, however, remarked dryly, “You live five miles from here. That’s quite the walk.”

Li Shengli furrowed his brows, watching Shen closely.

Gao-Yuan patted Li Shengli on the shoulder. “You head back. I’ll have a word with him.”

“Alright,” Li Shengli replied, eager to leave. He had no interest in spending more time with Shen Congyun.

With that, Gao-Yuan and Shen were left alone in the quiet night.