Chapter 37

“Shut up!” When Pei’s mother heard this, she ran out of the house and yelled at her.

Xu Cui, feeling wronged, said, “Mom, it’s not my fault. It’s your precious daughter-in-law who did it. Why can’t I say anything?”

Zhou Baoquan added, “That’s right, if she can do it, why can’t we talk about it? It’s embarrassing, but I don’t want to lose face or let you deceive me!”

He stared at Jiang Xi, eager for a response.

Jiang Xi smiled, too tired to argue further. She simply said, “As a doctor, I treat patients whether they are men or women. There’s no difference in my eyes. What’s there to hide? If you think I cheated you and want your money back, fine, call the police and let them handle it.”

Pei’s mother’s expression changed. Under different circumstances, she might have been uncomfortable as a mother-in-law.

But what her daughter-in-law said made sense.

Jiang Xi is a doctor, and doctors treat all patients equally, regardless of gender. It’s thanks to Jiang Xi being a doctor that her son has been so well cared for. You can’t take the benefits and then despise the person, right?

Pei’s mother wasn’t highly educated, but she always acted with her heart.

So, she stood firmly by Jiang Xi’s side and said, “That’s right. We’ve already given you the medicine. Why would I cheat you out of that little bit of money?”

Xu Cui gritted her teeth, not expecting the old woman to protect Jiang Xi even in this situation. Furious, she said sarcastically, “Alright, mother, as long as you don’t mind, your daughter-in-law looking at men’s butt will become common. And it might not just be that man’s butt in the future…”

“Comrade!”

A stern voice interrupted.

Xu Cui turned pale and looked toward the voice, her face slightly changing.

Shi Zhonghua came out of the house, dressed in a military uniform, his expression serious. He walked up to Xu Cui and said in a deep voice, “Comrade, do you know Pei Hejun is still an active officer? Insulting an officer’s family is a serious crime!”

Xu Cui was stunned by his words. When she understood what he meant, she felt a chill down her spine, and her face turned pale. She didn’t dare say another word.

Pei Chunhong was also scared, but as the eldest granddaughter, she tried to maintain her composure and said, “Yes, I’m sorry. My mother can’t control her words. Auntie, I’m sorry.”

Jiang Xi shook her head and smiled, not taking it to heart. “People see things according to their nature. As a doctor, I treat diseases. Those with filthy minds will see filth in everything.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Cui’s pale face turned red with embarrassment and anger.

But with Shi Zhonghua still glaring at her, Xu Cui didn’t dare to stay. She quickly lowered her head and ran away.

Pei Deming, also panicked, followed her.

The remaining three children hurried away as well.

Liu Xiaohua, who had stayed out of the situation because of Zhou Baoquan’s actions, saw this and said, “Mom, I’m leaving too. I’ll take a break the day after tomorrow and go to the county town to see Dad.”

“Go on, go on.” Pei’s mother was exhausted. With everything that had happened today, she didn’t have the energy to care anymore.

Liu Xiaohua quickly gathered her two children and left.

Zhou Baoquan was the only outsider left.

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

Especially Shi Zhonghua in his military uniform.

Xiang Yiyang also came out, but as he was older, he kept his distance. However, the purple service badge on his military uniform still showed that he held a different status.

It was clear he wasn’t someone to mess with.

Shi Zhonghua spoke in a deep voice, “Comrade, you must speak with evidence. If you don’t trust Dr. Jiang’s skills, you can return the medicine, but you need to return it. If you think Dr. Jiang is a liar, then go to the police and let them decide!”

Zhou Baoquan tensed up, and the pain in his rear, which hadn’t bothered him before, suddenly flared up.

He hadn’t expected things to turn out this way and didn’t know how to respond.

He had come here angry, wanting his money back, thinking he’d been cheated and not wanting to suffer a loss. But Jiang Xi had called his bluff. Her medical skills seemed quite good, and he hadn’t planned on never coming back, so he had tried to push her a bit, hoping she’d give in.

But now…

The military’s authority was still quite strong, especially with these two who looked quite formidable. The medicine he had applied to his backside also seemed to be effective, so maybe Jiang Xi wasn’t trying to cheat him out of his money after all?

This thought made Zhou Baoquan feel uneasy, but with so many eyes on him, he couldn’t just back down. He hesitated and said awkwardly, “Comrade, I…” He was about to stammer further when he heard Li Quan’s name mentioned. His eyes lit up, and he stopped stuttering: “It was Li Quan who said it. He questioned how a young doctor like Jiang could be skilled enough to diagnose something serious just by looking. He made me doubt whether there was anything wrong with my stomach.”

“Besides, I didn’t feel any significant change after applying the medicine, so I believed what he said might be true. If Doctor Jiang deceived me, it wasn’t my fault. I have an impulsive nature. I apologize, Doctor Jiang. Can we just let this go? I won’t ask for the medicine refund, okay?”

Shi Zhonghua remained silent, turning to look at Jiang Xi.

Jiang Xi appeared indifferent and took two packets of medicine out from her pocket. “No need. I’ll refund you for the medicine, and we’ll be done with this. As a doctor, I still advise you to go to the hospital. There are now colonoscopy procedures that can help detect issues in your intestines. You should check it out.”

With that, she went to the clinic to get the money.

Jiang Xi kept the Pei family’s personal funds separate from the clinic’s money to avoid any confusion or issues.

She took 1.6 yuan, the cost of the two medicine packets, and handed it to the embarrassed Zhou Baoquan. “Alright, take this and leave. Please don’t come back here again.”

She remained composed throughout the entire exchange.

Zhou Baoquan felt even more conflicted, a twinge of regret creeping in.

If she was so calm, she likely wasn’t lying. Did this mean there really was something wrong with his health?!

He hesitated, unwilling to leave, wanting to say more.

However, Shi Zhonghua, losing patience, pushed him away. “Don’t bother Doctor Jiang anymore!”

Zhou Baoquan: “…”

What should he do now?!

He shivered, clutching his stomach. If something were indeed wrong, who could he turn to for help? Li Quan certainly wouldn’t care.

Zhou Baoquan quickly raised his voice and shouted, “Doctor Jiang, it was Li Quan who misled me! I apologize, Doctor Jiang. Li Quan is planning to go to a big hospital for further studies. His cousin said that the deputy captain secretly gave him the spot to prevent you from getting it. For telling you this, Doctor Jiang, can you let this matter go? Can you still treat me?”

If his condition could be cured, even at a higher cost, he was willing to pay reluctantly.

Everyone in the room was taken aback. Jiang Xi thought for a moment, then took out eighty cents from her pocket and handed it to Zhou Baoquan. “Thank you for the information. The medicine patch is a gift from me. Goodbye.”

Zhou Baoquan: “?”

But it was too late.

The courtyard gate was already closed. He wanted to call out, but Shi Zhonghua was staring at him through the broken gate, making him feel uneasy.

Unable to confront them, he could only retreat.

With a bitter expression, he sighed. After taking a few steps, he perked up and headed towards Zhou’s house.

_

At the Pei family home:

Zhou Baoquan’s shout was likely heard by all the neighbors.

However, knowing the Pei family had guests today, although they were concerned, the neighbors did not come over to inquire.

Inside, the family was discussing the situation. Mother Pei, who had originally wanted Jiang Xi to be the team doctor, became anxious when she heard about the further studies: “Comrade, does this mean the spot will go to Li Quan?”

“He’s not only incompetent as a doctor but also a bad person. It would be a waste to give him this opportunity. If he actually learns something, our team will be in trouble, and we’ll have to spend much more money.” Mother Pei couldn’t help but grumble.

Xiang Yiyang replied in a reassuring tone, “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. I’ll ask about it when I go back this time. The person in charge of this training is an old comrade of mine, which is how I found out about this. I’ll report the situation here truthfully.”

Mother Pei felt relieved upon hearing this: “Thank you so much, comrade!”

She believed that as long as the truth was known, they would definitely choose Jiang Xi over Li Quan!

Jiang Xi also expressed her gratitude.

With matters settled for the time being, she suggested that Mother Pei rest while they chatted, offering to cook. However, Mother Pei insisted on cooking herself. Though she was initially angry, she calmed down quickly.

She felt that it would be unfair to their guests to let Jiang Xi handle it. Besides, Jiang Xi’s cooking, though edible, wasn’t something to boast about.

Jiang Xi knew this, so she didn’t press further and prepared some ginseng and brown sugar tea for her.

The two children, Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi, who had stayed hidden during the commotion, emerged afterward. One helped in the kitchen while the other tidied up and set the table for dinner.

The Pei family actually had most things they needed.

Except for meat.

But this time, Pei Hejun’s comrades had brought a lot of supplies, including a leg of lamb, which was air-dried and could be preserved for a long time. While not as tasty as fresh meat, it was still a treat.

Mother Pei carefully cut a generous amount, using it lavishly.

Almost every dish had some meat.

In addition, the previous consultations were compensated in kind, with many people bringing mushrooms. They made mushroom soup, stir-fried lamb, and hot and sour potatoes cooked with lard…

Mother Pei’s food tasted delicious, and everyone enjoyed the meal.

After dinner, the two visitors didn’t stay long, promising to return in five days to pick up Pei’s father from the hospital.

Once the dinner cleanup was done, Jiang Xi didn’t let Mother Pei help, instead preparing a soothing tangerine peel and brown sugar tea for her and handing it over. “Drink some water; you didn’t eat much during dinner. I’ve kept a bowl in the pot for you to heat up if you get hungry in the middle of the night.”

Mother Pei held the tea, looking tired but warmed by the gesture.

Things hadn’t been going well for the family this year, with one mishap after another. Fortunately, Jiang Xi was there; otherwise, she feared she wouldn’t have made it through this time.

If not for her…

Mother Pei thought about it and decided that someone had to be there for support no matter what. Her two sons were eyeing the third son’s pension, and she feared no one would be willing to care for the old man. Only she could go, and the third son would have to be left in their care.

She wasn’t sure how things would turn out then.

It’s different now. Although the eldest family is still causing trouble, the second family probably knows they won’t get the pension. They also understand how powerful Jiang Xi is, so they are behaving well.

They are actively taking care of Pei Hejun in the hospital. The second son’s wife didn’t say much.

Mother Pei was trying to comfort herself, but today wasn’t a happy day. She felt sad, and since her husband wasn’t around, she went to check on her son.

Ever since Jiang Xi got married, she rarely took care of her son herself unless she had something else to do.

As soon as she entered the room and saw her fair and handsome son, she felt a little strange. In her memory, except when he was a child, her son seemed a little quiet. Then, as he grew up, he became tall and strong.

Wearing a military uniform, he looked so handsome. There was no other guy in the area more handsome than her son.

Mother Pei couldn’t help but laugh. She was about to tease her son for being too pale, but before she could say anything, she suddenly saw that her son’s eyes were open.

Mother Pei: “!!!”