Taoist Doctor - Chapter 52

Hahaha, he was about to be free from his days as a hired hand. He wasn’t sure whether Dr. Zhou would still give him acupuncture when he returned, but he would deal with that after a few days of rest!

 

Having been going to bed early and waking up early for many days in a row, Shao Jingjing was eagerly looking forward to his escape. He had already planned to say that Dr. Zhou was angry with him when he got back.

 

After all, Dr. Zhou couldn’t catch up with him. Shao Jingjing knew from working at the clinic that none of the doctors had a car, not even an electric one. Furthermore, he had specifically chosen a small alley.

 

The more he pedaled, the lighter he felt, like a free little bird—

 

“Shao Jingjing.”

 

Just as Shao Jingjing was feeling proud, Zhou Jinyuan’s voice suddenly rang out, as if it were right behind him.

 

“!?” The sudden voice startled Shao Jingjing, and he almost fell off his bike. He turned around, and his eyes nearly popped out.

 

Holy crap, Zhou Jinyuan was actually sitting in an electric wheelchair, chasing right behind him!

 

The wheels were spinning fast, and there was even a safety belt, which made Shao Jingjing almost spit blood. He had heard that there were people racing with wheelchairs on Haizhou Street, but he never expected to run into such a thing himself!

 

Of course, Shao Jingjing didn’t know, as he hadn’t followed the story, that the one racing with wheelchairs on the street and the one chasing him was the same person.

 

In the entire Haizhou, there was only one person who could race a wheelchair.

 

For a moment, an unusual scene unfolded in the alley— a wheelchair chasing a bicycle.

 

An aunt on the second floor, hanging laundry, looked down by chance, opened her mouth in shock, and then leaned out to shout, “Shao Jingjing, you little thug! How could you bully even the disabled!”

 

She was chasing him with a wheelchair!

 

Shao Jingjing: “……”

 

He almost fell off his bike. Damn, shouldn’t the shock be that the wheelchair could fly, not that Dr. Zhou was supposedly disabled?!

 

Right, the wheelchair must be that foreign lady’s, Dr. Zhou couldn’t be disabled— he probably forced a disabled person to stand just to catch him, right?!

 

The aunt’s shout caused the neighbors to hear, and some people even cheered Zhou Jinyuan on. That little thug was famous for his misdeeds, so it would be best to catch him and teach him a lesson.

 

“Thank you, thank you, everyone. It’s not a big deal, I’ll just have a good chat with him.” Zhou Jinyuan even had the leisure to salute the neighbors from upstairs.

 

“Ah, huh.” Shao Jingjing pedaled as fast as he could, already gasping for breath, while Zhou Jinyuan remained calm, not exerting any effort, and hadn’t even switched to the highest speed yet.

 

“Stop now, and I’ll only deduct half a month’s salary from you,” Zhou Jinyuan said.

 

“……” Shao Jingjing cried, “I don’t want to work anymore.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan said incredulously, “I even praised you for being cute, and you, as an adult, don’t know how to stand on your own. I heard that you’re always slacking off, working two days, resting for three. How can that work? I suggest you save up enough tuition and go to nursing school for a few years. You’ve always liked doctors, right—”

 

Shao Jingjing shivered, almost losing control of the bike. He staggered a few steps before he steadied himself with the tilted bike.

 

Oh my God, how cruel! Dr. Zhou must have said that on purpose. How could he still dare to like doctors now? He would be lucky if he didn’t dream of pasting plasters every night.

 

What was even worse, Zhou Jinyuan’s wheelchair suddenly made a sharp stop, turned, and came to a halt right in front of him, reacting so quickly.

 

Shao Jingjing, tearfully, looked at him. “I was wrong, Dr. Zhou, I didn’t mean to spread rumors.”

 

Zhou Jinyuan smiled slightly. “It’s fine. I’ll just deduct one month’s salary from you for now. Let’s go back and talk.”

 

Shao Jingjing: “……” Just now, he was telling him to save up for tuition, but now, how could he save anything?

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “By the way, I suggest you don’t run anymore, or at least ask for leave in advance.”

 

But after this incident, Shao Jingjing felt an even stronger desire to run away. He had just been caught off guard by such a bizarre situation, so he kept quiet.

 

Zhou Jinyuan noticed this, and said, “Actually, the rumors have already spread, and it’s hard to clear them now.”

 

He felt this deeply.

 

Shao Jingjing: “I was wrong.”

 

Admitting his mistake was fine, but not running was impossible.

 

Unexpectedly, Zhou Jinyuan continued, “So if you run again, I’ll tell those little thugs that you offended me, and they’ll help me beat you up when they see you.”

 

“……” Shao Jingjing screamed, “You’re a doctor! Your life creed should be to save lives and heal the wounded!”

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “Right, when you’re hurt, I’ll send you here, and I’ll save you.”

 

Shao Jingjing almost coughed up blood: “……”

 

……

 

Zhou Jinyuan returned victorious, and even the neighbors upstairs applauded. But who knew what rumors would spread in the community?

 

Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, supporting Ailina, were waiting at the intersection, still stunned by Zhou Jinyuan’s sudden wheelchair race. They were so shocked they couldn’t close their mouths.

 

Even Ailina was shocked: She, more than anyone else, didn’t know that a wheelchair could go that fast. Had she been sitting in a flying machine all this time?

 

When they saw Shao Jingjing following behind Zhou Jinyuan, covered in dirt and looking defeated, Shao Jingjing froze.

 

“She’s standing up!!” Shao Jingjing exclaimed.

 

“Ailina has been treated for a while, of course she can stand now.” Zhou Jinyuan stood up and helped Ailina sit down.

 

Shao Jingjing was dizzy, literally dizzy. He had already exerted too much force earlier. He knew Zhou Jinyuan was skilled, but he didn’t know that even paralyzed patients could get needled by him. Did that mean he could also be paralyzed?

 

Shao Jingjing stumbled toward Zhou Jinyuan. Zhou Jinyuan, with his back to him, reached out and grabbed Shao Jingjing, almost lifting him up and pressing some acupoints to revive him.

 

Before Shao Jingjing could fully lose consciousness, he was pressed back to awareness by Zhou Jinyuan, which only made him feel more hopeless.

 

Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, watching Zhou Jinyuan effortlessly lift the taller Shao Jingjing, thought to themselves, “Whoa, Jingjing wasn’t completely spreading rumors. With Zhou Jinyuan’s skills, he’s even more of a ‘big brother’ than a ‘big brother.’ He truly deserves everyone’s respect…”

 

“In the future, when he comes to bother you, just ignore him,” Zhou Jinyuan instructed, and the two of them nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

 

……

 

When Rong Shouyun learned the reason for their respect, he couldn’t help but laugh. “I said it had nothing to do with me! You guys thought it was because of my bald head, huh?”

 

——That was the closest they had come to the truth in their speculations.

 

In reality, it had nothing to do with Rong Shouyun; everything stemmed from Shao Jingjing’s drunken ramblings. However, now Shao Jingjing had already become a laborer for the little green dragon.

 

Zhou Jinyuan handed Shao Jingjing a hundred yuan.

 

Shao Jingjing: “Huh? Didn’t you just deduct my wages…?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan chuckled, “This money is for you to run an errand. Tomorrow, buy a chicken, a fat hen.”

 

Shao Jingjing, who had grown up in this area, was naturally familiar with places like the market.

 

Shao Jingjing didn’t dare ask why and silently took the hundred yuan. Anyway, he wouldn’t dare resist again. Although the clinic didn’t have a car, it had a wheelchair. Though there was no real big brother, there was a fierce doctor.

 

.

 

Zhou Jinyuan bought the fat hen to make a medicinal dish for Ailina, which would help replenish her energy, nourish her blood, and strengthen her bones and muscles, addressing her atrophy symptoms.

 

Back when Qu Guanfeng was treating him, despite his father’s level of concern, he had also been given plenty of food supplements. The family naturally had various nutritionists who could match Zhou Jinyuan’s plan.

 

Ailina was different. These past few days, Zhou Jinyuan had just visited her, and good grief, she was eating Western food like sandwiches, bread, pasta, and salad. He couldn’t bear it.

 

Although Ailina didn’t notice, Zhou Jinyuan couldn’t stand it. How was that different from eating grass?

 

Anyway, since her qi and blood needed strengthening, Zhou Jinyuan simply had Shao Jingjing buy the chicken, along with some yellow wine and medicinal herbs like Sanqi and Bai Shao. He planned to cook it in a cauldron he had cleaned.

 

“…” Ji Huan stared at the Eight Trigrams stove. “Uh, boss, are you cooking?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “What else would I do?”

 

Ji Huan: “Why not wait for Rong Xiaodi to finish class…”

 

Everyone knew that Zhou Jinyuan never cooked at home, and at the clinic, he would either order takeout or let Rong Xixue cook. Rong Xiaodi’s cooking wasn’t bad.

 

The only thing Zhou Jinyuan had used the Eight Trigrams stove for was making the infamous “Confucius Saint Sleeping Pill” that terrified local middle and elementary school students.

 

So, when Zhou Jinyuan said he would cook himself, everyone fell silent.

 

“What’s with your expressions? This is basically alchemy, don’t doubt my abilities.” Zhou Jinyuan had already said that if the hand-rolled pills tasted bad, it was due to the formula, but he had already done his best to improve it!

 

Everyone stayed silent because, indeed, it was due to his alchemy skills that they were even more worried.

 

“Rong Tu, help me handle the chicken,” Zhou Jinyuan called out to Rong Shouyun.

 

“No thanks.” Rong Shouyun answered confidently, “I just adjusted someone’s tailbone. Do you think you can handle it?”

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “…”

 

Zhou Jinyuan: “The patient from just now?… Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

 

With Shao Jingjing being a complete amateur, he didn’t quite understand why one couldn’t work after adjusting the spine, but since Shao Jingjing was now a little afraid of talking to Zhou Jinyuan, he went outside to ask Ji Huan.

 

Ji Huan glanced at him. “Have you ever sat on the ground and felt your tailbone hurt?”

 

Shao Jingjing thought for a moment. “Many times.”

 

Especially after getting drunk. If he wasn’t careful, he could fall and sit on the ground, and his bottom would hurt until the next day.

 

Ji Huan: “Then you know where it hurts, right?” He reached out and pressed on Shao Jingjing’s tailbone, explaining, “This spot here. So, when adjusting the tailbone, there’s a technique where you have to enter through the X gate, touch the fracture, and lift it to realign.”

 

Shao Jingjing: “…”

 

Damn, no wonder. Even with gloves on, it’s psychologically tough. But then he thought, “Wait, when the patient left just now, they didn’t seem to be in pain in their tailbone.”

 

He had seen them walk in limping earlier and thought the person had hemorrhoids.

 

Ji Huan: “Are you stupid? It’s because it was already adjusted. With Rong Doctor’s technique, after realigning, the pain stops immediately. You look so pale, do you feel like you’ve experienced it yourself? I’ll tell you, this technique isn’t very painful because if it were too painful, the rectal wall would get damaged. Hmm, the technique is really effective, but some patients are hard to convince. If you ever break your tailbone, don’t be shy about it…”

 

Shao Jingjing waved his hands repeatedly: “No, no, that won’t happen!”

 

He then realized something was wrong and quickly added, “I’ll never break my tailbone!”

 

.

 

Community director He Zhengwei didn’t have his wife home for lunch today, so he went to a small restaurant for a boxed meal.

 

This restaurant was also rented in the community, so Director He and the owner were quite familiar. Whenever something came up at home and they didn’t want to cook, they would come here to solve it.

 

He sat down, browsed the menu for a bit, and then ordered stir-fried dried tofu with meat and a bowl of chicken soup.

 

The restaurant’s soup was quite special. Depending on the season, they made different soups, served in small bowls that were single portions, which were quite popular.

 

Director He sat near the door, waiting for his food. He had already smelled a tempting aroma, and it made his stomach growl as he was already hungry.

 

“Hey, where’s my food? Where’s the chicken? I’m starving!” Director He couldn’t help but urge, thinking the owner’s cooking had really improved—the chicken smelled even better than before.

 

The chicken soup was already prepared, and the dish still needed some time. The little worker first brought a bowl of chicken soup to Director He.

 

Director He opened the lid of the bowl, took a deep breath, and hmm, it smelled delicious—

 

Wait a minute, something didn’t seem right. It wasn’t the same as the smell he had just inhaled!

 

Director He repeatedly looked up and down, sniffing several times, until he confirmed that the tempting aroma earlier didn’t come from the kitchen, but from outside.

 

Too bad. He didn’t know whose house was making chicken soup…

 

But he was already hungry, so he had no choice but to scoop some of the soup in front of him and start drinking. Yet, while smelling the aroma from outside and drinking the chicken soup in his hand, which used to taste fine, it now felt increasingly tasteless.

 

……

 

Ten minutes ago.

 

“Dr. Zhou, thank you for inviting us to eat,” Ailina and Mr. Brown politely said to Zhou Jinyuan.

 

They knew that Dr. Zhou mainly wanted Irina to eat a type of Chinese food made with traditional Chinese medicine. Irina had already gotten a good taste of what these herbs were like during this period. If it weren’t for her recovery, she probably wouldn’t have been willing to drink it every day.

 

So, she came with the mindset of taking medicine.

 

As for Mr. Brown, he was somewhat interested in Chinese home-cooked food—except for the medicinal dishes, which were for Irina; the rest, including him, were eating regular home-cooked dishes.

 

“This was made by Dr. Zhou using the alchemy stove,” Rong Shouyun even mockingly introduced.

 

Ji Huan and Shao Jingjing couldn’t help but laugh quietly. It was only Rong Shouyun who dared to openly mock Dr. Zhou; the rest, one worked for him, and the other still owed him wages, so they didn’t dare be that bold.

 

Dr. Zhou shot him a glare and said to Irina, “I stewed the whole chicken. You must eat at least half of it!”

 

Irina hesitated, “Dr. Zhou, I might not be able to finish half.”

 

Her appetite was usually light, and she was more accustomed to maintaining her figure. Even sitting in a wheelchair, her body didn’t change much; she just looked a little different compared to her former self due to the circumstances.

 

Half a chicken, especially one made with Chinese medicine, reminded her of a pot of herbs, which could be pretty overwhelming.

 

Besides, she had seen Dr. Zhou make the hand-rolled large pills in the same pot before…

 

Even Irina, who usually listened to Dr. Zhou, was somewhat hesitant to accept it.

 

“Alright, do your best!” Dr. Zhou said as he opened the highly-sealed alchemy stove.

 

Inside, there lay a whole chicken, sliced and then pieced back together, with skin a tempting light yellow. Even the small amount of broth was a rich golden color, garnished with scallions and ginger—nothing else, very simple, and you couldn’t even see the herbs.

 

Less is more. The aroma was just as tempting as its appearance. The rich fragrance from being slowly steamed for hours, with a hint of herbal scent, made the chicken smell even more special.

 

Without realizing it, everyone swallowed their saliva.

 

“Here, it’s been steamed for two hours and is all tender now. This chicken is especially tender,” Dr. Zhou said as he served Irina a bowl of chicken, pouring the chicken broth over it.

 

They couldn’t see the herbs inside because after the chicken was steamed, the cooked white peony water and Sanqi powder were added, and now they had completely blended with the chicken and broth.

 

“It smells so good…” Irina murmured. She had been a little hesitant at first, but when the “medicinal chicken” was opened, it was so tempting that even hand-rolled pills couldn’t compare.

 

Even the local delicacies she had casually tried in China recently didn’t measure up. She didn’t hesitate for long and took the bowl, starting to eat.

 

“Mr. Brown, would you like a bowl too? Irina can’t eat that much,” Dr. Zhou murmured as he served Mr. Brown a bowl.

 

In fact, Mr. Brown had been waiting for this moment. There were other dishes on the table, but he couldn’t focus on those; he just wanted to taste the golden chicken broth.

 

“Sure, thank you,” Mr. Brown said eagerly, taking the bowl and tasting a sip—it was even more delicious than he had imagined.

 

This was no ordinary chicken. A few seasonings had been used to perfection, and with the addition of the two herbs, there was a faint herbal taste that lingered with every sip of the broth. It was very special.

 

The meat was, as Dr. Zhou had said, tender and falling apart, rich but not greasy. From the golden, smooth skin to the pale yellow meat inside, everything had absorbed the flavor, and when combined with the broth, Mr. Brown felt an overwhelming sense of happiness, his expression exaggerated.

 

Looking at Irina, it was the same. She didn’t have time to speak, eating with graceful yet nonstop movements, not even lifting her head.

 

Ji Huan and Shao Jingjing were completely stunned. Was this really Dr. Zhou? How could this alchemy stove make such mouth-watering chicken? Just seeing Mr. Brown squint his eyes and sigh made them want to go mad.

 

Only Rong Shouyun remained calm, eating the side dishes and even recommending to them, “Why aren’t you eating? Come, eat some vegetables, I made stir-fried cabbage today.”

 

He had been silent all along. Yes, Dr. Zhou’s hand-rolled large pills were awful, and he didn’t usually cook, but that didn’t mean Dr. Zhou couldn’t cook well.

 

Because whenever Dr. Zhou did cook, it was always to make medicinal dishes for patients, and those recipes, like all the others in their family, had been passed down and Dr. Zhou was already very familiar with the steps and measurements.

 

Just think, if they didn’t taste good and work well, how could they have become a family secret?

 

Ji Huan and Shao Jingjing ignored Rong Shouyun. Who cared about his cabbage? Plus, because of those low-oil, low-salt vegetarian dishes, the previously tempting chicken now seemed less desirable.

 

But this chicken was for Irina. Although everyone knew she couldn’t finish a whole pot, there was also her father. More importantly, they had both tried to stop Dr. Zhou from cooking before, and now it was awkward…

 

Shao Jingjing, however, was a bit more shameless. “Dr. Zhou, can I have a bit of chicken?”

 

Dr. Zhou looked at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “Oh, you’re not afraid it’ll taste like the big pills inside?”

 

“Haha,” Shao Jingjing chuckled awkwardly, “How could that be…”

 

Dr. Zhou: “Anyway, this is for Irina.”

 

“Boss,” Shao Jingjing grew anxious and shouted along with Ji Huan, “Irina might not even finish half!”

 

Dr. Zhou motioned for them to look at Irina. At that moment, Irina was already serving herself a second bowl. Even though her bowl was small, it was enough to leave Shao Jingjing speechless.

 

Looking at it now, she might just finish half a chicken. It seemed like she had completely forgotten that she usually had a small appetite.

 

Shao Jingjing sadly looked at Irina, “Sister, aren’t you maintaining your figure?”

 

Although Shao Jingjing didn’t know what profession Irina was in, this seemed like an appropriate thing to say.

 

But it seemed Irina had entered a world where she couldn’t hear others talking, so immersed in the chicken with Mr. Brown that it was likely her intense focus made it hard for them to hear anything in a foreign language.

 

Ji Huan also swallowed his saliva. “Boss, please, I’m starving. Saving a life is more valuable than building a pagoda—”

 

Dr. Zhou: “???”

 

Ji Huan realized a beat later: “…”

 

Dr. Zhou: “Have you lost your mind? What pagoda am I building? Eat some cabbage!”

 

Ji Huan: “…………”

 

He clasped his hands and said tearfully, “I’m sorry, Boss! I shouldn’t have doubted you! I’m just asking for a little! I’m making the most sincere request, riding Lao Jun’s green ox!”

 

Shao Jingjing quickly shouted, “From today on, I’m taking refuge in the Three Jewels!”

 

He watched as Mr. Brown, with his belly full, devoured the chicken, feeling an intense sense of urgency—if they didn’t hurry, it would be too late.

 

Only then did Dr. Zhou grab the ladle and serve them each a small bowl. “Ah, bless you all, I can’t stand seeing people suffer.”

 

“…” Shao Jingjing wanted to say something but stopped. As he held the bowl of soup, he realized that he had just managed to get a bowl before Mr. Brown and Irina finished. The tender chicken, soaked with rich broth, tasted even better than he had imagined.

 

Inside the Xiao Qinglong Clinic, everyone had no idea that as the “alchemy stove” was opened, people in the next room, led by Director He, waiting for their boxed lunch, were about to go crazy, desperately trying to figure out where the amazing aroma was coming from.

 

Shao Jingjing took another sip of the soup, savoring it, and honestly praised, “Boss, you’re amazing! This chicken is like something a god would make!”

 

Dr. Zhou: “…………”

 

He felt like something was off…

 

Author’s Note: God: I’ve called the police!