Chapter Sixty-Five: The Gift Acquired for Nothing

At last, those unpleasant fellows had finally been sent away.

“Boss, do you think those people will go back and speak ill of you to the head of the family?” one of the guards he had recently hired asked, looking slightly worried.

Yan Yuanqing smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Even if nothing happened today, they would still do so. After all, weren’t they ordered by the family head to deliberately make things difficult for me? Just focus on your own tasks. Whatever they do, good will always triumph over evil. I have enough strength; they can’t do anything to me.”

Today was a weekend, the day when Yan Yuanqing went to Yuan Hongyu’s traditional medicine clinic to see patients.

Recently, Yuan Hongyu’s clinic had been flourishing—especially after that incident when a few people from the Zhao family’s clinic had come to provoke him, only to leave in defeat. His reputation soared overnight, overshadowing most of the other traditional medicine clinics in Cangzhou. Crowds of patients, as well as curious onlookers, flocked to his door, making the clinic bustling inside and out.

Today was no exception. Yan Yuanqing even had to enter through the back door, for if he tried the front, he might well be blocked by the crowd. Not everyone recognized Yan Yuanqing, but some had heard about what happened that day and suspected that he might be the key figure behind it all.

“Master, you’re finally here! The clinic is incredibly busy today; you might have to work hard,” Yuan Hongyu greeted him with utmost respect.

“It’s nothing. As long as those who come to me are truly in need, I don’t mind being a little tired. After all, since I left the Shi family’s clinic, I’ve had nowhere to put my energy. I might as well do something meaningful!” Yan Yuanqing replied.

“Master, your knowledge and virtue are my example to follow!” Yuan Hongyu declared admiringly.

As soon as the clinic officially opened for business, a long line instantly formed in front of Yan Yuanqing’s station. He had only seen a handful of patients so far, yet the numbers given out had already reached well into the hundreds. Even with the current pace, those receiving the later numbers had little hope of being seen today. Still, many chose to remain, whether for a chance to consult or simply to observe the famed physicians at work.

“Master Yuan, there’s a group outside claiming they want to present something to our clinic. Shall we let them in?” one of the clinic’s assistants hurried in to report.

Yuan Hongyu frowned in puzzlement. He couldn’t recall having done anyone a great favor recently—what could this be about?

“Let them in,” he instructed.

At his order, a group entered the main hall, carrying a large machine, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

“Shi Chengren of the Shi family presents a full-body automatic massage chair to the Yuan family’s Traditional Medicine Clinic!” announced the leader of the group as they placed the machine in the center of the hall.

A gasp of amazement swept through the crowd; several people recognized the machine at once.

“It’s a full-body automatic massage chair! I heard this model only just went into production and is in very limited supply. Each one costs several hundred thousand!”

“That’s right—I saw a news report about it on TV just a few days ago. I can’t believe I’m actually seeing one today, and as a gift, no less! Whoever gave this must be incredibly wealthy!”

“Didn’t you hear? The gift is from Shi Chengren. He’s a major figure in the Shi family—spending hundreds of thousands on a gift is nothing to him!”

“Shi Chengren? I heard he and Yan Yuanqing don’t get along at all. Why would he come all this way to present a gift? What’s going on here?”