Chapter Fifty-Seven: Overwhelmed with Regret

Under the intense gaze of Gu Xiu Jin, Xie Qing Tang finally became aware of it. She looked up at the man sitting across from her, raised her eyebrows, and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you really a woman?” Gu Xiu Jin gritted his teeth as he spoke.

A faint smile lingered at the corner of Xie Qing Tang’s lips. She casually handed the prescription she had written to Zhou Jin Fan beside her and said, “You’re mistaken. I’m not just a woman—I am a female traditional doctor.”

“Go home and take your medicine properly. Don’t keep coming to Cunsan Hall before you finish the prescription. All this running around does your body no good, do you understand?” Xie Qing Tang stood up, and as if suddenly remembering something, turned to Gu Xiu Jin and spoke.

For some reason, Gu Xiu Jin felt a pang of discomfort as she said this, as though she were dismissing him. The thought made him feel even more irked. After all, he was Gu Xiu Jin—every woman wished to see him more often, but only Xie Qing Tang warned him not to show up too frequently.

“Rest assured, I won’t come looking for you until I’ve finished the medicine,” Gu Xiu Jin replied with a hint of pride.

Xie Qing Tang nodded with satisfaction and then placed the tube of mucus she had collected in front of Gu Xiu Jin, requesting his help. “I have a patient infected by a parasite, but I don’t know which kind. Gu Hospital should have equipment for testing parasites. Find out exactly which parasite is infecting that patient, and do it quickly.”

Recalling the stench that had filled the backyard when he entered earlier, Gu Xiu Jin immediately understood the situation. He nodded and instructed Li Zhao to take the tube of mucus.

Knowing he had agreed to help, Xie Qing Tang breathed a sigh of relief and, after picking up the medicine, departed.

The next afternoon, Li Zhao returned to Cunsan Hall with the inspection report. Xie Qing Tang casually asked, “Why didn’t Gu Xiu Jin come?”

“Mr. Gu said Dr. Xie was very averse to seeing him, so he asked me to deliver the report. After all, you warned him yesterday not to come before finishing his medicine,” Li Zhao replied with a faint smile.

Xie Qing Tang, who was reviewing the report, paused for a moment, nodded slightly, and murmured, “Quite obedient. That puts my mind at ease.”

After her words, a hint of suspicion flickered in Li Zhao’s eyes, but he said nothing more and left after handing over the report.

“So it’s schistosomiasis. That’s troublesome,” Xie Qing Tang realized after reading the inspection report—the man was infected with schistosomiasis.

If discovered early, this disease can be cured with timely treatment. But in its late stages, the mortality rate is extremely high.

Seeing that the man had developed ascites, Xie Qing Tang knew his schistosomiasis was advanced.

“Boss, your face looks so grim—is it because the man’s condition is severe?” Zhou Jin Fan, ever observant, approached Xie Qing Tang and asked.

Xie Qing Tang handed him the report without speaking, but Zhou Jin Fan read it carefully. The report spelled out the severity of schistosomiasis in no uncertain terms.

“What? It’s really that serious?” Zhou Jin Fan instinctively stepped back, a wave of regret surging through him. If he hadn’t sold fake medicine to those people, they might have used their savings to get checked at the hospital and discovered the illness early.

Instead, the man had taken his fake medicine, delaying treatment until the disease’s late stage. Zhou Jin Fan now deeply realized the harm his fake medicine could cause to those truly ill.

Seeing the regret etched on Zhou Jin Fan’s face, Xie Qing Tang silently nodded to herself. She had purposely said nothing earlier to teach him a lesson.

Previously, Zhou Jin Fan insisted that although his fake medicine couldn’t cure diseases, it wouldn’t kill anyone either. He claimed he was just making a bit of money and wouldn’t harm anybody.

His remorse had not been deep, but now, learning that someone took his fake medicine hoping for a cure and thus delayed treatment until the late stage—possibly resulting in death—the regret overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

“Boss, I know I was wrong. I truly regret it. If I’d known that man would be so seriously ill, I’d never have sold him fake medicine. Boss, you have the means to save him, don’t you?” Zhou Jin Fan’s fingers trembled, his eyes reddened as he looked up at Xie Qing Tang.

At that moment, his last plea was the deepest call in his heart. Seeing the hope in his eyes, Xie Qing Tang nodded slowly. “Though it will be difficult, I can cure him.”

When she finished speaking, Zhou Jin Fan finally let out a heavy breath and collapsed to the ground, murmuring, “That’s good, that’s good.”

“I can treat his illness, but the physical damage caused by the parasite will need slow replenishment with tonics. Judging by their living conditions, they probably can’t afford such medicine,” Xie Qing Tang said calmly.

Zhou Jin Fan immediately scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth. “I’ll do it. I’ll buy tonic for him and help restore his health. I made this mistake—I must pay for my actions.”

Hearing this, Xie Qing Tang smiled with relief, thinking his heart wasn’t so bad after all. He had a clever streak, but remained kind.

What they didn’t know was that the result from Gu Hospital’s test had stirred quite a commotion within the hospital.

“Are you certain the final result is schistosomiasis?” The physician from the parasite department rushed to the laboratory upon hearing the news.

The laboratory doctor nodded. “Yes, definitely schistosomiasis. I haven’t seen a case like this in ages, so it left a strong impression.”