Chapter Ninety-One: Cleverly Capturing the Little Bird

Xie Qingtang smiled and said to Zhou Jinfan, “Alright, leave this matter to me. I promise you won’t have to take the blame for long.”

“Boss, remember, you said it yourself,” Zhou Jinfan replied, curling his lip before heading off to rest.

Early the next morning, Xie Qingtang stood at the entrance of the Charity Hall, frowning as she looked at the two flower baskets placed there. Her brows knit together in displeasure as she told Zhou Jinfan, “Just throw them in the trash as usual.”

With that, she turned and walked back inside. Across the street, Shao Siming silently watched as the flower baskets he sent were disposed of, then had his driver take him away.

“Boss, do you think your so-called father will keep sending flower baskets to the Charity Hall?” Zhou Jinfan asked curiously, sidling up to Xie Qingtang after tossing the flowers.

Without replying, Xie Qingtang quietly drew a silver needle from a syringe and gave it a little twirl. Zhou Jinfan’s body tensed, and he quickly moved away.

Whatever Shao Siming was plotting, Xie Qingtang was determined not to let a few petty gestures make her drop her guard.

Steadying herself, she selected several medicinal herbs and laid them out on the drying rack, acting as though nothing unusual had happened before returning to the front hall.

Another day passed in this way, and as evening fell, Zhou Jinfan ran up to Xie Qingtang, his face alight with excitement. “Boss, we caught it! The little bird is lying flat out on the herb rack, not moving an inch. You really are something—poisoned it right away.”

“Nonsense, I’m not that cruel,” Xie Qingtang retorted, giving Zhou Jinfan a glare before heading to the backyard. Sure enough, she saw the brightly feathered bird lying stiffly on the herb rack, eyes tightly shut and limbs rigid.

Zhou Jinfan scratched his head in confusion, prodding the motionless little bird. “Boss, it’s not reacting at all when I poke it. If it’s not dead, what is it?”

“It’s only been anesthetized. Those particular herbs together cause full-body paralysis,” Xie Qingtang replied calmly, picking up the bird and placing it in a cage she’d prepared in advance.

Hearing this, Zhou Jinfan shivered inwardly, sighing to himself that women’s hearts were indeed the most ruthless, especially those skilled in medicine.

“What are you daydreaming about? Put the bird in the front hall and let me know when it wakes up,” Xie Qingtang said, frowning slightly at Zhou Jinfan.

He nodded obediently, carried the cage to the front hall, and then picked up a medical text to study—determined to learn more medicine so he wouldn’t end up like the caged bird if Xie Qingtang ever decided to test some herbs on him.

Unbeknownst to her, Xie Qingtang’s unintentional actions had sparked a rare ambition in Zhou Jinfan—a fortunate accident.

After preparing dinner, Zhou Jinfan informed Xie Qingtang that the bird had woken up, so the two of them went to the front hall.

Inside the cage, the bird flapped its wings and squawked in anger, clearly distressed by its captivity. Both Zhou Jinfan and Xie Qingtang couldn’t help but feel the bird’s fury as it cried out.

“What a clever little bird,” Xie Qingtang said, gazing at it with sparkling curiosity, as though she’d discovered some rare treasure.

Zhou Jinfan, standing nearby, merely curled his lip. He felt no sympathy for the thief that had once made him a suspect.

“So, boss, what should we do with it? Kill it or let it go? If we release it, it might just come back to steal more herbs,” he suggested.

“We’ll keep it. Since it’s eaten so many medicinal herbs, it probably has some medicinal properties in its body now. It might be useful for testing medicine in the future,” Xie Qingtang replied coolly, turning to leave.

Zhou Jinfan glanced sympathetically at the caged bird before following suit.

After dinner, Xie Qingtang took the bird to her room and tried to tempt it with ordinary food, but the bird ignored it completely. Yet when she offered it medicinal herbs, the bird’s eyes lit up and it ate with great enthusiasm.

“You really are a peculiar bird—spurning grains and preferring herbs. It must have been the scent of my drying herbs that drew you here,” Xie Qingtang said, tapping its little head with her finger.

The bird haughtily turned away, hopping to the other side of the cage to continue eating the bits of herbs inside.

The next morning, Xie Qingtang placed the bird by her side with great interest. She was used to working alone, and having a bird for company as she saw patients was rather pleasant.

As she was consulting with a patient, a piercing siren suddenly sounded from across the street. The Gu Family Hospital’s ambulance had returned, apparently with a critical patient.

The blaring siren drew everyone’s attention. Some patients in the Charity Hall even went to the door to see what was happening across the way.

It turned out a pregnant woman had fallen and was rushed to the Gu Family Hospital, bleeding heavily.

“Giving birth is like walking through the gates of death—how pitiful,” someone murmured.

“Yes, I saw her on the street just now, blood everywhere, even soaking the stretcher. I doubt she’ll make it,” another responded.

The returning patients gossiped about what they’d seen, and Xie Qingtang overheard most of it, though she paid it little mind—it was, after all, the Gu Family Hospital’s affair and had nothing to do with her.

Just then, two people entered—Aben brought his wife, Axiang, to the Charity Hall for a consultation.