Chapter Ninety-Two: Going to Watch the Commotion

“Doctor Xie is busy right now, let’s wait here for a while,” Aben said as he helped his wife, Axiang, into the Hall of Goodness. Seeing so many patients inside, he greeted Xie Qingtang before taking a seat to wait. Xie Qingtang nodded in return and continued attending to her current patient. After about twenty or thirty minutes, it was finally their turn.

“The mountain road is so bumpy; you must have felt a bit uncomfortable on the way, didn’t you?” Xie Qingtang felt Axiang’s pulse and noticed signs of fatigue, suspecting it was caused by the jostling descent from the mountain.

Axiang nodded, but her complexion was good, and she smiled gently as she spoke. “I’ve had some spotting these past few days. Aben was worried and insisted on bringing me here. I trust your medical skills completely, Doctor Xie, so I didn’t argue with him.”

Seeing their trust, Xie Qingtang nodded and prescribed a few doses of medicine to stabilize the pregnancy, reminding Axiang not to do any farm work for a while and to rest and nurture herself.

The spotting, she explained, was due to overexertion; as long as Axiang rested, there was no serious danger. Axiang laughed and replied, “Which woman in the mountains doesn’t work? But since you say so, Doctor Xie, I’ll make sure to rest for a couple of days when I get home.”

The other patients nearby also chimed in, encouraging her to rest. They brought up the case of the pregnant woman just taken to the Gu Family Clinic across the street for heavy bleeding.

“You must be extra careful when you’re pregnant. Just look—Gu Family Clinic had a woman rushed in with severe bleeding, and no one knows if she’ll survive,” they said, shaking their heads in sympathy. Axiang’s face turned a little pale at the news, the anxiety of her own pregnancy weighing on her.

Seeing his wife’s unease, Aben prepared to take her home, not wanting her to hear more about the misfortune at the Gu Family Clinic.

At that moment, a wailing cry erupted from the entrance of the Gu Family Clinic, immediately attracting the curiosity of everyone in the Hall of Goodness. The crowd of patients surged to the door, watching the commotion across the street.

“You heartless, rotten doctors! My daughter-in-law was fine when she came here, but after your treatment, she’s now critical! You quacks! I should have listened to those comments on the internet and never brought her to the Gu Family Clinic!”

An old woman in a flowery blouse cried dramatically, slapping the ground, though not a single tear fell from her eyes. Her performance instantly drew a crowd, quickly blocking the entrance to the clinic. Xie Qingtang frowned at the scene and turned back inside, uninterested in the spectacle.

“Boss, all the patients have gone to watch. I want to see what’s going on, and I’ll report back to you,” said Zhou Jin Fan, unable to hide his excitement as he rubbed his hands together.

Xie Qingtang shot him a resigned look but didn’t object, simply waving him off. Zhou Jin Fan darted out of the Hall of Goodness, eager to witness the drama.

“Little bird, it’s just you and me now. Here, have some herbs,” Xie Qingtang said, taking out some fresh medicinal herbs from the cabinet. The bird, however, was as picky as ever, turning its head away in disdain.

Amused by the bird’s arrogance, Xie Qingtang couldn’t help but think of Gu Xiujin, and let out a soft laugh.

The commotion continued across the street, and with all her patients gone, Xie Qingtang was happy to enjoy the quiet, playing with the bird and organizing the herbs.

But before long, Aben and Axiang returned, faces filled with anxiety. They hurried over to Xie Qingtang, calling out, “Doctor Xie, help! Please save a life!”

“What’s wrong? Let me check your pulse,” Xie Qingtang said, assuming Axiang had fallen ill again. She stepped out from behind the counter and reached for Axiang’s wrist.

Axiang quickly shook her head and pointed across the street. “Doctor Xie, you misunderstand—it’s not me. It’s a patient at the Gu Family Clinic.”

Xie Qingtang was momentarily stunned, then asked, perplexed, “What does their patient have to do with me?”

“Doctor Xie, it’s a long story. Please, just come with us,” Aben urged, and Axiang had already grabbed Xie Qingtang’s medicine case, pulling her out the door.

Bewildered by their urgency, Xie Qingtang allowed herself to be led to the entrance of the Gu Family Clinic, squeezing through the crowd to the center.

“You’ve killed my daughter-in-law, and you must pay! You’re all incompetent—couldn’t even save a child! You don’t deserve to be called doctors!” the old woman was still wailing, beating the ground and stirring up dust.

Just then, something even more unexpected happened. Aben strode forward, his face dark, and pulled the old woman up. “Third Aunt, enough! Hurry up and let Doctor Xie see your daughter-in-law!” he said sternly.

At his words, the doctors at the clinic and the onlookers all turned to look at Xie Qingtang.

A sudden wave of pressure fell upon her. The old woman squinted her eyes at Xie Qingtang and wailed even louder, “Aben, what are you thinking? Dragging in some backwoods doctor to see my daughter-in-law? She’s already been harmed by the Gu Family Clinic!”

“Don’t slander us!” one of the doctors retorted angrily. “We did everything we could to save her and issued a critical condition notice. We asked your family to decide whether to save the mother or the child. Why are you making a scene at our door?”

At last, the crowd understood: the old woman’s daughter-in-law had not died, but her condition was grave. The hospital had followed standard procedure, issuing a notice to the family and asking them to choose between saving the mother or the baby.