Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Qi Minlan went to the army camp as she heard that her daughter would be expelled from the army.
She did not expect that in the blink of an eye, because of what Qiao Nan said, the Qiu family almost had to spend a bomb on Shi Peng!
Qiu Chenxi looked sulky as well. She had always been taken care of by others, but the tables had been turned on her. Furthermore, she did not have the ability to take care of her uncle. She did not have ginseng, velvet antler, or blood bird’s nest.
Actually, Qiu Chenxi knew what her mother, Qi Minlan, had on her mind. Her plan was for her to leave the army first and put things off as long as possible.
However, Qiu Chenxi could not accept that she was the one who was being left behind to deal with the repercussions.
There were so many people in the army and they all knew of her relationship with her uncle. If her uncle was not feeling well and needed someone to take care of him, as his niece, there was no way that she could escape this responsibility.
If Shi Qing asked her for ginseng and velvet antlers, how was she going to get them for her? She did not know magic.
“Chenxi?”
“Alright.” Qiu Chenxi responded to Qi Minlan reluctantly.
Qi Minlan gave Qiu Chenxi a meaningful pat on her shoulder. “Chenxi, you must take good care of your uncle. I will go back first. Contact me if there’s any news.”
“Mom, I understand.”
After giving the instructions, Qi Minlan carried her leather pouch and left in a hurry in her pair of stiletto heels, seemingly fleeing from the army camp.
Qi Minlan did not ask Shi Peng to help Qiu Chenxi so that she could continue to stay in the army.
She was afraid that if she asked her brother for the favor and aggravated his condition, not only was she unable to settle her daughter’s problems, but the Qiu family might also have to spend a bomb to get the tonics for Shi Peng.
That would be a huge loss for them.
“Comrade Qiu, don’t worry. Officer Shi is so kind-hearted. Nothing will happen to him. At most, his constitution is not as strong. He will definitely get better when he has the tonics and nourishment.” Out of ‘kind intentions’, Qiao Nan ‘comforted’ Qiu Chenxi, who was all alone by herself.
“Yes, he will get better.” Her uncle was a bottomless pit. He was an investment that would only sustain losses and pay no returns.
If her uncle could recover fully and perform well in the army in the future such that he would get the position of the chief of the army from Uncle Zhai, it was worth it to buy tonics like ginseng and velvet antler for him even though it would be tough on her family.
But if he could only get slightly better…
She would rather give these tonics to her grandparents so that they would live for a few more years.
“Alright, I still have classes today. There’s a lot to prepare. Now that the two of you are with uncle, it should not be a big problem. Qing Qing, take good care of uncle. If anything crops up, you must come to look for me. I can’t possibly neglect so many students in the army because of uncle. You can rest assured that when I finish preparing for the class, I will definitely help you take care of uncle.”
Since Qi Minlan had left, Qiu Chenxi had no wish to stay behind.
“Are you that busy? There is still an entire afternoon. It should not take you long to prepare for the lesson. How about you come over an hour later?” Shi Qing sneered. Qiu Chenxi must have been sleeping for the entire morning.
Preparing for the lessons?
Given what she taught in class previously, there was no need for Qiu Chenxi to prepare for the lessons. What she prepared was so terrible!
“A-an hour? It would not be possible. As you know, I have been away from school for a long time, and my major is not education. I am not familiar with this particular area of knowledge, but I am willing to contribute my time whenever the army needs me. I am willing to do what the army has arranged for me. Hence, I have to spend some time to work on it. Qing Qing, you must understand that I need to put in hard work. Uncle, I am sure that you will be able to understand, right?”
“Yes,” Shi Peng said faintly. His sister had already left in a hurry. He did not expect that his niece who was not as close to him to care for him.
“Uncle, I will go back to prepare for class. When I am done with this cumbersome task, I will come back to take care of you. Uncle, since you don’t feel well, you must rest more. Don’t strain or overexert yourself. I, I will visit you when I have the time.” Qiu Chenxi sighed with relief that she could leave. Like Qi Minlan, she left the sickbay in a hurry.
As for the military doctor, he went along with Qiao Nan throughout the conversation and answered the two questions that she asked. He did not say anything else.
“Doctor Wang, please excuse our behavior.” Shi Peng smiled faintly, lest Doctor Wang felt embarrassed.
Doctor Wang took a deep breath. “No, not at all.”
It seemed that Officer Shi had a complicated relationship with his family. Even though he was puzzled, fortunately, he did not need to give much response. Otherwise, they might have been discovered.
“In the future, I will have to trouble Doctor Wang once a week until I leave the army.”
“It’s no trouble. This is what I should do.” Doctor Wang dared not say otherwise. In fact, since Officer Shi was not feeling well, he should come for follow-up once a week. It was just that Officer Shi refused to do so. He was more than happy that he was willing to come to the sickbay.
“Doctor Wang, how’s my dad?” Shi Qing asked anxiously.
“I have done a checkup. The operation is a success. It’s just that Officer Shi needs more rest. It will only be a matter of time before he feels better.” Doctor Wang was much at ease when the topic was something that he was familiar with.
“What about those tonics that Qiao Nan mentioned just now? Should I buy them for my dad? Don’t worry about the price. Just tell me whatever my dad needs to recover. As long as they are good for my dad, I will get them for him.” Shi Qing pressed on.
“This…” Doctor Wang was speechless. He did not know how to respond to her question.
Fortunately, Qiao Nan helped him with it. “For those who are in good health, ginseng will be a tonic, but for those who are in poor health, ginseng is a drug, detrimental for the health. It bullies the weak and fears the strong. It is a pity that everyone knows that ginseng is nutritious, but they don’t know how to use it appropriately. As for the bird’s nest, as long as one can afford it, it is suitable for everyone.”
Qiao Nan deliberately spoke of ginseng, velvet antler, and bird’s nest such that Qi Minlan and her daughter would be scared away by her. She did not expect that Shi Qing, the daughter, would pay particular attention to it.
This was the difference between someone who really cared and someone who did not.
“Is that so?” Shi Qing was perplexed. She looked toward Doctor Wang.
Doctor Wang nodded quickly. “This is indeed the case. Given Officer Shi’s condition, it’s not suitable for him to have ginseng, but you can have those tonics that are warm and invigorating in nature.” However, it was one thing to know what was suitable, and another thing to be able to afford it.
Bird’s nest was good for the body. As for blood bird’s nest, it was very rare and exceptionally good for the body.
Nowadays, those that were sold on the market were usually fake. It was difficult to get genuine blood bird’s nests.
