Qian Bowen and Qian Weidong froze.
A divine doctor, far in the heavens yet near at hand?
Who?
Their gazes swept over the crowd, briefly landing on Ye Qiu before moving on after a few seconds.
In his twenties—how could he be a divine doctor?
Qian Bowen hurriedly asked, “Elder Zhang, stop teasing us with riddles. Where’s this divine doctor?”
“Yeah, why don’t I see him?” Qian Weidong chimed in.
Zhang Jiuling chuckled, “I say, you two, how do you get so muddled at the critical moment? The divine doctor is your nephew!”
What?
Qian Bowen and Qian Weidong were dumbfounded.
Ye Qiu, a divine doctor?
Impossible!
Not just them— Cao Chunmei, Qian Rong, and the others were stunned too. They’d been mocking Ye Qiu just moments ago.
“Elder Zhang, you’re not joking, right? Ye Qiu’s just a bastard—how could he be a divine doctor?” Qian Rong blurted out.
Qian Bowen flared up, scolding, “Rong’er, don’t talk nonsense!”
“Where’s the nonsense? He is a bastard!”
Qian Rong turned to Zhang Jiuling, “Elder Zhang, open your eyes and look closely. How could he be a divine doctor?”
Zhang Jiuling’s face darkened, his voice stern, “Are you saying I’m old and blind?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I just think, a rookie doctor who’s barely gone permanent, how could he be a divine doctor… I get it now!”
Qian Rong suddenly pointed at Ye Qiu, shouting, “You bastard, you love playing the big shot!”
“You must’ve tricked Elder Zhang somehow, making him think you’re a divine doctor.”
“That’s it, haha… Caught you out, didn’t I? Let’s see how you talk your way out of this!”
Ye Qiu looked at Qian Rong with pity and smiled, “A brain’s a fine thing—shame you don’t have one.”
“You dare insult me?”
Qian Rong snapped, “Looks like you don’t know where you are. Let me tell you, this is my house!”
“Guards! Throw this bastard out!”
“Enough nonsense!” Qian Bowen barked. Whether Ye Qiu was the divine doctor Zhang Jiuling claimed or not, he wouldn’t let Qian Rong kick him out.
Because Ye Qiu was Qian Jinglan’s son, his own nephew!
Qian Bowen said sternly, “Rong’er, stop this. Ye Qiu’s your cousin—show some respect.”
Qian Rong bristled, “Dad, why are you defending a bastard…”
“Enough!”
Qian Bowen’s face turned livid as he pointed at Cao Chunmei, “How do you even raise your daughter?”
To his surprise, Cao Chunmei didn’t reprimand Qian Rong but doubled down, “I think Rong’er’s spot on. Twenty-plus years ago, when the old man kicked Qian Jinglan out, didn’t he call her kid a bastard too?”
“If you think that’s wrong, take it up with him. Why yell at us here?”
“Plus, when we went to Jiangzhou, this bastard admitted himself he’d just gone permanent. You think he’s a divine doctor?”
Qian Bowen was so furious he couldn’t speak.
Qian Weidong, from the moment he saw Ye Qiu, noticed something special—clear eyes, a confident brow, standing there steady as a mountain.
Could Elder Zhang be right? Was he really a divine doctor?
But…
So young!
“Elder Zhang, is it true? Ye Qiu’s a divine doctor?” Qian Weidong asked.
Zhang Jiuling snorted, “What, you doubt me too?”
“No misunderstanding, Elder Zhang. It’s just, my nephew’s so young—calling him a divine doctor is hard to swallow…”
Qian Weidong shifted gears, “Jinglan, Ye Qiu, come with me to see Father!”
As the saying goes, you test a mule or a horse by taking it for a walk.
A businessman with a sharp mind, Qian Weidong figured if Ye Qiu saw their father, they’d know if he was a divine doctor soon enough.
Qian Bowen added, “Yes, Jinglan, come with me to see Father!”
“Alright.”
Qian Jinglan nodded, about to step forward, when Ye Qiu grabbed her arm.
“Mom, this family doesn’t welcome us. Let’s not go in!”
Qian Weidong quickly said, “Ye Qiu, don’t be upset. You’ve come all this way—how can you not go in? Come with me!”
He reached for Ye Qiu, but found him rooted in place, immovable.
Qian Rong, eager for Ye Qiu to skip meeting the old man, sneered, “If I were a bastard, I’d be too ashamed to see Grandpa too.”
“Can you shut up for once?”
Qian Bowen glared at Qian Rong, then turned to Ye Qiu, “Your mom and your grandpa haven’t seen each other in over twenty years. Let her have this meeting!”
“It might be their last!”
“Since Elder Zhang says you’re a divine doctor, your skills must be top-notch. If there’s a chance to save Father, help him out. He’s your grandpa, after all…”
“Uncle!” Ye Qiu cut Qian Bowen off, “I get what you’re saying. I wanted to go in and treat Grandpa earlier, but some people wouldn’t let me. What could I do?”
Zhu Xuemiao, who’d been watching the drama unfold and hoping it’d escalate, piped up, “Big Brother, this really isn’t Ye Qiu and Jinglan’s fault.”
“Jinglan wanted to see the old man, and Ye Qiu offered to treat him, but Sister-in-law and Rong’er blocked them every step, refusing to let them in.”
“They said Jinglan and Ye Qiu dressed too shabbily, embarrassing them, and that the Qian family, a scholarly household, didn’t welcome Ye Qiu—told them to get lost.”
“I was fuming just hearing it.”
Cao Chunmei snapped, “Zhu Xuemiao, stop stirring trouble. No one thinks you’re mute if you stay quiet.”
Zhu Xuemiao grinned, “Sister-in-law, dare you say you didn’t say those things?”
“You—”
Qian Bowen’s face twisted with anger as he roared at Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong, “Apologize to Jinglan and Ye Qiu now!”
Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong turned away, pretending not to hear.
“You two will be the death of me!” Qian Bowen suppressed his rage and said to Ye Qiu, “Ye Qiu, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize for them.”
“Uncle, it’s not your fault—why apologize?”
Qian Bowen sighed helplessly, “Chunmei and Rong’er—I can’t control them…”
“Uncle, if you can’t manage your wife and daughter, let me handle them for you!”
With that, Ye Qiu appeared before Qian Rong in a flash, delivering three sharp slaps to her face.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
