Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1970 Same Fate, Different Solutions
The "striped-face" commentator's basic assessment of the man's malicious dog ownership is likely valid, and some of his suggestions sound quite reasonable.

However, the man's motives for keeping the dog were quite different from the underlying psychology and logic of ordinary pet owners on the street. In Bian Mu's view, the man harbored a deep-seated "malicious intent," a kind of "internal evil" that could wreak havoc at any time. If this internal evil wasn't dealt with in time... Bian Mu's personal business was currently in a booming phase, and he would offend this person or that person from time to time. One day, for no apparent reason, those people would suddenly launch an attack...

If similar unforeseen events were to suddenly occur during a similar, unusual summer...

Bian Mu's hard-earned achievements over many years were destroyed in an instant!
If you don't realize it, it's because you're incompetent; if you do realize it, you must take strict precautions, otherwise you'll suffer a great loss.

Moreover, many friends have been intentionally or unintentionally distancing themselves from me recently, and my personal fortune in 2025-2026 has obviously deviated to some extent. The man who maliciously kept the dog is just one of the less important factors. The best course of action now is to make comprehensive adjustments and resolve the issue as much as possible with my own unique way of dealing with people.

That noon, right after getting off work, Bian Mu called Mrs. Mai and briefly mentioned his concerns.

"Oh! You mean that precious son of the Cao family! Speaking of which, he's actually related to Cao Yueyue! He's been a bit of a rascal since he was little, but luckily he's naturally smart, and he eventually got into a pretty good university. Right now, he has a great job, with 100 days of free time out of 365. He's living a very comfortable life! Otherwise, why would he be spending all his time taking care of animals? It's alright, I'm quite familiar with his mother, we've known each other for many years! I'll sound out their attitude first. If there's any room for negotiation, we can arrange a meeting. We're all respectable people, so once we've talked things out, there won't be any problems." Mrs. Mai readily agreed to mediate.

"I'm sorry to trouble you again! The main point is that I'm willing to pay compensation. Of course, they can't ask for an exorbitant price, otherwise, I'll have to back out." Bian Mu briefly explained his bottom line in the negotiation.

“It’s just a few dogs, what’s the big deal! Besides, are rich people more likely to get strange diseases, or are ordinary people more likely to get them? Have you ever thought about that?” Suddenly, Mrs. Mai offered a rather unique perspective on the other end of the phone.

"Of course, people with good economic conditions are more likely to contract the strange disease you mentioned. I have quite a few academic research models and clinical data on this, but the specific numbers are still somewhat insufficient, so it can't be written down yet. How did you come up with this idea?" Bian Mu replied with a smile on the other end of the phone.

"Why is that?!"

“The size of the radius of contact in life, the frequency of activities within that radius, the depth of involvement in life… all these aspects are beyond the imagination of someone struggling financially. As you know, there are many people in Lijin City who have never taken an international flight. The probability of contracting a disease while traveling overseas is absolutely zero, and so on! In addition, as you know, the economy is very prosperous right now, and there is a certain surplus in all aspects of clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Ordinary people really don’t lack anything in their daily lives! Their radius of contact in life is so small, their content of life is so narrow, and their level of life is so shallow… At most, they are just a little more tired. Where would they accumulate or contract those strange diseases?” On the phone, Bian Mu casually stated some of his usual insights.

"Then let's settle it! Right now, if we're talking about comprehensive evaluation of TCM skills in Lijin City, you're definitely number one! It's just that your industry doesn't like to admit it publicly. Although the Cao family can't compare to Cao Yueyue's lifestyle, they're still incredibly wealthy compared to ordinary citizens. If any of their three generations were to contract some difficult or complicated illness... wouldn't they eventually have to come to you for help?! If you really find fault with them then, just politely refuse them. Where would they go to complain?! Go to Beiqi?! Or go south to Nanqi?! Those high-level famous TCM doctors aren't necessarily much better than you. Besides, appointments are hard to come by. You might work yourself to death and still not get an appointment. If you really just stand by and do nothing, can they handle it?!" Mrs. Mai, being a professional writer, had some rather unique ways of thinking.

Hearing this, Bian Mu didn't know what to say for a moment, so he simply chose to remain silent.

"So, this matter is still negotiable, don't worry! I'll have a good talk with his mother."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you!" "Don't talk nonsense! We're family, so let's not stand on ceremony. I'll let you know as soon as I have definite news!" Mrs. Mai replied with a smile.

……

That evening, Bian Mu had one male patient left who needed bone setting. He was 56 years old and had recently developed bone deformities that gradually compressed his internal organs, causing him to develop more than three acute complications. He had been seeking medical treatment for nearly half a year, but his symptoms had only worsened. In desperation, he came to Bian Mu's clinic to try his luck.

Bian Mu was just about to use three small needles to regulate her Qi and blood when she looked up and saw Dian Shuhua standing at the door with a non-woven bag, waving her hand.

Bian Mu sent his intern, Xiao Shang, out to give a brief greeting. He needed to hurry up and build a "Great Wall of Qi and Blood" at the intersection of the old man's key meridians. The technical difficulty was quite high, and Bian Mu would have to put in a lot of effort.

……

Finally, it was time to leave work. My colleagues gradually went home for dinner, leaving only Bian Mu, Dian Shuhua, and Painter Fang in the clinic. Painter Fang was upstairs revising his painting and hadn't come down yet, probably because he was too focused on it.

"Did you come here to see me about something?"

"Not really... Recently, a 27-year-old woman came to our branch. She works as a translator at a translation company and earns a pretty high income. She's quite strange. First, she made an appointment with Dr. Ning and got a prescription. A few days later, she made an appointment with Dr. Liang, who also gave her a prescription. Later, she tried to see Dr. Luo, but he said he wasn't a general practitioner and ignored her. Then, one morning, around 10 a.m., she questioned why the prescription and treatment plan were so different for the same person with the same illness, and it was very strange. She came to me again. I told her I don't have prescription authority, but she wouldn't listen. I was worried she might have some special background, and she insisted that without prescription authority, she couldn't prescribe medicine arbitrarily. After a while, seeing everyone calm down, she finally stopped making a fuss and left. However, it seems she might cause trouble again, like filing a complaint with the relevant departments! I'm a little worried and wanted to be on the safe side, so I came here to ask if I should intervene in advance?"

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu frowned.

"What did Elder Liang say?"

"If you just ignore that person, nothing will happen."

Where is Dr. Ning?

"That's pretty much what Old Liang said, but Dr. Ning suspects that the woman also made an appointment with you." As he spoke, Dian Shuhua took out some photocopies from his bag and handed the documents to Bian Mu.