After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

Not long after the trusted aide left, he quickly returned, leaned close to Li Wei's ear, and whispered a few words in a low voice.

Li Wei's expression changed repeatedly.

My subordinate is a local expert. He just asked the driver where the three people came from and found out that Lin Qingqing is a young widow from Qingshan Village who recently lost her husband.

After hearing this, Li Wei's lustful desire burned even brighter. A widow is good, she has no man to protect her, and she's from the countryside, so there won't be so many troubles when he's having fun with her.

However, the doctor surnamed Gu didn't seem easy to deal with at the moment, so he didn't dare to make a scene on the spot. He just told his subordinates to keep an eye on things and settle the score later.

Inside the house, the old factory director slowly woke up and saw a room full of crying women and his son with a fake smile. He was so angry that he almost fainted again.

Gu Qiangying removed the last silver needle, wiped it with a cotton cloth, and slowly put the needle case away.

"Cough...cough cough..." The old man on the bed rolled his cloudy eyes for a long time before finally focusing on Gu Qiangying. "It's...Dr. Gu..."

"It's me, Director Chen." Gu Qiangying closed the medical kit. "You've come back from the brink of death this time."

"What...what's wrong with me...?"

"Heart attack due to anger, phlegm clouding the mind," Gu Qiangying explained simply. "He couldn't catch his breath and it got blocked. From now on, you must quit smoking and drinking, and avoid rich, fatty foods. Eat more light meals. Most importantly, you must not get angry."

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Wei almost imperceptibly.

Li Wei was embarrassed and quickly went to the bedside: "Dad! How are you feeling? It's my fault, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

The old factory director waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet, and struggled to sit up.

"Dr. Gu, and this one too..." He looked at Lin Qingqing and Jiang He, "Thanks to you both. Please stay for a meal later."

"No, thank you." Gu Qiangying smiled. "The patient needs to rest. There are too many of us here, and it will disturb you."

Gu Qiangying quickly wrote down two prescriptions and slammed them on the table.

One sheet was for treating the illness, and the other for conditioning; the handwriting was flamboyant and unrestrained, completely unlike his refined and scholarly appearance.

He picked up the medical kit and nodded to Secretary Wang: "The consultation fee is one hundred and thirty yuan in total. We'll leave after we get the money."

"One hundred and thirty?!" Li Wei's eyes widened again. "Why don't you just rob me?!"

The medicine at the county hospital costs less than 100 yuan, but he charges 130 yuan with just a flick of his finger?

Gu Qiangying ignored him and just looked at Secretary Wang.

Secretary Wang, being a sensible person, knew that Li Wei was in the wrong today, so she quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "Director, money is a small matter; the old man's life is the most important! Dr. Gu's rules state that his consultation fees are never cheap!"

Li Wei gritted his teeth, his heart aching, but his father's life had been saved by others, and there were outsiders present, so he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Here you go! Doctor Gu saved my dad, this money is well worth it!" Li Wei counted out more than a dozen ten-yuan bills from his wallet, and handed them over with a bit too much force, not wanting to let go.

Gu Qiangying pinched a corner of the money, deftly pulled it out, and handed it to Jiang He beside her: "Count it."

Jiang He took the money and, in front of Li Wei, slapped the bills one by one, saying, "Perfect."

He smiled and put the money in his pocket, patting it as he did so. "Thanks, Director Li. Let's keep in touch."

Who the hell wants to keep in touch with you?

Li Wei cursed inwardly, but had to force a smile on his face.

Stepping out of the Li family's gate, the air outside felt noticeably fresher.

Jiang He stretched, glanced back at the red brick villa, and pursed his lips: "That guy surnamed Li's eyes are disgusting. I should have asked for an extra hundred to treat his eye disease."

Gu Qiangying walked ahead: "That kind of person won't live long. With depleted kidney essence and excessive liver fire, he'll die sooner or later on a woman's belly."

Lin Qingqing blushed as she listened. How could this person say such things out loud, especially in front of her?

"Are you hungry?" Gu Qiangying suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

Lin Qingqing almost bumped into his back, and hurriedly stopped. After such a long day, her stomach was indeed empty.

"A little," she answered honestly.

"Come on, I'll take you out for a nice meal." Gu Qiangying raised his hand to pat her head, but then withdrew it halfway and instead pushed up his glasses. "To celebrate the windfall we made today."

The largest state-run restaurant in the county town was bustling with activity at lunchtime.

The three of them found a seat by the window.

The waitress was a plump woman who walked over with a small notebook in her hand, seemingly indifferent to everyone.

"Sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed fish, stir-fried bok choy, and an egg drop soup," Gu Qiangying said, handing the menu back to her.

Jiang He added from the side, "We also need a bottle of Moutai, the real thing, don't try to fool us with diluted liquor."

The plump woman rolled her eyes, but seeing that the three men looked quite distinguished, especially the one with glasses who seemed aloof and cold, she didn't dare to say anything and turned to go to the kitchen.

The dishes were served quickly, were very oily, and smelled delicious.

Lin Qingqing looked at the table full of dishes and hesitated to pick up her chopsticks.

Although she ate well at the Qin family's house, she never touched her chopsticks first when she left, and felt a little embarrassed.

"Eat up, sister." Jiang He picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in her bowl. It was a perfect mix of lean and fatty meat, with a rich sauce. "We earned this with our own hard work, so why not eat it?"

Gu Qiangying poured three glasses of wine and pushed one towards Lin Qingqing: "Have a drink."

Lin Qingqing shook her head: "I don't drink alcohol."

"A little bit won't hurt. This is good wine, it won't give you a headache." Gu Qiangying picked up her glass and took a sip. "Thank you for today."

Lin Qingqing was taken aback, and remembering how she had stood in front of him at the Li family's house, her face began to burn again. She picked up her wine glass and took a small sip.

It was spicy, so spicy it hurt my throat, but after swallowing it, my stomach felt warm and cozy.

After a few drinks, they started talking non-stop.

Jiang He began to criticize Li Wei's family for being so eccentric, which made Lin Qingqing laugh.

Gu Qiangying didn't talk much; she spent most of her time serving food to Lin Qingqing and removing fish bones.

Lin Qingqing was a little full, and the alcohol was taking effect. Her face was flushed, and she could see double.

"Third Brother," Jiang He suddenly leaned closer, resting his chin on the table and staring at Gu Qiangying, "Where are we staying tonight?"

Gu Qiangying wiped her mouth: "I'll stay at the guesthouse."

Do you have a letter of introduction?

"Carry this with you when you go out to see a doctor." Gu Qiangying took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her shirt pocket. It was a certificate issued by the commune health center, stamped with a red seal, for the reason of "going out to purchase medicinal materials".

Jiang He clicked his tongue: "You're quite well prepared."

Gu Qiangying ignored him and turned to look at Lin Qingqing: "Are you full?"

Lin Qingqing nodded obediently, her eyes glazed over, like a kitten that had eaten and drunk its fill.

"Let's go then, I'll take you to digest your food."