The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Fang Hou responded indifferently, only a trace of sarcasm visible at the corners of his lips. “Does Doctor Qin have anything else to say? If not, you may leave.”

His attitude towards Doctor Qin had gone from originally polite persuasion to bluntness and dismissal.

Weary of being driven away so rudely, and by a servant no less, Doctor Qin’s face grew even more sour. “Fine, fine Cheng family,” he roared, “Such blatant disrespect to others. Once I return, I will definitely need to give others a piece of my mind.”

“Please, feel free to do so, Doctor Qin,” Fang Hou replied nonchalantly, even giving a cold snort, “Farewell.”

Now, Doctor Qin was absolutely seething. He angrily threw a flounce towards the door and stormed into the guestroom where he had stayed the previous night and snatched up his medicine box, marching through the door.

But within a few moments, he charged back towards Fang Hou, shouting, “You promised to provide me with transportation back. Is the Cheng family so petty that you don’t even wish to arrange a carriage?”

“If Doctor Qin can’t manage to find a carriage to return home and doesn’t want to spend more money on one, we certainly can arrange for your return.”

Fang Hou waved his hand to beckon a servant who was already waiting to escort Doctor Qin, took the whip from his hand, and said, “Doctor Qin, please.”

Doctor Qin hmphed, took his medicine box and departed.

Once the man had travelled some distance away, Fang Hou spit forcefully, “What a piece of work. Thinks his possessions are treasures and unwilling to part with them, yet always ready to exploit others. What’s all this about?”

“Please forgive me, Manager Zhuang.” After swearing, Fang Hou hurriedly apologized to Zhuang Qingning, “I apologize for making a spectacle.”

“While Doctor Qin’s medical skills are indeed impressive and he has gained some fame in the city, his personal character has been criticized. We didn’t really want Doctor Qin to come to treat the young master, but we couldn’t find a better doctor, so we let Doctor Qin try. We didn’t expect to encounter such an event.”

“We apologize for any disrespect you, Manager Zhuang, might have experienced.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Zhuang Qingning said with a laugh. “Besides, you really gave Doctor Qin a good tongue-lashing. That was a great help to me. I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

If she had been in Fang Hou’s position earlier, she might have said similar things, but she might not have been as eloquent and witty as him.

The way Fang Hou stood up to people left Zhuang Qingning truly impressed.

She had believed Fang Hou was capable and diligent with a mild temperament. She didn’t realize his strong fighting spirit when provoked.

It seemed that a gentle disposition and a robust fighting spirit could co-exist.

And this held true for Zhang Xiangrong before, didn’t it?

Fang Hou chucked and scratched his ear. “Since I was a child, I’ve lived a hard life. If I were soft-hearted, I don’t know how I would have ended up. I’ve developed a character that dislikes when others take advantage of me.”

“There are advantages to your character. You can be of assistance to Manager Cheng,” Zhuang Qingning chuckled. “By the way, there is one more thing I need your help with.”

“I am at Manager Zhuang’s service.”

The one who saved the young master’s life, he would not only be willing to help once, but a hundred times if necessary.

“Although I have some medical knowledge, my skills are limited. Because of some circumstances, I have never claimed to practice medicine publicly. This time I came to treat Manager Cheng was a coincidence. Therefore, I don’t want to say much to others.”

Zhuang Qingning spoke in a low voice. “Please keep my treatment of Manager Cheng a secret. Also, tell Manager Cheng to keep it quiet.”

Everyone has difficulties and secrets that they cannot share with others. Having seen many people and incidents while serving Cheng Ruize, Fang Hou understood some things.

Still, hearing Zhuang Qingning speak this way, he understood why he had not previously heard about Zhuang Qingning’s medical skill, and why she initially made excuses not to share the prescription with Doctor Qin.

Likely it was out of necessity.

“Manager Zhuang, rest assured, I will keep this confidential and make sure to explain it thoroughly to the young master,” Fang Hou replied with a nod, then escorted Zhuang Qingning toward the door.

After she left and he had walked with her some distance to the street corner, Zhuang Qingning firmly encouraged him to return. Fang Hou, in turn, went back to care for Cheng Ruize.

Cheng Ruize was lying on the bed, nurturing his spirit. Seeing Fang Hou brought some warm water, he took a sip and asked, “Has that Doctor Qin left?”

“Young master, you know?” Fang Hou scratched his ears sheepishly. “I was thinking it wasn’t pleasant news and didn’t want you to get angry given your condition, so I wanted to wait a few days before telling you. But someone’s quicker…”

“It’s not about somebody speaking prematurely. I just heard some noise outside, and it sounded like Doctor Qin.”

Cheng Ruize lifted his eyebrows, “I knew Doctor Qin’s character already. I knew he would request Manager Zhuang for the prescription and must be relentless.”

So his young master had already expected this?

And even realized he would get furious and drive Doctor Qin away because of this.

So his young master had never spoken because he already foresaw the end result.

Really, his young master understood him well…

Fang Hou chuckled. “Can’t stand that kind of person at all.”

“But this time, I was indeed rash. After Doctor Qin returns to the city, he will certainly spin tales about our Cheng family. I’m afraid it will harm our reputation…

“It’s my fault…”

“What wrong have you done?” Cheng Ruize laughed. “Manager Zhuang saved my life. If we can’t even defend the honor of the person who saved my life, then that would be a huge mistake.”

“As for Doctor Qin, with time we will see his true colors. People already have some sense of what he’s like. His deliberate slander won’t be easily trusted by others. If someone does believe him, they likely already hold resentment towards our family. We don’t need to bother ourselves with them.”

“The young master’s right.” Fang Hou eased up and nodded in agreement.

In the end, they couldn’t please everyone.

Even if they were made of silver, they couldn’t make everyone happy. Therefore, it wasn’t worth worrying about.

They shouldn’t worry too much about what other people think.