Chapter 191 Shameless and Underhanded Methods

Chapter 191 Shameless and Underhanded Methods

The living room fell silent, with only the faint light from the few solar-powered lamps remaining.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutang's expression suddenly froze, and she pressed for an answer: "What exactly happened?"

Jiang Jiuzhe sighed softly and said slowly, "Gu Wenxiao recommended someone close to him to the higher-ups, saying that he was a doctor who came with him from the Imperial Hospital in the capital and insisted on grabbing the spot to open a pharmacy."

"Isn't this just using connections and seeking special privileges?"

Jiang Sumin suppressed his anger: "So what if they came from the Imperial Medical Academy? That doesn't necessarily mean their medical skills are better than ours! Besides, opening a pharmacy is to make things convenient for the people, not to give these people a prestigious title!"

“That makes sense.” Jiang Jiuze nodded, looking helpless.

"Actually, the higher-ups originally intended to entrust this matter to our Jiang family, and they genuinely wanted to do something for the people. However, they couldn't withstand the pressure from Gu Wenxiao, and the higher-ups were unable to make a decision for the time being, so they had to put the matter aside and let us wait for the final decision."

Jiang Yutang shook her leg in frustration, causing the coffee table legs to creak slightly.

She was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "It seems there's no other way for now. We can only wait for news. If he wants to take it, we'll have to see if he has the ability to hold onto it."

After saying that, she turned to look at Jiang Songzhi, who had remained silent.

"Brother, judging from your face, is there something else wrong?"

Jiang Songzhi nodded and spoke softly, but his tone was somewhat heavy: "There are some problems at the private school as well."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutang's eyelids twitched twice.

"Our original medical forum was replaced by someone sent by Gu Wenxiao."

"What?!" Jiang Yutang couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up abruptly and shouted angrily, "What exactly does Gu Wenxiao want? We hold medical lectures to teach people first aid and help them solve practical problems. What's it to him?"

Jiang Songzhi looked down at the teacup on the table. The steam on the rim of the cup gradually dissipated, but the confusion in his heart did not.

"He changed the medical forum to 'calligraphy and painting appreciation' in order to broaden people's horizons and improve their taste."

"That's putting the cart before the horse!"

Jiang Yutang sneered, her eyes full of mockery: "Ordinary people are still struggling to even have enough to eat and wear. Most of the time, they can't even afford to treat minor illnesses. Who has the leisure to appreciate calligraphy and painting? Only those privileged people who are out of touch with reality would think about such useless things!"

“The other gentlemen think the same way.” Jiang Songzhi nodded in agreement.

"But we have no choice right now. The private school still needs the support of the higher authorities, so we can only go along with their wishes for the time being to avoid giving them any leverage to make things difficult for us."

Jiang Yutang took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"It's alright, there should be other available classrooms in the private school, right?"

"There are two empty rooms."

"That's good." Jiang Yutang smiled confidently.

"We'll continue our medical lectures in the empty room and not compete with him for the main hall. The people have their own sense of right and wrong; they can tell which courses are useful and which aren't. Before long, no one will be attending his so-called appreciation courses, and he'll naturally have to close them down!"

Jiang Songzhi pursed his lips and nodded, then frowned and said solemnly, "There is another problem. Several doctors who agreed to come to the medical forum have been secretly pressured by Gu Wenxiao and now they dare not come."

"It's nothing to worry about," Jiang Yutang waved his hand, his tone relaxed. "I've already found someone else who can handle it."

"Oh? Who is it?" Jiang Songzhi asked curiously.

Jiang Yutang forced a smile and said confidently, "Dr. Xu."

The next morning, Jiang Yutang found a few reliable guys to pull a cart to the camp to help Dr. Xu move his things.

Dr. Xu didn't have much luggage; it mostly consisted of clothes, some medical equipment, and a few of A-Yi's toys.

The group quickly moved all their belongings to the courtyard.

Jiang Yutang specially vacated a sunny room on the fourth floor for the two sisters to stay in. The room was spacious and bright, and even had a small balcony.

Dr. Xu led A-Yi into the room, and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the brand-new bed, the clean table and chairs, and the bright sunshine outside the window.

"Don't be shy, this will be your accommodation from now on."

Jiang Yutang said with a smile, "You guys pack your things first and get familiar with the environment. I'll call you downstairs when lunch is ready."

Dr. Xu snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded in agreement, his eyes slightly reddening: "Miss Jiang, thank you so much."

"We've been friends for so long, it's too formal to say such things."

Jiang Yutang patted her on the shoulder, turned around and went downstairs.

At lunchtime, the whole family sat around the octagonal table. Jiang Yutang told Doctor Xu about Gu Wenxiao's struggle for the pharmacy spot and comforted her in a lighthearted tone.

"Don't worry, even if we can't get the land allocated by the authorities, we can buy land ourselves and open a pharmacy. With your medical skills, our pharmacy will definitely be able to gain a foothold."

Upon hearing this, Dr. Xu's worries dissipated considerably, and he nodded solemnly: "I will definitely do my job well and live up to your trust!"

After lunch, Jiang Sumin carried Ayi to the accounting office next to the warehouse, intending to teach Ayi to recognize a few simple characters first.

Dr. Xu then went to the private school with Jiang Yutang to familiarize himself with the medical lecture series, which would officially begin in the afternoon.

The rest of the family members went about their duties, and the shop was kept in perfect order, as if the previous turmoil had never happened.

Doctor Xu followed Jiang Yutang into the private school and immediately spotted Jiang Songzhi organizing books.

Jiang Yutang stepped forward and introduced, "Brother, this is the Doctor Xu I mentioned to you."

Dr. Xu quickly stepped forward to greet him, his voice trembling slightly with nervousness: "Mr. Jiang, please give me your guidance."

This was her first time giving a lecture in front of so many people, and the thought of facing a group of strangers made her nervous.

Jiang Songzhi smiled gently: "Dr. Xu, there's no need to be nervous. Feel free to ask me anything you don't understand."

Jiang Yutang encouraged him from the side, saying, "Your medical skills are far superior to mine. These basics are a piece of cake for you. Don't worry, the people are here to learn real knowledge and will listen attentively."

With the two reassuring him, Dr. Xu took a deep breath, took out the notes he had compiled the night before, and began to read them haltingly.

At first, she stuttered a bit and didn't dare to look directly at the crowd, but as she talked, she became immersed in explaining medical knowledge and gradually relaxed, and the logic of her explanation became much clearer.

Seeing that she was getting into the swing of things, Jiang Yutang turned around and went back to the shop with peace of mind.

For the next week, there was no further news from Gu Wenxiao.

However, Jiang Yutang's family dared not let their guard down and were on full alert for any sudden attack from the other party.

One afternoon, Jiang Yutang was checking the goods list in the backyard when Yun suddenly walked in from the front shop, muttering to herself, "The business in the shop has been a bit strange lately."

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yutang asked without looking up.

“There are fewer people on the streets these days, and people often come to ask about fever reducers, but they’ve been sold out for a long time. I forgot to tell you,” Yun said with some annoyance.