"Song Hao, I really didn't expect to see you again! And I never expected you to come back!" Liu Tianxian exclaimed.
“Yes! We didn’t believe it when Magee told us a few months ago that he had seen you in another city. Back when you were in nursing school and interning at the hospital, you were our idol. Even though we haven’t seen you in recent years, we still talk about you often. Where did you and your grandfather open a clinic now?” Liu Tian said.
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The World of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Volume 2: The Heavenly Doctor's Hall, Chapter 19: The Initial Establishment of the Heavenly Doctor's Hall (1)
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The thirteen branches of medicine are: pulse diagnosis, gynecology, typhoid fever, sores and ulcers, acupuncture, ophthalmology, oral and dental medicine, throat medicine, bone setting, metal incision, massage, and incantation therapy. (The methods of massage and incantation therapy are now lost.) — *Classified Canon of Medicine*
“That’s how it is,” Song Hao said. “I’ve been studying during the years I’ve been away. Now I can say that I’ve made some progress. My grandfather and I discussed it, and we still can’t bear to leave our hometown, so this time we’re coming back to Baihe Town to resume our old business and open a pharmacy.”
"Great! You should have come back a long time ago. With your family's skills and the reputation of Ping An Tang, you'll definitely make it big again. Don't worry, this area is our territory now, and no one will dare to cause you any trouble." Liu Tian said happily.
"I'll need your help again in the future," Song Hao said with a grateful smile.
"No problem, I'll take care of everything," Liu Tianyi patted his chest and assured him.
Zhang Baolun laughed and said, "If anyone dares to cause you trouble now, it's because they look down on us brothers. I doubt anyone would have the guts to do that now. Your return is a blessing for the entire county."
"Song Hao, just tell me what to do now that you're back. I've given you the business license; you can open for business in three days," Liu Tian said.
Song Hao said, "Thank you! Then I'll leave the procedural matters to you. The reason I've come back this time is to establish a large-scale traditional Chinese medicine clinic, which we'll call Tianyi Hall. It won't be like the old Ping'an Hall; it needs to be of a certain size. So, the first thing we need to do is select a good location in Baihe Town."
“There’s a place right here!” Zhang Baolun said, “You remember Mi Changli, the one who drove you and your grandson away? The hospital he built is still empty. It changed hands several times, but it never made a living. The next owner wanted to sell it, but no one could take it over. Now I’m renting it as a warehouse!”
“Yes, that’s a good place, perfect for a hospital,” Liu Tian nodded.
“I’ll talk to the homeowner tomorrow. I estimate the price won’t be very high, maybe a little over a million. It would be good if we could sell it at a loss. Do you think you can take it now?” Zhang Baolun said, then hesitated for a moment and looked at Song Hao.
"If we can buy it for a few hundred thousand, no problem," Song Hao replied.
"Oh! He must have made a fortune outside and come back." Zhang Baolun and Liu Tian were quite surprised to hear this.
Liu Tian then sighed, "Things in this world are really hard to predict. That Mi Changli drove you and your grandson away because of building that hospital, but now you want to come back and buy it, as if that hospital was built just for you, waiting for you to come back and take over!"
"That's right!" Zhang Baolun said, "Back then, because your grandfather wasn't there to practice medicine, that hospital never took off, and that led to the complete demise of Mi Changli's business. It changed hands several times in between, but no matter what business they tried, it just wouldn't succeed, and it remained vacant. It really felt like they were just waiting for you to come back and take over!"
Upon hearing this, Song Hao was deeply moved.
After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Song Hao, Liu Tian, and Zhang Baolun were having a very enjoyable conversation. Tang Yu and the squad leader sat to the side listening, eager to hear about Song Hao's past.
Emboldened by the alcohol, Liu Tian glanced at Tang Yu again and said enviously, "Song Hao! You've really come out on top! Bringing back such a beautiful Miss Tang this time, are you just jealous of us?"
"This is Song Hao's friend, don't talk nonsense." Zhang Baolun knew Liu Tian's temperament and quickly reminded him.
"What do you take me for? Can't I even comment on a beautiful woman?" Liu Tian said dismissively.
Tang Yu blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head, remaining silent. She and Song Hao had spent a long time together and had developed feelings for each other, but they hadn't yet confessed their feelings.
"Hehe! What's wrong? A big boss like you doesn't get any beautiful women coming to you?" Song Hao said to Liu Tian with a smile. He knew this guy was a womanizer back in school.
"You don't understand," Liu Tian shook his head and sighed, "Flowers are everywhere, but not one of them is the kind that's fresh and refined, the kind that you'd like, the kind that you'd fall for! They're all here for the money in your hand."
Zhang Baolun laughed, "With your vulgar appearance, you're looking for someone refined? Someone willing to 'refine'..."
Suddenly realizing there was a woman nearby, Zhang Baolun quickly swallowed back what he was about to say. He then smiled apologetically, "When we ordinary men get together, all we do is drink and talk about women. It's a universal custom, so please don't be offended!"
Liu Tian laughed and said, "Given time, he'll drag Song Hao, that gentleman, down with him too. Miss Tang Yu, you'd better be careful. You didn't get to bring him down when you were in school, but now you have your chance."
Tang Yu smiled but said nothing.
“My brother Song has cultivated himself, he’s not afraid!” the sergeant replied from his seat.
"Cultivating immortality and attaining enlightenment! Hmm! I always thought Song Hao had that kind of immortal aura, but I wonder how much he still has now." Liu Tian glanced at Tang Yu and smiled maliciously.
"You guys will never change your temper," Song Hao said with a helpless shake of his head and a smile.
After dinner, it was nearly evening. Liu Tian and Zhang Baolun took Song Hao, Tang Yu, and Wu Chang to a hotel owned by a friend, promising to pick them up the next day to return to Baihe Town together. Then the two drove away.
After arranging for the squad leader to rest, Song Hao and Tang Yu sat in the room and talked.
"Your friends are really something, talking so carelessly in front of girls. If you spend too much time with them, you'll definitely pick up their smooth talk too!" Tang Yu scolded playfully.
"That's just how businessmen are. They're just saying it; they're not bad at heart," Song Hao said with a smile.
They talked for a while longer before returning to their rooms to rest. Nothing more was said that night.
The next morning, Zhang Baolun arrived first.
Upon seeing Song Hao, Zhang Baolun laughed and said, "Liu Tian can't come. He drank too much yesterday and crashed into a parked car on his way back."
Upon hearing this, Song Hao hurriedly asked, "Is he alright?"
Zhang Baolun laughed and said, "It's nothing serious. He and the car weren't seriously injured, but he wrecked the sedan. The other car owner called the police, and a whole bunch of officers came. When they saw it was the county magistrate's son, the biggest construction contractor in the county, the police first took the man who called the police and his car away, and then cautiously asked, 'Mr. Liu, are you alright? Should we go to the hospital to get checked out?'"
Upon hearing this, Song Hao couldn't help but shake his head.
“Liu Tian called me this morning and asked me to take you back to Baihe Town first. He’s been getting someone to handle the paperwork for you to open a hospital in the next couple of days. I’ve already notified the homeowner to wait for us in Baihe Town. You don’t need to negotiate the price with him; I’ll do it. We’ll try to buy it at the lowest possible price. He originally wanted to sell it to me, but I declined. This time, I said I wanted to buy it as a warehouse to avoid him driving up the price. I estimate we can save you about 100,000 or 200,000 yuan,” Zhang Baolun added.
"Thank you so much!" Song Hao said gratefully.
"No need to thank me! What you're doing is far more meaningful than the business we're doing. It's a business of healing and saving lives. Your Song family has the ability to do it, and can do it, which is why we're helping you. It's also a way to accumulate some good karma. Even if my own brother begged me to do this, I wouldn't listen to him. Others can't do it. Helping them would be a waste of time," Zhang Baolun said.
"Alright! I won't say thank you anymore. Although I will be in charge of Tianyi Hall from now on, you all deserve credit as well," Song Hao said earnestly.
“You’re welcome. Ma Ji called last night, saying he was rushing back to see you today. He wanted Liu Tian and me to do our best to help you open the hospital, saying it wasn’t just for you, but also for the health of all of us in the future. You and your family are both medical experts, rare in the world. If we don’t keep you here, it will be a loss for the entire county. That guy, he really knows how to talk a good game,” Zhang Baolun laughed.