Chapter 16

Seeing that Xu Xiaoya was busy treating patients, Wang Xiaoqiang did not want to trouble her and asked in a consultative manner, "Doctor Xu, can I go to the pharmacy to take a look?"

The pharmacy was a restricted area, and non-essential personnel were not allowed to enter. If it were any other time, Xu Xiaoya would definitely not agree. However, this was different. Wang Xiaoqiang had come specifically to find her, and she was currently busy. She couldn't just let him wait around, as that would raise suspicions.

So, Xu Xiaoya nodded at Wang Xiaoqiang, "Go ahead, you can sit inside for a while."

Xu Xiaoya's words surprised Wang Xiaoqiang... Huh? Sit for a while, what does that mean?

I came here just to look for wild ginseng, not to see her for a consultation or to chat with her. Telling me to sit for a while, does she plan to listen to my chest again and check for any unknown 'objects' in my stomach?

Thinking about this, Wang Xiaoqiang felt a bit disheartened, but he still pretended to be calm and nodded at Xu Xiaoya. Then, he eagerly walked into the pharmacy.

The pharmacy of the village health station, of course, was not as large as those in big hospitals; it was about the size of a small farmhouse. However, it was well-organized. Inside this small pharmacy, there were two counters, one for Western medicine and one for traditional Chinese medicine.

On the left counter, boxes and bottles of Western medicine were neatly arranged. On the right counter, there were small drawers, each labeled with the name of a Chinese herb in neat calligraphy.

At a glance, everything was clear.

Wang Xiaoqiang quickly found the small drawer labeled "ginseng" on the left side. He glanced through the window at the consultation room and saw that Xu Xiaoya was not paying attention. He then approached the Chinese medicine cabinet, leaned close to the drawer labeled "ginseng," and tried to open it. He found no abnormalities, and the Five Elements Spirit Spring in his heart did not react. The drawer remained still.

Wang Xiaoqiang felt a bit disappointed but also a bit reluctant. He glanced through the window at Xu Xiaoya in the consultation room again and saw her listening to a child's chest. Seeing this, Wang Xiaoqiang turned around, took a deep breath, and then pulled open the ginseng drawer. Inside, there were five thumb-thick, finger-length ginseng roots wrapped in transparent plastic, their surfaces slightly withered.

Wang Xiaoqiang didn't have time to examine the quality of the ginseng. He quickly reached into the drawer, grabbed the five ginseng roots along with the plastic wrap, and found no abnormalities. Neither the ginseng in the plastic wrap nor the Five Elements Spirit Spring in his body reacted.

It seemed that these five ginseng roots were not wild ginseng. Or perhaps, the ginseng in the Xia family's medicinal wine was wild ginseng, and the Five Elements Spirit Spring only absorbed the essence of wild ginseng?

At this moment, Wang Xiaoqiang didn't have time to think about these questions. He hurriedly put the ginseng back and closed the drawer. Just as he was secretly relieved, he heard Xu Xiaoya's voice behind him, "I didn't expect you to be interested in Chinese medicine!"

Wang Xiaoqiang's heart skipped a beat. He tried to remain calm and turned around to see Xu Xiaoya quickly grabbing medicine from the Western medicine cabinet.

She was indeed a professional, and her orderly and efficient manner of grabbing medicine made Wang Xiaoqiang secretly admire her.

"Ha, I don't really know much, just looking around..." Wang Xiaoqiang said, relieved that Xu Xiaoya didn't suspect anything.

"Just wait for two more minutes, I'll be done soon..." Xu Xiaoya said with a hint of apology.

As she spoke, she had already grabbed four packets of medicine, put them in a small plastic bag, and walked out of the pharmacy.

Wang Xiaoqiang was confused. Wait for two more minutes... What does that mean? Does she really think I came here for a consultation? Is she going to listen to my chest again?

Wang Xiaoqiang shuddered at the thought of the embarrassing incident from the morning before.

It seems there's no wild ginseng here. There's no point in me staying any longer!

Thinking this, Wang Xiaoqiang was about to slip away, but before he could leave the health station, he heard Xu Xiaoya call him, "Hey, Wang Xiaoqiang, come back here!"

Wang Xiaoqiang had no choice but to return. He felt guilty, as looking at the medicine in the pharmacy was impolite at best and theft at worst. If Xu Xiaoya were to make an issue of it, he would have to accept her punishment.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang trying to slip away, Xu Xiaoya thought he was impatient. However, when she saw his nervous expression, she became puzzled.

"Doctor Xu, what do you need?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked, almost making Xu Xiaoya lose her temper. She glared at him, "What are you doing here?"

Wang Xiaoqiang involuntarily thought of his earlier act of pulling open the drawer and felt extremely awkward. However, he still answered honestly, "Uh... I wanted to see if the health station has any wild ginseng!"

"What...?" Xu Xiaoya was surprised. Could it be that Big Mouth Aunt didn't send him?

"Uh... The health station doesn't have wild ginseng, only cultivated ginseng. What you saw earlier was that..." Xu Xiaoya sighed.

"Ah..." Wang Xiaoqiang nodded indifferently, "Do you need anything else? If not, I'll be on my way..."

Xu Xiaoya felt depressed. She thought, "No way, Big Mouth Aunt came to propose a match this morning. Does Wang Xiaoqiang not know? Or is he just pretending to be clueless?"

"Uh, there is something," Xu Xiaoya lowered her head, feeling awkward, "Big Mouth Aunt came to me this morning..."

Xu Xiaoya paused and glanced at Wang Xiaoqiang, but seeing no reaction, she continued, "She, she introduced a match to me..."

"Uh..." Wang Xiaoqiang responded indifferently, feeling a bit strange. He thought, "Big Mouth Aunt introduced a match to you, why are you telling me?"

Xu Xiaoya saw Wang Xiaoqiang's indifferent expression and guessed that he really didn't know. Indeed, Wang Xiaoqiang casually said, "That's great, looks like I'll be drinking to your happiness soon!"

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoya was certain that Wang Xiaoqiang knew nothing about the match proposal.

Xu Xiaoya had two reasons for asking Big Mouth Aunt to bring Wang Xiaoqiang to her. First, she wanted to gauge Wang Xiaoqiang's impression of her. If he had a good impression, she planned to date him for a while. If they were a good match, she wouldn't mind marrying him, even though her parents would never approve. She could always elope.

Second, she wanted to ask Wang Xiaoqiang to help her at the clinic. Recently, due to the heat, many people had diarrhea. With so many patients and Old Green Mountain not around, she was overwhelmed. Since she planned to date Wang Xiaoqiang, he had an obligation to help his girlfriend. Plus, he could learn some basic medical skills.

However, now she found it hard to bring up the topic.

"Doctor Xu..." Seeing Xu Xiaoya staring at him with a complex expression, Wang Xiaoqiang felt guilty and was afraid she would listen to his chest again. He said anxiously, "If you really have nothing else, I'll be on my way."

"Am I that scary?" Xu Xiaoya glared at Wang Xiaoqiang, her voice tinged with melancholy.

Xu Xiaoya usually gave off an intellectual and cold vibe, keeping people at a distance. Wang Xiaoqiang had never seen her like this. Her feminine pique made his heart flutter, and he couldn't bring himself to leave.

"Wang Xiaoqiang, I called you because I wanted to ask you to help me at the health station..." Xu Xiaoya bit her lip and finally said, "You see, there are many people with diarrhea lately, and the beds are full of patients receiving IVs. I can't handle it alone, so..."

Before Xu Xiaoya could finish, Wang Xiaoqiang shook his head indifferently, "Doctor Xu, I think you've got the wrong person. I, Wang Xiaoqiang, don't know anything about medicine. You're asking a hunchback to climb a tree!"

Xu Xiaoya was taken aback by Wang Xiaoqiang's words. Seeing his unwillingness, she felt angry. She thought, "You're just pretending. You can even heal your parents' injured legs, yet you say you don't know medicine. You're just not giving me face! Humph! With my looks, I could easily get a crowd of people to help me if I shouted at the door. I'm giving you this opportunity, and you're not only ungrateful but also unwilling. It's as if I'm making things difficult for you. Humph!"

After venting her frustration, Xu Xiaoya decided not to persuade him. She didn't have the habit of persuading people and didn't want to start now. She said coldly, "Fine, I guess I got the wrong person. You can go."

Seeing Xu Xiaoya say this, Wang Xiaoqiang turned and left without hesitation. Watching him walk away, Xu Xiaoya stomped her foot in frustration... "Wang Xiaoqiang, you're so stubborn!"

Wang Xiaoqiang's refusal to help wasn't because he didn't know medicine. He was more concerned about it affecting his own affairs. He still hadn't figured out the Five Elements Spirit Spring in his body and didn't have time to help Xu Xiaoya.

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End of the chapter.