Chapter 14

That evening. Stars hung over the wilderness.
The Chinese medicine shop.
Cui Tingxi dumped all the expired herbal tea. She’d made it the day before yesterday. Didn’t expect even summer tea wouldn’t sell.
Before, when Dad saw patients, many trusted him. Sometimes couldn’t even drink water all day.
Now she ran the shop. Patients often just peeked in, saw a girl, turned and left. Few came for prescriptions. Patients’ eyes were colder than the shop’s AC.
Apprentice Xiao Wu lifted the curtain, came over. “Cui Jie, the herbs dried in the backyard are all bagged.”
Cui Tingxi said: “Clean up, get off work.”
After rolling down the shutter halfway, Cui Tingxi started doing accounts. From missing herbs, restocking, to labor, rent—went through everything. Looked at her bank balance.
Turned off the light. Sat alone a long time. Eyes full of the gloom of impending closure.
Before, she’d thought: as long as your skills were high, your ethics good, if you persevered, you’d find a place.
Reality was: no matter what industry, the ultimate direction of skill was sales.
Only if you could sell could you use your talent. The smaller the place, the more it relied on sales ability, not professional ability.
Rustling sounds at the door. Yangzi and Feizai came in, phone flashlights raised.
“Not replying to WeChat. Eaten? Dad braised pork belly. Told me to bring you a bowl.”
Yang Bufan pulled from the insulated container: a plate of fragrant bitter melon braised pork belly, a plate of stir‑fried amaranth, a plate of caramel‑colored roast goose, a bowl of rice.
Bitter melon braised until soft. Pork belly rendered dry. Light bitterness balanced the fat. The finishing touch: a drizzle of soy sauce. One bite, what future worries? Full stomach gives strength.
Cui Tingxi buried her head, ate. Ten minutes, not a grain left. The two across from her propped their chins, watched, didn’t speak.
One dim light, yellow shadows flickering. Stomach satisfied. Emotions soothed. She exhaled. Felt unprecedented comfort.
Wen Junjie said: “Just have your dad come back and see patients.”
Before he finished, sounds at the door. Two men came in, shined flashlights in their eyes. Cui Tingxi frowned.
“No business, why aren’t you off work yet!” The leader’s voice was loud as a dull blade in the eunuch office.
He wore mismatched Tang‑style clothes. Supposedly doing live streaming costume changes. Body even weirder. Like a lollipop someone had sucked.
This was Zhang Queping. Also ran a TCM clinic in the village. He was the one gossiping about Cui Tingxi everywhere, stealing her business.
Zhang Queping held an e‑cigarette between his fingers. Took a drag now and then. Exhaled like car exhaust into the summer air.
After coming in, no one greeted them. They pulled over chairs, sat down.
His apprentice A‑Ming beside him smiled. “Hey, we’re neighbors. I’ll be honest, don’t get mad. Business being bad is normal. Can girls even treat patients? Our village doesn’t have that tradition. After all, being able to read and being able to diagnose are two different things. If you run into something you don’t understand, can come next door, find Ping Ge.”
“How are you talking?”
Zhang Queping smiled smugly, poked A‑Ming. “But on the other hand, you’re a girl. Can’t do this. So complex, so profound. You see—villagers vote with their feet. But this thing, there’s a way to solve it.”
He crossed his legs, sat sprawled, occasionally touched his smooth chin.
Generally, wearing Tang‑style clothes had an unwritten rule: grow a long beard. Otherwise even tall, normal people easily looked like eunuchs. Especially Zhang Queping.
No one asked, but he continued: “Just find a partner with a customer base. Merge the two shops. Someone to guide you. Business naturally picks up.”
Cui Tingxi said: “Women really can’t diagnose. The internet says it all. Luckily I borrowed a dick from a man, installed it. Using horse eyes, no problem.”
The two men’s expressions changed.
She looked at yellow‑haired A‑Ming. “You really don’t accept my education? China’s college entrance exam is extremely fair. If you think you’re capable, have guts, you can finish high school, take the Southern Medical University exam. Yellow hair can have good brains too. Go for it.”
She said this easily, casually. But the attack was extreme. Yang Bufan and Wen Junjie immediately clapped with satisfaction.
A‑Ming touched his nose. Zhang Queping’s smile froze. “Tch.” Said: “Hey hey hey! Just joking. Why so serious?”
“I said find someone in the same line, solve business and life together. Two birds, one stone. For your own good. Why take kindness as donkey liver? You’re not getting any younger.”
He actually had a hidden self‑recommendation component.
In his view, Cui Tingxi was well‑educated, good‑looking. But thought too highly of herself.
She was like expensive clothing. Didn’t sell at peak. Now past the golden period, price crashed. Though she talked tough, did the independent woman thing, actually regretted it, cried every day. So got sharper.
Pigs raised to sell. Chives grown to cut. Women grown to marry. This was Chaoshan’s age‑old female benefit law.
If she didn’t grab the chance, she’d wait to become an increasingly bitter old maid.
But she had lots of good points.
Like she never dressed up. Simple, elegant. Looked like a good woman for daily life. Not embarrassing to take out.
Zhang Queping hated flashy women most. In towns, still heavy makeup. Neither country nor city. Looked like village goods from urban‑rural fringes.
Plus she had some assets. Like this medicine shop.
Downsides: no chest. Sharp‑tongued, disobedient, unforgiving when right. Personality fierce, not like a Chaoshan girl. Biggest minus.
But even the sharpest women, with a man’s nourishment, become sweet and charming. That’s a woman’s right.
Once married, properly disciplined, have kids, she’ll be docile.
In summary, Cui Tingxi scored 7.2. Zhang Queping’s highest score lately.
A‑Ming said: “Right, you should get married.”
After that, gave Zhang Queping an ambiguous smile.
Yang Bufan was furious. Organized words to counterattack. Cui Tingxi lightly pushed her behind.
“So kind. Your mouth’s spitting relics. What, you here to save me?” Cui Tingxi said.
Yellow‑haired A‑Ming got excited: “Gotta say, my Ping Ge is 171 cm, has car, house, business. Both parents have insurance. Wants to find a 175+ Chaoshan girl to marry. No other requirements.”
“I’m 178, meet the condition.” Cui Tingxi said.
A‑Ming got excited. “Yo! What a coincidence. Very compatible with Ping Ge.”
Zhang Queping coughed lightly. Mentally added another point for her tact.
Because of her tact, he raised his head, shook his leg even more smugly. Like a high‑voltage wire plugged into his spine.
Cui Tingxi said to Zhang Queping: “But I don’t want to look down at people. Feels very impolite to you. Don’t you think?”
Zhang Queping “ah”‑ed, froze.
Cui Tingxi said: “Dressed like you’re about to rush up and give someone a foot massage. Only know ‘ah’? Honestly, you look so cold you make uteruses freeze. Even if you went to sell, if you ate a piece of my watermelon in a KTV, I’d be angry. How do you have the face to recommend yourself?”
“Does anyone actually want you? Stinky mouth, wandering face. No one died, why are you spreading virtue everywhere?”
Cui Tingxi laughed coldly. That beautiful face, because of the vicious expression, burned even brighter.
“I’m telling you, you better pray this shop runs smoothly. Otherwise, your good days are ahead!”
When she smiled, sharp canines showed. Gleamed coldly in the night.
“You… you…” Zhang Queping stood up. Lips trembling with anger.
“You what you. You’re a pure dumbass. The kind that’s yang but can’t rise.”
Zhang Queping’s face flushed red. Furious, retorted: “Then that day when I passed in front of you, why did you suddenly look at me? If you weren’t seducing me, why look?”
“Which day?”
“May 5th.”
“Because your body odor was too strong,” Cui Tingxi pinched her nose, “so strong my brain crashed. Looking at you was good manners. Can’t just tell you to die, right?”
Zhang Queping and yellow‑haired A‑Ming fled in defeat.
Cui Tingxi cleaned the table amid applause. Didn’t know why, but 90% of the men she met deserved attack.
Especially after learning she was Chaoshan.
Like asking jokingly: how many kids do you plan to have after marriage? Can you accept having three sons?
She’d say: eunuchs shouldn’t worry about their masters. Have nothing. Born just to be sent to the assembly line, made into feed. Still worry about whether the master’s line is strong.
Like going to the city on business, met a fitness coach handing out flyers. She politely took one. The guy chased after her, wouldn’t let go. Said her butt was flat, back wasn’t straight. Wanted her to sign up.
She immediately shot back: But you train every day. How’d you get so ugly? Does anyone like you? Can you sell classes? Is it because your performance is bad, getting humiliated by the manager every day?
The guy was furious. Cui Tingxi gave the flyer back. Told him to work hard on losing weight. If it didn’t work, switch to delivery. That one makes you thin fast.
The environment she grew up in made Cui Tingxi sensitive to the tiniest malice. Would instantly enter combat mode. In her girlhood, before female consciousness was widespread, she was already notorious.
She wasn’t sharp and combative from some position. Just simple instinct. Couldn’t bear it, couldn’t take it. Had to say one less word or she’d explode.
And every time she fought, that adrenaline rush felt amazing.
Many men were arrogant, vicious, aggressive. But society kept indulging them. She knew how to educate them: be more vicious, more brutal.
Villains fear power, not virtue.
As long as you didn’t let them off easily, they’d remember this lesson next time they acted up. Know to rein it in.
The three locked up the shop, headed home.
Feizai worried Zhang Queping would retaliate. Yang Bufan thought Xizi did the right thing.
Cui Tingxi watched them debate expressionlessly. Cool wind on her face. Heart empty. In all that noise, felt free.
Topic came back. Most urgent now was the shop’s regular customer business. Regular customers—most important was building confidence…
The three discussed a long time. Didn’t reach any conclusion.
Besides that, Yang Bufan had another surprise these days.