Chapter 448: Chapter 448: Meeting Gift

On the day of the conference, the hospital gave Mr. Gong a full check-up. The results showed he had recovered remarkably well; all his vitals were within the normal range. In fact, his physical condition was even better than most men his age.

Under the circumstances, the hospital naturally agreed to let Mr. Gong be discharged temporarily, as long as a liability waiver was signed.

Seeing how well Mr. Gong was doing, An Zhihan and the others were relieved. Still, they urged Su Qing to stay close to Mr. Gong, just in case anything happened.

The conference was scheduled for the evening. Before accompanying Mr. Gong, however, Su Qing first made a trip back to the Li family’s home to drop off the gray squirrel for Mr. Li and Mrs. Li.

When she came back from Lan City, Su Qing had put the gray squirrel into her space, but she forgot to take it out upon her return. She only remembered it in the past couple of days, so she made up an excuse about it being a gift from a friend and left it with the Li family.

Mr. Li and Mrs. Li were both quite fond of the gray squirrel. Having previously lived on Xiqing Mountain and then spent some time in Su Qing’s space, the squirrel had become even more intelligent. It charmed Mr. Li and Mrs. Li, making them beam with delight.

Su Qing left a large bag of nuts for it, then headed out to the hospital to pick up Mr. Gong.

The event Mr. Gong was attending was a conference on traditional Chinese medicine, bringing together many renowned practitioners and scholars from across the country. The development of Chinese medicine had been somewhat disappointing in recent years. Many of the seasoned, older doctors had passed away, while the younger generation had yet to fully come into their own. To ensure the long-term future of the field, a prestigious family of practitioners in Beijing had organized this conference. It was open not only to experienced masters but, more importantly, to young people who were interested in or already practicing Chinese medicine.

To put it bluntly, the conference was essentially a venue for the old masters to find apprentices. It wasn’t easy to find young people who were both interested in and talented at Chinese medicine in their daily lives, but an event like this made it much simpler.

Mr. Gong was attending the conference with this very goal in mind. His only son had died young and left no heirs. Over the years, his few apprentices had either passed away or vanished. His only remaining student, Du Chaoran, had learned some traditional techniques from him, but Du Chaoran’s true talent clearly lay in Western medicine, not Chinese. Mr. Gong was growing anxious, worried that his lifetime of medical knowledge would not be passed on, which was why he placed so much importance on this conference.

As for Su Qing, Mr. Gong felt it was a real shame. He had once privately asked if she wanted to learn Chinese medicine. But since Su Qing herself possessed a Wood Ability superpower, she wasn’t particularly interested in the subject. Besides, ’My temperament isn’t calm enough for that,’ Su Qing thought. ’I don’t have Mr. Gong’s noble spirit of saving the world. If I ran into a patient like An Zhiwei, forget about saving them. It’d be a show of mercy on my part not to toss a shovel of dirt on their grave.’

"Mr. Gong, will there be a lot of people at the conference?" Su Qing asked curiously on the way there.

Mr. Gong smiled. "There should be quite a few," he told Su Qing. "This conference was organized by the Bai Family of Beijing. They’re a legacy family of Chinese medicine practitioners, famous not only in Beijing but throughout the country’s medical community. They’re very prestigious, so an event they organize is sure to draw a large crowd."

Su Qing nodded. "It sounds like this Bai Family really is highly regarded."

"They are," Mr. Gong chuckled. "Once we get there, if you don’t feel like socializing, just find a spot to get something to eat. The Bai Family’s events are always buffet-style, and their little cakes and pastries are quite good."

Mr. Gong knew Su Qing wasn’t one for socializing. She wouldn’t have come to this conference at all if not to look after him.

Su Qing nodded with a smile. "Sounds good."

The conference was held at one of the Bai Family’s estates on the outskirts of Beijing. The Bai Family was deeply influential and owned a great deal of property in the city. This particular estate was one of them—elegant, spacious, and perfectly suited for hosting guests.

Su Qing and Mr. Gong arrived at the gate of the estate, where Mr. Gong presented their invitation. Upon seeing it, the host at the gate immediately grew more respectful. "Ah, it’s Mr. Gong! Please, come right in."

As he spoke, the man glanced at Su Qing. Each invitation permitted one guest, so he silently wondered about her relationship with Mr. Gong, though he showed no sign of it on his face.

Su Qing followed Mr. Gong into the estate. Before long, a hale and hearty old man came out to greet them. "Brother Gong, it’s been too long!"

"Brother Bai," Mr. Gong greeted him with a chuckle, then turned to Su Qing. "This is the head of the Bai Family, Mr. Bai."

Su Qing beamed and greeted him, "Grandpa Bai."

"Well now, what a pretty young lady," Mr. Bai said, smiling and nodding as he looked at Su Qing. He then asked Mr. Gong, "Brother Gong, is this your little apprentice?"

Mr. Gong sighed. "She’s a junior of mine, named Su Qing. Alas, I do wish she were my apprentice. The girl has a real talent for medicinal herbs, but unfortunately, she has no interest in studying the medical arts."

Hearing this, Mr. Bai chuckled. He could tell that even though Su Qing wasn’t Mr. Gong’s apprentice, he clearly held her in high regard. With a warm laugh, he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and offered it to Su Qing. "Here, young lady. These are Yuji Pills, perfect for young women like you. Please, take them as a little meeting gift from your Grandpa Bai."

Mr. Gong chuckled at that. "You’re quite generous."

Then, Mr. Gong added for Su Qing’s benefit, "These Yuji Pills are made from one of the Bai Family’s ancestral secret formulas. In the old days, they were presented as tribute to the nobles in the Imperial Palace. Since it’s a gift from your Grandpa Bai, go ahead and accept it."

Su Qing could see that Mr. Gong and Mr. Bai obviously had a very good relationship, so she didn’t refuse. She accepted the small porcelain bottle with a smile. "Thank you, Grandpa Bai."

"Such a polite, good child," Mr. Bai said with a pleased nod. He then turned to Mr. Gong. "Come, let’s head inside. A lot of people have already arrived, and they’re all waiting to see you."

Su Qing’s heart sank when she heard that. ’So many people waiting to see Mr. Gong... If I stay by his side, my face will go numb from all the smiling!’ she thought. Besides, she had no intention of getting too involved with all these practitioners. As long as Mr. Gong was within her Domain, she could ensure his safety. So, she immediately said to him, "Why don’t you go chat with all the uncles and grandpas? I’ll just find a quiet place to hang out."

Mr. Gong nodded. "Alright."

Mr. Bai quickly added with a laugh, "I have quite a few younger family members here as well. It’s a perfect opportunity for the young people to get to know each other."

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