This doctor is already middle-aged, and he's only just started practicing medicine.

Chapter 269 What goes around comes around!
"Professor Zhu, shall I arrange lunch or will you arrange it yourself?" Song Qihua followed behind Zhu Qin, his expression simple and polite.

"I'll arrange my own lunch. I came to Xiangzhou this time only for personal matters. I apologize for bothering Director Song so much." Professor Zhu Qin said apologetically.

Song Qihua quickly waved his hand and smiled apologetically: "It's no trouble at all, Teacher Zhu. It's not easy for you to come all this way. I'm in Jilin City, so I should take good care of you. I'm just afraid that I might not be able to entertain you properly."

"Actually, you should have called ahead to let us know what happened last night, Professor Zhu."

Zhu Qin, being quite old, naturally felt the 'trouble' he had caused Song Qihua. As he walked, he sighed softly, "Actually, I didn't expect my child's situation to be so troublesome."

"At the time, I just sent the video over, and the other party only glanced at it. It wasn't until he was fully awake that he called me back."

"Director Song, this is what's putting you in a difficult position."

Song Qihua then understood why Zhu Qin's expression had suddenly changed. When he first contacted him, Zhu Qin had only asked him to find the surgeon so he could ask him questions.

His tone and expression were not good at the time, clearly indicating that he wanted to ask about the treatment process in detail.

But to his surprise, Zhu Qin's expression changed immediately after he returned.

On his side, he ended up offending Lu Cheng somewhat.

"It's nothing, Teacher Zhu. It's all what I should do, but I haven't been able to help you much."

"Teacher Zhu, why don't you go find a place to rest for a while?" Song Qihua said hurriedly.

Zhu Qin had no intention of resting: "I have no mind to rest. I'll just sit outside the ICU and wait for him to come out completely."

"Director Song, please go ahead and do your work."

Upon hearing this, Song Qihua said, "Teacher Zhu, I will keep a close eye on the follow-up. If there are any developments in the ICU, I will report to you immediately."

After escorting Zhu Qin to the ICU entrance, Song Qihua politely bid farewell to Zhu Qin and her husband, as well as her father-in-law's family, before turning away.

After turning around, Song Qihua cursed under his breath: "Damn it, in the end they don't take us seriously at all."

"Even the most straightforward procedures can be moved to the back... making me look awkward and causing me to offend people."

However, Song Qihua thought of how Zhu Qin had been traveling all night and was unwilling to rest at a hotel. He knew that Zhu Qin was just worried and confused, and as a parent, he wasn't that angry.

Song Qihua still needs to think carefully about how to explain this matter to Lu Cheng in detail.

The proud and arrogant one is Zhu Qin, not me, Song Qihua, who is just relaying the message!

……

It was 1 p.m. on the 18th day of the first lunar month.

Zhaoshi Town, Long County.

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Lu Cheng followed his relatives and set off to arrange the engagement.

The group consisted of ten people, all of whom were relatives of Lu Cheng. Lu Cheng's uncle and aunt had also taken leave to come, and the others were senior members of the Lu family.

Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu were in a free-love relationship, so there was no matchmaker present.

According to the engagement customs of Zhaoshi, today Lu Chengjia is to prepare all the wine, meat, seasonings, rice, and other necessities.

But Mu Leng said that all he needed to do was bring meat; the Mu family would take care of everything else.

So Lu Chengjia only took a tray, Mao Zedong's money, half a pig, accessories, red envelopes, firecrackers, and other items.

On the bus, the Lu family was distributing red envelopes to Lu Nanyong and others for the 'tea ceremony' they would later give to Mu Nanshu, while Lu Cheng's maternal grandfather was explaining to Lu Cheng the etiquette to observe when they arrived at the Mu family's house...

Mu Nanshu's hometown is not far from Zhaoshi Town, only about a 20-minute drive away.

At 1:23, Lu Cheng and the others got out of the car, while Mu Nanshu and his family greeted them at the door.

Mu Nanshu was dressed in a rather traditional dark red Han-style formal dress, which made her stand out in the crowd.

Before Lu Cheng could even notice, a cousin lit fireworks and firecrackers. With the explosions and billowing smoke, he was announcing to everyone that Mu Leng's daughter was about to be engaged, which naturally attracted a lot of onlookers...

Lu Cheng didn't understand many of the etiquette rules, but he and Mu Nanshu did whatever the elders on both sides of the family told them to do.

The corresponding procedure was relatively simple. After Mu Leng worshipped at the Mu family shrine, he led Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu to recognize the Mu family's relatives. After recognizing the relatives, Lu Cheng followed suit and then distributed incense.

The people Lu Cheng wants to acknowledge are all elders of the Mu family.

When passing by Mu Leng's brother, Mu Yuan, Lu Cheng made a point of glancing at Mu Yuan and his wife a few times, politely offering them the cigarettes he was holding, and affectionately calling them Uncle and Aunt...

The engagement went smoothly, and Mu Nanshu's uncle and aunt did not cause any trouble.

When Lu Cheng, Mu Nanshu, Mu Leng, and the others finished these procedures and entered the main hall, Mu's relatives were all looking at the gold jewelry that Lu Cheng had given to Mu Nanshu.

The exquisite gold headdress, costing over 300,000 yuan, is quite striking.

Lu Cheng hooked his arm around Mu Nanshu's hand: "Why don't you try them on..."

"You can't wear it today, you have to put it away and use it at the wedding." Mu Nanshu rolled her eyes at Lu Cheng.

"I think it must look really good." Lu Cheng had a vivid memory of Mu Nanshu's phoenix coronet and wedding gown.

“My parents wouldn’t allow it either; that’s the rule,” Mu Nanshu said.

After Mu Nanshu finished speaking, Lu Cheng took her hand and led her to the door again: "Uncle Wei, hello, you've come too."

The visitor was from Wei Ying.

Wei Ying then said, "How could I not come when you and Xiao Shu are engaged? You are both young men I've watched grow up."

"Besides, with such a great opportunity today, I should at least have a drink to moisten my mouth; it's been a long time since I've had one."

Wei Ying's wife, He Shanshan, said, "You're only allowed to break the rule once today. You're not feeling well, how can you drink alcohol?"

"It's not like I'm stopping you from drinking."

"Mmm." Wei Ying was also a good drinker.

"Uncle Wei, Aunt He, please come in and sit down. There's a stove inside..." Lu Cheng greeted them, "I'll go pour you some tea."

"You all go about your business," Wei Ying waved his hand.

“Uncle Wei, we don’t even know what we’ve been busy with, we’re just busy doing nothing. I’ll go make you some tea,” Lu Cheng said.

Seeing Lu Cheng's 'carefree' demeanor, Mu Nanshu, who was with Lu Cheng, said, "It seems like you're the only one who hasn't been busy. We've all been busy with a lot of things."

"Yes, yes, I was the only one who slacked off, I'm sorry."

"It's decorated beautifully, but isn't it a bit wasteful? The engagement is only going to happen today, why did you have to use all-wood decorations?" Lu Cheng asked.

Mu Nanshu quickly warned, "Don't worry about this, my dad is willing to do these things."

After quickly brewing two cups of tea, Lu Cheng placed them on a tray and returned them, saying, "Find a place to rest and sit down for a while. I'll go pour tea for Uncle Wei and the others."

"I reckon we don't have enough mahjong tables at home. Why don't you call and rent a few more?"

"Okay." Mu Nanshu didn't expect so many people to come today; all six mahjong tables were already packed.

The only people busy today were Mu Leng and Lu Cheng's family; everyone else besides the cook and helpers was just there to make up the numbers.

An engagement, in theory, is a procedure, a marriage between two families, but to outsiders, it's just a matter of a meal.

Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu were both young, and since there was nothing to help with in the kitchen, they sat side by side and chatted with Mu Nanshu's grandfather.

Mu Leng and Yan Sangyue were constantly running around, taking care of all sorts of matters, while Lu Cheng's parents simply stayed quietly and chatted with Mu Leng's relatives.

Suddenly, Lu Cheng noticed a slight change in Mu Nanshu's expression, and he immediately looked in the direction of Mu Nanshu's gaze.

Outside the door, a young man whom Lu Cheng did not recognize appeared. He was not very old, of average height and appearance, with plain features, and looked rather simple and honest.

Lu Cheng noticed that Mu Nanshu's gaze followed this person to her uncle Mu Yuan and aunt Cao Qinghua.

Afterwards, Lu Cheng saw the newcomer talk to Cao Qinghua for a while, and then Mu Yuan and Cao Qinghua immediately stood up.

Fortunately, they were heading out the door, not looking for Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu...

"You're all sweaty. What's wrong?" Lu Cheng held Mu Nanshu's hand and felt the sweat on her palm.

"Nothing much," Mu Nanshu shook her head slightly.

Mu Nanshu's grandfather was talking to his generation about the past, the hardships they had endured, and the rumors they had heard, without paying any attention to Lu Cheng and the other two children.

Lu Cheng suggested, "How about we go out for a walk and clear our heads?" "Is that appropriate?" Mu Nanshu asked.

"It's alright, today is an engagement, not a wedding. We're not the main characters. Just go and come back quickly," Lu Cheng said.

However, just as Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu stood up, a loud voice came from outside the door: "Uncle, you can send whoever you want, I'm not going."

"Who is he? Do I know him? Are we close?"

"Keep your voice down," Mu Yuan shouted angrily.

"I don't care if my voice is a little softer, I just can't stand him, so what? Just because he was a civil servant before, he thinks he's all that important." The voice belonged to Hong Zhifei, the son of Mu Ningning, Mu Leng's cousin.

"What's wrong with being a civil servant? Does that make you so great?"

"Hong Zhifei, is there some misunderstanding between us? I don't think I've offended you, have I?"

Cao Qi's voice was calm: "Why are you suddenly making such a big deal out of it? If you don't want to go, then don't go. I can go by myself."

"Don't make a big fuss and ruin other people's good time."

As Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu walked out together, Mu Leng and Yan Sangyue had already appeared at the entrance of the main room, their eyes warily fixed on Mu Yuan and Cao Qinghua.

Cao Qi turned around and immediately saw Lu Cheng. He then turned and walked over with a smile: "Brother Lu, Sister Shu."

Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu also put on a serious face and called out to Cao Qi in return.

Since everyone is a guest, and it was Mu Nanshu's engagement, Cao Qinghua's brothers also came to make up the numbers and save face.

"Why are you making a fuss? Is something missing?" Mu Leng asked with a smile as he approached.

Cao Qi quickly smiled and said, "Young Master Mu Leng, I came here specifically to see Lu Cheng."

"I originally wanted to ask Hong Zhifei for a small favor, but he misunderstood," Cao Qi said calmly, smoothing things over.

Cao Qinghua is Cao Qi's aunt, and Cao Qi, following Mu Yuan's identity, addressed him as "son-in-law".

Mu Leng sneered, "Hong Zhifei, are you stirring up trouble again?"

Hong Zhifei was speechless at Cao Qi's "proper behavior." As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together."

Cao Qinghua has such a sensible nephew, which puzzles him greatly. Today is a happy occasion for the head of the Mu family: "Uncle, I was just joking."

Cao Qi said, "Brother Lu, let's go inside and talk. Otherwise, people will think we've misunderstood something, and with so many relatives here, it won't look good."

"Okay, sure." Lu Cheng nodded in agreement.

After a quick, awkward expression, Cao Qinghua turned to her and said, "Brother, sister-in-law, I'm going back to feed the pigs; I forgot to feed them this morning."

After saying that, Cao Qinghua left in a hurry.

Mu Yuan couldn't avoid it. Although he knew Cao Qinghua was lying, he could only grit his teeth and follow Cao Qi, Lu Cheng, and the others into the house.

Seeing that the 'conflict' had not escalated, Mu Leng and Yan Sangyue went to greet the others.

After sitting down, Cao Qi explained the purpose of his visit.

Cao Qi was implicated by the inspection team this time. Of course, he was just a small fry, the kind that was dispensable, but he just happened to be unlucky and was found to have problems!
This matter could be big or small. He found out that the only person in Xiangzhou who could establish a relationship with the inspection team was Lu Cheng.

Cao Qi hoped Lu Cheng could put in a good word for him so the inspection team would just ignore him...

"Well, Brother Lu, actually I came here specifically to ask you for a small favor," Cao Qi said.

Lu Cheng was quite surprised to hear this: "Huh? You want me to help you? Aren't you overestimating me?"

Lu Cheng glanced at Mu Yuan: "I'm just a small doctor, I can't interfere in your leaders' affairs."

Cao Qi then said cryptically, "Brother Lu, you only need to say a few words. What am I? Just a lowly section chief."

"Who cares about me?"

"You can definitely do it! Brother Lu, you should understand what I mean."

Few people knew about Lu Cheng performing surgery on the leaders of the inspection team, because neither side wanted to make a big deal out of it.

If Cao Qi's matter weren't so minor, requiring only a trigger to resolve, he wouldn't have bothered to inquire about it.

Of course, Lu Cheng's surgery wasn't a secret; some people knew about it.

After learning Lu Cheng's identity, Cao Qi conducted a background check for a period of time, only to find out that he was actually a 'family member' with only one half of his body...

Lu Cheng chuckled, his tone calm: "To be honest, I don't really understand."

Lu Cheng had no liking for Cao Qi.

When Mu Yuan heard Lu Cheng's straightforward refusal, he said, "Lu Cheng, since Cao Qi has come to you for help, and we're all family, why don't you lend a hand?"

Lu Cheng glanced at Mu Yuan, his tone odd: "Second Uncle, I think I just heard you mention that we are family?"

Cao Qi noticed the sarcasm in Lu Cheng's voice, glanced at his uncle-in-law, and asked with a flicker in his eyes, "Brother Lu?"

Lu Cheng stated directly: "Cao Qi, I don't want to help. I have no reason to help, and I don't think I have the ability to help."

Mu Leng and Yan Sangyue stood far away, pretending to talk to relatives, but they actually felt quite pleased to hear what they were saying.

Mu Yuan and Cao Qinghua always relied on Cao Qinghua's family for support, and were always the bullies at home. Cao Qi was Cao Qinghua's source of confidence, and she would always talk about her nephew...

Cao Qi turned out to be a reasonable person and stood up immediately: "Brother Lu, you have things to attend to today, so I won't bother you any longer."

"However, I hope that I will have the opportunity to talk to you alone in the future."

"Cao Qi, don't go, stay for dinner." Mu Leng glanced at Lu Cheng, feeling exceptionally pleased, but still very politely invited him.

Cao Qi turned around and waved his hand: "Uncle, I won't eat. I have some very urgent business to attend to."

"When Brother Lu and Sister Shu get married next time, I will definitely come and ask for a cup of wedding wine."

"Brother Lu, see you next time." Cao Qi didn't linger and left the crowd decisively.

It's clear that Cao Qi came with hope, hoping that his aunt and uncle could serve as a 'link' between him and Lu Cheng, but this link is now in a dead end!

In this situation, getting bogged down in details is pointless. The most important thing is to find the knotted button.

Since she and Lu Chengsu were complete strangers, the button could only have come from her aunt.

Those who could survive within the system without brains would have been removed long ago, and it's impossible for them to be 'implicated' at this point!
Mu Yuan remained seated, feeling somewhat awkward.

After opening and closing his mouth for a while, he finally asked, "Lu Cheng, are you really unable to help?"

"Second Uncle, this isn't what we're discussing today!"

"Today is my engagement to Xiaoshu. Even if the sky falls, other tall people will be the first to step up. What do other things have to do with me?" Lu Cheng originally thought he couldn't understand Cao Qinghua's nephew.

Only then did he realize that what he couldn't understand wasn't Cao Qi, but Mu Yuan and Cao Qinghua, or their distorted psychology of regret and jealousy.

But what goes around comes around.

Mu Yuan's expression kept changing, but he could only hold back, blushing, and pretend to go chat with someone.

In this situation, Cao Qinghua can run away, but he, as her uncle, can't, otherwise he would definitely be beaten!

Lu Cheng and Hong Zhifei pretended to be polite as they saw Cao Qi off, and at the door they politely invited Cao Qi to come over for dinner when he had time.

On the way back, Hong Zhifei's eyes gleamed: "Brother Lu, you've been keeping this under wraps for a while, haven't you?"

"Your second aunt's nephew is supposed to be a very important person, so why would he come to see you?"

"You must give me a helping hand."

Lu Cheng nodded slightly, his tone neither confirming nor denying, and said, "Hong Zhifei, I heard from my wife that you used to beat her a lot when you were a child?"

"You even made her cry?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Zhifei was speechless for a moment, his expression shifting: "You two really are birds of a feather flock together. You're going to hold onto such a trivial matter from before you were six years old for a lifetime, aren't you?"

"Yes, that's right!" Lu Cheng's tone was firm.

Hong Zhifei sullenly disappeared into the crowd, his gaze becoming rather wistful.

(End of this chapter)