The five-and-a-half-year-old baby doctor comes to the city to cure those who refuse to listen.

Lin Fu stood in the shadows in the corner of the courtyard, listening to the news his trusted servant brought back from outside, his facial muscles twitching incessantly.

"Manager, that's a brilliant move! Now the whole city is buzzing with the news that the young master our Jishetang found is a thief with a dirty hand!"

Another guy joined in, lowering his voice, barely able to hide his excitement.

"He's more than just a thief! I've also heard that the brat was a charlatan back in the countryside, skilled in all sorts of underhanded tricks, completely fooling his simple-minded grandmother and second uncle, which is how he managed to sneak into the capital!"

Hearing this, Lin Fu finally felt a little more at ease.

Yesterday he sent people to Donghai Fishing Village, and today he spent money to find a few gossipy people in teahouses and alleyways in Beijing to spread the story of "Young Master stealing Chief Zhou's jade pendant" with added embellishments.

The goal is to ruin this brat's reputation and let the old man know that the person he found is not a prodigy, but a scourge!

"Well done." Lin Fu pulled out a few bills from his pocket and stuffed them into the hands of the two men. "Keep spreading the word, and make it as exaggerated as possible! Say that little charlatan is incredibly evil; he killed his own mother, and now he's coming to bring misfortune upon our Lin family!"

"Alright!"

The two men took the money and left with beaming smiles.

Lin Fu straightened his clothes, put on a worried expression, and walked towards the main courtyard where Lin Jianguo lived.

Before even entering the courtyard, a crisp "snap" sound came from inside.

"Outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Lin Jianguo was so angry that he trembled all over. He smashed his most beloved purple clay teapot on the ground, shards flying everywhere.

An old servant knelt on the ground, reporting nervously.

"Grandpa, it's all over the place outside...it's like the wind is blowing up everywhere. There are even people blocking the entrance to our pharmacy, pointing and whispering, saying...saying that our Lin family is a den of iniquity and is protecting thieves..."

"Bullshit! It's all bullshit!" Lin Jianguo's chest heaved with rage. "I'm out right now! I want to see which bastard is gossiping behind my back! I'll tear his mouth apart!"

He leaned on the table and started to walk out.

Grandpa.

A crisp sound came from the side.

Chu Chen was sitting on a small stool, holding a medical book in his hand, reading it with great interest, as if the rumors outside had nothing to do with him.

He didn't even look up, just said something indifferently.

If a dog bites you, are you going to bite back?

Lin Jianguo paused, turned around and looked at him, his anger rising.

"What time is it?! You're still reading! People are practically throwing dirty water in your face!"

Chu Chen turned a page of his book and slowly began to speak.

"The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty. Let them make a fuss if they want. The bigger the fuss, the better; otherwise, how will we find out who's hiding behind it all?"

Just then, Lin Fu burst in looking "anxious".

"Grandpa! Grandpa, please don't get angry! What if you ruin your health?"

As soon as he entered, he showed concern for the old man before turning to Chu Chen with a look of earnestness.

"Young Master, it's not that Uncle Fu is criticizing you. This whole thing started because of you, and now it's caused a huge uproar in town, even attracting the attention of the police station!"

"In my opinion, you should hand over that jade pendant to the police station for now. Firstly, it will prove your innocence; secondly, it will prevent trouble for the Lin family. Don't you think that makes sense?"

His words were spoken in a grand and righteous manner, every sentence of which was "for the good of the Lin family."

Lin Jianguo listened and felt that there was some truth to it.

If things get out of hand, handing over the jade pendant and letting officials handle it is indeed a good way to calm things down.

Chu Chen finally closed the book in his hand.

He looked up at Lin Fu's face, which was full of "loyalty," and a half-smile played on his lips.

"Uncle Fu is right."

Lin Fu was secretly pleased, thinking that the little brat had chickened out.

Chu Chen, however, changed the subject and continued slowly.

"However, my mother used to tell me that some things are easy to invite but hard to get rid of."

He stood up, walked up to Lin Fu, looked up at him with his small face, and asked, word by word.

"It's easy for me to hand over this jade pendant. But what if... the Zhou family denies it and insists I stole it? Then it will be difficult to get the pendant back. Uncle Fu, don't you agree?"

Lin Fu's smile froze.

This little brat actually thought of this!

He was about to say something more to refute it.

A commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.

A waiter scrambled in, his face filled with panic.

"Grandpa...Grandpa! Something terrible has happened!"

"The Zhou family...people from the Zhou family have arrived!"

"What?"

Lin Jianguo and Lin Fu's expressions changed simultaneously.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!

A surge of joy welled up in Lin Fu's heart; it was truly a stroke of luck!

The Zhou family didn't come earlier or later, but they came precisely when the rumors were at their peak! Now that's perfect, with witnesses and evidence, let's see how you, little brat, can still deny it!

"Quickly! Please come in!"

Lin Jianguo's heart skipped a beat, wondering if the other party had come to interrogate him or had some other purpose.

He quickly straightened his clothes and went out to greet them personally.

At the main gate, a black Volga sedan was parked. In Beijing in 93, this car was more eye-catching than Mercedes-Benz and BMW later on.

The car door opened, and the first person to step out was a young man in military uniform with a straight posture.

It was the same guard who had offered Chu Chen money on the train that day.

The young man opened the car door and carefully helped an elderly man with a cane, gray hair, but sharp eyes, out of the car.

Although the old man was dressed in casual clothes, the imposing aura of someone who had been through many battles made the onlookers around him afraid to even breathe loudly.

"Brother Zhou!"

When Lin Jianguo saw the old man, he was both surprised and delighted, and quickly went to greet him.

"What brings you here! You've just recovered, why did you make the trip yourself!"

Commander Zhou laughed heartily, his voice booming, showing no trace of illness.

"Jianguo! I almost lost my life. If I don't get out and about soon, I'm afraid I'll really be ending up in Babaoshan Cemetery!"

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the courtyard.

His eyes lit up instantly when his gaze fell on the small figure standing behind Lin Jianguo.

"You must be the little miracle doctor who saved me!"

Chief Zhou pushed aside the guards, strode up to Chu Chen, squatted down, and looked him up and down, his eyes full of approval and curiosity.

This completely baffled everyone present.

Especially Lin Fu, whose smugness hadn't even fully blossomed before it froze.

What... what's going on here?

Weren't they here to confront me? Why are they bringing up the "Little Miracle Doctor"?

The neighbors who had rushed over to see what was going on were also dumbfounded.

"Wasn't he supposed to be a thief?"

"How did you become a miracle doctor?"

Chief Zhou ignored the surrounding discussions. He took out the calming jade that Chu Chen had "handed over" from his pocket and personally hung it around Chu Chen's neck.

"Good child! This jade is a gift from me! From now on, it belongs to you!"

He patted Chu Chen on the shoulder, then stood up, his gaze sharp as he swept over the people around him who were pointing and whispering.

He cleared his throat, and his voice carried throughout the entire street corner.

"I've heard some unsavory rumors circulating outside, saying that this child stole my things?"

"Today, I, Zhou, am putting my words right here and now!"

"This child is my savior! Even if he wanted half of my fortune, let alone a piece of jade, I, Zhou, would not hesitate!"

"From now on, anyone who dares to speak ill of my benefactor behind his back is going against me, Zhou!"

His words were powerful and domineering.

Those who had been watching the spectacle and gossiping earlier were all so frightened that they shrank back and slunk away.

Lin Fu stood there, feeling dizzy and his face burning as if he had been slapped a dozen times in public.

He's finished.

This time, he's completely lost face.

He secretly and resentfully glanced at Chu Chen, who was surrounded by Chief Zhou and Lin Jianguo, showered with affection.

Chu Chen also happened to look up and glance in his direction.

That gaze, calm and undisturbed, seemed to say:

"That's it? I thought it would be something bigger."