Chapter 194: Becoming Enemies
This assistant was Jiang Ruihao’s niece, Jiang Ruyan, who was mortified by the scolding.
She came from a very well-off family. Growing up, not only did her parents and older brothers dote on her, but because her paternal uncle only had two sons and no daughters, he and her two older cousins pampered her as well.
Her grandfather was the Divine Doctor of Qing City, and having been exposed to medicine from a young age, she had picked up a smattering of knowledge.
Her mother had hoped since she was young that she would join a cultural troupe to marry a military officer, but her father pointed out that studying medicine would also bring her into contact with many soldiers.
Jiang Ruyan was an ambitious person, so she took her father’s advice and tested into medical school.
She interned directly at a military hospital. With a good job lined up for her and her beautiful looks, her life had always been smooth sailing, which made her a bit conceited and arrogant.
But she was very good at putting on an act; her established persona was that of a beautiful and kind-hearted person. The reason she’d followed them to the border was to advance her career upon her return.
She was on track to become an attending physician, and before this, Jiang Ruyan had always been diligent in her medical studies.
But upon hearing that Su Shuochi’s leg might be cured, she deeply regretted her past decision, which is why she had just slandered Divine Doctor Su Gu, completely disregarding her own image.
After being reprimanded, not only did she fail to reflect on her actions, but she also shot a hateful glare at Sheng Shijing and began to resent Divine Doctor Su Gu.
Jiang Ruyan felt that ever since meeting Su Shuochi, her life had been one setback after another.
It was rare for her to take a liking to a man, but he was cold and distant, not at all like the other men who showered her with attention.
Thankfully, her uncle was Su Shuochi’s superior, so she had many opportunities to see the devastatingly handsome but ice-cold man.
Unfortunately, before they could even get engaged, Su Shuochi was crippled. ’Someone as outstanding as me couldn’t possibly marry a cripple, could I?’
No matter how capable or handsome he was, Jiang Ruyan decisively abandoned him after that.
So upon suddenly hearing that Su Shuochi’s leg might be cured, how could Jiang Ruyan possibly maintain her fake persona!
Meanwhile, Gu Jiaojiao, the Divine Doctor Su Gu now despised by Jiang Ruyan, had no idea someone was seething with jealousy over her from afar.
After saving the child and discussing Su Shuochi’s condition with Divine Doctor Jiang, she resumed driving Su Shuochi and Grandpa Gu to Xiangyang Street.
Su Shuochi took Gao Xiangming and his men to take care of other things, while Grandpa Gu and Gu Jiaojiao entered the courtyard.
Mr. Song was there today as well, and the two elderly men had plenty of common topics to discuss, while Gu Jiaojiao helped the Song siblings with their IV drips.
After hanging the IV drips, she saw that both siblings needed new prescriptions, so Gu Jiaojiao used a spare moment to write two of them.
After writing the prescriptions, it was time for acupuncture with the silver needles. Seeing her son’s and daughter’s complexions growing healthier and rosier each day, Aunt Song redoubled her efforts, brewing a variety of soups to nourish their bodies.
At noon, Su Shuochi returned with Gao Xiangming and the others, and Aunt Song had made lunch for them.
Uncle Song also brought Song Qianqian over to eat; she had been at the Song Family home reviewing her study materials.
She greeted Gu Jiaojiao warmly upon seeing her, "Jiaojiao, what brings you here to see my brother?"
"My grandpa came, so Shu Ci and I came along with him," Gu Jiaojiao replied nonchalantly.
Song Qianqian didn’t give it a second thought, mostly because she couldn’t believe that Gu Jiaojiao was the Divine Doctor.
After lunch, Gu Jiaojiao drove Grandpa Gu and followed Gao Xiangming’s car to the outskirts of the city.
Earlier that morning, Su Shuochi and his men had gone to check out the site. There was already a government policy in place encouraging people to develop wasteland.
Any wasteland you developed yourself would become your personal property simply by registering it, and the fee was minimal.
Su Shuochi had already registered two low-lying hills, which amounted to about two thousand mu of land.
They didn’t plan on planting crops on these two thousand mu of land; instead, they wanted to build factory buildings.
Of course, Su Shuochi planned to first plant some fruit trees and vegetables around the perimeter, since constructing the factory buildings would take some time.
Gu Jiaojiao didn’t know anything about agriculture, so she had no right to an opinion and let Su Shuochi handle everything.
Grandpa Gu, however, suggested they first build some pigsties and raise a batch of pigs. For manpower, he said they should look for Houzi.
Gao Xiangming also knew a very famous blacksmith, whose ancestors were rumored to have crafted military armaments in ancient times.
Su Shuochi’s interest was piqued by the mention of the blacksmith. When he thought about manufacturing medical equipment, he hadn’t planned on doing any R&D from scratch. It would be good enough to simply replicate the existing equipment in his wife’s space.
Therefore, he would only need blacksmiths and carpenters with practical experience. Then they could take on apprentices, and it would be simple enough for each person to learn a single step of the manufacturing process.
Seeing Su Shuochi arrange everything so methodically, Gu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but admire her man.
Su Shuochi’s uncles were not only unskilled, but they were also difficult to get along with, which was why Su Shuochi planned to hire only outsiders.
The close relatives in the Gu Family all had formal jobs, and even the unemployed Second Brother Gu was looking to develop a career in the restaurant industry.
In the Sheng Family, Sheng Shiwen was an electrician, but Gu Jiaojiao and her husband had no intention of using him. Sheng Shiwu, on the other hand, had always stuck by Gu Jiaojiao.
Therefore, when Su Shuochi wanted to scout for technical talent, he went to Sheng Shiwu to find people from the university’s architecture and engineering departments.
After a busy day, it was nearly dark by the time Gu Jiaojiao and the others returned to the compound.
Gu Jiaojiao drove straight home, and this time, Gao Xiangming and his companion also came along to the Su family home for dinner.
Gu Jiaojiao had to go to school the next day and was leaving her car for Su Shuochi to use, but since his leg hadn’t healed yet, Gao Xiangming was appointed to be his driver.
Gao Xiangming had been eager to get behind the wheel of a luxury car, so he naturally had no objections. By the time they arrived, the dinner table at the Su family home was already laden with food.
Su’s mother had learned how to make stir-fried river snails, and Mrs. Gu had mastered a few simple dishes as well. Together, the two of them had prepared a grand feast.
Sheng Shiwu had helped Su Shuochi again today, so he came straight to the Su family home for dinner after his classes.
His sister was no longer causing trouble, so things were peaceful in the Sheng Family, and no one was paying him much mind.
Only Gu Jiaojiao knew that Sheng Yueyue hadn’t truly settled down; she was just biding her time before unleashing a major scheme.
While the Sheng Family was at peace, conflict within the Dong Family was escalating. After Second Uncle Dong’s divorce, the household was anything but tranquil.
This was because Dong Yuanyuan was stirring up trouble. Taking advantage of her father’s indulgence, she began demanding that her two older brothers provide her with a lavish dowry.
First Aunt Dong had rarely involved herself in such matters before; it was always Second Aunt Dong who would jump in and speak her mind. But now, Second Aunt Dong was no longer in the Dong Family.
This left First Aunt Dong isolated and outnumbered, no match for the mother-daughter pair of Dong Yuanyuan and her mother.
The conflict eventually escalated all the way to Mr. Dong and his son, Uncle Dong, something that had never happened before.
Mr. Dong tried to paper over the conflict while clearly favoring his youngest daughter. It is, perhaps, understandable that parents cannot always treat every child with perfect fairness.
However, he should not have blindly doted on his youngest daughter while allowing the other two sons to be arbitrarily bullied, especially when both sons were married and had children of their own.
This vastly different treatment and the deep-seated hurt it caused would sow the seeds of discord in the siblings’ future relationships, becoming the root of explosive family conflicts.
There is a saying: Parents are the bond that connects their children and future generations; they are the cohesive force of the family and the guides who lead it forward.
If parents, during their lifetime, fail to do their utmost to act as that "bond," to unite their children and have them stand together as one—then after the parents are gone, it is all too easy for the siblings to go their separate ways, or even become sworn enemies.