Chapter 198: If He Died There and Then

Shi Xuexin waited with her face bereft of color. Even though she did not think Shi Jin was able to treat Shi Qing, Shi Jin was also her only hope. She was deeply overwhelmed with conflict in her heart.

No one dared to make a peep.

Shi Qing was lying on the ground with his mouth closed tightly and his face looked exceptionally sallow.

The atmosphere froze as a minute went by before he finally exhaled.

Shi Jin said, “Help him up.”

Yu Xiuhua and Shi Xuexin did not hesitate and instantly reached their hands out to help support Shi Qing to sit up. They overlooked the fact that it was Shi Jin giving the orders despite their immense hate for her.

Shi Qing gradually sat up. Although his face was ghastly pale, he did not look as pasty and he clearly looked a lot better now.

Everyone automatically looked at Shi Jin in shock and admiration.

Shi Qing had been overworked when he was just starting out, so he ended up being plagued by giddiness. He had already visited the best hospitals for examination, but they were unable to determine the cause of his problems and was simply advised to have plenty of rest and to avoid staying up late at night.

Yu Xiuhua often talked to people about his condition and asked if they knew any good doctors. Hence, Shi Qing’s condition was public knowledge.

Although Shi Qing was plagued by incessant giddiness, no one felt it was a huge problem since it was considered a minor ailment. Everyone only realized how serious Shi Qing’s condition was when he passed out today.

An ambulance finally arrived at this moment.

The doctor ran in. “Where is the patient?”

“I’m okay now.” Shi Qing knew his condition best. Also, his face was gradually regaining color.

The doctor insisted on giving him an examination before he said, “You are genuinely fine now, but you really need to go to the hospital for a detailed examination, treatment, and observation.”

“The doctor is right. Why don’t we go for a checkup?” Yu Xiuhua was worried about the strange medicine Shi Jin had given Shi Qing.

Shi Qing had visited the hospital many times because of his condition, but nothing worked. This time, he couldn’t be bothered to go either. “It’s fine. I just need some rest.”

Since Shi Qing was insistent about not going to the hospital and the doctor was sure he was fine, the doctor left with the nurse.

Yu Xiuhua and Shi Xuexin suddenly felt a little awkward towards Shi Jin.

They had planned to let the Chu family and all the other guests at the banquet see Shi Jin and the Li family throwing themselves at the Shi family. However, Shi Jin ended up stealing all the limelight.

Shi Xuexin suppressed her resentment and said, “Shi Jin, thanks so much. Did you learn about Chinese herbs from Grandpa Li? I always knew he adored keeping herbs, but I didn’t expect them to be this effective.”

She was deliberately watering down Shi Jin’s credit.

Shi Jin said nothing.

Instead, Yu Xiuhua said, “I certainly hope it doesn’t have any side effects. After all, you can’t always be sure when it comes to Chinese medicine since it tends to be dodgy.”

Although Shi Jin had saved Shi Qing, Yu Xiuhua spoke sarcastically. However, a lot of the guests felt the same way about Chinese medicine.

They were in modern times, so Western medicine was common. In comparison, traditional Chinese medicine was no longer as popular. People were more willing to trust the results of high precision apparatus and medicine from big brands with a proven track record of success. It was hard for them to trust unknown Chinese herbs from the countryside.

“Xiuhua!” Shi Qing hurriedly stopped Yu Xiuhua.

Li Juekai said mildly, “It is true that we might not know enough about Chinese medicine, but it is still a national treasure that was passed down through generations. It is not something you can disregard frivolously. Moreover, you have seen with your own eyes how effective it was. If Shi Jin hadn’t stepped up, you certainly wouldn’t be sitting around having this conversation about side effects now.”

He was implying that if Shi Qing died without taking the medicine, they wouldn’t be standing around finding trouble for Shi Jin now.

Some of the guests quickly caught on to this. Their shoulders trembled slightly as they did their utmost to suppress their laughter.

Although Li Juekai sounded harsh, Shi Qing did not take it to heart. It was only natural for Li Juekai to feel protective of his daughter.

Shi Jin couldn’t help laughing. Her biological father was undoubtedly the eldest son of the Li family. Other than having remarkable self-restraint, he also had an incredibly sharp tongue.

Shi Qing said apologetically, “Shi Jin, Mr Li, thank you so much for the medicine. I know my condition best and I definitely feel a lot better now.”

“Why don’t you keep the rest for future use?” said Shi Jin. “I have used a wooden stopper on the bottle so that the medicine will get released slowly. By wearing it long-term, you will be able to alleviate the giddiness a lot.”

“Is that medication in there? Oh, you even used a glass bottle for the meds. Shi Jin, if you didn’t tell us about it, we might never have known,” said Shi Xuexin. “I’m so glad you happened to be here today.”

Even though Shi Xuexin was thanking Shi Jin on the surface, she was implying that Shi Jin failed to make herself clear when she gifted Shi Qing the perfumed bag. If she was not around today, Shi Qing might have died despite having medication for his condition.

Everyone caught on to what she was implying and also wanted to know what Shi Jin was thinking.

Shi Jin explained to Shi Qing, “For as long as I’ve stayed at the Shi residence, you only passed out once before. I thought you would never need to take the medicine orally. You just need to take some of this medicine when you pass out and keep it on you at all times.”

Everyone realized Shi Jin was genuinely being a good daughter to Shi Qing. Since she cared about him a lot, she even made medication to ease his condition.

In comparison, Yu Xiuhua and Shi Xuexin were such ingrates. However, Shi Jin did not take it to heart.

Everyone felt a little embarrassed as they thought about the praise they lauded on Chu Ling and Shi Xuexin’s birthday gifts while they belittled Shi Jin’s perfumed bag.

The jade ornament and pine Chinese brush painting might be good, but no one would be in the mood to admire them if his life was at stake.

Complicated emotions ran through Shi Qing’s heart. He felt even guiltier towards Shi Jin. “I am so sorry. Juekai, from now on…”

Li Juekai looked at them before he interrupted Shi Qing, “You certainly owe us an apology, but Qingqing and I owe her one as well. We thought letting her stay here in the place she grew up without forcing her to change her life would give her stability. It was our fault she had to suffer so much ridicule and experience things that should not be expected of her at her age.”

“We were too simple-minded to think that giving her money and letting her stay put at the Shi residence would make her happy, but we didn’t know what she wanted. Shi Jin is our daughter. We should have brought her up. From now on, we will have nothing to do with the Shi family.”