Jiao Niang’s Medical Record Chapter 155

In a dimly lit, low-ceilinged room filled with a mix of cheap perfume and rancid oil, a young girl sat cross-legged on the floor, locking eyes with a boy who stood straight before her.

That feeling of being looked down upon despite standing upright resurfaced once again.

Zhou Liu-lang instinctively straightened his posture even more, staring into the girl’s eyes without the slightest intention of backing down.

Beside them, the maid bit her lower lip nervously.

She suddenly recalled what her mistress had once said: “Never more than thrice.”

Zhou Liu-lang had already caused trouble before the mistress three times.

So now—what would she do?

“Lady Cheng, I understand what you mean. They are dull-witted—unable or unwilling to understand your words, so…” Young Master Qin said.

Before he could finish, Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and interrupted.

“But he is still your friend, isn’t he?” she asked.

Young Master Qin stared at her, momentarily stunned, then smiled.

“He is at fault, and you know it,” Cheng Jiao-niang continued, “yet you do not blame him. Instead, you help him.”

“You have always been helping him—whether sharing from the same cup or patiently advising me now.”

Sympathy and indignation were both real, yet it had to be said—acting this way did, after all, ease the tension between the two.

Young Master Qin smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Lady Cheng, you are perceptive,” he said with a soft sigh. “I want you to give him another chance. He truly knows he was wrong, but he doesn’t know what to do now.”

“You treat him so well,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.

“A true friend is hard to come by, especially for someone like me,” Young Master Qin chuckled, gesturing at himself with a laugh.

Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him.

“I can heal your leg,” she suddenly said.

Everyone in the room froze.

Zhou Liu-lang stepped forward in disbelief, while Young Master Qin’s laughter came to an abrupt halt.

“What? You can heal him?” Zhou Liu-lang blurted out anxiously.

Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and nodded.

“But,” she said, “I will not treat him.”

Zhou Liu-lang had barely processed her nod—his heart still caught in disbelief, joy just beginning to rise—when her next words struck him still.

His face hardened instantly.

“Why?” he shouted, gritting his teeth. Then, as if realizing something, he sneered, “Is it because of that ridiculous ‘only fatal ailments are worth treating’ nonsense of yours?”

Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.

“No,” she said, her expression blank as she looked at Zhou Liu-lang. “It’s because you are utterly unpleasant.”

“What does that have to do with him?” Zhou Liu-lang roared in anger.

Cheng Jiao-niang turned her gaze to Young Master Qin.

“And now,” she said slowly, “do you still think that a true friend is hard to come by? Are you still happy about it?”

The maid suddenly grabbed her collar, eyes widening in shock.

So that’s it! So that’s it!

How ruthless! How brilliant!

A suffocating silence filled the room.

Then, Young Master Qin suddenly raised a hand in salute and burst into laughter.

“You are formidable,” he said.

Cheng Jiao-niang spoke slowly, her gaze fixed on Zhou Liu-lang.

“Young Master Zhou, you’ve truly overthought things and troubled yourself unnecessarily over my affairs. That was hardly anything worth feeling guilty about.”

She then raised a finger and pointed at Young Master Qin.

“But look—this is what it truly means to owe someone.”

Zhou Liu-lang’s chest heaved, his expression shifting rapidly. He was no fool—by now, he fully understood what this lady meant.

“Cheng Jiao-niang!” he roared, stepping forward.

Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her gaze to him, her face devoid of emotion.

“There was nothing to begin with, yet you insisted on stirring trouble,” she said. “So tell me—are you satisfied now?”

To despise something was to dismiss it. He had thought that tearing down barriers and confronting things head-on would be better than indifference—that at least, it would resolve the contempt between them.

No destruction, no rebuilding. No pain, no growth.

But he hadn’t expected that in his pursuit of clarity, he would end up enraging this lady instead.

No matter how much they had said, done, or thought—

In the face of just one sentence from her, everything crumbled into dust.

So, in the end, truth was never about saying more.

It was about hitting the mark with a single, decisive strike.

The three of them stood facing each other in the room—Cheng Jiao-niang indifferent, Zhou Liu-lang enraged, and Young Master Qin momentarily stunned.

“I was wrong too,” he said suddenly, shaking his head with a smile as he cupped his hands in a bow toward Cheng Jiao-niang.

“What wrong? Don’t side with this—” Zhou Liu-lang shouted, his anger barely contained.

Cheng Jiao-niang glanced up at him.

She could heal him. She could heal him…

She could heal Young Master Qin’s injured leg, restore it, make him walk, run, and jump just like any normal person.

Zhou Liu-lang trembled. Under the gaze of this lady, the angry words he had been about to shout were forcibly swallowed back down.

“How does it feel?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked, not backing down, her gaze still fixed on him as she asked in a cold tone.

How does it feel?

That feeling of wanting to curse but being unable to, the fury churning inside but being forced to suppress it?

That feeling of being the mouse in a cat-and-mouse game? Of course, she was asking about the mouse’s perspective.

Zhou Liu-lang’s clenched hand made a creaking sound at his side.

“Zhou Liu-lang, shut up,” Young Master Qin said, his gaze returning to Cheng Jiao-niang. After the brief moment of surprise, his expression returned to its usual calm, as if he hadn’t heard anything about the possibility of healing his leg, but simply about her refusal to do so.

“Lady Cheng, now I understand,” he said. “You truly didn’t care about him in the past, or even about the Zhou family at all. You didn’t see it as an issue. So, this time, you’re angry,” he asked, “Is it because he pushed this blame onto you, this mistake of his?”

“No,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, glancing at Ban Qin, who was trying to stifle her sobs with her sleeve, before turning her gaze back to Zhou Liu-lang.

“If you like my things, take them. I won’t be angry. If you want to leave, then leave. I don’t care,” she said. “People and things, they’re just that. But taking them isn’t because you like them, and leaving isn’t because it would be better for you. It’s all for the sake of degradation, and honestly, it’s unbearable to witness.”

“It’s her degrading herself! What does it have to do with anyone else?” Zhou Liu-lang shouted in anger.

Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him.

“I like doing this. What does it have to do with anyone else?” she said.

Zhou Liu-lang glared at her hatefully for a moment before sweeping his sleeve and turning to leave.

“I understand now. Thank you,” Young Master Qin said, rising with a relaxed and polite smile.

Cheng Jiao-niang returned the gesture.

The atmosphere between them was warm, as if they had just finished tea and wine and were now bidding farewell.

“Oh, by the way,” Young Master Qin said, supported by his servant as he rose and approached the door. He suddenly thought of something and turned back. “There’s one thing I don’t understand.”

Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him.

“Why do you like calling your maid Ban Qin?” Young Master Qin asked, his face full of curiosity.

“Because it sounds nice,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.

Young Master Qin laughed heartily, cupping his hands in a bow before leaving.

Zhou Liu-lang stood outside the courtyard gate, like a stone statue. Young Master Qin let out a soft sigh and walked past him.

“She…” Zhou Liu-lang stiffly spoke, saying, “She’s just talking nonsense… She… is doing it on purpose… She may not even be able to heal it… She’s just a cruel-tongued person…”

Young Master Qin reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

“Liu-lang, It’s just some words, just a lady, and you’re afraid?” he asked with a smile, shaking his head. “I truly misjudged you.”

“But your leg!” Zhou Liu-lang shouted, his face flushing red. “Your leg!”

“My leg is my fate,” Young Master Qin said, looking at him with a solemn expression. “If a person doesn’t accept their fate, they will never find peace.”

He looked directly at Zhou Liu-lang and said with a calm tone, “Zhou Fu, I want to let go. I want peace. Do you really want to force me into a life without peace?”

Zhou Liu-lang’s name was Zhou Fu, courtesy name Zijian.

Calling him by his full name felt almost like a reprimand.

Zhou Liu-lang pressed his lips together and clenched his fists tightly.

“Liu-lang, you’ve lost,” Qin Langjun said, his voice softening. He smiled again, reaching out to pat his arm. “Losing is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not a big deal, and it’s certainly not disgraceful. Let it go. At least, your connection with her ends here. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Zhou Liu-lang looked at him, gritting his teeth.

“Don’t bring it up again,” Young Master Qin raised his hand, signaling to him. “I know, Lady Cheng hit the nail right on the head. You’re upset and troubled, but Liu-lang, you need to pull yourself together. Don’t make me, the one who should be the most discouraged, have to find ways to cheer you up. If you keep this up, you really won’t be much of a friend.”

He finished speaking with a hearty laugh, reaching out to give Zhou Liu-lang’s shoulder a couple of playful taps.

Zhou Liu-lang forced a smile, moved his lips, but in the end didn’t say anything.

“Let’s go, let’s go,” Young Master Qin said. “You used to stay at home all day thinking about how to resolve things. Now you don’t have to resolve anything. You can let go. Finally, it’s time to go hunting. Hurry up, let’s go.”

Supported by his servant, Young Master Qin walked ahead, and Zhou Liu-lang turned to follow. As he looked at Young Master Qin limping ahead, something inside him stirred. Normally, he hadn’t given it much thought, but at this moment, this sight felt like two arrows piercing his eyes.

I can heal your leg! I can heal your leg! But, because you are his friend, I won’t treat you!

Because of you, he cannot be healed.

This—this is what it truly means to owe someone!

He suddenly turned his head, gasping for breath, his body stiff and trembling.

Scoundrel! Scoundrel! How cruel! How cruel! So vicious! So vicious!