Chapter 462: Chapter 462: Make Her Crawl and Beg on the Street
"That’s right. I’m just a lucky old man." Elder Si finished with three hearty laughs.
"Dad, you’re truly blessed. I’ve been searching for Divine Doctor Su Gu, and to think she came to you today!" the Si Family Master said, sharing in the joy.
"Grandpa, is Great-Grandpa’s illness cured now?" asked the Si Family’s six-year-old grandson in a piping voice.
"Yes, it’s mostly stabilized. Grandpa will ask the Divine Doctor to treat him again. Your great-grandpa should be able to make a full recovery," the Si Family Master said, though not with complete certainty.
His father had raised him to be meticulous and prudent in both word and deed, so he was never flippant, not even with his young grandson.
"Dad, if you’re going to ask the Divine Doctor to treat Grandfather, what will that man from the Ye family think?"
Si Jingping asked with concern. Though he was a university student, he still understood how the world worked.
He had clearly seen Doctor Ye’s twisted, malevolent expression when he targeted the Immortal Fairy Doctor earlier today.
"Jingping, why would you ask that? Could it be that Doctor Ye is jealous of Divine Doctor Su Gu?"
The Si Family Master asked in surprise, but his sharp mind had already deduced the answer from his youngest son’s question.
"It’s more than just jealousy. Grandpa was unconscious at the time and didn’t see how arrogant he was. If the Immortal Fairy Doctor’s medical skills weren’t superior to his, he probably would have made trouble for her today."
"Hmph, would our Si Family be afraid of him? He’s been with our family for over twenty years, and all he’s done is make Old Sir Si’s health worse and worse."
As he spoke, the Si Family Master shot a glare at his third sister-in-law—Doctor Ye’s daughter.
"Jingping has the Divine Doctor’s number. You decide on a day, give him a call, and find out if she is willing to treat me."
As Elder Si spoke, he gave his third daughter-in-law a long, hard look, his gaze filled with layers of ice.
Third Aunt Si trembled, lowering her head, not daring to look at her father-in-law. "Dad, I’m sorry. My father was too impulsive and offended the Divine Doctor. I’ll speak to him about it later."
’She remembered when she first joined the Si Family. To curry favor with everyone, she had prepared three meals a day, every day.’
’The family’s old matriarch had never liked food cooked by others, but she enjoyed her cooking.’
’To secure her marriage into the Si Family, she had to work herself to the bone, sleeping later than a dog and rising earlier than a rooster.’
’She rose at dawn and worked past dusk every day, catering to the entire family’s meals. Finally, her efforts paid off; her father-in-law betrothed her to the Si Family’s third son.’
’With good intentions, her father-in-law had even arranged for her to work alongside her husband. She recalled the sweet memories of her youth, working as a nurse by his side.’
’But now, it felt like a lifetime ago. She couldn’t remember when, but she had started to find the work of a nurse too grueling.’
’She’d claimed she wanted to go home to get pregnant and start a family, refusing to endure the hardships at the front lines anymore. Her husband, feeling for her, agreed without a second thought.’
’After that, the couple saw less and less of each other. Years passed, and the Si Family’s fortunes continued to rise.’
’Then, three years ago, the Si Family helped her and her father officially restore their surname to Ye. Once his name was restored, her father began accepting disciples.’
’Many, drawn by his reputation, came to study under him. For the past two years, Doctor Ye had been so busy he barely had time to breathe, and he began to neglect Old Sir Si’s health.’
’She and her father grew increasingly arrogant. She, in particular, adopted the extravagant lifestyle of the wives of high officials.’
’Her husband and sons looked down on her and her father’s behavior, their eyes filled with disappointment whenever they looked at her.’
’But she hadn’t cared back then. She had wandered from place to place with her father when she was young, enduring so much hardship. What was so wrong with wanting a comfortable life?’
’Especially over the last two years, her husband and two sons rarely came home, returning only for important family matters.’
’When they did return, she and her husband slept in separate rooms, and her two sons no longer called her "Mom".’
’Her sisters-in-law in the Si Family also looked down on her, secretly conspiring to push her out. Third Aunt Si’s head hung low as she lost herself in memories of the past.’
’Tears streamed from her eyes, dripping onto the back of her hand, surprisingly cold.’
’Just like her heart at that moment—ice-cold, without a shred of warmth.’
Doctor Ye hailed from a side branch of the Ye family. The main branch had served as Imperial Physicians for the court during the Daqing era, and a century ago, their prestige was beyond compare.
Even after the fall of the Daqing dynasty, the Ye family enjoyed a period of great prominence in the metropolis during the Republic era.
But, as the saying goes, "wealth doesn’t last three generations." Within a century, the medical skills of the Ye family’s descendants declined with each passing generation.
No heir ever managed to surpass the skill of their ancestors from that golden age.
Thus, the Ye family slowly declined, and its numbers dwindled. Gu Jiaojiao’s paternal grandmother had been a daughter of the main family line.
Then, over twenty years ago, after Mr. Ye made a fatal error while treating a powerful figure, the entire Ye family was seemingly wiped out overnight.
The shock of it all, coupled with the fear of implicating the Gu Family, caused Grandma Gu to pass away on the spot. Her forty-year-old biological brother also vanished without a trace.
In the winter of that very year, Old Sir Si was injured and happened upon a wandering old man with considerable medical skills.
After the old man treated him, Elder Si, seeing his skills were competent, kept him on as the Si Family’s private physician.
After the wandering old man moved into the Si Family, he also introduced his adopted daughter to the Si Family’s third son.
Seeing that the girl knew some pharmacology, Elder Si made an exception and had her recruited into the military as a nurse, giving her a chance to cultivate a relationship with his third son.
The girl proved herself worthy, genuinely winning the heart of the third son. Their marriage and the birth of their children followed as a matter of course.
At the time, Elder Si didn’t question the old wanderer’s identity, much less whether his third daughter-in-law was actually the man’s biological child.
Only in recent years did his doctor-in-law reveal that he was from a side branch of the Ye family, admitting that his "adopted" daughter was, in fact, his own.
He explained that, given his status as a homeless wanderer at the time, it would have been inappropriate to admit he had a daughter of his own.
Doctor Ye’s daughter was already a mother in the Si Family. Aside from a tendency to shirk her duties and be cunning, she hadn’t done anything truly out of line.
Whether she was his biological daughter or not, she was already part of the Si Family. Besides, the Ye family of old hadn’t committed any real crime.
It was only in the last two years that the behavior of this Ye father and daughter duo had become increasingly grating to Old Sir Si and his family.
Elder Si looked at his third daughter-in-law without a word, his eyes filled with nothing but disappointment. Then his gaze fell upon his own outstanding eldest son, and his heart swelled with pride.
"From this day forward, the Si Family will no longer employ Doctor Ye or his disciples as our family physicians. Furthermore, we will no longer extend any courtesies to the Ye family."
The Si Family Master’s words were stern as he looked at his third sister-in-law. His message was intended for her alone.
The grandchildren of the Si Family had no objections. In truth, everyone in the family had already seen this coming.
Seeing their arrogant sister-in-law finally taken down a peg made the other Si wives inwardly rejoice, though none of them would ever say it aloud.
Everyone else returned to their rooms to sleep in high spirits. Only Third Aunt Si was left seething with rage.
’She had learned from her father-in-law and her young nephew that this Divine Doctor was actually a young woman.’
’Third Aunt Si plotted silently. ’My father has taken on many disciples these past two years, and nearly all of them are loyal to us.’’
’’I’ll find a few of them, have them break that bitch’s legs and gouge out her eyes.’’
’’Then I’ll give her a bowl and a cane and let her crawl through the streets of the Imperial City, begging for scraps...’’
