Chapter 159: Asking for Trouble

The two visitors keep up the pressure at Mingxin Clinic.

The others frowned again. These two were plainly here to shake them down.

Seeing their expressions, the young man grew even smugger. “Scared now, are you? I'm telling you, you made someone ill, so you have to pay. The police won't do you any good. They can't touch us…”

Before he could finish, he stumbled forward and nearly fell flat.

“Who was that?” He caught himself on the desk, avoiding a fall, but he was furious. “Who kicked me? You got a death wish?”

He and Southside Dragon turned together and found themselves looking at a grim face.

“I kicked you,” the man behind them said darkly.

Both men sucked in a breath. Even Dragon couldn't keep up his pose. So much for the television crime boss.

“Ch-Chief Gao…”

They stared at him, dumbfounded.

The young man turned to Clara in disbelief. “How the hell did you get the cops here so fast?”

“Behave yourselves!” Gordon Gao barked. “Over there!”

Both men shuddered and hurried to stand side by side.

Gordon walked over, took the sunglasses off Dragon's face, then lifted his gold chain for a look. “Gangsters, are you?”

Dragon's swagger vanished. “No, no! It's fake. Fake! You know us. We're just ordinary, law-abiding citizens.”

The young man hurried to join in. “Hey, Chief Gao. Good to see you again. Didn't they say you…”

“Say what? That I was dead?”

The young man didn't dare say another word.

Dragon gave an awkward smile too.

“I leave you two alone for a little while, and you get bolder by the day!” Gordon scolded. “Young men like you, getting into this kind of trouble. Are you trying to get yourselves killed? Stand up straight!”

The pair hastily lined themselves up again. Gordon had been dealing with these two since they were boys. They were scared of him through and through.

Gordon stared at them. “Didn't I tell you last year to get proper jobs at the factory? I've only been away a few months, and you're already back at this? Do you want to go to prison?”

“We were only joking,” Dragon said awkwardly. “Weren't we?”

He looked at Evan, the threat in his eyes unmistakable.

“Still glaring?” Gordon snapped. “Let me tell you something. Dr. Xu saved my life. Just try looking at him like that again!”

Both young thugs froze.

“Seriously?” the young man blurted. “Didn't they say your illness couldn't be cured?”

Dragon gave him a quick smack, and he shut his mouth.

Gordon snorted. He had no wish to talk to either of them any longer. Turning to Evan, he said apologetically, “I'm sorry, Dr. Xu. These two little bastards haven't given you any trouble, have they?”

“No. I should be thanking you. They could have been a bit of a nuisance.”

This page repeats a NovelPhoenix chapter without the author's permission; readers can support the creator by reading their published version.

Clara frowned too. For anyone running a business, especially a small one like theirs, few things were worse than having to deal with thugs who simply wouldn't leave you alone.

Gordon waved a hand. “Of course. Actually, Dr. Xu, I came to bring you a banner of thanks.”^[1]

“Hm?” Evan was taken aback.

Gordon went over to his wife, took the package she was holding, opened it, and shook out a presentation banner.

Evan stared for a moment. This was the first banner he had received in the real world.

Sitting at the back, Ben Song licked his lips. Honestly, he was jealous!

Clara's eyes lit up too.

Adam Zhang came downstairs just then from checking the medicinal herbs. The sight stopped him short as well.

Mingxin Clinic hadn't received a banner from a patient since Clara's mother died. This was the first in all those years.

Holding the banner in both hands, Gordon looked at Evan and said earnestly, “We police officers working in the community have received plenty of these. But this is the first one I've ever given. Dr. Xu, thank you for saving my life.”

The two thugs exchanged a look of dismay. So the doctor really had saved Chief Gao's life. How could they have been this unlucky?

Evan read the inscription. Apart from the heading and dedication, there were eight large Chinese characters:

A hero's courage, a bodhisattva's heart.^[2]

“You give me too much credit,” Evan said. “Treating illness and saving lives is what a doctor is supposed to do.”

“And repaying kindness is what everyone is supposed to do,” Gordon replied, just as seriously.

Evan paused, then smiled. “All right. Thank you. I'll let this banner remind me to keep doing better.”

He accepted it with both hands. Clara came over eagerly, took it from him, and gazed at it in delight.

Ben was even more jealous.

Adam was even more moved.

“Please, sit down,” Evan said to the couple.

Gordon and his wife sat down.

The two thugs stood side by side.

Gordon gently patted his legs, full of emotion. “Ah, I really thought my life was over. I never expected to keep both legs and still be able to live normally. I'm so grateful to you, Dr. Xu.”

Evan waved the thanks away again.

Gordon turned to his wife. “But you're the one I owe the biggest apology. These past six months and more, you've had the hardest time of all.”

Her eyes reddened at once.

That was the cruelty of illness. It didn't make only the patient suffer. The whole family suffered with them. Just look at what Gordon's wife had been put through…

Gordon patted her shoulder. “But everything's all right now. At my age, with only a few years left before retirement, I've stopped thinking about getting ahead in my career.

“Coming so close to death has put things in perspective. From now on, I just want to live well. In the years I've got left on the job, I'll try to do something useful for ordinary people. And straighten out as many little punks like these as I can.”

Dragon and his companion looked at each other, almost ready to cry.

“Chief Gao, this really is a misunderstanding,” Dragon pleaded.

“Misunderstanding or not, you can explain it back at the station.”

Dragon was at a loss. “No, it really is a misunderstanding. I really did feel ill after taking the medicine.”

Gordon glared. “Just try telling me another lie!”

Dragon didn't dare say anything else.

But Evan frowned at what he had heard. “You really have been treated here before?”

Dragon nodded at once.

Gordon looked puzzled too.

Everyone else in the clinic looked at Dragon. Could he actually be telling the truth?

“What's your name?” Evan asked. “I'll check your records.”

“Harry Wang,” Dragon said dejectedly.

Evan typed the name into the computer. The records were electronic now, so looking up a patient was easy. He found the file at once. The man really had been here.

Scrolling with the mouse, Evan read softly, “Harry Wang. Age 26. Erectile dysfunction…”

“Hey! Hey! Ahem!” Dragon hastily began to cough.

Reader Notes

Reader Notes

1. ↩︎ A banner of thanks. A jinqi is a presentation banner bearing a written tribute. Patients or their families may give one to a doctor or hospital to express gratitude for care. Its inscription names the recipient and praises their work, making the gift a public acknowledgment as well as a personal thank-you. Gordon speaks of receiving these in police work too. For Evan and Mingxin Clinic, the gift has particular meaning after years without one. Source: Beijing Municipal Health Commission — A Patient's Banner of Thanks (in Chinese).
2. ↩︎ “A bodhisattva's heart.” This recalls a comparison used earlier in the story: in Chinese, having a “bodhisattva's heart” means being compassionate. Here it praises the doctor's kindness alongside his courage. The eight-character Chinese inscription forms two balanced phrases; the English gives their sense rather than reproducing their character count. It is an expression of admiration, not a statement about Evan's religious identity. Source: Ministry of Education — Dictionary Entry for “A Bodhisattva's Heart” (in Chinese).