Chapter 388 - 386: Lady Xu’s Collection of Exonerations

Chapter 388: Chapter 386: Lady Xu’s Collection of Exonerations

Training people is the most important yet challenging task for a shop. Although Xinglin Hall is now gradually on track, there are still few people who can take charge. Major events still require her and the Cheng Brothers and Sisters to personally oversee them.

Several months ago, Cheng Xianbai wanted to find a good manager to help manage the Xinglin Hall in Anping County, so that Cheng Qingqing could free up some time for other matters. However, after searching for so long, they still hadn’t found a satisfactory candidate.

After all, a manager is different from an ordinary sitting doctor. They have more power and responsibilities, so finding a good one isn’t just a matter of chance.

Cheng Qingqing couldn’t help but remark, "Now I realize how amazing it is for a medical hall like Tianyi Hall to have branches everywhere. The larger the business, the more considerations and worries there are. We only have two shops now, and I already wish I could be two people. I can’t even imagine how much we’ll have to worry about when we have more branches of Xinglin Hall in the future."

No wonder Mr. Zhou is always busy running around and doesn’t even have time to supervise his younger brother.

"It’s certainly not easy to expand a business," Xu Jing said with a gentle smile, "But you and Mr. Cheng are growing quickly. By that time, you and Mr. Cheng will definitely have enough ability to handle these matters. Besides, I will also work hard with you."

Cheng Qingqing’s eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t resist clenching her fists as she said, "Alright, Jing, I will definitely not let you down!"

What she liked most about Jing was that in her eyes, she and her brother were always equals. She never had different expectations or demands because she was a woman.

In Jing’s eyes, what her brother could do, she could do as well.

What her brother had to bear, she could also bear.

To her, this was more touching than any praise.

Cheng Qingqing enthusiastically showed Xu Jing around the current Xinglin Hall. She originally wanted to take Xu Jing for a tour around Anping County, but a few patients specifically requested her for consultation, so she immediately abandoned Xu Jing and hurriedly said, "Jing, I suddenly have things to attend to. I’ll visit you tonight."

She returned to the shop to treat the patients.

Caught off guard by being left behind, Xu Jing blinked and couldn’t help but laugh.

She thought, "Oh boy, this girl is definitely going to become a workaholic in the future."

Not wanting to bother Cheng Qingqing further, she smiled and said to Chunyang, "It’s getting late, let’s go back."

As she turned around, her peripheral vision discreetly glanced at a corner on the second floor of a teahouse across the street.

At the window on the second floor, she saw a guest’s half-exposed arm. The person was evidently wearing a white narrow-sleeved robe and was leisurely sipping tea.

The movements were leisurely and graceful, exuding an undeniable air of nobility from such a simple gesture.

Xu Jing’s footsteps paused slightly, and she unknowingly watched the figure for a while until Chunyang called her several times in a low voice. Regaining her senses, she smiled faintly and returned to her residence.

Just when Xu Jing thought there was nothing else to do today, an unexpected guest arrived that afternoon.

When Chunyang suddenly came over and said that Song Erniang had arrived, Xu Jing took a moment to confirm that the Song Erniang mentioned by Chunyang was indeed the one she knew. She quickly stood up and said, "Please invite her in."

As she walked to the front hall, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonderment.

Why had Song Erniang suddenly come to Anping County?

Although she was concerned about whether Xiao He and Song Erniang could end up together, the news brought back by Zhao Shaohua was never promising. Xu Jing almost believed that the engagement of Song Erniang and the Sun Family’s Third Son was a done deal. Feeling inevitably regretful for Xiao He, she stopped asking Zhao Shaohua about Song Erniang. Hence, she wasn’t up-to-date on how her engagement was progressing.

Yet, she didn’t expect Song Erniang to come to Anping County, let alone specifically to visit her!

When Xu Jing arrived at the front hall, she saw a young woman sitting there, wearing a pea green embroidered crocus flower ruqun, making her look particularly elegant and pure. Upon seeing Xu Jing, she stood up, slightly bowed her eyes, and greeted her gently, "I greet Mrs. Xu. I hope my sudden visit hasn’t disturbed you."

Xu Jing quickly stepped forward to support her, saying with a mixture of amusement and helplessness, "I thought at least that we were friends, but with Song Erniang being so formal suddenly, I don’t know how to respond."

Song Qingyun paused slightly, then looked at her with a somewhat dazed expression.

She said they were friends...

Given what she had done before, did she even deserve to be her friend?

Although, due to her mother and sister-in-law, she had interacted with Miss Xu many times, and Miss Xu had always been kind to her, she believed that their relationship had never been close.

Seeing the woman in front of her just staring at her and not speaking, like someone in a daze, Xu Jing couldn’t help but laugh and said, "Why is Song Erniang silent? Or do you secretly not want me as a friend?"

"How could that be!"

In a rush, Song Qingyun blurted out without much thought, "I admire Madam Xu so much, to the point that I once thought of Madam Xu as such an accomplished woman that she’s beyond my reach. The idea of having Madam Xu as a friend was something I didn’t dare to hope for."

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised.

She admired her greatly?

This kind of statement was something Madam Song had mentioned when she was sent to her wedding, but Xu Jing assumed it was just politeness on Madam Song’s part.

Realizing she had accidentally spoken her true thoughts, Song Qingyun’s face flushed slightly. She lowered her eyes in flustered silence, unsure how to handle the situation.

Seeing her lady in such disarray, the maid beside her seemed a bit anxious and said, "Madam Xu, our lady truly admires you. She even recorded the cases you solved..."

"Tao Liang!"

Song Qingyun quickly interjected.

Feeling embarrassed, the maid named Tao Liang immediately shut her mouth and glanced apologetically at her lady.

Xu Jing was somewhat startled. What did it mean to record the cases she solved...

However, the blush on Song Qingyun’s face deepened, and with lips pressed, she seemed determined not to speak further.

Seeing the atmosphere turning awkward, Chunyang interjected with a laugh, "It seems Song Erniang is also interested in crime-solving. Ever since our Madam’s reputation as a lady detective spread, many women have been inspired. A lot of them look up to Madam as their idol!

Recently, there have been many scripts based on Madam, with special interest in her crime-solving exploits. There’s a particular series called ’Lady Xu’s Collection of Exonerations’ which has become especially popular. I couldn’t even get the latest volume from the bookshop a few days ago!"