The Martial Doctor-Chapter 51: Results Posted

Finally, they returned to Dongshan City.

Much earlier than last time when it was the three of them, Lin Miao had already obtained residency in Dongshan City, so he only needed to pay goods tax when entering the city, otherwise he didn’t need to.

Mr. Xie was not as fortunate; he needed to pay taxes to enter the city.

However, Mr. Xie was very familiar with Dongshan City. Once inside, he did not need Lin Miao’s guidance and headed directly to the Dongshan Branch of the "Yuanheng" pawnshop.

He also wanted to return the "medical practitioner" token to Lin Miao as soon as possible. Continuing dealings with such a "calamity star," he was truly afraid that one day he would end up like Huang Baichuan, with his head chopped off.

The scale of the Dongshan Branch of the "Yuanheng" pawnshop was not comparable to that of Baihe County, located on the main street in the city center, it was a three-story building with double eaves, made of green bricks and tiles, with carved beams and painted rafters, very eye-catching on this street.

"Xie, what brings you to Dongshan City?" As soon as he walked in, Mr. Xie was recognized, and someone immediately called out.

"Duan Wujiu, am I not allowed to come to Dongshan City?" Mr. Xie snorted coldly. He had been assigned to Baihe County as the "Chief Steward," not sent to prison; he still had freedom in life.

"That’s not what I meant. You suddenly came to Dongshan City without notifying anyone in advance; this is against the working regulations."

"I decided to come back on the spur of the moment. Where is Mr. Xiao? I want to see him."

"Mr. Xiao isn’t here. He was invited by Secretary Pei for tea," Duan Wujiu chuckled, with no displeasure towards Mr. Xie’s attitude.

"What treasure has Secretary Pei acquired this time, that he invited Mr. Xiao to appraise it again?"

"I have no idea."

"Is the Chief Steward here?"

"He is, but he surely won’t be happy knowing you’ve suddenly come to Dongshan City." Duan Wujiu narrowed his eyes slightly and reminded him.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, but you know, the Chief Steward dislikes those who don’t follow rules, and you happen to be one of the people he dislikes the most."

"Come on, he’s just being petty. Isn’t it because I competed with him for the Chief Steward position? He already won, and I’ve been demoted to that remote Baihe County. What more does he want?" Mr. Xie replied with a dissatisfied sneer.

"So what? He is now the Chief Steward of the Dongshan City Branch, while you’re just a small steward of Baihe County, a world of difference in status."

"Alright, help me check something. Two months ago, I sent a medical practitioner token over. Is it still here? If so, help me redeem it," Mr. Xie requested.

"No need to check. That medical practitioner token is in the hands of the Chief Steward," Duan Wujiu stated directly.

"Why would he take a medical practitioner token?" Mr. Xie immediately became uneasy. They were old rivals, and he had been worried about finding any slip-up that could lead to his downfall.

"That I don’t know. The day after your medical practitioner token arrived, the Chief Steward took it, but for what reason, I have no idea."

This was now troublesome.

If he could secretly buy back this medical practitioner token and return it to Lin Miao, the matter would be settled. After all, insiders have the right to buy back items they like, as long as it’s not pawned live; they can be bought back for a price.

But now that this medical practitioner token was in the hands of his mortal enemy, would he easily sell it back to him?

If it was discovered that he had secretly changed live pawned items to dead pawns, violating the rules of "Yuanheng" pawnshop, then he would be unable to continue, and no one in the trade would hire him, effectively ruining his reputation.

How did he get so foolish?

"Duan, can I ask a favor?"

"Tell me, if I can help, I will," Duan Wujiu responded with a constant smile on his face.

"Please do not mention the medical practitioner token to the Chief Steward," Mr. Xie pleaded. "This concerns my life and livelihood."

"Is it that serious?" Duan Wujiu finally showed a hint of surprise.

"As long as you keep silent, I’ll owe you this favor. If you ever need help in the future, I’ll be there for you," Mr. Xie assured.

"Alright, I’ll keep it confidential," Duan Wujiu nodded. Mr. Xie was Mr. Xiao’s disciple; he didn’t mind owing this favor, especially since no one likes a snitch, and without significant benefits, it wasn’t worth doing such a thing.

"Thank you."

Even though Lin Miao was seven or eight meters away, he clearly heard their conversation. The medical practitioner token was still at the Dongshan Branch of "Yuanheng," which was good news, but the bad news was that his master’s token had fallen into the hands of Mr. Xie’s rival, the Chief Steward.

If Mr. Xie wanted to retrieve it, it would likely require a great deal of effort and could be very troublesome.

"Don’t tell me my master’s medical practitioner token is no longer at your ’Yuanheng’ Dongshan Branch," Lin Miao said, not showing any kindness to Mr. Xie.

"I’m sorry, the medical practitioner token is still at our ’Yuanheng’ Dongshan Branch, but there is a slight issue. It is now in the hands of the Chief Steward. That Chief Steward and I have had some past grudges. So, Mr. Lin, could you give me three days? I promise to personally deliver your master’s medical practitioner token to you in three days," Mr. Xie solemnly stated.

"Are you sure you can get my master’s medical practitioner token in three days?"

"I’m sure. My master, Xiao Yuanlang, is an elder of ’Yuanheng.’ He is originally from Dongshan City, living a retired life while also serving as a patron of the Dongshan Branch. If he steps in, the Chief Steward will give him face," Mr. Xie assured, invoking his master’s name.

"Should I trust you?"

"Mr. Lin, we’ve been through thick and thin together; a mutually destructive approach doesn’t benefit anyone," Mr. Xie replied.

"Alright, in three days, I’ll come to collect my master’s physician’s order. If you can’t present it, don’t blame me for taking your ’Yuanheng’ to court," Lin Miao thought for a moment and said.

Mr. Xie almost bit his tongue; a little devil who didn’t even put the law in his eyes suddenly talking about going to court caught him off guard.

Other forms of retaliation could still be remedied, but once it reached the authorities, then...

He thought he somewhat understood Lin Miao but realized he didn’t understand at all; he couldn’t keep up with this young man’s thinking.

You can escape as a monk, but not the temple.

For a business as large as ’Yuanheng,’ he wasn’t afraid they wouldn’t acknowledge their account, as he had evidence and leverage in hand.

...

After returning the horse to the stable, Lin Miao went directly to the vehicle shop, spent money on a carriage, and drove back to his home in Xiuyue Square.

Originally promised to return in two days, even though he was a day late, he still made it back before the written exam results of the "Physician Exam" were announced.

Everything at home was in good order.

Sun Youwei had been eagerly waiting since yesterday evening, and it wasn’t until she saw Lin Miao return that she felt relieved.

She truly considered this young junior, three years younger than her, as her main support and future husband.

After dinner that night, they went to the study.

"Junior brother, have you paid respects at father’s grave?"

"No, I haven’t had the chance," Lin Miao was taken aback. This time, his plan was only to redeem the land deed and house deed of the Herbal Hall and obtain the physician’s order; he had no plans to return to Qingping Town.

Sun Youwei’s eyes dimmed slightly.

Her father was gone, and she and Lin Miao had hastily buried him, which was already unfilial. And now the junior brother didn’t even pay respects at the grave when he went back...

"Elder sister, I was afraid of running into the Huang Family, so..."

This reason was valid. After all, when they left, it was clear how the Huang Family had treated them. If Lin Miao went back alone and was discovered by the Huang Family, it would be dangerous, and that’s not something Sun Youwei wanted to see.

"Elder sister, if you wish to pay respects to master, I’ll accompany you next year before the Cold Food Festival. By then, your health should be much better," Lin Miao comforted her.

"Okay." Sun Youwei nodded, indeed missing her father.

"Elder sister, the written exam results for the ’Physician’ test will be out tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?" Lin Miao asked. He couldn’t let Sister Sun Youwei stay cooped up at home all the time; it would be stifling.

Even if someone covets her, they can’t let fear hinder their actions.

Sun Youwei nodded. Since the last time she went out, she hadn’t stepped outside the door, even though it was comfortable at home.

But she didn’t always want to stay at home, unable to see the outside world.

"Elder sister, you’re so beautiful. I’m a bit worried you’ll be taken away, so tomorrow, how about not wearing women’s clothing and dressing as a man?" Lin Miao came up with an idea that if Sun Youwei dressed as a man, she wouldn’t attract as much attention.

When Sun Youwei heard Lin Miao compliment her "beauty," she blushed with shyness and looked down, saying, "Where can I find men’s clothing on such short notice?"

"I have some, but they’re a bit old. Elder sister, you don’t mind, do you?"

"I don’t mind." Sun Youwei shook her head. She certainly wouldn’t want to wear someone else’s clothes, but wearing her junior brother’s clothes was different—she saw Lin Miao as her future husband, so wearing her husband’s clothes was naturally not an issue.

Early the next morning, Lin Miao and Sun Youwei got up early, first going to the small shrine to offer incense at the spirit tablet of their master, Sun Simiao, praying for Lin Miao to make it to the second stage of the "diagnosis" test.

As long as the ranking is within the top forty, he could advance to the second phase of the "diagnosis" test.

They set out in their newly purchased carriage.

Today was the day the "Physician Exam" written results were posted. The East River Square, where the Xinglin Institute was located, was bustling with traffic; if they arrived late, the carriage wouldn’t get through.

Fortunately, Lin Miao was prepared and parked the carriage in a designated parking lot, taking a parking token, where it was especially guarded.

Parking for an hour costs ten coins, which was perfect for privately owned, unguarded carriages.

A crowd had already gathered in front of the Xinglin Institute’s announcement board, bustling with whispered conversations, very lively, and Lin Miao hardly interacted with other candidates of his cohort.

Therefore, he didn’t really know these people, and no one initiated a conversation with him.

Among the people he knew, Su Chen hadn’t arrived yet, nor had that robed gentleman Ye Xizhao, who had an eye on his elder sister.

The rest were mostly unfamiliar faces.

He didn’t care about these things; he was here to take the exam, not to make friends with these people. Ineffective socializing was the biggest waste of life.

The results were scheduled to be posted at the first quarter of the hour of Si in the morning.

It was still the third quarter of the hour of Chen, which meant there was still some wait time.