The Martial Doctor-Chapter 59: An Old Friend Visits

"Junior Brother, is it Mr. Hu An?" Sun Youwei asked.

"I don’t know how many Physicians Qingyu Hall has with the last name Hu, but if there’s only one, then it should be him." Lin Miao nodded.

This reminded him of his experience at Qingyu Hall, leaving him with no fondness for Hu An and the hall.

When Xu An and Xu Qixi heard the word "Uncle," they couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise. Xu Qixi’s eyes revealed some worry, while Xu An’s worry only flashed briefly.

People become wise with age; considering the siblings didn’t seek out this Mr. Hu An when they came to Dongshan City without any support, it was clear their relationship wasn’t very close.

Hu An also seemed unaware of their existence; perhaps he only remembered upon seeing the name on the examination list for "Physician."

This young man named Lin Miao had a strong sense of pride and was self-reliant. Convincing him to join Baoan Hall would probably not be an easy task.

Xu An glanced at Xu Qixi.

If Qixi took a fancy to this young man...

Going back, he would have to talk to the Patriarch; Xu An didn’t want to stay long and pulled Xu Qixi to leave immediately.

Inevitably, Xu An and Hu An encountered each other in the courtyard. Xu An had no impression of Hu An.

But Hu An found Xu An to be quite familiar. When he reached the steps, he suddenly recalled that the person leaving the courtyard just now was the renowned physician Xu An from Baoan Hall, a prominent figure admired even in Dongshan City.

For a moment, he was somewhat dazed. Although Qingyu Hall had a decent reputation in Dongshan City, it was still a level below Baoan Hall.

And with even the Xu Family making an appearance, such was the esteem...

"Is it Uncle Hu An? My family had guests just now, and I couldn’t come out to greet you. I apologize, I’m Lin Miao." Lin Miao walked down the steps and gave Hu An a deep bow.

Though he planned to have fewer interactions in the future, or perhaps none, since the man had come, the proper etiquette was necessary.

"You are little Miao. It’s been seven or eight years since we last met, and you’ve grown so much." Hu An scrutinized Lin Miao, showing a slightly joyful smile.

"Yes, Uncle Hu, please come inside and we can talk." Lin Miao gestured invitingly.

"Alright."

"Uncle Hu." Sun Youwei curtsied and greeted sweetly.

"Good child, I heard about your father. I intended to find time to visit, but the clinic has been too busy, and I really couldn’t leave." Hu An explained, somewhat embarrassed.

All just words of excuse. If he really cared, even if there was no time to visit, he should have sent a message to express concern, right?

Sun Simiao had been ailing for some time, bedridden for more than a day or two, and had written letters asking others to take care of Lin Miao and the elder sister if anything happened to him. It had been at least several months since those letters were sent.

"I’m already very grateful that Uncle can come," Sun Youwei said.

"Well, where is my brother’s memorial tablet? I’d like to offer some incense," Hu An said.

"Uncle Hu, please follow me."

"Brother, it’s been eight years since we parted, and who knew this separation was forever. You’re still young, how could you have left so soon?" Hu An offered incense in front of Sun Simiao’s memorial, his eyes slightly red with genuine emotion, which appeared truly moving.

Seeing this scene, Sun Youwei was naturally grief-stricken and couldn’t help but lower her head and shed tears.

Although it had been three months since her father’s passing, and she should have moved on, she still often missed the times when he was alive.

If she were alone, she would have probably broken down long ago.

Lin Miao reached out and gently patted Sun Youwei’s back to comfort her: "Senior Sister, don’t be sad. We should invite Uncle Hu to the main hall for tea."

Returning to the main hall, tea was served.

Hu An also regained his previous gentle and carefree demeanor, without a hint of earlier sorrow.

"Little Miao, I didn’t expect you to surprise us so much upon your arrival in Dongshan City. It seems your brother had high hopes for you, no wonder every letter mentioned plans for you," Hu An said, looking at Lin Miao with comfort and satisfaction.

He wasn’t boasting, but he implied that his contribution brought today, saying it all without explicitly stating it.

The charm of the art of conversation was evident here.

"I was just lucky. This ’Physician’ written exam was entirely rote memorization. I didn’t visit Uncle Hu upon arriving in Dongshan City because I didn’t want to be distracted by mundane things and wanted to focus on preparing for the exam." Lin Miao smiled, as Hu An clearly didn’t know he had tried to find him.

It’s fine; he didn’t want to mention it anyway.

"What plans do you have next, dear nephew?" Hu An finally asked the main question.

"Next is still the ’Face Examination’ test, so I can’t think of anything else now." This excuse was sound; unless he passed the ’Face Examination,’ nothing else was worth discussing.

"Haha, very well. The ’Face Examination’ test is difficult, yet you were trained by my brother, so there shouldn’t be a problem. I preemptively wish you success in passing it." Hu An laughed, "By the way, the guest in your home just now looked like Mr. Xu from Baoan Hall, is that right?"

"It’s Mr. Xu." Lin Miao nodded.

"The esteemed nephew actually knows Mr. Xu, oh, no, how does the esteemed nephew know Mr. Xu?" Hu An quickly changed his phrasing.

"Well, it’s a long story..." Lin Miao didn’t want to explain further, struggling to find an excuse for his answer.

"Master, master, a young gentleman claiming to be Su Chen from Lanzhou is here to visit." Before Lin Miao could continue to organize his words, the maid Yuzhu ran into the main hall to report.

"Mr. Su is here, quickly, invite him in." Lin Miao was worried about how to explain his relationship with Xu An to Hu An, but Su Chen’s arrival directly helped him out of the predicament.

Hu An was suddenly startled.

Su Chen from Lanzhou—there’s only one Su Family in Lanzhou that dares to be referred to as such. The Su Family is not a powerful family, but in Lanzhou, no one dares to offend the Su Family.

Because the Su Family is the richest in Lanzhou.

The Su Family owns a top-tier restaurant, Star-Picking Tower, headquartered in Li Jing, and Su’s Trading House, known worldwide, is also number one in Lanzhou.

Most importantly, the Su Family are royal merchants, with vast pastures in the northwest, raising horses for the court. One-third of the warhorses of the Da Li Dynasty come from the Su Family’s horse field.

Although no one from the Su Family holds an official post, they have deep connections with noble families in the court.

In short, if the Su Family doesn’t want someone to be the governor of Lanzhou, then that person won’t get the position, but the Su Family certainly won’t go against the court, or it would spell trouble for themselves.

Of course, the Su Family is flourishing in numbers, even if they’re not the largest clan in Lanzhou, they come close.

Though Su Chen is just one of many sons of the current Su Family patriarch, Su Qi, he is definitely the most favored one. Su Chen’s mother is a descendant of the Snow Mountain Sect, the top school in the northwest.

As for the Su Family’s rise to prosperity, that’s another story.

How could such a person visit Lin Miao’s home? Moreover, judging by their tone, they seem quite familiar.

First, there was Xu An from Baoan Hall, and now someone from the Su Family of Lanzhou. Is this connection something from the deceased Sun Simiao, or something else unknown to me?

"Mr. Hu, I shall go greet our guest, my apologies." Lin Miao stood up to apologize to Hu An. Even if there are guests at home, it’s improper to leave a visitor waiting at the door.

"Mr. Su."

"Sanshui, I thought I came to the wrong place. Your haunted house doesn’t look too bad." Su Chen came in and casually glanced around, clicking his tongue.

"The house is rented, has nothing to do with me."

"With your ability, this sort of house is just a flip of the hand." Su Chen said with a smile.

"Mr. Su jests, I don’t have such skills. Let’s talk in the side hall." Lin Miao led Su Chen into the side hall and spoke.

"Is there a guest at home?" Su Chen asked.

"Yes, an elder of my former teacher, Youwei is accompanying him." Lin Miao explained.

"Since it’s a family elder, you should attend to them first, no need to be overly courteous here." Su Chen said freely.

Perhaps because his mother roamed the martial world, Su Chen doesn’t like that sort of formal reception, and his conduct is unrestrained, more carefree.

It’s truly rare for a gentleman like him to have no attendants around.

However, if you really see him as an ordinary gentleman, you’d be gravely mistaken. With a mother from the Snow Mountain Sect, Su Chen has been practicing martial arts since childhood. If he didn’t have martial skills, would the Su Family let him go out alone?

"Then please wait a moment, I’ll come over when I’m finished there." Lin Miao instructed the maid Yuzhu to serve hot tea.

...

Sun Youwei was not like Lin Miao; Hu An easily extracted some information from her, learning that Lin Miao and Su Chen are recently acquainted, and have no direct connection to Sun Simiao.

Su Chen and Lin Miao call each other brothers, and their relationship appears quite good, but Lin Miao doesn’t seem aware of Su Chen’s real identity...

Friends who meet without prior knowledge clearly do not have a utilitarian nature.

His brother-in-law student with such good luck, befriending someone from the Su Family, proves his luck to be extraordinary.

And there’s Xu An from Baoan Hall, though Hu An didn’t get much from him, that’s because Lin Miao advised that matters related to Shi Yin should not be told to anyone.

Although Hu An is not considered an outsider, Sun Youwei now understands the perilous nature of human hearts, and she would certainly not violate Lin Miao’s instructions.

Hu An didn’t mention any "recruitment," only invited Lin Miao and Sun Youwei to visit Qingyu Hall when they had time.

Lin Miao verbally agreed, but internally thought he never wanted to set foot in Qingyu Hall again unless he turned Qingyu Hall into his own one day.

Speaking of which, the property that Qingyu Hall belongs to does have a rather nice location.