Chapter 977 — I Won't Go Back on My Word

So, having thought it through, Chen's mother felt much more at ease; she decided that Wei Zhao and Feng Xiaoxiao could not be bad people after all.

True, they had helped her twice, but that could hardly have been premeditated. Even if the man who had picked that quarrel earlier had been sent by them to make trouble for her and her daughter, how could they possibly have known afterward that she would faint?

Once they were in the car, a single sentence from Wei Zhao dispelled all of Chen's mother's lingering suspicions.

"There's a pharmacy up ahead, Xiaoxiao. Pull over a moment—I'll go pick up some medicine," Wei Zhao said to Feng Xiaoxiao.

"All right." Feng Xiaoxiao was quite eager to see Chen Xi's mother cured, so when Wei Zhao said this, she agreed without a second thought, drove up to the pharmacy entrance, and stopped the car.

"I'll go buy the medicine with you..." Chen Xi said hurriedly when she saw Wei Zhao get out. How could she let Wei Zhao pay for the medicine? She was already deeply grateful that he was treating her mother; the cost of the herbs, she intended to cover herself.

"No need. You don't have enough money anyway," Wei Zhao said mildly. "If you want to repay me, you can do it later."

Since Wei Zhao had decided to help, he would see it through to the end. Chen Xi's money was not enough to buy the medicine now, but if she had money later and insisted on paying him back, he would not refuse.

Yet that one sentence from Wei Zhao was misunderstood by Chen Xi. Hearing his words, she took them to mean that he wanted her to repay him in some other way later, and her face flushed instantly. She stopped insisting on getting out of the car and instead said firmly, "All right. I'll pay you back slowly!"

"Heh..." How could Wei Zhao possibly guess at such complicated thoughts in Chen Xi's head at that moment? He gave it no mind and got out of the car.

He would not let Chen Xi come with him for two reasons: first, her money was not enough, so it would do no good for her to come; second, he did not want the prescription to leak out. Toward Chen Xi, a stranger, he could not guarantee sufficient trust.

Though a prescription would be adjusted for each individual, if Wei Zhao's formula fell into the hands of some pharmaceutical expert, it would likely be a precious treasure. Wei Zhao was not in the habit of giving away benefits for free.

Wei Zhao entered the pharmacy. Rather than writing out a prescription, he simply dictated the names of the herbs he wanted and bought them, then borrowed the pharmacy's equipment to grind them all into powder and divide it into several small packets.

He had chosen this small private pharmacy precisely because the owner and the clerk were one and the same, and whatever medicine was sold was not entered into any ledger—it was simply weighed out for Wei Zhao on the spot. Such private pharmacies generally took inventory manually at intervals and then restocked, with no supply-and-sales software whatsoever.

Very quickly, Wei Zhao came out of the pharmacy and returned to the car. He handed Chen Xi a packet of the prepared Chinese medicine and said, "One packet in the morning, one at noon, and one at night, taken with boiled water. For the first few days there will be severe diarrhea, which will gradually ease afterward. The stool will at first be foul-smelling and entirely black, and its color will grow progressively lighter until it approaches normal. Once it is completely normal, you may stop the medicine, and then contact me at once for the next course of treatment. These packets are more than enough—there are extras."

Wei Zhao quickly explained to Chen Xi and her mother how to take the medicine and what symptoms might appear.

"Understood!" Chen Xi memorized every word Wei Zhao said, afraid of missing anything. Once she was sure she understood, she nodded hurriedly and said, "I've got it all down!"

"Where do you live? I'll drive you back—I have other things to do," Wei Zhao said. He offered nothing further and merely asked the question.

"Just ahead, that residential compound..." Chen Xi pointed to a rather old-looking compound not far away.

Feng Xiaoxiao flicked on her turn signal and drove the car into the compound. This was likely the family housing compound of some enterprise or work unit; the buildings inside varied in height, age, and style, clearly constructed at different times—utterly unlike those uniformly planned and built residential developments.

"Which building?" Feng Xiaoxiao asked.

"This one right up ahead!" Chen Xi pointed to a red-brick building that looked the most dilapidated of the lot. "That's the one—Unit Three, Room 402."

"We won't go up. Once the symptoms I described have disappeared, or if your mother faints again, give me a call." Wei Zhao had no intention whatsoever of going up as a guest; he casually gave Chen Xi a phone number.

"All right, thank you, Miracle Doctor Brother!" Chen Xi hastily noted down Wei Zhao's number, a strange, indefinable feeling stirring in her heart. Wei Zhao had not made any improper demands of her, which let her breathe a small sigh of relief. It seemed he meant to wait until her mother was completely cured before claiming her? But if that were so, would he fear she might go back on her word afterward and therefore not treat her mother diligently? At this thought, after her mother got out of the car, Chen Xi bent down again and said softly to Wei Zhao, who was about to settle into the car, "Those terms from before—I won't go back on my word!"

"Hm?" Wei Zhao was taken aback for a moment before he understood what Chen Xi meant. He was just about to explain when Chen Xi had already straightened up and stood beside her mother. Wei Zhao could hardly say anything more; he merely shook his head.

"Sir, thank you so much!" Mother Chen gazed at Wei Zhao with boundless gratitude. A thousand words crowded her heart, yet for a moment her voice caught and she could not speak them. Since falling ill, she had visited many hospitals, and the doctors at most of them, after examining her, had told her the plain truth: given her financial circumstances, she should give up treatment. If she insisted on being treated, it would cost an enormous sum.

And yet Wei Zhao was treating her free of charge—had even said she could be cured. This both delighted Mother Chen and filled her with deep shame. She had been on her guard against him before, fearing he had ulterior motives. But the man had come all this way and would not even go upstairs to sit for a while—what motive could he possibly have?

Wei Zhao glanced at Mother Chen but said nothing. He merely turned to Feng Xiaoxiao and said, "Drive."

"Oh... all right." Feng Xiaoxiao had not expected Wei Zhao to remain so cold and distant even after helping Chen Xi and her mother, and she could not help feeling a little deflated.

Wei Zhao was not a man who liked to meddle in others' affairs. Even this time, he had saved Chen Xi and her mother only for Feng Xiaoxiao's sake. Though something in his heart had changed somewhat, he still could not simply rush to help every person he laid eyes on—otherwise he would have nothing to do all day but drag a little stool to the hospital entrance and hold free clinics.