Chapter 57: A Harmonious Resolution of the Dispute

The woman in the headscarf was about to unleash her signature pinching technique once again.

However, this time, the man in the flat cap managed to dodge it.

Seeing her attempt fail, the headscarf-wearing woman didn't spare him with her words: "You old ghost! I swear every day you do business, your eyes just sink right into the money pits! The doctor is so kind-hearted to treat my illness, and yet you still tried to extort him. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"My dear elder sister, you mustn't put it that way. I also agree with big brother's opinion; the primary responsibility indeed lies with our clinic. I have no idea how much the total cost of your infusions came to, but how about I take it upon myself to compensate you an additional one thousand yuan, and consider the rest as nutrition fees?"

Before the patient and her family could express their stance, Huang Biao walked in carrying a thermos cup, shouting out two words of approval in succession.

Then, with a deadpan and solemn expression, he said: "I entirely support Boss Ma's decision. However, I have only one request: all expenses arising from this incident must be deducted from my salary."

Upon hearing this, Ma Hui immediately objected: "Director Huang, how can that be? According to industry norms, the clinic should bear these costs. Besides, you weren't doing it on purpose."

With a stern and resolute expression, Huang Biao declared firmly: "Today, in front of the patient, her family, and Dr. Zhang, I am making this solemn statement. If the boss does not accept my request, then I will resign and quit tomorrow."

Ma Hui was stunned for a moment, but she immediately realized this was indeed a brilliant tactical retreat.

Otherwise, if the patient stubbornly refused compensation, she would genuinely feel a lingering sense of guilt.

The man in the flat cap and his wife clearly hadn't expected Huang Biao to put on such a performance.

Now, the issue was no longer whether they should decline the money; judging by the situation, if they insisted on refusing it, they might genuinely end up costing the kind older doctor his job.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, they had no choice but to acquiesce in silence.

Zhang Jing, standing to the side, thought to himself that Huang Biao's transformation today was simply too dramatic. Not to mention how curious Guicui felt, even he found it somewhat unbelievable.

For the next few moments, everyone maintained a tacit understanding and stopped speaking.

It seemed as though they were all worried that whoever spoke first might shatter a certain delicate balance.

Until footsteps echoed from the doorway, and Guicui walked in carrying a small bag of traditional Chinese medicine herbs.

Seeing everyone in the consultation room standing frozen in place, neither speaking nor moving, she couldn't help teasing: "Are you guys playing a game of musical statues?"

Zhang Jing gave a faint smile and said to Guicui: "Xiaocui, the medicine has been prepared? Did you separate the donkey-hide gelatin?"

"Yes, yes, I packed it separately in a small cloth bag on the side, and even portioned out the daily doses neatly," Guicui quickly replied.

At this moment, Ma Hui also spoke up: "Xiaocui, go check the outpatient system again and see the total cost of this sister's previous herbal medicine and registration fee. Also, add another thousand yuan, and bring it all to me from the petty cash fund."

Guicui understood immediately. After shoving the herbal medicine into the man's hands in the flat cap, she scurried away in a hurry.

Being naturally quick-handed and nimble, she returned with a stack of banknotes in less than two minutes.

"Big sister, I've calculated it. It comes to a total of one thousand three hundred and seventy-four yuan and fifty cents. It's all right here."

Taking the money, Ma Hui handed it over with both hands to the woman in the headscarf.

"Big sister, please count it and see if the amount is correct."

The woman in the headscarf hurriedly stood up, rubbed her hands together, and said with an embarrassed expression: "This... this... Oh my! Then I'll just shamelessly accept it. You are all good people, and the doctor is an even better doctor. When I go back, I will definitely spread the word about your good names."

"Then on behalf of the clinic, I thank you in advance," Ma Hui politely replied.

The man in the flat cap stood up right after. With the thermos cup in one hand and the bag of herbal medicine in the other, he was just about to bid farewell along with his wife.

When suddenly, he remembered that this thermos cup wasn't his at all.

So he turned around and asked: "Director Huang, you just bought this cup, didn't you? How much is it? I'll pay you for it."

"No need, no need. It's just a beat-up cup I grabbed casually from a small shop; it's not worth much," Huang Biao waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.

"Business is business. I absolutely cannot take this kind of advantage. How about we go to the supermarket together and see how much it actually cost?" The man in the flat cap turned out to be quite stubborn.

Hearing this, Huang Biao really didn't want to complicate matters any further, so he quickly blurted out a minimal price: "Fine. I can tell you're a principled person. It really wasn't expensive—just eighteen yuan."

"Alright," the man in the flat cap said, pulling a few small bills from his wife's hand and handing them over to Huang Biao.

Then he bowed to everyone: "We'll be heading back first then. My wife is right; you are all good people, and I was the one who misunderstood before. To be frank, I originally came here prepared to argue and ready to make a scene. I never dreamed it would turn out like this. Just wait and see, your clinic is definitely going to become immensely popular throughout Quanlu County. I will make sure to put in a good word for you to every customer who buys our Chinese mitten crabs."

Ma Hui, Huang Biao, and Guicui all expressed their gratitude in turn.

Only Zhang Jing suddenly spoke up with a serious expression: "Big brother, promoting our clinic isn't what matters most. I think you should specifically remind your customers—especially those who are obviously sensitive to the cold in winter—that they must consume fewer mitten crabs. If they really want to eat them, they must pair them with ginger tea or huangjiu to dispel the cold."

"Right, right, right!" The man in the flat cap nodded repeatedly. "Dr. Zhang's reminder is spot on. I mustn't make that kind of mistake again."

Hearing this, everyone exchanged amused and understanding smiles.

It could be considered letting bygones be bygones through a smile.

After seeing the patient and her family off, Ma Hui immediately issued an order: call an emergency meeting.

The four of them walked one after another up to the second-floor office, where Ma Hui retrieved a key from her handbag and unlocked the door.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that someone seemed to be missing—Wang Sen.

So she turned around and asked Guicui: "Xiaocui, wasn't Wang Sen working this afternoon?"

"He should be. We even had lunch together at noon, treated by Dr. Zhang," Guicui said, a look of bewilderment crossing her face.

"Such a big incident happened at the clinic, why wasn't he called? And besides, when we just passed the massage room, why didn't we see him?" Ma Hui asked in quick succession.

Zhang Jing thought for a moment and said: "I was the one who decided not to notify Dr. Wang. He is too heavily built, and I was worried that seeing him might trigger unnecessary misunderstandings from the patient's family. Right now, Dr. Wang should be in the inner acupuncture room learning how to twist and shape moxa wool. Shall I go call him over?"

Ma Hui nodded approvingly: "Xiaocui—ah, Xiaojing, your consideration is very thorough. Go ahead and get him."

With that, Zhang Jing walked through the massage room and went straight to the entrance of the acupuncture room.

"Tap, tap, tap..." He gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," Wang Sen's familiar voice came from inside.

Seeing that it was Zhang Jing, Wang Sen hurriedly stood up and pointed to more than ten moxa cones of varying sizes resting inside a stainless steel curved tray.

Scratching his bald head with an embarrassed expression, he said: "Dr. Zhang, look. I've been practicing for almost the whole afternoon, and these are the only few things I managed to twist together."

Zhang Jing gave a slight nod: "That's already very good, Dr. Wang. With this kind of drive, you'll definitely master the tricks of warming needle moxibustion very soon. However, we have to pause for now; everyone is waiting in the office for a meeting."

"Another meeting?" Wang Sen was stunned, unable to help muttering: "Didn't we just have one yesterday? Has big sister developed an addiction to holding meetings?"