Gu Luotang returned to the second-floor consulting room and sat in Wan Yunting’s usual seat. She watched Li Yuxiu, who was beside her, taking a patient’s pulse and asking about their condition. Seeing that Li Yuxiu’s cup was empty, Gu Luotang picked up the kettle and poured some water for her. Li Yuxiu turned to glance at her, nodded, and said plainly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Gu Luotang smiled. Seeing that there were no patients waiting at the moment, she said with a smile, "Dr. Li, it's thanks to you helping out at the clinic these past few days. Otherwise, Brother Yunting wouldn't be able to handle it all by himself."
Li Yuxiu took a sip from her water cup, placed it down gently, and said softly, "I'm just honoring a bet."
Gu Luotang smiled and nodded. Li Yuxiu slanted her phoenix eyes towards her and, inexplicably, couldn't help but ask, "I've always heard that Chairman Gu's granddaughter is a talented and beautiful person, but why would she be with a scumbag?"
Gu Luotang's pretty face froze for a moment. Hearing her call the man a scumbag, she immediately smiled and said, "Dr. Li, you are mistaken. He is not a scumbag. If he were, he would have abandoned me long ago."
Li Yuxiu looked at her with incomprehensible phoenix eyes. Gu Luotang smiled and said, "It's just that Dr. Li doesn't understand him. But in my eyes, Brother Yunting is a good man, and I am very fortunate to have met him and to be with him."
Li Yuxiu said, "But I heard that he is not the only woman you have, right?"
Gu Luotang looked at her, nodded, and smiled, "Yes, but he is a righteous and loyal person. At least, he has never let me down."
These words made the traditionally minded Li Yuxiu shake her head in incomprehension and no longer pursued the topic, continuing to drink her water…
Because, in his opinion, Wan Yunting being with several women at the same time was the act of a super scumbag.
But he couldn't understand why a good woman like Gu Luotang would be devotedly following such a scumbag…
After an unknown amount of time, Wan Yunting came down from the third floor alone. Seeing Gu Luotang and Li Yuxiu chatting in the consulting room, he smiled and asked, "What are you two talking about?"
Gu Luotang saw him coming down and smiled, "Nothing. Where's Miaomiao?"
Wan Yunting smiled, "She's cleaning upstairs."
This remark earned Gu Luotang a glare. She knew this guy must have bullied Miaomiao into not coming down.
Wan Yunting sat directly on the table and looked at Li Yuxiu, unable to help but ask curiously, "By the way, Dr. Li, you mentioned before that some people have been disrupting our traditional Chinese medicine culture from behind the scenes. Who do you mean?"
Li Yuxiu was reading a medical book in her hand and said plainly, "I heard that not long ago, there was an incident of cultural invasion in the country, which attracted widespread public attention in the news!"
As soon as she said this, Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang's expressions froze. They exchanged a glance and immediately understood Li Yuxiu's meaning. They couldn't help but raise their eyebrows and say, "So, you believe that those people have also infiltrated our traditional Chinese medicine?"
Li Yuxiu turned her head, her wise phoenix eyes looking at them, and said, "It's not something that started now, it's been happening all along. This is a cultural infiltration war!"
Gu Luotang nodded and said, "Many of our traditional cultures are disappearing, while new things constantly emerge. For example, the poisonous textbook incident last time, the enemy has already infiltrated."
"Thinking about it now, it's suddenly frightening. I can't imagine that in another decade or so, our traditional culture might disappear completely. If…"
"If that happens, we will have lost without a fight. It will be a cultural extinction!" Li Yuxiu said.
Wan Yunting narrowed his eyes and said, "Is this the so-called cultural invasion, the Third World War!"
Li Yuxiu said, "Good medicinal herbs go abroad, and talented people also go abroad. Domestic culture is constantly being eroded, promoted and popularized as feudal superstition and then banned. Gradually, until traditional culture completely disappears…"
Wan Yunting's expression suddenly darkened, and he said with a heavy tone, "It seems the enemy has infiltrated from within!"
Gu Luotang's expression changed. She slightly shook her head, signaling her man not to say such things. Wan Yunting waved his hand and smiled, "It's alright, there are no outsiders here."
Li Yuxiu looked at the time and stood up, saying, "It's closing time."
Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang stood up and smiled, "Take care."
Watching Li Yuxiu leave downstairs without looking back, Gu Luotang sat down again and said, "Actually, Dr. Li is quite a good person."
Wan Yunting also sat on the table and turned to look at the woman, smiling, "In what way?"
Gu Luotang's pretty face stiffened. Looking at the man's amorous gaze, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. She slapped his thigh with her jade hand and said, "You! What are you thinking? Are you perhaps interested in her?"
Wan Yunting grabbed Gu Luotang's jade hand and laughed heartily, "What are you talking about? How could I be interested in her? Although she takes good care of herself, she is still a woman nearing forty…"
"Ah, Dr. Li!"
Suddenly, Gu Luotang saw Li Yuxiu returning and let out a startled cry. Wan Yunting also quickly looked back, only to find Li Yuxiu standing expressionlessly at the consulting room door. Her wise phoenix eyes were staring directly at him with a sharp intensity, making Wan Yunting's old face instantly feel embarrassed.
Li Yuxiu entered, picked up her phone from the table, and turned to leave. It was clear she had heard Wan Yunting's last words.
Seeing her leave, Gu Luotang patted his thigh again and snorted, "I told you not to speak carelessly. Now you've completely offended her."
Wan Yunting awkwardly and helplessly scratched his head, revealing a wry smile…
In the evening, at Gu Yuanbai's courtyard, they had informed him in advance that they would be coming for dinner, so a table full of dishes was prepared. Wan Yunting drove back with Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao. Du Hua also brought two pharmacists, Huang Fuxiang and Mo Yalin, to join them for dinner.
At the dinner table, Wan Yunting discussed the fake medicine issue with Zhenghai Pharmaceutical Group with Du Hua, which made Gu Yuanbai frown in surprise, "There is such a thing?"
Wan Yunting nodded and said, "I suspect they are crying wolf. So, I asked Senior Brother Du to investigate discreetly during this period to see where those unqualified medicines were flowing in from!"
Gu Yuanbai's old face was solemn, "Ma Zhenghai is considered a highly respected elder in our traditional Chinese medicine field. He built Zhenghai Pharmaceutical from a small workshop to its current scale by relying on the authenticity and quality of his medicines and a good reputation."
"If they really did this, it would be their own undoing!"
Pharmacist Mo said, "Could it be that his grandson did it secretly, and Old Master Ma doesn't know?"
"Yes, that's possible," said Huang Fuxiang.
Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang nodded in agreement, saying, "It's still my personal speculation. We need to investigate and collect evidence to prove whether Ma Qisheng himself is crying wolf."
Du Hua said, "Don't worry, I will investigate thoroughly during this period."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Wan Yunting raised his wine glass and drank with Du Hua. Then, he discussed the issue of cultural invasion and the attacks on traditional Chinese medicine culture that he had talked about with Li Yuxiu earlier, with Gu Yuanbai.
"I have actually been paying attention to this issue for a long time."
After drinking, and after Huang Fuxiang and Mo Yalin had left, Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang, along with Du Hua and Gu Yuanbai, gathered in the courtyard for tea and conversation. He sighed, "Currently, with the restrictions imposed by those people, I cannot make any progress with my personal ability."
"Moreover, I suspect the enemy has already infiltrated my inner circle!"
These words made Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, and Du Hua's expressions turn solemn. They asked, "Elder Gu, do you mean someone has been pushing Liu He and the others from behind?"
Gu Yuanbai nodded, his gaze sharp and his expression heavy, "Because what they want to see is the Chinese Medicine Association return to the corrupt and decadent state of the Sima family. Only then can the enemy take advantage of the void and completely destroy our cultural heritage."
"Therefore, this is a major problem. After all, their infiltration has been going on for decades, making it impossible for you to guess who among the people around you might be the enemy!"
Du Hua nodded and said, "Thinking about it now is frightening, as if someone is stabbing me in the back at any moment!"
"Yes."
Gu Luotang also nodded with a face full of worry. She had never thought of this level before, as ordinary people simply wouldn't be aware of this problem.
Wan Yunting's brow furrowed, and he said, "Elder Gu, we cannot stand by and watch the Chinese Medicine Association, which has just started to improve, fall into the hands of those people again."
"Otherwise, in a few decades, our traditional Chinese medicine culture will completely disappear!"
Gu Yuanbai nodded, but then added, "Those people have already started to target me!"
Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang's hearts tightened, and they quickly asked, "Have they made a move?"
Gu Yuanbai nodded and said, "Now they are just waiting for an opportunity to bring me down!"
"The Health Commission?" Wan Yunting raised his eyebrows and asked.
Gu Yuanbai nodded and said, "Many people are protesting, believing that my education reform plan has drawbacks. Many parents also oppose their children studying traditional Chinese medicine, believing it is useless and will only burden their children!"
Gu Yuanbai immediately added, "That's right. This morning when I went to teach a class, some parents were making a scene at the school, forbidding us from teaching traditional Chinese medicine classes!"
Gu Yuanbai frowned, saying, "This is instigated by them from behind the scenes. They want to escalate the issue to society and let the public make a choice!"
Wan Yunting's expression became serious, "The public does not recognize our traditional Chinese medicine now!"
"Yes, they are exploiting this very point, which is why they are causing trouble!" Gu Yuanbai nodded.
This put Wan Yunting in a difficult position, unsure of what to say.
After all, people nowadays do not recognize the system of traditional Chinese medicine; instead, they lean more towards Western medicine.
Therefore, when people get sick, the first thing they think of is going to the hospital for treatment. They would not think of seeking treatment from traditional Chinese medicine.
Now, parents are clamoring for schools to cancel traditional Chinese medicine classes, believing that children don't need to learn it. Some people even severely denigrate traditional Chinese medicine on news or online platforms, calling it traditional superstition that should be phased out, sparking heated discussions among the general public.
Some support the cancellation, while others support traditional Chinese medicine. In any case, both sides are arguing, causing chaos.
And the promoters behind all of this are, naturally, the enemies of traditional culture!
Their goal is to target Gu Yuanbai, the Chairman of the Chinese Medicine Association, who is promoting the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine culture, and to bring him down!