Gan Lijing could not believe her ears. Her father, who had always doted on her, was actually saying such things.
The thought of having to beg Mufeng and apologize to him was completely unacceptable to her.
"If you want to go, you go. I'd rather die than beg him, and apologizing to her—er, him—is out of the question!"
With that, she burst into tears and ran back to her room. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, while her father's roaring voice echoed from behind.
"How did I end up giving birth to such an unfilial daughter like you? Since you were little, your grandfather loved you so much, catering to your every whim and giving you whatever you wanted. Now his life is hanging by a thread, and you won't even go ask someone to treat him! Aside from being brainlessly obsessed with romance, what are you even good for? What's the point of raising you?"
"Waaah..." Sobbing and howling could be heard coming from Gan Lijing's room.
...
The Lunar New Year was fast approaching, and the streets were decked out in festive red lanterns and decorations, bustling with extraordinary liveliness.
Mother was working overtime today. Having taken two days off previously, she had accumulated a huge pile of tasks to finish, so she told Mufeng and Muyun to go out and get something to eat on their own.
With ten crisp banknotes in his pocket, Mufeng decided to treat Muyun to a proper meal.
"Mufeng, did you make money? Why don't we go eat KFC?"
"What's so good about that? It's expensive and unhealthy."
"No way, my classmates say it's super delicious—crispy, savory, and they even have sundae ice cream."
As she finished speaking, Muyun swallowed hard.
Mufeng suddenly softened. Muyun was already in the third year of junior high, yet she had actually never eaten KFC.
"Alright, we'll have KFC today then."
"Yay! Let's get one thing straight, though: you're treating for the KFC, but the 80 yuan you owe me still has to be paid back."
"Fine, I can't break this large bill right now. I'll get some small change back when we pay and settle up with you then."
The two ordered a table full of burgers and fried chicken, plus two cups of sundae ice cream.
The main combatant was naturally the chubby little girl Muyun, who swept through the food like a whirlwind. During the meal, she even tossed two burgers and pieces of fried chicken into her bag.
"Are you packing leftovers to go?"
"No way. Aren't you treating today? I'm letting Xiao Hei, Xiao Hong, Xiaolü, Xiao Huang, and Xiao Hui taste it too—they've never had it either."
Mufeng knew who she was talking about: Xiao Hei was a scorpion, Xiao Hong a centipede, Xiaolü a bamboo viper, Xiao Huang a toad, and Xiao Hui a spider.
Ever since Mufeng had seen through the fact that these were all live animals, Muyun stopped pretending.
"Won't they fight being crammed in your bag?"
"Of course not, they're super obedient."
After eating and drinking their fill, the two settled the bill and headed home, eating their sundae ice creams as they walked.
"Here, this is the 80 yuan I promised you."
"Today you spent 120 treating, so how about I chip in 20 and you just pay me back 60?"
Muyun asked, holding the money out with a slight look of embarrassment.
"No need. A promise made must be kept."
"We won't eat KFC next time. It's too expensive, and Xiaolü said it's not nutritious."
Well, your Xiaolü certainly seems to have quite a wide range of functions.
When the two walked home, they saw someone standing at the entrance.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?"
"Pardon me, does classmate Mufeng live here?"
"I do."
"Hello, I'm a staff member from the Physicians Association. Someone has commissioned us to request a house call from you tomorrow. Here are the documents; take a look and sign if everything is in order. Classmate Mufeng, even though you're still a student, it's still recommended that you get a mobile phone. It's only because this is your first time being requested for a house call that I made a special trip here; next time, I won't have the time to come over."
I'd love to buy a phone too, if only I had enough money.
"How is the fee calculated?"
"Our Physicians Association runs a high-end medical service, providing house calls exclusively to distinguished members. You are currently only a Tier 1 Bronze Physician, so the house call fee is only ten thousand. We deduct a 30% service fee, and the remaining amount is settled monthly and deposited into your card. Of course, as your physician rank increases in the future, the percentage we take will decrease."
Thirty percent? Talk about daylight robbery!
"Then how does one raise their physician rank? How are the fee percentages calculated?"
"There are two types of physician ranks, with your own tier corresponding to your physician tier. For example, since you are currently Tier 1, you are a Tier 1 physician. The other type is comprehensively evaluated based on popularity, house call request rate, and satisfaction feedback, and is divided into five levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, and King. Your tier determines the minimum base rate for house calls—for instance, ten thousand for Tier 1, twenty thousand for Tier 2, and so on. Bronze takes 30%, Silver 20%, Gold 10%, Diamond 5%, and so forth. Physicians at the Gold rank and above have the right to freely price their house call fees, allowing them to independently decide a price that suits their positioning."
"You left one out just now—you haven't mentioned King yet!" Muyun, who had been listening with pricked ears on the side, was very attentive and pointed out the loophole.
The Physicians Association worker smiled helplessly and explained, "There are only a handful of King-level physicians in the entire world. Either they command immense respect, or they are literally the bosses of our Physicians Association. Who would dare collect a commission from them?"
Mufeng nodded with an understanding expression and asked again, "If no one requests a house call by name, how do you raise your rank?"
"Generally, physicians like you who are Tier 1 Bronze can first come to our association for regular consultations or assist other physicians in order to build up popularity and reputation. Of course, that only pays a meager labor fee. Usually, once someone reaches the Silver rank and above, our association will proactively recommend them to clients."
No money? Not interested!
Saving the dying and healing the wounded, bringing benefit to humanity—that is precisely the aspiration of people like us. Collecting a commensurate reward for our labor along the way is entirely reasonable and fair!
After reading through the documents, Mufeng signed to accept the house call commission and sent the medical association worker on his way.
"Mufeng, you make money so easily! Going out once and you can make 7,000. Much simpler than Mom going to work."
Muyun tugged at Mufeng, staring straight at him with gleaming eyes.
Mufeng guessed what she was thinking in an instant.
"Show some respect, you should call me older brother."
"Older Brother!"
"Fine, from now on I'll give you an extra 100 yuan a month for allowance."
"Only 100? You make 7,000 in one go! At least—at least it has to be 150."
"It's 100, take it or leave it."
"I'll take it!"
...
The next day, following the address, Mufeng arrived in front of a villa and rang the doorbell.
A young beauty opened the door, and the two stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Hey."
The moment Gan Lijing opened her mouth, Mufeng turned around and walked away.
Are you kidding? What if staying for a few more words lowers my intelligence?
Who knows if getting a bad review on my very first house call would affect my future career and my mission of saving the dying and healing the wounded (making money).
Gan Lijing had originally wanted to say: Hey, are you here to treat my grandfather? If so, come on in, and make sure you put some effort into the treatment.
She never expected that Mufeng wouldn't give her a chance to speak at all. The second she opened her mouth, he turned around and walked away, moving very fast.
Remembering her father's repeated instructions that upon meeting Mufeng—even if she didn't apologize and admit her wrongs—she must warmly welcome him in to treat the patient, because her grandfather's condition could no longer withstand any delay.
Gan Lijing instantly panicked.
"Mufeng, don't go! I was wrong, I apologize, I'm sorry, waah waah waah..."