RYEY -Chapter 388 An Even Bigger Plan

Zhu Beishan took out all the money he had on him and bought everyone a cup of brown sugar water, as a small token of gratitude. Zhu Qingde also pulled a pulse-diagnosis tool from his backpack and handed it to Zhu Beishan.

“Son, this is the pulse-diagnosis device from our old Zhu family. It uses a solid piece of warm jade inside, wrapped in cotton cloth with padding. Keep it with you.”

“Father, please don’t. From now on, I’ll just stay by your side, learning from you and taking care of your daily life. I don’t want anything else. I just want to enjoy some family happiness.”

Zhu Qingde nodded. After all, once he passed away, all of this would belong to Zhu Beishan anyway—it didn’t matter whether he received it now or later.

The two of them began talking, and time flew by quickly. Before they knew it, the train had arrived at the station. Seeing everyone picking up their luggage, they snapped out of their daze and hurried to gather their things.

Zhu Beishan noticed that Zhu Qingde only had a simple suitcase, a backpack, and worn-out shoes that exposed his toes. He felt a pang of concern:

“Father, once we get settled, we’ll first buy you two sets of clothes, two pairs of shoes, and winter clothing. I’ve heard the winters here are very cold.”

“Yes, I still have some money on me, but I lack the proper vouchers. Once I get those, we can take care of it.”

Zhu Beishan nodded. At worst, he could use the black market to buy vouchers. No matter what, he had to make sure his father had new clothes and shoes.

Carrying the luggage, Zhu Beishan followed Zhu Qingde off the train, looking around in confusion. He had never met Shen Sanling and didn’t know if anyone had been sent to pick them up.

Shen Sanling, Cheng Qiao, and Shen Ying had been stationed at the train station these past few days. People were arriving by train daily, and they had arranged for the newcomers to stay at the military district guesthouse.

This time, they were welcoming a highly skilled figure. Perhaps he wasn’t as famous as Ye Jun or Shen Sanling, but in terms of both family background and medical expertise, he was a top figure in the field.

“Qingde, over here.”

Shen Sanling froze for a moment when he saw Zhu Qingde step off the train, then waved and ran quickly toward him. Seeing Zhu Qingde’s dark-skinned, thin frame, graying temples, and tattered clothes and shoes, Shen Sanling felt a pang in his heart.

Back then, he had accompanied his own father to the Zhu family pharmacy in Shanghai. Zhu Qingde had been young, wearing a melon-cap hat and a sapphire-blue brocade robe, with rosy lips, white teeth, and fair skin.

Who would have thought that after all these years, the family had completely fallen, and Zhu Qingde looked so worn-out? He was actually from a younger generation than Shen Sanling, yet now appeared older—a testament to how difficult his life had been.

“Uncle Shen, thank you for inviting me.”

“Nonsense, I’m glad you came. Let me introduce—my student…”

“Uncle Shen, no need for introductions. We know each other. Cheng Qiao, we meet again. I haven’t properly thanked you yet. If it weren’t for you back then, I… sigh.”

Before Shen Sanling could finish, a smile appeared on Zhu Qingde’s face. He had met this legendary young girl from Xiangyang Village again.

Back then, he had gone hunting in the mountains secretly due to hunger, but didn’t know how to hunt and always returned empty-handed.

Later, he met Cheng Qiao. She didn’t speak to him but always left game along his path. Over time, Zhu Qingde became very grateful to this little girl.

He had heard she became a disciple of Ye Jun and sincerely wished her well. He had even thought of sending her a gift, but Yuan Mengzhi wouldn’t allow it, threatening to report him if he dared.

Zhu Qingde understood Yuan Mengzhi’s perspective: from a high-handed capitalist young lady to a public outcast, she couldn’t accept the contrast, especially when Cheng Qiao was more beautiful and living a better life—indirectly making her a rival. Fortunately, Cheng Qiao was unaware.

“Uncle De, it’s nothing. You don’t need to put it in your heart. I’d feel embarrassed otherwise. You should chat with my teacher first; I’ll go welcome the other teachers.”

“Ah…”

Shen Sanling finally understood how Zhu Qingde had survived. Such a pampered young man, whose eyes and heart were filled only with herbs, lacked survival skills.

It seemed fate had intervened—this son of a wealthy Chinese medicine family was saved by an unknown girl from a remote village.

“Let’s go. I’ve arranged temporary lodging for you. Familiarize yourselves with the area, and after winter, we can officially start classes.”

Shen Sanling laughed heartily, taking Zhu Qingde’s hand and walking toward a somewhat worn seven-seater minivan parked outside the train station—their ride.

Xiao Dan sat inside the van, grinning as he watched people exit the station. Over the past few days, several new teachers had arrived, hired by the school.

The school had been half-renovated, with places for teachers and students to study and work. Qin Tuan had tasked Xiao Dan with transporting the teachers.

The teachers were polite and, upon learning his name was Xiao Dan, all laughed knowingly—it was clear he had been mischievous as a child.

They hoped to learn well from Cheng Qiao and others to become useful members of society. Xiao Dan didn’t like this, thinking his current work was already useful.

Meanwhile, Cheng Qiao seemed to have even bigger plans—building staff dorms, student dorms, a cafeteria, library, and labs. She warned that if the school population grew, it would be too late to build them.

Xiao Dan was worried about the cost. Even renovating his family’s large house had drained the family fortune. Yet, he trusted Cheng Qiao could do it. The once lifeless abandoned school was now highly sought after; everyone was curious about it.

The van had only seven seats, six besides Xiao Dan, but more than ten people had arrived. Shen Ying and Cheng Qiao stayed with some teachers, letting Xiao Dan make multiple trips.

He nodded repeatedly, started the car, and in half an hour had delivered everyone to the military district guesthouse.

After several trips, once everyone had arrived, Zhu Qingde immediately wanted to see the place where they would work and live.

But when they followed Cheng Qiao to the so-called Liangzhou Chinese Medicine University and reached the entrance, the scene before them left them astonished.