Qi Qingyao glanced at the patient and taunted him, "You're on the verge of death, so save the emotional outbursts. You act like you ate black powder. Shouldn't you save some energy to maintain your sorry life?"

Sorry life? "Y-you little cough cough cough…" Pei Fengtang nearly passed out from the anger.

"I'm a physician! And I'm here to save your life. You don't have to reject me so violently."

Qi Qingyao walked up to his bed as she spoke, even sitting boldly on the side of his bed. Heir Pei was still coughing his lungs out, the intense fit turning his eyes bloodshot. When his eyes were red like this, he looked like a trapped beast.

Qi Qingyao patted his thigh as though comforting a child. "You don't have to glare at me, either."

Heir Pei continued to cough and glare at her.

"To be honest, I can't be bothered to deal with grumpy rich kids like you. If they hadn't told me that they'd pay me for treating you, I'd never wanna give a cocky jerk like you any time of my day. I bet your guards and servants are the same. No one would care for a dying dog like you if it weren't for their salaries! You have a terrible temper and can't even take care of yourself. Half-dead *ssholes like you are the worst. If you wanna die, just kick the bucket already!" As Qi Qingyao spoke, she took a pillow from the bottom of the bed and looked at the coughing Heir Pei with a wide smile. 

Pei Fengtang was finally done coughing. Just by listening to her, he could feel like his time was almost up. Was it because he actually thought that he would die from anger, or was it something else? Regardless, he took a deep breath and said, "You're here to treat me, aren't you?" Once he was better, he was going to get his payback on this physician!

Qi Qingyao shrugged and said calmly, "To be honest, I suddenly don't want to treat you anymore. If you want to die, I can smother you to death with this pillow."

"You… Cough cough cough…" Heir Pei started coughing in anger again. The redness in his eyes intensified.

Qi Qingyao smirked at him. "I'm doing this for your own good. You've been wanting to die for a while now, right?"

"..." Pei Fengtang's face was red from rage.

Qi Qingyao approached him with a smile and patted his cheek. "If you beg me, I can treat you."

Pei Fengtang's eyes widened abruptly, and he forcibly swallowed his cough. He looked at Qi Qingyao with some surprise, "Can you really, cough cough… treat me?"

"Sure," Qi Qingyao said evenly. "But before I do, we need to settle on my fee."

"How… much do you want…?"

"Depends on how much you're offering."

"A hundred taels."

"Is that all your life's worth?"

"Ten thousand…"

"Good, ten thousand taels! Remember, you said it. Deal!"

"???"

He was talking about gold.

Did she think silver?

If he could get his illness treated for ten thousand taels of ginger, he would be laughing all the way to the bank.

"But let's make this clear, I'll write you a prescription. However, you guys have to buy the herbs needed. The ten thousand taels are my consultation fee, medicine not included," Qi Qingyao continued to rant.

After all that coughing, Pei Fengtang finally passed out.

"Yikes, the Heir passed out. Hey, someone! Come, quick! Bring a brush and paper, I'll write you a prescription," Qi Qingyao yelled.

A few guards immediately ran into the room. 

Qi Qingyao read Pei Fengtang's pulse and determined that he was only unconscious. After that, she wrote down a prescription and handed it over to the guard. 

"Give him the medicine according to the instructions here. For the first three days, he has to take the medicine three times a day, in the morning, noon, and night. Have him drink the medicine immediately after his meals. From the fourth to tenth days, once daily. After ten consecutive days, I guarantee he'll make a full recovery."

After she gave her orders, the guard told a maid at the Heir's chambers to buy the required herbs. 

"I gave you the prescription, so isn't it time you paid me my consultation fee?" Qi Qingyao held out her hand at the guard. 

"What if you're a fraud?" The guard glanced at the unconscious Heir. Of course he would not dare to pay her before he woke up.

Qi Qingyao tilted her head. "?"

"Why don't you wait until our Lord Heir's poison has been neutralized? We'll pay you when he's fully recovered. Oh, my name is Li Qing. You can call me by my name directly, ma'am," said Li Qing.

Qi Qingyao said, "Well, I'm fine with that. But that means we'll have to intrude on you for a while."

"We have plenty of guest rooms in the west wing, please help yourselves!" Li Qing then ordered the servants to lead Qi Qingyao and company to the guest rooms for a peek. 

On the way to the guest rooms, Qi Qingyao happily fantasized about the ten thousand taels she was going to get soon!

Not only would she be able to clear her debt…

She would even be a minor tycoon in her own right!

Qi Qingyao could not help but sigh at that. Man, it was so easy to earn money from swindling rich people!

No, more like, it was so easy to earn money as a miraculous doctor writing prescriptions!

…

Qi Qingzhu stayed at the Qi household for a long time, but even as the sun began to set, they saw no sign of Qi Qingyao returning to the village. In her desperation, she even went to Ma Sanye's house in search of Qi Qingyao.

Qi Qingzhu asked anxiously, "Village head, did my sister… say when she's coming back?"

Ma Sanye's attitude softened when he saw it was Qi Qingzhu. "Do you mean Qi Qingyao? She's not part of the Qi family anymore. She borrowed money from everyone in the village and said she'd return it within the month."

Madam Wu realized that Qi Qingzhu had not gone home and had instead dropped by Ma Sanye's. Furious, she called Qi Qingzhu back and gave her a tongue lashing before telling her to run back home to her husband's place.

Qi Qingzhu headed home helplessly, but all she could think of on the way there was how Qi Qingyao was not her biological younger sister.

Lil Sis did not know that yet.

She had to tell her.

She also had to tell Qi Qingyao that Mom was still in possession of her jade tablet and ring!