With that, Old Li turned to Mu Lin. "How much do you want for a salary? Don't hesitate to name your price."
"Uh..."
"Grandpa, there's no need for that." Mu Lin found it a little funny, but also a bit strange. 'Judging by the situation, I seriously suspect my master got it wrong. It's not my master who owes a favor, but Elder Li of the Li Family.'
"Oh," Elder Li responded, but still shouted bluntly at his son, "A salary of two hundred thousand a month. Got it?"
"Yes, I got it." As long as Mu Lin was obedient, Li Yinhe didn't mind spending such a small amount of money.
Mrs. Li had someone clear the table, then she gracefully and slowly sat on the sofa next to Mu Lin.
"Dad, be careful. You'll scare the boy acting like that."
Elder Li smiled. "From what I've seen in just this one short day, I'd say this boy Mu Lin is plenty brave."
Mrs. Li nodded slightly in agreement.
Now it was Mu Lin's turn to feel embarrassed.
"Xiaolin, what's your favorite food? I'll cook for you myself this afternoon." Mrs. Li looked gently at Mu Lin.
"I'm not a picky eater. Thank you, Aunt Lin."
Mrs. Li's name was Lin Jiajia.
"You silly boy. You've already registered the marriage, yet you're still being so formal. It's time to change how you address me."
"Yes, Mom."
Lin Jiajia took out a very thin red envelope and pressed it into Mu Lin's hand. An elegant person like her had class even when she smiled.
"Here, this is your 'address change' gift from your mother-in-law. The PIN is six eights. You're not allowed to refuse it. It's just 666,666 yuan."
Mu Lin didn't want to accept it, but he felt he had no choice.
'Oh well,' he thought. 'I'll just give it to Li Xue later.'
"Xiaolin, about work, you can't just listen to everything your grandfather says. When your father-in-law arranges a job for you, you have to work hard. Show everyone that the son-in-law of the Li Family isn't some freeloader, but a man of real substance."
Elder Li was not pleased. "If anyone at the company gossips, it must be because upper management is doing a poor job."
Li Yinhe didn't expect to catch a stray bullet. "Dad, where is your head at? Mu Lin is my daughter's husband, our Li Family's son-in-law. His reputation is our family's reputation. Mu Lin is also a capable and courageous man. A young man should be ambitious and accomplished. What's truly important is not to let talent go to waste."
Mu Lin smiled. This family had laid all their thoughts and intentions bare, yet for some reason, he didn't find it off-putting.
Li Xue came down the stairs, wearing a light pink casual pleated skirt and carrying a small, crescent-white handbag. Her full peaks, slender waist, and long, slim, jade-like legs were a dazzling sight.
Elder Li asked, "Xue'Er, where are you off to?"
Li Xue tightened her grip on her handbag and answered naturally, "My friends invited me out for afternoon tea."
"Oh, perfect. Take Mu Lin with you and introduce him to your friends."
Li Xue struggled to control the smile on her lips.
'Are you kidding me? If I bring this country bumpkin along, how am I ever going to show my face in my social circle again?'
She shot a look at Mu Lin, silently waiting for him to refuse.
Who would have thought that Mu Lin would instead nod with an exceptionally charming smile? "Alright, I'll listen to Grandpa. I'm not familiar with this place, so having someone show me around will save a lot of trouble."
Li Xue glared at Mu Lin with her bright eyes. No matter how reluctant she felt, she couldn't openly go against the wishes of her recuperating grandfather. She could only pout cutely at him and say, "Alright then. You're the boss, Elder Li. What you say goes."
The moment Mu Lin got into Li Xue's red sports car, she couldn't wait to make her position clear.
"Don't even think about it, surnamed Mu. There's no way I'm bringing you into my circle. If you're a man, you won't forget our agreement."
"I just happened to have something to do. I only agreed to Elder Li just now to put his mind at ease. Look at the balcony upstairs. If the old man wasn't watching, you don't actually think I'm dying to go out with you, do you?"
Li Xue's face was a mixture of embarrassment and indignant anger. "Of course I saw him! I don't need you to point it out! When we get to the commercial district, you can just get the hell out of my car."
Li Xue sped all the way. Twenty minutes later, she slammed on the brakes. "Get out. Go do whatever you want. I'll call you when I'm ready to go back. My number is..."
'We left together, so we have to come back together,' she thought. 'Otherwise, Grandpa will definitely find out I'm just putting on a show for him.'
"You'd better write the number down. I don't have a phone yet."
Li Xue stared at Mu Lin as if he were a savage. She looked him up and down. Not only was he unsophisticated and tacky, but he was also dressed in extremely cheap, street-stall clothes. Li Xue was going crazy inside.
'Grandpa really threw me into a pit of fire this time! How could a wild man like this possibly be worthy of a pampered, high-society young lady like me!'
'Thank goodness I was smart enough to arrange for someone to make a fake certificate beforehand. Otherwise, my lifelong happiness would have been ruined.'
Li Xue sighed in resignation. "I'll wait for you here before dark."
"Also, didn't my mom give you a card? Go buy a phone later. If Grandpa finds out you don't have one, who knows how he'll lecture me again."
Mu Lin nodded. The moment he stepped out, the red sports car next to him shot off with a WHOOSH.
"This is tough!"
Mu Lin felt the bank card from Mrs. Li in his pocket and let out a long sigh. "If that damn old man hadn't taken all my money, how could I, Mu Lin, have fallen to such a state..."
Mu Lin had only taken a few steps when a familiar voice suddenly called out.
"Mu Xiaoyou, wait a moment."
It was indeed Zhao Yang, the Great Divine Doctor Zhao.
Divine Doctor Zhao had his driver stop the car. "Little friend, why are you out here all by yourself?"
"I don't have a phone, so I was just on my way to buy one."
"Oh, is that so? As it happens, there are several phone stores right across from my Medicine Hall. They have all sorts of brands." Divine Doctor Zhao paused, then immediately said, "Get in, I'll take you."
Mu Lin was completely unfamiliar with the area, so he nodded without hesitation and got in the car. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Divine Doctor."
Because the Holy Medicine Hall was personally opened and run by Divine Doctor Zhao, it was not only the most famous medicine hall in Anhua City but also one of the most renowned in all of Nanjiang Province.
The Holy Medicine Hall was located on the edge of the central commercial district, where foot traffic was immense. However, given the Divine Doctor's reputation, it would still be bustling with visitors even if it were located deep in an alley.
Inside the Medicine Hall, several pretty young nurses in pink uniforms were dispensing medicine and attending to patients. The most eye-catching one, a young woman with the most outstanding presence, looked up and called out in a clear, crisp voice, "Grandpa, you're here."
Mu Lin looked at this young nurse. She had a fresh and simple elegance, wore no makeup, and possessed delicate features.
'It's true what they say, the local environment shapes its people,' he thought. 'The girls down here from the mountain are each more beautiful than the last, like celestial fairies. They're completely beyond comparison to my neighbor, Widow Liu.'
"Mu Xiaoyou, let me introduce you. This is my precious granddaughter, Zhao Ling'Er."
"Hello, Miss Zhao." Mu Lin nodded slightly.
A trace of surprise flashed through Zhao Ling'Er's beautiful, peach-blossom eyes. Aside from major figures, it seemed her grandfather had never treated anyone with such courtesy.
"Mu Xiaoyou, let's go sit in the inner hall."
In Zhao Ling'Er's eyes, her grandfather's attitude toward this young man was truly baffling.
Her grandfather's medical skills were exquisite and his acupuncture techniques were superb. Countless powerful and influential figures treated him with the utmost respect. The number of people her grandfather treated this politely could be counted on one hand.
Therefore, Zhao Ling'Er was not just curious about Mu Lin; she also found herself being unconsciously polite to him.
Just as she was about to quietly ask her grandfather about this young man's background, she was distracted by the sharp, urgent sound of a car engine at the entrance.
Then, a frantic shout came from outside the hall.
"Someone, help! Where's Great Divine Doctor Zhao? Come quickly! Help!"
Zhao Yang and Zhao Ling'Er quickly got up and ran from the reception room to the main hall. Mu Lin naturally followed close behind.
Inside the hall, several people were carefully carrying an old man with a full head of white hair and tightly shut eyes. A middle-aged man at the front shouted to the emerging Divine Doctor Zhao, "Divine Doctor, please save my father!"
Zhao Yang hurried forward. "What's happened to Elder Lin?"
"I don't know. He was perfectly fine one moment, and then he suddenly collapsed. We can't wake him up, no matter what we do." The middle-aged man's hands trembled slightly. "My father is in your hands."
Divine Doctor Zhao's brow furrowed tightly. He had the people carry the patient into an examination room.
「In the examination room.」
Divine Doctor Zhao took the man's pulse, used silver needles to probe his acupoints and check his breath, and repeatedly applied heavy pressure to his pressure points, but nothing worked.