"Come, come, sisters, this is my precious granddaughter's medicinal cuisine hall. The medicinal dishes she makes are amazing. I only took them for three days, and my high blood pressure and high cholesterol immediately dropped, with no side effects."
Old Madam Qi was showing her old friends around the medicinal cuisine hall.
Passing by the medicinal herb display cabinet, someone saw the herbs on the glass window, stopped, and asked:
"Hey, are these four herbs the ones the anonymous divine doctor is collecting?"
Old Madam Qi immediately saw that Qiao Qiao had deliberately placed these four herbs in such a prominent position, showcasing her capabilities.
She had a little trick up her sleeve, but Old Madam Qi liked it.
"Yes, you actually know Chinese medicinal herbs?"
The rich wife said, "Isn't the anonymous divine doctor collecting herbs, causing a huge fuss? I saw it on the internet. These herbs are reportedly being sold at sky-high prices. Qiao Qiao, you're truly capable; you've even managed to collect herbs that the anonymous divine doctor couldn't get."
Qiao Qiao linked her arm with Old Madam Qi's and smiled sweetly, "This is all thanks to Grandma's support. Thank you, Grandma."
Hearing her say this, the old friends who were flattering Old Madam Qi instantly understood.
They had been best friends with Old Madam Qi for decades and knew that Old Madam Yu was indeed Old Master Qi's first love, Old Madam Qi's love rival!
When Old Madam Qi was in college, she fell for Old Master Qi, but Old Master Qi liked Old Madam Yu. However, Old Madam Yu came from humble beginnings, and it wasn't a suitable match for the Qi family. The Qi family eventually broke up the couple and made Old Master Qi marry the current Old Madam Qi.
Yet, even though Old Madam Qi successfully married the man she loved, her old friends knew that Old Master Qi never forgot about Old Madam Yu.
The couple had quarreled over Old Madam Yu many times, so one could imagine how much Old Madam Qi hated Old Madam Yu.
Now, Old Madam Yu had opened a clinic in the capital with her fake granddaughter, creating competition with the Qi family. Previously, she had even caused the Qi family's stock to drop for a while. It was no wonder Old Madam Qi was angry.
These four medicinal herbs were her tacit approval for Qiao Qiao to act this way, suppressing the Yu Xian Yi clinic.
"Qiao Qiao is truly amazing. Previously, that Yu Xian Yi clinic was supported by the medicinal dishes Qiao Qiao made. Now that Qiao Qiao is working independently, that Yu Xian Yi clinic had to close down due to a lack of medicinal herbs."
"Exactly! So what if the Yu Xian Yi grandmother and granddaughter are immortal doctors and divine doctors? They can only treat illnesses and still have to rely on Qiao Qiao to make medicinal dishes."
"Oh dear, how can that small clinic of Yu Xian Yi compare to the Qi family's hospital? The Qi family is a medical family with a hundred years of history. Those people from the small clinic might come begging Qiao Qiao to sell them herbs soon! They still have to live by the Qi family's grace."
The old friends were all sharp as knives. They wanted to curry favor with Old Madam Qi, so naturally, they said what she wanted to hear, disparaging Old Madam Yu and Yu He while praising Qiao Qiao.
Listening to their words, Qiao Qiao couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
Others might not know, but Qiao Qiao knew her own capabilities. Everything she knew about medicinal cuisine, Yu He knew as well. It was just that Yu He was a bit lazy and didn't want to spend time simmering medicinal dishes, allowing Qiao Qiao to take advantage of her.
Old Madam Qi listened and smiled happily. Who didn't like to hear nice things?
Just as everyone was praising her, a nurse came over and said, "Second Miss, there's an old lady at the entrance looking for you."
When Qiao Qiao heard "old lady," she felt a thrill of excitement: Here she comes!
She leaned close to Old Madam Qi's ear and whispered, "Grandma, let's go to the lobby. I'll show you a good show."
Old Madam Yu also guessed that Qiao Qiao had something up her sleeve and beckoned her old friends to the lobby.
The visitor was indeed Old Madam Yu!
Seeing her in a fitted gray cheongsam, looking spirited and still possessing her charm, Old Madam Qi felt a pang of jealousy.
They were of similar age, but Old Madam Yu's complexion and figure were better maintained than hers.
"Speak of the devil, and she appears."
"She must be here to buy herbs."
"This will be a good show."
The few women whispered amongst themselves, waiting to watch the spectacle.
Qiao Qiao saw that only Old Madam Yu had come, and Yu He was nowhere to be seen, so she felt a little disappointed.
She stepped forward and said, "Grandma Yu, you've come. Why didn't Yu He come? Is she angry with me?"
Old Madam Yu didn't answer her question but held her hand and advised, "Qiao Qiao, you've collected the four herbs, Chui Feng Bie, haven't you? Stop this. You've already disrupted the market."
She had been wanting to see Qiao Qiao again, but couldn't get in touch with her.
But last night, she suddenly received a call from Qiao Qiao, saying her medicinal cuisine hall was opening for a trial run today and invited her and Yu He to come.
Yu He had to prepare for Li Yehan's surgery, and Old Madam Yu didn't want her to be distracted, so she didn't tell her. Coincidentally, the clinic was closed today, so she came to take a look herself.
And to advise Qiao Qiao not to mess up market prices, which wouldn't benefit anyone.
"That's right, I collected them. Why didn't Yu He come herself and send you instead?" Qiao Qiao pulled her hand back, her face looking stiff, thinking Yu He had sent Old Madam Yu to persuade her.
"Nannan she..."
"Yu Xiuxiu, if you're begging for medicine, you should act like you're begging for medicine!" Old Madam Qi interrupted her, her face full of arrogance. "All the domestic hare's milt, Chui Feng Bie, Sepia bone, and white snail shells in stock are in my Qi family's hands now. You want medicinal herbs?"
Old Madam Yu looked at Old Madam Qi, surprised to see her there, and pursed her lips, saying nothing.
"It's not impossible," Old Madam Qi sneered, pointing outside the door. "Go out, and from the entrance of Renren General Hospital, every three steps, kowtow and crawl here! I might consider whether to sell them to you."
Old Madam Yu's face turned grim. "You've gone too far!"
"Heh! I have gone too far. What can you do to me?!" Old Madam Qi said arrogantly.
Old Madam Yu truly couldn't do anything to her. She looked at Qiao Qiao, who was standing beside Old Madam Qi, and the familiar faces of the old acquaintances watching the show behind them. She suddenly realized that Qiao Qiao had invited her here to humiliate her.
It was a pity she had wanted to advise Qiao Qiao.
She sighed in disappointment, "I hope you won't waste those medicinal herbs."
Just as Qiao Qiao was about to ask what she meant, a group of people suddenly rushed into the lobby and surrounded her.
"Miss Qiao, aren't you going too far? You collected goods at three times the price for our northern market, but charged twelve times the price for the southern market! Are you looking down on our northern market?!"
"Exactly! I can't give you that batch of Sepia bone anymore. I'll take my money back."
"It's the same with my white snail shells. Since you haven't paid in full, consider it a breach of contract."
Qiao Qiao recognized these people; they were the ones who had been collecting medicinal herbs for her during this time, especially Wu Sheng and He Tian, who were leading the group.
"Mr. Wu, Mr. He, what is the meaning of this?" Qiao Qiao asked, feigning calmness.
"Qiao Qiao, you're not being honest! We risked offending the anonymous divine doctor to get the herbs for you, and you only gave us three times the price, while giving the southern market twelve times the price! We've also offended the anonymous divine doctor because of this. You owe us an explanation!" Wu Sheng said angrily.