Zhang Zhili walked out of the Ancient Treasure Pavilion's entrance, pulling his arm away from Shuyan's embrace, and then gave a fierce glare at this wicked woman.
Shuyan chuckled lightly, refraining from teasing Zhang Zhili any further.
"Stay in touch!" Shuyan left these words behind as she departed with Haige and the others.
Taoyuze knew it was Shuyan who came out to resolve the situation, and for some reason, he felt even more frustrated. Today was supposed to be his moment to shine, but instead, he became a clumsy oaf! Zhang Zhili became the hero! The contrast was too much to bear!
He grabbed Jiānglì and nodded at Tang Dapeng and his wife before leaving dejectedly.
How could he end up with Shuyan! Taoyuze was livid.
"I have no idea!" Jiānglì shook her head, her mind still filled with the image of Zhang Zhili stepping on Chen Huanrui's head, a sight she couldn't easily forget.
"What rotten luck! Eating soft rice off Shuyan!" Taoyuze muttered, venting his frustration. Normally, Jiānglì would have comforted him, but today she was also distracted, leaving him irritated as he asked, "What are you thinking?"
Jiānglì snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, nothing, really! I was just thinking, Tang's family seems to be expanding their plantation, which requires government approval. You still have a chance!"
"Oh, that's an opportunity. Government approval requires intervention from the municipal government. Shuyan might not have the influence I do!" Taoyuze found some confidence again.
On the other side, Zhang Zhili followed Tang Dapeng and Zhang Yuehong home.
On the way, Zhang Yuehong's face became so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water, and Tang Dapeng also looked burdened.
As soon as they entered the house, Zhang Yuehong couldn't hold back any longer, her anger boiling over as she demanded, "Who is that woman? Zhang Zhili, I'm telling you, if my daughter married you, took care of you for three years, and you got well only to go out and fool around with other women, you'd better divorce now."
Only then did Zhang Yuehong realize that her daughter had already come home from work.
"What woman?" Tang Yanran frowned, asking.
Zhang Yuehong, in the heat of anger, elaborated on how Shuyan had intervened and the relationship between Zhang Zhili and her, exaggerating the details.
Tang Yanran, surprised, looked at Zhang Zhili. He actually managed to find Shuyan for help?
Zhang Zhili didn't want things to get more complicated, so he could only say, "We just happened to meet at the entrance of the Antique City. She said her friend is the owner of the Antique City, and I randomly called her to see if she could help. I think she also doesn't like Chen Huanrui's extortion, which affects her friend's reputation in the Antique City, so she helped!"
Tang Yanran made an acknowledging sound, expressing some trust in Zhang Zhili's words. After all, they had only met at the teahouse last time, and even though she appreciated Zhang Zhili, their relationship wasn't deep enough for her to believe that Shuyan would help him for his sake.
Zhang Yuehong, however, was relentless. "Then why did you have to entangle with her? Saying things like 'meeting you was like seeing each other after a long time'?"
"Mom, that woman is Shuyan, and Taoyuze often gossips behind her back. That's just her personality. We only met during the tea session I took Zhang Zhili to. What else could it be!" Tang Yanran seemed to want to defuse the situation, saying casually.
Tang Dapeng's focus was not on this matter; he was more concerned about whether Chen Huanrui would retaliate after being beaten like that.
He pondered for a moment before speaking, "Zhang Zhili, I heard from Yanran that you have great talent in medicine. I have a friend who is a professor at the Provincial Medical University. If you're willing, you can go there to audit some courses!"
Both Zhang Zhili and Zhang Yuehong were stunned.
Was this an invitation for Zhang Zhili to hide away in the provincial capital?
Zhang Zhili rejected it without hesitation, "I am indeed interested in medicine and plan to open a clinic, but I'd rather not go to the medical university!"
"Given your university education, you don't qualify to take the physician qualification exam. Going to medical school would help fill that gap in your education..." Tang Yanran tried to reason.
"I can take the assistant physician qualification exam through the Traditional Chinese Medicine examination, then obtain the physician qualification!" Zhang Zhili casually mentioned the pathway suggested by Shuyan.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhili was already aware, leaving Tang Yanran momentarily speechless.
Zhang Yuehong, looking puzzled, turned to Tang Yanran, "Is that even a thing?"
"It is! But it's not as easy as he thinks. Participating in the Traditional Chinese Medicine examination requires recommendation from two senior TCM practitioners, as well as a lot of related materials, and city health commission approval before one can obtain the qualification!" Tang Yanran furrowed her brows slightly.
"The exam is also very difficult; thousands of people apply in Nanbin City every year, but only a few manage to pass!" Tang Yanran continued, seeing Zhang Zhili seemingly unfazed, she added in a somewhat annoyed tone, "The policy is meant to provide opportunities for those who have apprenticed with senior TCM practitioners to obtain the physician qualification, not for people to take advantage of loopholes!"
"Do you think you can pass just by casually studying a few medical books? Moreover, being a doctor requires solid medical skills and systematic learning. It's not a profession where you can rely on a few prescriptions or exceptions!" Zhang Yuehong, hearing her daughter's words, felt even more strongly that Zhang Zhili was daydreaming; he had no foundation in medicine, yet he talked about passing exams and opening clinics, it was a joke!
Tang Dapeng, seeing Zhang Zhili unmoved, knew that his son-in-law had made up his mind. He knew Zhang Zhili was grateful to the Tang family and behaved conservatively at home, but in reality, he was a person with strong principles and ambitions. And he had big ideas that couldn't be easily swayed.
Not wanting his wife to say more nonsense and worsen the situation, he decided to give in a bit.
"If you're so set on it, go ahead and try self-studying!" Tang Dapeng sighed, "I think it's a waste of effort! With his abilities, he still wants to deal with Chen Huanrui! Just wait and see, our whole family will be implicated sooner or later!"
Zhang Yuehong finished her rant and angrily went back to her room.
Tang Yanran sighed and also went back to her room.
In the living room, only the son-in-law and father-in-law remained.
Tang Dapeng patted Zhang Zhili's shoulder
"I know you have some connection with the Song family and Director Shen, but knowing them is one thing, getting them to help you is another. Not to mention dealing with someone influential like Chen Yaoyang, they won't lend a hand! Furthermore, self-studying for the medical exam is very difficult. Don't think it's easy just because you have no background in it."
"Dad, don't worry! I know what I'm doing!" Zhang Zhili smiled confidently, despite his father's heap of warnings stuck in his throat. After hesitating for a moment, Tang Dapeng decided not to provoke Zhang Zhili further and resolved to think of another solution later on, hoping he wouldn't make the same mistakes again.
Back in her room, Tang Yanran dialed Jiāng Lì's number to vent about Zhang Zhili's erratic plan to take the exam. To her surprise, for the first time, Jiāng Lì didn't mock Zhang Zhili. Instead, she suggested, "Just let him try! The application materials are not that difficult to obtain. Don't you have a senior colleague working in the Health Commission of Nanbin City? Leave the application to her! You should ask for her help!"
After hanging up the phone, Tang Yanran pondered for a moment and decided to help Zhang Zhili with the registration. Although she believed Zhang Zhili had no chance of passing the exam, it could serve as a wake-up call for him. She wanted him to understand that while he might have stumbled upon a few remedies and some techniques, it was just a drop in the ocean of medical knowledge and couldn't compare to formal education. Some wandering doctors might gain local fame by treating specific illnesses with secret remedies, but without systematic medical knowledge, accidents could easily happen. Only by realizing one's insignificance could one refrain from practicing medicine without a license. Offending people and practicing without a license would only provide others with leverage.
Tang Yanran didn't know how to deal with Chen Yaoyang, so she could only try to help Zhang Zhili patch up his own shortcomings. With this in mind, she immediately found her senior colleague's phone number and called her. Unexpectedly, the colleague agreed to meet right away.
"Come with me. I've arranged to meet my senior colleague to help you with the Specialty Qualification Exam!" Zhang Zhili didn't expect Tang Yanran to act so quickly after he mentioned it. He had originally thought of asking Li Jiang or He Songmang for help. However, since Tang Yanran had offered her help, Zhang Zhili didn't refuse and nodded, following her out the door.
The meeting place given by the senior colleague was a somewhat upscale club. As soon as they arrived, they saw a glamorous woman standing at the club's entrance, looking around.
"Senior Sister!" Tang Yanran recognized her from afar. The glamorous woman was indeed Ding Lan, Tang Yanran's senior sister. Ding Lan didn't bother to nod. Instead, she cast a cold and disdainful glance up and down at Zhang Zhili, who followed behind Tang Yanran. Seeing him dressed plainly and unremarkably, a flash of disdain appeared in her eyes:
"So, you're Yanran's husband? You're the one who wants to take the Specialty Qualification Exam? Have you recovered from your illness?"