As for the words afterward, he pretended not to hear them.

Modesty was something he couldn’t be bothered to listen to.

The fact is that Lu Guoquan and the others didn’t know Lu Xuan well enough, otherwise they wouldn’t have a shred of doubt.

But he didn’t intend to chat about that with them; instead, he winked at Lu Xuan, his eyes carrying a mysterious smile.

Lu Xuan chose to ignore Ji Xiuwen’s little gesture and after a brief mention of the patient’s condition, he turned to Ji Xiuwen and said, "The day after tomorrow is the free clinic at Huian Pharmacy, you should come, and the Dean Zhang Guangli from County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine will be joining us too."

"Dean Zhang is coming too?" Lu Guoquan seemed to have heard of Zhang Guangli and exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes."

Lu Xuan nodded, looking a bit puzzled at his father: "Dad, from the way you talk, do you know Dean Zhang?"

Lu Guoquan rolled his eyes: "I know him, but he doesn’t know me. However, Dean Zhang has quite a reputation in Anjiang County, his medical skills are impressive. Whenever he opens up his appointment slots, they get snatched up immediately. I’ve heard he’s an expert in kidneys, and many patients with kidney problems visit him for treatment. But how did you get to know Dean Zhang?"

Lu Xuan briefly recounted how he met Zhang Guangli at the County Hospital, and Lu Guoquan finally understood.

Cousin Lin Yongzhen listened more and more enviously from the side.

He looked down at himself, then glanced at Lu Xuan.

This cousin of his had been back for just two days, but was already mingling actively with Anjiang County’s medical community, and even seemed to be gaining quite a bit of fame. Saying he wasn’t envious would be a lie.

But Lin Yongzhen knew well enough that some things just can’t be envied.

One needs skills, and not just ordinary skills, but exceptional ones.

After returning to the clinic, many people came to queue for a consultation, keeping Lu Xuan occupied as he sat down to diagnose patients.

By the time he finished with the last patient, it was already after six in the evening, and the sky had grown dark.

The days were getting shorter and the nights longer.

The next day.

Promotion work for Huian Pharmacy was in full swing, with several light trucks plastered with advertisements, their speakers broadcasting loudly on the streets of Anjiang County.

"Huian Pharmacy’s National Day promotion, Dr. Lu Xuan’s free clinic, 50% off all traditional medicines, and other medicines at a minimum of 30% off."

...

One promotional phrase after another was transmitted through the speakers, reaching the ears of passerby, sparking curiosity among them.

Some people even stopped their hurried footsteps, pausing to take a look, curious expressions on their faces.

"What’s this?"

"Is the pharmacy doing discount promotions now? Are patients not plentiful enough?"

"I’ve seen supermarkets do such promotions, but a pharmacy doing it is new to me. Strange things happen every year, but there are even more this year."

"But who is Dr. Lu Xuan? Never heard of him!"

"50% off traditional medicines, could it be that Dr. Lu Xuan is a Chinese medicine doctor?"

"A free clinic sounds worth checking out."

"Is it tomorrow? I live near Huian Pharmacy, I’ll stop by then. I can take advantage of the Huian Pharmacy’s discount and buy some tonic medicine—whether for personal use or as gifts, a 30% discount is quite cheaper than usual."

"Items costing two or three hundred yuan can save me fifty or sixty yuan; I’ll stop by tomorrow too."

Quite a few, upon hearing about the 30% off discount, decided to come by and take a look.

As for Lu Xuan mentioned in the promotions, few really paid attention.

Though the free clinic wouldn’t charge, who knew if it was somehow tied with Huian Pharmacy, helping them sell traditional medicines?

There were quite a few people thinking that way.

However, patients who had seen Lu Xuan before, upon hearing the promotion broadcast from the trucks, showed surprise: "Dr. Lu wasn’t kidding; he really plans to do a clinic at Huian Pharmacy, and it’s a free clinic. With medications half-priced, no consultation fee, that saves quite a bit!"

"Not just a bit, a week’s worth of medicine could easily cost over one hundred yuan, and some people’s medicines are more expensive, possibly two or three hundred—that’s saving over one hundred yuan altogether."

"Have you seen Dr. Lu before?"

"Have you been there too?"

"I went yesterday."

"I went the day before, heard in the afternoon that the County Hospital invited Dr. Lu to consult on a patient."

They exchanged glances and laughed.

These days, though quite a few people sought Lu Xuan’s treatment, only about one or two hundred had done so, which was negligible compared to Anjiang County’s population of six or seven hundred thousand.

Not to mention the entire county, the number of people in the county town alone was over ten thousand.

With so many people, the probability of running into patients who had seen Lu Xuan is extremely low. For those two to meet just as Huian Pharmacy was promoting, it truly was a kind of fate.

The two immediately began discussing their health conditions, and others nearby, intrigued by the lively conversation, couldn’t help but join in, asking: "Is this Dr. Lu really that good?"

The two smiled slightly, and the patient who had seen Lu Xuan the day before said, "Indeed. Otherwise, how would he have received an invitation from Huian Pharmacy? Moreover, the County Hospital invited him the day before yesterday afternoon to consult on a patient with chronic renal failure. I don’t know how the situation turned out, but to be invited by the County Hospital, his medical skills must not be lacking.