The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 373 Qiaoqiao Brings Reinforcements (For the Rise and Fall of Destiny, the Self of Destiny Adds More)
Liu Banxia’s barbecued beef tendons were pretty good. Even though he wasn’t formally trained as a barbecue master, his physical enhancement seemed to give him an edge in this department.
The beef tendons were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Qiao Xuezhi, who hadn’t eaten yet, couldn’t help but nod in approval as he tasted the meat.
Liu Banxia could tell his future father-in-law was genuinely hungry. He must have been so anxious to see his daughter that he came over without even eating. He quickly put the other skewers on the grill, dedicating himself to serving his guest.
He continued grilling for a while, and then the doorbell rang again. The main door opened, and Qiu Huaili’s family, including Doudou and Tiggie, came in.
Qiaoqiao, who hadn’t been seen yet, dashed out of the house; these were the reinforcements she had summoned.
She had been cooped up in her room for a long time, not knowing what the two men outside were discussing. She was worried her father might give Liu Banxia a hard time, and also feared she might add fuel to the fire if she went out.
Agonizing over it, the only reinforcement she could think of was Qiu Huaili.
"Old Qiao, you didn’t even say anything when you came back. If Qiaoqiao hadn’t called me, we brothers might have had a hard time meeting," Qiu Huaili said with a smile.
"Nonsense. If you really missed me, you’d let me invest in that new plot of land you acquired," Qiao Xuezhi said.
"It’d be more like it if Qiaoqiao invested, but as for you, forget it," Qiu Huaili retorted just as bluntly.
"And it’s your fault!" Qiu Huaili continued, addressing Qiao Xuezhi. "Qiaoqiao has been here for so long, and I only found out a few months ago. What, you don’t take me seriously, do you?"
"If I told you I’d always thought she was overseas, and only later did one of my people tell me, would you believe it?" Qiao Xuezhi said, looking somewhat helpless.
Liu Banxia glanced at Qiaoqiao with amusement. He hadn’t expected such a twist.
Qiaoqiao shot him a glare, then turned to her father. "That’s all water under the bridge, Dad. What’s the point of bringing it up? Uncle Qiu and Xian are here. Let’s go inside and sit down."
"Uncle, you and Brother Qiu go inside and chat. I’ll finish grilling out here and bring the food in when it’s ready," Liu Banxia quickly said.
Qiao Xuezhi was a bit bewildered, unable to make sense of how everyone was addressing each other. What surprised him even more was that Liu Banxia seemed to be very familiar with Qiu Huaili.
"They’ve all gone inside. What are you still doing out here in the wind?" Qiaoqiao said.
"Your father missed you; he came straight from the airport without even eating. I’ll grill these so we can have a snack first. For dinner, we’ll have dumplings with a three-delicacy filling, using lean pork," Liu Banxia said with a smile.
Qiaoqiao glanced at him. "Then hurry up and grill. Actually, just enough for a snack will be fine."
Qiao Xuezhi shook his head helplessly. My daughter’s heart is completely set on this kid. What else can I do? I’ll just have to let myself be treated as a guest.
"Old Qiu, how did you meet this young man?" Qiao Xuezhi asked as they walked into the house.
"He’s my brother; he saved my life. It’s a long story; let Qiaoqiao tell you when there’s time," Qiu Huaili said.
"Play, play!" Doudou, cradled in Wang Jingxian’s arms, chirped, her eyes fixed on Liu Banxia, who was diligently grilling skewers.
"Xian, Doudou is wearing a lot. Why not let her play with me for a bit? Tang Dou and Tiggie are outside; she won’t be able to sit still indoors," Liu Banxia said with a smile.
"This little one... the moment she sees you two, she’s completely captivated," Wang Jingxian remarked with a helpless smile.
Liu Banxia untied his apron, picked up Doudou, and walked over to the barbecue pit. He laid down a cushion, placed Tang Dou and Tiggie on it, and then settled Doudou between them.
This was the little girl’s favorite game. She loved both Tang Dou and Tiggie. Nestled between them, she was very warm, so there was no worry about her getting cold.
"Old Qiao, you have to admit, Qiaoqiao has excellent taste. She managed to win over my brother. If she’d been any slower, she really might have missed her chance," Qiu Huaili said after they went inside.
"Don’t try to fool me. Did Qiaoqiao ask you to come and put in a good word for her?" Qiao Xuezhi asked.
"Brother Qiao, I’m not deceiving you. I was even thinking of introducing Banxia to someone myself. I had already picked out a few candidates, and then I heard they were together," Wang Jingxian said with a smile.
"Xian, is that true?" Qiaoqiao asked curiously.
"Of course, it’s true. When I first got to know Banxia, I thought he was a great guy. I’d even shortlisted several candidates, but then your Uncle Qiu told me it seemed like something was going on between you two," Wang Jingxian said.
"Hehe, actually, I was the one chasing him, but he was the one who confessed first. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what to say," Qiaoqiao said happily.
Qiao Xuezhi felt even more helpless. His precious daughter was truly head over heels.
"That’s right. When you see someone you like, you have to make a move. Otherwise, do you expect them to wait for you?" Wang Jingxian said.
"You have no idea, Old Qiu spent a long time mulling it over within his own family. He just couldn’t find anyone suitable. Otherwise, you really would have had a hard time getting a chance."
"Xian, you’re not ganging up with Qiaoqiao to trick me, are you?" Qiao Xuezhi asked with a wry smile.
"Why would we trick you? You’re an old fellow; who’d bother playing games with you?" Qiu Huaili interjected.
"My brother’s character and medical skills are top-notch, no question about it. He’s still young and already a... what’s it called..."
"Resident Chief," Qiaoqiao prompted.
"Right, Resident Chief," Qiu Huaili said.
"I looked into that position later. It’s not something an ordinary person can handle. He’s so young, and though he’s the Resident Chief, he’s actually doing the work of a deputy director."
"The key is, his medical skills are excellent. He can perform abdominal surgeries, and he’s very fast. You know that son of ours, right? Ask him who he admires in Binhai City; he’ll say it’s my brother."
"Whenever he has a holiday, the first place he goes is the hospital. He has to go take a look there before he even comes home. It’s a good thing, really. He can learn to be better by spending time with Banxia."
Hearing Qiu Huaili’s words, Qiaoqiao proudly lifted her chin. Exactly! Liu Banxia is just that good.
"You get all happy when Banxia is praised, but you never come to our place when you’re free," Wang Jingxian said.
"If I visit, you’ll cook for me, and I’d feel too awkward," Qiaoqiao said.
"What’s with how you all address each other?" Qiao Xuezhi asked.
"We each call each other what we want; don’t worry about it," Qiaoqiao said.
"By the way, Uncle Qiu, I want to discuss something. Next year, let’s get Banxia a BMW 5-series. Just tell him it costs 300,000; he doesn’t know anything about this stuff anyway."
"Silly girl, Banxia might not usually pay attention to these things, but he’s not that easy to fool," Qiu Huaili said, feeling a bit exasperated.
Qiao Xuezhi felt even more exasperated. Liu Banxia had just mentioned this very thing. Sure enough, it’s going exactly as he predicted.
"The skewers are ready. Uncle, have some to tide you over first. I’m going to the supermarket to buy chives and meat," Liu Banxia said, walking in holding Doudou and carrying the tray of skewers.
"Alright. Get some more side dishes for drinks too. It’s been a long time since Old Qiu and I had a good drink together," Qiao Xuezhi nodded.
Even this less-than-enthusiastic response made Liu Banxia overjoyed. He put down the skewers, picked up Doudou, and dashed outside. This thrilled Doudou, who giggled with pure delight.
Qiaoqiao glanced over.
"If you want to go, then go. You’re here in body, but not in spirit," Qiao Xuezhi said helplessly.
"Hehe, Uncle Qiu, Xian, you two chat for a bit," Qiaoqiao said, and then she also ran out.
"Old Qiu, tell me honestly, what’s this Liu Banxia really like?" Qiao Xuezhi asked after Qiaoqiao ran out.
"Old Qiao, I know you’re worried someone might be after your family’s money," Qiu Huaili said with a smile.
"From the time I’ve spent with Banxia, he’s not that kind of person. For people like us, how much we earn now is just a number. We can’t compare to those tycoons, but we have a lot more money than ordinary people."
"As for Banxia, while he can’t compare with us, he’s certainly not struggling to live a proper life. You didn’t see him before; he wasn’t particular about his food or clothes. He really doesn’t care much for material comforts."
"He earns quite a bit now too; in Binhai City, he’s in the upper echelons. Among doctors at his level, he’s at the very top. Because he performs so many surgeries, others at his level don’t even do a third of his volume in a month."
"You know how picky I am, don’t you? Even if someone saved my life, I’d at most give them money to thank them; I wouldn’t just call him my brother. Our generation takes these things very seriously; we don’t say such words lightly."
"I still remember the first time he came to our house for dinner. It was probably his first time drinking Maotai. He drank it, and his expression remained perfectly calm. That kind of mental fortitude isn’t easy to find, is it? He’s also very self-disciplined. Even when he’s resting, he rarely drinks, always worried he might be called in for an emergency surgery."
Qiao Xuezhi nodded. "Hearing it this way, he doesn’t sound bad. I chatted with him a bit too; the young man looks decent. It’s just that Qiaoqiao never told me, so it caught me quite by surprise."
"You should be secretly pleased. A son-in-law like Banxia is truly hard to find," Qiu Huaili said with a smile.
"Since I won’t be here much in the future, please help me look after our Qiaoqiao," Qiao Xuezhi said.
"I don’t need to. Xian is very close to her," Qiu Huaili shook his head.
"Our Doudou is very picky about who holds her. Strangers can’t just easily pick her up. But with Banxia and Qiaoqiao, it’s fine; they can hold her whenever they want."
"Once Banxia finishes his term as Resident Chief, we’ll push them to get married and have a baby quickly. Then you’ll have more reasons to visit often, right? Why make things difficult for yourself?"
"Sigh... that girl still resents me," Qiao Xuezhi said with a wry smile.
"If you ask me, you can’t blame Qiaoqiao. Isn’t my situation similar to yours? That son of ours is very close to Xian now, and even closer to Doudou," Qiu Huaili said.
"And I’m not just gossiping, but isn’t it because that young wife of yours gave you a son? Don’t you know Qiaoqiao’s personality? She gets it all from you."
"But these are your family affairs. Later, you should have Banxia try to talk some sense into Qiaoqiao. She’ll listen to what Banxia says. Anything anyone else says is useless; it won’t get through to her."
Qiao Xuezhi nodded; he had to admit that.
If it weren’t for his deep-seated preference for sons, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. But with such a massive family business, if there’s no one to inherit it, what has all his lifelong hard work been for?
