Chapter 484: Chapter 471: Thank You Gift

“When something like this happens, everyone would be furious; your reactions were perfectly normal. The way you were defending Manager Cheng is admirable.” Zhuang Qingning smiled delicately.

Upon hearing Zhuang Qingning not condemning but praising his rude behavior earlier, Fang Hou scratched his ears in shyness, “I was just too angry. How can there be such a heartless and ungrateful person in this world?”

His young master was so kind, respectful and obedient to the old lady, sincere and dedicated in everything he did, and even to their servants, he was extraordinarily kind. Aside from never shortchanging their usual wages, the red envelopes he gave during the New Year were double that of other households.

If it wasn’t for the young master, he would have been killed by those beggar children who fought with him for food a long time ago.

Such a benevolent Third Young Master, yet Zhu Ankang could be so cruel!

Zhuang Qingning was aware of the extent of Fang Hou’s defense of Cheng Ruize. At this moment, she felt that it was extremely common, showing a faint smile, before frowning, “Then if this was Zhu Ankang’s grudge against Manager Cheng, what about Huichun Hall? Why was Doctor Zhuang innocently involved?”

“Oh, this is also Zhu Ankang’s idea.”

Fang Hou continued to explain, “Zhu Ankang noticed the young master falling ill, heard that his disease was severe, but did not know to what extent he was poisoned, so he was worried. If a doctor with excellent medical skills were to be invited and they found out the young master was not sick but poisoned, they would be able to trace it back to him, so he planned to put the young master to death.”

“Zhu Ankang knew that an ordinary doctor would only diagnose it as a disease. Furthermore, they would surely treat it accordingly. As long as they administered the treatment, it would cause the poison to completely permeate his organs. Even if Hua Tuo were still alive, he would inevitably be helpless in the end.”

“Upon coming up with this plan, he went to Huichun Hall to seek his cousin, Doctor Zhao, intending to have Zhao assist him, offering him five hundred taels of silver.”

“As a long-time doctor, one inevitably encounters incurable diseases. Doctor Zhao found the situation quite common, thus greedily accepting the silver. However, after receiving the silver, Zhao felt more and more frightened, realizing that he was taking a life.”

“Especially when he thought that if he was discovered, Zhu Ankang may likely to claim he knew nothing about it and accuse him, Doctor Zhao, of malpractice. Filled with anxiety, he instructed his trusty medicine apprentice to randomly find a non-experienced doctor to replace him.”

“Any average doctor would certainly diagnose it as an ordinary illness, and even if that doctor was held tightly by the Cheng family’s men, he truly wouldn’t know anything, so there wouldn’t be much to investigate.”

“The medicine apprentice did as instructed by Doctor Zhao. He happened to see Doctor Zhuang at the medical clinic and asked him to examine the patient. Doctor Zhuang was too good-hearted and didn’t think too much, so he came with me to examine the young master…”

“All subsequent events are exactly what Manager Zhuang saw at the gate.”

“I see.” Zhuang Qingning nodded slightly.

It seemed that this had nothing to do with Zhuang Wencheng from the beginning, rather, it was simply a case of randomly choosing a scapegoat, with Zhuang Wencheng being unlucky enough to be targeted.

“That’s right, Doctor Zhao and the medicine apprentice confessed to everything. Doctor Zhuang, who was entirely faultless, has been cleared of all charges and can return home now.”

Fang Hou continued, “Once I came to know about the entire case, I hurried to inform Manager Zhuang about the situation. Also, following the young master’s instructions, to bring some items to thank Manager Zhuang.”

All of these were thanks to Zhuang Qingning.

She not only saved their young master’s life but also suggested dealing with the matter discreetly and investigating the perpetrator in secret, preventing alarm, which allowed them to smoothly find Zhu Ankang, the culprit.

As the saying goes, no effort goes unrewarded. Even though she had saved lives to complete her task, morally speaking, she deserved this token of gratitude.

Zhuang Qingning didn’t refuse excessively, she just rose to her feet and thanked him, “Manager Cheng, you are too kind.”

“Manager Zhuang, please don’t say that.” Fang Hou laughed, “My young master had wanted to thank Manager Zhuang personally. However, the poison in his body has not been completely eliminated yet and he remains weak, making it difficult for him to travel. So, he specifically sent me instead.”

“Upon hearing that Manager Zhuang bought some spices from the spice shop a few days ago, our young master thought that you might like them, and asked me to bring you some. As for these medicinal ingredients, Manager Zhuang is quite skilled in medicine, so you probably like to experiment with pills or prescriptions. This may be useful in your daily life.”

“These are a few types of teas from a tea shop in the county town. Not knowing what flavour Manager Zhuang prefers, we brought a bit of each.”

“Also, these are some fashionable fabrics from a silk shop in the capital. Some are the latest styles from Jiangsu-Zhejiang, with Suzhou embroidery and brocaded patterns. I hope Miss Zhuang will like them…”

No doubt, when Fang Hou verbally attacked people, he was very eloquent, and even more so when reading off the detailed list.

For an instant, Zhuang Qingning felt as if she was listening to a crosstalk act listing food names.

However, all of these, piled up together, were quite a lot.

Zhuang Qingning looked at Fang Hou continuously unloading from the carriage, and there was already a pile of items on the ground. She helplessly rubbed her forehead.

She had initially thought it would simply be a verbal acceptance of thanks from others, but she had not expected the gratitude to be so generous.

Especially among those medicinal ingredients, there were hundred-year-old ginseng, and some other herbs she had never heard of but looking at their boxes, she could tell they were definitely not cheap. There were also various cloths that appeared soft and had intricate designs…

Zhuang Qingning suddenly felt undeserving.

“Manager Cheng is too polite…” Zhuang Qingning swept her eyes over the pile of things on the ground, picked a few with the most luxurious boxes, and shoved them into Fang Hou’s hands, “I understand Manager Cheng’s intentions, but these items are too valuable. I beg you to go back and tell Manager Cheng that I really cannot accept them.”

“Also, I have told Manager Cheng before, I might ask him for some help in the future. If we settle it like this now, how could I ask him for a favor later?”

“This…” Fang Hou hesitated for a moment.

As Zhuang Qingning said, if the gratitude is too ostentatious, it might make the other party feel that he intends to clear all debts at once, which is inappropriate.

Anticipating they would have a long-term relationship, Fang Hou had no choice but to nod, “Then let’s do as Manager Zhuang says, but you must keep at least one of these items, otherwise, I honestly can’t fulfill my duty when I go back.”