Zhang Lianchuan replied, "Let me see if my second uncle is here."
"Your second uncle?" Bai Minsan asked in surprise. "Isn’t he uninterested in traditional Chinese medicine?"
"Yeah! Your second uncle is actually attending this conference? Did the sun rise in the west?" Fang Peizhen also asked curiously.
When it came to Zhang Lianchuan’s second uncle, Zhang Wenqi, there was hardly anyone in the traditional Chinese medicine community who hadn’t heard of him. The Zhang family in Nan City was a renowned medical family. Though they had been slightly affected by the turmoil of recent years, there had been no major impact.
In Zhang Lianchuan’s father’s generation, there were three brothers. The eldest was Zhang Lianchuan’s father, Zhang Wenxin, who now headed the entire Zhang family. The third brother, Zhang Wenlin, had disappeared several years ago, his whereabouts still unknown to this day. He was the only family member the Zhang family lost during those years. As for the second brother, Zhang Wenqi, he had shown no interest in traditional Chinese medicine since he was a child, drawn instead to antiques and curios. In his grandfather’s words, he was flighty and unscholarly.
Because he wasn’t interested in traditional Chinese medicine, Zhang Wenqi never participated in anything related to it. But who would have thought he’d actually come to the conference today!
"Yeah," Zhang Lianchuan said. "I find it strange too. He said he’d be a bit late and even specifically asked my dad for an invitation. I just wanted to see if he’d actually show up."
Zhang Lianchuan was extremely curious about his second uncle’s unusual behavior today.
He looked around but saw no sign of Zhang Wenqi. Zhang Lianchuan sighed. "Forget it. I guess my second uncle isn’t coming today after all. He probably just said he was coming to the conference with my dad on a whim."
Zhang Lianchuan thought, ’My second uncle has definitely run off to browse the antique markets in Beijing. I heard there’s some kind of famous ’ghost market’ in Beijing’s antique scene. It’d be weirder if he *wasn’t* interested.’
"Enough about my uncle. What were you guys talking about just now?" Zhang Lianchuan had been so focused on looking for his uncle that he hadn’t paid attention to their conversation.
Bai Minyun explained it again, and Zhang Lianchuan smiled. "Sure! My dad is staying in Beijing for five or six days anyway. What day should we set?"
Bai Minyun then looked at Su Qing. Among the six of them, only Su Qing was a student.
Bai Minyun was the same age as Su Qing and was planning to take the college entrance exams this year. The other four were a year or two younger and weren’t planning on taking the exams yet. Instead, they were studying traditional Chinese medicine alongside their elders, which was why they had all come to Beijing for the conference.
Su Qing smiled. "How about this Sunday? That’s the only day I’m free. After all, my final exams are in about ten days, so I probably can’t take any time off during the day."
"Sure, Sunday it is," the others agreed with a laugh. Today was Wednesday, so Sunday was only three or four days away.
"Let’s get this straight, it’s my treat this time. I’m the oldest, so don’t argue with me." Once the get-together was settled, Bai Minyun quickly added. She and Su Qing were the same age, but her birthday was earlier.
"Alright, if you want to treat, you can treat. I’ll get it next time," the others said with a laugh. None of them were short on cash, so they weren’t going to fight over it. They’d just treat her back next time; everyone would take turns paying.
"Great! I’ll make a reservation when I get back tonight. I’m treating you all to a private kitchen. I guarantee it’ll be so good you won’t know which way is up," Bai Minyun said with a beaming smile.
"I want to order! I want roast duck," Fang Peizhen chimed in eagerly.
Bai Minyun laughed. "Okay, you got it."
The group continued to chat and laugh, sharing interesting stories. Su Qing also recounted some of her experiences in the mountains, leaving the others listening in stunned silence.
Zhang Lianchuan’s eyes widened. "Su Qing, you go that deep into the mountains all by yourself? Aren’t you scared? What if you run into a wild beast?"
"Hey, Zhang Lianchuan! Don’t jinx it! Knock on wood, quick!" Bai Minsan punched Zhang Lianchuan’s shoulder. He was a bit traumatized when it came to gathering herbs in the mountains. He’d once gone with a family elder and run into a massive wild boar that weighed three or four hundred pounds. If the boar hadn’t already been injured, he and his elder would have been mauled for sure. Even though they escaped, he’d twisted his ankle in the panic and hadn’t dared to set foot in the mountains for a long time afterward.
So, hearing Zhang Lianchuan talk about encountering beasts in the mountains today, that terrible memory came rushing back to him.
"Ah, ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! I was just talking. Of course she won’t run into any danger," Zhang Lianchuan said, realizing he shouldn’t have said it. After all, anyone who gathered herbs in the mountains was afraid of running into wild beasts. If you were lucky, you’d just get injured. If you were unlucky, it could be fatal.
Su Qing just smiled, not minding at all. "I’m fine. I can fight them off."
"What!" The moment Su Qing finished speaking, everyone’s eyes went wide as they stared at her in disbelief. But then they remembered how she had gone deep into the mountains to take down a den of thieves, and they realized she was telling the truth. They immediately gave her a thumbs-up. ’You’re awesome!’
Just as they were talking, Tang Mo pointed to the entrance. "Hey, Zhang Lianchuan, your second uncle actually came."
"Huh?!" Zhang Lianchuan was also surprised. "My second uncle’s here?"
With that, Zhang Lianchuan looked toward the entrance and sure enough, saw his second uncle walking in. However, there was a young man with him. "Huh, my second uncle brought a friend!" he said, curious.
Su Qing followed their gazes and saw a middle-aged man in a taupe woolen overcoat walking in, chatting and laughing with a slightly shorter young man. He smiled as he greeted the hosts. The man in the overcoat bore a noticeable resemblance to Zhang Lianchuan; this was clearly his second uncle.
"Not bad," Bai Minsan said to Zhang Lianchuan. "Your uncle’s friends are getting younger and younger. That guy can’t be much older than us, right?"
"Yeah, he looks like he’s only in his twenties," Zhang Lianchuan nodded. "But is he also studying traditional Chinese medicine? Since when does my second uncle make friends with people who study TCM?"
In Zhang Lianchuan’s memory, his second uncle’s friends were all from the antique world, and none of them were young. He rarely had friends this young.
Listening to their conversation, Su Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly. For some reason, she had a very bad feeling about the young man who had entered with Zhang Wenqi.
Ever since her Wood Ability had advanced to the Sixth Rank, her perception of people’s auras had become much more acute. The auras of some people made her feel instinctively uncomfortable.
Take this young man with Zhang Wenqi, for example. Even from this distance, his presence was already making Su Qing feel a sense of revulsion.
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