บท 33: Family Custom

"Hello, my name is Song Zhuyu. Pleased to make your acquaintances." Song Zhuyu greeted her with a firm handshake, his business smile firmly in place. "I heard you've finally decided to hire my assistant? Thank you so much, I will leave him in your capable hands."

Beside him, Chen Ru showed a restless and anxious expression, seemingly couldn't wait to tear their hands off and insert himself between them, making Father Song feel somewhat helpless.

What was he so worried about? It's not like Song Zhuyu was interested in his girl.

"My name is Rui Shuren, pleased to meet you too," she replied evenly. Unlike others, she showed no signs of interest in Song Zhuyu's striking hair nor his entire person in general, earning her a brownie point in Father Song's book. She continued, almost with a deadpan look, "We're severely understaffed, so any kind of help is greatly appreciated. However, I'm not the one making the hiring decision. He's still on probation period for now, and we will have to see how the children respond to him."

Song Zhuyu shot a meaningful glance at Chen Ru, a mirthful smile playing on his lips. Once this little guy fell in love, he directly met such a high-level foe. It seemed like he had quite the challenge ahead of him. Song Zhuyu muttered a short prayer of blessing for his loyal assistant's future days.

"That's great to hear," Song Zhuyu exclaimed, his smile brightening. "I'm sure Chen Ru will learn a lot from you. Won't you, boy?" The last question was directed to Chen Ru, who nodded eagerly in response. Song Zhuyu could almost see his imaginary tail wagging behind his butt.

He had to resist pinching his brows, sighing helplessly. For God's sake, could he get any more obvious?

Seeing that they had finished introducing themselves to each other, Ma Boliu chimed in, "Mr. Song and Mr. Chen here are sent by the government to observe our island's lifestyle. They haven't had the chance to visit the clinic yet, so how about we go there together now?"

Rui Shuren cast a skeptical glance over them, scrutinizing their appearance from head to toe. It was evident that she found it hard to believe they were government-appointed researchers. Once again, Song Zhuyu had to commend her wits and keenness because she was the first one to express suspicion toward them on the island, though he still couldn't tell whether it would be good news or not.

In the end, however, she chose not to comment and nodded tentatively, "Sure, let's go. The clinic is right next to the school, so we only need to walk for a bit.

True to Rui Shuren's words, the clinic was a mere five-minute walk away.

Nestled amidst the lush foliage, the single-story building stood modestly with walls crafted from weathered timber and woven palm fronds. The entrance was wide open, providing a clear view of the sparse yet functional interior, with wooden benches lining the walls and a handful of examination rooms branching off from the central hallway. As they stepped inside, the soothing scent of medicinal herbs greeted them.

"This is it," Rui Shuren announced, turning to face them. Her gaze fell on Song Zhuyu's bandaged hand. "I noticed you're injured. Would you like me to examine it?"

"No, thank you," Song Zhuyu declined her offer with a polite smile. "It's a minor injury and I've been treating it with ointments. I'm more curious about your workload here. What kind of sickness do you treat the most often? Are you the only one handling them all?"

"My workload… it's manageable," Rui Shuren replied. "I like working here, so I never find it burdensome. There used to be a senior doctor before me, but unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago. But don't worry, I have all the qualifications needed to treat minor illnesses and prescribe medication. As for the common ailments…" she hummed thoughtfully. "I can vouch that we're all very healthy here, maybe just some minor issues like diarrhea or muscle pain here and there. Majority of my patients are children as they're more susceptible to illness."

Chen Ru, who was unwilling to be excluded from the conversation, chimed in, "What about the village chief? We heard he's been sick lately. Are you treating him as well?"

Song Zhuyu shot his junior with a faintly surprised look. What a coincidence, he was just about to ask that question himself.

This time, however, the one who responded wasn't Rui Shuren. "Oh, my apologies. You must have wanted to meet my father, but…" a shadow of gloom settled over Ma Boliu's features. "He's already old, and his body is now riddled with illness. He's resting at home right now, though I'm not sure if he will be able to meet you two…"

"Oh no," Song Zhuyu scrunched up his brows to show his concern. "Is his condition severe?"

"Quite," Rui Shuren sighed, slipping her hands into her coat pocket. "There's little more I can do. I've been telling Uncle Boliu and everyone else to take him to a hospital on the mainland, but…"

"But my father doesn't want to go," Ma Boliu continued with a bitter look. "He refuses to seek medical help if it means he has to leave the island. You see, he was born here and had spent his entire life here. So he wants to close his eyes here as well."

Song Zhuyu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The situation turned out to be worse than he expected. Based on Ma Boliu and Rui Shuren's words, it seemed like the village chief was on the verge of dying at any moment. Whether Ma Boliu would assume his father's position upon his passing was none of Song Zhuyu's business.

Instead, there was another thing that perplexed him.

Typically, when someone was near death, the level of dark energy surrounding them would intensify, because it was that moment they would be plagued with regrets, sadness, or the fear of departing.

But Song Zhuyu hadn't sensed anything like that around.

Coming to a swift decision, Song Zhuyu faced the two islanders before him with a deceptively warm smile, "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to visit the Chief tomorrow."

Ignoring their surprised expressions, he smoothly spouted bullshit without batting an eyelid. "It's a custom in my family to show respect to the highest-ranking individual when visiting a new place, you see. Even if the Chief is not lucid enough to hold a conversation with me, that will be no problem. It would be such an honor to see him in person."