Chapter 425 Discovering Something Fishy About the Herbs
Kong Wange said "Oh," and while the young girl went to get her medicine, she continued chatting with her casually: "Xiaoxue, right? You seem quite efficient. How many years have you been working?"
"Me? I've been working here for seven or eight years."
Kong Wange was genuinely surprised: "You look like you're only in your early twenties, right? You just graduated from university, and you've been working here for so long?"
Tao Xiaoxue said somewhat embarrassedly, "Well, I wasn't good at studying to begin with, and my father was bedridden. All the money in the family went to his medical treatment, so I didn't finish high school and came here to do odd jobs."
Kong Wange found it a bit unbelievable: "You've been doing odd jobs for almost ten years?"
When she said this, Tao Xiaoxue's voice became even softer: "I... I'm not very bright and I learn things slowly. I'm already very grateful that the clinic didn't fire me."
Kong Wange: "..."
However, after chatting for a while, Kong Wange could tell that this young girl was the only one in the entire clinic who was working hard. Her movements and reactions when handling medicine showed that she didn't seem to be a slow learner.
Could this be the legendary PUA?
Taking a deep breath, Kong Wange tentatively asked, "Tell me, do you want to study medicine and become a doctor in the future?"
Xiaoxue was stunned.
In her twenty-odd years of life, it seems that no one has ever asked her what she wanted to do; they have only ever told her what she should do.
Although Kong Wange's question was abrupt, Xiaoxue still felt her heart skip a beat.
She stared blankly at Kong Wange for a moment, then suddenly realized what she was doing, lowered her head and whispered, "You, you must be joking. I didn't even graduate from high school, I can't be a doctor."
"Forget about whether you can do it or not, I'm only asking if you want to do it."
Xiaoxue held the medicine she had prepared for Kong Wange, pursed her lips, and lowered her head without saying a word.
Kong Wange was exceptionally patient and waited for her quietly.
It seems they won't give up until they get an answer.
Xiaoxue was silent for a moment, then finally spoke slowly: "I...I want to do it."
Over the years, she watched as the doctors in the clinic easily prescribed a few formulas, gave a few acupuncture needles, and cured patients, all while earning high salaries. She couldn't be more envious.
But she also knew that she wasn't cut out for it.
She had mentioned to Dr. Wei countless times that she wanted to become an apprentice, and this was the same thing he always told her.
"You don't have the talent to study medicine."
"Give up on that idea."
"Just do odd jobs peacefully. Apprentices don't get paid. Don't you want to get your father treated?"
And so it goes, day after day, year after year.
The little flame in her heart had long been extinguished by bucket after bucket of cold water.
At this moment, Kong Wange was like a spring breeze, stirring up scattered sparks in her heart once again.
As she thought about it, Tao Xiaoxue's eyes became a little moist, and she lowered her head, not daring to look up.
Kong Wange could clearly sense the emotions emanating from the little girl.
With a hint of resentment and an unspeakable stubbornness deep in his heart.
Kong Wange originally intended to use this young girl to get some information out of her, but now she genuinely felt the urge to help her.
Taking a deep breath, she beckoned to the little girl: "Xiaoxue, come here, I'll tell you a secret."
Xiaoxue was stunned for a moment. When she met Kong Wange's gentle and quiet yet exceptionally firm face, she didn't know why, but she moved closer as if possessed.
After Kong Wange finished speaking quietly, Xiaoxue's round eyes widened immediately: "You, you said you are..."
"Shh-"
Kong Wange gestured for her to be quiet.
Xiaoxue quickly covered her mouth with her hand and unconsciously glanced at the doctor and apprentices who were still engrossed in playing cards not far away.
She lowered her voice: "So you didn't come here to get medicine at all, but to inspect the clinic?"
Kong Wange nodded, then took out the appointment letter that Wen Zhengning had written for her and showed it to her.
The appointment letter was simple and clear, and it even had Wen's official seal at the bottom; it couldn't be faked.
Xiaoxue realized what was happening and panicked a little: "Why didn't you say so sooner? I..."
Kong Wange smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, and don't make a fuss. I need your help."
Seeing Kong Wange point towards the card table, Xiaoxue bit her lip and remained silent.
After a long pause, she whispered, "What do you need me to do for you?"
Kong Wange's eyes curved into a smile.
Xiaoxue is not only not stupid, but she is exceptionally smart.
She said in a low voice, "Find a reason. I want to go to Dr. Wei's office."
Xiaoxue was silent for a while, as if she had made up her mind, and then looked up and asked her, "You just asked me if I wanted to be a doctor. Does that mean you can let me study medicine?"
Kong Wange was once again surprised by the girl's intelligence, and smiled, saying, "If you handle this matter well, I will give you a chance."
Xiaoxue glanced in the direction of the doctors again, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, nodded: "Okay, please come with me."
Kong Wange followed Xiaoxue and successfully entered Doctor Wei's office.
Finding the clinic's account books took Kong Wange quite a bit of effort, but fortunately, Xiaoxue had been working at the clinic for many years, and with her help, the task was completed much more efficiently.
Kong Wange read through the procurement ledger from beginning to end and quickly discovered the irregularities.
"Xiaoxue, let me ask you, has the clinic always been buying such large quantities of American ginseng?"
Xiaoxue took the ledger, looked at the purchase volume that far exceeded that of other medicinal materials, and nodded: "Doctor Wei said that the American ginseng from this place is of good quality and can be used in many prescriptions, so it is always consumed quickly."
Kong Wange thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you know where to find the medical records at the clinic?"
"It's on Dr. Wei's computer."
Kong Wange frowned: "Does his computer have a login password?"
"some."
Kong Wange frowned even more. She was about to ask if there was a paper copy when she heard Xiaoxue say, "I know Dr. Wei's computer password."
Kong Wange was taken aback: "You know?"
Xiaoxue said somewhat embarrassedly, "I saw him turn on his phone when I came to wipe the table for Dr. Wei before, and I remembered it. But I didn't mean to; I just glanced at it by accident."
Kong Wange couldn't help but give her a thumbs up: "Your memory is truly exceptional."
With Xiaoxue's help, Kong Wange quickly printed out several medical records.
She looked at them one by one, and sure enough, as Xiaoxue had said, since Wei Dasheng started working at the clinic, every patient he had treated had used American ginseng.
She had gastritis, and he didn't even bother to examine her before casually prescribing such an expensive herb as American ginseng. She immediately sensed something was wrong, and upon investigation, she discovered there was indeed something fishy going on.
American ginseng is indeed a versatile medicinal herb, mild in nature and nourishing, with medicinal properties similar to codonopsis. The difference is that, on the one hand, American ginseng has a stronger medicinal effect, and on the other hand, its price is dozens of times that of codonopsis.
She glanced at the purchase order again and, as expected, almost all the American ginseng purchases over the past five years came from the same pharmaceutical company—Junhe Pharmaceutical.
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