CHAPTER 581: CHAPTER 570: THE DIVINE DOCTOR FATHER OF THE PRESTIGIOUS FAMILY’S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

"Dad, where are you? Did you go gambling again?" In the evening, Ye Qiu’s small clinic had quieted down a lot, as he was tallying today’s earnings, a call from Ye Chan came through, her tone panic-stricken and anxious.

Ye Qiu chuckled, unoffended, but rather cautiously replied: "Chanchan, don’t panic, dad didn’t go gambling. Dad understands his mistakes now, I’ve quit gambling."

"Really?" Ye Chan asked, unconvinced.

"Really, I swear on my life to you, if dad gambles again, you can disown me as your father," Ye Qiu stated with conviction.

Yet, Ye Chan suddenly interrupted him, "Why say something so serious all of a sudden? You haven’t committed an unforgivable sin. How could I not acknowledge you?"

Ye Qiu felt somewhat guilty upon hearing this; although his "past life" was not unforgivable, he essentially drove his daughter to a dire situation, no different from a scumbag.

"So where are you right now?" Ye Chan asked again.

"At North Alley, in a clinic called Qiuchan Clinic."

Ye Chan hung up the phone and rushed over from Ye Qiu’s old house, only to see Ye Qiu in a newly-built small clinic doing his accounts, with two elderly men chatting and drinking tea beside him.

"Chanchan’s here, take a seat. Dad’s brewed a cup of tea for you." Ye Qiu earnestly took the bag from Ye Chan’s hand, guided her to a seat, and served her the pre-made tea, which was herbal and beneficial for women’s health.

"Since your daughter is here, Ye, we’ll head back now and come over again tomorrow," the elderly brother said cheerfully, humming a tune as he watched Ye Chan and left.

Ye Chan had been perplexed since she walked in, only snapping back to her senses when she was handed a cup of hot tea.

"Try it and see how it tastes," Ye Qiu smiled at his daughter, then went back to his accounts.

Ye Chan obediently took a sip of the tea, her eyebrows lifting with the first taste, and then another sip followed, feeling utterly refreshed, her accumulated frustrations slowly dissipating.

"Dad, what kind of tea is this? It’s actually quite nice," she said.

"Nice? If you like it, dad will make it for you every day," Ye Qiu responded warmly.

Seeing him like this, Ye Chan felt as if she was back to her childhood, when her dad used to be so concerned about whether she was eating well or being bullied, always preparing delicious things for her.

However, as she grew older, their conversations decreased and she couldn’t remember the last time they had interacted so harmoniously.

"Dad, why are you in this clinic today?" Ye Chan asked curiously, noticing her dad was the only one in the clinic, "Where’s the owner?"

"The owner? That would be me," Ye Qiu said with an awkward smile.

"You?" Ye Chan replied, genuinely surprised, "Dad, when did you...?"

Ye Chan didn’t finish her sentence, and Ye Qiu continued in line with her thoughts, "Just opened today, what do you think? Not bad, right?"

"No, how did you think to open a clinic? Where did you get the money?"

"Didn’t I listen to you three months ago, quit gambling after paying off my debts? But my hands were still itching, and I didn’t expect to be so lucky that day; I won eight hundred thousand in one go," Ye Qiu said, slightly uneasy glancing at his daughter.

"Don’t be angry, after that game I really swore I’d never gamble again, and moreover, that place was closed down, even if I wanted to gamble there’s nowhere to do it!"

Hearing Ye Qiu mention the desire to gamble, Ye Chan’s heart tightened again.

Ye Qiu immediately added, "After I gave up gambling, I found having nothing to do all day long wasn’t a solution either. I was too embarrassed to go back to my hospital job after quitting, so I used the money I won that day to open this clinic, just to pass the time."

"Really gave up gambling for good?"

"Really, I swear!"

Ye Chan breathed a sigh of relief, fearing her father would fall back into that hopeless abyss, but she found the clinic quite nice. Though small, it was clean and tidy, and the neighbors, all old-timers from the area, were good company for her father to chat with.

"Have you had dinner yet? I’ve finished the accounts, so I’m about to go home and cook," said Ye Qiu, observing his daughter’s complexion and noticing she had lost more weight since three months ago, his heart ached with concern, "I’ve been working on a few new supplemental soups these past few days, I’ll make some for you to try."

"You know how to make those?" Ye Chan asked with a laugh.

Ye Qiu puffed out his chest: "How would I not? After all, I am a veteran Chinese medicine practitioner, I do know about supplemental soups."

The ingredients were readily available at home, and anything not at hand, Ye Qiu would just pick from the space, guaranteeing freshness and safety.

Watching her father busy in the kitchen finally allowed Ye Chan to release a heavy burden from her heart, but the worries on her brow suggested that other matters were still weighing her down.

An hour later, Ye Qiu had prepared the meal, and Ye Chan, who had been troubled to the point of losing her appetite, found herself unusually hungry.

"If you like it, eat more. From now on you can come over anytime you have a break, I’ll cook for you," Ye Qiu kept serving Ye Chan diligently.

"Mhm," Ye Chan murmured with her head down, her voice tinged with a choking emotion.

"Are you mistreated by the Li family?" Ye Qiu asked cautiously, "Why didn’t Chengyu come with you? It’s been nearly a year since I’ve seen him."

Ye Chan laughed awkwardly, "Work at the company has been busy. I’ll have him come over when we get a chance."

Ye Qiu sighed deeply, "Is it because of me, a father who has embarrassed you? Does he look down on me, his father-in-law?"

"No, dad, why would you think that?"

"If I don’t think that, then tell me why you’ve suddenly lost so much weight? Is he bullying you? Does he have another woman outside?"

"Dad, don’t overthink it, I’ll handle things over there,"

"So there is something?" Ye Qiu suddenly put down his chopsticks, "That bastard, does he even have a conscience? No, I’m going to find him and settle this."

"Enough!" Ye Chan suddenly shouted, her eyes reddening, her voice filled with crying and exhaustion, "Dad, what’s the point even if you go find him? He doesn’t admit to anything when I ask him, would he repent if you went?"

"Chanchan... I’m useless as a father; I can’t stand up for you," Ye Qiu said tenderly, gently rubbing Ye Chan’s head, "Let it all out when you feel wronged. You can always be yourself around dad, you’ll always be daddy’s precious daughter."

"Dad..." Ye Chan suddenly burst into tears and reached out to hug Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu embraced his daughter’s head, stroking her hair over and over, as a gentle warmth lingered between father and daughter.

"Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, daddy’s Chanchan doesn’t have to be afraid, daddy will always protect you."

It was a long while before, with the meal nearly cold, Ye Chan finally calmed her emotions and then looked up at Ye Qiu and laughed out loud.