What the Hell Do You Know, Lao Er

It's actually not serious.

For someone who practices martial arts, this is nothing.

Just now when jumping out the window, he stepped on a book placed on the floor mat.

Luckily, Second Sister reacted quickly.

Otherwise, the impact would’ve been much worse.

Still, a sprained ankle can range from minor to severe.

Cao Cheng’s traditional Chinese medicine techniques were nothing short of professional.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack—

After a series of twists and presses,

Cao Cheng finally let out a relieved sigh. "Good thing I was here."

Second Sister looked skeptical. "Did it damage the tendons?"

"No, what I meant was, if I weren’t here, the foot would’ve healed on its own pretty quickly."

"…" Second Sister had no way to deal with him.

Cao Cheng grinned. "Of course, with me here, it’ll heal even faster. Get up and walk, take a few steps. Go on, don’t worry, just walk…"

Second Sister sighed lightly and gave him a light smack. "Stop messing around. Let’s talk about the medicine—what do we do with this?"

That’s just how Second Sister was.

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside.

She seemed indifferent, detached by nature.

As if she didn’t care about anything.

But,

whenever something happened to the family, she was always the most anxious one—the quickest to lose control of her emotions.

Born with a fiery sense of justice.

That’s why she was in this line of work.

It was her innate conscience driving her to punish evil and uphold good.

In contrast… Eldest Sister, who seemed the most warm-hearted, was actually the most detached.

Back when Old Cao and Ren’s mother got together, it was Second Sister who was running around in a frenzy, especially worried that Mother might be scammed out of money or… other things.

"Don’t worry."

Cao Cheng released her bare foot. "We’ve got the medicine. Leave this to me—I’ll find someone to check what this is."

Second Sister said, "How about I take it to the forensics lab at the bureau to analyze its composition?"

Cao Cheng pondered. "Sure, how soon can we get results?"

"If we take it now, we should have them before dark."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go."

Originally, Cao Cheng had planned to go to a pharmaceutical company.

He’d acquired two small, nearly bankrupt drug manufacturers—practically for free. Having the medicine checked for its contents and effects would’ve been a simple matter.

Hell, just bringing it there, and a professional could probably identify it at a glance.

But,

since Second Sister had spoken up, Cao Cheng didn’t feel like making the extra trip.

…

Second Sister drove Cao Cheng while under the influence.

She was in a hurry.

Didn’t even think twice.

Even though drunk driving wasn’t yet a criminal offense at this time, it was already being regulated.

They hadn’t gone far before the car swerved erratically.

Scared the hell out of Cao Cheng.

"Stop, stop, stop…"

"Let me drive!"

Cao Cheng was exasperated.

Second Sister might’ve seemed sober—her complexion didn’t even change—but alcohol still had some effect.

Screech—

The car stopped.

Second Sister knew she wasn’t in the right state either. "You take over."

They switched seats.

No idea what Second Sister was thinking—she didn’t even get out of the car. Instead, she climbed over the center console.

Probably trying to save time.

Or maybe alcohol had messed with her logic?

"…"

Cao Cheng got a little… friction in the process.

Enough to get him worked up.

Cao Cheng had no choice but to follow suit, maneuvering over the console—up and down, brushing… shoulders!

Thankfully, the Jeep was spacious. If this had been a smaller car, things might’ve gotten messy.

…

The rest of the ride was silent.

Cao Cheng drove with steady precision, weaving through traffic until they reached the bureau in no time.

Second Sister skipped the formalities and took Cao Cheng and the medicine straight to the forensics lab.

She handed the pills to a department head.

"Is this urgent?" he asked.

Second Sister nodded. "Extremely."

"Alright, I’ll handle it personally. Wait here."

"Thanks."

…

Second Sister didn’t return to the investigative unit. Instead, she waited outside the lab.

At the same time, she questioned Cao Cheng.

"You know traditional medicine, right?"

Cao Cheng nodded. "A little."

Second Sister pressed, "So you noticed something off about Eldest Sister before?"

"I had some suspicions."

"What do you think it is?"

"Depression."

"Depression?"

A decade later, most people would have a rough idea of what depression was—a societal issue.

Even if they didn’t fully understand it, they’d at least heard of it, knew it could be deadly, that suicide rates were high among sufferers.

But right now, the condition was still somewhat… obscure.

Fortunately, Second Sister had encountered cases like this before.

So when Cao Cheng mentioned it, her expression darkened.

"Are you sure?"

"How could I be sure?"

Cao Cheng shook his head. "It’s just a guess. I’ve never taken Eldest Sister’s pulse. But based on some of her outward behavior, I can tell her psychological condition isn’t mild."

Second Sister fell silent for a long moment before muttering, "Our family gets annual checkups. We’ve been doing them since we were kids—never missed a year."

"At first, we all went together."

"Now, with everyone busy, we do them separately."

"But…"

"The reports aren’t confidential. They all go to Mother."

"If Eldest Sister really had a problem, wouldn’t the checkup have caught it?"

Cao Cheng knew this already.

He’d done his own checkup too.

His results were ridiculously healthy.

The female doctor’s lingering gaze was something he still remembered vividly.

Cao Cheng shook his head. "Those are just physical exams. Unless she went to a psychiatrist or psychologist, Eldest Sister’s condition wouldn’t show up."

"And let’s be real—Eldest Sister’s a master at keeping up appearances. She’s way too good at pretending."

Second Sister had no rebuttal.

This time, she didn’t even argue against the slightly derogatory "master at keeping up appearances."

…

The forensics lab didn’t take long.

Results came quickly.

"Captain Ren, this appears to be an SSRI drug."

"What’s that?" Second Sister frowned.

Before the department head could explain,

Cao Cheng, never one to miss a chance to show off, cut in. "It’s a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor—basically a medication for depression, anxiety, OCD… psychiatric stuff."

"Correct."

The department head nodded, giving Cao Cheng a curious glance before turning back to Second Sister. "Given this medication, the suspect likely suffers from a mental disorder. Long-term use of drugs with such severe side effects means they’re capable of just about anything."

"…"

"…"

After thanking him, they left.

Second Sister’s brow remained furrowed.

This was more unsettling than any major case she’d handled.

She wanted to hit something.

Needed to vent.

Cao Cheng, on the other hand, stayed calm. Truthfully, he’d already sensed something was off and knew it wasn’t as dire as the department head made it sound.

At worst, Eldest Sister was in the early to mid-stages—still capable of controlling her emotions.

But Cao Cheng also knew:

The efficacy and safety of these drugs were questionable at best.

As the department head said, the side effects were brutal.

Once you started taking them, there was no guarantee they’d cure you—at most, they’d manage symptoms.

But they’d definitely make you worse over time.

The drawbacks outweighed the benefits.

It was like wearing glasses.

If your vision was blurry, glasses would clear it up—but your prescription would keep getting stronger, and soon, you’d never be able to function without them.

But mental health wasn’t as simple as nearsightedness.

So the outcomes were rarely good.

…

Sitting in the car,

neither of them moved to start the engine.

A long silence stretched between them.

Second Sister said in a low voice, "Don’t you know traditional Chinese medicine?"

"Just a little."

"...Stop with the 'just a little.' Can you treat it or not?"

"Piece of cake."

"???"

Second Sister fixed her gaze on Cao Cheng.

Cao Cheng grinned. "No big deal. Honestly, I’ve always been able to treat it. Even the tea I usually drink and that box of ambergris someone snatched from me—combine those two, and it’s an internal and external treatment. Eldest Sister’s mood would stabilize in no time."

"..."

Second Sister knew he was hinting at her.

"I still have half a box of ambergris left," she muttered.

Cao Cheng was shocked. "You used it up that fast? Are you burning it or eating it? That was a whole pound—hundreds of sticks. One stick a day would’ve lasted you over a year... and now you’re down to half a box?"

Second Sister, unusually, looked a little embarrassed. "The cases lately have been complicated. I’ve been pulling overtime. Without the ambergris, I wouldn’t have made it."

Cao Cheng sighed. "But you can’t use it like that. One stick occasionally is enough. Just tough it out—what’s the big deal? You’re still young. If you can’t handle it, worst case, you end up in the hospital. But once the ambergris is gone, it’s really gone."

"You..." Second Sister was stunned.

Was this guy for real?

"Tough it out—what’s the big deal"?

"Worst case, you end up in the hospital"?

Of course,

Second Sister knew Cao Cheng well—his sharp tongue was just to tease her.

But it was still infuriating.

She didn’t have the energy to argue right now. "Is the ambergris really effective?"

"Absolutely. But I don’t recommend you use it."

"Why not?"

"Because ambergris and tea work together to stabilize emotions. But emotional wounds need emotional cures—you have to treat the root cause."

"How do we treat the root?"

"Don’t worry. I’ve got something better. I’ll have Eldest Sister cured in no time."

"What is it?"

"Secret."

"..."

"Alright, let’s drive. Leave this to me. Actually, I’ll drive—you come here." He pulled her over.

Just like when they arrived,

neither of them got out of the car.

Second Sister slid over and ended up in the passenger seat.

But Cao Cheng didn’t move fast enough, and she ended up sitting right on top of him.

"..."

"..."

Cao Cheng reacted quickly, springing up with a yelp.

"Ow—how are you so heavy?!"

A faint blush crept onto Second Sister’s face as she lifted herself slightly.

Cao Cheng finally took the driver’s seat.

That little incident dealt Second Sister a critical hit of negative emotions—worth nearly 3,000 points.

Equivalent to three golden treasure chests.

No wonder she was the queen of critical hits.

She could always generate something.

"You’re the heavy one," Second Sister muttered under her breath.

Her tone and the flicker in her eyes made her seem almost cute.

A stark contrast to her usual demeanor.

But,

she did have some weight to her.

She was the tallest woman in the family, standing at 5'9" barefoot. Add in her martial arts training and the lean muscle she carried,

there was no way she’d be light.

To her, those 78-pound actresses were like little chicks—she could knock them over with a finger.

......

They drove off.

Not far from the office, Second Sister couldn’t hold back. "Should we tell Mother about this?"

"Not for now," Cao Cheng shook his head.

Some things were better left unsaid.

Eldest Sister had hidden it so well—clearly, she didn’t want anyone to know.

If they blabbed now, what would Eldest Sister do?

Just to show off how observant they were?

Cao Cheng added, "It’s not a big deal. No need to worry Ren's mother. We’ll tell her after it’s treated."

"If it’s treated, is there even a point in telling her?" Second Sister said, baffled.

Cao Cheng shot her a look: You don’t get it.

Telling her now would be concern.

Telling her after it’s fixed would be tattling.

That’s negative emotions right there.

And it wouldn’t cause serious fallout—just collect the emotions while keeping the family harmony intact.

At worst, Mother would scold Eldest Sister.

Cao Cheng didn’t want to ruin the peace but still wanted to harvest emotions.

So this was the only way.