But the real question is, can these side businesses actually make money?
Mr. Chi shot her a look, and Mrs. Chi received the signal. "Old Chi, you doctors are masters at treating patients, but when it comes to business, you don’t know the first thing about it."
"What’s that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on our little business selling odds and ends?"
"Don’t you know that enough small changes eventually lead to a big one?"
"Besides, I suspect you make plenty of profit selling medicine. It’s just that it all goes to the organization, and the accounting is so complex with so many different ledgers that you underestimate yourselves."
Chi Yun’er nodded. "Dad, the hospital’s overall profits aren’t for us to worry about, but I guarantee that after we open the store, it won’t lose money."
"With the surplus, even if we don’t buy expensive equipment, we can at least provide some extra benefits for everyone. And not just a store—I also want to open a restaurant right here in our hospital."
"Lots of people need to eat. Some bring their own food to save money, and families on a budget eat at the cafeteria. But what about those who aren’t short on cash? We can’t just let them go to the trouble of leaving the hospital to spend their money, can we?"
"Our hospital is large and has an excellent reputation. A store and restaurant here could operate twenty-four hours a day, meeting the needs of all the patients, their families, and our own staff..."
"Hmm, the hospital has a guesthouse, but it’s for internal use. It’s free for some people, but for outsiders, the price is a bit steep. Even as a small, three-story building, its rooms and beds can’t possibly meet the demand from patients and their families..."
"It’s gotten to the point where the hospital hallways are filled with people sleeping on the floor. Forget pushing a cart through—there’s barely any room to walk..."
"So, we need to cater to different consumer groups by offering different tiers of service..."
Mr. Chi watched his daughter as she ticked off points on her fingers, laying out one plan after another with such earnestness. A smile never left his face, and he nodded in agreement from time to time, not once telling her to settle down and stop making waves just because she was a girl.
"Alright, my girl," Mr. Chi said, now convinced of the feasibility of her ideas. "List out all your thoughts. Once you have a detailed plan, you can report it to the hospital director."
Chi Yun’er glanced at the time and hummed in agreement. She took the warm milk Mrs. Chi handed her and downed it in one go—GULP GULP GULP. After brushing her teeth, she mumbled about being tired and, feigning a yawn, went upstairs.
After locking the door from the inside, Chi Yun’er saw that it was pitch-black across the way. She turned on her lamp and pretended to read a book by the window. In reality, her peripheral vision was split between glancing at her watch and keeping an eye on the Jiang Family’s house across the road. In all that time, she barely turned a page or two.
With five minutes to go, she turned off the light.



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