Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

Zhang Lijuan moved her lips with difficulty, curled up in the quilt, and said in a trembling voice: "I... I'm so cold... Very cold."

The doctor frowned, thought for a moment and then said, "Well, Lao Zhang, I don't know what's wrong with your daughter. Why don't you make some preparations tonight, borrow a cart, and go to the city early tomorrow morning to take your daughter to a big hospital."

After saying that, the village doctor waved his hand, turned and left the room.

"Hey, Lijuan, Dad will cover you with more quilts. You should rest well at home first. I will go and borrow a cart..."

Zhang Yungui sighed, gently tucked in the quilt for his daughter, and then hurried out to borrow a cart.

At midnight, Zhang Yungui finally borrowed a cart and carefully pulled it under the thatched shed in the yard, fearing that he would wake up his sleeping daughter.

The next day, Zhang Yungui got up early before dawn and laid a thick mattress on the cart, hoping to make his daughter more comfortable on the road.

Next, Zhang Yungui carefully and gently carried his daughter Zhang Lijuan to the cart. He was afraid of waking up his daughter who was sleeping soundly, so his movements were particularly gentle. Then, he carefully covered his daughter with two layers of thick quilts, hoping that she could feel a little warmth in this cold weather.

Pulling up the cart, Zhang Yungui quietly left home and set out on the road to the city. He was filled with worry about his daughter's condition, but he was also afraid that if he walked too fast, his daughter lying on the cart would not be able to withstand the bumps on the road. So he could only move forward slowly, step by step.

At this speed, they would be able to reach the hospital before noon. By then, as long as his daughter's illness could be cured, he and his daughter could have a good meal in the long-missed capital, and then go home contentedly.

However, Zhang Yungui himself did not eat breakfast. Last night, he stayed awake all night, staying by his daughter's bedside, and only took a few naps there. At this moment, he felt hungry, but he was reluctant to spend money to buy a breakfast. After all, he didn't know how much his daughter's medical treatment would cost.

When they reached the town, the sky was already bright. Zhang Yungui was still reluctant to spend a penny to satisfy his appetite. He fumbled out a frozen steamed bread from his pocket, and while pulling the cart with difficulty, he gnawed the hard steamed bread and continued to move forward slowly.

"Hey, hello, brother. We are a little short of money, and we want to borrow some money from you. Is that okay?"

Three hooligans stopped Zhang Yungui, who was pulling the cart, and one of them asked for money. The one standing at the back wearing a cotton hat seemed to be the leader of the three. He was playing with a short knife in his hand and said to Zhang Yungui with a fake smile.

"Oh, gentlemen, I am just a poor farmer from the village. I don't have any money on me! Gentlemen, please be kind and let me go. I really don't have any money."

Zhang Yungui begged for mercy, but his steps did not stop at all. He just slowed down a little, still pulling the cart forward steadily. After all, his daughter's illness could not be delayed.

"I told you to stop! Did you hear me, old man? You don't even give us brothers any face, do you?" The leading scoundrel got angry when he saw Zhang Yungui ignored them. He stepped forward, raised his dagger, waved it in the air a few times, and threatened viciously.

Suddenly, a vicious thug kicked Zhang Yungui fiercely, and Zhang Yungui was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Then, the leader came over with a sharp knife in his hand and slapped Zhang Yungui's cheek without any hesitation.

"Old man, are you blind? Don't you see your grandfathers are standing here? How dare you bump into us! Humph, I think you are tired of living! Let me tell you, you hurt me just now, my waist may be broken. If you know what's good for you, quickly give me thirty or fifty yuan for medical expenses, otherwise this matter will not be over today!" The leading hooligans shouted arrogantly.

Zhang Yungui lay on the ground, groaning in pain and begging: "Oh, three uncles, look at my tattered clothes, how can I take out dozens of dollars! Please let me go." However, his brows frowned involuntarily.

Seeing that Zhang Yungui refused to pay, the leading ruffian immediately became suspicious. He glanced at the carriage parked nearby and asked in a stern voice, "Who is in the carriage? Where are you going?"

Zhang Yungui quickly replied: "There is a little girl in the car. Unfortunately, she has caught a cold and is very weak. We are planning to go into the city to find a doctor to treat her. Three uncles, you must stay away from her to avoid being infected with the disease." His voice was full of helplessness and fear.

When Zhang Yungui saw that the three hooligans were targeting his daughter, he quickly explained, his tone sounding very anxious.

"Hehe, you are willing to go to a big hospital in the city for treatment, you must have some money on you. I don't want much, just half of it. After all, we brothers don't have the habit of going back empty-handed!"

The leader of the gang let out a creepy laugh, his cunning eyes rolling around, and he was thinking about Zhang Yungui's medical expenses. At the same time, he secretly winked at the two accomplices behind him, as if to say, "When Zhang Yungui takes out the money later, you two rush up and grab it!"

Zhang Yungui's face turned pale as paper when he heard this, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He tightly grasped the bundle in his hand and said in a trembling voice: "Oh, how can this be possible? This is my daughter's life-saving money. I can't give it to you. Please treat it as a good deed and let me go. My daughter's illness cannot be delayed!"

His tone was full of pleading and despair, tears welling up in his eyes. He knew that these scoundrels were cruel and ruthless, and if he didn't meet their demands, he and his daughter would probably lose their lives. However, how could he easily hand over the hard-earned medical expenses? That was his daughter's only hope of survival!

"So you don't want to take the money? Well, just wait here. You can leave when you take out the money. We brothers are not in a hurry anyway." Seeing Zhang Yungui sweating and fidgeting anxiously, the leading thug knew that the middle-aged man in front of him could not wait any longer, so he said indifferently.