Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society

The night was deep and the courtyard was quiet. Only the dim street lights lengthened the silhouettes of the two people running. Sha Zhu asked as he ran, "What happened to Bang Geng? Explain it clearly!"

"I... I don't know either. When I just got home, I saw him lying on the ground. His face was pale, and no matter how I called him, he wouldn't wake up..." Qin Huairu said in a crying voice, her eyes blurred by tears.

When Sha Zhu heard this, he became even more anxious. He didn't even bother to ask for clarification and rushed to the Jia family in two steps.

As soon as he entered the room, a strong smell of blood hit his nose. In the dim light, Sha Zhu saw Banggen lying straight on the cold floor, his face as pale as paper, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and a yellowed book lying beside him.

Sha Zhu only felt a buzzing in his head, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He probed the stem of the stick with trembling hands, but felt nothing.

"Bang Geng! Bang Geng!" Qin Huairu threw herself on Bang Geng, crying heartbreakingly, "Wake up! Don't scare mom..."

Sha Zhu stood there blankly, his mind was blank. He couldn't believe that the usually lively and even annoying Bang Geng was gone.

"Shazhu, what...what should I do..." Qin Huairu burst into tears and grabbed Shazhu's arm in despair, "Is Banggeng...is he dead..."

Sha Zhu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He reached out and touched Bang Geng's carotid artery. Although it was weak, he could still feel a slight beating.

"Huai Ru, stop crying, Bang Geng can still be saved!"

He picked up Bang Geng and said to Qin Huairu, "Quick, take me to the hospital!"

Qin Huairu finally came to her senses, wiped her tears quickly, and stumbled out following Sha Zhu.

The two ran all the way and finally arrived at the nearest hospital late at night.

In the emergency room, the doctor was giving Bang Geng emergency treatment. Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu were waiting anxiously outside the door, and every minute seemed like torture.

"Doctor, how is my son?" Qin Huairu grabbed the doctor's hand and asked in a trembling voice.

The doctor took off his mask and said solemnly: "The patient was brought in on time and is no longer in danger of death, but..."

He paused, glanced at Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu, and continued, "But the patient seems to have been stimulated mentally, causing him to have severe hallucinations and delusions. The specific situation requires further examination to determine."

"Hallucination? Delusion?"

Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu looked at each other, their hearts filled with confusion and anxiety.

What kind of stimulation can make Banggeng become like this?

Sha Zhu suddenly jumped up from the bed, opened the door, and almost hit Qin Huairu's nose.

"Oh my god, Shazhu, you want to murder me!" Qin Huairu covered her chest, still in shock.

Sha Zhu grabbed her arm and asked anxiously, "What's wrong, Huairu? What happened?"

Qin Huairu was so hurt by Sha Zhu's grab that she frowned, "Ouch, be gentle! It's Bang Geng, something's wrong with Bang Geng!"

When Sha Zhu heard that Bang Geng was in trouble, he became nervous and asked quickly, "What happened to Bang Geng? Don't be anxious, tell me slowly."

"Bang Geng...he stole things from the supply and marketing cooperative, got caught, and is now locked up!" Qin Huairu started to cry as she spoke.

"What?!" Sha Zhu was furious when he heard it. "This kid is rebelling against him. I'm going to..."

As he was about to rush out, Qin Huairu grabbed him and said, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to bring that bastard Banggeng back and give him a good beating!" Shazhu said angrily.

"You're crazy! What's the point of you going now? The director of the supply and marketing cooperative said that if you don't pay compensation, he will hand you over to the police!" Qin Huairu stamped her feet in anxiety.

"Compensation? How much?" Sha Zhu calmed down a little.

"five yuan!"

"Five dollars?!" Sha Zhu gasped, "Why don't you just rob him? What did this kid steal that's worth so much money?"

"What else could it be? Egg cake! They said he stole a whole box from the counter!" Qin Huairu said helplessly.

When Sha Zhu heard this, he immediately lost his temper and sat down on the stool. This was five yuan! How many kilograms of corn flour could it buy?

He looked up at Qin Huairu and saw that her eyes were red, obviously she had been crying. He knew that five dollars was an astronomical figure for the Jia family, no wonder Qin Huairu was so anxious.

"Huai Ru, don't worry, I'll think of a solution." Sha Zhu sighed. He knew he couldn't just sit there and watch.

"What can you do?" Qin Huairu wiped her tears, her tone full of despair, "How much is your monthly salary? You also have to support your sister, how can you have any spare money?"

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and thought to himself: "Even if I have to sell everything I have, I will get the stick out!"

He stood up suddenly and said with a firm look in his eyes: "Huai Ru, don't worry, I will definitely rescue Bang Geng!"

Qin Huairu stared at Sha Zhu blankly, as if she was meeting him for the first time. In Sha Zhu's eyes, there was a light that she had never seen before, a kind of firmness, a kind of determination, and a kind of manliness that made her heart beat faster.

"Silly Zhu, you..."

"Stop talking, Huairu, wait for me!"

After Sha Zhu finished speaking, he turned around and rushed into the night.

Qin Huairu stood there, watching Sha Zhu's back as he walked away, feeling mixed emotions. This silly man was always like this, standing in front of her like a mountain when she was most helpless.

But can he really solve this crisis? Five dollars is not a small amount...

Sha Zhu ran all the way, but his mind was working rapidly. Where can I get five dollars?

The first person he thought of was Yi Zhonghai, but then he thought again, although Yi Zhonghai was the eldest uncle in the courtyard, he was a shrewd man and would definitely not lend money easily.

"Oh, that book!" Sha Zhu suddenly remembered the old book that Qin Huairu took away. The title seemed to be "Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society".

"Could it be..."

A bold idea emerged in his mind, and Sha Zhu's heart began to pound like a restless rabbit.

He quickened his pace and ran wildly in an unknown direction...

Sha Zhu suddenly sat up from the bed, opened the door, and almost hit Qin Huairu's nose.

"What's wrong? Huairu, what happened?" Sha Zhu was sleepy and when he saw Qin Huairu's flustered look, his sleepiness immediately disappeared by half.

Qin Huairu said breathlessly: "Jia Zhang...Jia Zhang...she can't do it anymore!"

When Sha Zhu heard this, he was startled and woke up instantly. "What? Can you explain it clearly? What's wrong?"

Qin Huairu's eyes turned red, and she cried, "Jia Zhang suddenly had a severe stomachache, and she kept rolling on the ground, saying...she was about to die! Silly Zhu, please help me and think of a solution!"

When Sha Zhu heard this, he didn't have time to think about it and quickly followed Qin Huairu to the Jia family.

As soon as he entered the Jia family's door, he heard Jia Zhang's howling like a pig being slaughtered, and the sound made Sha Zhu feel nauseous.

I saw Jia Zhang lying on the cold ground, her face pale, her lips purple, her hands covering her stomach, groaning in pain.

"Oh my, my stomach hurts so much! Huairu, my life is so miserable! I haven't even had a few days of happiness, and now I'm going to die..." While howling, Jia Zhang did not forget to add drama to herself.

Qin Huairu was so anxious that tears were about to fall. While comforting Jia Zhangshi, she turned to Sha Zhu for help: "Sha Zhu, please think of a solution quickly. What should we do?"

Sha Zhu was furious when he saw Jia Zhang's pretentious manner. Why didn't this old woman say that she had a miserable life when she was always being domineering? Who was she pretending to be pitiful for?

But he changed his mind and thought, although Jia Zhang was hateful, she was still a human life after all. He couldn't just watch her die in front of him, right?

So, he suppressed his disgust and said to Qin Huairu: "Huairu, don't worry, I'll go call the doctor!"

After saying that, he turned around and ran out.

Sha Zhu ran all the way to the hospital and finally found an old Chinese doctor who was on night duty. The old Chinese doctor had already gone to bed, but when he heard someone knocking on the door, he impatiently put on his clothes and opened the door.

"Who is it? What's the matter in the middle of the night?" the old Chinese doctor asked sleepily.

Sha Zhu said anxiously: "Doctor, please, come with me quickly, someone is sick in our hospital, the situation is urgent!"

When the old Chinese doctor heard this, he said reluctantly, "What's wrong with you? Can't you come back tomorrow morning?"

Sha Zhu was anxious. He grabbed the old Chinese doctor's hand and begged, "Doctor, please, I really can't wait any longer. Please come with me! I'll bring you a roast chicken later!"

The old Chinese doctor loved to eat the roast chicken made by Sha Zhu. Hearing this, he immediately perked up. He cleared his throat and said pretentiously, "Well, since you said so, I'll go with you. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda!"

When Sha Zhu heard this, he was overjoyed and quickly thanked him: "Thank you, doctor, thank you, doctor! You are really a living Bodhisattva!"

In this way, Sha Zhu dragged the old Chinese doctor to the courtyard.

The old Chinese doctor entered the Jia family and carefully examined Jia Zhang's condition. Then, stroking his beard, he said slowly, "Well, the patient has acute gastroenteritis and caught a cold, which caused the unbearable abdominal pain. Fortunately, she was sent to the hospital in time, otherwise..."

Hearing the old Chinese doctor's words, Qin Huairu immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully: "Thank you, doctor, thank you, doctor!"

Sha Zhu also echoed, "Doctor, you are really a miracle doctor! Look, what kind of medicine is needed? I'll go get it right away!"

The old Chinese doctor wrote a prescription nonchalantly, handed it to Sha Zhu, and said, "Go to Tong Ren Tang to get the medicine. Remember, use a slow fire to boil it, and take it three times a day after meals."

Sha Zhu took the prescription, felt like he had found a treasure, thanked the owner repeatedly, then turned around and ran out.

After Sha Zhu left, the old Chinese doctor turned to look at Qin Huairu and asked in a low voice: "Comrade, I think your mother-in-law's illness doesn't seem to be ordinary gastroenteritis..."