Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society

"Don't talk yet, let me see the patient." The old doctor said, walked straight to the bedside and began to examine Bang Geng.

The room suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes were focused on the old doctor, waiting for his diagnosis.

The old doctor carefully examined the child, but his brows furrowed more and more. He pondered for a moment, looked up at Qin Huairu, and asked, "What has the child eaten recently?"

"Just... just some steamed buns, and..." Qin Huairu's voice trembled a little. She suddenly remembered that Banggeng seemed to have stolen something this afternoon, but she didn't know what it was.

"Wowotou?" The old doctor's face became serious, "This is impossible..."

His eyes fell on the bedside table, where there was an empty bowl with some black crumbs still in it. He walked over, picked up the bowl and examined it carefully, his expression suddenly changed.

"Oh no! This is..."

Qin Huairu's heart sank to the bottom. The sneer on Jia Zhang's face was like a bolt from the blue to her. Could it be... really her?

She didn't dare to think further and just felt cold all over.

Sha Zhu ran all the way and finally pulled the old doctor back from the old locust tree in the front yard. The old doctor was panting and was about to speak when Sha Zhu pushed him into the house.

"Doctor, please take a look at my dog, he..."

Before Qin Huairu finished speaking, she saw the old doctor's face change and he exclaimed, "Not good! This child's pulse is disordered, it seems like he has been poisoned by another kind of poison!"

"What?!" Qin Huairu felt a black screen in front of her eyes and almost fainted.

Inside and outside the house, there was an uproar.

"What? Two kinds of poison? This is really..."

"Oh my, whose child is so evil? Isn't this going to cost Banggeng his life?"

"That's right, this is too cruel..."

Everyone was talking about it, but no one stood up and said anything that could really help.

Sha Zhu was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He yelled at the old doctor: "You better think of a solution quickly! If anything happens to Bang Geng, I..."

The old doctor ignored him, took out a pack of silver needles from the medicine box, and skillfully inserted them into several acupuncture points on Bang Geng's body.

"This poison is very strong, and I have never seen it before. I can only use silver needles to protect his heart meridians. As for whether he can survive..." The old doctor shook his head and sighed, "It's difficult!"

Qin Huairu felt dizzy, her ears were buzzing, and she couldn't hear anything. She collapsed on the ground, tears blurring her eyes.

"Huai Ru, don't worry, Bang Geng will be fine..."

Sha Zhu tried to comfort her clumsily but didn't know what to say.

At this moment, Jia Zhang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. She said in a shrill voice, "I think this matter must be related to that newcomer!"

"Who? Who's new here?"

Jia Zhang glanced at the backyard and said sarcastically, "Who else could it be? The one who lives next door to Xu Damao, what's his name... Yes, the one called He Yuzhu!"

Everyone followed her gaze and saw a tall and straight figure standing at the door of the backyard, holding two plump fish in his hands...

Qin Huairu's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. Jia Zhang's sneer was like a thorn, piercing her heart fiercely. She didn't dare to believe it, nor did she dare to think about it, but her intuition told her that Banggeng's poisoning this time was probably related to Jia Zhang!

The air in the room seemed to freeze, and you could hear a pin drop. The old man cleared his throat and broke the silence, "Huai Ru, think carefully, is there anything unusual at home recently?"

Qin Huairu looked away from Jia Zhangshi, suppressed her uneasiness, and thought carefully about what had happened recently. Suddenly, she remembered that Jia Zhangshi secretly made a pot of chicken soup yesterday, saying that it was to nourish Banggeng's body. At that time, she was wondering where the chicken came from at home. Now thinking about it, that chicken soup...

"Chicken soup!" Qin Huairu raised her head suddenly, pointed at Jia Zhang, and said in a trembling voice, "Mom, the chicken soup you made yesterday, was it..."

"How dare you!" Jia Zhang slammed the table, interrupting Qin Huairu's words, and angrily scolded, "Qin Huairu, you jinx! I, an old woman, made chicken soup for Banggeng with good intentions, and you actually suspected me of poisoning him? I think you have really been bewitched by that bastard Shazhu, and you even dare to doubt your own mother-in-law!"

Jia Zhang's retort frightened Qin Huairu. She was originally weak-willed, and after being yelled at by Jia Zhang, she dared not say anything, but just lowered her head and cried silently.

"That's enough!" The old man couldn't bear it anymore and yelled, "The matter hasn't been clarified yet, why are you yelling? Huairu, go on, what's wrong with the chicken soup?"

Qin Huairu glanced at Jia Zhang timidly and whispered, "The chicken soup... I took a sip and it tasted a bit weird, like something was put in it..."

"What did you put in there? I think you want to say that I put poison in there!" Jia Zhang jumped up and down and cursed, "Qin Huairu, I raised you with all my might, and you are making up stories about me like this? Do you still have a conscience?"

"Mom, I didn't..." Qin Huairu wanted to explain, but she was so spitted at by Jia Zhang that she didn't dare to look up.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing!" The second uncle said impatiently, "I think it's probably because Qin Huairu accidentally put something into the chicken soup, which caused the chicken to be poisoned. Now she's trying to put the blame on my mother, it's really..."

"That's right! I think so!" Third uncle Yan Bugui also echoed, "Huai Ru, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you're just too cunning. Mom worked so hard to take care of you two, how could you wrong her like this?"

Facing the accusations from everyone, Qin Huairu had no words to defend herself and could only cry silently. Only Sha Zhu still stood firmly beside her, glaring at everyone like an enraged lion.

"All of you shut up!" Sha Zhu roared, "The matter has not been investigated clearly yet, no one is allowed to wrongly accuse a good person! Huairu, don't be afraid, I believe you, tell me, where did that chicken come from?"

Qin Huairu looked at Sha Zhu gratefully and said with sobs: "That chicken...was...sent by Xu Damao..."

"Xu Damao?!" Everyone was suddenly in an uproar.

"What's this kid thinking?"

"It's not that he wants to take revenge on Sha Zhu, that's why..."

When Jia Zhang heard the name "Xu Damao", her face suddenly turned very ugly, her eyes flickered, as if she was hiding something...

Qin Huairu's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and she could almost hear her own rapid breathing. The sneer on Jia Zhang's face was like a thorn, piercing deep into her heart.

She stood up suddenly, looked directly at Jia Zhang, and asked in a trembling voice: "Mom, do you... do you know something?"

Jia Zhang glanced at her sideways, then slowly took out her pipe, lit it, took a deep puff, and then said slowly, "What can I know? I'm an old woman, what else can I do besides carrying sticks all day long?"

"But..." Qin Huairu wanted to ask more, but was rudely interrupted by Jia Zhang.

"But what buts! Banggeng is a child spoiled by you! He is so young but still a naughty boy. He only knows how to steal and do things. He deserves the retribution!" Jia Zhang exhaled a puff of thick smoke, choking Qin Huairu and making her cough.

"Mom, how can you say that! Banggeng is still a child!" Qin Huairu couldn't hold back her tears any longer and they burst out.

"Child? Can a child do whatever he wants? I tell you, Qin Huairu, you must get to the bottom of this matter! If I find out who harmed my beloved grandson, I will never forgive him!" Jia Zhang slammed the table and said angrily.

Everyone around was shocked by Jia Zhang's sudden outburst and shut their mouths.

At this time, Sha Zhu ran back panting, followed by the old doctor.

"Doctor, doctor, please take a look at me quickly, this guy is..." Qin Huairu hurried forward and said anxiously.

The old doctor took Banggeng's pulse and his brows furrowed further and further.

"What's the matter, doctor? How is my grandson?" Jia Zhang no longer had time to lose her temper and asked nervously.

The old doctor pondered for a moment and said slowly: "The situation is not optimistic. This poison is not an ordinary poison..."

"Not an ordinary poison? What kind of poison is it?" Qin Huairu asked anxiously.

The old doctor shook his head and said, "This poison is very rare. I can't tell what it is. Further tests are needed to confirm it."

"Testing? Where to do it?" asked Sha Zhu.

"This..." The old doctor looked embarrassed, "These days, the only place that can do this kind of test is probably..."

"Only where? Please tell me quickly!" Qin Huairu stamped her feet anxiously.

The old doctor sighed and said, "I'm afraid the only option is... Union Hospital in the city."

"Union Hospital?" Everyone was immediately shocked when they heard this.

Union Hospital, that's the best hospital in the city, it's a million miles away from here!

"What should I do? How much does it cost to go to Union Hospital?"

"Yeah, who can afford so much money these days?"

Listening to the discussions of the people around her, Qin Huairu felt a black screen in front of her eyes and almost fainted.

At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded outside the crowd.

"I have money. I can pay to send Bang Geng to Union Hospital."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man in military uniform looking at them expressionlessly.

The man was tall and straight, with deep facial features and eyes as sharp as knives. He exuded a cold aura that kept strangers away.

"You are..." Qin Huairu looked at him blankly, and a familiar figure suddenly appeared in her mind.

The man ignored her and walked straight to the bed. He looked down at Bang Geng with a complicated look in his eyes.

"You are...He Yuzhu?" Jia Zhang suddenly exclaimed and pointed at the man.

"He Yuzhu? Who is He Yuzhu?" Qin Huairu was even more confused.

The man slowly turned his head, glanced at everyone with cold eyes, and a vague sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.