"Old doctor, hurry!" Liu Dazhi saw him and waved, shouting, "Zhaodi is freezing!"
Hearing Liu Dazhi's voice, the old Chinese physician visibly sped up. He stopped his car and hurried over, asking, "Zhaodi? She went to the county today too?"
This shouldn't be! Could her parents let her spend money to come to town?
The old Chinese physician's eyes were full of doubt. As he reached the doorway, he saw Qin Ningyi and the others hidden in the darkness.
"Whoa," the old Chinese physician patted his chest. "You scared me to death. Why are you youngsters not even breathing?"
Such large figures standing there with such imposing presence, yet he hadn't noticed them at first glance.
He opened the door, and Liu Dazhi rushed in. Qin Ningyi and the others followed. Seeing that they knew Dazhi, the old Chinese physician suppressed his doubts.
"What happened?" The old Chinese physician came to the armchair and reached out to take Zhaodi's pulse.
Liu Dazhi was indignant. "No need to think, it must be Li Dayong and his wife's doing!"
He had been in such a hurry coming down earlier that he only managed to send Liu Fang back. He didn't even know how Zhaodi disappeared. But having lived as neighbors for so many years, even if he couldn't figure out the details, he could guess the general situation.
The old Chinese physician also knew Li Zhaodi's family. His biggest headache was treating their son, Li Qinghua. If he said it was nothing, the couple insisted their son was unwell. If he prescribed medicine, they complained it was too bitter and refused to take it.
Sigh!
The old Chinese physician withdrew his hand after taking the pulse. He took out gauze and medicine from his yet-to-be-put-down medical kit.
He skillfully cleaned the wound.
Fortunately, the wound was on an exposed area, with no inconvenient parts. The room was dimly lit, so Liu Dazhi, under the old Chinese physician's command, held a flashlight to illuminate the wound for him.
"Is it serious?"
"It's not a big problem. No redness, swelling, or inflammation, and no fever now. The medicine you gave her worked well," the old Chinese physician praised. A child with such a weak body would have developed a fever by now. He had discovered this when checking her pulse.
Liu Dazhi breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the old Chinese physician finish, he frowned again. "Then why isn't she waking up?"
"You think she'll wake up just like that?" The old Chinese physician huffed impatiently, blowing his beard. He had been tired all afternoon and still had to listen to Liu Dazhi's nonsensical talk. It wasn't easy.
Before Liu Dazhi could reply, the old Chinese physician turned and straightened up, walking out.
"Young man, you're the ones who gave Zhaodi the medicine, right?" Liu Dazhi looked at the two who had first found Zhaodi and said with gratitude, "The old doctor said it was good medicine, it must be expensive. How much is it, I'll pay."
Such good medicine must be very costly. Although they were from the countryside and might not know etiquette, he knew he shouldn't take advantage of others. He would pay this money!
Zhaodi wasn't his child, but he had watched her grow up for years. She often taught Xiao Fang to read and write. Liu Dazhi had prepared himself mentally; even if it cost 100 yuan a pill, he would dig into his savings to pay them!
Qin Ningyi's subordinates exchanged glances. They hadn't experienced such a scene in years.
Several pairs of eyes turned to Qin Ningyi simultaneously.
"Zhaodi is a university student I am sponsoring. As long as she can repay society with her own abilities in the future, that will be enough."
Besides, this medicine was produced by his own company. There was no reason for him to sell it for a thousand yuan when he brought it to this small mountain village.
Liu Dazhi still felt it wasn't right and was about to speak up to persuade them further when he heard movement outside the door.
The old Chinese physician came back with a bowl of steaming hot rice and fed it to Li Zhaodi.
"The child is too hungry and has been cold. Let her eat a little to fill her stomach first."
The old Chinese physician didn't say much more. Those few words already conveyed everything.
Hunger and cold.