Hear this life

Wen Tingli stepped forward nervously: "You have helped our family so much. I don't want you to owe others a favor because of this matter, especially I don't want you to offend the White Dragon Gang because of my family's affairs."

Dean Deng found it both funny and sad.

"Child, not everyone is afraid of the White Dragon Gang. This involves a life, and we can't just watch the perpetrators get away with it. Although I'm not familiar with the Lu family, I have a few old friends in the court and the legal community. I'll discuss with them what to do first."

Wen Tingli waited anxiously on the side. As soon as the call was connected, Dean Deng smiled and introduced himself to the other party. The other party was indeed very enthusiastic, and the high-pitched voice could be heard through the microphone. However, after the call, Deng Yi's face did not improve at all. She picked up the phone book on the table, flipped through it, and dialed the next number.

This time the call was to the office of the director of St. Mary's Hospital.

"President Gao, I'm Deng Yi."

This time we talked longer than last time.

After hanging up the phone, Deng Yi didn't speak for a long time. Under the light, her silver hair made her look particularly old. Wen Tingli hurriedly helped Dean Deng sit on the sofa, and ran to the side to pour her tea.

Deng Yi pondered and said, "The more troublesome thing now is that Qiu Dapeng must have figured out how to evade legal responsibility a long time ago. The emergency department doctor at St. Mary's Hospital diagnosed that he had several broken ribs, and he insisted that he was beaten by your father. He even asked the doctor at St. Mary's Hospital to report the case to the French Concession police station."

"He's talking nonsense!" Wen Tingli was shocked and angry. "When Qiu Dapeng left our house that night, he ran faster than a rabbit. Uncle Chen and Uncle Zhou can both confirm this."

Deng Yi shook his head slowly. "You two are the parties involved. Qiu Dapeng might even use this as an excuse to accuse your father of wanting to cause trouble for him. The French Concession has already received Qiu Dapeng's report. If the public trial bureau decides that he acted in self-defense, your father might end up paying for Qiu Dapeng's medical expenses."

Wen Tingli felt the blood rushing to her head when she heard this: "Is there any law here?"

"Don't worry, I'll meet with some lawyer friends tomorrow, and I'll take care of this matter to the end."

Deng Yi is just like her name. The more difficult the problem is, the more resolute her expression becomes. This attitude deeply touched Wen Tingli's heart, and her eyes became firm: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go back and wait for news."

According to her original idea, she was going to persuade Dean Deng not to interfere in this matter. Now she understood that such words were an insult to Dean Deng's personality, and Dean Deng would never back down at any time.

When she thought of this, Wen Tingli's eyes were filled with tears: "'Ci Xin', 'Ci Xin', I finally understand the deep meaning of the name of your hospital. I am so lucky to meet a good person like you."

Deng Yi said in a half-joking tone: "Look at yourself, do you look like a seedling? But I, an old lady, am already a towering tree. Now that you, a seedling, have encountered wind and rain, how can the tree not help to block some of the wind and rain? When you grow into a towering tree in the future, you will naturally help other seedlings."

Wen Tingli was overwhelmed with emotions and could not help but burst into tears on Dean Deng's lap. The old man's eyes were so gentle, sad and sympathetic, as if they could heal all the pain in the world.

After crying for a long time, Wen Tingli felt relieved and wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "I will report to Shiwu Middle School tomorrow. I will study hard. I have been busy moving these days. I was worried that no one would take care of my father. But the nurse just told me that I can hire a caregiver for only ten copper coins a day. Now I can feel more at ease when I go to school. I also want to ask what medicine you used for my father. He slept so soundly just now."

Deng Yi opened the drawer and took out a prescription to show Wen Tingli: "Yesterday, the hospital received a batch of new drugs from the UK. One of them is a nutritional injection, which is exactly what your father urgently needs. There is also a painkiller that can help relieve your father's pain. As long as he can keep up with nutrition and sleep, I believe your father will recover a little faster."

Wen Tingli's face lit up: "Does this mean that there is hope that my father's illness can be cured?"

Deng Yi thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say for now. During the ward rounds just now, your father's indicators haven't improved much, but his condition hasn't deteriorated significantly either. Let's try treating him for a while longer."

When Wen Tingli returned to the ward, Mrs. Zhou had already fallen asleep on the empty bed next to her, hugging Xiao Taozi.

Wen Tingli sat down beside the bed in a daze. Under the dim light, her father's face was unusually sallow. His sunken cheeks and eye sockets made him look not like a real person at all. Instead, he looked like a weird wax figure in a candle shop.

In just a few days, a vibrant life was exhausted like this. Fortunately, she was now using new medicine, which gave her hope again. She lowered her head, leaned it against the bed frame, and called out in a very low voice: "Dad."

Wen Desheng was as silent as a dead body, but suddenly he started, raised his chin, and replied in a panic and confusion: "Dad is here."

Wen Tingli closed her eyes and let her tears fall to the floor. "I'm back. I want to read a book."

"Okay, just study hard and don't worry about Dad." Wen Desheng said confusedly.

Wen Tingli wiped away her tears, turned around, picked up her school bag and sat down at a small table beside her. As usual, the lights in Cixin Hospital were turned off at 10 o'clock every night. In a few minutes, she would not be able to read, so she lit a kerosene lamp with a match in advance and concentrated on her homework.

Wen Desheng was lying on the bed, listening to his daughter flipping through a book, and said quietly, "Tingli, what if Dad can't get better..."

"Nonsense! You will definitely get better. Dean Deng just changed your medicine today. She said there is hope as long as your condition doesn't get worse."

"Really?" Wen Desheng's eyes lit up. "No wonder I feel better."

His expression suddenly relaxed, and he stared at the ceiling silently, unable to help but speak again.

"The remaining cloth and machinery in the store are worth nearly four hundred dollars. You can hire a car to transport the goods to the foreign cloth market and sell them to a boss named Wang. He is an old acquaintance of Dad and will not rip us off. The remaining money should be locked in the cash box."

Not hearing a word from his daughter, Wen Desheng turned his head and saw his daughter sitting motionless at the table. He didn't know whether she heard what he said or not. He glanced at his daughter vaguely and suddenly laughed miserably.

"Dad is a useless man. After marrying your mother, he didn't let her live a good life for a few years. After she left, I couldn't even take care of the two children. If anything happens to Dad this time, you and Xiao Taozi will be left without anyone to rely on. Dad—"

Wen Tingli suddenly took over the conversation: "Since you know that Xiao Taozi and I have no one to rely on, how can you bear to die? Xiao Taozi is only three years old, and I am about to go to the best girls' middle school in the city. Don't you want to see me get into college with your own eyes?"

Her voice was clearly trembling. Wen Desheng still stared at his daughter, but tears quietly flowed down his ears.

"Can you really get into college?" He changed his tone to an excited one. "Although you are smart, you don't like to study hard. There has never been a college student in our family. If you really get into college, Dad will be the first to burn a stick of incense in front of your mother's tablet."

"Just wait and see." Wen Tingli raised the textbook in her hand with full confidence, "Not only will I be admitted to a good university, but I will also become famous, make a lot of money, and do great things - sooner or later I will become a great person like Dean Deng!"

"Are you suddenly so ambitious?" Wen Desheng grinned when he heard it. "Okay, okay, Dad will definitely get better. Dad is looking forward to the day when my daughter becomes famous." His eyes were filled with love for his daughter.

***
The next day, Wen Tingli got up before dawn, washed up at the public faucet, then hid in the toilet to change into a light bamboo-colored short jacket and long skirt. After coming out, she combed her shiny black curly hair into a high ponytail in front of the mirror, and took a bus to report to the Shiwu Girls' Middle School with high spirits.

The Shishi Girls' High School was located in the French Concession, far from the Cixin Hospital. Wen Tingli changed two buses to get there. When she got off the bus, she saw many female students wearing light blue short jackets and black geisha long skirts entering the school gate one after another.

She stopped at the school gate and looked up. The gate of Shishi Middle School was made of red bricks. The overall style was much more fashionable than Xiu De. The school area was also several times larger, with many school buildings and extremely unique gardens. It looked dignified and elegant everywhere.

There is a plaque hanging next to the school gate, which reads, "Donated by Mr. Lu Hongjun in xx."

Wen Tingli thought about it and realized that since the Shiwu Girls' Middle School was founded by the Lu family, Mr. Lu Hongjun must be the head of a certain generation of the Lu family.

She adjusted the straps of her school bag and strode into the school gate. Suddenly, she heard someone behind her say in surprise, "Hey, Miss Wen!"

Wen Tingli turned around and saw a short-haired woman wearing sunglasses sitting in a car and waving to her. As if she was afraid that Wen Tingli didn't recognize her, she took off the Western sunglasses on her nose and smiled brightly at Wen Tingli.

"I'm Huang Yuanshan! The director of Golden Pictures. We met at Qiao's house last time."

(End of this chapter)