Chapter 215: Is This Really a Good Destination?
Bai Ruozhu frowned upon hearing the news, the situation she was worried about had indeed occurred. But she quickly looked at Wan Minglu, "Wan, are you breaking the rules of the Government Office by telling me this? I’d hate to get you into trouble."
When he heard Bai Ruozhu’s concern, Wan Minglu felt as if he was flying up to the sky—she was worried about him getting blamed!
Poor Wan Minglu didn’t realize that Bai Ruozhu would worry in the same way if it were Wang Luji standing in front of her, she hated to see others getting in trouble for helping her.
"Don’t worry, the officer asked me to quietly tell you this, so don’t tell anyone else." Wan Minglu whispered even softer.
Bai Ruozhu nodded, estimating that the officer had asked Wan Minglu to give her brother a heads up. But since her brother had already returned to the Xie Residence to study, Wan Minglu had come straight to her.
"Please convey our thanks to Officer Li," Bai Ruozhu said softly, nodding her head.
Once Wan Minglu left, Bai Ruozhu told her mother about the matter, who was quite shocked. She just remembered that she hadn’t yet told Bai Ruozhu about the information she had gathered, as it had been disrupted by the visiting crowd
"I was chatting with the neighbors this morning, and they all said that ’Doctor Fu’ is a good person and, more importantly, an excellent doctor. Many people would love to get checked by him. His reputation is mainly due to his kind heart; he often doesn’t charge his patients and would even give away medicinal materials for free to those who cannot afford it. His son and daughter-in-law, however, aren’t too pleased about this," Lin Ping’er related.
Bai Ruozhu nodded slightly. It seemed that the one who had stopped them from entering the door yesterday was indeed Doctor Fu’s daughter-in-law.
"They also said that his health has declined significantly in the past six months. His son and daughter-in-law are not willing for him to continue treating people. He’s not as persistent as before," Lin Ping’er added.
"Mother, I think I have a plan. I’ll take Xiaosi to go talk to him," Bai Ruozhu said.
Lin Ping’er was a bit worried, "What if he denies it completely? Will your aunty be off the hook then?"
"Even if he doesn’t admit it, she can’t do anything about it. But the old mansion has already suspected her, she won’t have an easy life in the future. Just that..." Bai Ruozhu trailed off, hinting at the fact that they would not be able to officially bring Xiaosi home.
Lin Ping’er was also concerned about this. She said, "You both should have a good talk with Doctor Fu. If that doesn’t work, beg him if you have to. As long as we can save Xiaosi, that’s all that matters."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Alright, I understand."
She then left with Xiaosi. On the way out, she told Fusa and the others that she needed to go home and take care of Little Dengdeng. When they entered the alley where the Xie Family lived, they walked a little further before knocking on the door to the Fu Residence again.
The woman who opened the door was the same grouchy one from yesterday. She probably felt that today was unlucky since the officers had come to her door.
"Why are you here again? My father-in-law is not well and cannot receive guests." As she was about to close the door, Bai Ruozhu quickly put out her hand to stop the door, but the woman closed the door too quickly and accidentally closed it on Bai Ruozhu’s hand.
"Hiss..." Bai Ruozhu hissed. Thankfully the woman wasn’t too rough, if a man had been that reckless her bones would definitely have been broken.
"Ah, why did you put your hand there? I didn’t see it, are you okay?" Even though the woman sounded cold, she was kind-hearted and started panicking after seeing Bai Ruozhu’s hand stuck in the door.
It was Bai Ruozhu’s left hand that got caught. Right now, she was gripping her left arm with her right hand; her face had turned red from the pain. She wanted to tell the woman that she was fine, but she was in too much pain to speak.
"Big Sister, are you okay?" Xiaosi was flustered seeing Bai Ruozhu in pain, but he didn’t know how to help, he was at a loss as to where to reach out.
The woman saw that Bai Ruozhu’s hand was swelling up and knew that she hadn’t been gentle. Bai Ruozhu was certainly not faking it and said in a panic, "I’m sorry, come in quickly, let my father-in-law take a look."
Bai Ruozhu was barely holding back a smile through the pain, her plan resembled the decoy strategy.
"I’m fine, nothing’s broken, it’s just a bit painful," Bai Ruozhu said, following the woman into the house, trying to assuage her fears despite her pain.
"My father-in-law can give you some anti-swelling medicine, it’ll get better soon," the woman’s tone was no longer as harsh, there was even a hint of apology in her voice.
Bai Ruozhu nodded at her in thanks, "Thank you, Aunt."
Soon enough, Bai Ruozhu met Doctor Fu. He wasn’t what she had imagined. She thought he would be an old man with white hair, but his hair was mostly black with only some greyness at the temples. He had a beard and seemed to be a kind old man.
However, Bai Ruozhu could tell that he had a health issue, high blood pressure. This is common in the elderly, but if not well controlled, it can lead to frequent dizziness, severe nausea, vomiting, and even stroke.
"Father, I accidentally hurt her hand. Can you take a look?" As soon as she saw Doctor Fu, the woman was a bit embarrassed.
Doctor Fu looked at Bai Ruozhu’s hand and couldn’t help but glare at the woman, "You’re just as short-tempered as ever, this is no light injury."
Bai Ruozhu smiled, "I don’t blame her; I was the one who hurried to put my hand in there."
The woman thought Bai Ruozhu wasn’t a bad person, and her glance carried an additional trace of apology.
Doctor Fu got some medicine for the woman, "Apply this to her, there’s no bone injury so it will de-swell quickly, though it will bruise a lot," he said.
"Thank you, Doctor Fu," Bai Ruozhu bowed to Doctor Fu in gratitude.
"What do you want from me?" Doctor Fu looked at Bai Ruozhu, a bright light gleaming in his somewhat dull eyes.
Bai Ruozhu pulled Xiaosi to show him to Doctor Fu, "This is the child from six years ago," she said.
Doctor Fu trembled; officers had just visited him earlier that day, and he was already annoyed. Of course he understood Bai Ruozhu’s intentions.
"I don’t understand your meaning; if there’s nothing else, please leave," Doctor Fu said as he stood up to retreat to the room behind. The woman quickly helped him upon seeing this.
"Doctor Fu, I understand your good intentions. You pitied the woman who lost her child and wished to find a good home for this abandoned baby. But do you really know what kind of life this child is living?" Bai Ruozhu’s voice suddenly increased, "I understand that you don’t want to admit it, afraid it might tarnish your lifetime of good reputation, but is a reputation more important or rather, one’s conscience?"
Bai Ruozhu held Xiaosi’s hand, quickly catching up to Doctor Fu, she rolled up Xiaosi’s pants leg and showed him, "This is a burn wound from a few days ago, it was about to inflict a serious wound. It wasn’t an accident."
She then rolled up Xiaosi’s sleeve, "This is a wound he got a few days earlier. It was already inflamed when I found it. This child has multiple wounds all over him, countless minor ones, to grow up in such an environment, is it really a good place?"
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Thank you, Book Friends ’[The Pure Face But Venomous Heart],’ ’[I Cry Alone In The Corner],’ and ’[Dream]’ for your rewards! I appreciate it!