Chapter 36

Wu Shan, who had gone out to buy pork, suddenly collapsed at the door, covered in blood. This greatly shocked Zhou Zhong, who immediately called for the butler, Xu. The two of them then carried Wu Shan to his courtyard.

"Xu, stay here and take care of Wu Shan. I'll go find a doctor!" Zhou Zhong said, turning to leave. In such a situation, even if the person were a stranger, Zhou Zhong could not ignore him, let alone Wu Shan, who was a tenant of the family and had helped them a lot. It was even more impossible to abandon him in this situation.

"Master, turn right when you go out. There's a Cheng's Medical Hall not far from here. The doctor there is very skilled in treating external injuries!" Xu shouted from behind.

Zhou Zhong ran out of the gate, determined the direction, and turned right. By this time, the snow was falling heavily, and everything was covered in white. The sky was dark and gloomy, making it impossible to see the distant scenery. The snow on the ground was already quite thick, and Zhou Zhong struggled to run, sinking deep into the snow with each step.

In such weather, all the shops had closed early. When Zhou Zhong found Cheng's Medical Hall, the assistant was just about to close the door after sending off the last patient. Zhou Zhong rushed over, pushed the door open, and shouted, "Doctor, save him! Someone is seriously injured and has already lost consciousness!"

The doctor, an elderly man in his fifties, was startled by Zhou Zhong's words. He immediately got up, picked up his medical bag, and said, "Lead the way!"

With a life at stake, Zhou Zhong did not hesitate to lead the doctor back home. On the way, seeing the elderly doctor's difficulty in walking, Zhou Zhong supported him, and they finally reached the courtyard where Wu Shan was staying. Xu was wiping the blood off Wu Shan's face with a towel. Seeing Zhou Zhong and the doctor, he anxiously said, "Doctor Cheng, please look at Wu Shan. He woke up for a moment but didn't say a word and quickly fell unconscious again."

Doctor Cheng, who seemed to know Xu, nodded and then carefully examined Wu Shan's injuries. The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed. After checking his pulse, he turned to Xu and said, "The situation is very serious. This young man has been slashed over a dozen times, with two particularly severe wounds on his back and thigh. These two wounds have caused him to lose a lot of blood. I can only do my best to treat him, but whether he survives is up to his fate."

"Alright, Doctor Cheng, please do your best. Wu Shan is a good person; he will surely pull through!" Xu encouraged himself. He had developed a good impression of the honest young man and often drank with him. Seeing Wu Shan in such a pitiful state, he felt very distressed.

Doctor Cheng nodded and immediately took out a porcelain bottle from his medical bag, gave Wu Shan a few pills, and then undressed him to clean and bandage his wounds with warm water. Finally, he wrote a prescription and asked Zhou Zhong to go back to the medical hall to get the medicine, boil it, and feed it to Wu Shan.

By the time Doctor Cheng finished, it was already midnight. His medical skills were truly remarkable. After applying the medicine, Wu Shan's bleeding stopped, and his breathing became more stable. Doctor Cheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I've done all I can. Whether he wakes up or not, I can't be sure."

"Thank you, Doctor Cheng!" Zhou Zhong said gratefully. Accustomed to the indifferent attitude of modern doctors, he was deeply moved by Doctor Cheng's dedication.

"Master Zhou, you're too kind. If there's nothing else, I'll go back. I'll come back tomorrow morning to check on the patient's condition," Doctor Cheng said politely. At first, he didn't recognize Zhou Zhong and thought he was a servant of the Zhou family, never expecting that Zhou Zhong would personally run to the medical hall in such heavy snow.

"It's so late and snowing so heavily. Why don't you stay here for the night?" Zhou Zhong suggested. Wu Shan had been so severely injured, and the city seemed unsafe. Doctor Cheng was a good person, and Zhou Zhong didn't want anything to happen to him.

"Thank you, Master Zhou, but someone needs to be at the medical hall. If there's another emergency like this one, I need to be available. After all, it's a matter of life and death," Doctor Cheng said seriously. Zhou Zhong and Xu were deeply impressed by his dedication.

"Alright, I'll see you back," Zhou Zhong said, finding a lantern and picking up Doctor Cheng's medical bag. It was snowing heavily, and Doctor Cheng was not young, so he couldn't let him go back alone.

Doctor Cheng did not refuse and left with Zhou Zhong. The snow was even heavier now, and the snowflakes, like goose feathers, danced in the dim light of the lantern. The ground was already covered with a half-foot layer of snow, and each step buried his boots.

Fortunately, the Zhou family's residence was not far from Cheng's Medical Hall, and Zhou Zhong quickly escorted Doctor Cheng home. He then hurried back, the sound of his footsteps on the snow clearly audible in the silent street.

Zhou Zhong rushed home, feeling hungry and cold after the long night. He wanted to get back and eat something. However, as he was walking, he suddenly paused, then continued walking as if nothing had happened, but his steps became more regular, and his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves, ready to defend himself.

Zhou Zhong reacted this way because, as he passed a street corner, he caught a glimpse of a faint white light in the shadow of the wall. With his experience, he knew it was likely the reflection of a blade, indicating that someone with a weapon was hiding in the shadows.

This discovery put Zhou Zhong on high alert, ready to defend against any attack from the person in the shadows. However, what puzzled him was that the person did not move even after he had passed the corner. Zhou Zhong wondered if he had been mistaken and there was no one there.

With this doubt in mind, Zhou Zhong finally returned home. After securing the door, he went to check on Wu Shan. He found that Xu had brought the hot pot from his own courtyard and was already eating. He planned to stay the night, as Wu Shan needed constant attention.

Zhou Zhong, exhausted, saw that Wu Shan was still unconscious and returned to the inner quarters. Earlier, Concubine Wang had noticed his absence and had gone to the front courtyard to check. Zhou Zhong had told her to eat without waiting for him.

It was late, and Zhou Zhong did not want to disturb Concubine Wang. He also had some snacks prepared in his bedroom for writing at night, so he went directly to his courtyard to eat something and rest. However, when he opened the door to his courtyard, he noticed that a light was on in his room. Curious, he walked over, pushed the door open, and entered his bedroom, only to be surprised by what he saw.

In the middle of the room, a candle was lit, and the table was set with vegetables and meat slices, with a hot pot in the center, though the soup had cooled. Near the table was Zhou Zhong's bed, where two girls, one older and one younger, were sleeping under his quilt, looking very peaceful.

Seeing the food on the table and the sleeping girls, Zhou Zhong felt a warm surge in his heart. It was clear that Zuo'er and Duo'er had brought the hot pot to his room, waiting for him to return, but he had been busy until late, and they had eventually fallen asleep.

Zhou Zhong quietly approached and carefully observed the two girls. Thirteen-year-old Zuo'er had the appearance of a young girl, looking serene and peaceful in her sleep, bringing a sense of calm to anyone who saw her. Four-year-old Duo'er, with her big eyes closed and long lashes fluttering, seemed to be having a beautiful dream.

Looking at his two sleeping sisters, Zhou Zhong felt a deep sense of responsibility. They were the closest and most important people in his life, and he vowed to protect them from any harm, no matter what happened in the future.

As Zhou Zhong made this silent vow, Duo'er, perhaps dreaming of something fun, giggled in her sleep and mumbled, "Brother, catch the white ball, don't let it run away!"

Duo'er's mumbled words were followed by her small, chubby limbs kicking, and she kicked off the quilt. Zhou Zhong, smiling, picked up the quilt and gently covered her again. At that moment, Zuo'er, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly rubbed her eyes and woke up, saying groggily, "Big Brother, why are you back so late?"

Seeing Zuo'er awake, Zhou Zhong smiled and said, "Big Brother just finished dealing with some things. You and Duo'er go back to sleep. I'll go eat something."

As Zhou Zhong spoke, he heard a strange noise from Zuo'er's stomach, which made her blush and look embarrassed. Zhou Zhong was surprised and asked, "Zuo'er, you haven't eaten either?"

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