Urban Martial Saint

Gu Xianping didn’t want to let Ye Qing visit his daughter, but, unable to resist Ye Qing’s insistence, he could only lead Ye Qing through a winding alley.

Looking at the low walls and dilapidated buildings around, Ye Qing couldn’t help but be surprised, and asked, ”Teacher Gu, aren’t we going to see Yaqing? Aren’t we going to the hospital?”

Upon hearing this, Gu Xianping’s tears couldn’t help streaming down his face, the murky tear drops tracing the wrinkles on his cheek. Chen Jun beside him let out a heavy sigh and said, ”Ye Qing, how... how could Teacher Gu have the money to let Yaqing go to the hospital!”

”Ah?” Ye Qing was stunned. Such a serious incident as Yaqing falling from a building and she wasn’t hospitalized? Any other person would sell everything they could to get their child to the hospital, how dire was Gu Xianping’s poverty?

As they spoke, the three of them had already arrived at a small clinic. The clinic looked very dark, but there were still many patients inside, either receiving IV drips or waiting for treatment.

The conditions of the clinic were poor, with its sanitation standards far from meeting the requirements, and a few simple bamboo beds piled against the wall with several blackened quilts considered as the so-called hospital beds.

Still, there were way more patients here than in the big hospitals. There were simply too many poor people these days, and a trip to the hospital wouldn’t end without spending several hundred yuan. At this small clinic, minor aches and pains could be treated for just a few to a dozen yuan. The huge price difference made these small clinics especially prevalent in small county towns.

Despite the endless medical accidents occurring at these clinics, the poor had no choice!

Gu Xianping entered the clinic, and the doctor who was treating patients greeted him. It seemed he was also one of Gu Xianping’s former students.

The doctor said, ”Teacher Gu, Yaqing woke up for a while in the morning, but she has fallen asleep again. I’ve changed her medicine. You should go up and see her.”

Gu Xianping nodded and asked with a somewhat embarrassed tone in a low voice, ”About that, how much did... how much did today’s medicine cost?”

”Oh, Teacher Gu, stop talking to me about money. Let’s get Yaqing well first, and you can pay me when you’re better off in the future!” said the doctor as he greeted Chen Jun, ”Jun, have you had your meal? Your sister-in-law made bean soup. Come down later to get some, and bring some up for Teacher Gu as well.”

Chen Jun waved his hand and said, ”Hou, you don’t need to worry about me, just take good care of Teacher Gu!”

”What are you talking about, how much can you eat!” The doctor, called Hou, laughed and glanced at Ye Qing, who was standing behind, then looked at Chen Jun.

”Oh, I forgot to introduce you.” Chen Jun, understanding, said, ”This is also one of Teacher Gu’s students, Ye Qing. You’ve probably heard his name before.”

”Ye Qing? That name sounds very familiar!” Hou scratched his head, then suddenly said, ”Ye Qing, you... you’re the student who was admitted to Northern University, right?”

The news of Ye Qing being admitted to Northern University had spread widely among Gu Xianping’s students, and he was arguably the best-performing student of his cohorts. Teacher Gu often mentioned his name, so Hou immediately remembered him.

Ye Qing nodded and shook hands with Hou, sincerely saying, ”Hou, thank you for helping Teacher Gu.”

”Hey, Teacher Gu saved my life, how could I not help him?” Hou laughed, ”When I was in school, I was very naughty. I fell into the pond in front of the school. If it hadn’t been for Teacher Gu bravely jumping in to save me and carrying me to the health clinic over ten miles away, I would have lost my littie life long ago.”

Listening to the past events, Gu Xianping felt both shy and touched, and couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh. When these things happened, he was a spirited teacher at the school, and now, he was just a street vendor. The rises and falls of life were truly too stark on him.

Ye Qing glanced at Gu Xianping, thinking about how during those teaching years, Gu Xianping had helped many students. But now, fallen into such decline, how many of them were truly helping him? A local thug-looking ruffian and a doctor from a back-alley clinic were the only ones.

Among the students he had taught, there were certainly those who were wealthy and powerful, but had any of them looked back at him? It appeared that the saying was right, ”Righteousness is often found among those who are despised.”

Thinking about his experiences in Shenchuan City, where the wealthy families and businesses were filled with deceit and ruthless schemes, and yet it was the poorest people at the bottom of society who truly understood loyalty—that was society for you!

Chen Jun jokingly said, ”Teacher Gu has helped so many people over the years, and that pond... Teacher Gu has saved several naughty children like you from it!”

”You rascal, you never fell in that pond, but you have fallen from a tree!” Hou laughed and waved his hand, ”Ye Qing, why don’t you go upstairs with Teacher Gu and check on Yaqing first. Jun, go to the kitchen, get a bowl of soup for Teacher Gu; I think he probably hasn’t eaten today!”

”All right!” Chen Jun nodded and said to Ye Qing, ”Ye Qing, you go upstairs with Teacher Gu. I can take care of things down here.”

Ye Qing followed Gu Xianping upstairs, while Chen Jun headed to the kitchen. He had just scooped a bowl of porridge and hadn’t served it yet when Hou walked in.

Hou blocked Chen Jun’s path and asked, ”Jun, that Ye Qing, what does he do?”

Chen Jun replied, ”I don’t know, but they’re all Teacher Gu’s students. Since he’s come back to look for Teacher Gu, he probably won’t just ignore Teacher Gu’s current situation, would he!”

”He’s a top graduate from Northern University, and I figured it’s been about five or six years since his graduation. Considering the school he graduated from, by now, he’s definitely not a poor man,” Hou sighed and said, ”If he really wants to help Teacher Gu, the best thing would be to find a hospital for Yaqing. Her condition is getting worse, and I really can’t control it here.

I don’t even dare to tell Teacher Gu about this. He’s old, and if he has to endure the agony of outliving his child, I really don’t know if he can handle such a blow.”

Chen Jun thought for a moment and asked, ”How much would it cost to go to the hospital?”

Hou replied, ”Yaqing’s injury is in the head; it’s complicated. If we really send her to the hospital, our combined savings won’t even cover a few days’ worth of trouble!”

Chen Jun exclaimed in disbelief, ”Is that for real? Hou, you must have earned a good amount of money as a doctor over the years, right? How much would the hospital cost?”

Hou said, ”With Yaqing’s current condition, there’s an eight or nine out of ten chance she’ll need brain surgery. That alone could easily cost two to three hundred thousand.”

Chen Jun was stunned; even twenty or thirty thousand was an astronomical sum for him. Two to three hundred thousand - he couldn’t raise that much money even if he sold himself.

”Two or three hundred thousand…” Chen Jun swallowed hard and said, ”Such a huge sum of money, even if… even if Ye Qing is wealthy, would he… would he be willing to bring it all out at once?”

”That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about!” Hou let out a dejected sigh and said, ”Teacher Gu is such a good person, why does he have to encounter such troubles? Ah, what kind of society is this?”

Chen Jun also fell silent, equally frustrated as Hou. Moreover, both of them were pondering whether Ye Qing would actually help Gu Xianping. Even if he was willing to help, could he come up with such a large sum of money, and would he be willing to part with it?

Both knew the hope was slim. After all, two to three hundred thousand could be a lifetime of savings for some people!

”Ah, even if he could come up with so much money, even if he could save Yaqing, I fear Teacher Gu wouldn’t be able to swallow his pride,” Chen Jun clenched his teeth and said, ”That Bastard Wang Tong, I really want to stab him dead!

First, he schemed to get Teacher Gu fired from his public position, then he caused Yaqing to end up like this, and on top of it all, he turned the tables, not paying a cent and even demanding compensation from Teacher Gu. Bastard, how can such scum exist in the world?”

”Calm down, don’t get too worked up!” Hou patted Chen Jun on the shoulder and said, ”Who’s to blame when they’ve got the authority? You better just keep your head down. You know Wang Tong’s background; if you truly fight him, you might lose your life without causing him any harm. Better to live a wretched life than to die; don’t think about such desperate acts.”

”Damn it, I completely disagree with you!” Chen Jun shook his head and said, ”That’s just my temper, if someone crosses me, I’d rather fight to the death than live under their feet. ’Better to live a wretched life than to die,’ my ass. In my eyes, going down taking someone with you is what makes a glorious end.

Those rich folks, carrying tens of millions, if they were to die alongside me, would they regret it?”

Hou glanced at Chen Jun and commented, ”Your thinking is pretty wicked.”

”How is that wicked? That’s being a real man!” Chen Jun waved his hand and said, ”You wouldn’t understand, I won’t waste words with you. I better get this food to Teacher Gu. I was out at noon, he probably skipped lunch again. Gosh, I’ve already told several restaurants over there, he can eat for free, but he’s just too prideful. What good does skipping a meal’s worth of money do!”

”Go on, go on.” Hou stepped aside to let Chen Jun pass and said, ”By the way, find a chance to drop a hint to Ye Qing. If he’s willing to help, that would be great. If he doesn’t want to, then let it be, everyone has their own will!”

”If he’s really unwilling to help, I’ll despise him for the rest of my life!” Chen Jun grumbled as he carried the porridge upstairs.

Hou looked at Chen Jun’s retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh. Just as he was about to leave the kitchen, his phone suddenly rang. Hou picked up the phone, saw the number, and immediately frowned.

Hou answered the call and immediately snapped, ”Third Brother, what are you doing? I’ve told you, Teacher Gu is my life-saving benefactor, his affairs are my affairs. I’m telling you, you don’t need to persuade me anymore; I am determined to treat his daughter. What, do I need someone’s permission to treat people in my own clinic now?”