The doctors babbled and made numerous assurances that they would be surprised at the sight of the criminals.

He asked the young lady to take one of his arms and extend the other hand to Mrs. May, and lead them upstairs politely and dignifiedly.

"Now," whispered the doctor, turning the handle of the bedroom door, "we might as well hear what you think of him." He hadn't had a haircut in a few days, but he didn't look vicious at all. Wait a minute! Let me see if he can visit him first.

The doctor took a few steps forward, looked into the room, and then motioned for them to follow, and as soon as they entered, the doctor closed the door and gently lifted the curtains.

Lying on the bed was not the stubborn and vicious gangster they expected, but just a child who had fallen into a deep sleep under the pain and fatigue.

His wounded arm was bandaged and rested on his chest with a splint, his head resting on the other arm, and his long hair falling over the pillow, half of it obscured.

The kind gentleman grabbed the bedspread with one hand and watched it silently for a minute or so.

As he looked at the patient so intently, the young lady slowly approached, sat down on a chair beside the bed, and brushed the hair from Oliver's face.

She leaned down towards Yongchang, and a few tears fell on his forehead.

The child moved, smiling in his sleep, as if these expressions of pity evoked some kind of pleasant dream, with love and warmth that he had never experienced.

Sometimes, a piece of intimate music, the murmuring of water in a quiet place, the fragrance of a flower, or even the mere uttering of a familiar word, will suddenly evoke vague memories, reminding people of scenes that have never appeared in this life, and they will drift away like a breeze, as if in an instant they have awakened some long-separated, happier past, which cannot be recalled by contemplation alone.

"What's going on?" The old lady said in a loud voice, "This poor boy could never be the apprentice of a gang of robbers. ”

"Sin," the doctor sighed, lowering the curtain, "and who can say that a beautiful appearance does not harbor evil intentions?" ”

"But he's so young." The golden embroidery expresses his views directly.

"Mademoiselle," replied the doctor, shaking his head sadly, "sin, like death, is not merely the care of the old and infirm. The youngest and most beautiful are often the victims of its choosing. ”

"But you're- oh! Do you really believe that this emaciated child volunteered to be a helper for the scum of society? Jin Xiu asked.

The doctor shook his head, meaning he feared that this might be the case. Pointing out that they might disturb the patient, he led the way into the next room.

"Even if he has done bad things," Jin Xiu refused to let go, "think about how naïve he is, think about how he may have never received maternal love or family warmth." Abuse, beatings, or the need for bread drove him to mingle with those who forced him to do bad things. Auntie, you must think before they throw this sick child into prison, because in any case, once he is in prison, he will definitely not have a chance to change his ways. Because of your kindness and love, I have never felt that I have lost my parents, but it is possible for me to do the same, and be as helpless and uncared for as this miserable child. ”

The old lady took the tearful girl in her arms. "Do you think I'm going to hurt a hair on his head?"

"Oh no!" Jin Xiu replied urgently.

"No, certainly not," said the old lady, "I have not long lived, and to show mercy to others is to forgive myself." What can I do to save him, sir? ”

"Let me think, ma'am," said the doctor, "let me think about it. ”

Mr. Qian put his hands in his pockets and paced around the room, stopping from time to time to adjust the balance of his body with his heels, and the appearance of his forehead was strangely frightening.

He uttered all sorts of emotion, such as, "Now there's a way." "No, not yet." and began to pace and frown again many times, until at last he stopped motionlessly and uttered the following words: "I think I can do this if you give me carte blanche to frighten the two lads, without any restrictions." Lao Li is loyal and an old servant in the family, I know this. But you have a thousand ways to compensate him, plus you can reward a good shooter like him. You're not opposed to that, are you? ”

"There is no other way to protect this child." Mrs. May replied.

"There is no other way," said the doctor, "no, you can trust me." ”

"In that case, my aunt will give you carte blanche to entrust you," Jin Xiu burst into tears, "but unless you have to, please don't be too hard for them." ”

"You seem to think," replied the doctor, "Miss Jinxiu, that everyone here today, except for yourself, is hard-hearted. Generally speaking, for the sake of all men who are growing up, I hope that when the first qualified young man asks you for mercy, you will be so merciful, but I am not a young man, otherwise I would have seized such a favorable opportunity on the spot, and I would have done so. ”

"You're a big kid like the tinker." Jin Xiu replied with a red face.

"Yes," the doctor laughed happily. "That's not a particularly difficult thing to do. Let's go back to the kid, we haven't gotten to the point yet. He'll wake up in an hour or so, I'm sure he'll be there. Although I have already told the brainless patrolman downstairs that the patient cannot move or talk, it will be life-threatening, we can probably still talk to him lightly, there is no danger. Now, I promise—I will examine him in your presence, that is, that we can judge according to what he says, and I can make it clear to you by your calm mind that he is a true villain (which is more likely), then he will be left to his fate, and I will not interfere in this matter under any circumstances. ”

"No, Auntie!" Jin Xiu pleaded.

"Oh, yes, aunt!" The doctor said, "Is this a deal? ”

"He won't degenerate into a villain," Jin Xiu said, "it can't be." ”

"Very well," retorted the doctor, "and that would be all the more reason to accept my suggestion." ”

In the end, the treaty negotiations came to a halt, and several people sat down, anxiously waiting for Yongchang to wake up.

The patience of the two ladies was destined to be tested even more difficult than Mr. Qian had predicted to them, and as the hours passed, Yongchang still fell asleep. It was already dusk, and the kind doctor brought the news that he had finally woken up and could talk to him.

The doctor said that the boy was very sick and very weak because of blood loss, but he was very upset and anxious to confide in something, and he personally thought that it would be better to give him such an opportunity than to keep quiet and wait until the next morning, and he would tell it anyway.

The conversation went on for a long time. Yongchang told them about his brief life story, and he often had to stop because of the pain and lack of energy. In a room that had become dim, it was a sacred thing to listen to this sick child confide in a faint voice about the calamities that those cruel people had inflicted on him.

Scold! When we oppress and ravage our own kind, why don't we think about it, the evidence of human sins is like a thick cloud, although it rises very slowly, it cannot escape the heavenly net, and in the end there is always evil retribution poured on our heads—why don't we listen to the bitter and indignant accusations of the dead in our imagination, which cannot be suppressed by any force, and cannot be blocked by any dignity—even if we only think about it for a little while, and listen to it, then where will there be a place for the harm, injustice, suffering, suffering, atrocities, and grievances brought about by daily life!

That night, a pair of kind hands smoothed Yongchang's pillow, and in his sleep, Beauty and Kindness took care of him. His heart was calm and happy, and he did not complain even when he died.

As soon as this important meeting ended, Yongchang settled down, and the doctor immediately rubbed his eyes, and at the same time blamed these eyes for not working, and then got up and went downstairs to enlighten Lao Li.

He noticed that there was no one inside or outside the living room, and he thought that it might be better to start doing these tasks in the kitchen, so he went into the kitchen.

Present at this family gathering were: the maid, Lao Li, Mr. Qian, the little pot maker (considering his great efforts, he was specially invited to accept the feast of the day), and the patrolman. The last gentleman had a large head, a big nose and eyes, and wore a thick baton, and a pair of large semi-boots, and it seemed as if he were enjoying his share of the old wine—and so it was.

The topic is still the thrilling story of the night before. When the doctor went in, Lao Li was detailing how he was calm and calm at that time, and he was not chaotic in the face of danger.

Lao Li held a glass of beer in his hand, and without waiting for his boss to finish speaking, he assured that everything was true.

"Sit down, sit down." The doctor said and waved his hand.

"Thank you, sir," said Lao Li, "Mrs. and Miss tell you to drink some beer, I don't think there is any need for a cat to be in my own hut, sir, I have the heart to accompany you, so I have come here." ”

Lao Li took the lead, and most of the ladies and gentlemen present muttered a few words in a low voice, expressing their appreciation for Mr. Qian's presence.

Mr. Qian looked like a protector and toured the audience for a week, as if to say that as long as they behaved well, he would never leave them alone.

"How is the patient doing tonight, sir?" Lao Li asked.

"That's it," replied the doctor, "I'm afraid you're in trouble, old Mr. Li." ”

"I'm sure you don't mean that," Li shuddered. "He's dying. As long as I think about this, I don't want to think about it in my life. I don't want to spend a child, yes, even if I give me all the cutlery in the county, I won't do it, sir. ”

"That's not a problem," the doctor said vaguely, "Lao Li, you believe in foreign religion, right?" ”

"Yes, sir, I believe so." Lao Li's face turned pale, and he said hesitantly.

"And what about you, kid?" The doctor suddenly turned to the little potmaker and asked.

"God forbid." The little potmaker jumped up at once. "I'm just like him, sir."

"Then tell me," said the doctor, "you two, you two. Can you swear that kid upstairs is the one who slipped in the little window last night? Say! Say it! We're waiting for you to answer. ”

It is widely recognized that the doctor is the most temperamental person in the world, and he actually asked such a question in such a frightening angry tone, which had already made Lao Li and the tinker stunned by the old wine and excitement, and they didn't know what to do.

"Officer, pay attention to their answers, is that okay?" The doctor shook his index finger very seriously, tapped the bridge of his nose again, and asked the big man to show maximum observation. "It's going to be a bit of an eyebrow soon."

The officer tried to put on a shrewd appearance while picking up the baton that had been sitting idle in the corner of the fireplace.

"You can see that it's a simple identification question." The doctor said.

"That's what it is, sir." As soon as the policeman answered, he coughed desperately, and in his hurry he tried to finish the beer, but some of the beer diverged.

"Someone broke into the house," said the doctor, "and two men caught a glimpse of a child in an instant, when the smoke was thick and the people were in a state of panic and darkness. The next morning a child came to the house, because he happened to hang his arms again, and the men beat him up—thus putting his life in great danger—and swore that he was the thief. The question now is, are these two men acting justifiably in the light of the facts, and if so, what situation do they put themselves in? ”

The patrol nodded meaningfully, saying that if it wasn't a legitimate question, then he would love to see what it was.

"I'll ask you again," said the doctor's voice like thunder. "You two solemnly swear, can you even testify against that child?"

The little potsmith looked at Lao Li in bewilderment, and Lao Li also looked at him in bewilderment, and the patrol put one hand behind his ear, waiting to hear their answer. The two maids and the tinkerer sat up and listened.

The doctor looked around with a sharp gaze—and just then, a bell rang at the gate, and at the same time the sound of wheels rolling.

"It's time for the patrol to come." The little tinkerer announced loudly, and he was visibly greatly relieved.

"What?" The doctor shouted, now it was his turn to be in a daze.

The tinkerer held up a candle and replied. "This morning, I went with the old Li Tuo to invite them."

"What?" The doctor shouted.

"Yes," replied the tinkerer, "I asked the coachman to carry a letter, for I had wondered why they had not come here, sir. ”

"You did it, you did it? You damn - how did the carriage arrive, so slow, I don't have much more to say. The doctor walked away.