allonlinenovel Chapter 153 Discovering the Treasure
Chapter 153 Discovering the Treasure
Zhang Jianjun wasn't so bored when he was five years old.
He found a treasure! A world-class treasure, perhaps!
Deep in the alley, lived an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor!
This old fellow was too good at hiding. With the slightest breeze, he would disappear, change his name, and go far away to another place!
The old Chinese medicine doctor, Ding Tongguang, was originally from Shandong Province. Having practiced medicine for many years and cultivated a wide network of connections, he used his connections to change his name and household registration when the storm first began, moving his entire family to Yingtian Prefecture. It was only because the household registration system was lax at that time that he managed to escape. Not long after he fled, his home was vandalized; it's said that they even demolished the house in retaliation!
Fortunately, in addition to his medical skills, Ding Tongguang also knew some handicrafts, such as weaving bamboo baskets and winnowing baskets, which was enough to support his family.
Zhang Jianjun discovered this when he saw Ding Tongguang secretly treating his family members. That same year, Zhang Liangjun began researching the labyrinthine Shamao Lane. It's said that Shamao Lane was once a hub for workshops making official hats (black gauze hats), and officials who wanted them had to have them made here. Later, it was renovated, with courtyards grouped together, but before the reform and opening up, most of the original buildings remained intact.
Wandering through these old buildings, one searches for traces of history like a treasure hunter. Zhang Jianjun particularly enjoys looking at the brick carvings on the gable walls or gate towers. These brick carvings are quite interesting; some have specific meanings, such as warding off evil spirits and protecting the home, while others are simply for aesthetic purposes.
While exploring the Shamao Maze, Zhang Jianjun unexpectedly encountered two women and a man carrying a stretcher quickly into a courtyard. He overheard the woman in front of the stretcher whispering, "Uncle Ding, Jiqing, she insists on coming back to find you and refuses to go to the hospital!"
Zhang Jianjun peeked his head out from the doorway and noticed blood dripping from under the stretcher.
An old man lifted the blanket, looked around, and said, "Excuse me, could you please help me carry this inside?"
Taking advantage of the chaos, Zhang Jianjun entered the courtyard and hid in a narrow alley, which was less than half a meter wide between the house and the wall. An adult could only walk sideways through it, but Zhang Jianjun was small enough to pass through easily.
"Alright, just put them on the bed. I won't keep you for dinner today, but I'll definitely thank you three in a few days!" The old man's voice was somewhat urgent. The three of them didn't say much, just agreed and left.
Zhang Jianjun heard the old man see the three people off and bolt the door before he returned to deal with the person on the bed.
"Dad! My leg was cut by the machine, and the bone was broken. They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I was afraid they'd put metal pins in it, so I had them carry me back!" The speaker was probably the person on the bed, likely named Ding Jiqing. Zhang Jianjun thought she was a woman in her twenties. Her voice was weak as she explained the situation to Ding Tongguang, but despite the broken bone, she could still speak calmly to Ding Tongguang. Zhang Jianjun thought Ding Jiqing was quite ruthless! (Logically, she should call him "Dad," but thinking about it, he decided against it; calling him "Dad" would save him trouble.)
"I saw it, it's alright, I'll take care of it for you!" the old man said, his hands busy, and Zhang Jianjun heard the snip of scissors and the tearing of cloth.
Carefully circling around to the front, Zhang Jianjun peeked through the crack in the door. The old man had cut the man's pants and was washing the wound with water. Ding Jiqing on the bed was pressing on a spot above his knee, which wasn't the wound. When the old man finished treating the wound, he let go, and Zhang Jianjun saw blood gush out instantly, several times faster than before. But the old man took out silver needles, and with three needles, the bleeding stopped instantly. This scene truly astonished Zhang Jianjun!
"It's just a fracture, it's nothing serious, but the wound is a bit big and needs stitches. We don't have any at home, so I'll go buy you some alcohol and sutures. You'll have to wait a while, and don't sleep during this time!" The old man regretted letting the two men go; he should have left one of them to help! At this moment, Ding Jiqing had lost a lot of blood, and he was afraid that if he fell asleep, he wouldn't wake up!
After a quick preparation, the old man strode towards the door, but turned back at the entrance to add a final reminder, "Whatever you do, don't fall asleep!"
Ding Jiqing gave a soft reply.
After the old man locked the yard from the outside, Zhang Jianjun went into the house. This time, it was Ding Jiqing's turn to be surprised. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"
"Senior sister, I am your junior brother!" Zhang Jianjun knew his life's learning direction the moment he saw the old man performing acupuncture.
Ding Jiqing wondered if he had lost too much blood and was hallucinating. Where did this junior brother come from?
Upon closer inspection, Zhang Jianjun realized how deep the wound was; it must have been caused by a shattered saw blade striking her leg. Only a large machine tool saw blade could produce such a wide cut.
"Senior sister, where do you work? How did you get so badly injured?" After examining the wound, Zhang Jianjun moved away from the bedside to avoid frightening Ding Jiqing.
Ding Jiqing was truly terrified. If the child, being naive, had pulled out the silver needles, she might not have lived to see her father return. Fortunately, the child hadn't reached out!
"You still haven't told me who you are! How about this, you tell me who you are, and I'll tell you how I got hurt!" Ding Jiqing thought the kid should be easy to fool! When Dad gets back, he'll definitely scare the kid so he won't go around telling everyone. These days, the winds of change keep blowing, and who knows if they'll ever stop.
"I am Zhang Jianjun, the youngest son of Wu Fenglan's family!" The distance wasn't too far, and Wu Fenglan and this family should know each other, but only in terms of knowing each other and having seen each other, without ever having any contact.
Ding Jiqing sensed something was amiss. He'd heard Wu Fenglan's husband had passed away five or six years ago, but the baby was still so young. Could it be a posthumous child? However, this was a family matter, and Ding Jiqing didn't know much about it. These days, people wouldn't pry into a child's age; if the child's true parentage were revealed and the child ran away, it would be like making a blood feud!
Zhang Jianjun only wanted to chat with Ding Jiqing and distract her. He could see Ding Jiqing's weakness and the old man's distrust of her; otherwise, he would have waited for the old man to return and heal her before showing himself. Seeing that Ding Jiqing was no longer speaking, fearing she had really fallen asleep, he urged her again, "Senior sister, it's your turn. You should tell me how you got injured!"
"I work at the freight yard and I was there to check the freight situation when a truck I wasn't looking at grazed me!" Actually, the truck was out of control. The driver stepped on the brakes but there was no response. The large saw blade wasn't on the equipment; it was ready to be transported away. Because the truck was out of control, there was no visibility in the freight yard. People and vehicles meet at corners, and the saw blade easily grazed my right leg because I was half a step too slow to dodge.
"Senior sister, you were so careless! The freight yard is so dangerous, you have to be careful!" Zhang Jianjun understood what had happened and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Freight transport and mining are both high-risk industries, and danger often strikes when people are least expecting it!
"Why do you keep calling me senior sister? Did my dad really take you as his apprentice?" Ding Jiqing thought the child was clear-headed and logical, and wondered if he really was a secret apprentice.