Chapter 96 - 96

Chapter 96 RescueUpon arriving at the village entrance, several women were chatting and eating under a tree. They looked over curiously at the two new faces." Hello, aunties, could you please tell me how to get to Zhao Hongsheng's house?""Who are you?" a woman asked." Auntie, it's like this, we are Zhao Hongsheng's teachers. He didn't come to school today, so we came to find him to find out what happened.""Oh, teacher! Just keep walking straight ahead, that's the last one.""Okay, thank you!""Oh dear, what a disaster! Zhao Wu must have been instigated by Liu Jinhua to beat up Hong Sheng's child again.""I heard about it yesterday. They beat him and locked him up, and they won't let him go to school.""Poor Hong Sheng's child. It's true what they say, once you have a stepmother, you get a stepfather too. Sigh..."Several women whispered among themselves. Although they sympathized with Zhao Hongsheng, none of them wanted to get involved in his family's affairs. His stepmother,Liu Jinhua, was a shrew; if you offended her, she could come to your house and yell at you for three days and three nights."Just you wait! There will definitely be retribution later, and Zhao Wu will definitely regret it."Yun Ting and Li Dechao arrived at the last house the aunt had mentioned: three dilapidated mud-brick houses with a small woodshed next to them, and the courtyard gate was not closed."Is anyone home?" Yun Ting called from outside the door.No one came out, so Yun Ting frowned and peered into the yard." Zhao Hongsheng …"Confined to the room, Zhao Hongsheng was already a little delirious due to a fever. He vaguely heard Teacher Yun's voice and thought he was hallucinating.Who are you looking for?A childish voice came from behind them. Yun Ting and Li Dechao turned around and saw a small, thin girl whose clothes were worn and short. She was looking at them timidly."Little sister, may I ask if this is Zhao Hongsheng's house?""Are you looking for your older brother?" the little girl asked softly, looking around.Where's your older brother? Why didn't he go to school?"My older brother was beaten by them and locked in the woodshed. They wouldn't let him out. They said if I dared to go to the Brigade Leader, they would break all our legs. I could only secretly bring my older brother some food."Is no one home right now?"They took Xiaobao to see a doctor."This little girl is named Deng Ya. She was born to Liu Jinhua and her ex-husband. She brought her with her when she married Zhao Wu. Xiao Bao is their second child, whom they cherish very much. Zhao Hongsheng and Deng Ya are in similar situations at home. Liu Jinhua favors boys over girls and doesn't like Deng Ya at all. All the dirty and tiring work at home is done by Deng Ya and Zhao Hongsheng.At first, Zhao Hongsheng didn't really like Deng Ya because she was a stepmother's daughter. But as they spent more time together, he felt that they were in the same boat and gradually accepted this younger sister, treating her quite well.Deng Ya led Yun Ting and Li Dechao to the door of the woodshed, which was locked, but she didn't have the key."Big brother... your teacher is here to see you."There was no movement inside, and Yun Ting'sexpression became serious." Li Dechao, we need to pick the lock. Zhao Hongsheng might not be in good condition."Deng Ya was also in a panic and ran over to move the large stone that was used to weigh down the sauerkraut jar.Yun Ting looked at this little girl; she had seemed timid just moments before, but he hadn't expected her to be so fierce."Bang!"With a loud crash, the rotten wooden door was finally smashed open. Amidst flying sawdust,Yun Ting rushed inside, his gaze sweeping across the small woodshed before finally settling on a thin figure in the corner—Zhao Hongsheng's old clothes were torn to shreds, revealing skin covered in crisscrossing wounds—bruises, cuts, and several deep, half-cold bloodstains. His cheeks were flushed red from the fever, but his lips were cracked and dry, and his body twitched occasionally, as if he were having a terrible dream.Yun Ting touched his forehead; it was frighteningly hot, and he was already talking nonsense."Big brother..." Deng Ya's voice trembled."Quickly, go pour me a bowl of water..."Deng Ya wiped away her tears and quickly ran to get some water.Her steps were hurried, but the bowl she carried was very steady.Yun Ting took it and took the opportunity to put some spiritual spring water in it. He already had a high fever, and she hoped the spiritual spring water would help relieve it. Otherwise, he would get seriously burned."We must take him to the hospital."Just then, they heard voices outside; it was Zhao Wu and the others returning.Deng Ya disregarded everything else and immediately ran out, kneeling down in front of Zhao Wu and Liu Jinhua. "Father, Mother, please save my eldest brother! He has a high fever and needs to go to the hospital. It will be too late if we wait any longer.""You brat, get up! What does it matter to me whether he lives or dies?" Liu Jinhua cursed as she tried to go inside.Zhao Wu hesitated. No matter what, Zhao Hongsheng was his own son. When they were young, he had doted on this child. But he didn't know when it started, but gradually, they drifted further and further apart.When Li Dechao carried Zhao Hongsheng out,Zhao Wu was stunned for a moment."Who are you? Where are you taking my son?"Yun Ting looked at him coldly, "Your son? I thought he didn't have parents! He was almost dying from the fever, and no one cared. Moreover, the one who caused him to be like this is you, his so-called father."" Li Dechao, let's go, don't waste your breath on him.""No, you can't take him away, otherwise you'll have to pay for his medical expenses, and we don't have any money." Liu Jinhua rushed out of the house.Yun Ting was too lazy to waste words with her. If they delayed any longer, she would become delirious from the fever. He would settle the score with her after returning from the hospital.Yun Ting shoved her aside and, together with Li Dechao, led the person out. In Zhao Hongsheng's current state, he probably couldn't sit still without being tied up. Just as she was about to get some rope or something, Zhao Hongsheng slowly woke up and became more alert."Little Teacher Yun, I can do it," he said softly."Are you sure? You can't be reckless. Falling halfway down the road is no joke."Zhao Hongsheng nodded again.So the two of them took Zhao Hongsheng to the town's health center together.Yun Ting thought to herself, "Luckily I had some lunch before coming, otherwise I would be starving by now."After Zhao Hongsheng started his IV drip, Yun Ting glanced at her watch. It was almost two o'clock, and she had class in the afternoon. After thinking for a moment, she decided to leave someone there to keep her company." Li Dechao, I'm fine here, you can go back! I have class this afternoon, see if anyone can cover for me."Li Dechao hesitated for a moment, but then nodded in agreement." Teacher Yun, I'm fine here by myself, you should go back to class! But... could you lend me some money first? Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back."Yun Ting gently flicked his forehead and said with a smile, "Don't worry! I won't let you get brain damage from the fever. Just rest peacefully. Your teacher will stay here with you. Your classes will be taught by your teacher, so don't worry about anything.""But…""Stop with the 'buts,' you're nagging like an old man..."Zhao Hongsheng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately remained silent.After all, he was still a child. He had just developed a high fever and was injured, so he wasn't in good spirits. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.Feeling bored, Yun Ting went outside for a stroll and listened to the nurses gossiping. She even started chatting with them.