GHLCS Chapter81

Hearing the voice, the man looked up suddenly: “Who… who are you?”

 

“Xu Hang, I’m Xu Hang. Teacher Shen, do you remember me?”

 

The man’s expression also began to change: “Xu… Xu…”

 

Xu Hang tried to use things from the past to awaken his memory: “Hezhou, Jinjia Tang, Qiyuan Corner Tower… you told me that if I wanted to read a book, you would be willing to help me with everything you had. Do you still remember?”

 

“Xu… Hang, Xiao Hang?” As if he had found a life-saving straw, the man tightly grasped Xu Hang’s sleeve.

 

“Yes!”

 

That man opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but his body went limp and he fainted.

 

Xu Hang hurriedly reached out to catch him so he wouldn’t fall to the ground: “Teacher Shen? Teacher Shen… Physician Hu, give me a hand, help me carry him in.”

 

“Alright.”

 

After the two rescued the man, they closed the store and locked it.

 

Physician Hu prepared some bathwater and clean clothes and helped clean the man up, while Xu Hang went to prepare some emergency medicine.

 

Once everything was prepared and the person was laid on the bed, Xu Hang found his face oddly familiar.

 

Teacher Shen, Shen Jingmo.

 

Although he was already 32 years old, but Shen Jingmo was not tall, nor was he outstanding, his face was small, so he looked younger than 30. In the past, he still had some baby fat on his face and looked more delicate than the students, so the students also loved to play with him.

 

But now Shen Jingmo, who was lying there, was so thin that his cheeks were sunken, his eyes were dark, and there were fine lines at the corners of his eyes.

 

Xu Hang was stunned when he took a closer look at Shen Jingmo. Both of his arms were riddled with needle marks of varying sizes, some bruised blue and purple from repeated injections—it was an unsettling sight.

 

There were marks from chains on his wrists and ankles, bruises on his face from the fall, and his ankles were slightly sprained and swollen—but thankfully, he hadn’t sustained any serious injuries.

 

And those eyes, once utterly lifeless, remained still—their gaze frozen, the eyeballs motionless, completely blind. Xu Hang found no visible injuries upon inspection. Even after checking his pulse, he couldn’t determine much, except for one thing: the blood deficiency was alarmingly severe.

 

What a pity! These eyes were originally as gentle as the lake water in spring, and every glance was so soft.

 

When Xu Hang met Shen Jingmo, he was the only teacher in Hezhou City who could play the harmonica.

 

At that time, Xu Hang had just entered Qiyuan and was forced to learn opera everyday. Occasionally, when he had time, he would secretly stay in a corner of Qiyuan and stare blankly. Shen Jingmo, as the tutor of Jin Hongchang’s son, often came to the mansion, and this was how he met him by chance.

 

In the past, Xu Hang was twelve years old and Shen Jingmo was twenty-two years old.

 

Shen Jingmo’s parents were divorced, and he was raised by his mother, who passed away early. Naturally gentle and timid, he never dared to inquire too deeply about the mansion’s family affairs—but even so, he couldn’t help feeling sympathy for this wounded child.

 

When no one was paying attention, he often brought some medicine to Xu Hang and even bought some candy figures and toys to make him happy.

 

Naturally, Xu Hang never showed any expression or spoke to him, and gradually, the hostility in his eyes became less.

 

Until one day, when Shen Jingmo brought a picture book to Xu Hang, Xu Hang said, “I want to study medicine.”

 

From then on, Shen Jingmo began to search for precious medical books. It was thanks to Shen Jingmo that Xu Hang got to study medical books seriously.

 

Two years later, Young Master Jin was able to attend school on his own and no longer needed a tutor. Even so, Xu Hang continued to find new medical books regularly placed atop the low wall in the corner of Qiyuan.

 

Three years later, on a snowy night, Xu Hang found a letter tucked into one of the medical books. In it, Shen Jingmo wrote that he had to leave for Shanghai with his father to trace his roots. After that, there was no further news from him. By then, however, Xu Hang had already read every medical book available in Hezhou City.

 

It has been five years since he last heard from him.

 

He just doesn’t know how that gentle and soft-hearted teacher could be tortured into this state.

 

He gently bathed Shen Jingmo, reapplied the ointment with care, and as he worked, Shen Jingmo gradually opened his eyes—finally waking up.

 

“Teacher Shen… do you still feel uncomfortable? Are you hungry?”

 

Shen Jingmo sat up and shook his head. He had been running around and suffering for days, and only now did he feel relieved.

 

“You are Xiao Hang… are you really Xiao Hang?”

 

“Yes,” Xu Hang took his hand, placed it on his own, and wrote the word ‘luck’ on his palm. “This is what you taught me before. You said that if you write it like this and then clench your hands, your life will become very lucky.”

 

Shen Jingmo was very excited to meet an old friend again. He couldn’t see Xu Hang, so he reached out and touched his face: “Yes, yes, you really have grown up…”

 

“I also became a physician and opened a medical hall.”

 

“Great, really great… I knew you were smart and studious, but it’s a pity that you were in a place like that…”

 

Xu Hang patted his hands: “I’ve made it through.”

 

“Now that you’ve made it, you must be very good… yes, I liked you the first time I saw you… it’s a pity that I can’t see what you look like…”

 

Shen Jingmo’s smile faded, and he couldn’t help but touch his eyes.

 

Xu Hang asked again, “Is there something wrong with you?”

 

Shen Jingmo shook his head: “This is a lesson… forget it… let’s not talk about it… it won’t get better anyway.”

 

Seeing that he didn’t want to talk about it, Xu Hang didn’t press further and instead changed the subject. “Teacher Shen, do you plan to go home first, or would you prefer to stay at my place?”

 

Originally this was a very simple sentence, just a very common inquiry, but Shen Jingmo’s face suddenly froze, and then he shook his head in fear. “No, I can’t go back… they will come to catch me…”

 

“Don’t worry, no one will dare to hurt you with me here. Tell me, who wants to catch you?”

 

Shen Jingmo was somewhat incoherent, his expression was filled with fear, so much so that he subconsciously wanted to shrink himself into the corner: “It was him. He lied to me. I don’t want to be locked up there anymore. My eyes, I…”

 

Perhaps Xu Hang’s question stimulated him, and he seemed to be going crazy. He couldn’t breathe, and his face turned pale.

 

He just kept shrinking back, but because he couldn’t see, he almost fell off the bed.

 

Excessive excitement or fear could be highly damaging to both the body and the mind. Shen Jingmo was already weak, having seemingly traveled a long distance while injured. His emotions were in turmoil, and if he wasn’t careful, he could easily lose control.

 

Although Xu Hang rarely treated patients with mental health issues, he understood that gentle methods were the only approach that worked—never forceful ones.

 

“Teacher, Teacher, calm down! Don’t be afraid… don’t be afraid…” Xu Hang hugged him, stroked his head, pressed his acupuncture points one by one to help him relax, and said with a firm tone in his voice, “You are safe. This is Heming Medical Hall, my medical hall. I am already the head of the family. In Hezhou City, by my side, it is the safest place! No one will hurt you again!”

 

Xu Hang’s method was really effective. Shen Jingmo huddled in his arms, the fear faded away little by little, and he slowly relaxed every tense muscle.

 

In the quiet of the entire medical hall, the only sound that could be heard was Shen Jingmo’s labored breathing, as though he had narrowly escaped a calamity.

 

After he calmed down completely, he stretched out a small finger, hooked Xu Hang’s sleeve, and said,

 

“…I shouldn’t have left Hezhou in the first place. I was too stupid. It’s my fault…”

 

Xu Hang felt bad. He felt that Shen Jingmo had experienced too much in the past five years.