Chapter 14: So Considerate It Hurts the Heart (Please Keep Reading)

“These two children are truly remarkable…”

Pei Xueyan smiled and asked, “From what you said just now, are you planning to find them some means of livelihood?”

“Yes,” Liu Shen nodded. “Yuan Xiaofei is not a bad kid by nature, and he’s quite clever. I promised him I’d help him find a living.”

“You were going to send him to the docks, weren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“But have you considered…” Pei Xueyan pondered for a moment, then asked, “With his small build, could he endure the hardships you once suffered? And is that kind of place really suitable for both brother and sister to make a life?”

Liu Shen fell silent, for Pei Xueyan had voiced the very concerns that weighed on his mind.

Seeing this, Pei Xueyan sipped her tea with a teasing smile. “So, you’ve given this some thought, haven’t you?”

“I have…” Liu Shen sighed, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect. “But I can’t think of any better way for now. I wonder if you have any suggestions?”

“I wouldn’t call it a suggestion…” Pei Xueyan set down her teacup and asked, “Since you wish to find them a livelihood, what about Tongda Hall?”

Liu Shen was taken aback at her words, as if he was unsure whether he understood her meaning or simply couldn’t believe it.

“As you saw just now,” Pei Xueyan glanced around and continued, “Tongda Hall is always short-staffed during busy times. I was just about to ask the manager to recruit a few more apprentices.”

She paused, her lips curling into a playful smile. “Yuan Xiaofei and little Yu Hong don’t seem like foolish children. If they became apprentices here, they’d have food and lodging, earn a monthly wage, and learn a skill. Surely that wouldn’t be wasting their talents, would it?”

“Is… is that really appropriate?” Liu Shen was stunned by this unexpected generosity.

To become an apprentice at Tongda Hall was an opportunity only secured by connections and gifts; it was far better than toiling at the docks…

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Pei Xueyan sipped her tea and said, “Tongda Hall is one of the Song family’s businesses. I am the Song family’s eldest daughter-in-law. It’s only a word from me.”

Liu Shen’s throat bobbed as he looked at her, seeing a dazzling aura of wealth about her…

He let out a long breath, rose, and bowed deeply. “Then, on behalf of those siblings, let me first thank you, madam!”

“There’s no need for thanks.”

Pei Xueyan saw his gratitude and the corners of her lips lifted in a small smile. She then feigned ignorance and asked, “By the way, among those who carried the Bodhisattva statue at the Song family ancestral hall last time, was there anyone skilled in arithmetic?”

“Arithmetic?” Liu Shen was puzzled. “May I ask why you ask, madam?”

“Just curious,” Pei Xueyan explained. “After the statue was moved, I happened to see some very advanced calculations on the ground. I was simply curious who might have written such difficult arithmetic.”

Liu Shen felt a bit embarrassed at this mention and responded sheepishly, “It wasn’t really that advanced…”

“Not advanced?” Pei Xueyan feigned surprise. “I know a little arithmetic myself and can check the accounts of all the Song family businesses, but I couldn’t make head or tail of that calculation. So naturally, I’m very curious.”

“Truth be told,” Liu Shen cupped his hands and explained, “I wrote those calculations to estimate the weight of the stone statue—just using symbols that only I understand. It wasn’t anything special.”

“So you wrote them?” Pei Xueyan covered her mouth in ‘astonishment,’ her eyes shining with excitement. “Then… could you teach me arithmetic?”

Liu Shen found this amusing—this dignified young madam of the Song family wanting a lowly dockworker to teach her arithmetic! He was both a little proud and a little amused.

He chuckled, “I am but a laborer at the docks, and your intelligence surpasses mine tenfold. How could I possibly teach you, madam?”

Pei Xueyan pouted, her tone a little petulant. “A dockworker who knows arithmetic and can recite poetry?”

Seeing this side of her—a stark contrast to her earlier composure—Liu Shen felt she possessed a certain unexpected charm…

Quite adorable.

Just then, a servant knocked and entered to announce, “Madam, Doctor Zhang wishes to see this guest.”

Liu Shen understood at once: the doctor must have determined the treatment plan and wanted to meet the ‘guardian.’ He rose and asked to be excused. “Thank you for your hospitality, madam. Yu Hong is still very young—I should go see what’s happening.”

“I have nothing urgent to do. I’ll come along as well.”

“Thank you, madam.”

Pei Xueyan watched Liu Shen follow the servant out the door, a faint smile curving her lips. She too rose and followed them out.

In the consulting room, little Yu Hong had removed her shoes and socks and was sitting aside, revealing her deformed foot. Doctor Zhang was gently pressing the protrusion on her calf, his brows furrowed in concern.

Yuan Xiaofei, tense and anxious, gripped his clothes. When he saw Liu Shen enter, he finally relaxed a little. “Brother Shen…”

“Don’t worry,” Liu Shen comforted him. But seeing the old doctor’s expression, his heart tightened. He hurried forward, “Doctor Zhang, is there treatment for my sister’s leg?”

“There is a way…” Doctor Zhang hesitated, then sighed. “The child’s leg was broken years ago and healed on its own without proper treatment. The bone has grown misaligned. To treat her now, we must break the bone again and set it properly, so it can heal straight. The process is extremely painful, and recovery will take a long time.”

Everyone present drew a sharp breath. The idea of breaking and resetting a bone was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Liu Shen gazed at the ten-year-old Yu Hong, his heart aching. “Doctor Zhang, is there no other way?”

“This is the only viable method,” Doctor Zhang replied firmly. “A misaligned bone is no small matter. She’s still young—her bones haven’t fully developed. Treating her now will work. If she were an adult, even breaking and resetting the bone would not help.”

Liu Shen’s breath caught. He looked from the anxious Yuan Xiaofei to little Yu Hong, who sat on the divan, uneasy and afraid, and felt a heavy weight settle on his heart.

He sat beside Yu Hong, ruffling her hair gently. “Hong, are you afraid of pain?”

“I’m not afraid,” the girl shook her head, biting her lip timidly. “But the doctor said recovery will take a long time. Brother Shen, maybe… maybe we shouldn’t bother.”

She had been abandoned by relatives at six, old enough to remember. She was sensitive—unafraid of pain but terrified of being a burden, of causing others trouble or expense, of once again being thrown aside as a nuisance…

“Don’t say such things!” Liu Shen looked at the heartbreakingly sensible little girl, his tone serious. “I told you when we came: since I brought you here, you are not to worry about money, understand?”

Yu Hong looked at him and nodded obediently.

Liu Shen met her gaze. “Tell me, do you want your leg to get better?”

“Yes…” she nodded, timidly.

“That’s all I needed to hear!” Liu Shen grinned. “The doctor said your leg can be cured! But they’ll have to break the bone—it will hurt, a lot! Tell me, are you afraid?”

The little girl clenched her teeth, replied bravely, “I’m not afraid!”

“Then we’ll do it!”