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Chapter 450 Robbery

Upon hearing this, the farmer's previously warm smile suddenly became somewhat awkward. He stood aside, rubbing his hands, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Brother, is there something... hard to say?" Yan Daoxin could roughly tell from his expression and demeanor. He had seen this kind of attitude and expression many times before. It was clearly the eagerness of someone who wanted something from someone.

Of course, despite Lu Qing's higher status, he rarely experienced this. After all, in the capital, although no one dared to openly disrespect the Prince of Xiaoyao, everyone knew that he was just a figurehead with a pretty name, and there was nothing worth currying favor with or climbing on.

Even those who were allied with Duke Yan, in order to cling to Zhao Bi's coattails, wished they could sever all ties with Lu Qing, and preferably even detour around the roads near the Prince of Xiaoyao's residence to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings and displeasing Duke Yan.

The farmer was a little embarrassed when Yan Daoxin asked him directly, but since Yan Daoxin had asked him directly, if he hesitated at this point, he would miss the best opportunity and it would also make him seem strange.

"To be honest..." he said, rubbing his hands nervously, "I just heard from your two apprentices that you are doctors, and then I was thinking of asking you to take a look at my child's illness."

After all, they were warmly invited in to rest, and they happened to want to ask them some questions, so they couldn't just ignore them.

So Yan Daoxin asked in a friendly manner, "What strange illness has your child contracted that the shamans here can't cure?"

This question touched a nerve with the farmer, who wiped his eyes and said, “It’s my youngest son. He’s only seven years old this year. He’s been perfectly healthy since he was born. He’s very clever and lively.”

More than two years ago, my wife fell ill and died. After that, the child became mentally impaired and stopped speaking. He would hold his mother's clothes in his arms day and night, while eating, walking, and sleeping...

I also consulted the village shaman, and he drank all sorts of medicines and talismans, but nothing worked. Later, someone said that when my wife passed away, she had taken the child's soul with her, so they hired someone to perform a ritual to bring his soul back.

We tried everything, but nothing worked.

Judging from your demeanor and appearance, you don't seem like the kind of swindlers who cheat people out of money.

My child is over seven years old and still mentally challenged. I'm afraid that if we delay any longer, what could have been cured will become incurable...

So I was thinking, could you two please take a look at my child?
Anyway, it didn't work that many times before. Whether it works or not this time, it's all my child's problem, and I will never blame either of you..."

Yan Daoxin waved his hand at him, and the farmer quickly shut his mouth with an embarrassed look on his face, thinking that he had been rejected outright.

Just as he was wondering what to do, Yan Daoxin said to him, "Go and call your child over quickly."

He's the one who's sick, not you. All your chatter here is less useful than me seeing him in person.

The farmer was overjoyed and thanked them profusely. He hurriedly ran into the house, took the child's hand, led him out, and brought him to Yan Daoxin and Lu Qing.

Seeing so many unfamiliar faces in front of him, the child seemed rather uneasy, shifting his body to avoid being pulled back by his father. Even so, he still clutched the dress tightly in his other hand, as if the dress had grown onto his body and become a part of him.

Yan Daoxin felt somewhat helpless. He wanted to take the child's pulse, but the child's posture was full of resistance. The only arm that was willing to be extended was being pulled back by the father.

In this situation, it is clearly impossible to take a pulse.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yu quickly reached into his waistband and soon pulled out a small paper packet.

She approached the child, squatted down, held the small paper package in her palm, and slowly opened it in front of the child, revealing several pieces of candied apricots inside.

She picked up a small piece herself, put it in her mouth, and showed a satisfied expression at the sweet and sour taste. Then she asked the child who had forgotten to struggle when he saw the delicious food, "Do you want some?"

Children are children after all. Even though this farmer said he had an apricot tree in his backyard, the honey and other ingredients were not something that every family could afford.

Now, looking at the sweet apricots in the paper package, the child's eyes widened. Although he didn't say anything, he kept swallowing his saliva, and then slowly nodded.

Seeing that the child was responding to his words and could understand what others were saying, Zhu Yu figured there was no major problem, so he handed the dried apricots to the child again, picked up a piece, and put it to the child's mouth.

The child couldn't resist the temptation and immediately opened his mouth to put the apricot in his mouth. The sweet and sour taste, along with the rich aroma of apricot, made him relax completely.

Zhu Yu gave Yan Daoxin a wink, and Yan Daoxin took the child's arm from the farmer. Taking advantage of the child's attention being focused on eating dried apricots and the arm not struggling or tense, he quickly placed his fingers gently on the child's pulse while keeping his eyes on the child's face to observe his complexion and condition.

The child was initially nervous when he realized it was a stranger touching his wrist, but relaxed again when he saw that Yan Daoxin did not make any further moves.

The farmer grinned gratefully at Zhu Yu, then looked back at Yan Daoxin, waiting for him to tell him what had happened to his child.

This tranquility was soon shattered.

Before Yan Daoxin could even loosen his grip on the child's wrist, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the courtyard, and several tall, burly men dressed in cloth rushed in.

Those men were all burly and had menacing faces. Even without saying a word, they exuded a bandit-like aura that made people want to stay away.

Several people rushed into the courtyard like a black whirlwind. First, they shoved Zhu Yu, who was squatting in front of the child, away, and then snatched the dress from the child's hands.

The child was still enjoying the taste of the candied fruit when suddenly someone snatched the dress that was as precious as her lifeline from her arms. Without caring about anything else, she screamed and immediately tried to pounce on the dress to get it back.

The farmer, probably having experienced and seen a lot in his daily life, reacted very quickly, grabbing the child tightly and preventing him from actually lunging at him.