Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chen Ping followed Li Wenxiu into the shantytown area of ​​the greywater field.

The shantytown area is very narrow; it's cramped for two people to walk side by side.

Chen Ping sidestepped a wooden pole extending from the shed, on which hung several patched and tattered clothes, wet and dripping with murky water droplets.

Li Wenxiu walked ahead, his steps hurried, his faded blue shirt stained with mud. He glanced back at Chen Ping every now and then, his eyes filled with panic and anticipation, as if afraid that Chen Ping would suddenly turn and leave.

"Master Chen, it's just ahead..." Li Wenxiu's voice was hoarse and trembling.

Chen Ping didn't speak, he just nodded.

After walking a dozen or so steps, Li Wenxiu stopped in front of a particularly dilapidated shack. The shack's door frame was supported by two rotten logs, and the door was crookedly half-closed, with a few patches of tarpaulin nailed to it.

Li Wenxiu pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Chen Ping in.

"Mr. Chen, please..."

Chen Ping bent down and crawled inside.

The shed was dimly lit, with only faint light filtering in through cracks in the door and walls.

Chen Ping squinted and waited for two or three seconds before his vision gradually adjusted.

This room is less than ten square meters.

The walls were made of broken bamboo mats and oilcloth nailed together, and the wind blew in through the gaps, making the oilcloth clatter.

Several blackened wooden planks were laid on the ground, their cracks filled with mud and straw.

Half a bag of moldy wheat bran was piled in the corner, and a few tattered clothes were thrown next to it.

On a crooked wooden table sat several yellowed old books, their pages curled up and covered in dust. A half-burnt candle sat on the corner of the table, its wick charred black.

In the center of the room, on a bed made of three planks, lay a child.

Chen Ping took two steps closer.

The child was about seven or eight years old, skin and bones, and his face was as pale as a dead person who had been soaked in water.

A damp cloth was stuck to his forehead, but the cloth had dried completely, with yellowish-brown sweat stains around the edges.

His lips were chapped and peeling, and he was breathing rapidly, each breath accompanied by a faint hissing sound from his throat.

Li Wenxiu stood by the bed, her hands tightly gripping her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"Master Chen, look at him..." His voice was very low, as if afraid of waking the child in bed, "He's had a fever since the night before last. I've given him three bowls of cold water and applied ice packs, but the fever just won't go down..."

Chen Ping remained silent.

He reached out and touched the child's forehead.

Scalding hot.

The temperature is frighteningly high.

The moment his fingertips touched the child's skin, the child unconsciously groaned and furrowed his brow even more.

Chen Ping withdrew his hand and then lifted the tattered quilt covering the child.

An even stronger stench of sweat wafted over.

The child was wearing only a thin undershirt, and his chest and back were soaked with sweat, clinging to his skin.

His ribs were clearly visible, and his stomach was sunken, as if he hadn't eaten a full meal in a long time.

There was a bruise on his left shoulder, bluish-purple with dark red edges.

The wounds stretched from his shoulder to his ribs, looking like he had been hit by a heavy object or kicked.

"How did you get this injury?" Chen Ping asked.

Li Wenxiu's body visibly stiffened, and her voice lowered even further: "The day before yesterday... the day before yesterday, Liu Dabiao came to ask for the settlement fee. He... he was studying at the time and didn't hear the knocking... Liu Dabiao kicked the door open and started kicking me a few times..."

His voice grew increasingly choked with emotion: "I tried to stop him a few times, but Liu Dabiao said I had been in arrears for several months, and then... and then..."

Chen Ping nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"Cough, cough..."

The child suddenly started coughing violently, his whole body curling up into a ball.

His face turned bright red, and a gurgling sound came from his throat, as if something was stuck in his trachea and he couldn't cough it up.

Li Wenxiu rushed forward to help the child up, but Chen Ping stopped her.

"Don't touch him." Chen Ping stared at the child's face, his voice calm. "Let him cough it up."

The child coughed a dozen more times, his face turned from red to green, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Li Wenxiu stood to the side, her hands trembling, her eyes red-rimmed, but she dared not move.

Finally, the child coughed up a thick, yellow phlegm.

The phlegm contained traces of blood, which fell onto the bed board and emitted a foul odor.

Li Wenxiu's face turned pale instantly, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Chen Ping straightened up and glanced at Li Wenxiu.

"Lung heat and internal fire, with blood in the phlegm." His voice was flat. "It's been dragging on for too long; ordinary herbs won't work. We need to find a doctor who knows medicine to prescribe some strong lung-clearing medicine, along with a fever-reducing formula."

He paused, glanced at the dilapidated state of the room, and added, "But this medicine isn't cheap, and you don't have enough money. I can't help you. I'll have someone return your money later."

Li Wenxiu was stunned.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but no sound came out.

Chen Ping ignored him and turned to walk towards the door.

Just as Chen Ping pushed open the door and was about to step out, a dull thud came from behind him.

He turned around.

Li Wenxiu knelt on the ground.

The middle-aged man's knee slammed heavily onto the wooden board, making a dull thud.

He stood ramrod straight, his hands braced on the ground, his forehead resting against the wooden board.

"Master Chen..."

Li Wenxiu's voice was squeezed out from deep in her throat, hoarse as if it had been sanded.

"Please...save him..."

Chen Ping stopped in his tracks.

He turned around and looked at Li Wenxiu quietly.

Chen Ping remained silent.

Li Wenxiu raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I know...I know this money isn't enough..." His voice grew increasingly choked with emotion, "But he's my student...he's only eight years old...he hasn't lived enough yet..."

Chen Ping remained motionless.

Li Wenxiu kowtowed again.

"Thump."

The impact was quite severe; his forehead slammed against the wooden board with a dull thud.

When he looked up, blood was seeping from his forehead, mixed with sweat, and streaming down his cheeks.

"Master Chen, I... I can do anything for you..." Li Wenxiu's voice trembled. "As long as you save him, I'm willing to do anything..."

Chen Ping squinted.

"What can you do?"

Li Wenxiu was taken aback, then hurriedly said, "My father used to be a clerk in the county government, and I learned from him for many years... I can help you write letters, keep accounts, and copy books... If you want to learn, I can teach you..."

Chen Ping nodded thoughtfully.

He thought of Gouwa.

That kid has followed him for so long and is extremely loyal, but he has one flaw: he doesn't know many characters.

If he needs Gouwa to run errands or deliver messages for him in the future, or even to do some tasks that require thinking, his illiteracy will be a big problem.

There are people in the Tsing Yi Society who can teach reading, but it costs money.

Moreover, those people may not be reliable.

The scholar in front of me owes me a life... If it can actually be used, then it's not a complete loss.

"To what extent can you teach?" Chen Ping asked.

"I can teach the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, basic account books... I can teach them all," Li Wenxiu said quickly. "I've taught over a dozen students before, and some of them even passed the preliminary imperial examinations..."

Chen Ping hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "I can help you buy the medicine, but you have to do one thing for me."

Li Wenxiu suddenly looked up, her eyes blazing with hope.

"Please speak! Please speak!"

"I have a child with me too, and you need to teach him to read," Chen Ping said calmly. "Start with the very basics, and teach him until he can read account books and write letters."

Li Wenxiu hesitated for a moment, but immediately nodded vigorously: "Okay! I will definitely teach you! I will do my best!"

Chen Ping stared at him and added, "Also, everything you saw and heard today must stay inside. If I find out you've been talking nonsense outside..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Li Wenxiu already understood.

He trembled and immediately kowtowed, pleading, "I won't tell! I absolutely won't tell!"

Chen Ping then nodded slightly.

"Okay, get up."

Li Wenxiu knelt on the ground, stunned for two seconds before she reacted.

He stood up shakily, and tears welled up in his eyes again.

"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Chen... thank you..."

"By the way, we're still a little over two taels of silver short for the medicine," Chen Ping said in a flat tone. "You can pay it back slowly."

Li Wenxiu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "I will remember! I will definitely repay you!"

Chen Ping didn't say anything more, turned around, pushed open the door, and stepped out of the threshold.