Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Don't touch my parents!

Seeing the mature and composed demeanor of this teenager, Lin Jingyi couldn't help but tease him:

"Then I'll have to trouble you, young master."

"No trouble at all, it's nothing."

He Yuzhu scratched his wet hair again, and his face once again put on that familiar, honest smile, like a piece of coarse cloth that had been warmed in the sun.

The two walked to the front yard one after the other. The snow fell even more heavily, and the world was a vast expanse of white, with even the wind carrying fine snowflakes.

The rickshaw still sat quietly in the corner, its roof covered with a thin layer of snow, like a soft, fluffy blanket.

He Yuzhu quickly glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before pulling out a neatly folded small cloth bag from his pocket.

He unwrapped the outer cloth layer by layer, revealing ten silver dollars lying neatly inside. The silver dollars gleamed with a cold, hard, and solid luster under the snow's light, like ten frozen moonbeams.

He held it with both hands and solemnly presented it to Lin Jingyi:

"Dr. Lin, please don't think it's too little. My father gave me this much when he left home. I'll bring him to your house in a few days to make up the difference."

This was half true and half false—he himself only had two silver dollars, and the remaining eight, along with those military notes and puppet coins, were all stolen from Japanese soldiers.

He dared not use those miscellaneous notes; only the silver dollars were real and tangible, and he felt at ease holding them in his hand.

Lin Jingyi was slightly taken aback. Instead of reaching out to take it, she frowned slightly.

"This is too much, one piece is enough." He said, reaching out to take just one piece.

He Yuzhu grabbed her hand and poured all ten silver dollars into her palm without saying a word. He then gathered her fingers one by one and made her hold them tightly.

"You must accept it." His voice was low, but each word was like a stake driven into the snow, firm and unquestionable. "Today you saved two lives."

Lin Jingyi looked at the heavy silver dollar in her palm, then raised her eyes to carefully examine the child in front of her:

"But... this is just too much. How will your family manage to live on after this?"

"My father is a cook, and he would never let anyone in the family go hungry."

He Yuzhu grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, like plum buds blooming in the snow.

"I've noticed your clinic... hasn't had much business lately, has it?"

"These days, no one has it easy," Lin Jingyi said, her tone softening.

"Please accept this; consider it my way of thanking you for saving my sister's life."

He Yuzhu's words were like a pebble thrown into Lin Jingyi's heart, creating ripples.

Lin Jingyi was stunned for a moment—the understanding and consideration in her words were not something a ten-year-old child could say.

"Are you sure you're really a child?" she blurted out, her tone full of disbelief.

He Yuzhu chuckled and resumed his endearingly simple-minded demeanor:

"I often went with my father to cook for wealthy families, and I learned a little bit by observing and learning from him."

Lin Jingyi rolled her eyes at him, but the ten silver dollars in her palm felt heavy, both hot and warm, like holding a piece of warm coal.

Her clinic had indeed been deserted for a long time, so deserted that even the air seemed frozen, and the aroma of medicine had been swallowed up by the cold.

"Okay, I'll take the money."

She stopped refusing and carefully stuffed the few silver dollars deep into her pocket. When her fingertips touched the fabric, she felt a slight warmth.

"If there's anything I can do to help in the future, feel free to come to me."

"No." He Yuzhu quickly waved his hand to interrupt, his tone carrying a childlike caution, "If I really need to find you, it must be a matter of life and death, and I dare not trouble you casually."

Lin Jingyi was amused by his appearance and laughed out loud. She gently shook her head, and warmth was hidden in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

After she put the silver dollars away, He Yuzhu turned and walked towards the rickshaw. Lin Jingyi, gazing at the high threshold, couldn't help but ask curiously:

"How did you manage to bring the car in here?"

He Yuzhu did not respond directly.

He walked to the threshold, slowly squatted down, and pressed his knees into the snow, leaving a shallow mark.

He reached under the threshold and carefully felt around for a while, his fingertips touching a hidden mortise and tenon joint. Then, with a gentle push and pull, he...

The entire threshold was removed and smoothly moved to the side, the movements as practiced as if they were old craftsmen who had repeated the process a thousand times.

Lin Jingyi stared at him, slightly lost in thought, then gave him a thumbs up, her knuckles glowing a pale pink in the cold air.

He Yuzhu pulled the rickshaw outside and then put the threshold back on. After it was put back on, it fit perfectly, without a single gap, as if it had never been moved.

After closing the gate, he turned around and brushed the snow off the car seat. The snowflakes fell softly, piling up into small white mounds at his feet.

"Please get in the car." His voice carried a hint of elation, as if he were seeking praise.

After Lin Jingyi was seated, she softly instructed:

"Drive slowly on the road, the roads are slippery in the snow, please be very careful."

Don't worry!

He Yuzhu raised his hand to steady the car body, and secretly exerted force under his feet. He first jogged slowly to get used to the rhythm, and only gradually increased his speed after the sound of the wheels rolling over the snow became smooth.

Snowflakes pelted his face, the chill biting and seeping into his collar, but a fire burned within him, warm and cozy, even his fingertips felt hot.

About ten minutes later, the car came to a steady stop at the entrance of Dongtangzi Hutong.

Lin Jingyi got out of the car and looked at He Yuzhu's soaked hair and cotton-padded coat—the coat clung to his body, outlining his thin frame—and couldn't help but say:

"Come in and have some hot water to warm yourself up, don't catch a cold."

"No need to trouble you."

He Yuzhu responded loudly, then lowered his voice and leaned forward, his breath carrying the crispness of snow water, "Dr. Lin, if you ever need my help, please let me know."

You know my home address. My name is He Yuzhu, you can just call me Zhuzi. Of course... it has to be something I can do, like running errands or relaying messages.

Lin Jingyi smiled, reached out and gently tapped his forehead, as if touching a soft piece of rice cake:

"You little rascal, what could I possibly need your help with? Just stay home and take good care of your mother and sister."

"Don't speak too soon."

He Yuzhu deliberately adopted a mysterious expression, raising his eyebrows high like a cat that had just stolen a sip of honey. "What if?"

"Okay, okay, I got it."

Lin Jingyi waved her hand helplessly, her fingertips still warm from his forehead.

"Go back and change into dry clothes, then wash your hair thoroughly with hot water!"

"Hey!" He Yuzhu responded crisply, pulled the rickshaw and ran away, leaving two crooked lines in the snow.

Lin Jingyi stood at the clinic entrance, watching the boy's figure, pulling the cart, disappear into the swirling snow. Only when the snowflakes blurred her vision did she shake her head and smile softly.

"What an interesting little fellow," she murmured to herself, turning and pushing open the door to go inside.