Chapter 395 Li Gouwa
The man stopped refusing, smiled obsequiously, stuffed the silver into his pocket, and led the way.
The man led Lin Changning for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before leading her through a maze of turns to an alley. They then pushed open a yellowed and blackened wooden door.
Upon entering, the entire courtyard was filled with the aroma of medicine, and low coughing could be heard coming from inside the house. Lin Changning looked at the man who had led the way.
The man bowed and said obsequiously, "Gouwa is at home. The child caught a cold and hasn't fully recovered."
The child inside seemed to have heard the commotion outside. His coughing intensified, and after a moment, he said, "Grandpa? You, cough cough, you're back? Did those people really give us food?"
His voice sounded weak and his speech was intermittent. He would cough for a while after saying a sentence. Lin Changning pursed his lips. On the other side, Xie family young master glanced at Lin Changning and said.
"The cough sounds like whooping cough, sir. Let's go inside and take a look. I have some medical knowledge and may be able to help the child."
Lin Changning nodded, and the man in front of him pushed open the door and led Lin Changning and his group inside.
Lying on the bed inside the room was a child who looked about eight or nine years old. His face was thin and his complexion was unnaturally pale.
When he saw the ruffian bring Lin Changning and the others in, he took a step back in fear, looking at Lin Changning and the others with extreme vigilance.
The rogue said, "Dog Boy, this is the military officer. Come and greet the military officer."
Lin Changning frowned and waved his hand: "No need, you can leave."
The scoundrel's fawning smile froze for a moment, and he let out an incredulous "Ah!"
Wan Jin said irritably, "Just leave when I tell you to. Why all the nonsense?"
Upon seeing the menacing Wan Jin, the rogue quickly sighed a few times, bent over, and hurriedly retreated from Li Gouwa's room.
Lin Changning softened his expression, trying to appear more amiable, and said gently to the child on the bed, "You are Li Gouwa, right? This is Young Master Xie, who knows some medicine. Let him take a look at you."
Li Gouwa cowered in the corner of the bed, glancing at Lin Changning's youthful face and then at the tall and handsome Xie family young master beside him. He pursed his lips and mustered his courage to ask, "Who are you? Cough cough cough, I, cough cough, where is Grandpa?"
Even a short sentence was difficult for Li Gouwa to utter; he coughed for a while, and his entire face turned red.
As he coughed, he started to wheeze, looking like he had asthma.
Suddenly, Xie, the young master next to Lin Changning, took out a handkerchief, covered his mouth and nose, and sat down next to Li Gouwa.
"Don't be afraid, I'm a doctor, let me take a look at you first."
Ignoring Li Gouwa's weak struggles, he reached out and took Li Gouwa's pulse. After taking the pulse, Xie's young master suddenly sighed.
He took out a small cloth bag containing silver needles from his pocket, held one of the needles, and said, "It won't hurt, don't be afraid, don't move."
After saying that, he took a silver needle and stabbed it into a blood vessel on Li Gouwa's body.
After several acupuncture points were needled, Li Gouwa made a groaning sound in his throat. Xie's son twisted the silver needles, and Xie Gouwa suddenly coughed violently, spitting out a large mouthful of yellowish phlegm mixed with blood onto the ground.
After coughing up phlegm, Li Gouwa seemed to feel much better. He coughed lightly twice, and the blush on his face gradually faded.
"Alright, it does look like whooping cough to me. Now that the phlegm blocking your lungs has come out, you should be able to get better in a few months with some medication and rest."
After saying this, the young master of the Xie family stood up and bowed to Lin Changning: "Sir, I need to go back first to get some medicine for the child. I have to go to several pharmacies to get some of the medicinal herbs."
Lin Changning hummed in agreement, waved to the young master of the Xie family, and suddenly asked, "Young master, you've worked hard. May I ask your name?"
The young master of the Xie family smiled at Lin Changning, making him appear even more handsome.
"My name is Xie Yonghuai, courtesy name Linghuai. You may call me Linghuai, sir."
Lin Changning nodded to the person: "Ling Huai has worked hard today. All the medical expenses for this child will be paid from my account. Send 10,000 taels of silver to send off Young Master Xie."
Wan Jin clasped his hands in a fist and accepted the order: "Yes, Vice Commander."
After saying that, he led Xie Yonghuai outside. After the two of them went out, Lin Changning looked up at the guards beside him and said, "You go out first and wait for me outside."
After everyone in the room left, Lin Changning looked at Li Gouwa hesitantly and said, "Gouwa, there's something I think you should know."
Seeing the serious expression on Lin Changning's face, Li Gouwa pouted, wanting to cry but not daring to. His voice trembled with a sob as he suddenly asked, "Where's my grandfather? Did something happen to him?"
Lin Changning looked at the child staring at him with a tearful voice, opened his mouth, but didn't know how to say it.
Seeing that Lin Changning didn't speak, Li Gouwa tried to get out of bed and run outside, but he almost fell to the ground because of his weakness.
Lin Changning picked up Li Gouwa and put him back on the bed. He sighed and said, "I am from the Chu Prince's Mansion. Today, your grandfather was shot by an assassin's arrow while trying to save me. He has passed away. Before he left, he asked me to take good care of you, Gouwa."
The young child finally heard about his grandfather's death from Lin Changning.
A broken sob escaped her throat, slowly turning into a wail in Lin Changning's arms.
Lin Changning looked at the child crying loudly under the blanket and was at a loss for what to do. He gently patted Li Gouwa and said in a low voice, "Please accept my condolences. From now on, come with me. I will take care of your food, clothing, and shelter."
The sobbing under the covers gradually subsided, and eventually, Li Gouwa, exhausted from crying, either fainted from crying or fell asleep.
Lin Changning sat down next to Li Gouwa, gently patting Li Gouwa's back. After sitting for a while, the voice of his personal guard suddenly came from outside the door.
"Minister, the Crown Prince and the others have arrived."
Lin Changning lowered his voice and said, "Let the young master and the others in."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mingde and Li Mingxiu pushed open the door and entered the small house together.
Li Mingxiu looked at Lin Changning sitting on the edge of the bed, with a seemingly asleep child beside her, and understood. He pointed to the child and asked softly, "Is this the old man's grandson?"
Lin Changning nodded: "Yes, his surname is Li, and his name is Gouwa."
Li Mingxiu frowned and said, "We can return to Taiyuan by the day after tomorrow at the latest. I will take this child back to the Prince's Mansion."
Lin Changning shook his head at Li Mingxiu's serious expression and said, "Your Highness, these are turbulent times. This child's identity has not yet been verified. Let him stay at my home. Although my family is not very wealthy, we can support a child without any problem."
Lin Changning had other plans for this matter. The old man had taken an arrow for Li Mingxiu and died, so the young master and she would owe the old man a debt of gratitude. Today's events were somewhat coincidental.
The child's father died, his mother passed away, and now even his only grandfather has died because of the young master and his family.
Although there's nothing seriously wrong with his identity, it's always good to be a little more cautious.
Li Mingxiu must have considered this as well, and nodded to Lin Changning: "Then I'll entrust this child to you. Thank you for your help, Changning."
Lin Changning shook his head and looked up at Li Mingxiu and Li Mingde: "Have the assassins who attempted the assassination today been caught?"
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