Chapter 223
Through her connections, Yan Jing managed to obtain a driver's license for Su Tao. Thus, the latter had no qualms about driving anymore. As for the vehicle, it was the Volkswagen CC that Vera had given him for his personal usage; it was considered as an asset of the Three Flavour Cosmetics International. Although it felt a little cheap of him to use it, he's the Honorary Chairman, and he hasn't even seen a hole coming back into his pocket. Thus, he no longer felt uneasy about using this car.
Flipping her wrist to glance at her watch, Lu Shimiao smiled. "It's still early. Why don't you send me to the train station?"
"Why are you going to the train station?" Su Tao instantly took out the map in his mind and realised that they're traveling in the opposite direction to the train station. But this was how women were, always so fickle with their decisions.
"The Chinese New Year is just a month away, so I want to buy a train ticket." Lu Shimiao sighed, feeling complicated in her heart. Although it was reminiscing, it was sad at the same time.
"Back to the orphanage?" Su Tao felt heartache at the thought of that. After all, Lu Shimiao had a tragic life.
"Yeah. Although my time there was pretty tough, and it wasn't joyful, it's still my home. So with the Chinese New Year coming, I suddenly feel like having a reunion, so I wanted to return and take a look." She has already divorced Qiao Bo, and she's currently finding her own path in life.
Nodding his head, Su Tao asked, "Want me to go with you?"
"You?" Lu Shimiao shook her head. "No need."
Su Tao faintly smiled it off and did not continue the topic. Thinking back to his life, he never had the concept of a reunion during festivals. In his impression, he had been dealing with patients daily, which was the reason why he possessed such extraordinary skills.
Not only did you need the talent to learn medicine, but you also need to put in hard work.
"What are you thinking about?" Seeing Su Tao staring blankly into space, Lu Shimiao asked. From her impression, Su Tao has always been more mature than he looked and seldom showed his inner emotions.
"Nothing much." Su Tao recovered from his thoughts and smiled.
It was already 4 p.m. when they arrived at the train station. Even if the Hanzhou City was just a third-tiered city, and there weren't as many migrants as a first or second-tiered city; there was still a long queue in the ticketing booth.
There were several middle-aged men with peaked caps shuttling through the crowd. Evidently, they're here to scrape for tickets.
Su Tao chose a shorter queue for Lu Shimiao and felt that it was one of the fast-moving ones. However, three people suddenly barged in and jumped the queue.
"What a lack of public manners!" Su Tao knitted his brows.
"Shush, those scalpers are organised. The hall of the ticketing booth is practically their territory." Lu Shimiao whispered. She didn't want unnecessary trouble.
The two of them were standing close together, and their bodies were practically sticking together. When Lu Shimiao leaned her body to talk with Su Tao, the latter could smell a fragrance assaulting his nostrils. Thus, he was starting to enjoy the feeling of lining up and didn't bother about those people who jumped the queue.
When those three purchased their tickets and left with smiles, two more suddenly jumped into the queue and pushed a lady in her fifties out of the line.
"How can you people be like this? Aren't you just bullying others?" Someone finally couldn't hold it anymore and complained.
"Bullying? Who the fuck are you?" The scalper pushed the young lady who stood out for the lady.
Knitting his brows, Su Tao was stopped by Lu Shimiao when he wanted to stand out. But at this moment, several station officers came over and asked a few questions before bringing that scalper away.
"The scalpers are truly rampant…" Su Tao weakly smiled.
"Last year, I had to buy from the scalpers because I couldn't obtain a ticket through the proper channel." Lu Shimiao bitterly smiled before she continued, "There's nothing we can do about it; they're capable."
After half an hour in the queue, it was finally Lu Shimiao's turn. However, Su Tao pushed Lu Shimiao away from the window and said to the ticketing staff with a smile, "Two berth tickets to Baihe City in the lower section of the train."
Lu Shimiao stared at Su Tao for a long time while feeling touched in her heart. She pondered if Su Tao really wanted to follow her to the orphanage to spend his Chinese New Year there.
After Su Tao paid for the tickets, he handed one of them over to Lu Shimiao. The latter instantly shove it into her purse, looking pretty happy.
The two of them left the ticketing hall side by side and saw the scalper from before being released. The scalper had a cigarette in his mouth and two tickets in his hand. He stopped two ladies who appeared to be students to peddle his tickets.
Suddenly, a woman in her thirties suddenly came over to whisper in the ears of the two students, which the two left after finding out that the scalper wasn't a good person.
Having his business interrupted, in addition to being warned by the station officers, the scalper was boiling with anger and he ran towards that woman. He raised his head and trample on her begging tools on the floor. "Fuck, you fucking beggar actually dares to spoil my business? Get lost, now!"
A little girl who looked to be fourteen or fifteen beside the woman started crying.
This instantly stirred up the scalper and he hollered, "Look at this child trafficker! She kidnapped a little girl to beg here!"
The scalper's voice had instantly lured a crowd over. With the recent attention to trafficking, traffickers were being detested by everyone.
Picking up the paper on the floor, the scalper continued, "The conmen's skills are getting better and better these years, claiming that her daughter is sick and requires a sum of money. This is a scam! Albeit to her claims that her daughter's legs are injured, I personally witnessed her daughter walking perfectly yesterday! Everyone, don't fall for such scams!"
Since the crowd had no idea about the actual facts, they started the surround the woman and were blurting curses at her. There were even some people who took out their phones to call the cops to prevent the little girl from being sold.
A cold sneer rose on the scalper's lips while instantly feeling his mood being alleviated. Since this woman ruined his business, then it's natural for her to be taught a lesson.
When the scalper took two steps back and wanted to leave, he suddenly felt an unpleasant sensation from his elbow. A painful whine escaped his mouth and he turned around to see a young man who was 5'9" grabbing him. Thus, he instantly started to cuss, "Fuck, let me go!"
Su Tao stepped on the scalper's knee joints, causing the latter to call from the ground, and coldly said, "Apologise to her."
Seeing the sudden development of events, the crowd's attention shifted from the woman to Su Tao and the scalper.
"What do I have to apologise for?" Scalper asked as he feigned stupid.
"Don't you think that you need to apologise for slandering them?" Su Tao knitted his brows.
"What slander? The two of them are from a scam syndicate, and she has no illness. They're just trying to beg here to win sympathy!" The scalper refuted.
Su Tao was already pissed with this scalper, and he could tell with a simple glance that the little girl was ill. Not to mention that he had witnessed how the woman reminded the two students out of goodwill, while this scalper took revenge on the mother and daughter with malicious intentions.
Gently shaking his wrist, a crack resounded and the scalper's bone was dislocated.
The scalper was instantly swarmed by excruciating pain and knew that he had encountered someone powerful. Thus, he started to beg, "Hero, I'm just trying to get a meal, please be lenient."
"Apologise!" With another crack, Su Tao dislodged the scalper's other elbow.
When the scalper realised that he had lost feeling in his elbows, he was spooked out of his mind and could only admit defeat. "I'm sorry, I was blurting nonsense earlier to slander them!"
Seeing that it was the scalper causing trouble, the crowd started to condemn him.
After setting the scalper's bones, Su Tao kicked his butt and the scalper instantly scurried away.
"Thank you!" The woman continuously thanked while nodding her head. She wiped her tears and reminded, "But those people are organised. You should leave quickly. Otherwise, they will come back to take revenge against you."
Seeing the response of this woman, Su Tao bent down and examined her daughter before he asked, "Lady, how long has your daughter been ill?"
Shaking her head, the woman sobbed, "About half a year now. We've found a few hospitals, but it's futile!"
Lu Shimiao also knelt down and took a look at the little girl's situation for a few minutes before she turned to Su Tao and asked, "Is it Lymphatic Filariasis?"
Nodding his head, Su Tao pressed on the little girl's swollen legs before he replied, "It's already in a severe condition."
Lymphatic Filariasis is also known as Big-Foot Disease in TCM, which was one of the ten bizarre illnesses in the world. It's also called Elephant-Skin Disease. There's a common saying amongst the people, "Eight people around a table, and not even a dog can get through them." Lymphatic Filariasis was a parasitic disease that's transmitted through mosquitoes, with many people being infected in the world; around 380,000,000. Furthermore, the incubation period of the disease was extremely strong, and you can only take precautions for it. The moment the disease breaks out, it wouldn't be easy to treat.
Glancing at the woman, Lu Shimiao asked, "Her condition is already so serious, shouldn't you bring her to the hospital?"
"We've spent all our money, and we can only live in the train station now." The woman choked on her tears as she continued, "And we beg while we're at it, to see if we can earn some travel expenses back home."
"Mama, don't cry! I don't want to treat it anymore!" The little girl was sensible, and when she saw how her mother burst into tears, she cried as well.
"You're pretty lucky to encounter this handsome brother. He's a Physician, and is a kind-hearted one. He will certainly help you." Lu Shimiao smiled as she said to the mother and daughter.
Su Tao helplessly glanced at Lu Shimiao. Although he already had the intention to help, it didn't feel good to be sold out.
The woman was smart. She knew that Su Tao must be a skillful doctor for being able to recognise her daughter's illness with a glance. Thus, she knelt and kowtowed towards Su Tao, "Please, please help my daughter!"
Many doctors have experienced life and death to the point that they've cultivated a heart of stone. However, Su Tao couldn't stand and watch a life that was at stake and felt compassion for the mother and daughter.
While Su Tao carried the little girl, Lu Shimiao helped the woman bring her stuff away and the four of them came to the carpark. Throughout this entire trip to the carpark, the scalper did not show up again. Su Tao drove back to the Three Flavour Hall. When Xiao Jingjing saw Su Tao bringing a few people over, she immediately went up to enquire. After she was given a brief explanation of the situation, she quickly went in and arranged a room for the mother and daughter.
Lu Shimiao felt touched at this scene, and what made her feel touched the most was Su Tao's compassion for the weak. If it was another doctor, they would probably just give the mother and daughter some money for them to return home. However, Su Tao sincerely hoped to treat the little girl.
After Su Tao settled down, he realised that Lu Shimiao had already left. He took out the train ticket and engraved the timing in his mind before he muttered in regret, "I let you escape again…!"