Extra 12 Child
They did, in fact, have a child.
You may be wondering where the child came from. Tian Yuan gave birth; he was in labor on a dark and windy night, and then "Waah-" a boy was born.
Alright, you guys can lash Pan Lei to death; this was his nightmare.
He had this dream for some reason and sat up in terror. He peeled the blanket from Tian Yuan's torso and felt all around his lower tummy to make sure nothing was there. He lost his strength when he saw that it remained flat and slumped on Tian Yuan's body.
What a nightmare.
Was he having such a nightmare because their two Boss Mothers had been pressing them to have children lately?
Yi Yuan[1] would organize a medical team. This time, the medical team answered the country's call and traveled to remote areas to treat children with congenital heart disease who could not afford medical treatment. If the patient's condition was serious, these youngsters would be transferred to the Armed Police Hospital for treatment.
Tian Yuan, despite becoming Deputy Dean Tian, was still a surgeon in the hospital's cardiothoracic department. He led the group out into the countryside.
Despite his dissatisfaction, Pan Lei did not intervene this time. It was a good thing, so he just let Tian Yuan go. Anyway, he could also go on vacation and follow Tian Yuan, hehe.
It wasn't that he wasn't worried; he was so concerned that the conditions in the remote areas would be difficult and Tian Yuan's body would be unable to endure it that he purposefully waited on him with large and small bags, followed Deputy Dean Tian, and sneaked into the medical team.
When the medical team arrived at the location, the villagers informed them that there was another settlement on the mountain. This mountain settlement had only about 20 families and couldn't be reached by road. The only way to get there was on foot, which entailed trekking up and down the mountain. There was a child there who had heart trouble. The child's family circumstances were uncommon. He'd lost both of his parents and was living with his grandmother. The grandmother died last month, and the child fainted at the funeral. Upon examination, it was determined that he had a heart condition. None of his uncles wanted him since they understood that treating a heart disease patient was prohibitively expensive, and a family with an average yearly income of barely 2,400 yuan could not afford to treat the child.
Tian Yuan slung the medical bag over his back. Even if he had to climb one step at a time, he would go look, carry the kid down the mountain, and take him to the hospital.
How could Pan Lei let his baby undertake such a dangerous task? He took the medicine bag and placed it on his back before taking Tian Yuan's hand.
"I'll go with you."
Pan Lei struck a young tree to make Tian Yuan a walking stick. Pan Lei marched ahead, pulling and grabbing Tian Yuan as needed, and when walking became tough, he simply put Tian Yuan on his back and went around.
It was supposed to be an eight-kilometer mountain path, but it zigzagged, and after more than an hour of trekking, the settlement was still far away.
Pan Lei gazed down at Tian Yuan's sweat, which trickled down his face like water drops until his entire face was almost translucent. Pan Lei looked at him, heartbroken.
He placed Tian Yuan on a large rock and handed him the electrolyte drink.
"Don't worry, just drink some water to stay hydrated and have a bite to eat to keep up your strength. Don’t tire yourself out. You’ve been overworked and haven’t had time to rest or eat properly. You look tired."
He took a cap and feverishly fanned Tian Yuan. Tian Yuan sipped his drink, and Pan Lei quickly handed him a slice of bread.
Tian Yuan ripped a piece of bread and placed it in Pan Lei's mouth.
Pan Lei ate it while kissing his fingers in passing.
"Eat quickly. We'll leave once we've had enough rest."
"I opened this mountain, and I planted this tree. Leave the bread if you want to get past here!"
A boy jumped out of the trees before they could say anything. He was probably eight or nine years old, with large eyes and bandit manners. He leaped up to them like a wild monkey that had scampered down the mountain. He arrogantly barred the path with a stick.
Tian Yuan burst out laughing. Pan Lei, too, couldn’t resist laughing.
"Laozi has been robbing all his life. I never expected to be robbed by this little ba$tard."
Tian Yuan gazed at the kid and noticed him swallowing quickly. The child was swallowing his saliva while staring at the bread.
A closer look revealed that the child's lips were a pale blue.
"You are Little Three[2]?"
"How do you know that?"
Tian Yuan patted Pan Lei.
"We don't need to go any further. This kid, Little Three, should be eleven years old this year. You have no one in your family, right, which is why you came here to steal food?"
"I'm hungry, but no one gives me food; I can only do this kind of thing."
The boy had an unruly expression, but they were saddened by what he said.
"Come with Uncle; Uncle will cure you. Then I’ll find you a family so you can eat and dress well and go to school. OK?"
Little Three looked stunned before turning around and fleeing.
"Ah– Child traffickers! Somebody, help!"
[1] 一元都会组织医疗队的. 一元 means "unary," or "one yuan" if the characters are separated. Neither makes sense, so I used pinyin.
[2] Xiao Sanzi means "little third child." Children in China are often nicknamed based on their birth order. This kid is most likely the third child in the family with two older siblings/cousins.
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