C21 Chapter 21

Xuanniang finally realized that the old woman thought she was selling medicine and was afraid she'd have to pay for it. Xuanniang firmly placed the pill into the old woman's hand, adding, "It's free, and it's both tasty and effective."

The old woman was a bit skeptical, but eventually, she closed her eyes and tossed the pill into her mouth. In no time, she opened her eyes, feeling incredibly relieved, and quickly thanked Xuanniang.

"Thank you, doctor, you're truly a kind person. It feels like the fire in my stomach has been extinguished. You're a miracle worker! I'll head home now, you take care."

As the old woman made her way home, she mumbled to herself about Xuanniang being a miracle worker. People who had been watching from nearby started whispering about Xuanniang as well.

However, most people just watched from a distance, and no one approached for treatment, leaving Xuanniang free to relax. She sat with a book on herbal medicine, calmly reading.

Xuanniang noticed many people seemed eager to try, but were held back by those around them. That's how people are—they'll call you a miracle worker when they believe, but a fraud when they don't.

After a while, a dirty little girl, clearly a young beggar, approached. Her eyes were pure and innocent, filled with longing as she looked at Xuanniang.

The little girl seemed a bit shy. Seeing Xuanniang engrossed in her book, she hesitated to interrupt, gently tugging at Xuanniang's sleeve with her fingers. Xuanniang wore a clean white robe, and the girl's touch left two small fingerprints.

Both Xuanniang and the girl noticed. The girl felt guilty, but Xuanniang just smiled, unconcerned. She asked gently, "What can I do for you, sweetheart?"

"Doctor, would you be willing to make a house call? I want to ask you to see my brother," the girl said timidly, her voice barely audible, as if afraid of offending.

Xuanniang glanced at the empty stall and the curious onlookers nearby. Since no one else needed her attention, she figured she might as well go.

"Of course, let's go!" she said, gathering her things and preparing to leave with the girl.

After a few steps, she noticed the girl lingering behind. Xuanniang smiled and called softly, "What's wrong? Don't you want me to see your brother?"

The girl ran back, still hesitant. "Doctor, I don't have any money for the travel fee. Maybe I should bring my brother here instead."

Before Xuanniang could respond, they heard someone shouting nearby.

It was an older child, also a beggar, calling out to the girl, "Yan, your brother's in a fight! He's getting beaten up!"

The young girl's name was Yan, a beautiful name, though her circumstances were unfortunate. Yan's expression turned anxious as she hurriedly followed another beggar to find her brother, not even pausing for Xuanniang. Xuanniang quickly followed.

In front of a rundown temple, a group of aggressive beggars was kicking and punching a frail boy on the ground. One of them, an older, overweight man who seemed to be their leader, was shouting as he hit him:

"Stealing our stuff, stealing our food, and you dare to target me? You must be tired of living. Today, we're going to teach you a lesson. Boys, beat him to a pulp; he won't last long anyway."

The frail boy clung tightly to a bag, lying on the ground, taking the blows without resistance.

From a distance, Yan saw her brother being beaten to the brink of unconsciousness, unable to fight back. She cried out, "Brother!" and rushed over, tears streaming down her face.

"Please, stop hitting my brother! I beg you, stop! You're going to kill him!"

The leader of the beggars saw Yan and surprisingly agreed. "Stop. Tell your brother to give us back the rice he's holding, or I'll take his life today."

Only then did Yan notice the item in her brother's hands. She quickly crouched down, trying to wrest it from him, but despite her efforts, he wouldn't let go.

Seeing the situation, the leader of the beggars spoke up again: "This kid is pretty stubborn, huh? Looks like he hasn't had enough yet. Yan, you better step aside. This is between me and your brother, so stay out of it. This kid needs a lesson. He's stolen from us several times, and I kept quiet. But this time, he took a whole bag of rice, and I'm not letting it slide."

Yan burst into tears, pleading, "Brother, let go! We don't need his rice. I don't even like rice. You can't eat it either. Please, let go, or they'll hurt you!"

As she spoke, Yan tried desperately to pry her brother's hand away. Just when it seemed she might succeed, the frail boy went wild, lunging at the bag, burying his face in it, and tearing at it with his teeth. Soon, a small hole appeared, and rice spilled out. The boy's eyes lit up with a fierce hunger as he dropped to the ground, eating the raw rice directly.

Everyone had thought the frail boy, beaten and lying motionless, was on the brink of collapse. But his sudden leap startled them, causing the beggars to step back in surprise.

Watching the little beggar shove handfuls of rice into his mouth, saliva mixed with raw grains, the white starch dribbling down his chin, was truly a disturbing sight.

The group of beggars whispered among themselves.

“Wow, is he out of his mind? Eating raw rice like that?”

“Who knows? He’s always been a bit off. We all know he dotes on his sister, so we usually let him be. But who would’ve thought he’d go this far, gnawing on raw rice just to keep it from being taken?”

Xuanniang watched the frail boy’s actions and noted his malnourished appearance. She realized his craving for raw rice was due to chronic undernourishment. The boy likely didn’t eat regularly, and seeing the rice triggered a desperate hunger. His digestive system was clearly in bad shape.

Yan pleaded tearfully with her brother, “Please, don’t eat that, it’s raw rice. Stop, you can’t eat it!”

But she couldn’t stop him. Turning to the leader of the beggars, she begged, “Big Bull, please, help my brother.”

The leader sighed and instructed his group, “Hold him down and grab the rice bag from him. The kid’s lost it.”

A few of the older boys pinned the frail boy down while the leader snatched the bag away. The boy, seemingly possessed, let out animalistic cries and struggled wildly, almost breaking free from their grip.

The beggar leader, known as Fat Ox, had just snatched the sack away when a group of servants appeared from a nearby alley. Each held a long stick, and the one leading them pointed at Fat Ox, shouting.

"That's the gang of beggars! Teach him a lesson and get my rice back. I'd rather feed it to the pigs than let you have it, you little scoundrel!"

It turned out that Fat Ox and his crew had stolen from them.