There's still half a month to go before the Spring Festival, and at this critical juncture, who would dare utter inauspicious words like "someone has passed away"? Everyone is already on edge, and to make matters worse, Xiao Shunzi's family runs a butcher shop that's not exactly reputable, so people generally look down on them, and by extension, their guests are also treated with disdain.

  A sturdy young man, like a cow calf, stood out and asked loudly: "Who are you? You think you can diagnose better than the doctor? Be careful what you say or I'll beat you up!" He wore an old black cotton-padded jacket, his muscles bulging as if the clothes were one size too small.

  Chen Zikun sized up the sturdy young man from head to toe, took a step forward, and the young man, unwilling to show weakness, also took a step forward. The two of them glared at each other fiercely, like fighting cocks.

  The sturdy young man rolled up his sleeves, and a pair of fists as big as basins were clenched with a loud crackling sound. Xiao Shunzi heard the commotion and came out from the inner room, shouting: "Baoqing, what are you doing?"

  "It's none of your business, I just wanted to ask him, what's the point of hanging around here during the New Year!" Baoqing was still fuming, but his eyes darted a glance at Xing'er.

  Chen Zikong gazed into Baoqing's eyes and said slowly, "I had a friend who died from this disease, a strong man who was tortured to death. After he died, I dissected his abdomen, and his intestines were all rotten and suppurating. If you want to test me, I'll accompany you, but not now, human life is at stake, can't be delayed."

  Suddenly, the sound of breaking porcelain came from inside the house. Several neighbors hastily lifted the curtain and went in, exclaiming: "Xing Er Niang, don't think about it!"

  In the room, on the kang, Xing Er's face was as white as paper, with beads of sweat rolling down, and she was trembling as she reached out to pick up the sharp porcelain shard from the ground.

  "Mother!" A pair of children rushed up, but the mother had no strength to speak, only slightly shaking her head, with a painful expression that everyone understood.

  The neighbors suddenly came to their senses, and they realized that Xing Er's mother, who had been able to endure hardships for so long, was actually thinking of taking her own life. This showed just how severe the illness was. Although this young outsider spoke coarsely, his words were not unreasonable.

  A middle-aged man with white hair among the neighbors said, "I think what this young man said is reasonable. His aunt's illness has really become unbearable. Otherwise, let's find a Western doctor to take a look?"

  The old man with a loud voice also nodded: "It takes at least several hours to catch medicine and boil medicine, and it's not necessarily effective after eating. It's better to ask a Western doctor to take a look."

  "It's the middle of the night, where can you go to find a Western doctor? The foreign doctors all live in Dongjiaomin Lane, and even if you could get in, Western doctors charge much more than Chinese doctors. Just for a minor illness, they'd ask for over ten silver coins, who can afford that?" A faint voice came from the crowd, and again everyone fell silent.

  Indeed, the consultation fees and medication costs of Western medicine are more expensive than traditional Chinese medicine. The hospitals where foreigners receive treatment are places for officials and nobles to see doctors. The common people living at the foot of the imperial city can barely afford food, let alone medical care. They usually endure minor illnesses and only seek medical attention when they have no other choice. Xing Er's family is extremely poor, and her father is a good-for-nothing who only drinks and wastes money. Even if they could scrape together enough money to see a Western doctor, who would pay it back?

  Suddenly, Xing'er fell to the ground with a thud and tearfully begged: "Uncle, Auntie, please save my mother!"

  Guo Er also knelt down, twisting her neck and not speaking, both eyes were red.

  The neighbors all sighed silently, only Baoqing stared at the round and anxious hands, wanting to help Xing'er but feeling embarrassed.

  "A life is at stake, what's the point of being so petty! Whatever happens will be on my account!" Chen Zikun's loud shout dispelled the selfish thoughts that had been lurking in the hearts of his neighbors.

  "We can't let Ah-er die like this, go find a doctor!" The loud-mouthed old man also shouted along with the neighbors, who all expressed their agreement. Time was of the essence, so they immediately took action. Inviting a Western doctor was a big deal and required someone important to take the lead. Everyone pushed for the middle-aged man with the flecks of white in his hair to take charge - he was a patrol officer, familiar with the area, and knew where the foreign doctors lived.

  "Xue Xunlong, it's all up to you." everyone said.

  Xue Xun Zhang said: "Bao Qing, go home and bring me my coat and horse lantern, quickly."

  "Alright, Dad." Baoqing quickly went back into the house and fetched his father's police overcoat and a kerosene lantern.

  "Baoqing, Xiaoshunzi, you two come with me." Xue Xunzhang arranged.

  Guǒ ér shuō: "Wǒ yě yào qù!"

  Translation:

  The fruit said: "I also want to go!"

  Xue Xun said: "Don't go, stay home and take care of your mother."

  Chen Zikong returned to Xiao Shunzi's home and took out his own bundle, shouting: "Let's go together!"

  "Go!" Xue Xunlong waved his hand, and the three young men followed him out of the big courtyard, heading straight for Xuanwu Gate. In the cold winter month, water droplets froze into ice, and the ruts on the road were frozen solid, hard as steel. The four of them hurried along the empty street, when someone shouted from the police booth ahead: "What are you doing?"

  "Old Zhang, it's me, our neighbor is ill, I'm going to ask a doctor." Xue Xunzhang replied calmly.

  "Oh, it's Old Xue, go ahead." The patrol officer waved his hand to let them pass, but Chen Zikun stopped in his tracks and stood still for a few seconds before turning back and pulling out Guo'er who was hiding in the corner.

  "Alright, let's go together." Xue Xun Chang said with a softened heart upon seeing Guo Er's stubborn gaze.

  Dongjiaomin Lane is a foreign concession, and breaking in at midnight might get you shot by foreign soldiers. It's not safe to go there at all. Luckily, Xue the police chief knew that inside Xuanwu Gate, there was an American-run clinic. The American doctor would ride around in a rickshaw to see patients, treating both foreigners and Chinese people. If you wanted to find a Western-style doctor, he was the best choice.

  Five people soon arrived at the clinic door, the sound of the night watchman's rattle came slowly and steadily, it was already the third watch of the night, when people were sleeping most soundly. Baoqing looked up at the big sign on the door that read "Huaqi Clinic" and went to bang on the door loudly. The north wind whistled by, and the dogs in every household shrank away silently, not making a sound. Inside the clinic, there was no sign of life either.

  "It won't be going back to the old house for Chinese New Year, will it?" Baoqing knocked for half a day without any response and wondered.

  "Foreigners don't celebrate Chinese New Year, they only celebrate Christmas. Maybe he was drunk and couldn't hear," said Xiao Shunzi.

  Everyone cast their eyes on Xue Xunzhang, he was just a small police officer, but after all, he was a worldly person who had seen and experienced many things, so they relied on him to make decisions.

  But this mouthful of nonsense is also a bit much for Constable Xue, if it were a Chinese-run clinic, he might have some way to handle it, but since it involves foreigners, he's at a loss, and if things go wrong, it'll be a matter of losing his rice bowl.

  "Smash the door!" Guo bent down and picked up a broken brick from the side of the road, ready to throw it inside.

  Chen Zikun held out his hand to stop Guoer, retreated a few steps to observe the surroundings, suddenly sprinted forward two steps, and climbed up the wall with one foot. He was tall and had long arms, so he grabbed the top of the wall at once and flipped over it in an instant.

  The wall wasn't that high, compared to the walls he had climbed over in Guanwai Village when he was a kid. He took three steps forward and lowered the door bar, and the people outside swarmed in.

  The Flag Clinic rented a Chinese quadrangle courtyard, three rooms and three open spaces. The clinic was set up in the inverted seat house, and the owner lived in the main house inside the hanging flower gate. In winter, all the houses had cotton curtains, so it's also possible that no sound could be heard.

  Chen Zikun pointed at Baoqing: "You, rely on me."

  Bao Qing didn't hesitate, took a step forward and squatted down on the ground, letting Chen Zikun step on his shoulders to climb over the wall of the second gate. The flower-patterned door opened, and Xue Junzhang's heart was racing with fear: "Isn't this just like being a thief?"

  Life is at stake, no one can afford to care about so much anymore. Under Chen Zikun's leadership, they arrived at the door of the main house, knocking on the door while shouting: "Doctor save people, save people!"

  The lights came on in the room, followed by a string of rapid-fire foreign language, and although everyone couldn't understand the meaning of the words, they could hear the anger contained in the tone.

  A blinding flash of light shot over, followed by a "click", which only Xue Xun and Chen Zikun heard. This was the sound of the six-shot revolver cocking its hammer.

  "Gentlemen, raise your hands, slowly." A voice came from the doorway of the carriage house, very authentic Chinese, but with a strange and inexplicable flavor.

  Chen Zikun first raised his hand, and everyone looked at him, also slowly raising their hands.

  The door of the main house opened, and a Westerner wearing a cotton nightgown came out. Seeing five Chinese people standing in the courtyard, he was suddenly startled and asked in Mandarin: "You thieves are really lawless!"

  "Doctor, we are not thieves. I am Xue Ping Shun from the front gate police station of the Capital Police Department. This child's mother is ill and we have come to ask you to make a house call. We called out for half a day but no one answered, so the children were anxious and climbed in. Whatever punishment we deserve, we will accept it. Please, sir, have mercy, saving a life is urgent!" At this critical moment, Inspector Xue's eloquence was still quite good. He gave Fruit a signal, and she immediately knelt down, not caring that the ground was frozen hard, and knocked her head violently.

  "Get out, you Boxer rebels!" the foreigner at the door of the carriage house shouted angrily, his Colt revolver at the ready. Chen Zikun narrowed his eyes and took a look at him - he had a rough beard and mustache, was around 40 years old, very tall, like an angry lion, and seemed as if he would not hesitate to pull the trigger if they didn't leave immediately.

  Xiao Shunzi and the others were all frightened out of their wits. Foreigners are not to be trifled with, they can get angry enough to make even the Empress Dowager yield, if they really started shooting and killed those who broke into civilian homes, it would be a pointless death.

  Chen Zikun walked towards the muzzle, straight to the foreigner's face, the two were about the same height, and they stood facing each other, nose to nose, chest to muzzle.

  "Heal the sick and save lives, it's a doctor's duty. The patient is dying soon, I just want one word from you: are you going or not?" Chen Zikun's forceful words made Xue Xunchang and Xiao Shunzi secretly groan in dismay. Foreigners have big tempers, and only by flattering them can things be done smoothly; confronting them head-on will only mess things up.

  But the foreigner didn't get angry, instead he holstered his pistol and asked: "My consultation fees are very high, can you afford it?"

  Chen Zikong patted the saddle bag on his shoulder: "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!"

  "Very well, I have another question. What makes you think that I am the doctor and not that gentleman?" The foreigner asked.

  "Although you live in a small room, the telephone line is pulled into this room, so you are the master of the clinic." Chen Zikun said.

  Another foreigner with a gentle disposition stood at the entrance of the main hall, listening to their conversation with great interest. He shrugged his shoulders and said in English, "Sean, don't you think this is quite interesting? Enough to alleviate the boredom of a long winter's night."

  The foreigner called Sean laughed and said: "Reginald, if you're feeling bored, you can come with me."

  "I'll keep you company." Reginald bowed elegantly and went back to his room to change clothes.