No Regrets In This Life (1)

Rain drizzled down, shrouding the entire Qinglan City in a hazy mist.

On a main street in the northern part of the city, a little girl was running with all her might. She looked about ten years old, a bit thin, wearing clothes made of linen that had been washed so many times they were faded. Her lower body was clad in a pair of equally worn thin cloth trousers. The patches on her clothes and trousers were a testament to the girl's family circumstances.

Her small feet repeatedly lifted and fell on the cold stone road, splashing water from the puddles she stepped on. This was the only market in Qinglan City's slums. The streets were lined with shops selling rice, meat, medicine, and more. However, compared to the bustling and crowded markets of Qinglan City, this place was clearly a bit dilapidated and deserted.

After all, she was just a child. She stumbled on a stone and fell to the ground. The pain in her feet, combined with the numbness from the cold, brought tears to her eyes. But as if remembering something, she bit down hard on her lips, which had turned purple from the cold, and stood up again, running towards the depths of the market.

Uncle Fu was seventy-three years old this year. He had run a pharmacy in the northern market for most of his life. The weather had been cold and rainy for the past few days, and business was slow. So, he had closed the pharmacy early, sat alone in the back room, warmed a pot of wine, and enjoyed it with a plate of peanuts.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The urgent knocking at the door interrupted the old man's comfortable evening. He thought it must be a neighbor with an urgent illness who needed some simple herbs. He quickly got up from his rocking chair and went to the front to reopen the door.

"Xiao Yu? Why are you here, child? It's raining so hard, come in quickly, quickly."

The girl standing at the door surprised Uncle Fu at first. Wasn't this the daughter of Old Nie? Why was she out in such heavy rain? Her clothes were soaked, and there were obvious scrapes on her legs and arms. It was clear that the child had suffered a lot on her way here.

"Uncle Fu, please save my parents, save them... sob sob..."

Nie Xiaoyu, who had gritted her teeth and persevered all the way, finally burst into tears when she saw Uncle Fu. With a runny nose and tears streaming down her face, she begged the old man in front of her for help.

"Slow down, slow down, come inside first. It's raining so hard outside. Oh dear, this child, what a tragedy."

Uncle Fu was quite familiar with the Nie family's situation. They weren't originally from Qinglan City but had come here twenty years ago. Nie Liang and his wife had traveled a long distance to escape war, and after a near-death experience, they finally arrived in Qinglan City. However, they hadn't expected that this luxurious and prosperous city wouldn't be as good as they had imagined.

Having no special skills, Nie Liang had to work as a laborer in the mines outside the west of the city for a meager income to support his family. His wife also found a job washing clothes for a wealthy family. The couple lived frugally, and after two years, borrowing some money from the bank, they finally managed to settle down in the northern part of the city.

These poor days passed one by one. Ten years ago, the cry of an infant echoed in the Nie family's small house. Nie Xiaoyu was born. Although Nie Liang was a big and burly man, his daughter was exceptionally delicate and beautiful. From then on, neighbors could see the honest man carrying his daughter on his shoulders through the streets, laughing heartily.

However, years of labor in the mine had also taken a toll on Nie Liang's body. First, he had a persistent sore throat, then a long-term cough, and later he even coughed up blood. But Nie Liang never told his wife or Xiaoyu about any of this. He knew he was the pillar of the family and had to persevere no matter how difficult it was.

One day, Nie Liang collapsed at his doorstep after returning from the mine. His body was burning hot, but his face was pale. After a violent coughing fit, he actually spat blood from his mouth. This greatly frightened Xiaoyu, who was home alone. She cried and asked her father what was wrong. Her cries alerted the neighbors, who helped carry Nie Liang back into the house. However, they were all poor and didn't know what illness had befallen the straightforward man. They could only watch helplessly.

As Nie Liang continued to cough up bloody phlegm, Nie Xiaoyu, standing beside him, forced herself to calm down. She remembered Uncle Fu, who ran the pharmacy in the northern market and was familiar with her family. Her father often went to Uncle Fu's pharmacy to buy plasters for her mother's back pain. Perhaps he could help. So, she entrusted Nie Liang to the neighbors and ran to Uncle Fu's pharmacy as fast as her legs could carry her.

After briefly listening to Xiaoyu's description, Uncle Fu knew the situation was urgent. Without further ado, he grabbed his medicine box and followed the pitiful girl into the downpour.

"Everyone, please disperse. Don't crowd in here. Old Nie needs to rest now."

In the small, simply furnished but very tidy room, Nie Liang lay quietly on the wooden bed. His coughing had subsided, but his complexion was still poor, his eyes were tightly closed, and his breathing was somewhat rapid.

The neighbors who had gathered to watch dispersed when they saw that there was nothing more they could do. Nie Xiaoyu, Nie Liang's wife who had rushed back, Uncle Fu, and Nie Liang remained in the room.

"Uncle Fu, what illness does Father have? Is he better now?"

Seeing that her father was no longer coughing blood, the innocent Xiaoyu mistakenly believed that her father's illness had been cured. She felt grateful to Uncle Fu and was very curious about the white pill the old man had given her father.

"Uncle Fu, what's wrong with Ah Liang? He was perfectly healthy, how did he suddenly become so ill?"

The woman beside her knew that her husband had not been cured but only had his symptoms relieved by taking medicine. Seeing Uncle Fu's solemn expression, her heart tightened. She quickly wiped the tears from her face and asked the old man about Nie Liang's condition.

"Alas, he has lung disease, and he's had it for a long time. I estimate that his entire lungs are almost ruined now. I've temporarily used medicine to alleviate his symptoms, but a cure is simply impossible."

The kind old man hesitated for a long time before delivering this cruel news to the mother and daughter in front of him. The man on the bed was dying. He couldn't bear to deceive this poor family any longer.

The old man's words made the woman unable to control her emotions any longer. She collapsed onto the ground. She couldn't understand why their family, who worked desperately to survive, still suffered such misfortune. Why was heaven punishing them like this?

"Uncle Fu, is there really no way to save Father? There must be, right? Xiaoyu doesn't want Father to leave."

Looking at the little girl tugging at his sleeve, Uncle Fu's heart ached. What kind of sin had they committed for heaven to treat this family this way? They just wanted to live, was that wrong?

"It's not that there's no way, it's just..."

Hearing Uncle Fu's words, the little girl's eyes lit up. She quickly pestered the old man, asking what she needed to do to save her father's life.

"For lung disease of this severity, ordinary medicinal herbs are no longer effective. However, true tonic medicines can help. It is said that there is a high-grade tonic medicine called Jade Screen Immortal Spirit Decoction that specifically treats your father's lung disease. But the price is astronomical, something we commoners can't even imagine. That's why I didn't mention it before."

The hope that had just risen in the little girl's eyes was doused by Uncle Fu's words. Children from poor families mature quickly. She understood very well what the astronomical price Uncle Fu mentioned meant. It meant that even if she worked her hardest for several lifetimes, she might not be able to earn that much money.

"Uncle Fu, where can I buy this tonic medicine?"

The old man was also full of worry at this moment. He carefully took the pulse of the woman who had collapsed beside him and found that it was just shortness of breath caused by excessive grief, which relieved him somewhat. Suddenly, a question came from behind him.

"You should be able to buy it at Hundred Herbs Hall, but it's not certain. I've never seen a tonic medicine of this caliber before. Alas, Xiaoyu, where are you going? Xiaoyu..."

To the old man's astonishment, Nie Xiaoyu once again plunged into the pouring rain outside. At this moment, Qinglan City appeared so cold and desolate, devoid of human warmth...

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