“William Clark, what are you standing there grinning about by yourself...” After asking the doctor, Brian Cooper returned to the ward and didn’t see William Clark, so he ran out to look for him. Who would have thought he’d find William Clark standing alone in the little park, grinning foolishly, so he called out to interrupt him.

I have to go to work tomorrow. I’ll try to find time to write after stewing some meat tomorrow night, but there will probably only be one update.

Chapter 6: Please, Save Him!

After lunch, William Clark and Brian Cooper packed their luggage and took a taxi to the train station. By the time they arrived, it was nearly one in the afternoon. Today is the sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month, and people who spent the Mid-Autumn Festival at home are starting to return. At the entrance, passengers lined up in a long queue, waiting to enter the station.

They went to the ticketing area, which was even more crowded, with a sea of people packing the huge square so tightly that there was barely any room to move. Even though there were many police officers maintaining order, it still seemed a bit chaotic. Some people had started lining up here as early as dawn, and fruit peels and scraps of paper could be seen scattered all over the square.

Brian Cooper went to the front of the line, pulled out a thousand yuan, and said to a young man in the second spot, “Bro, do me a favor and sell me your spot.” With that, he stuffed the money into the young man’s hand.

The young man didn’t say a word, just slipped the money into his pocket and gave up his place.

A moment later, Brian Cooper came over to William Clark holding two sleeper tickets, waved them in his hand, and said, “How about it? Not bad, right!”

“Yeah, not bad, you’ve got a bit of that rich kid vibe!” William Clark looked at Brian Cooper and grinned mischievously.

“Get lost.” As if he knew what Brian Cooper was about to do, William Clark ran off just as Brian Cooper shouted the word, causing Brian Cooper’s flying kick to miss completely.

The two of them joked and tussled their way to the waiting hall. Compared to the chaos outside the train station, the waiting hall was much more orderly, but there were still long lines at the ticket check. Brian Cooper used the same trick to get them two spots near the front again.

The train sped along, and the scenery outside the window flashed by quickly, retreating like walls flying past. On the country roads, motorized tricycles were loaded with corn cobs, filling the beds to the brim. William Clark seemed to see the joyful smiles of farmers in the fields, happy with their harvest.

After watching the scenery for a while, William Clark got bored, told Brian Cooper, and lay down to sleep. He didn’t know how much time had passed when a commotion woke him up.

Opening his eyes, he saw Brian Cooper coming in from outside. William Clark sat up on the bunk and asked, “Brother Jun, what’s going on outside? Why is it so noisy?”

“Sigh, don’t mention it. In the next compartment, a little kid choked on a peanut while eating, and now he’s having trouble breathing!” Brian Cooper sat down on the bunk, looking frustrated, and slapped the bedboard hard. “Damn it, why didn’t I study properly when I was in school?”

Seeing Brian Cooper’s regretful expression, William Clark thought, maybe this is why Brian Cooper could become his friend! He didn’t have a trace of that spoiled rich kid attitude.

“Come on, Brother Jun, let’s go take a look!” William Clark quickly got out of bed and called Brian Cooper to go to the next compartment.

Watching William Clark walk out, Brian Cooper suddenly remembered that William Clark was a doctor. Even though he knew William Clark didn’t like studying medicine and had poor grades in school, he had at least learned some family medical skills, so maybe he’d have a way. He hurried after him.

“Please, I beg you, save my grandson! He’s only four years old! Please, save him!” As soon as William Clark reached the door of the sleeper compartment next door, he heard an old voice inside, tinged with tears and pleading.

William Clark and Brian Cooper squeezed through the crowd and saw two train police officers and a female attendant in her twenties comforting the old man: “Uncle, please don’t worry. We’re already looking for a doctor in every carriage.”

“Please, please save my grandson...” The old man didn’t seem to hear the attendant’s words, just kept holding the child’s hand and repeating himself.

Standing at a distance, William Clark looked at the child lying on the bed—a little boy about three or four years old. His face was bluish-purple, he was still breathing, but lying on the bunk, his hands were desperately scratching at his neck, his eyes rolling back. His mouth and nose made wheezing sounds like a bellows.

Seeing this, the child was probably about to suffocate. Brian Cooper sighed and said, “He needs to be sent to the hospital immediately for a tracheotomy.”

One of the train police glanced at them, saw that Brian Cooper seemed to know a bit about medicine, and said, “The nearest stop is Shenhǎi, but it’s still a 20-minute ride. This child...” The officer also sighed and shook his head helplessly.

Looking at the fragile little life lying on the bed, Brian Cooper gently tugged at William Clark and whispered, “Well, do you have any ideas?” Although Brian Cooper spoke very softly, the others in the compartment still heard him. Everyone’s eyes turned to William Clark, especially the child’s grandfather, who looked at him with hope written all over his face.