At a sprinting speed like a 100-meter dash, Xiao Huai Dong lunged at the corner and tackled the bearded man to the ground once again.
The bearded man struggled and cursed, “Damn you, let go of me!”
Xiao Huai Dong grabbed his collar and punched him hard in the stomach several times.
The man howled in pain, unable to continue cursing.
By the time Xiao Huai Dong brought him back, Factory Director Liu had already been carried into the car.
“Comrade Xiao, hand him over to us. Hurry and drive Director Liu to the hospital.”
A police officer who looked somewhat familiar to Xiao Huai Dong took the bearded man from him and quickly cuffed him.
Xiao Huai Dong nodded, called Fang Zhiguo to get in, then lifted Xiao Nanchu into the front passenger seat.
Before leaving, he waved at the officers.
“Captain, the commendation letter Director Du asked you to write last time—it was for him.”
Xiao Luo watched the departing car, his face full of admiration.
Zhao Guoqiang was startled. “Xiao Luo, are you saying he’s Comrade Xiao Huai Dong?”
Xiao Luo patted his chest. “I might mistake someone else, but not him. His and his daughter’s hair—it’s different from ours. Very distinctive, right?”
Zhao Guoqiang nodded thoughtfully. “This time, thanks to him, we captured two spies. It’s a pity he works at the steel factory.”
He waved his hand. “Alright, wrap it up. Let’s head back to the station. These two spies need to be thoroughly interrogated. As for Wang Feng, investigate his connections carefully. I suspect there’s more than one spy hidden in the steel factory.”
“Captain, don’t you think this bearded guy looks familiar?”
Xiao Luo quickly pulled out a sketch from his pocket.
After glancing at the handsome man in the drawing, he covered the lower half of the bearded man’s face and suddenly shouted, “Captain, it’s him! This is Zhang Tang—the spy leader Director Du wanted us to find in our county!”
As he spoke, Xiao Luo tore off the fake beard from the man’s face.
A face identical to the sketch appeared before everyone.
Zhao Guoqiang burst into laughter. “Hahaha… after searching everywhere to no avail, we finally got him without effort! Zhang Tang, you’ve finally fallen into our hands. You’re finished!”
The man sneered. “That useless Wang Feng—why didn’t he blow you all up? If it weren’t for that little brat warning you in time, you’d all be blown into pieces just like him.”
Zhao Guoqiang punched him in the stomach. “Still so arrogant at a time like this. Just wait to be shot!”
At the hospital.
After sending Director Liu into the operating room, Xiao Huai Dong took Xiao Nanchu to the pediatric clinic.
“Little Bean Sprout, since we’re already at the county hospital, let the doctor check you.”
Xiao Nanchu wanted to tell her father that she wasn’t sick.
Since childhood, she had been frail and prone to illness, but it had nothing to do with her body—it had to do with her soul.
Every time she fell ill, it was because wandering spirits tried to take over her body.
No matter how skilled the doctor or advanced the equipment, they could never find the cause.
Since coming to the city, Xiao Nanchu noticed there were very few wandering spirits. Even when she encountered them, they showed no intention of taking her body. That was why she hadn’t fallen ill at all since arriving.
Still, letting the doctor examine her would put her father at ease.
“This child has anemia but no other major issues. Give her more goji berries and red dates to nourish her.”
The doctor treating Xiao Nanchu was an elderly traditional physician in his fifties. After checking her pulse and asking a few questions, he reached his conclusion.
Xiao Huai Dong felt the doctor seemed a bit unreliable.
Whether it was the village barefoot doctor or the town physician, they had all said his daughter’s illness was something she was born with—something that could only be managed, not cured.
The village doctor had even said she wouldn’t live past eight.
In his previous life, she truly hadn’t.
He remembered clearly—two days before her eighth birthday, he returned from the city with a cake, only to see her lifeless body.
His family had said she died from a fever, that her fate was short.
But now the doctor was saying it was just anemia? How could he believe that?
“Doctor, please take another look. She used to have frequent high fevers—sometimes over forty degrees, lasting two or three hours without subsiding. No medicine worked.”
The old physician frowned and asked Xiao Nanchu to extend her hand again.
After a long while, he withdrew his hand. The conclusion remained the same.
“Other than anemia and slight malnutrition, there’s nothing wrong. If you don’t trust my diagnosis, take her to another hospital.”
Xiao Huai Dong quickly thanked him and led Xiao Nanchu out.
“Little Bean Sprout, after some time, I’ll take you to Huai City. The doctors there will definitely find the cause.”
Xiao Nanchu nodded obediently.
But inwardly, she wondered how to stop her father from taking her there.
Even in Huai City—or even the provincial capital or the capital city—they wouldn’t find anything.
“Comrade, come here and let me treat the wound on your face.”
A pretty nurse stopped them, staring at Xiao Huai Dong with admiration.
Just as Xiao Huai Dong was about to refuse, several more nurses approached.
Seeing him, they immediately surrounded him, all competing to treat his injury.
Xiao Nanchu was squeezed aside, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
Her father’s face always attracted women.
Back in the countryside, educated young women would frequently visit their home—bringing eggs one day, flour the next—just to get a glance from him.
And now in the city, he was still being bothered.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I have something to do. We’ll be going now.”
Xiao Huai Dong turned to find his daughter.
Seeing her, he quickly pushed past the crowd, strode over, grabbed her hand, and hurried off as if being chased.
Xiao Nanchu rolled her eyes to the heavens.
When they returned to the operating room, the surgery wasn’t finished yet.
Director Liu’s wife, Fan Honghua, and daughter, Liu Fanghua, arrived in a hurry.
Upon seeing Xiao Huai Dong, they immediately stepped forward to thank him.
“Thank you so much, Comrade Xiao, for paying the surgery fee for our Liu.”
Liu Fanghua also bowed gratefully.
Xiao Huai Dong responded modestly.
After waiting with the family for over an hour, Director Liu was finally wheeled out of the operating room.
“The bullet in the patient’s shoulder has been removed. His right leg from the calf down was severely shattered. With our current medical capabilities, we had to amputate to save his life. The good news is that his condition is now stable.”
Xiao Nanchu put her hands in her pockets and raised an eyebrow.
Not bad—he survived.
Director Liu had passed this life-threatening ordeal.