Wealthy beyond measure, yet you call me a sister-supporting-brother demon?

Old Zhou finally returned, and seeing his eldest son in such pain, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Changlin, Dad's back, don't be afraid. Dad promised, I'll spend everything I own to get you treated, don't worry!" Fortunately, Changlin's injuries didn't seem too serious, and he wasn't bleeding much.

Zhou Changlin looked at his father, then at Pan'er, then at Yuzhu and Yufeng who were shedding tears. His will to live became incredibly strong. He was determined to survive, he was determined to stand up again.

Zhou Yuchuan returned with Zhang Langzhong, who had been running all the way, wiping away his tears.

Doctor Zhang examined Zhou Changlin's wounds and took his pulse. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Zhou Changlin was a child he had watched grow up; he was diligent, filial, and righteous. How could he have ended up in such a predicament? He said to Old Man Zhou, "Changlin has suffered internal injuries. His kidneys are likely bruised, and his spine is broken. To save Changlin's life, it will cost at least fifty or sixty taels of silver, and possibly as much as seventy or eighty taels."

"What did you say?" Old Zhou wiped the tears from his face and looked up abruptly.

"Sigh!" Doctor Zhang sighed. "To save Changlin's life, it will cost at least fifty or sixty taels, and possibly as much as sixty or seventy taels. I can't treat Changlin's injuries; you'll have to go to town for treatment."

Old Zhou looked anxious. "Doctor Zhang, are you sure you can tell? Does it really cost that much money?" Changlin didn't seem to be seriously injured.

Doctor Zhang knew what such a large sum of money meant to a farmer, and he didn't feel offended. "Brother, although I can't cure Changlin's injury, I can tell that it will cost at least fifty or sixty taels of silver. I'll give Changlin some basic treatment first, and then you can immediately take him to town for treatment. We can't delay."

Old Zhou's face was so wrinkled it could trap a fly.

Yuan Pan'er, Zhou Yuchuan, Zhou Yufeng, and Zhou Yuzhu stared intently at Old Man Zhou. "Father, let's quickly grab the silver and carry Changlin to town! We're afraid it will be too late if we wait any longer! Doctor Zhang said we can't afford to delay even a little bit!"

"Alas!" Old Zhou sighed heavily.

He then asked, "After spending this money, will Changlin be completely cured?"

Doctor Zhang told the truth, "With this money, Changlin will at least survive and will probably be able to stand up again, but he may not be able to do heavy work in the future. To fully recover to his previous state, his internal injuries need to be treated, which I estimate will cost several hundred taels of silver."

"Sigh!" Upon hearing Zhang Langzhong's words, Old Man Zhou sighed heavily again, but this time with a sense of relief, as he had already made up his mind.

With tears in his eyes, he looked at Zhou Changlin and said, "Son, I'm sorry. I'm not capable enough. I don't have a few hundred taels to treat you!"

Yuan Pan'er had already seen through her father-in-law's unspoken meaning. She immediately knelt down in front of Old Man Zhou, "Father, we don't ask for a complete cure for Changlin, we just want Changlin to live! A few dozen taels of silver is all we can afford!"

Zhou Changshui curled his lip. "Sister-in-law, you make it sound so easy, 'only a few dozen taels of silver'! A few dozen taels is a huge sum! Where would our family come from!" He had completely understood what Doctor Zhang had said. From the implication, even if they spent sixty or seventy taels, his elder brother might not be able to stand up, and even if he could, he wouldn't be able to do heavy work. Forget logging and chopping firewood, his brother couldn't even work in the fields. What was the point of saving him then? Wouldn't that be spending a few dozen taels to save a good-for-nothing who just wants to freeload?

This money absolutely cannot be spent! It's a complete waste of money; only a fool would spend it!

Ma Xiangqin also said, "Sister-in-law, Doctor Zhang said it might cost seventy or eighty taels. Even if it costs seventy or eighty taels, my brother might not be able to stand up again. We've saved this money penny by penny. How can we just throw it away like this? Even if you throw stones, at least you'll hear a sound!"

Zhou Changshui added, "Our family's meager savings are barely enough to cover Changsen's schooling, let alone afford to treat my elder brother's injuries!"

Wang Chunxiang wiped away her snot and tears, feeling that Pan'er's words made sense, and it seemed that her second son and his wife also made sense. She just felt sorry for her eldest son, and Wang Chunxiang started crying again with ups and downs.

Old Zhou didn't say anything, letting his second son and his wife confront his eldest son's wife.

Yuan Pan'er ignored Zhou Changshui and Ma Xiangqin. The money was in Old Man Zhou's hands, so she only went to Old Man Zhou. "Dad, you promised before that if Changlin got injured in the logging team, you would save him even if it meant going bankrupt. A real man keeps his word, and you can't just talk big."

Zhou Changshui raised his hand and said, "Yuan Pan'er, how dare you talk to your father like that? Do you believe I'll slap you?" He made a move to hit Yuan Pan'er.

Zhou Yuchuan, Zhou Yufeng, and Zhou Yuzhu hugged Zhou Changshui tightly. Zhou Changshui kicked hard, sending Zhou Yuzhu tumbling over.

Zhou Changlin lay on the stretcher, his eyes wide with rage, pointing a finger at Zhou Changshui. "Second brother! I'm not dead yet, and you're already bullying my wife and children!" It was as if he had used all his strength to say those words, and Zhou Changlin's face turned even paler after he finished speaking!

Old Zhou tapped his pipe. "Second son, you've gone too far!" He turned to Yuan Pan'er and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, I know you're anxious, but you can't forget the hierarchy of elders. I did say I'd spend everything I own to treat Changlin's injuries, but I didn't expect it to cost several hundred taels. Even if we sold the entire Zhou family, we wouldn't have several hundred taels. Our family still needs to live."

Yuan Pan'er sneered, "Father, Doctor Zhang just said that fifty or sixty taels of silver would be enough to save Changlin's life, and there's a good chance he'll be able to stand up again. He just can't do heavy work. Don't we have fifty or sixty taels of silver in our family? By the way, fifty taels of silver is just the tuition for Changsen's Confucian studies and a year's worth of tuition, but it's still a life for our Changlin."

“My sister-in-law said that this money was saved up penny by penny. It’s true, Changlin earned it by getting up early and working late to chop firewood in the mountains, work in the fields, and do odd jobs in town. How come when he’s facing a life-or-death situation, he can’t use the money he earned to save his own life? Dad, do you think that makes sense?”

Old Zhou's tears had long since dried. Yuan Pan'er's words were like a whip lashing his old face. He frowned deeply, his face full of anger.

Seeing this, Zhou Changshui shouted, "Yuan Pan'er! You disrespectful wretch! You're arrogant now, but wait until my brother is gone, and see how I beat you up!"

Zhou Changlin clenched his fists in hatred. He was filled with resentment! Why hadn't he listened to Pan'er? He shouldn't have gone to the logging team! Ha! If Dad wants to go to the logging team, then let him go!

He felt sorry for his father, but who felt sorry for him? In the end, only Pan'er and his son and daughter felt sorry for him.

He realized it too late!

No, it's just that Dad pretended too well!

Yuan Pan'er had already seen through their true colors, so she stopped wasting words with them. She grabbed Zhou Yuchuan and said, "Yuchuan, you're fast! Hurry up and find your grandparents and your uncle, and ask them to come and save your father! It will be too late if we're too late. No matter what, your father can't die!"

Zhou Yuchuan ran quickly toward the village behind the mountain.

……

Yuan Sheng rushed to Donglaishun to find Manager Cao. Manager Cao, seeing Yuan Sheng panting and sweating profusely, knew something terrible had happened. On their previous meetings, Yuan Sheng had always been calm; he had never seemed so anxious before.

"Brother Cao, my brother-in-law broke his back after being hit by a tree trunk. He urgently needs a good doctor to take a look. Can you introduce me to one?"

"Brother Yuan, don't worry. The best doctor at Miaoshoutang in Laiyuan County, Dr. Zhong, happens to be seeing patients in Qingshan Town. I've known him for a long time. I'll have him go and see your brother-in-law right now," Manager Cao instructed Qingchun.

Saving lives was the priority, so Zhou Qingchun immediately caught up with Manager Cao's carriage and headed to Miaoshoutang. The two of them picked up Doctor Zhong and rushed to Dongshan Village. Doctor Zhong was carrying a medicine box containing silver needles and medicinal herbs that might be needed to treat his back injury.