Chapter 545: Selling myself into slavery to save my father

Seeing that the little girl stubbornly refused to listen to the villagers' advice and insisted on selling the puppy to herself for three taels of silver, Qiao Ran couldn't help but ask:

"Why are you selling the puppies? I can see that you like them very much, why don't you keep them and raise them yourself? Besides, the price is indeed too expensive for the puppies."

Several villagers who were watching the excitement heard this and nodded in agreement.

A kind-hearted woman stepped forward and tugged on Xiaotao's clothes, telling her to change the price quickly, otherwise the business would be ruined.

After hearing Qiao Ran's words, the expectation in Xiaotao's eyes disappeared.

She lowered her head in frustration and said in a low voice:

"I'm sorry, big sister, I didn't want to defraud you of money. If you think it's expensive, just give me some money and take a puppy back!"

Qiao Ran didn't expect that she didn't want to kill him like a fish in water, and she was even more curious:

“Can you tell me why puppies are sold so expensively?”

Xiao Tao lowered her head, her voice full of helplessness:

"Because my father was injured and couldn't get out of bed, the doctor said it would take at least five taels of silver to treat my father's injury, otherwise my father would have to stay in bed for the rest of his life. But my family didn't have that much money, so all my relatives and fellow villagers borrowed it from me. I have spent a lot of money on medicine, and now I only have two taels of silver left. So I want to sell the puppies for three taels of silver to treat my father's illness. The family has no money, and food is running out. If you eat all the food, you won’t be able to eat anymore. The puppies are also suffering in this home. It’s better to find them a rich family so that they can eat well and live well.”

Qiao Ran didn't expect the answer to be like this. She looked at the villagers following behind her for confirmation.

When those people saw her looking over, they all nodded and said that what the little girl said was true and they could testify.

It was the kind-hearted woman just now who spoke:

"Girl, Xiao Tao is also a child with a hard life. Her father went into the mountains to cut firewood last year and broke his waist and legs. He spent several taels of money to see a doctor and get medicine, but they were not cured. Now he is lying like a useless person. In bed, someone had to wait on her for food, drink, and toilet. Xiao Tao's mother couldn't bear the hard life, so she took her younger brother and remarried, leaving only the father and daughter in the family. Xiao Tao was still a child, but she had to serve her biological father and farm. She has to work in the fields and do housework, alas! Although the villagers sympathize with her family, life is not easy for everyone. She has borrowed this money several times, and everyone knows that her family cannot afford to repay it, and it is really difficult. There’s no way to throw money into this bottomless pit anymore.”

When Xiaotao heard the woman's words, she buried her head lower.

Qiao Ran couldn't help but sigh when she understood the reason.

The life of poor people is really too difficult!

She didn't say whether she wanted to buy the puppy, but she asked:

"Little sister, where is your father? Can you take me to have a look? I have medical skills to see if your father's injuries can be cured."

When Xiao Tao heard this, she raised her head with a "swish" sound and looked at the eldest sister in front of her with surprise and expectation:

"Sister, are you really a doctor? Can you really help my father with his medical treatment?"

Qiao Ran smiled and was noncommittal.

Before seeing the patient, she didn't know what the condition was like, and it was hard to say whether she could be cured.

Xiaotao couldn't get a definite answer, but she was still full of expectations. She stepped forward and took Qiao Ran's hand, and took her to a room.

In this dark bedroom, there was only light leaking in from the door and the small window.

On a wooden bed covered with tattered quilts, a thin man lay on the bed, staring blankly upward.

When he heard someone coming in, he turned his head and looked at his daughter first, his eyes full of love and guilt.

"Xiao Tao, it's dad who is useless. It's dad who has dragged you down. If he wasn't afraid that you would be alone if he left, dad wouldn't want to live. Don't worry about dad. Don't waste money. The debt our family owes It's already enough, and I'm afraid I won't be able to pay it back in this lifetime. If dad keeps lying like this, I don't know how long it will drag you down. Just let dad die! Dad doesn't want you to ask the folks to borrow money anymore. "

Xiaotao was startled when she heard her father's words. She rushed forward and took the man's thin hand, which was only skin and bones. She cried and begged:

"Daddy, don't die! Wuwuwu... What if you die and leave Xiaotao alone? Xiaotao only has daddy as her only relative. Daddy can't leave Xiaotao behind. If you die, Xiaotao and Xiaotao won't want to live either. Already..."

The man also shed tears. He looked at the villagers who came in and said guiltily:

"Uncle Jinbao, Brother Dayou, Sister-in-law Zhang, Xiao Huzi, I'm sorry. I know that my family owes you a lot of money. I'm afraid I won't be able to pay it back in this life. In the next life, I will work hard to repay you. In the future, I hope you will For Xiaotao's pity, give her a little tug and don't let her starve to death. I...I can't repay you, I will repay you well in the next life!"

Several villagers looked at him and just sighed.

Xiaotao held her father's hand and kept begging him not to die and not to leave her alone.

After crying for a while, Xiao Tao finally remembered that she had brought a doctor sister in with her.

She quickly stood up, wiped away her tears, and stepped forward to take Qiao Ran's hand.

Suddenly I remembered that my hands were very dirty as I wiped my tears and nose.

He quickly took his hand back, wiped it on his clothes, and asked expectantly:

"Sister, can you help my dad see if it can be cured? The doctor in the city said that my dad's injury can be cured by 70% within three months with acupuncture and medicine, but this has been delayed for several months. I don’t know if my father’s injury can be healed.”

Qiao Ran stepped forward to feel his pulse and check his injuries.

But the man looked at her apologetically:

"Girl, I'm sorry, it's my Xiaotao who is ignorant and has wasted your time. I know this injury and it can't be cured anymore. Girl, don't worry about it anymore. Our family can't afford the consultation fee, so you have to run all the way in vain. Damn, I’m really sorry!”

With that said, the man asked his daughter to get ten copper coins and give them to Qiao Ran as compensation and travel expenses for wasting her time.

Xiao Tao quickly explained: "Dad, this sister is not the doctor I went to the city to ask for, but... I want her to buy our puppy, and then when I talk about your injuries, my sister said she Since you know how to heal, I asked my sister to come and look at it for you."

When the man heard his daughter say this, he apologized to Qiao Ran:

"Girl, I'm so sorry! Xiaotao is not a bad kid, but he just wants to cure my illness too much. That puppy is not worth a lot of money. If you like it, just take one back and raise it. You can keep it at my house." I can't afford it, I have to send it out eventually. As for my illness, I won't bother the girl."

"Daddy!"

Xiaotao screamed.

She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she really had no choice. Her father's injury had been delayed for so long. If he didn't get treatment, there would be no hope at all.

Xiaotao turned around, knelt down in front of Qiao Ran with a plop, and begged:

"Sister doctor, please help my dad! Regardless of whether it can be cured or not, I will give you a puppy for free. If it can be cured...if it can be cured, please save me. Dad! I don’t want my dad to be paralyzed in bed for the rest of his life."

"I only have two taels of silver. If it's not enough for the medical expenses, I'm willing to sell myself as a slave and serve my sister and your family all my life! I just ask you to heal my father! My father can do carpentry and hunting. When he recovers from his injury , I will definitely be able to earn money to support myself, and maybe I can also earn money to redeem me. Sister, please, help us!"

"Xiao Tao!"

When the man on the bed heard his daughter say that she would sell herself into slavery to save herself, he was so anxious that he used his still intact arm to push himself up. He just raised his upper body a little and then fell back with a bang.