My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 541: Saving Little Nuomi

Looking at her weak daughter, Nuomi, on the hospital bed, she hesitated for a long time before deciding to call her husband.

Her gaze inadvertently fell on the business card Zhang Lei had left behind, and she remembered what her mother-in-law had said.

A voice inside her kept urging her: Should she give it a try? What if the other party really had a solution?

Finally, she suppressed her inner turmoil and carefully read every line on the business card:

After midnight, hold the card in your hand and silently call out "Pawnshop Number Four" to arrive. You can pawn anything to get what you desire.

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was midnight.

Little Nuomi's mother stood alone in the hospital corridor, clutching the card tightly, calling out "Pawnshop No. 4" in her heart over and over again.

When she shouted for the third time, the scene in front of her suddenly changed.

The once familiar street has been completely transformed; the No. 4 pawnshop under the night sky exudes an eerie, sinister, and solemn atmosphere.

This place seems to be isolated from the real world; it is a completely unfamiliar and special realm.

Little Nuomi's mother cautiously entered the pawnshop, and upon seeing Zhang Lei and the three women behind him, she was utterly shocked: "It's you?"

Zhang Lei remained calm and said in a low voice, "Please sit down."

Little Rice's mother asked anxiously, "Can you really help me?"

Zhang Lei nodded: "As long as you are willing to pay the corresponding price, I can help you achieve whatever you desire."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Nuomi's mother instantly broke down, knelt down, and cried out, "Please, please help me, save Xiao Nuomi!"

Zhang Lei quickly stepped forward to help her up: "Stand up first, and slowly explain what happened."

Then, Xiao Nuomi's mother tearfully recounted the whole story of her daughter's leukemia diagnosis.

Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua, who were standing behind Zhang Lei, all frowned after hearing this.

Ye Shuhua was about to say something when Ye Shuqi stopped her in time.

Zhang Lei pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I can cure Xiao Nuomi, freeing her from all her pain and ensuring her a life free from illness and disaster. The price is that you will have to give up one year of your life."

Little Nuomi's mother looked on in disbelief: "You think I can trade just one year of my life for my daughter's health?"

Zhang Lei nodded slightly.

The next instant, a contract appeared out of thin air in front of the woman.

"Sign this contract, then bring Xiao Nuomi to the pawnshop, and I will take action to completely cure her illness."

Little Nuomi's mother, with trembling hands, signed her name without hesitation.

With a wave of Zhang Lei's hand, the woman was instantly back in the hospital corridor, as if everything that had just happened was just a dream.

She didn't dare delay and immediately returned to the ward, picked up the sleeping Xiao Nuomi, and rushed to Pawnshop No. 4 that very night.

Zhang Lei invited the mother and daughter into the store. Looking at the pale, weak, and sleeping Xiao Nuomi, he sighed softly.

He gently lifted the child onto the table, chanting obscure and difficult-to-understand incantations, while repeatedly pulling and grasping at the little glutinous rice with his hands.

A dark, blood-tinged, filthy substance was completely removed from the child's body.

Ye Shuqin immediately brought over a glass jar, and Zhang Lei sealed the pathogenic substance inside.

Then, he gently stroked the top of Little Rice's mother's head and successfully took one year of her lifespan.

In just a short while, Xiao Nuomi's complexion visibly became rosy, her sickly appearance completely disappeared, and she regained her health.

Little Nuomi's mother witnessed this miraculous scene. Seeing her daughter completely unharmed, she was so moved that she knelt down again to express her gratitude: "Thank you, thank you for saving my child."

Zhang Lei smiled faintly and said, "It's just an equal exchange. You pay the price to get the result you want."

Looking at the unusual environment of the pawnshop, the woman pinched herself lightly, still feeling that everything that had happened tonight was incredibly unreal.

After the mother and daughter left, the pawnshop returned to silence.

Ye Shuhua couldn't help but ask, "Master, you clearly have the ability, why can't you just help them directly? Why do you have to charge a price and make these seemingly cold transactions?"

Zhang Lei smiled and said, "The three of you agreed to the rules of the pawnshop when they were first established. After all these years, can't you still see through the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and the gains and losses of humankind?"

Ye Shuhua shook her head: "Even a hundred years from now, I still won't be able to see through it. Little Nuomi is so well-behaved and adorable, I really can't bear to take away a year of her mother's life."

Zhang Lei sighed inwardly, feeling helpless. Without the lifespan and opportunities gained from pawning, the four of them would not have been able to survive peacefully for long.

He patiently explained, "There are gains and losses. People never know how to cherish things that are too easily obtained."

At this moment, Ye Shuqin stepped forward, gently tapped Ye Shuhua's head, and said, "What the master said is right. There are countless joys and sorrows in the world, and we cannot interfere with everyone's fate. We are just ordinary people, only with longer lifespans. Moreover, the master has already been exceptionally lenient and merciful in tonight's transaction."

Ye Shuhua looked puzzled: "Mercy? Where did we lose out?"

Ye Shuqin slowly explained, "According to the pawnshop's past trading rules, curing this fatal ailment would require at least ten years of lifespan to be pawned."

Ye Shuqi nodded in agreement.

Ye Shuhua suddenly realized what was going on and immediately stepped forward to hug Zhang Lei's arm, smiling as she admitted her mistake: "It turns out I misunderstood you, sir. You've always been so kind-hearted."

Zhang Lei shook his head helplessly and earnestly instructed, "From now on, we should just focus on running the pawnshop and ensuring smooth transactions. When facing the mundane world, we should remain bystanders and not interfere in other people's lives. We are inherently different from ordinary people; just stay true to yourselves."

Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua listened attentively, nodding repeatedly as they took the words to heart.

Just as the group was chatting, a violent shaking suddenly came from outside.

Zhang Lei frowned, stood up and looked outside.

A monk stood outside the door, holding a staff, wearing a kasaya, with a solemn expression, constantly chanting Amitabha Buddha.

Zhang Lei immediately retorted angrily, "You stinking monk, what are you doing? Trying to destroy the house?"

The monk clasped his hands together and responded softly, "Amitabha. This humble monk, Kongwu, noticed that this place is shrouded in yin energy and has a strange aura, so I came here specifically to investigate."

Zhang Lei stared at the monk named Kongwu in front of him and sneered.

"You stinking monk, stop spouting nonsense. You say this place is eerie and sinister, but I'll say it's a place of blooming flowers, peaceful and serene."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Lei casually waved his hand.

In an instant, the entire No. 4 pawnshop was filled with a radiant light, its interior glowing and warm.