Chapter 849 — Yu Xiaoke, Miserable Ke? "I Know About That!" Gao Xiaofu Nodded. Both of Them Had Gradually Grown Up Amid Great Joys and Sorrows, and Looking Back at What They Had Done, How Childish It All Seemed. Yet How Few People in Life Had Never Been Childish? And Who Had Not Grown Through Failure?

Zhong Yongliang and Gao Xiaofu's minds had both grown deep and shrewd; they were no longer the reckless brutes who wore their hatred on their sleeves and charged headlong at their enemies. They had learned the arts of scheming and counterplot...

An Liwen had originally thought that an ordinary private clinic would find it extremely difficult to carry out such a kidney transplant. But once he saw the scale of this private clinic, that worry dissolved. The clinic was no small operation - it could even handle routine appendectomies and gallbladder removals. A kidney transplant should be well within its capabilities.

Zhong Yongliang put on an elaborate display of sighing and exchanging pleasantries with An Liwen, then, leaning on Gao Xiaofu for support, walked into the operating room and lay down on the hospital bed.

The doctor first administered anesthesia to An Liwen. To keep An Liwen from getting suspicious, he also ostentatiously gave Zhong Yongliang a shot of "anesthesia." In truth, An Liwen was being particularly cautious this time around. Last time, they had removed the wrong kidney, so naturally he was paying extra attention now.

It was not that he thought Zhong Yongliang would cheat him - he had never once suspected Zhong Yongliang of anything. What use would Zhong Yongliang have for a kidney destined for rejection? Since Zhong Yongliang had promised to return the kidney to him, An Liwen saw no reason to second-guess. His only unease was about the doctor's skill.

After a while, drowsiness crept in, and An Liwen drifted into a deep slumber. Zhong Yongliang, who should have been asleep as well, suddenly bolted upright on his bed, climbed down, glanced at An Liwen fast asleep, spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the floor with venom, and called out toward the surgical preparation room: "Xiaofu, open the door and release the dog!"

"You got it, Brother Liang!" Gao Xiaofu wheeled in a surgical cart. Lying on the cart was a large black dog, already under anesthesia.

"Dr. Zhang, I'll be in your hands for this," Gao Xiaofu said with a beaming smile to the lead surgeon.

"Don't worry - no problem at all!" Dr. Zhang nodded. "I wouldn't dare transplant a human kidney, but a dog's kidney is another matter. Even if it goes wrong, it's no big deal, right?"

"No big deal. If it kills him, so be it," Zhong Yongliang said with a shrug.

The rest was left to Dr. Zhang, while Zhong Yongliang and Gao Xiaofu slipped away ahead of time.

Yu Xiaoke had been in a dreadful mood lately - she was practically becoming miserable Ke. The Qibin Real Estate Company wanted to demolish the orphanage, and she still had no good countermeasure; on top of that, her source of income had dried up. The city's special crackdown on theft and other illegal crimes was in full swing. When Yu Xiaoke went out for a stroll, she found plainclothes police officers patrolling every few steps, leaving her absolutely no chance to make a move.

Moreover, committing crimes in the face of such a crackdown would be tantamount to seeking death. Although what she had done did not yet warrant a wanted notice from Qiu Lingshan, who knew whether Qiu Lingshan had described her appearance to her subordinates? What if she was spotted skulking about?

Still, staying indoors and not making money was not an option either. She could see the orphanage's daily expenses climbing higher and higher - carrying on like this was nothing short of watching their savings bleed dry. Miserable Ke watched it all with her eyes and seethed with anxiety in her heart.

"Xiaoke, what are you doing? Pacing around this room like a headless fly - your master's eyes are spinning and her head is dizzy," the old orphanage director said, unable to hold back when she saw Yu Xiaoke circling about without purpose.

"Master, the police have started a hard crackdown. I can't go out to work anymore..." Yu Xiaoke sighed heavily. "I've got to think of something. Looks like I'll have to put the word out and take on a few big jobs..."

"Sigh, Xiaoke, you've really had it rough..." The old orphanage director looked at Yu Xiaoke with a pained heart. "If only I could show my face in public, I would truly want to share some of your burden... You're only eighteen - you should be carefree, enjoying the best years of your youth. Yet every day such a heavy burden weighs upon you..."

"Master, you're too kind to say that. You treat me like your own daughter - it's only right that I should share your worries," Yu Xiaoke replied. She did not feel she had it particularly hard; after all these years, she had long grown accustomed to it. Right now her whole heart was set on earning some money, so that every child in the orphanage could live a good life.

"Xiaoke, you're not getting any younger either, are you? One of my greatest wishes in this life is to see you marry into a good family, leave behind this bitter life, and build a happy life of your own..." The orphanage director looked at Yu Xiaoke and suddenly spoke.

"Me? Marry? Ha, Master, you must be joking..." Yu Xiaoke shook her head. "Who would dare take me in? I'm a female thief! What decent man would marry me?"

"That's not really important. If you never tell anyone, who would ever know?" The orphanage director waved it off. "Just move somewhere else and start over under a new name..."

"Move somewhere else and start over? No way! What about the children in the orphanage? How could I just abandon them?" Yu Xiaoke shook her head vigorously. "So whoever marries me will also have to shoulder the burden of the whole orphanage... Ha - with that in mind, who would dare marry me? Even if I were beautiful as a celestial maiden, it still wouldn't be likely. And I'm not exactly a celestial maiden..."

The orphanage director sighed and did not pursue the topic further. She knew Yu Xiaoke's mind all too well - until the orphanage's problems were resolved, how could she even begin to think about marriage? And if, as Yu Xiaoke said, a husband would have to help shoulder the orphanage's burden, then it really was unlikely anyone would dare marry Yu Xiaoke at all!

Yu Xiaoke was indeed pretty, but she had grown up wild outdoors, handling knives and spears, and was a female cat burglar besides. What prominent family would take in a girl like that? And as for modest families - who among them could afford to support such a massive orphanage?

Then again, even if those wealthy families were willing to take Yu Xiaoke in, how could they be expected to shoulder such a heavy burden as the orphanage? They might have money, but no one could burn through it like that. The orphanage's annual expenses alone amounted to over a million - and prices these days were sky-high!

The old master shook his head and changed the subject. "You want to take on missions out there? Xiaoke, that's dangerous. Missions on the outside aren't so easy to come by. True, our Feiyan Sect belongs to the thieving trade as well, but compared with those people, we're nothing but petty pickpockets..."