X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerLate at night, a sick child was rushed to the factory hospital. Seeing the child’s small face utterly devoid of color from the excruciating pain, the doctor on duty immediately instructed the staff to take them to the emergency room.
After the examination, and having inquired about the child’s condition from their parent, the doctor already had a general understanding of the situation.
“Don’t worry,” the doctor said, observing the child’s parent. The tall, burly man’s face was ashen, clearly from fright. “It’s acute gastroenteritis. You brought them in promptly, so the symptoms aren’t too severe yet. I’ll prescribe some glucose for them shortly. Please ensure they’re well looked after; the child might experience vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.”
Song Wenbin nodded frantically, carefully committing the doctor’s words to memory. His face was etched with remorse. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have let the child eat that burnt meat.”
Seeing Song Wenbin’s profound self-reproach, Xiang Chen felt a pang of guilt himself. His uncle had acted with nothing but good intentions; it was his own thoughtlessness that had caused this.
“Uncle,” he whispered, tugging at Song Wenbin’s sleeve, his voice weak and reedy from illness. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I secretly ate so many candies. I’m sorry…”
The doctor, who was in the midst of writing out a prescription, couldn’t help but chuckle at this. A couple of candies wouldn’t cause such a severe illness. Yet, seeing the child’s earnest attempt to comfort the adult, the doctor couldn’t resist teasing him. “Just how many did you sneak?”
Xiang Chen, however, thought the doctor was asking about his condition. He quickly recalled, stammering, “Six… six pieces. They were all milk candies…”
Xu Hengzhou hadn’t left him many candies when he departed, perhaps only ten or so. Xiang Chen had rationed them, one a day, leaving six. He had eaten all of them last night.
The doctor glanced at Song Wenbin with surprise, thinking, ‘This family’s circumstances must be quite good, to let a child eat so many candies.’
Song Wenbin paused, then instantly understood that Xu Hengzhou must have bought them. His eldest nephew had money and coupons, and he didn’t usually interfere. Buying some candies to eat was hardly an issue.
“Doctor, is eating candy alright?” Song Wenbin asked, worried he hadn’t explained the situation clearly and might affect the diagnosis.
The doctor shook his head, smiling. “It’s fine, but you shouldn’t let children eat too much candy. It’s bad for their teeth, and moderation is key.”
The doctor arranged for Xiang Chen’s hospitalization, then instructed a nurse to lead them to a ward. Song Wenbin gently picked up Xiang Chen and followed the nurse.
****
When the doctor arrived with the medicine, Xiang Chen was hunched over the bedside, clutching his stomach and vomiting. The full force of the illness had hit him, leaving him utterly miserable.
The nurse deftly hung the IV drip, asked Song Wenbin to hold him steady, then took Xiang Chen’s hand to prepare for the injection.
Xiang Chen’s hand was chubby, and when straightened, a small dimple appeared on the back of his hand. He cast a pitiful glance at the needle in the nurse’s hand before turning his head away, murmuring, “Sister, please be gentle…”
The nurse couldn’t help but smile, and her movements unconsciously softened.
The doctor watched from nearby as the injection was completed, then praised Song Wenbin with a beaming smile. “Very good. The child is quite well-behaved.”
Acute gastroenteritis was no easy affliction; even some adults were severely tormented by it. For a child so young not to cry or fuss was indeed remarkably well-behaved.
Song Wenbin settled Xiang Chen onto the bed. The doctor instructed him, “No food for half a day. We’ll reassess the situation this afternoon.”
“Understood, thank you for your trouble,” Song Wenbin replied gratefully, seeing the doctor out.
Turning back, he saw his child lying listlessly on the bed. Song Wenbin sighed again, fetched some water, washed Xiang Chen’s feet, and then sat by the bedside, keeping watch.
Xiang Chen was tormented by vomiting and diarrhea throughout the night. At one point, the IV needle even came loose, requiring the nurse to re-insert it. He only began to feel slightly better by morning, finally drifting into an uneasy sleep on the bed.
Song Wenbin hadn’t slept a wink all night. Checking the time, he greeted the auntie accompanying the patient in the next bed, asking her to keep an eye on Xiang Chen for a while. Then, he rode his bicycle home to pack their belongings.
Xiang Chen was expected to stay in the hospital for several days. Song Wenbin packed his clothes and shoes, and also brought a thermos. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient for the child to drink hot water at the hospital.
Furthermore, meals posed a challenge. The doctor had said Xiang Chen needed to fast today, with the possibility of consuming some liquids in the evening. Song Wenbin rummaged through the kitchen. Cornmeal paste was too thick, and he dared not give him eggs now. Fortunately, there was a small half-bag of flour, which he wasn’t sure when his eldest nephew had bought. A flour paste should be suitable.
After last night’s incident, Song Wenbin dared not cook himself. Although he knew Xiang Chen’s upset stomach was due to the burnt meat, he wasn’t willing to take any chances.
So, Song Wenbin carried the small half-bag of flour downstairs to find Granny Li. Because Xiang Chen got along well with Liangliang and Little Tiger, Song Wenbin had a good relationship with both families, who were all honest and kind people. Song Wenbin handed the flour to Granny Li, entrusting her to cook some flour paste for Xiang Chen that afternoon.
****
Hai City.
Xu Hengzhou woke early, ate the breakfast prepared by Xu Youliang’s wife, then grabbed his bag and headed to the black market with Xu Youliang.
He hadn’t slept well last night. Whether it was unfamiliar surroundings or something else, he had woken up several times, feeling a persistent unease in his heart.
After leaving, Xu Hengzhou made a detour. Xu Youliang didn’t understand why, but he accompanied him anyway.
Not long after, a train from the south pulled into the station. Xu Hengzhou asked Xu Youliang to wait outside while he went in. A short while later, Xu Youliang saw Xu Hengzhou strenuously dragging a large burlap sack towards him. The bag on his back, which had been empty last night, seemed to be full again.
Xu Youliang quickly went to help. At a certain point, Xu Hengzhou revealed a somewhat smug expression.
Xu Youliang untied the rope on the sack, opened it, and peered inside. His face immediately flushed crimson. He looked at Xu Hengzhou with an expression that seemed to say, ‘How could you?’
“How about this? With these, I reckon I can trade for anything I want!” Xu Hengzhou boasted. “What can a hundred yuan buy? Luckily, I knew my brother was taking this train and managed to intercept some things from him.”
Xu Youliang continued to stare at the contents of the bag; the variety was astounding, far more extensive than what he had seen last night.
Rice and flour were common goods, but there were also some rare fruits. Besides these, a small bag contained a jumble of fountain pens and ladies’ silk scarves, vibrant and beautiful. The high-quality fabric was crumpled into a ball, making even Xu Youliang, a man, feel a pang of pity.
Xu Hengzhou adjusted the bag on his back, urging Xu Youliang, “Let’s go. I’m on a tight schedule; I told my family I’d be back tomorrow.”
Xu Youliang quickly hoisted the burlap sack onto his back, smiling ingratiatingly at Xu Hengzhou as they walked. “Brother Xu, with so many things, could you trade me some more?”
Xu Hengzhou glanced at him, seemingly disdainful of his eager demeanor. After Xu Youliang pleaded for a while, Xu Hengzhou finally relented. “Alright, I’ll take a look first. If there’s extra, I’ll trade with you.”
“Yes, yes, good!” Xu Youliang, inexplicably feeling a head shorter than this child twenty years his junior, carried the burlap sack like a small attendant.
The first place they went to wasn’t far from the train station. Before entering, Xu Hengzhou discussed with Xu Youliang that Xu Youliang would handle the purchases, and they established a secret signal for the quantity needed.
Xu Youliang was now completely at Xu Hengzhou’s beck and call, playing the front man as instructed. Moreover, he was quite good at bluffing, effortlessly exuding the aura of a big shot. Crucially, the quality and quantity of the goods they displayed were so impressive that people, after a moment’s thought, instinctively concluded such individuals were not to be trifled with.
Thus, with the excellent goods Xu Hengzhou produced, every transaction was a success. Everyone who saw their merchandise clamored to trade with them. Xu Youliang glowed with pride, sternly ordering people to form a line while they leisurely made their selections.
Xu Hengzhou wasn’t particularly picky. He wasn’t lacking rare items; rather, he needed common provisions suitable for daily consumption in this era. This meant they could exchange a small amount of their goods for a large quantity of others. Soon, they had accumulated so much that the two of them could barely carry it all.
Yet, Xu Hengzhou had no intention of retreating. It was a rare trip, and not buying enough would be a waste. So, he frowned and told Xu Youliang to continue buying while he took the accumulated goods back to find a place to store them.
Xu Youliang assumed he meant his own home, which was not close to this area. However, Xu Hengzhou explained that his brother had a friend living nearby. He wasn’t very familiar with them and hadn’t wanted to trouble them, but now he had no choice. He would leave the goods there, and his brother could take them back when he passed through.
As the subordinate, Xu Youliang could only agree. Just as he was about to remind him to be careful, the young boy casually pulled a gun from his bag and asked, “Want this for self-defense?”
Xu Youliang and the people lined up in front of him fell silent in unison for a moment. Even in the black market, people just wanted to discreetly trade for some necessities to supplement their families; essentially, most were honest, ordinary citizens! No one had ever seen anything like this—suddenly pulling out a gun without a word.
“Forget it if you don’t want it.” Seeing Xu Youliang frantically shake his head, Xu Hengzhou mumbled, stuffed the gun back into his bag, and then walked out with the traded goods.
Once outside, after ensuring no one was following, Xu Hengzhou found a secluded spot to store the items in his spatial dimension, then went back to find Xu Youliang. With one buying and the other storing, they quickly emptied out all the desired goods from this considerable black market.
Xu Youliang’s burlap sack had shrunk by more than half. They had more activities planned for the afternoon, so the two decided to eat out for lunch. Xu Youliang insisted on treating, and Xu Hengzhou indulged him.
After the morning’s events, Xu Youliang completely abandoned any ulterior motives. What kind of family was this, where a child carried a gun? He asked for nothing else, only hoping that when this young master ate meat, he would at least be allowed some broth.
In the afternoon, the same activities continued as usual. Xu Youliang and Xu Hengzhou had now developed a slight rapport, cooperating well and collecting goods even faster. Eventually, when Xu Youliang’s burlap sack was empty, Xu Hengzhou began pulling items from his own backpack.
Ever since he had pulled a gun from his bag, Xu Youliang hadn’t dared to even glance at it. So, although Xu Hengzhou produced slightly more items, Xu Youliang merely assumed the bag was very full and didn’t think much of it.
After a full day of running around, Xu Hengzhou secretly checked his spatial dimension. Excellent. Even if chaos erupted in a few years, he wouldn’t be afraid. With so many provisions, even if all income ceased, these alone would be enough to sustain a family of three.
Xu Hengzhou immediately went to the post office, taking out the items he had prepared long ago. Three sets of thick woolen sweaters and pants: Song Wenbin’s set was black, his own gray. For the child, he couldn’t find many dark colors, and those available weren’t very appealing. After some hesitation, Xu Hengzhou chose bright red. His child had fair skin, and red would look good on them.
Additionally, he unpicked several cotton quilts, removed the cotton batting, and packed it separately. It could be re-made later into thick quilts or padded clothes. While collecting goods in the black market, he had acquired quite a bit of rural homespun cloth. It looked unremarkable, but he felt it would be quite comfortable as quilt lining.
When he took this thick, heavy package to mail, the young lady at the post office counter was astonished, looking at the pile of items with envy. Other employees and people who had come to mail things also crowded around to marvel.
“What wonderful cotton!”
“Indeed! So much of it, enough to make several thick quilts!”
“The sweaters are nice too. Look at the pattern, truly beautiful.”
“Such vibrant colors, such good quality…”
Someone, seeing that the sender was a young boy, approached Xu Hengzhou and asked him to spare some cotton.
Even though summer was approaching, who wouldn’t be tempted by so much good cotton? Cotton was scarce on the market now. A family might rely on just two quilts for winter, and the cotton batting inside would turn black and hard over time, offering no warmth at all.
Some impoverished families had children with no padded trousers in winter, or only one pair, which would be worn by whoever went out. Those who stayed home would spend the winter with bare legs, sitting under a quilt.
Although Xu Hengzhou wasn’t entirely clear on such dire circumstances, he was accustomed to planning ahead. After collecting goods for several months and noticing no cotton, he knew it would likely be difficult to buy.
The quilts at home weren’t thick enough for winter. If he didn’t resolve this now, it would be difficult to come out again once he returned.
So much cotton was incredibly eye-catching. Xu Hengzhou found himself surrounded by a group of adults. Fortunately, the post office staff helped him out of the predicament.
After mailing his items, Xu Hengzhou returned the favor. He gave a knowing look to the few people who had just helped him, and sure enough, some followed.
In a less crowded area, Xu Hengzhou took a small, tightly packed bundle of cotton from his bag. The older brothers and sisters who had followed were not oblivious; they exchanged glances, one standing guard while the other went back to gather money from colleagues. Together, they bought the bundle of cotton.
Though not a large quantity, if divided, it would be perfect for making a close-fitting cotton vest or a pair of cotton shoes.
Holding the money, Xu Hengzhou felt a slight satisfaction. He had spent a considerable amount on this trip, so he needed to save a bit more to feel at ease.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore I’m the Villain’s Father, and I Beat Up My Simp Son. Start reading now!
Read : I’m the Villain’s Father, and I Beat Up My Simp Son
