Chapter 19

In the fresh morning air, Xiao Yuanhang, as usual, got up at 5:30 and jogged lightly along Futai Road to the West Mountain. At the top, he stretched his muscles, doing some leg presses and waist stretches. A few years after the movie "Shaolin Temple" was released, a martial arts craze swept the nation, and he, being in junior high school, was no exception. He saved up money to buy martial arts books and practiced by imitating the moves. Although these fancy punches and kicks were not very useful, his strength and flexibility steadily increased, and his agility and coordination were excellent. In a sparring match with Gao Hua, a senior student and the school's acknowledged martial arts expert, he knocked him down in less than three rounds, earning the admiration of his classmates.

At school, Xiao Yuanhang's academic performance was above average. He was very smart and only needed to pay attention for the first 15 minutes of class. The rest of the time, he secretly read novels, and his homework was done by his desk mate. After school, he was all about playing. With a bit of effort, he could win first place in math or essay competitions at the school level. He neither formed cliques nor joined gangs; whether it was the top students or the school bullies, they all respected him, making him a transcendent presence.

Even after starting work, he retained his good habit of exercising. Whenever he was at home, he would get up at 5:30 in the morning, run to the mountain, practice some basic moves, and then run back home to wash up and eat.

These three days were his days off. Originally, Xiao Yuanhang planned to stay home and review regulations and study, but Xiao Qiang's hospitalization disrupted his plans. After eating, he went to Aunt Wu's convenience store to buy two cans of preserves, then to the big market to buy a bunch of bananas and a bag of apples, and headed to the railway hospital.

When he entered Xiao Qiang's ward, Wang Dahai was already there, and Dagu, who had been taking care of Xiao Qiang the previous night, had not left. After a night of medication and rest, Xiao Qiang's spirits had improved. Seeing Xiao Yuanhang with so many things, he was deeply moved and said, "Second Brother, you paid for my hospitalization last night, and now you've brought so many things. I don't know how to thank you."

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and waved his hand, placing the items on the bedside table and looking at Xiao Qiang, "What are you thanking me for? We're brothers, so don't be so formal!"

Wang Dahai chimed in, "That's right, Xiao Qiang. Second Brother cares about you. Since we're all buddies, don't be so formal. If Second Brother needs anything in the future, we'll be there for him."

Seeing Xiao Qiang struggle to sit up, Xiao Yuanhang pressed his shoulder, "Xiao Qiang, you don't need to get up. You're weak and need to rest and eat more nutritious food." He then peeled a banana and handed it to Xiao Qiang.

"Thank you, Second Brother!" Xiao Qiang hadn't eaten breakfast and was really hungry, so he didn't hesitate to take the banana and start eating. As he ate, his eyes welled up with tears...

Bananas were a high-end fruit in this era, very expensive in inland cities like Guhe. Usually, when visiting patients, people would buy two cans of preserves or two bags of malted milk powder. Fruits were mostly apples and oranges, and most people couldn't afford bananas, eating them only once or twice a year. Dagu, who had been taking care of Xiao Qiang all night, hadn't eaten breakfast either. His stomach was growling, and he was staring hungrily at the bananas on the table, almost drooling.

Seeing Dagu's hungry look, Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Dagu, don't look at me like a starving wolf. If you want to eat, just take one!"

"Okay, okay!" Dagu, with a sheepish expression, stepped forward and took a banana, then retreated to the side, peeling it and eating it in a few bites.

"Xiao Qiang, what did you have for breakfast?" Xiao Yuanhang, unaware that Xiao Qiang hadn't eaten, asked after he finished the banana.

Xiao Qiang said, "Second Brother, I haven't had breakfast yet."

Xiao Yuanhang frowned, not thinking much of it, and assumed Xiao Qiang didn't want to eat. He said, "How can you not eat breakfast? You just got injured and lost a lot of blood. You need to keep up your nutrition."

"Second Brother, it's like this," Wang Dahai said, a bit embarrassed. "I asked them this morning, but all the money everyone had was used to pay for Xiao Qiang's medical expenses. They don't have any money left for food!"

"Wang Dahai, why didn't you tell me earlier!" Xiao Yuanhang, realizing their financial situation, couldn't help but scold Wang Dahai. He then took out 10 yuan and handed it to Dagu, "Dagu, go to the snack shop and buy some food for Xiao Qiang."

Dagu quickly took the money and asked, "Second Brother, what should I buy?"

Xiao Yuanhang thought for a moment and said, "Rice porridge, tea eggs, and beef buns. Get some pickled vegetables too. Dagu, haven't you eaten either?"

"Yes, I haven't eaten either," Dagu nodded.

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Just eat at the snack shop. Order whatever you want, but come back quickly. Xiao Qiang will need to get an IV soon."

Dagu ran out of the hospital, and Xiao Yuanhang, seeing Xiao Qiang's condition, knew he would be in the hospital for at least ten days. He couldn't stay with him every day, so the only way to ensure he had food was to have him eat at the hospital cafeteria, even though the food was expensive and not very tasty.

Thinking this, Xiao Yuanhang looked at Wang Dahai and said, "Wang Dahai, let's go to the hospital cafeteria and buy some meal tickets for Xiao Qiang."

"Okay," Wang Dahai agreed and followed Xiao Yuanhang out. Xiao Qiang, lying in bed, raised his hand as if to say something but then let it fall weakly, just staring at their backs.

At the hospital cafeteria, they asked the ticket seller if unused meal tickets could be refunded. Xiao Yuanhang bought 20 yuan worth of meal tickets for Xiao Qiang. At current prices, even if the cafeteria food was expensive, this amount would last Xiao Qiang ten to eight days. In a few days, the education department would organize training, and he wouldn't have time to come. He couldn't let Xiao Qiang go hungry.

Back in the ward, Wang Dahai put the meal tickets in the drawer of Xiao Qiang's bedside table and said, "Xiao Qiang, this is 20 yuan worth of meal tickets that Second Brother bought for you. I'll put them here. When it's mealtime, whoever is here can go get your food."

As he spoke, Dagu ran back into the ward with the food, placing it on the bedside table and opening it. "Xiao Qiang, eat quickly. These are beef buns, tea eggs, pickled cucumbers, and porridge. Is it enough? If not, I'll go buy more."

"Enough, enough! Are you feeding a pig? You bought so much, and you spent all the money?" Xiao Qiang saw that there were over ten buns, five or six tea eggs, and half a plastic bag of pickled vegetables. He couldn't eat all of it, and in the summer, it would go bad by noon.

"No, no, it didn't even cost five yuan!" Dagu was really hungry and, at the snack shop, ate like a wolf, finishing eight beef buns, two tea eggs, and a bowl of rice porridge. If he hadn't been thinking about Xiao Qiang, he could have eaten two more buns. He packed ten buns, six tea eggs, a bowl of porridge, and some pickled vegetables and rushed back.

As he spoke, he took out the remaining money and handed it to Xiao Yuanhang, "Second Brother, this is the remaining money. It cost 4.15 yuan in total. The buns were 0.125 yuan each, 18 buns cost 2.25 yuan. The tea eggs were 0.20 yuan each, 8 eggs cost 1.60 yuan. Two bowls of porridge and pickled vegetables cost 0.30 yuan. There's 5.85 yuan left. Count it."

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PS: Starting tomorrow, I'll change the update times. Midnight updates are too tiring, and it's hard for readers to stay up late to read. From tomorrow, I'll update at around 7 AM and 7 PM. Finally, I need to shout one more time: please collect, recommend, and click!