Chapter 31

Old Yang and Fang Lingying were just as surprised as Shao Qiming.

After all, Buck was still just a barbecue vendor!

Buck had nothing to be proud of, and he turned to ask Fang Lingying, "Are you coming?"

Fang Lingying felt incredibly pleased inside but quickly composed her expression, "Shao Qiming, a car or external things are not the fundamental measure of whether someone is worth dating. I think you should understand this principle." She sounded quite refined.

But once in the car, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, her head thrown back in the passenger seat, completely losing her ladylike demeanor.

As the car drove away, Old Yang, seeing Ba Dacheng and his coworkers smoking and waiting to close up, patted Xiao Shao's shoulder, "Let's go? Young people's love affairs are different from ours, but I can see that your performance wasn't great."

Shao Qiming was still in shock from the contrast, "He... did he deliberately set a trap for me? How could he possibly have a BMW? I need to investigate!"

Old Yang asked Ba Dacheng how much the table of food cost. Ba Dacheng grumbled that it was fine, as they had heard Xiao Shao's comments when they parked, which is why he mentioned his own car.

Old Yang smiled dismissively and pulled Xiao Shao back to the station. Only when they got into the police car did Old Yang pull out his gun and practice a few draw and shoot movements.

Shao Qiming was a bit surprised, "Captain Yang... what's going on?" They were indeed detectives, but they didn't use guns often, mostly for intimidation. Now, for strong attacks or armed confrontations, they called in the special police, significantly reducing casualties.

Old Yang kept the topic on the BMW, "Leaving aside the BMW, if I were a girl, I'd think that young man was pretty good—refreshing and generous. You were the one trying to provoke him, but he didn't get angry at all. Think about it, when he opened the bottle, he was planning to pour some for both of us. He wasn't angry at all. How about that? You lost a lot of points..." He didn't mention that he lost even more points in his own mind.

Shao Qiming looked miserable, "I... was just blinded by the situation, right?"

Old Yang closed his eyes and leaned back, almost dozing off, "Figure it out yourself..."

He also had to think.

Because in the moment they shook hands, he felt something different from what he had expected, but it wasn't too surprising.

Why was that?

Buck didn't think about it, focusing on driving. Fang Lingying felt a bit out of sorts and quickly composed herself, "You don't know how annoying he is. His family is well-off, so he thinks he's above everyone. He started making demands as soon as he started pursuing me—no more dealing with skulls, no more playing with corpses, and he wants me to aim for an office job as a leader. Who does he think he is? This is nothing compared to what he'd do if he had any real influence!"

But seeing Buck's steady expression, Fang Lingying calmed down a bit from her excitement, "Is it really uremia? That's a costly disease."

Buck nodded, "He does seem a bit anemic... Heh, it's true that poor people often have serious illnesses."

Fang Lingying could sense his slightly low mood. They were almost at the employee hospital, "You go and take care of things, I'll contact the hospital."

Buck wasn't good at this, whether it was the illness or the interpersonal relationships. He nodded and jumped out of the car. Liu Changyuan, who had just woken up after his examination and infusion, looked weak, managing a weak smile, "Brother Ba... I'm sorry to trouble you..."

Buck didn't say anything, just nodded and picked up the light young man, carrying him out with the anxious Liu family. Liu's mother held a stack of test results, and Liu's father, holding the IV bag, looked lost and panicked.

Fang Lingying, while on the phone, jumped out to help open the car door, "Okay, okay, we'll be there soon." She hung up confidently, "Let's go to the medical school's affiliated hospital; the conditions are the best there."

Liu's father thanked her repeatedly. Buck put Liu Changyuan in the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt, then drove off after making sure everyone was seated.

The night was calm, and the car moved silently...

Two hours later, it was well past midnight. After leaving the hospital, Buck dropped Fang Lingying off at her home. The car was silent.

On the way, just by looking at the test results, Fang Lingying could roughly determine it was uremia. Many of the data points were textbook markers, and the lab technicians had even highlighted them. The equipment was indeed advanced, and even this secondary-level employee hospital could perform similar surgeries and follow-up treatments.

But even if the Liu family's financial situation was poor, they still wanted their son to receive the best possible treatment, which would be a significant expense at any hospital.

Buck, though not an expert in treating kidney disease, understood that the word "uremia" meant a series of high costs. The initial surgery was just the beginning; the monthly dialysis and medical treatments would be a huge expense, and they would continue until Liu Changyuan's life ended, extending his life as long as possible, essentially trading money for life.

Having seen blood and death on the battlefield, Buck wasn't overly moved by the unpredictability of life, but he could picture Liu's parents nervously checking their bank statements.

Poverty, a word he had almost forgotten, seemed to reappear in his mind in the clearest way.

Buck could almost see his own parents, who would do anything, even sell blood, their house, or anything they could to save him if something happened to him.

This... suddenly gave Buck a sense of insecurity.

For someone who spent his days in battle, insecurity was a dangerous thing, potentially life-threatening.

Fang Lingying wasn't as cheerful as when they set out, leaning back in her seat with her eyes closed. She called a university roommate, who was very helpful, arranging an affordable ward, basic medication, and nursing, and promising to find the best doctor to perform the surgery. In short, not to waste money.

That was the extent of the usefulness of connections.

Buck still thanked her, "I'm sorry to bother you so late, thank you." He tried to be as sincere as possible.

Fang Lingying didn't want the atmosphere to be so heavy, "When I let you ride with me before, you weren't this formal... Are you close to the Liu family?"

Buck shook his head, "Actually, the relationships in the dorm area are all similar. If his parents hadn't asked me to give him some teenage education, we would probably just nod to each other."

Hearing this, Fang Lingying felt a bit relieved and more relaxed, "Yeah, do what you can to help. What's with the car?" She still didn't believe Buck had managed to get such a car in such a short time, which would cost at least 200,000 to 300,000.

Buck was honest, "It's someone else's, I just drive it occasionally."

Fang Lingying praised him, "That's right, don't go for flashy things. Focus on making your barbecue stand successful, and you'll have a bright future."

Future? Buck didn't seem to care about that. He just needed to get through the next six months to be free, but for the Liu family, it would be almost the rest of their lives.

So he was a bit quiet, driving Fang Lingying back to her studio at the college. Her car was parked there, and she said she was coming back to get her bag. As she got out, she leaned in to the driver's seat and said, "A man should be generous and kind. You did well. Remember, we're friends, and if you need help, just ask." Then she turned and walked in.

Buck raised his eyebrows, kind? He had never heard such a description of himself before, and he chuckled as he turned the car around. At this moment, he really felt the convenience of having a car, but he planned to return it.

Not for any other reason, he didn't need a car to prove anything.

So he left the car on the side of the road and called Wu Tianming, "It's parked on the side of the road outside Railway Village. Come and get it. The keys are under the stone bench."

Surprisingly, the other side invited him out for a drink that night. Wu Tianming, who had been quiet for days, hadn't even reported the car stolen to the police, and no one had questioned Buck. Buck declined, "I'm just a barbecue vendor, I can't afford such high expenses. I go to bed early and wake up early, so... " He hung up and went home, not even glancing at the car, which some people considered a status symbol.

Ba Dacheng was waiting in the yard, "Did you take care of it?"

Buck nodded, "Yes..."

Ba Dacheng, unusually worried, said, "The Lius... this time it seems to be a big hurdle. The neighbors are talking about pooling money?"

Buck shook his head, "I have a plan, don't worry. I'm home now, so there's nothing too big to handle."

Ba Dacheng actually believed him, "Yeah, you're back... it feels like the family has a backbone again." He didn't mind giving up his role as the head of the family.

Buck felt a bit heavy, hugging his father's shoulder as they went home, "Aren't you still the head of the household on the household registration?"

The sisters, yawning, were leaning on each other on the sofa. Seeing Buck come in, they managed to call out "Good night, brother" in a sleepy voice before going to bed. Liu Shufen, feeling sorry for them, covered them with a towel blanket before coming out, "They were waiting for you to come back... Liu San..."

Buck stopped her, "Mom, go to bed early. Don't worry, I have it under control. I have to set up the stall tomorrow." He pulled out the sofa bed and went to sleep. Now, only he and Ba Dacheng slept outside.

In the middle of the night, as usual, he could feel the sisters passing by to use the bathroom, pulling the blanket up for him. Buck pretended to be asleep.

The next day, Liu Shufen went to the women in the neighborhood. The contribution for the Liu family was 100 yuan per household. Since they weren't rich, if everyone in the dorm area contributed, it would be a few thousand yuan, which was the norm. Without consulting Buck, she gave 200 yuan.

There was still some gossip, as some said that since Liu San worked at Buck's barbecue stand, he should also contribute to the medical expenses.

People in state-owned units were like that, full of gossip, especially when it came to small calculations.

Mainly because the barbecue stand was doing well, they were a bit envious...

Liu Shufen was angry and wanted to argue, but Buck silently held her back, pretending nothing had happened.

PS: A new week is coming, and a new recommendation list starts. Are you ready with your recommendation votes? Last week, we were new and accumulating votes, but this week, we need to rise up!

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