CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 47: PASSING BY EACH OTHER

Jiang Xingye’s clothes fluttered in the wind, drawing the attention of passersby.

He had a handsome appearance, but his face was expressionless. His almond-shaped eyes did not show affection; instead, they were indifferent and cold, fierce and harsh, so no one dared to comment that his appearance was unkempt.

Watching Xu Qinghuan and Yu Xiaomin enter the hospital, Jiang Xingye continued walking into a small alley without pause. A middle-aged woman hurriedly ran towards him, almost colliding with him.

He frowned, stopped in time, and moved to the side. The woman bumped into the wall, turned her head, and shouted in disbelief, "Xiao Ye," with surprise, wariness, and fear in her eyes.

But Jiang Xingye had already lifted his foot and left.

A man in his forties or fifties chased after them. Seeing Jiang Xingye, he was equally taken aback and almost reflexively swung a stick at Jiang Xingye.

Jiang Xingye’s eyes were sharp like electricity. He glanced sideways at the man, as if looking at a madman, and kicked him away.

The man lay on the ground, wailing. He cursed at the woman, "Ma Zilan, hurry up and help me, you raised a fine son!"

Ma Zilan looked at the man with a mix of fear and heartache, rushed over angrily, picked up the stick, and hit Jiang Xingye a few times, "You worthless wretch, who told you to hit people for no reason?"

Jiang Xingye kept walking straight ahead without turning back until he walked out of the alley.

Only the dull sound of the stick hitting flesh echoed in the alley.

Xu Qinghuan registered for a surgery consultation. The doctor examining her was a middle-aged woman, very kind, speaking in a gentle and soft voice, "Where do you feel uncomfortable?"

"I was beaten, bruised, and a bit sore," Xu Qinghuan calmly stated the facts.

The female doctor was quite shocked but didn’t say much more, "Close the door and take off your clothes so I can have a look!"

Yu Xiaomin closed the door and waited outside.

Xu Qinghuan lifted her clothes. The female doctor saw the bruises on her smooth skin, which was quite a shock, and it took her a while to recover.

She had Xu Qinghuan lie on the bed, pressed her internal organs, and asked her to feel where it hurt and where it didn’t.

After a while, she said, "The internal organs should be okay, but you must pay attention to yourself. If you feel uncomfortable, be sure to seek medical attention promptly. I’ll give you a diagnosis note."

As she picked up the pen, she asked again, "Who hit you?"

"I’m a new educated youth, and it was someone from the educated youth station," Xu Qinghuan said aggrievedly.

This doctor, surnamed Song, was the head doctor at the People’s Hospital. She had a daughter about the same age as Xu Qinghuan, who had also gone to the countryside, and she was very worried.

Perhaps it was a mother’s instinct, but Doctor Song couldn’t help feeling compassion for Xu Qinghuan. She wrote a more severe diagnosis on the note and required Xu Qinghuan to rest for at least three days, stating that if she experienced any discomfort, she should seek medical attention immediately.

"You educated youths are still so young, you must take good care of yourselves outside."

As she handed the diagnosis note to Xu Qinghuan, Song Yanqing couldn’t help but say.

Xu Qinghuan received it with both hands, sincerely thanking her, "Thank you, Doctor Song!"

Until she exited, she didn’t encounter any opportunity to show her talents like she used to in Shen City. Xu Qinghuan’s eyes searched like radar, but everything was calm and orderly, leaving her no chance to display her skills.

"What did the doctor say?" Yu Xiaomin asked with concern.

"Nothing serious, don’t worry," Xu Qinghuan said, holding her arm. "Let’s first go eat something at the state-owned restaurant, then go to the supply and marketing cooperative to get some things. If we have time, do you want to visit the recycling station?"

She had heard from a best friend in her past life that typical female protagonists often went to recycling stations, so Xu Qinghuan wanted to try her luck.

After all, it’s rare to come once, and who knows when the next time will be.

"Sure, you go ahead and plan."

Yu Xiaomin didn’t mind; she indeed came to accompany Xu Qinghuan.

She had one sister, two brothers, and two younger brothers. She was the fourth child. Unlike her older sister, the first daughter of her parents, or her older brothers, who were boys, the younger brothers were more cherished twins. As a girl caught in the middle, she was neither expected at birth nor noticed as she grew up, much like wild grass growing naturally.

Luckily, she had always had good grades and never relied on her family. As a child, she secretly saved and sold garbage. After finishing middle school, her family didn’t plan to let her attend high school, but since she was too young to be sent to the countryside and happened to be admitted to high school, she stayed in the city for two more years.

This time, when she went to the countryside, she had only the twenty yuan she had saved since childhood. Her family only prepared a four-jin cotton quilt and a not-so-thick cotton coat for her.

Therefore, Yu Xiaomin had nothing to buy and only entered the city for Xu Qinghuan.

Xu Qinghuan originally planned to eat braised pork, but after some thought, she opted for two bowls of simple noodle soup, costing eight cents and requiring two liang of grain ration vouchers each.

The broth only had soy sauce and green onions, but Yu Xiaomin ate happily. The hot noodle soup counted as one of the most delicious things she had ever eaten.

Coming out of the state-owned restaurant, Yu Xiaomin tried to give twenty cents to Xu Qinghuan, "And there’s the egg cake from the morning. Qinghuan, thank you for treating me to such delicious food!"

Xu Qinghuan pretended to be angry, "You came with me this time, shouldn’t I treat you to a full meal? I’ve said it already, if you insist on being so clear about things with me, you shouldn’t have come to the county with me."

Yu Xiaomin, fearing she might distance herself, quickly coaxed, "Okay, okay, I won’t give you the money, is that okay? Then I’ll go with you to the supply and marketing cooperative!"

Thinking that there would always be opportunities to repay for the meals secretly and not letting her good friend know, she figured she’d find a way to return the favor eventually.

"Okay, good!" Xu Qinghuan finally looked pleased, "Let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative."

Xu Qinghuan bought a new washbasin and a new tea mug, as there wasn’t much else worth buying. After checking the merchandise inside for a while, they left.

"Qinghuan, don’t you already have an enamel basin? Why buy another one?" Yu Xiaomin had borrowed Xu Qinghuan’s enamel basin before and was worried that her friend bought a new one because she considered the old one dirty after she used it.

Indeed, Xu Qinghuan found the basin dirty, but it wasn’t because of Yu Xiaomin. Though she had a cleanliness fetish, Yu Xiaomin was also very hygienic, keeping all her attire and belongings neat and tidy.

"That enamel basin was something I brought from home that my cousin and family had all used. I didn’t really want it, but didn’t want it to go to them cheaply, so I brought it along."

Xu Qinghuan said, "If you want it, I can sell it to you for fifty cents. What do you say?"

Xu Qinghuan didn’t say she’d give it to her for free, and Yu Xiaomin was very happy about that. The unease she felt from eating Xu Qinghuan’s food was now much lessened, for she felt that being good friends meant not taking advantage of her.

"Sure!"

The enamel basin had a peony flower pattern and was about 70% to 80% new, with only a few minor chipped areas. If she were to buy one, it would cost three yuan and fifty cents and require a voucher for a washbasin.

She didn’t even have grain vouchers, let alone a washbasin voucher.

At fifty cents, it was like half-giving it to her.

Yu Xiaomin felt grateful in her heart. She was good at working, thinking that if Qinghuan ever went to work, she could help her out.

It was still early, so Xu Qinghuan took Yu Xiaomin to the recycling station. They happened to pass by a Xinhua Bookstore with a sign outside recruiting foreign language translators. She took note of it.

When the two of them entered the recycling station, they saw Jiang Xingye emerging, both hands holding a steel bicycle rim. His almond-shaped eyes glanced coldly in Xu Qinghuan’s direction, and he brushed past her without a word.