Chapter 6: Two Mischievous Children

Entering straight from the side of the small convenience shop brought you into the busiest central street of Xingqiu Town, where various shops lined up side by side in a dazzling display. Every year, on the third day of the third lunar month, people from the surrounding counties and villages would flock into Xingqiu Town for its annual market day.

On that day, a theater stage more than a meter high would be set up in the center of town, and local opera troupes would be invited to perform for three consecutive days. Large carts and handcarts loaded with all sorts of local produce would occupy both sides of the street, their owners shouting loudly to attract the throngs of customers swirling about.

Li Jixiang stepped onto the main street and saw, from a distance, several tricycles carrying frame poles heading for the town center. Only then did she remember that the market day was just three days away. Last night, her grandmother, sitting by the stove, had been muttering about setting up a stall at the market to sell off the shop’s old stock.

Cutting through the alley beside the blacksmith’s shop led straight to An Chen’s house. Through the wooden fence, she could see their spacious courtyard. Beside the three south-facing rooms, there was a shed with a roof covered in black tar paper. Through the lifted grass curtain over the door, one could glimpse earthen jars and big straw baskets neatly arranged inside—the family’s workshop for sprouting beans.

The two timeworn, vermillion-painted doors were chained and locked; no one was home. Normally, at this time, An Chen’s mother would be in the kitchen cooking, and An Chen and his elder brother An Ning should be doing their homework.

Just as Li Jixiang turned to leave, an old man emerged from the blacksmith’s shop and, spotting her, said that An Chen and his brother An Ning had both been injured, and her grandmother had gone to the health clinic with An Chen’s mother to help out.

Li Jixiang recognized Old Han from the blacksmith’s shop—his skin was dark and his head large, a man of few words who spent his days forging iron at the front and resting in the back. It was rare to see him come out. Years of hammering iron had dulled his hearing, and everyone called him Honest Ironhead. His voice boomed like a shout, making Li Jixiang’s ears ring.

After thanking Old Han, Li Jixiang hesitated, debating whether to wait for her grandmother at the shop or head to the health clinic to check on things. Catching sight of the floating string of little pink popularity points before her eyes, she immediately decided to go to the clinic—not just to collect An Chen’s popularity, oh no, but to visit the injured An Chen and pick up her grandmother as well. Perfect—what a clever little fox I am.

The town health clinic was at the eastern end of the main street, next to a popsicle factory and a bathhouse. The popsicle factory only closed during summer, while the bathhouse was bustling with people coming and going. Those entering would hunch their shoulders, carrying enamel washbasins and bags of clean clothes; those leaving emerged with glowing faces and steam rising from their bodies, droplets of water beading on their basins and dripping onto the ground as they walked.

Li Jixiang hurried along, nearly bumping into an auntie coming out of the women's bathhouse. She dodged quickly, but still caught a whiff of fragrant soap clinging to the woman—a scent uniquely mingled with the aura of a married woman, oddly affecting.

“Sorry!” Li Jixiang covered her nose and dashed into the clinic’s iron-fenced yard.

In the clinic’s corridor, An Chen’s mother paced anxiously, arms folded and fists clenched. Li Jixiang called out, “Aunt An,” and she immediately turned and hurried over.

“How’s An Chen? I heard he was hurt…”

“Those two rascals, they’ve really made me furious. They’ve never fought to the point of getting hurt like this before. Today, I don’t know what got into them—came home all bruised and battered. The older one’s arm was cut and bleeding, and the younger one’s ankle is fractured.”

An Chen’s mother spoke in a loud, chesty voice. Li Jixiang responded with a few “ohs,” watching as the little pink numbers leaped to 223, secretly pleased.

She looked at the tightly closed door of the treatment room, the frame adorned with two big red characters: “Silence.” Lowering her voice, she continued her expressions of concern.

“It’s nothing serious. Those two little rascals are as tough as old ox hides—they’ll survive anything.”

An Chen’s mother’s shrill voice grated on Li Jixiang’s ears, so she just smiled without replying. She suspected that, despite her words, An Chen’s mother was terribly worried—otherwise she wouldn’t be pacing anxiously outside the treatment room. The clinic’s medical standards were limited; for anything serious, they’d have to go to the county hospital.

“Jixiang, don’t worry—your grandmother will be just fine.”

An Chen’s mother gripped Li Jixiang’s hand, her own trembling slightly as she stared nervously at the door.

Wait, what? Was the wind in her ears just now, or did she hear wrong? Does that mean it’s not An Chen and An Ning inside, but her grandmother? Only now did Li Jixiang sense something wasn’t right. She had been about to ask why she hadn’t seen her grandmother outside.

“What happened to my grandmother?”

Her grandmother had fainted in the clinic. Years of poor nutrition and excessive worry, coupled with the rush of carrying An Chen to the health clinic, had left her exhausted—she collapsed right after setting An Chen down…

An Chen was such a chubby boy, and yet her grandmother had carried him all the way. What a moving act of socialist altruism! Was an ambulance not good enough, or had the old lady gone soft in the head? Were all elders this tough in those days? Thinking of her own grandfather, who after retirement spent his days playing with cats and dogs and dreaming of great-grandchildren—he had only just celebrated his sixty-sixth birthday and already put on an act in a wheelchair every day. Compared to her own grandmother, Li Jixiang felt a pang of sorrow, though she couldn’t say why.

There was only one ambulance at the clinic, and she hadn’t seen it earlier—it must have gone to the county hospital with a critical patient. Oh well, minor injuries and illnesses didn’t even rate a mention. Life in remote, backward places truly had its difficulties.

Worried about her grandmother, Li Jixiang’s mind seethed with complaints. If only there weren’t others around, she would have let loose a torrent of curses. If anything happened to her grandmother, she’d be left with no family in this world. Thirteen years old, just a girl, even if she’d unlocked a wealth system, living alone would be neither safe nor easy. The wealth system might help her travel to this world, but probably wouldn’t care about her survival…

“She received a glucose shot—just needs to rest a bit longer and she’ll be fine. Once you’re home, make sure she gets better nutrition and thinks happy thoughts. If she ever feels unwell, just come find me.”

The male doctor in a white coat removed his stethoscope from his ears and looked at Li Jixiang, a trace of pity flickering in his eyes. Who chooses to be malnourished? It’s only because their family is too poor to afford good food.

“Thank you, Doctor Yuan. I’ll be sure to remind my grandmother to take care of herself.”

Hearing Doctor Yuan’s accent and tone, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu—though she was both anxious and upset, it almost made her laugh. Forgive her, but what a classic scene! Anyone who’s seen “American Beauty” couldn’t fail to recognize it. The moment she saw Doctor Yuan, he seemed familiar, but when he spoke, she nearly burst out laughing.

An Chen’s mother followed Doctor Yuan all the way to the office before returning to the observation room. By then, Li Jixiang’s grandmother had awakened, surprised to see her granddaughter by her side.

“Jixiang, why are you here?”

Her grandmother propped herself up in bed, then tried to get up and look for her shoes. An Chen’s mother hurried over to stop her, pressing her gently back onto the bed. The doctor had advised another hour’s observation, and An Chen’s mother didn’t dare take any chances. If anything happened to Li Jixiang’s grandmother, she couldn’t bear the responsibility.

“Grandma, why did you pass out? You must take better care of your health from now on.”

“I don’t know, everything just went black for a moment and I lost consciousness…”

Her grandmother looked a little embarrassed.

Ding! Watching the little pink number rise to 323, Li Jixiang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Grandma, just stay put and don’t worry. We’ll leave when the doctor says it’s okay. I’ve already paid the medical bills—please don’t worry about that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for the trouble…”

“Nonsense! If anyone’s to blame, it’s my two rascally boys for causing all this trouble.”