Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 121 - 118 crazy for monthly tickets, 390 additional - s

Chapter 121: 118 crazy for monthly tickets, 390 additional Chapters

Qin Xi went to dump the dirty water, and Li Xianglu glanced at the person leaving before quickly climbing up and throwing out a bottle of glucose, twisting off the cap and lifting the child’s head to pour it into his mouth. After pouring half of it, she stuffed two anti-inflammatory pills into his mouth and then finished pouring the rest.

When Qin Xi came back in, he saw Li Xianglu squatting on the kang bed, using a wet towel to compress the child’s forehead. Qin Xi gave Li Xianglu a complicated look but didn’t say anything, just sitting quietly and watching.

Li Xianglu had inspected the child carefully earlier and found all sorts of injuries on him, with the worst being a wound on the back of his head that had already swelled up into a large bump. Li Xianglu attempted to touch it and found that it was already festering with a rather large wound. If not treated promptly, it could be very troubling.

His body was riddled with marks from whipping and other abuses; there was not a single uninjured spot.

Li Xianglu frowned and said, "Brother Qin, there’s a serious injury on his head, and it’s festering. What should we do?"

Qin Xi smiled, rubbed her head, and said with a smile, "Do whatever you think is best."

Li Xianglu’s eyes lit up: "How about taking him to the commune’s health center?"

Qin Xi nodded indulgently and said, "Sounds good."

Li Xianglu suddenly asked curiously, "How did you know his name, and so much about his family?"

Qin Xi’s expression darkened slightly, his eyes shifted and he smiled faintly, "Shanghuai Village is not too far from here; I often roam around outside, how could I not know?"

Li Xianglu didn’t doubt him and nodded, "Brother Qin, could you help him change his pants? He’s so thin, my pants should fit him."

Li Xianglu had taken last year’s old cotton pants, washed them, and taken an old pair to sew on the outside making old track pants—black and a bit thin, but still wearable at home. However, she had grown taller in the past six months, and the pants became too short, no longer fitting.

Qin Xi looked at Li Xianglu earnestly, seeing her climb down to get the pants, he chuckled to himself; maybe it really was fate.

With the pants in hand, Li Xianglu turned her back, and Qin Xi quickly wiped down the child’s lower body before helping him into the thin cotton pants.

Li Xianglu looked at the child’s clothes; his garment was a single layer, tattered and layered with patches. Astonishingly, there was straw inside the pants—what kind of family was this, so ruthless? In these hard times, what kind of peasant family would let their child wear straw-lined pants?

Seeing the pity in Li Xianglu’s eyes, Qin Xi chuckled and patted her shoulder, "If you feel sorry for him, treat him well."

Li Xianglu blinked, "So is he staying at our house?"

Qin Xi liked the term ’our house’, his deep eyes smiling warmly, "He can." But he didn’t know for how long.

Li Xianglu nodded happily, "Then I’ll tidy up an old cotton-padded jacket for him."

Qin Xi nodded, then touched the child’s head, finding it not as hot to the touch as before; the child indeed had a tough life.

After sending Li Xianglu back, Qin Xi lay on the edge of the kang bed, looking at the person sleeping soundly. Who could have imagined they would meet so early in life, and in such a way.

Qin Xi looked at the child’s flushed face with some amusement.

The next morning, Li Xianglu got up early and fired up all three stoves: one to heat up flatbreads, one to simmer millet porridge, and one to boil a large pot of water.

She sliced a large plate of pickled cabbage and after a thought, poured some vegetable seed oil into the spoon and heated it over the outside fire before drizzling it on top.

Seeing that no one had arrived yet, she quickly grabbed her old cotton-padded jacket and went outside.

Just as she stepped out, she saw Qin Xi coming out too. Taking the jacket, he said, "He’s awake, the fever’s gone down."

Li Xianglu raised her eyebrows, just like that?

Returning to the courtyard and just having set up the table, she saw Qin Zhen leading in a child dressed in her old cotton trousers and jacket.

With a defiant look on his face, the child glared fiercely at everyone. Li Xianglu, seeing this, smiled and stepped forward, only to see the child nervously backing away.

Qin Xi, standing behind, said indifferently, "Last night, she was the one who wiped your body and gave you medicine, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to stand here all right."

Upon hearing this, the originally stubborn person froze and didn’t move.

Li Xianglu grinned and promptly took the child by the hand to lead him inside.

The breakfast was sumptuous, prepared for the sick. Concerned that greasy food wouldn’t suit the two patients, Li Xianglu cooked eggs. However, following her grandfather’s habit, she boiled one for everyone, five in total, and five pristine eggs now quietly soaked in the porcelain basin.

The child sat down and looked at the steaming hot food on the table in alarm, continuously pursing his lips as he stared at the yellow-tinted buns.

Li Xianglu took out a peeled egg from the water and placed it in his rice soup bowl with a smile, saying, "Eat up. After filling up, we’ll go to the clinic for a check-up."

Xu Wu looked over in surprise, letting him eat?

Seeing this, Qin Xi passed over the chopsticks and said, "Eat up quickly."

The child took the chopsticks and started gobbling down the scalding rice soup, seemingly oblivious to the temperature.

Seeing this, Li Xianglu quickly added a large piece of cool pickled cabbage to his bowl, saying, "Quick, stir it in as you eat, otherwise it’s too hot."

Those dark eyes hidden behind the bowl glanced at Li Xianglu and then started devouring the meal swiftly.

Beside them, Qin Zhen, after taking a bite of the egg, stared at Xu Wu eating and then exclaimed in amazement, "Good heavens, have you not eaten for eight lifetimes?"

Li Xianglu glared at Qin Zhen, took a hot bun, and handed it over to the child, saying with a smile, "Eat slowly, don’t rush, there’s plenty more."

The child looked at Li Xianglu for a long while but didn’t slow down his eating, finishing off a two-tael two-mixed flour bun in five or six bites.

Seeing this, Qin Xi shook his head at Li Xianglu helplessly and said, "Alright, you eat too, don’t mind him, he’ll get used to it eventually."

Mr. Li had heard about this child in the morning and felt sorry for him, so he helped serve vegetables several times and also brought over buns.

The child seemed to have no sense of fullness, asking for more after consuming four or five pieces.

Li Xianglu, seeing this, quickly snatched the bun from his hand and said sternly, "Behave, don’t eat anymore. For lunch, we’re having Saozi Noodles. If you eat this much now, will you still be able to eat later?"

The child’s eyes lit up, and he nodded earnestly, saying, "I can!"

Li Xianglu was rendered speechless and handed back the bun, glancing at the wound on his head. After disinfecting it with alcohol last night, it should be better, but the wound was on the head, after all. It would need to be opened and cleaned inside for it to heal properly.