Chapter 44 A Thief Steals from the Hospital
The dough was as soft as a cloud, melting in your mouth with a gentle chew, releasing the juicy meat filling with a delightful "sizzle." The filling was savory with a perfect balance of sweetness, while the pungent aroma of the scallions, like a match, ignited all the flavors. He took another bite, the meat pieces bouncing between his teeth, the dough and filling radiating a vibrant freshness.
"What...what kind of bun is this?" Hou Defa asked indistinctly, with oil still sticking to the corners of his mouth.
"Pork and scallion." Su Yingxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then pointed to the steamer next to her, "That's a three-delicacy bun, with greens, mushrooms, carrots, and eggs. Would you like to try some?"
Hou Defa was wiping his mouth with a tissue when he heard this, his eyes widened: "You've made three delicacies again?"
Su Yingxue stuck out her tongue: "This isn't a new recipe, I'll just try it... but don't worry, I'll definitely make you the savory pancakes and sliced meat tomorrow!"
"Pah!" Hou Defa suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling the auntie serving food next to him. "How am I blaming you for changing the menu?" He pointed to the steamed buns in front of him, a smile playing on his lips. "I'm saying... you little rascal, you've got a pretty good knack for messing around with things!"
He took a big bite of the bun, ignoring the soup splashing onto his clothes, and mumbled indistinctly, "This meat filling...tsk tsk, it's even better than the old-fashioned one downstairs from my house! The dough is so fluffy, it feels like chewing cotton..." He turned to the cafeteria lady and boasted, "See? This is really delicious!"
Su Yingxue was embarrassed, her ears turning red, and she quickly handed over another three-delicacy bun. Hou Defa was stunned when he took a bite—the sweetness of the greens mixed with the rich flavor of the mushrooms, the crispness of the egg and carrot shreds, and the soup was even more delicious than the meat bun.
"Goodness!" He gave a thumbs up. "You little rascal, this basket of steamed buns today is even more eye-opening than the savory pancakes I've had before!" Then, turning sternly, he added, "But you have to send me savory pancakes first tomorrow! And don't forget the Fuding pork slices!"
Su Yingxue nodded repeatedly, secretly glancing at the remaining buns in the steamer—in the rising steam, it seemed as if Hou Defa's earlier words, "You've managed to pull off such a haphazard mess," were still floating in the air.
Moonlight streamed through the window and onto the dining table. Hou Defa, holding a steamed bun, suddenly muttered to himself, "Tomorrow...can you save me a couple of three-delicacy buns tomorrow?"
Su Yingxue smiled and said, "Okay!"
Night had fallen. Whether it was because it was the first time selling steamed buns or something else, there weren't many people in the cafeteria. A few more people left after checking the prices, but Su Yingxue wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, she hadn't prepared much for the first day, and the video's popularity was slowly fading, so she was happy to have some free time.
At midnight, the hospital cafeteria was so quiet that you could smell the disinfectant in the distance. Su Yingxue was tiptoeing to clean the last few three-delicacy buns in the steamer when she was startled by a loud bang on the door. Three dusty figures burst into the cafeteria. The policeman in the lead had a dusty canvas bag tucked under his arm, and the two behind him were escorting a man wearing a black mask.
"Excuse me!" the tall policeman shouted. "This kid tried to steal something from the convenience store but broke his leg and just came out of the orthopedic clinic!"
Su Yingxue then got a clear look at the man being held captive: around twenty years old, his left ankle was swollen like a steamed bun, his trouser leg was stained with blood, he walked with a limp, and every step made him gasp in pain. He was wearing a black mask, and there were bruises around his eyes. He was huddled in his clothes, trembling.
"Stabilize your feet first!" The short policeman pressed down on the man's shoulder. "Stealing things in the middle of the night, specifically targeting the alley behind the hospital? Don't you know this building is full of seriously ill patients?"
The man hung his head, silent, sweating profusely from the pain. As Su Yingxue handed him a towel, she noticed mud splattered on his sleeves and a crack in his shoe, revealing bleeding toes. Su Yingxue squinted at him; he looked vaguely familiar. She said, "Are you hungry? Want to share a steamed bun?"
"So expensive?" The tall policeman frowned as he looked at the price. "This kid won't say a word. He says he's starving. Fine, I'll buy one!"
Su Yingxue quickly packed a pork and scallion bun and poured a cup of hot water. The man took the bun with trembling hands, and his eyes widened suddenly the moment he took a bite—the aroma of scallions mixed with meat juice exploded on his tongue, the dough was as soft as a cloud, and the soup slid down his throat, scalding his eyes until they turned red.
"How...how can it taste so good..." he mumbled indistinctly, with scallions still stuck to the corner of his mouth. "I'll tell you everything you ask."
The two policemen exchanged a glance, and the shorter one suddenly burst out laughing: "Oh ho, these steamed buns have a reforming effect?" The taller one chuckled as well: "How about... we get a couple of three-delicacy buns too?"
Su Yingxue quickly packed two more three-delicacy buns and handed them to the police officers.
The man slowly swallowed the steamed bun, then suddenly knelt on the ground with a thud. The police were about to reprimand him when he choked back tears and looked up, saying, "I...I confess! I'll give you everything...Please don't send me to the detention center...I...I never stole anything from the hospital..."
The tall policeman helped him up and tapped the canvas bag: "Why didn't you behave this way earlier? What's in this canvas bag?" He opened it and found several boxes of fever reducers and a crumpled hospital bill with the name "He Xiuyu" written on it.
"My mom's in the hospital..." the man said, his voice trembling with tears. "She has complications from diabetes and suddenly fell into a coma last night... I wanted to buy her insulin... but I only have a few dozen yuan left..."
Su Yingxue's hand trembled, and hot tears suddenly fell onto the steamer. The tall policeman sighed and shoved the buns from the plastic bag into the man's arms: "You need to eat well to have the strength to correct your mistakes! Next time bring your mother, I'll have this young lady steam some buns for you!"
Su Yingxue sighed and said, "How much does he owe? I'll help him pay it off! It's so cold, it must be tough for him." She knew she had felt terrible when her grandmother was hospitalized because she was broke. She wanted to help others.
As the clock struck twelve, the aroma of steamed buns filled the cafeteria. Police escorted the man to give a statement; before leaving, the shorter officer handed Su Yingxue a business card: "Girl, don't go out alone at night anymore. Just give us a call and we'll come!"
Su Yingxue wasn't a pushover. A few days ago, she had seen this young man buy a savory pancake from her, but every time he came, he would keep his head down and not say a word, only buying one at a time. He seemed reluctant to eat it.
It's a bit pitiful that he's broken his leg now. Everyone makes mistakes. With the help of others, he certainly won't go astray.
The next morning, as the morning sunlight streamed through the gauze curtains of the hospital room, she went to her grandmother's room and brought her food. They also chatted about interesting things.
After a while, Su Yingxue pushed open the door to room 309, carrying a thermos.
A familiar figure was curled up beside the bed—it was the young man wearing a black mask from last night, now staring at the ground with red eyes.
"Awake?" Su Yingxue placed the thermos on the bedside table. "I brought you breakfast." She glanced at the IV drip in the young man's hand and added, "This is millet and pumpkin porridge, it's good for the stomach."
The young man looked up abruptly, tears still clinging to his nose: "Where...where's my mom?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping.
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