"Five yuan and fifty cents, would you like some scallions? You can add more if you like."
The stall owner was a bit greasy, and his face was full of wrinkles when he smiled. His already small eyes became just slits when he smiled.
Although his eyes were small, they shone with shrewdness.
The man who bought the porridge was a young man with stubble, dark circles under his eyes, messy hair that smelled bad, but next to his trouser leg was a clean and adorable little dumpling.
She had two small pigtails, and her big eyes fluttered like butterfly wings as she faced the vendor. She was so beautiful, but what was strange was that her eyes were completely lifeless, like pretty decorations.
Li Sheng opened WeChat to check his WeChat balance, then skillfully opened Alipay. His brain quickly came up with an answer, which was a little difficult to say, but after looking at the baby, he pursed his lips and forced a stiff, ingratiating smile.
"Boss, can I pay with WeChat or Alipay together?"
A grown man doesn't even have 5.5 yuan on WeChat? Although he felt contempt for someone so young and not doing anything productive, his face was still wrinkled like a flower. As long as he paid enough, that was fine.
"Okay, okay, that's fine. Just show me after you pay."
The street vendor was very cautious. After all, he had seen all kinds of birds among so many people. Even though it was just a few dollars' worth of goods, there were still shameless people who would deliberately skip out on their bill.
I paid 3.2 yuan with WeChat Pay, and when I switched back to Alipay, I saw a balance of 2.2 yuan. A wave of immense shame washed over me, and my throat tightened.
His voice was even hoarser: "Master, give me a penny less."
The vendor was taken aback by what he heard, and his contempt intensified. He was middle-aged and unemployed, and he had to work hard every day to support his family. He couldn't stand these lazy young people. Just as he was about to say something, the little dumpling next to him spoke up.
"Uncle, I'm sorry. Dad used all his money to treat Mom and Tuantuan's illnesses. He used all his money to buy Mom a ticket to heaven. Tuantuan will work hard to earn money when he grows up and help Dad pay back the last penny to you."
Upon hearing this, the vendor was immediately at a loss, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of guilt, feeling utterly inadequate.
She hurriedly packed up the lean meat porridge in her hand, stuffed a lot of the side dishes that had already been packed into it, and even threw in two fried eggs. After packing it up, she forcefully shoved it into Li Sheng's hand.
"Okay, okay! Hurry up and take the kids back for dinner. They might get heatstroke in this heat."
Hearing Tuantuan's words, he became even more numb. He took the items, paid for them, picked up Tuantuan, respectfully said thank you, and left.
The street vendor, a tall, round-headed man standing at 1.85 meters, immediately turned around and began shaking uncontrollably as he roughly picked up his apron to wipe himself.
“Waaaaah~…”
Li Sheng didn't go far; he led the baby to a secluded spot under a bridge.
The lean meat porridge was only the size of his palm. He opened the package and skillfully fed the baby.
The porridge was a little bland, but perhaps it would be just right with Li Sheng's silent tears.
The family of three was once happy, but then the wife was diagnosed with leukemia. They sold their car and house, borrowed from all their relatives and online lending platforms, but they still couldn't keep her.
When his wife was diagnosed with leukemia, their baby was already two months pregnant. He disagreed, but his wife insisted on keeping the baby. When the baby was born after ten months of pregnancy, he thought it would be a perfectly healthy child.
The examination revealed that due to the effects of the medication, the child had severe corneal dysfunction from birth and could barely see the outside world.
The arrival of a new life should have been a joyous occasion, but the diagnosis immediately turned it into a double whammy.
The wife immediately demanded that the treatment be stopped and the money be spent on Tuanzi.
“Honey, even if you treat my condition, it will only add a few more years to my life. But our daughter has a long life ahead of her. She should see the wonderful world. I want her to see more of this wonderful world for me.”
His wife's eyes were full of pleading.
He turned his face away, his expression utterly cold.
“Don’t worry so much. You get treatment, and so does our Tuantuan. We won’t delay anyone. Our family isn’t short of money.”
His tone was somewhat harsh, while his wife was always gentle; a long silence fell over the ward.
He had already sold his house and car back then.
Although Naituan couldn't see much, her other senses were extremely sensitive. Perhaps it was because of the many hardships she had endured that she became exceptionally sensible from a young age.
She took the meat porridge from her father's hand, put it aside, climbed up her father's lap, and sat on his lap, clumsily wiping away her tears with her chubby hands.
"Don't cry, Daddy. Daddy is the best. When Tuantuan grows up, he will work hard to earn money to support Daddy."
He had been silent, even numb, but his daughter's words struck his heart again.
He lifted Tuantuan off his lap and placed her hands on the meat porridge.
"Nonsense, when has Daddy been naughty? Daddy's pee is full and it's leaking from the top. You stay here and wait for Daddy while Daddy goes to the toilet."
The little dumpling nodded, looking confused.
Li Sheng walked away quickly, reaching a spot outside the bridge arch where he could still see Naituanzi from a distance. He buried his face in his hands, squatted down, and burst into tears. Who says men don't cry? That's bullshit! He couldn't hold back at all. How could he be so useless?
He was several months behind on rent, and the landlord finally couldn't stand it anymore and kicked him out. He didn't care, but Naituan was still so young, and the cost of eye treatment was so high. Naituan's life had just begun, and he couldn't let down his wife's dying wish.
All the things he had been suppressing suddenly erupted.
However, it didn't last long. She suppressed her emotions, wiped her face and nose, and walked towards his side.
Tuantuan didn't drink the porridge; she wanted to save it for her father, who hadn't eaten yet either. She had just overheard the frog in her father's belly whispering to her.
"Tuantuan, drink your porridge quickly, or it will get cold."
As I walked over to continue feeding the baby, I noticed that the baby was holding a flyer in her hand.
The flyers were so colorful that he couldn't take his eyes off them.
However, what caught my eye wasn't the design of the flyer, but its content: Wilderness Live Streaming, survive in the forest for a month, with the entire process streamed live. All the rewards from the live stream would belong to the streamer after the event ended, and a million-dollar prize could be won upon successful completion of the challenge.
Below are the registration methods and some competition guidelines.
Li Sheng's hand, which was holding the paper, turned slightly white. He remained silent for a long time before being brought back to his senses by Naituan tugging at his trouser leg.
He squatted down and patted the baby's head with a smile.
"How about Daddy takes you to play games? If we win, we'll have money, and we can pay back all those uncles and aunties. Maybe we can even get money to treat Naitu's eyes."
Milkball added, "And the money from that uncle just now."
He nodded heavily, and suddenly an invisible lightbulb went off in his head as he realized something.
After opening Pinduoduo and performing some skillful operations, 0.01 yuan was received via WeChat.
"Come on, Dad will take you to pay back the money right now."
...
The vendor, who had initially calmed down, turned away again after Li Sheng led the milk ball around once more.
“Waaaaah~”.
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