Outside a courtyard deep in the alleys of the west city, under the shadow of a distant street lamp, a handsome young man with a gloomy expression listened to the whispered reply of a skinny man opposite him.
Not long after, the young man took out two kilograms of food coupons and five yuan from his pocket and stuffed them into the man's pocket. "Take a break for two days and come back to see me. Remember one thing, your brother is waiting for you to save his life."
The skinny man bent down and respectfully took it with both hands, nodding repeatedly. When the other party entered the yard, his face immediately changed, and he spat towards the gate with a "Pah" sound.
After walking out of the alley, the skinny man quickly ran to the bus stop in front. Just then, a bus stopped and he looked at the passengers getting on and off. He touched his pocket reluctantly and continued running.
He ran and stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, saw the hospital in front of him, stood there to catch his breath, and came to a ward with familiarity.
Among the eight crowded hospital beds, the skinny man saw his brother curled up in a ball with his knees bent and his arms around his chest, staring longingly at his family members accompanying their children on the bed opposite.
As he approached, his younger brother's eyes lit up with ecstasy, and he said in disbelief, "Brother, you're back?"
"Hairy." The skinny man stroked his brother's head. "Big brother will buy you a bowl of noodles and add your favorite fried egg. Are you happy?"
Maotou tightly grasped the corner of his brother's clothes, rubbing his tears on his chest, and said with a sob: "Brother, I want to go home. I don't want to stay in the hospital."
The skinny man hugged his younger brother. Before he could try to persuade him, a nurse came in and shouted, "Hey, Xu Xiaojun's family, it's time to pay the bill."
How could he not understand why his brother was clamoring to be discharged? Taking the list from the nurse, he smiled and said, "Comrade, I just got back and will hand it in right away. Thank you, thank you..."
The middle-aged nurse wanted to say something to him, but seeing his flattering smile and the sweat on his forehead, she couldn't bear to say anything bad and just said, "Spend more time with the patients when you have time."
Watching the other party turn and leave, the skinny man patted his brother in his arms as he was about to speak: "How many times have your eldest sister and others come here during this period?"
The old patient in the next bed looked at the red-eyed child with pity and said, "Don't ask about your brother. I haven't seen you two sisters come over since you left last month."
"Brother, I don't need them. I have Aunt Lei and Brother Tianming."
The skinny man's face turned extremely grim upon hearing this. Even siblings couldn't compare to outsiders. He'd even come to ask for help before leaving. He hadn't expected the Lei family to be so slow.
The boy suddenly thought of something and hurriedly leaned over to whisper in his brother's ear: "Brother, Tianming is at work now. He asked me to tell you that he has something important to talk to you about."
Surprise flashed in the skinny monkey's eyes, but he quickly understood. This guy was old enough to take over his father's job, so there was nothing strange about it.
"Okay, let's go back to see him tomorrow." The skinny monkey put his brother down. "You lie down for a while. I'll be back soon." As he said that, he picked up the enamel cup on the bedside table.
"Brother, I'm not hungry..."
The skinny monkey winked at him, telling him to stop yelling. It was a rare opportunity to eat a sick meal, and if he hadn't been completely broke before, he wouldn't have missed this opportunity.
After leaving the house, he went to pay the two yuan hospital bill he owed, and then he paid an extra ten yuan. Looking at the twenty yuan left in his hand, he sighed.
He had been doing errands for people this month and thought fifty yuan was a lot, but it wasn't enough. If his parents hadn't passed away and his eldest sister had taken over the job they left behind, he wouldn't have been treated like a dog.
Thinking about the future, the skinny man hardened his heart. It would be soon. As long as his brother recovered from his illness, he and his brother would go to support the construction of the border areas. It would definitely be better than the current life.
In the doctor's office, a skinny man came up to a middle-aged man with a payment slip.
Before he could speak, the doctor sighed, "Xu Dajun, your employer doesn't reimburse you. Do you really want to use imported medicine? The cost is incredibly high."
The skinny man, Xu Dajun, gave a wry smile and nodded. The issue now wasn't the price; it was whether he could get imported medicine for his brother. Why did he work for that bastard from the Liang family? Besides the money, he was hoping he could find medicine.
"Then I'll push it up again."
Xu Dajun was disappointed, but he was very grateful and said a lot of nice things before leaving for the cafeteria.
Holding a bowl of noodles and smelling the aroma, Xu Dajun quickly covered the cup and swallowed his saliva. Hearing the protest from his stomach, he realized that he had not eaten a single bite since getting off the train.
He scraped out two taels of food coupons and seven cents to buy a black steamed bun, chewing it as he walked to the ward. He planned to go home and steam some dry food after his brother fell asleep. If he didn't save money, he probably wouldn't have enough to pay for the rest of the medical expenses.
As soon as he arrived at the ward, he saw several familiar figures inside, and Xu Dajun couldn't help but tear up.
"Da Jun, why are you standing there like an idiot? Come here quickly. Where have you been all this time?" A figure followed the child's cry from the hospital bed, turned his head, grinned, and shouted happily.
If Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao were here, they would definitely recognize this silly boy. Isn't this Lei Tianming, who sold blood for his sister back then? Two or three years later, the skinny boy has grown into a tall and strong young man.
I wonder if it's Zhang Guoqing's influence, but his smile and waving gesture are all his. Add to that his handsome face, and who could tell he once fought with a dog for food?
Even Xu Dajun, who hadn't seen him for only a month or two, was stunned when he saw him. They were both the eldest in the family, both had no father, the only difference being Aunt Lei's presence, but it was still different.
Lei Tianming stood up and pulled him in: "I was just about to go to the cafeteria to look for you. Luckily you came, otherwise it would have been a wasted trip."
"Aunt Lei, Tianming, I'm sorry to bother you during this time. Thank you."
"Why are you being polite? I've watched you grow up... you're just too polite." Aunt Lei took the enamel cup and waved her hand. "Okay, leave this to me. You two brothers go chat outside and don't disturb others' rest."
Lei Tianming pulled him along and said with a smile, "Mom, we'll be back soon."
"No need to rush back."
The two of them left the ward and came to the backyard, where they found a step to sit down.
Lei Tianming looked at him and said, "Dajun, I have already negotiated with the factory. You can go to work now."
Upon hearing this, Xu Dajun looked up at him in surprise.
"Tianliang is only ten years old. When he grows up, who knows if the factory will let him take over my father's job. If he's gone, the job might be wasted in seven or eight years. I've discussed it with my mom and decided to let you take over. Didn't Aunt Xue from the union owe Uncle Xu a favor? As soon as I mentioned it, she already helped pull the strings and is waiting for you to report."
Xu Dajun shook his head repeatedly: "No, this is a job. Even if it's vacant, I can't take up the quota. There are so many people in our slum who want it. No, I really can't."
Lei Tianming laughed sarcastically, "They can have it just because they want it? I'll never forget kneeling and kowtowing before those people, their expressions and their gentle tones."
Xu Dajun patted him on the shoulder and sighed.
"Dajun, I work at an electric motor factory now. I can support Tianliang and Xiaohui's schooling on my own, without my mom. This place really can't be wasted. If you're worried about owing me a favor, you can take care of the family for me in the future. Is that okay?"
Xu Dajun was silent for a long time. He knew full well that this was the Lei family's way of repaying his father's kindness. He knew he shouldn't accept it, but he was truly moved.
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