As Xu An rode his tricycle out of the street corner, he saw an old man selling candied hawthorns by the roadside.
Xu An then realized that he had forgotten to buy the candied hawthorns and stickers he had promised Xu Kang and Xu Le.
As Xu An was selecting candied hawthorns, he suddenly saw a tall, thin figure dart past him and walk into a house with a sign that read 'Traditional Chinese Medicine'.
This figure looks like my uncle. What is he doing here?
"Grandpa, do you know what kind of business that building across the street does?"
The old man selling candied hawthorns looked at the spot Xu An pointed to, grinned, revealing his few remaining teeth, and said with a smile, "There's an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor in there who specializes in treating infertility. He's very skilled, but he also has a bad temper. He only serves customers introduced by acquaintances and doesn't treat those who are having babies."
A traditional Chinese medicine doctor specializing in infertility? It seems my uncle hasn't given up on having children and has started to believe in folk remedies and superstitions.
The old man selling candied hawthorns tugged at Xu An's sleeve, gesturing for him to lower his head.
"I heard that this old Chinese medicine doctor is amazing; many infertile couples who came to see him got pregnant shortly afterward. It's incredible!"
"Old man, have you heard how he was treated?" Xu An felt that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The old man shook his head: "If I knew, would I still need to sell candied hawthorns here?"
Seeing that the old man was also unaware of the situation, Xu An did not press further. He stood near the old man, watching the opposite side, waiting for his uncle to come out.
After waiting for a while, his uncle still didn't come out. Xu Gan couldn't just wait there indefinitely; he still needed to go to the Zijing Garden construction site to pick up Xu Heping, otherwise he wouldn't be able to bring everything back on that bicycle alone.
Xu An could only buy two strings of candied hawthorns, put them in a styrofoam box, and head towards the Zijing Garden construction site.
Just ten minutes after Xu An left, his uncle-in-law walked out of the house with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune and walking briskly, his face full of pride.
Xu Heping counted the remaining boxed meals on the stall: "One, two, three, four, five. We've been setting up the stall for almost two hours, and there are still five of these thirty boxed meals left. Sales are getting lower and lower."
Turning my head to look at the fried noodle stall next door, I saw that the five-yuan egg fried rice was selling very well.
Looking across at the row of fast food restaurants, besides the workers, there were also a few nearby residents mixed in.
Only my stall was incredibly deserted.
'Should we move the stall to the other side of the street?'
While Xu Heping was pondering, Xu An returned on his tricycle.
"Hey Heping, how are your sales?"
"It's not good. Of the thirty boxed meals we sold, only five are left. I just heard Uncle Dongliang say that the food in the factory canteen has returned to normal, so I guess even fewer people will be willing to come out and eat here in the future."
"Those customers who are willing to come out and spend money have been snatched up by those fast food restaurants across the street. Things should get better after their promotion ends." Xu An got out of the car to help pack up the stall. They had also arranged for a tractor to move the freezer; if they delayed any longer, it would be too late.
"It'll take at least three to five days. How's business on your end?"
"It's not bad. The fast food restaurants over there mainly sell to local residents, so the prices are a bit high. Our eight-yuan boxed meals are very attractive to the workers, and maybe in a few days we can even attract nearby residents or office workers."
Upon hearing this, the fried noodle stall owner was immediately intrigued. He took out a cigarette, offered it to Xu An, and politely asked, "Where do you set up your stall now, young man?"
"Just wandering around other construction sites," he said hastily, and the two left together.
'Pah!'
The noodle stall owner spat on the ground, rubbed his foot on it, and looked at the two people's backs with some displeasure.
'You two brats, don't think I can't find you just because you didn't tell me.'
Upon arriving at the market, the tractor driver was already waiting at the entrance. Xu An and Xu Heping hurriedly entered the market and found Lao He's dried goods shop.
The sign for Lao He's dried goods shop had been taken down, leaving only an empty doorway. All the shelves inside had been moved, leaving only the freezer that Xu Anding had ordered.
The freezer looks like it's been cleaned. Last time I came, there was some dust and water on the bottom of the freezer, but now it's all cleaned up.
Xu An connected the power supply and tested it. After confirming that there were no problems, he greeted Lao He and, with the help of Xu Heping, lifted the freezer into the tractor's cab.
The hand-held tractor's cargo box was large enough to fit a freezer, and it also loaded the two men's tricycle and bicycle. Xu An and Xu Heping squeezed into the front seats with the tractor driver, and the tractor bumped along towards Xujia Village.
Halfway there, the tractor driver received a phone call, and Xu An overheard a few key words in the conversation.
"Want to have a child?" "Traditional Chinese medicine doctor?" "Need an introduction?"
These keywords, when put together, reminded Xu An of the old traditional Chinese medicine doctor across from the construction site of the Shanghai Library.
"Master, I just heard you mention the old Chinese medicine doctor on the phone. Could it be the one across from the Shanghai Library construction site?"
The tractor driver was stunned. He looked Xu An up and down and said in disbelief, "No way, young man, you're only in your early twenties and you're already going to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor?"
......
"I asked for a relative. He's been married for seven or eight years and still doesn't have children. I heard about it and wanted to keep an eye out for him," Xu An quickly explained.
"Oh." The tractor driver came to his senses: "Then that's the right way. Going to see this old Chinese medicine doctor will definitely not be a problem."
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