However, Shang Lin had no time to think about it at the moment. With a flick of her finger, she threw the little thing into the Dragon Spirit Tower. Then she glanced at the man as if nothing had happened. His face was normal now, and he wondered how long the little furball had been bothering him.
The men immediately claimed their mountain produce was pure, natural, and pollution-free green food, and bought it all at a high price. At that moment, Shang Lin suddenly felt that he had found a way to make money.
As the saying goes, "Those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near the water live off the water." He immediately decided to go back and go into the mountains to take a look. Before, Old Man Chai wouldn't let him go, but now that he's older and in better health, he should be allowed to go, right?
Shang Lin and Li Hongjin hurriedly went to find Old Man Chai, but the line hadn't moved much. It turned out that they were checking patients while queuing, and then scheduling surgeries at the same time based on the similarity of some patients' conditions.
What else could they do but wait? But Li Hongjin, being somewhat idle and restless, decided to use his tractor to do some odd jobs and earn some money.
Shang Lin is fifteen years old, and Li Hongjin is only eighteen. Because of malnutrition, he is very thin and has to take out his ID card from time to time to prove that he is an adult.
Shang Lin watched with amusement, finding Li Hongjin quite an interesting person. At least he was straightforward, straightforward, and genuinely kind to those he was kind to, and genuinely unkind to those he wasn't. However, while this personality might be perfectly fine for living in a remote mountain village, it would likely cause him trouble in more crowded and complex environments.
Shang Lin probably already considered Li Hongjin as one of his own, so when he was about to go out to work, he couldn't help but remind him, "Be careful, don't be reckless and let others take advantage of you."
Li Hongjin smiled at Shang Lin, "You're three years younger than me, but you sound like my dad the moment you open your mouth..."
"Stop right now." Shang Lin raised his hand and made a stop gesture. "I can't give birth to a son as big as you. Be careful and come back quickly."
Li Hongjin was exasperated. Shang Lin was clearly just a little kid, yet he spoke with such an old-fashioned air, acting more like a father than his own father. But then he drew out his voice and chuckled, "I know, little...brother."
After Li Hongjin left, Shang Lin felt that the world had become quiet, but he didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that the word "brother" in the other party's name should be equivalent to the word "father".
Tsk, Shang Lin subconsciously touched his face. If it were the old him, he would be more than qualified to be Li Hongjin's father, let alone his ancestor. But now...
Haha, he really is a younger brother.
Old Man Chai chuckled from the side, "I wonder what kind of wife Hong Jin will have in the future to keep him in check."
Grandpa Wang, who came with them, immediately chimed in, "His mother was talking to my husband about this yesterday, asking him to keep an eye out for it."
Shang Lin had absolutely no intention of listening to this. Cultivators were generally solitary figures, and even if they wanted to find a cultivation partner, it was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Therefore, he never bothered with that. As for now…
A sickly boy of only fifteen is far from the age of marriage. Moreover, with his abnormal physique, he should not harm any girls. Making money and taking care of his health should be his primary tasks.
Shang Lin glanced at the queue again and said to Old Man Chai, "I think we'll have to wait a while. I'll go buy the chicks first."
Old Man Chai didn't stop him, but told Shang Lin to be careful not to talk to strangers, and that even a young boy should be careful.
Grandpa Wang laughed, "You're raising a daughter more than a son."
Old Man Chai smiled and said, "Aren't daughters and sons the same?"
Despite living with Old Man Chai for three years, Shang Lin knew nothing about him and was not very talkative, only discussing trivial matters in daily life.
Oh, and the way they took care of Shang Lin was exactly as Grandpa Wang described—even more meticulous than the families in the village who raised their daughters. This must be directly related to the original owner's poor health.
Shang Lin quickly bought ten chicks, all of which he could raise, so they could have chicken to eat during the New Year. Just as he was about to go back, his eyes were suddenly drawn to a secondhand shop, because he could faintly sense spiritual energy there.
Goodness, after three years, I can finally feel that familiar presence.
Because the shop sold secondhand goods, it was a real hodgepodge of all sorts of things, so one had to be careful with every step. Shang Lin's eyes seemed to be equipped with detectors as he searched for something with spiritual energy among the chaotic secondhand goods, and it turned out to be a small bronze mirror!
The mirror was so rusted that its original appearance was unrecognizable. A lotus flower pattern could be vaguely made on the back. In short, it was the kind of mirror that was so dilapidated that no one would even pick it up if it were thrown on the ground. It was unclear whether the spiritual energy originated from the mirror itself or whether something with spiritual energy was sealed inside.
Holding the bronze mirror in his hand, Shang Lin could truly feel its spiritual energy. His heart was filled with a bittersweet mix of warmth and sadness, a complex mix of emotions. Tsk, at his age, still acting sentimental. But those who haven't experienced great joy, sorrow, highs, and lows naturally can't understand this feeling.
When Shang Lin rushed to Old Man Chai's side, it was just about time for him to get in line, but Li Hongjin had not yet returned.
Because Grandpa Chai's condition was more serious than that of the two patients in the same village, their surgery times were different, with Grandpa Chai's surgery scheduled for a week later.
Li Hongjin only arrived just as everyone had finished making arrangements and was preparing to return to the village. He was covered in sweat, having done nothing but drive the tractor. After a few teasing remarks, everyone got on the tractor and headed back to the village.
Since cataract treatment could really be done for free, everyone was inevitably excited, except for Shang Lin, who leaned against the car railing and closed his eyes to rest the whole way.
After returning home, Shang Lin washed his hands and said to Old Man Chai, "The mountain products sold well today. I'm thinking of going to the mountains tomorrow to take a look."
Old Man Chai paused in wiping his hands. "You're too young to go into the mountains alone. It's not safe for you. Although our family doesn't have much money, we can at least make ends meet."
Shang Lin immediately disagreed, saying, "Just making ends meet isn't enough. People eat grains and vegetables, so how can they not get sick? And when you get sick, you need money. Godfather's eyes weren't a big problem to begin with. If it weren't for the lack of money for treatment, they wouldn't have gotten so serious."
"Alright, alright." Old Man Chai compromised somewhat helplessly, "You can go, but you have to go with the villagers, and you have to go early and come back early."
Shang Lin paused, somewhat surprised, thinking he would have to explain a lot, then smiled and said, "Okay."
Shang Lin, who was washing his hands with his head down, did not notice the complicated expression on Old Man Chai's face when he looked at him.
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