Brother Fang's Bookstore is an old bookstore that Jiang Mingxin discovered near the No. 1 Middle School in the county. The walls are mottled and the eaves are low, but it retains the old style of the 1920s and 1930s, with blue bricks and black tiles. The house is filled with various books, and there are some flowers and plants outside the house that cannot be named.
A chubby tabby cat sleeps on the doorstep every day.
This is a shop run by a lame old soldier named Fang. He charges only 1 cent for people to read books here for a whole day, and also provides free tea.
Jiang Mingxin has been here for two days.
"Girl, who did you learn English from?" Brother Fang refilled her enamel cup with peony tea. "The American veterans I met before spoke in this tone."
Jiang Mingxin smiled and said, "There used to be a guy called Chou Laojiu in the village. He turned out to be an engineer. I secretly learned from him."
Brother Fang nodded. "No wonder, you're such a smart kid. It's a shame, my bookstore won't be around for much longer. You don't have to pay me when you come in. Just read whatever you want."
"What? You don't plan to open a bookstore anymore?" Jiang Mingxin was a little surprised. "Is it because the bookstore is not making money?"
Brother Fang shook his head. "I didn't open a bookstore to make money. It's because I feel quiet and comfortable here... Last month, my legs hurt so much I couldn't stand up, so I went to see a doctor. The doctor told me my knee was inflamed, and they needed to remove the shrapnel from the bone. Otherwise, I'd probably be paralyzed. But how can I afford surgery? This bookstore is about to go under."
Jiang Mingxin glanced at the leg he was caressing. "How much does the surgery cost? If your daughter and son chip in a little, wouldn't that be enough?"
Brother Fang smiled until his face was covered with wrinkles. "Silly girl, I've never been married and I don't have any children. I've lived alone all these years."
Jiang Mingxin sighed softly.
But then he thought about it and felt that this made sense. A lame old soldier, with no productive ability, could only rely on the government subsidy to make ends meet. Who would be willing to marry him? Maybe someone would be willing, but he didn't want to be a burden to others.
"How much did you pay for this bookstore?" Jiang Mingxin asked after thinking for a while.
Brother Fang looked puzzled: "Why are you asking this?"
"If you're willing, you can transfer this shop to me. I'll go home and talk to my eldest brother about buying it. Wouldn't that cover the cost of your surgery?"
"How can this be done?"
Jiang Mingxin smiled. "Of course you did. You were injured protecting the people. In my opinion, the hospital should have waived the surgery fee. But you definitely didn't tell the hospital about all the medals in your drawer. Why didn't you show them?"
Brother Fang said seriously, "Protecting our country is a soldier's duty, not something to show off."
"Then sell this bookstore to me and close it this afternoon. I'll personally accompany you to the hospital."
Jiang Mingxin ignored Brother Fang's hesitation, locked the door for him, called a tricycle over, and helped him up.
"I've already paid for the car. If you don't go, I'll be at a huge loss."
Brother Fang had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the county central hospital with her.
Jiang Mingxin helped him to the triage desk and found that the young nurse who received her last time was not there, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If it wasn't for her being provoked, she wouldn't want to quarrel with others all the time.
I made an appointment with the orthopedics department and went in for a consultation. Since Brother Fang had come before, the doctor quickly explained the surgical plan in detail. The cost was about 500 yuan.
"Five hundred? That's too expensive! Let's go home if we don't want to do it." Brother Fang immediately started to walk out with his crutches.
Jiang Mingxin stopped him and turned to ask the doctor, "Is this fee the same as at the First Municipal Hospital?"
After what happened last time, she no longer has any trust in the County Central Hospital.
"Look at what you said. The cost at the First Municipal Hospital must be higher than here." The doctor said calmly.
Jiang Mingxin nodded and helped Brother Fang walk away.
After sending him home, she immediately took the bus to the First Municipal Hospital. Although it was time-consuming and troublesome, she would rather spend a little more time to find out the situation than be taken advantage of.
The orthopedic surgeon at the First Municipal Hospital carefully reviewed Brother Fang's medical records and X-rays and said, "From what I've seen, the shrapnel is small and not deeply embedded. The surgery will cost around 400 yuan, but the specific details won't be known until the surgery. I suggest you take some time to have the old man come in for a more detailed examination."
Jiang Mingxin now understood what was going on.
She still planned to buy the bookstore for 500 yuan and send Brother Fang to the First Hospital of the City for surgery.
"He's a veteran. Can the hospital give him a discount on the surgery?"
"If you bring his discharge certificate here, you should be able to get some of the fees waived."
After getting the doctor's reply, Jiang Mingxin went to get the money and gave it to Brother Fang.
"Hey, don't be so quick to refuse me. This money is from my eldest brother. He used to be a soldier and just got discharged not long ago. Now he has been demobilized and earns more than a hundred yuan a month. When he heard that you were a veteran, he took out the money without saying a word!"
When Jiang Mingxin spoke, for some reason, Xing Haodong's face automatically appeared in her mind.
Anyway, she had already lied about having an older brother when she rented the house, and she believed he wouldn't mind if she did some good things under his name.
After hearing her say this, Brother Fang reluctantly agreed, but insisted on only taking three hundred.
"The books in the bookstore are too old and not worth that much money. Besides, I still have some savings. Please thank your brother for me. I will thank him in person someday."
"No rush, he's going on a business trip soon. Let's talk about it after your leg is healed."
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