blenderwars Chapter 119 Old woman...we're saved!
Chapter 119 Old woman...we're saved!
Mengmeng leaned on Chen Feng's shoulder, and the sobbing gradually subsided, but her two chubby little hands still clung tightly to Chen Feng's neck and refused to let go.
Xingruo sniffed, stepped forward and handed over a clean tissue. Chen Feng took it and carefully wiped away all the tear stains on his daughter's face before gently picking the little one up.
The oppressive heaviness and sadness that filled the shop gradually dissipated as Mengmeng's emotions calmed down.
Su Chen folded the sheet of paper with the accounts written on it and gently placed it on the work surface. He then turned to look at Liu Cheng.
"Uncle Liu, my brother put all the money in your bag. The internet will be online first thing tomorrow morning, so you should go to the hospital right away."
Don't worry about anything else. We've made a big commotion today; the whole city now knows your place is the second canteen of "Human Fireworks."
Liu Cheng clutched the old blue cloth bag in his arms tightly; its heavy weight represented all his confidence.
He raised his face, which now seemed a little more angry. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would burst into tears again.
Chen Feng walked to the counter and casually wrote down a string of numbers on the blank ledger.
"This is my phone number, keep it safe."
Chen Feng handed the note to Liu Cheng, his voice regaining its usual calmness, revealing little emotion.
"Take the 10,000 yuan you earned this afternoon and use it to pay off the bulk of the hospital bills."
The people in the old street have many thoughts, but they also value social interaction.
If the hospital ever needs more money in the future, just give me a call. I have some spare cash that can help you out for a while.
Liu Cheng took the thin piece of paper with trembling hands, folded it several times, and carefully stuffed it into the innermost pocket of his shirt.
"Boss Chen... I really don't know how to thank you." Liu Cheng's eyes were red and his voice was terribly hoarse.
"No need for thanks. Now that you've accepted my secret recipe, there are still important matters to attend to."
Chen Feng put his hands back in his pockets, turned to the side to look at the small piece of raw pork belly left on the cutting board, and his tone became serious.
"The reason we were so crazy this afternoon is because Young Master Lin and Little Fish Girl helped us."
As time goes on, the online buzz will eventually die down, and it won't be as exaggerated as it is today every day.
But as long as you stick to the cooking time and details I taught you, the taste won't change, and you'll keep getting repeat customers.
Even if she only sells a little over 50 bowls a day, she can definitely afford Aunt Zhang's medical expenses at the hospital.
The premise is that you yourself must be able to stand firm; you absolutely cannot cut corners and ruin the taste.
Upon hearing the word "taste," Liu Cheng straightened his back, lifted the old cloth bag in his arms, and nodded vigorously.
"Boss Chen, don't worry! I, Liu Cheng, have been making noodles on this street for thirty years. Although I haven't made much money, I've never used a single ounce of old flour or added a single drop of fake oil!"
You lent me the phrase "human life," which means you're risking your life to help me carry the banner!
If I mess up this braised pork noodle soup, you don't need to come and smash up the shop, I'll chop off my own hand first!
"Okay, remember what you said today."
Chen Feng gave Liu Cheng a deep look, then turned around and walked out.
As he reached the door, he paused slightly, but did not turn back to utter his last words.
"Get to work. Don't disgrace our shop's name. As long as people are willing to work hard, there's always hope."
Su Chen walked at the back, grinned at Liu Cheng, and waved: "Uncle Liu, see you tomorrow! My brother's going to buy some meat tomorrow morning, and he'll bring your share too!"
"Hey! Hey! See you tomorrow! Take care, Young Master Su! Take care, Miss Xingruo and Mengmeng! Boss Chen... take care!"
Liu Cheng responded repeatedly, slightly hunching his back, and escorted the four people all the way to the gate.
In the darkness, the alleys of the old street were deep, and a few dim streetlights cast extremely long shadows of Chen Feng and his companions.
Liu Cheng stood frozen in front of his own roller shutter door, his hands clutching the pocket containing his phone number to his chest, watching helplessly as the gray figures of the group gradually disappeared into the darkness of the street corner.
It wasn't until the surroundings returned to silence, and there wasn't even a trace of a passerby, that Liu Cheng suddenly came to his senses.
He felt as if he had been stabbed hard in the butt, and suddenly became very anxious.
He turned around and slammed the noodle shop's shutter shut, not even bothering to change his clothes or wipe the white flour and tear stains from his face.
Liu Cheng straddled the dilapidated two-wheeled electric vehicle he usually used for delivering goods, the chain of which was constantly creaking and rattling. He twisted the throttle to the floor with his right hand and sped off like a black lightning bolt toward the First People's Hospital in the city center.
The wind was strong all the way, blowing his messy white hair all over the place.
Liu Cheng gripped the handlebars tightly, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
Fifteen minutes later, at the First People's Hospital, on the fifth floor of the inpatient department, in the internal medicine building.
The corridor lights were blindingly white, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of Lysol and the ticking sounds of various medical instruments.
Liu Cheng clutched the still-warm hospital payment receipt, freshly printed from the first-floor payment counter, tightly in his hand.
The suffocating red text "Outstanding fees are your own responsibility" that was originally on that narrow strip of paper has disappeared. In its place is a line of extremely clear black text: [Current account balance: 9680 yuan].
He pushed open the door to room 503.
The ward was quiet. On the bed by the window, an elderly woman with a sallow complexion and an oxygen tube in her nose was weakly opening her eyes.
Upon seeing Liu Cheng's disheveled appearance, a hint of reproach and heartache flashed in the old woman's eyes.
"Old Liu...where did you get into a fight? How did you end up like this...if we really don't have any money, let's just get discharged tomorrow, stop treatment, and go home..." Zhang Xiulan's voice was as thin as a thread, she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.
Liu Cheng slammed the wooden door to the ward shut behind him.
He strode to the bedside, and with a "thud," his knees slammed directly onto the hard medical floor without warning.
He gripped Zhang Xiulan's withered arms tightly with both hands, leaning over the edge of the bed, and once again burst into tears.
This time, however, his cries lacked the despair he felt in the back alley at noon.
"Xiulan! Xiulan! Let's not go home! Let's stay here and get treatment! Until we're completely healed!!"
Liu Cheng slapped the payment slip with the red stamp on Zhang Xiulan's pillow with trembling hands, tears and snot streaming down his face, crying like a child grasping at a straw.
"Old woman... I've met a benefactor today! Heaven has opened its eyes and sent a sage to our Liu family!!"
Liu Cheng held tightly to his wife's hand, crying and gritting his teeth as he shouted fiercely.
"We've got money... I can earn back all the remaining medical expenses! Old woman... we're saved! We're really saved!!"
Outside the ward, the moonlight of the night shone through the somewhat mottled glass window, illuminating Liu Cheng's old face, which was crying uncontrollably yet laughing hysterically.
The faded blue cloth bag lay quietly on the medical record cabinet next to him, while the thin piece of paper with Chen Feng's phone number on it was stuck to Liu Cheng's chest, burning hot.