Dr. Zhang’s eyes widened.
The sun must have risen in the west today!
Who in the surrounding production brigades hadn’t heard what a lazy fellow Song Zhuowei was?
One year, the commune organized the Sea Guard to help with an autumn harvest mobilization rally. Knowing Song Zhuowei’s influence among the villagers, they had deliberately reserved a prominent spot for him on the publicity blackboard.
They had even prepared the slogan for him.
All he had to do was copy a few characters.
Yet Song Zhuowei turned down the honor simply because he couldn’t be bothered to write!
That was the kind of man who thought even copying a few words was too troublesome…
And now…
For a girl he’d only just met, he was voluntarily offering to write a self-criticism!
If the elders of the Song family heard about this, they’d probably be so happy they’d think their ancestors were blessing them.
Speechless, Dr. Zhang watched as Song Zhuowei carefully picked up the pot of medicine prepared for Lin Xizhi.
He patiently poured the herbal decoction into a small bowl.
Then he opened a nearby drawer and searched until he found a white porcelain spoon with barely any chips.
He carried it over to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of water, washed the spoon again and again, shook every last drop of water from it, and only then placed it into the bowl.
Dr. Zhang thought this level of attentiveness had already reached its limit.
But to his surprise, Song Zhuowei suddenly reached toward him.
“Let me borrow your spare gauze face mask.”
“What for?” Dr. Zhang asked blankly.
Song Zhuowei frowned.
“The bowl is too hot. I’ll use it to insulate my hand. I’ll return it afterward.”
Dr. Zhang looked skeptical.
“Since when are you afraid of hot things? You’re as tough as an ox.”
“What do I have to fear?” Song Zhuowei glanced toward the hospital ward.
“I’m worried this comrade might not be able to hold such a hot bowl. If she drops it, public property gets damaged, and the medicine will be wasted too. That wouldn’t be economical.”
Dr. Zhang pretended to believe him.
“Oh… so that’s the reason.”
But he could no longer suppress the excitement bubbling inside him.
He immediately wanted to rush to the Song family home and tell Song Zhuowei’s grandmother
The Song family’s iron tree had finally bloomed!
Time to prepare for a wedding!
Song Zhuowei had no idea why Dr. Zhang suddenly ran off.
He assumed the doctor had remembered something urgent.
It wasn’t his concern.
He was far more concerned about Lin Xizhi’s medicine.
Even after placing the face mask beneath the bowl, he still wasn’t satisfied.
The medicine smelled unbearably bitter.
She probably wouldn’t be able to swallow it.
So Song Zhuowei put the bowl back down and went to the clinic’s reception area, where he asked the medical assistant for two licorice candies.
Only then did he finally feel satisfied.
Carrying the medicine, he returned to Lin Xizhi’s room.
“Drink this.”
His voice remained as stiff as ever.
“If you don’t recover properly, you won’t even have the strength to take revenge later.”
Lin Xizhi nodded obediently.
“Okay.”
She accepted the bowl of dark herbal medicine, took a deep breath…
And forced herself to gulp it all down in one go.
As she lowered the empty bowl, she happened to meet Song Zhuowei’s gaze once again.
His eyes were filled with astonishment.
His mouth hung half-open, as though he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Lin Xizhi instinctively touched the corner of her mouth.
“What is it? Is there some special way to drink medicine?”
Song Zhuowei concealed the surprise on his face, looked away, and muttered,
“…No.”
There really wasn’t any special way to drink medicine.
He simply hadn’t expected such a delicate-looking young woman…
To be capable of being so ruthless toward herself.
Then another thought occurred to him.
This only proved how deeply Lin Xizhi hated her enemies.
How determined she was to take revenge.
Determined enough to swallow, in one gulp, the clinic’s medicine that tasted like poison.
With a will like hers…
What could she possibly fail to accomplish in the future?
Who would have thought such tremendous strength was hidden inside such a petite body?
For a moment, the way Song Zhuowei looked at Lin Xizhi carried a hint of newfound admiration and mutual respect.
Just as Lin Xizhi was about to thank him, low groans drifted in from outside the ward.
“Oh… my head… my chest… everything hurts so much…”
“I’m dying… I’m definitely dying…”
Pretending to be on death’s door, Pei Zhikuan wailed,
“Lirou… if I die, remember… it was those sea pirates who killed me… You have to avenge me! Even as a ghost I’ll be watching from heaven!”
“What nonsense about ghosts!”
Song Zhuowei shouted toward the doorway.
“If you keep spreading those old feudal superstitions, I’ll have you sent straight to a political study class for reeducation!”
The hallway immediately fell silent.
The next moment, all four members of the Pei family appeared neatly outside the ward.
At first, Pei Zhikuan kept pretending to be sick, clutching his chest with his head lowered.
As a result, he didn’t notice that Lin Xizhi was lying in the innermost hospital bed.
But Pei Yuncheng recognized her instantly.
“Xizhi!”
He hurried straight toward her, his face filled with equal parts worry and joy.
“So you’re alright! Thank goodness! I thought “
Song Zhuowei suddenly stepped in front of him.
Interrupting him.
Blocking him from getting any closer to Lin Xizhi.
“She has suffered a severe shock and only just regained consciousness.”
His expression cold, Song Zhuowei asked sharply,
“What exactly is your relationship with her?”
Pei Yuncheng froze for a moment before immediately answering,
“I’m her fiancé.”
“Fiancé?”
Song Zhuowei’s brows knitted into a deep frown.
His expression darkened.
Lin Xizhi gently tugged at the corner of Song Zhuowei’s shirt.
“Captain Song…”
“Do you believe him?”
“What kind of man would willingly sell his own fiancée to sea pirates?”
“Xizhi! You’ve misunderstood!”
Pei Yuncheng hurriedly explained,
“The pirates intercepted our ship and insisted on taking you away! Otherwise, how could I possibly abandon you?”
“The moment something happened to you, I immediately used the ship’s radar to report it to the authorities. That’s why the Sea Guard arrived in time and rescued you!”
Song Zhuowei let out a cold laugh.
“Oh? So according to you, her rescue is actually your accomplishment?”
“We did receive a report.”
“But the person reporting it only mentioned stolen property.”
“They never mentioned that a person had been taken.”
Pei Yuncheng’s face instantly turned pale.
But he quickly regained his composure.
“Xizhi, the situation was complicated at the time! There wasn’t enough time to explain everything.”
“But you know me.”
“I’m not that kind of person.”
“I could never do something like that to you.”
“Even if you insist on misunderstanding me… that’s alright.”
“I can bear that kind of injustice.”
“The only thing that matters…”
“…is that you’re safe.”
As soon as Pei Yuncheng finished his heartfelt declaration, Pei Zhikuan immediately coughed a few times.
“Cough… cough…”
He staggered toward Lin Xizhi and wailed,
“Xizhi! Seeing that you’re safe… this uncle can finally rest easy.”
“Even if I die from a heart attack now… I’ll have no regrets…”
Zhang Lirou also spoke through sobs.
“That’s right, Xizhi! Ever since the pirates took you away, your Uncle Pei has been clutching his chest in pain.”
“He kept saying that losing our belongings didn’t matter…”
“Losing you that was the real loss.”
Lin Xizhi sneered inwardly.
Of course.
Losing her was an enormous loss.
After all, the Pei family now had nothing left.
Without her their cash cow
How were they supposed to survive?
As long as they coaxed her back, they could later take her to Hong Kong City, help her find her mother, extort another huge sum of money, and rebuild their fortunes.
The calculations this family was making…
Were loud enough for everyone to hear.
Suddenly, Lin Xizhi felt like teasing them.
She wanted to see what tricks this family of dying scavengers still had left.
Putting on a look of surprise, she asked Zhang Lirou,
“Aunt Lirou, what did you mean just now?”
“What do you mean by ‘losing our belongings’?”
“Weren’t all the things safely locked inside the cabin?”
“After the pirates took me away, they certainly didn’t let me carry anything with me.”
She began counting on her fingers.
“My grandmother’s warm-jade white bracelet and matching jewelry set…”
“My solid gold longevity pig pendant…”
“And that stack of ration coupons I bought from a friend for six hundred yuan…”
“Are all of those gone too?”
With every item she mentioned…
It felt as though a knife slashed through the hearts of all four members of the Pei family.
Gone.
Everything was gone.
Their money!
Their family’s fortune!
All of it had disappeared!
Along with the future they had dreamed of
It had sunk into the pitch-black depths of the sea.
There was no hope left.
“Oh, heavens above…”
Pei Zhikuan collapsed onto the floor, beating his chest and stamping his feet as he wailed,
“It’s all those damned pirates’ fault!”
“They must have colluded with the crew beforehand and secretly moved all our belongings while none of us were paying attention!”
After shouting this, he glared resentfully at Song Zhuowei.
“You’re the captain of the Sea Guard, aren’t you?”
“Isn’t the Sea Guard supposed to protect the people’s lives and property?”
“What kind of captain are you?”
“Our family has lost an enormous amount of property!”
“This is a major case!”
“Instead of immediately leading your men to recover our belongings, what are you still standing around here for?”
“Be careful I can report you to the commune for neglecting your duties!”