The commotion outside was too loud, finally waking Su Yi’an, who had been sleeping. With his legs inconvenient, getting out of bed was a struggle.
Song Shixu helped him up. “What did the hospital say?”
Su Yi’an smiled faintly. “Not much hope.”
His tone was calm, as if he were talking about someone else’s affairs.
Even with a thousand yuan, whether his leg could be cured was uncertain. Taking a step back, even if his leg were healed, he could no longer undergo high-intensity training to carry out missions as before.
Song Shixu fell silent for a moment. “Is it a lack of money?”
Su Yi’an glanced at Su Jinle and spoke softly, “Lele, could you go help your brother pour a cup of tea for our guest?”
Su Jinle quickly nodded. “Okay.”
Only after Su Jinle had walked away did Su Yi’an lower his gaze. Facing his friend, he had nothing to hide. “The subsidy money is almost gone. Continuing treatment doesn’t make much sense. I can’t leave a pile of debts for my family. Lele is still young and needs to get married someday.”
To be honest, eight hundred yuan in subsidy money was already a lot, especially since Song Shixu had actively helped him secure it. But no amount of money could withstand the hospital’s expenses.
Song Shixu frowned. “If it’s a money issue, I’ll go home and think of a way. I still have some money in my savings, and I can borrow more…”
“No need,” Su Yi’an interrupted him. “Shi Xu, borrowed money has to be repaid. If my leg gets better, that’s one thing, but what if it doesn’t?”
Even the doctor said there was only a thirty percent chance.
Song Shixu couldn’t stand his lifeless demeanor. “So you’re just going to stay like this? Do you know what happened outside just now? Your sister’s rabbit was bullied to death. Can you stand up for her like this?”
“What happened to Lele?” Su Yi’an’s expression darkened.
Song Shixu took a deep breath. “She was bitten by a dog. It’s not a big deal. If she can’t stand up for herself, isn’t it normal for her to be bullied? Even a rabbit will bite when cornered!”
Su Yi’an seemed easygoing on the surface, but he was fiercely protective of his sister. Hearing this, his tone turned sharp. “Lele is not a rabbit.”
Song Shixu scoffed. “Back in the army, you were the one who called her a rabbit.”
He had only seen Su Jinle from a distance before—small and pale. If she had two ears sticking up, what else could she be but a rabbit? He actually thought the metaphor was quite fitting.
Su Yi’an clearly didn’t want to discuss his sister with him and changed the topic. “Why are you here?”
Song Shixu’s expression grew more serious. “We’ve made some progress in our investigation. Even though you’ve withdrawn from the mission, you still need to be careful about your safety.”
Su Yi’an fell silent for a moment. “I understand.”
Just then, Su Jinle carefully entered, carrying two ceramic cups. She smiled at Song Shixu. “Please, please drink.”
Song Shixu frowned. Did she think he was that scary? Were women naturally this timid? And earlier, when he had supported her waist, it felt so slender—thinner than his thigh.
Yi’an’s sister was too weak. When bullied, all she knew was to turn red-eyed. He really disliked women’s tears, even hated them, thinking they were utterly useless.
Su Jinle clearly didn’t like him either. She set down her teacup and left, not wanting to listen to the two men discussing whatever they were talking about. She returned to her room and quietly sketched clothing designs, waiting until Song Shixu had left before cautiously peeking her head out.
Su Yi’an was sitting right by the doorway of the room, his crutch placed beside him. Seeing her like this, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Shi Xu just looks a bit fierce, but he’s not a bad person.”
“I… I know.” Su Jinle thought about how he had just saved her and immediately felt embarrassed. “He’s a good person.”
Su Yi’an raised an eyebrow, then recalled Song Shixu’s earlier words, his tone turning slightly somber. “Lele, did Gu Jingxiu come just now?”
Su Jinle nodded, then added, “I’m… I’m fine.”
She didn’t want her brother to worry. At worst, she could just keep the door locked from now on. If that wasn’t enough, she could get a big guard dog—if any bad guys came, it could bite them and see if they’d dare show up again!
Seeing that her eyes were a bit red but showed no signs of crying, Su Yi’an felt slightly relieved, though he couldn’t help feeling sad. If his legs were still healthy, how would Gu Jingxiu dare come to their home and bully them?
Now, he truly was useless, unable to even protect his sister.
A small hand hooked around his little finger. Su Jinle’s dimples appeared sweetly as she said, “Brother, tomorrow… I’ll go earn big money again!”
Although she had been very angry when Yang Muqing tried to snatch her dress earlier, it also gave her more confidence that this dress would sell well. Otherwise, Yang Muqing wouldn’t have wanted it. She had plenty of clothes and came from a wealthy family, and her taste was always very particular.
In a way, it actually affirmed her design.
That night, Su Jinle neatly folded the dress and placed it by her bedside, covering it with a full layer of dried flower petals. She thought that since dresses were for girls to wear, making them fragrant would surely make them more appealing.
Perhaps because she was so looking forward to the next day’s “business,” Su Jinle even had a dream. In it, she turned into a rabbit selling carrots and earned lots and lots of money… When she woke up, she laughed at herself. With her body’s age regressing, even her dreams had become childish.
The next day was another sunny day. As May passed, the weather grew hotter and hotter, but in the 1980s, clothing styles were still dominated by dull, muted colors. People’s fashion choices hovered between conservative and open.
Most girls wore Diquliang shirts with black trousers. Even the more fashionable city girls mainly wore pencil skirts.
The clothes Su Jinle wore were made by herself. She was sensible and frugal, so her outfit was an old white shirt her brother used to wear. She tailored it at the waist, shortened the sleeves, and added an extra section at the hem, tying it into a bow right at her waist.
The plain white shirt took on a touch of feminine softness unique to girls. With her slender figure and fair skin, she had just arrived at the spot where she sold clothes the day before when the egg-selling auntie pulled her over to take a look. “Girl, your clothes are so pretty. Why weren’t there any like this when I was young?”
Su Jinle smiled shyly. “Auntie… yours are pretty too…”
“Pretty what? Look how thick my waist is!” The auntie was exceptionally cheerful. Sitting cross-legged on a woven bag, she pulled Su Jinle closer. “Do you have a boyfriend? If not, how about I introduce you to someone?”
Su Jinle’s little face flushed bright red. “No… no need.”
The auntie was just making casual conversation; she was a warm-hearted person. Seeing the skirt Su Jinle had brought, her eyes lit up again: “This is the dress you sold today, my goodness, it’s so pretty! What kind of fabric is this, and why does it smell so nice? Oh my, even the belt is braided like a twist—how did your clever little head come up with this…”
Su Jinle could only smile foolishly. The auntie spoke so rapidly and energetically that she simply couldn’t keep up with the conversation.