Chapter 38
How wretched was Erwa when Lin Minjun found him?
The baby was obviously thin, Lin Minjun this ninety pounds of physique can carry him on the tricycle, holding the bones in the hands
Although just after the New Year, the day to spring, but the temperature is still below zero, he only wore a thin cotton jacket, face are frozen blue
Lin Minjun in the tricycle on a layer of mattress, and covered with a blanket, rushed to the dark to send him into the health center, came back when the heart is still in the plopping plopping plopping, scared to death
Lin Minjun got up early the next morning, but today’s task is not business, there are other arrangements
First, she had to go to the Commerce and Industry Bureau, for food-related business procedures
Yesterday, Cao Bin came to make a mess, it was a wake-up call for Lin Minjun, although she is only now supporting a small stall, but maybe in the future will be able to open a store, she has to do all the formalities are complete, and in the future to meet the punks again not afraid of trouble, self-hardened, she will be invulnerable to all kinds of poisons
The second thing is to buy Erwa two changes of clothes and bedding, which are urgently needed now
He followed the relatives away, in addition to the house did not move, the rest of the can take away, Lin Minjun went to see in the morning, the house is empty, not a single piece of clothing, the bed is in addition to the mouse droppings nothing
And the clothes he wore last night, outside is a thin cotton jacket, took off the clothes to see, Lin Minjun directly surprised
Say that is the clothes is already polite, is the rags
This baby left in a hurry, came back directly into a small beggar
Good thing that the second child before leaving gave fifteen dollars, enough to buy clothes and bedding, even if not enough is not afraid, he can receive money from the street office every month
Lin Minjun planned the morning time, first go to the Commerce and Industry Bureau to register, agreed to come to the time to get a business license, she would have liked to do a health license, did not think that this era has not been the concept of food safety, the staff was confused
Retreating to the second best, Lin Minjun then planned to do a physical examination in the hospital by herself, this can be done during the period of looking after Erwa
After leaving the door of the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, then go to the clothing store, clothing stores currently do not have children’s cotton-padded jacket, Lin Minjun simply took the smallest size of the black adult cotton-padded jacket, winter clothes, wear a few more sweaters inside the line, so that it will not be cold, in addition to a pair of cotton-padded pants
Out of the ready-made clothes store also have to go to a tailor store, to the second child cloth customized clothes, so that the clothes bought back to wear dirty, customized clothes also good, just in time
Although this morning went to a lot of places, Lin Minjun feel busy in order, not messed up at all, with clothes back to the health center, first go with the doctor to open a list of physical examination, physical examination can go to see the second child
Entered the ward, glanced toward the bed, Lin Minjun is a little worried
This is a night plus a morning, the second child actually did not wake up, baby in the end how?
Sitting, to him with a handkerchief dipped in water, wet lips, the nurse came in with a potion
Glancing at the glass bottle, the nurse asked, “What’s your name?”
“Yan Shao” Lin Minjun said
The nurse said as she changed Erwa’s medicated water, “When these two bottles of medicine are hung up, the family will call me to come down to the water, and then you can be discharged”
“Discharge?” Lin Minjun hurriedly caught up with the nurse, glanced at the hospital bed and said in surprise, “But the child hasn’t woken up yet, is this going to be discharged? Don’t you want to check it out properly?” After all, the way he fainted stiffly last night scared Lin Minjun
The nurse smiled, “That’s what we were notified, you’ll have to ask the attending doctor for the specifics, just walk from this corridor to the head and look for Dr Sun in office number two”
“Okay, thank you”
Lin Minjun said her thanks and headed for the doctor’s office, only to realize that no one was there when she got there, but instead there was the sound of conversation next door
Behind the curtains of the two offices is open, convenient for doctors to communicate with each other to discuss, this time the sound of the next door was clearly transmitted into her ears, said coincidentally, talking to the people are also old acquaintances
One is a neighbor a big mother, another voice into ashes can not forget, is Lu Deping’s mother
On second thought, this is normal, Lu Deping’s mom is working in the Xicheng Health Center, where the chances of running into each other are particularly high
What really makes Lin Minjun surprised is that it sounds like these two people seem to know each other?
At the same time, in another room separated by a wall, a big mom is talking to Lu Deping’s mom
Yesterday, a big mom had a big prairie blister on her mouth, and was anxious and on fire, and in the morning she got up and her mouth was even more swollen, as cool as two large sausages
At this time, she pointed to her sausage mouth and asked Lu’s mother, “Is there any good solution for my mouth?”
Lu’s mother smiled as she looked, “There is no special medicine, go home and eat some light, drink more hot water to defeat the fire, it will be fine”
“Drink some hot water and you’ll be fine?” A big mom was full of skepticism
“Don’t believe me”
Ordinary doctor-patient relationship should end at this point, and will not be so casual, the two people obviously know each other, because a big mom talked about her family’s gossip again
“I’m looking for you today also have a thing, my family three boys Bin see also to the age of marriage, according to the reason that twenty years old should be married, delayed to the present baby are delayed, our two families are relatives, you introduce a good girl” A big mom to get to the heart of the matter
Lu mother is willing to help, patiently asked, “I’ve seen a lot of good girls, what conditions do you want”
Cao Bin, although he is a rogue, but in the heart of a big mom is the snowy lotus in the sky, the bright moon on the sea, she dared to open, “ordinary conditions even if, the girl should be beautiful, the parents of the family is the best dual-income, if there is a government official would be even better, the other look at it, but the girl has to have a formal job”
“What? Why don’t you say anything”
Lu mother skin smile meat not smile, “you are really dare to say, I give De Ping to find objects do not dare to open so many conditions, my family De Ping is still high school students, immediately ready to go to the unit to work”
A big mom pulled a face, a little unhappy, but she endured, toward the Lu mother stretched out her hand, “not introduce the girl even if, then you give me some epilepsy medicine, do not need a whole box, give me two tablets on it, you say hello to the pharmacy, back to me to go get” This means that you want to whore for nothing, woolgathering, it is impossible to give money
Two iron roosters fighting each other, obviously Lu mother is more ruthless, “epilepsy where there is no special effect medicine, I do not have the ability to get, you find another person”
Not just mention two requirements, in a doctor are not difficult, but she actually refused, a big mom voice violently raised, “I am your aunt, or your matchmaker, no you like it?”
Lin Minjun was listening next door and almost choked on her own saliva
What kind of luck is this for herself, escaping the fire pit of the Lu family and becoming Lu mother’s aunt’s neighbor, the generation is really high
Sure enough, Lu mother was the first to soften, “Can’t we talk things over? I didn’t say I won’t help”
“We’re all relatives, I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you, no medicine, no medicine” An older woman also followed the steps down, “Recently, the streets are full of small advertisements, corns, foot odor, gray nails, but also can cure moss ads you see, that medicine can not eat? As long as eating it doesn’t kill me, I’ll buy it back for Xiao Bin to try”
“Didn’t you just say that Xiaobin is not sick?”
“I believe, the people in the hutong do not believe ah, you do not know, these people dog-eyed look down on people, once heard of crohn’s all scared to death, I take the tablets back to the child to eat, say that took the medicine has been good” A big mom explained
After listening to Lu mother did not say much, smiled and took a medicine bottle from the drawer, poured out two pills, and then took out a sheet of instructions, a few times after folding wrapped into a small paper packet
“This is vitamin C, you take it back and give it to your child, it has the same effect as that little advertisement” Lu mother said this with particular calmness, and, also, with particular certainty
A big mom gathers the wool and stops talking nonsense, takes the small paper bag and leaves
So a big mom is both Lu mother’s aunt and the matchmaker for their old couple?
Lin Minjun was listening in the next room when someone behind her said, “Are you Yan Shao’s family?”
She jerked back to her senses for a second, “Yes, I am”
“Was the child abused at home?” Dr Sun’s eyes were sharp, as if as long as she admitted it, she would immediately report it to the public security
Lin Minjun immediately shook her head, “You misunderstand, I am his neighbor and his sister, but this child went home with his relatives for the New Year a month ago, and when he came back yesterday, he was like this, and it was me who brought him to the hospital, doctor, did the child give someone a severe beating?”
She was a little apprehensive
Hearing her say this, Dr Sun’s face looks much better, “From the tablets, there is no external or internal injuries, it’s just that he’s starving, his body is extremely tired, he should have not eaten for a very long time, and did not have a good sleep, don’t worry too much, the little child’s ability to recover is good, and he can be reprieved very soon”
“You mean he just passed out from hunger?”
Lin Minjun breathed a sigh of relief, thanked the doctor and walked out of the office, took another look, the second child has not yet woken up, simply go to the food court and let people slaughter a chicken, sent to the hospital next to the restaurant to ask them to help process, and bought some steamed bread and vegetables, carrying chicken soup and these things back to the ward, when the door two children have already woken up
Lin Minjun carried a large bag into the ward, saw Erwa lying on the hospital bed with his eyes open, heard the movement suddenly sat up with a jolt, staring blankly at himself, just staring, his eyes are particularly unfamiliar
“Comrade Erwa, you won’t forget me, right?” Lin Minjun made a joke in a pretense of relaxation, saying that, she put the chicken soup on the table, lifting the lid, a strong fragrance came out, smiling and pointing at the chicken soup, “The doctor said you are tired and hungry, are you full of sleep now? Eat something if you’re full, there are also steamed buns and green vegetables here ”
Halfway through her words, Erwa suddenly whimpered and dove headfirst into her arms
Erwa originally has always been very fearful of contact with people, even in the past, rarely took the initiative to contact Lin Minjun, but today did not hesitate to jump into her arms
It was the first time Lin Minjun had been hugged by a small child, and her head rested against her shoulder, motionless
With both hands open, she froze for a long time, and slowly, very unaccustomedly, gathered the waif into her arms, patted his back, and said gently, “Alright, it’s good to be back, it’s good to be back, don’t go away again in the future”
No matter what reason he left the courtyard without even saying hello, and what reason he came back in such a sorry state
At this moment, it was good to be home, this was the only thing Lin Minjun could say
Hugged for a while, Lin Minjun arm are lifting acid, “you are not hungry, let go, I let people cook chicken soup, can be fragrant, do not eat? Comrade Erwa, you won’t secretly rub your nose on me, I’ll beat you up, what’s wrong? Why don’t you say anything?”
“You’re so noisy” Ewa said in a jarred voice
Lin Minjun listened and felt how the sound was wrong, cupping Erwa’s head to see, the child was teary-eyed, his nose redder than a cherry
“What’s wrong with you?” She asked
It’s better if you don’t ask, once you ask the child’s face changed, whimpering, “I knew that sis is waiting for me, sis will wait for me”
Lin Minjun was startled, “I have always been ah, first don’t cry, eat something, slowly say what is going on, why did you leave that day without saying hello, do you know I even went to look for it later? But Auntie Xia pointed in the wrong direction, I didn’t find it, and, in the end, what happened to that group of relatives, how did you come back like that?”
She saved up a bellyful of questions to ask
A mouthful of greens a mouthful of steamed bread, and then a spoonful of fragrant chicken soup, Erwa enough to eat two big steamed bread to fill the belly, but also to continue to drink chicken soup slippery seams
Eat and drink enough, his face only looked a little better, began to tell Lin Minjun about the incident
“That day I came back from school, Xia Auntie told me that the family came to the relatives, I look at it is indeed a relative of the family, they said this time to come is to bring me home for the New Year” Erwa then said
Lin Minjun: “This is not like you ah, before I just came, you can be vigilant”
Erwa had a face of anger after being duped, “Yes, I refused to go at first, but they said that there was a soldier in the village who came back on leave and had been to war in the first place and knew about my brother’s news, so they let me go over to listen to it together, so I followed them over and wanted to say hello to you, but they pulled me away”
“And the news turned out to be false?”
Erwa’s eyes darkened, “Well, fake, as soon as I got there they forced me to hand over the deed to the family house and land, and also asked me to hand over the treasures hidden in the house, I said I didn’t have them with me, so they searched me, and when they didn’t find them out they stripped me of my clothes and locked me up, and they’ve been locked up for the past few days, with people taking turns to watch over them every day, and said that they would let me learn a long lesson”
Lin Minjun held her breath as she listened, “Then how did you come back? It still looks like that”
“They scared me, saying that my brother is dead, I’m an orphan now, even if I die there, no one will come forward, I don’t believe it, I know you’re waiting for me at home, so I took advantage of the darkness and knocked out the guards, and ran out on my own, escaping all the way back” Erwa was quite happy when he finished, “See, I knew you would look for me”
Although Erwa was smiling the whole time, and his tone was calm when he said it, but right after hearing this, Lin Minjun’s scalp went numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, numb
Fleeing all the way, these four words are easy to say, but a child in his early teens, walking so far on his feet in the middle of winter, coming back here hungry, fainting from starvation in front of her house, Lin Minjun didn’t know how to say it, she was both touched by Erwa’s trust in her, but also felt that these relatives simply deserved to die for their sins
“Then what did you eat along the way? What did you drink? Just walk completely on your feet?” Lin Minjun’s voice choked as she asked
Erwa was still smiling, drinking a mouthful of chicken soup, “I hid dried food, I still have some money on me, when I’m hungry, I’ll buy a nest egg or steamed bun to eat, when I’m thirsty, I’ll ask for a drink of water at someone else’s house, and on the way, I even bumped into a kind old grandpa letting me ride in a donkey cart”
Said, he scratched his head, remembered something, from his own back to wear cotton clothes to look around, find a green fruit, holding to Lin Minjun in front of, “Sister, this is on the road people to give me to eat, I ate a not bad, can be sweet, you taste it?”
A green-colored fruit with a slightly wrinkled skin, lying quietly in his palm
“It’s especially sweet, try it” Erwa was still smiling, but there was actually a bit of ingratiation in his eyes
Lin Minjun couldn’t figure out before how a ten year old child dared to travel such a long way, hiking back to the capital alone, what was supporting his belief
But this moment understood, Erwa wanted to come back to see if the only person in the world who would treat him as a relative was still waiting for him?
So he panicked, he curried favor, and he still had to smile
Lin Minjun had mixed feelings in her heart, and her anger rushed to her head all at once, snatching the fruit and taking a bite, forcing down the choking in her voice, “You don’t need to curry favor, you don’t need to be afraid, I said you’re my brother, we’ll always be family, these sons of bitches, I’m going to call the police to have them arrested”
She said walking out the door, but her afterglow glanced at her, and again realized that Erwa’s face had gone white all of a sudden, it was practically ghastly white