I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 111. Sealed Memories 2
He recalled that the story took place around 2006, a year when street sanitation and environmental inspections were particularly strict for some reason.

In 06, Yao Jinping's handcart was confiscated by the urban management officers, and in 07, Xu Aiguo's motorcycle was involved in an accident while carrying passengers, so Xu Qingfan remembers it very clearly.

The story began with a man jumping off a high-rise building at the Provincial People's Hospital. However, since countless people jump off buildings every day, this news did not attract the attention of the media or the public at the time.

A month later, in a rented house in Qiujie Village, Licheng, dozens of kilometers away, a mother and daughter committed suicide by burning charcoal in a dark and cramped room. Two cases that were originally unrelated were linked together by someone with ulterior motives, like a boulder thrown into a calm water, stirring up a huge wave.

Because urban management officers were constantly driving away street vendors, Li Meijuan's fried food stall business plummeted. Perhaps she really couldn't afford medical treatment, or perhaps she didn't want to be a burden on the mother and daughter. Just like his name suggests, Wu Suowei jumped off the roof of the Provincial People's Hospital.

Faced with the news of her husband's death, the woman, who was already at her breaking point, completely lost her will to live, and the confiscated tools she used to sell her goods became the last straw that broke her back.

On a cold winter day, charcoal warmed the rented room as if it were springtime. She made dumplings by hand, and after the mother and daughter finished eating the warm dumplings, they happily embraced and fell asleep, never to wake up again.
When the media connected the causes and consequences of the two incidents, a wave of criticism immediately swept through society.

Amidst this uproar of public opinion, Yao Jinping successfully retrieved the confiscated stroller, but the three members of the deceased family could never return.
That year, Xu Qingfan was nine years old and in the fourth grade. He had just learned the word "fearless" in his textbook, and the name Wu Suowei from the news immediately entered his memory, and it was mentioned again by Wu Lingyu to this day.

Inside the elevator, Xu Qingfan kept his gaze fixed on Wu Lingyu's back. Although what the media said might not be entirely true, the thought that the living person in front of him would one day leave him filled him with an indescribable sadness.

He's only known Wu Lingyu for less than a year, so why does he always subconsciously want to help her?

Xu Qingfan pondered this question, but he quickly came to a conclusion because the other person bore a resemblance to his past life—the same inferiority complex and sensitivity, and the same family that ran a street stall. Helping her was like helping his past self.

More importantly, he wanted to try to change Wu Lingyu's fate to prove that fate can be altered and Xia Xiaoxiao's death could be avoided.

Girls are very sensitive to gazes. Wu Lingyu wanted to turn around and ask Xu Qingfan why he kept staring at her, but she held back. She felt nervous and a little shy at the same time.

"Xu Qingfan, what are you standing there for? Come out!" The elevator arrived at the seventh floor, and all three of them got out, except for Xu Qingfan, who was still standing inside dumbfounded. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Xia Xiaoxiao quickly pressed the button outside the door.

"Oh, I'm here, I'm here." Xu Qingfan scratched his head awkwardly and jogged out of the elevator.

Xia Xiaoxiao glared at him, worried that the little rascal might get lost, and reached out to take his wrist.

"Qingfan, are you feeling unwell? Why do you seem so absent-minded?" Wang Wenbiao asked with concern.

"No, no, Brother Biao, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what gifts to buy for my team members, and I got lost in thought." Xu Qingfan made up a story on the spot.

Xia Xiaoxiao: ? ? ?

The little girl glared at him angrily, and unconsciously tightened her grip on Xu Qingfan's hand.

"Hey hey hey~ Why are you grabbing so hard?" Feeling the pain, he slapped Xia Xiaoxiao's hand.

"Hmph!" Xia Xiaoxiao showed her cute tiger teeth and glared at him, then stopped gripping his hand tightly.

“Who can’t do that!” Xu Qingfan grinned at her, mimicking her expression.

"boring!"

"Pfft~ Ah, right, right, right!"

Wu Lingyu watched with envy for a long time, thinking, "I wish I could be like them."
"732, this is it!" Wang Wenbiao pointed to the door number above, knocked on the door, and entered.

"Dad!" Wu Lingyu rushed in and called out into the room.

"Yu'er?" A middle-aged man with IV lines inserted into his hands lay on a bed in the middle of the room, and said in disbelief.

"Yu'er, what brings you here? Who are these people?" An elderly man in his sixties or seventies walked out of the restroom, speaking in a Sichuan-Chongqing dialect that they couldn't understand.

“Grandpa and the others are my teachers and classmates!” Wu Lingyu got off her father’s hospital bed and explained in her local dialect.

"Hello, teacher!" The old man immediately came up and shook hands warmly.

"Hello, hello. Here are some fruits, just a small token of my appreciation." Wang Wenbiao couldn't understand what the other person was saying at all, so he could only warmly shake hands with his grandfather.

"Hello, Uncle. Hello, Grandpa." Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao also greeted them politely.

He turned his gaze to the middle-aged man lying on the bed and was surprised to find that Wu Lingyu's father was quite handsome. He was about the same age as Xu Aiguo and looked a bit like a popular, down-to-earth internet celebrity scholar.

Unfortunately, due to uremia, his hands and feet were noticeably swollen, and his facial skin was dull and yellow.

Wang Wenbiao conducted all the social interactions, giving Xu Qingfan more time to observe his surroundings.

To be honest, it's a pity that this isn't 0203, otherwise, with Wu Lingyu's father's appearance, he could easily raise enough money for treatment by doing a few live-streamed PK battles online, not to mention that he also has a positive image of fighting against illness.

[How can we change the fate of Wu Lingyu's family?] Xu ​​Qingfan pondered this question in his heart.

The best solution, of course, is to cure Wu Suowei's illness, but Xu Qingfan had learned online that kidney transplant surgery was out of the question in China, and the only option was to go to the United States.

But without American health insurance, he didn't want to undergo such a major surgery. He knew that a blood test in the US would cost several thousand dollars, hospitalization would be even more expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars a month, and there were also exorbitant consultation fees of several thousand dollars per hour. If he wanted to have a kidney transplant? He shouldn't even think about it without millions of dollars.

In 03, the exchange rate of RMB to USD was approximately 8.27:1. This means that if an ordinary person wanted to go to the United States to treat uremia, they would have to spend at least seven or eight million yuan. In 03, seven or eight million yuan was enough to buy seven or eight small apartments in the Second Ring Road of Beijing.

Even if Li Meijuan sold fried skewers for her entire life, she wouldn't earn seven or eight million. Even if Xu Qingfan could come up with seven or eight million, I believe the three of them wouldn't be willing to accept it, because subconsciously they had already put a price on their lives. It might be 500,000, or it might be 1 million, but it would never be seven or eight million. Their lives weren't worth that much money.

[In the end, it's still poverty.] Xu Qingfan shook his head helplessly.

The group stayed at the hospital for more than two hours. It wasn't until the other teachers finished watching the movie and called to urge them on that Wu Lingyu reluctantly said goodbye to her family: "Grandpa, Dad, we're leaving now. I will study hard and listen to Mom. Dad, hang in there! You will definitely overcome this illness!"

Seeing such a touching scene, Wang Wenbiao's eyes welled up with tears, and he secretly stuffed several hundred yuan from his wallet into the red plastic bag containing the apples.

Xu Qingfan caught a glimpse of this scene, but said nothing.

"Go back and study hard, listen to your teacher, Dad is proud of you."

"Mmm!" Wu Lingyu nodded, sobbing, and left the ward with the others. As she reached the door, she turned back for a reluctant look.

"Go~"

"Mmm." The little girl could no longer control her emotions, and tears streamed down her face.

Stepping out of the hospital, the group, who had been feeling a bit chilly from the air conditioning, instantly felt refreshed and revitalized as they basked in the bright sunlight.

Wang Wenbiao hailed a taxi, and after the group got in, his heart sank. [Oh no, we just gave away all the money.]
"Do you have any money on you?" Wang Wenbiao, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and asked them, his face slightly flushed.

The driver glanced at Wang Wenbiao out of the corner of his eye, and then noticed the empty wallet. He was already thinking about whether to kick these people who were trying to dine and dash at the next intersection.

"Haha~ Teacher, I have enough money on me to pay the fare, don't worry." Xu Qingfan laughed as he took out his wallet, pulled out a bright red 100-yuan bill, and flicked it.

The driver looked away, silently thinking to himself, "What kind of person is this? A teacher making students pay for things."
After arriving at their destination and paying the fare, Wang Wenbiao led the group out of the car as if fleeing. "Brother Biao, can I go take a look ahead?" Xu Qingfan asked, pointing to a candied hawthorn shop ahead after they got off at Zhengjia Plaza.

"Sure, it won't go any further. The car will be back soon!" he said, and then led the group over.

A large crowd had gathered outside the shop, where the shop owner was demonstrating how to make sugar figurines.

The owner poured the boiled white sugar onto the parchment paper with an iron spoon, and a lifelike sugar dragon was quickly sketched out.

Many finished sugar figurines are still stuck on the straw pillars, including the majestic Sun Wukong and lifelike white birds and phoenixes.

Xu Qingfan thought to himself: [The gift has arrived!]
"Boss, I want six, can you give me a discount?" Xu Qingfan asked, pulling out a fifty-yuan note.

"It's all small business, kid. If you buy six big ones, I'll give you a small one for free!" The shop owner replied cheerfully, his hands still busy with his work.

Xia Xiaoxiao's eyes sparkled as she looked at the sugar figurine of Chang'e. "I want that one!" she exclaimed, nudging Xu Qingfan's arm.

Upon receiving the signal, Xu Qingfan picked out five that he thought looked good: "Which one do you like? Pick one yourself!" He patted Wu Lingyu's head and said.

“I don’t need it anymore,” Wu Lingyu replied reflexively.

"Hurry up and choose!" Xu Qingfan glared at her fiercely.

"I"

"Ok?"

"I'll choose, don't be mean to me." Wu Lingyu lowered her head in shame, trying to pick up the little tiger head.

"Give me the big one!" Xu Qingfan patted the back of her hand and took off the matching tiger-head toy. "Boss, how much is it in total?"

"Hehe~ Little kid, you're so generous! Uncle will give you a discount. They're originally ten yuan each, but I'll make it fifty yuan for six!"

"Will you still include the smaller one?"

"Free gift, free gift!" the shopkeeper said happily as he took the money.

"Here, this is yours, this is Xiaoyu's, and this one is for you, Brother Biao." Xu Qingfan gave the big tiger and Chang'e to the two little girls respectively, and gave the extra small one to Wang Wenbiao.

"Haha~ Then the teacher won't stand on ceremony with you!"

Xia Xiaoxiao happily held the Chang'e sugar figurine in her hand, held it up to the sun above her head, and observed the pattern on the sugar figurine.

Wu Lingyu felt warm all over and followed suit, lifting the tiger-shaped sugar figurine above her head. After playing with it for a while, she carefully put it into her schoolbag, worried that the books would crush the sugar figurine. The little girl gently held the schoolbag in front of her.

The bus arrived shortly afterward, and once the group boarded, a large portion of the carriage was already asleep, while the remaining students looked drowsy.

Xu Qingfan sat down next to Xia Xiaoxiao as he had during the day. Wu Lingyu sat alone as usual, but this time she didn't feel sad because her schoolbag was on the seat next to her, and inside were the sugar figurines that Xu Qingfan had bought for her.

Although other girls had similar things, Wu Lingyu wasn't greedy. She was content with just a little bit of care. The little girl leaned against the car window and drifted off to sleep sweetly. "So nice~"

"Pack your things, it's time to go to school!"

Xu Qingfan rubbed his shoulders, which were sore from Xia Xiaoxiao's weight, and looked out the window.

Xia Xiaoxiao looked like she hadn't woken up yet, with a red sleep mark on her right cheek. "What time is it?"

He raised his left hand to check the time, yawned, and said, "Ha~ it's five o'clock."

"Isn't it after school?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked, slinging her schoolbag over her shoulder.

"That's right, school's over, we can get off and then get on the bus to go home." Xu Qingfan thought for a moment and nodded.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt something was off. After getting off the bus, she came to her senses and said, "What are you talking about? You still have to take your homework home. If you dare not do your homework, I'll tell Aunt Yao!"

"I didn't say I wouldn't go back, why are you in such a hurry, Xiaoyu, right?" Xu Qingfan put his arm around the two of them and walked towards the fifth teaching building.

"Ah, I...I don't know." As her body touched Xu Qingfan intimately, Wu Lingyu nervously shrank her neck, looking timid.

"Let's go upstairs first!" He let go of Wu Lingyu when they reached the second floor and said with a smile.

"Hmm!" Wu Lingyu felt her face burning, and hurriedly ran back to the classroom with her schoolbag in her arms.

Back in the classroom, most of the students had already left, but Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi were still quietly waiting for their group leader to return.

"Brother Qingfan!!!" The two little ones had been waiting in the stairwell, and when they saw Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao, they excitedly ran over hand in hand.

"Hey!" Xu Qingfan released his arm from Xia Xiaoxiao's and happily opened his arms wide.

"Hmph~" Xia Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes silently and stood aside to watch their performance.

The two of them, of course, didn't get so excited that they jumped into Xu Qingfan's arms; they stopped running when they were almost at the finish line.

"Brother Qingfan, did your exams go well? Did you bring Ningning a gift?" Lin Wanning asked eagerly.

"I brought them, little bunny and little kitten." Xu Qingfan took out the sugar figurines he had chosen for the two of them from his schoolbag.

"Wow!!!" The two little ones' eyes lit up as they took the sugar figurine.

As if showing off, Xia Xiaoxiao also took out her sugar figurine from her schoolbag, "Wow! Xiaoxiao, yours is so pretty." The two little girls fell for it.

"Yes, the boss said this is the most difficult to make." Xia Xiaoxiao's face showed a smug expression.

"Amazing!!!"

"One is the Jade Rabbit, and the smaller one is Chang'e. They make a perfect pair!"

"Yours are beautiful too!" Xia Xiaoxiao said happily, feeling quite flattered by their compliments.

Xu Qingfan followed behind, shaking his head with amusement. This was an interesting competitive spirit.

After giving the last Sun Wukong candy figurine to Xiao Ruanwen, Xu Qingfan finally finished his day's work.

(End of this chapter)