I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 48. A Second Visit to the Fried Skewers Stall

"Oops~"

"Mom, stop being so jealous at home. I'm almost dead even though the virus isn't dead yet."

"Legs!" Yao Jinping looked up and glared at her son.

Xu Qingfan awkwardly pulled his legs back onto the stool to make it easier for the other person to drag this area.

As the saying goes, "ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring." As early as late December, rumors of an unknown virus spreading in the port city had already begun to circulate.

Although he lived only 80 kilometers away from the drug-affected area, Xu Qingfan didn't think much of it back then, as he didn't recall any confirmed cases in Licheng District.

Moreover, he remembered that because the SARS virus was effectively controlled in Hong Kong in early April due to the early use of traditional Chinese medicine, the ancient Chinese medical text "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases" was indeed quite valuable.

However, Xu's mother didn't think that way. She refused to wear the mask she was supposed to wear, and she bought useless iodized salt and white vinegar for free.

Fortunately, mopping with salt water does have a sterilizing effect. If the person spreading the rumor dared to say that virgin urine could kill viruses, Xu Qingfan would dig three feet into the ground to find that person and then throw rotten eggs at his house every day.

"If you have nothing better to do, go and tear down the couplets on the door!" Seeing Xu Aiguo still standing on the balcony smoking, Yao Jinping was furious. She threw down the mop, put her hands on her hips, and yelled.

If he sat and watched TV any longer, he would get scolded. Xu Qingfan silently turned off the TV, put on his shoes, and went out.

Today is the 28th day of the Lunar New Year's Eve. In this port city, there's a custom: "On the 28th of the Lunar New Year, clean up the mess." This means that you should clean your house thoroughly on this day to welcome the God of Wealth and ensure good fortune in the coming year. "Big Yellow, bark!"

"Woof woof woof!!!"

"Good dog!" Xu Qingfan patted the dog's head.

This year, the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month happened to be Lunar New Year's Eve, and every household was busy from morning till night.

Cleaning is tiring, and being tired makes you unhappy. Being unhappy makes you want to hit someone, so the 28th of the lunar year is also the day when children in the port city get beaten the most.

Xu Qingfan stood in the courtyard on the first floor, where he could hear the heart-wrenching cries of his peers from all directions.

These people are all clueless. In his previous life, Xu Qingfan had long ago grasped the supreme realm of having no work in his eyes but having work in his heart. Whenever Yao Jinping looked over, he could always find something to do, and he was always one step behind when he got beaten up!
After waiting downstairs for a while, Xia Xiaoxiao arrived late.

"Has Uncle Xia not come back yet?" Xu Qingfan asked as he walked.

“He said he’ll be back tomorrow,” Xia Xiaoxiao replied nonchalantly.

"Tomorrow, there won't be anything to sell in Flower Market."

“My mom said she’ll go with you guys tonight, so we won’t wait for her.”

Rumors have been circulating that kidnappers are lurking on the streets lately. Xu Qingfan, fearing the worst, took Xia Xiaoxiao out hand-in-hand with a vicious dog.

The two walked hand in hand, led by two large dogs, one black and one white, attracting 100% attention on the street.

Xia Xiao said the fried skewers were delicious last time, and she pestered Xu Qingfan for a long time, promising to take the little girl to eat them today.

After walking for more than ten minutes, they arrived at the same stall as before. Xu Qingfan tied the two dogs to a corner. When the two entered the shop, the owner from last time was not there, but they unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.

"Hello." Xu Qingfan waved his hand.

The person on the other end nodded in response.

"Where's the owner here?" he asked, pointing to the fried food stall.

"My mom went to get the skewers, please wait a moment," the little girl replied simply.

"Oh, oh, oh." Xu Qingfan pulled Xia Xiaoxiao to find a stool outside and sit down.

Neither he nor Xia Xiaoxiao knew the little girl inside, but they both knew each other's names.

Xu Qingfan believed that the other party also knew about the two of them.

"That person is Wu Lingyu from Class 3, Grade 1, right?" he whispered.

"Hmm." Xia Xiaoxiao idly played with the bamboo skewers.

"It's quite a coincidence. I didn't expect that this store was owned by them."

"Ah."

"Can you stop 'uh'ing?"

"it is good."

"."

Seeing that Xia Xiaoxiao had no desire to speak, Xu Qingfan turned his gaze to the little girl sitting next to them.

Wearing the winter cotton-padded coat uniform of the Experimental Primary School, her small hands gripped a pen, scribbling furiously on paper, looking as if she were stumped by a math problem. [No wonder she can tie for first place with me, the cheat code, she's really diligent.] Xu Qingfan thought to himself.

As for Xia Xiaoxiao, she's simply blessed with natural intelligence; no one can do anything about it.

From afar, Xu Qingfan saw the proprietress from last time carrying a large rectangular box as she walked towards him.

Perhaps the things she was carrying were too heavy, because the woman walked with a swaying gait.

Something's not right! Xu Qingfan realized something was amiss.

The shaking became more and more intense, and in the next instant, the woman fell face-first to the ground.

"Ah!" Xu Qingfan exclaimed in surprise.

Wu Lingyu, who was doing her homework, looked up at Xu Qingfan and then followed his gaze into the distance. "Mom!" The little girl staggered to her feet and rushed out without a second thought.

Because it was the 28th of the lunar year, all the shops on both sides of the street were closed. Xu Qingfan thought for a moment, then got up and rushed to the nearest convenience store.

Before the shop assistant could even call him, he picked up the landline phone, panting, and dialed his home number.

The call was quickly answered. "Who is it?" came Xu Aiguo's voice from the other end of the line.

"Dad, my classmate's mom has fainted at No. 83 Qinyuan Road. Please drive over quickly and remember to wear a mask!" Xu Qingfan shouted into the microphone, panting.

"I'm coming right now, wait for me!"

After finishing the call, Xu's father hung up on him. Xu Qingfan took out 50 cents from his pocket, handed it to the shop assistant, and hurriedly ran out again.

When they returned, several kind-hearted citizens had already helped the woman up the steps and were pressing her philtrum with their hands.

Wu Lingyu stood anxiously to the side, but her mother showed no signs of waking up.

"This won't do, we need to take him to the hospital."

"Does anyone have a phone? Call 120 quickly."

"We can't afford that thing. Let's go find a public phone booth!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, which brought tears to Wu Lingyu's eyes.

"I've already called, my dad will be here soon, he has a car!" Xu Qingfan said promptly.

"Really? That's great. You need to be careful to keep warm in winter. Her hands are like ice when I touch them. How can her body take that? Little one, is this your mother? You should remind her." An old lady kindly reminded him.

Wu Lingyu glanced at Xu Qingfan gratefully, then grabbed her mother's hand and kept crying.

Xu Aiguo demonstrated his skills from his time as a driver in the army, and his car arrived at the scene within three minutes of making the call.

"Dad, over here!" Xu Qingfan waved.

Xu Aiguo rushed over, shouting, "Where is he? Where is he?"

"Young man, this is it. Thank you for your hard work."

Mr. Xu nodded and carried Wu Lingyu's mother on his shoulders.

“Which of you is his family member? Come with me.”

“It is I!” Wu Lingyu said, wiping away her tears.

"Aren't there any adults around? Little girl, where's your father?" Xu Aiguo asked.

"My father is sick." Wu Lingyu cried, her eyes filled with tears, which made the old lady feel sorry for her.

"Don't cry, my dear. Grandma's got nothing to do, so I'll go with you." She took out a handkerchief to wipe away Wu Lingyu's tears, and they got into the back seat of the taxi together.

"Go home early, Dad won't see you off." The taxi sped away, its exhaust fumes carrying Xu's father's voice towards Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao each carried one side of the fried skewers from the corner back into the shop.

"Let me show you my skills, my fried skewers are delicious!" Xu Qingfan said with a smile.

"Stupid fart."

Xia Xiaoxiao stood beside him, watching Xu Qingfan intently frying skewers for her, her heart filled with sweetness.

Thank you Z异梦 for the 500 Qidian coins!
Thanks to Jiu Meng for the 200 book coins!

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(End of this chapter)