In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

Chapter 107 Paying Out of 3.2 Yuan

Chaoyang District Hospital, second floor, surgical department.

Zhang Yong lay on the iron-framed bed, his right cheek even more swollen than in the morning, with bruises around his eye socket.

The slightest movement caused excruciating pain in his ribs, making him too afraid to even turn over.

The ward smelled strongly of disinfectant. The old man in the next bed, who had sprained his ankle while catching chickens, was leaning against the headboard listening to a storyteller.

Wei Shuyun stood at the head of the bed, listening to the nurse explain the rehabilitation process of fascia injury along with Li Guilan. The more she listened, the uglier her face became.

"Zhang Yong".

She spoke with a tone of disappointment and frustration.

"Tell me the truth."

"Why did you even bother playing in this kind of competition?"

Zhang Yong tilted his head to look at her; the cut on the corner of his mouth had just been treated with iodine, and it hurt when he pulled it even slightly.

"Boxing is a sport that can improve your health and even make you money."

"How much money can you make from this?" Wei Shuyun's voice rose. "You're an article writer and a mechanical engineer, what are you doing boxing!"

'

She slammed the saline bottle down on the bedside table.

"Didn't you say your dream was to save the country through writing? To develop industry? If you got maimed on that stage, do you know what would happen?"

"Everyone in Beijing will laugh at you. They'll say that Zhang Yong, the novelist, overestimated himself and went to fight someone in a boxing match, getting knocked out with just two punches!"

"Do you think this is fun?"

The ward fell silent.

The old man in the next bed stopped listening to the storytelling and his ears were perked up.

Looking at Wei Shuyun's red eyes, a scene flashed through Zhang Yong's mind.

In my past life, I remember when my mother and I were cornered against a wall by someone holding sticks.

He never wanted to experience that feeling of helplessness again in his life.

"Wei Shuyun".

Zhang Yong's expression was very serious.

"Being able to protect myself and my family with my fists is also my dream. It doesn't conflict with writing articles."

He glanced at Li Guilan, who was wiping away tears beside him, and quickly added a sentence.

"Mom, please don't cry. I had no choice. I've been targeted recently, so I have to practice. It was just a coincidence that I got to play in the competition; the coach said I'm the best student he's ever coached."

He extended his right hand and held up three fingers.

"And you get a bonus for every win; I earned thirty dollars this time!"

Li Guilan cried and cursed, "How dare you say thirty yuan!"

Footsteps sounded at the door.

Sun Lei poked half his head in from the doorway, holding a bag of gauze and cotton swabs.

He was about to speak when he looked up and saw Wei Shuyun standing by the bed. He fell silent, like a gourd with its mouth sawed off.

Li Guilan wiped her face and waved to Sun Lei.

"Lei Zi, come and sit down. I'm so grateful you rode your bike to take me there today, otherwise I wouldn't have made it."

Sun Lei moved two steps further in and placed the things on the stool at the foot of the bed.

"Aunt Li, you're too kind. I—I didn't really help much, I just kicked a few times—"

As he spoke, he glanced at Wei Shuyun out of the corner of his eye again.

Wei Shuyun turned her head and glanced at him, then suddenly remembered something.

"Sun Lei, have you finished reading those two books I gave you last time? Do you need anything else? I have a few more English grammar books over there."

Sun Lei's face flushed red instantly.

"I saw—I saw half of it, that—no need, no need, that's enough, I'll just look—"

He stammered for a long time, then finally stopped talking, blushing as he retreated to stand by the door.

Zhang Yong was watching from the bed and almost burst out laughing, but then he pulled at the corner of his mouth and winced in pain.

Zhang Defa's loud voice echoed down the corridor.

"Make way! Make way, everyone!"

The door was pushed open, and Zhang Defa rushed in carrying a white plastic bag, with bottles and jars clattering inside.

He threw the plastic bag onto the bedside table.

"Anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, liniment for bruises and sprains, iodine solution, plus a day's hospital fee—I also had someone prescribe some calcium and iron supplements, and some kind of fish oil."

Then he pulled a crumpled sheet out of his pocket, unfolded it, and his face turned pale.

"It cost a total of thirty-three dollars and twenty cents."

Zhang Defa slapped the receipt onto the patient's medical record and began pacing around the ward.

"Goodness, you fought tooth and nail for a match, and the prize money is thirty. But the medicine costs thirty-three yuan and twenty cents."

"You've lost three dollars and twenty cents, and you've even lost face."

He turned around again.

"People who sell tea eggs can earn five or seven yuan a day. You go up there and get beaten up, not only will you work for nothing, but you'll also lose money!"

"What are you after?!"

Li Guilan was peeling a boiled egg, intending to wrap it in gauze and apply it to Zhang Yong's face. Hearing Zhang Defa's words, she became somewhat displeased again.

"Alright, you old miser, you're haggling over three yuan and twenty cents, stop forwarding!"

"It's not about three dollars and twenty cents!" Zhang Defa plopped down. "It's about saving face! Everyone who wins the championship is all smiles and glory. But us, we won first place and ended up in the hospital first."

He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, and his voice got louder.

"Let me tell you, from now on, when you box, you have to call your dad too. Back in the day—"

Li Guilan wrapped the peeled egg in gauze and placed it on Zhang Yong's swollen eye socket.

"Shut up."

Zhang Defa immediately fell silent.

Li Guilan turned around, glanced at Zhang Yong, and her tone became even harsher.

"Listen up, everyone. This boxing thing ends here. Anyone who dares to mention it again can get out of this house."

Zhang Yong obediently hummed in agreement and did not argue.

Li Guilan sighed, stood up, and tugged at Zhang Defa's sleeve.

"Come on, let's go downstairs and buy your son a washbasin, and then go to the cafeteria to get him some food."

Zhang Defa jumped up from the stool, still muttering to himself.

"Fine, fine, if we can't box, then we won't box!"

"Are you coming or not!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

The couple's footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

The ward fell silent.

The old man in the next bed wisely turned off his radio, turned over, and pretended to be asleep.

Wei Shuyun pulled up a stool and sat down without saying a word, just watching Zhang Yong rub his face with an egg and gauze wrap.

Sun Lei stood by the window, staring at the calendar on the wall for a long time with a shifty look in his eyes, when suddenly he exclaimed "Ah!"

"Wait a minute—today is September 1st!"

He turned to look at Zhang Yong.

"I'm officially registering at school the day after tomorrow. Zhang Yong, what day is it for you?"

Zhang Yong's men stopped what they were doing.

Today is September 1st.

The registration date for Kyoto University's Continuing Education College is September 3rd.

But before that—

Fang Qiming is still waiting for his boiler data.

We haven't received the data for those four Soviet-style boilers at Dongsheng Coal Plant yet! The tube walls of Boiler No. 1 are so thin that they could burst at any time!

Zhang Yong suddenly threw off the covers and tried to get out of bed.

A sharp pain shot through his ribs, making him grimace, but he could only force himself to stand up.

"I have to go to the Tongxian Coal Mine today!"

Wei Shuyun grabbed him and pinned him down.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Look at you now, you're even staggering when you walk, what kind of coal mine would you go to!"