The Nightmare Experience of a Useless Person

By the time Ye Qingchen went to see the doctor, it was already noon.

"Qingchen, is that your name? You come so often, I remember you." After examining you closely, the doctor looked worried. "I've said it repeatedly, your weakness is something you were born with. Don't underestimate it. You haven't taken the tonics I prescribed, have you? Your constitution is weak. You're fine most of the time, but once you get sick, even a minor ailment could be fatal!"

Jiang Zhiyang could sense Ye Qingchen's weakness, but he didn't know it had progressed to this extent.

"You must eat more during the day, avoid strenuous exercise, don't stay up late, and don't overthink. This time, I have to give you better medicine. It's more expensive, but your health is the most important thing. Rest at home for a week and avoid catching a cold. If your high fever doesn't subside today, come back tomorrow." The old doctor's words were forceful and even carried a hint of anger. Ye Qingchen was probably the most troublesome patient he had ever treated.

But the old doctor was a really good man. He gave the two of them special permission to go to the back room to prepare the medicine, and they could leave after they finished using it.

Jiang Zhiyang took his hand in his and felt the warmth of Ye Qingchen's palm against his cheek. After taking the medicine, his breathing became much more stable. The dying fish was thrown into the bucket and given a brief chance to breathe.

Back home, he settled Ye Qingchen in bed and cooked him a bowl of egg noodles. Jiang Zhiyang's cooking skills were really terrible. He stood in front of the stove and prayed fervently, "Kind little chick, please use all your nutrients to protect Ye Qingchen!"

Jiang Zhiyang held Ye Qingchen's hand, while Ye Qingchen clutched his money bag, which was now empty. The "money to support his wife" that he had painstakingly saved had turned into bitter pills, and Ye Qingchen looked utterly dejected.

"I've run out of money for my wedding, so I'll pawn it for my brother..."

If it were Xiao Chengyang leaning on Ye Qingchen's lap right now, he would definitely say the same thing, Jiang Zhiyang thought, but he didn't dare to speak up for Xiao Chengyang.

because……

Xiao Shaoping, Xiao's father, and Song Huixin, Xiao's mother, were the most enviable couple in the surrounding area. Although they had a child late in life, they gave birth to a son in their first pregnancy, and this son was exceptionally promising.

Xiao Chengyang was born into a world of love and expectation, but Song Huixin was often secretly saddened that such a good child had ended up in a family like theirs.

Xiao Shaoping was barely literate and could only recognize some simple characters. Song Huixin had grown up in the fields. The couple were honest and simple, unlike others who had the capital to do business. They only knew how to put their strength into the land. When the spring rice sprouted from the fertile soil, they felt particularly at ease.

The couple farmed for a living, and when they had extra energy, they would contract land from landlords. Their strength came and went, and they worked hard with their four hands, little by little, from having nothing to having their own home, a bed, a square table, a long bench, a stove, a chicken coop...

As items were added one by one, life became more and more comfortable.

Xiao Shaoping also made a small frog stool for Song Huixin. Song Huixin is petite, and it was easy for her back to ache when she sat on a long bench to pick vegetables. With this small frog stool, it would be much more convenient. The stool is small but sturdy, and Song Huixin likes it very much.

The only regret for the couple was that they didn't have children. Even having a daughter would have been great, but Song Huixin's belly remained flat.

She thought she would never have children in this life, but when Song Huixin was thirty-two years old, she actually became pregnant!

The old women in the neighborhood all said that her pregnant belly was pointed, so she must be carrying a big, healthy boy.

The mother was frail, but the fetus was unusually large. On the day of delivery, Song Huixin suffered a difficult labor with severe bleeding. Just when Xiao Shaoping was determined to save his wife, their son was born safely!

The chubby little boy cried loudly and clearly, and even the midwife said that this child would surely become a great star in the future.

However, on the very day Xiao Chengyang was born, Ye Qingchen's mother died; she was beaten to death by that old bastard surnamed Ye.

Old Ye was an alcoholic. The day after Ye Qingchen's mother passed away, he jumped into the river to bathe and drowned.

So, another mouth to feed appeared next door to the Xiao family. Perhaps because she had just given birth, Song Huixin felt a pang of sorrow at the thought of her child being born while a neighbor's child was starving to death. She decided to give him a bite to eat.

Everyone always says that raising children is difficult, but Song Huixin doesn't think so. In her eyes, these two children have always been very easy to take care of. The only thing that worries her is Ye Qingchen's health. He has been weak and sickly since childhood, so Song Huixin has to cook an egg for him every morning. She is afraid that Xiao Chengyang will think that she is biased, so she has to prepare one for the younger one as well.

Song Huixin knew that two eggs were far from enough, but even just two eggs a day was a burden for a family like theirs...

Good fortune will surely come to the honest man's home, Xiao Shaoping and Song Huixin firmly believed. When Ye Qingchen was fifteen, the two boys were actually chosen by the academy's teachers, not only gaining admission to the prestigious Qingyun Academy but also becoming among the top students. The teachers all said that they would definitely pass the imperial examinations with top honors, and would surely receive official positions and bring glory to their ancestors!

Nowadays, in the eyes of outsiders, these two children are both exceptionally good.

Xiao Chengyang is lively, active, and cheerful. His little mouth is very endearing. He doesn't like studying by rote, but he is surprisingly outstanding in his studies. Everyone praises him for his extraordinary talent.

Ye Qingchen is quiet and meticulous. He has been independent since childhood, and despite being a boy, he has developed excellent culinary skills. Not only that, he is also well-educated, academically outstanding, and exceptionally good at writing. His teachers all praise him as a model of self-discipline and propriety, a true gentleman.

Song Huixin often thought that if Qingchen and Chengyang had been born into a good family, their future would have been bright and smooth. But they were born into her family. She knew nothing and knew nothing. She only hoped that her two children would be healthy, live a long life, be upright, and not go astray.

As their children grew up, the couple clearly felt that a chasm stretched between them. Their two children were in the prime of their lives, while they were getting old and could not understand their conversations, their worries, or their secrets.

That day, Xiao Shaoping and Song Huixin went to the fields early to harvest winter vegetables. With the Spring Festival approaching, they were sure to get a good price if they took these vegetables to the market to sell.

When Song Hui returned home at noon, she couldn't find the two of them. She hurriedly went to the kitchen. Ever since Ye Qingchen had become a skilled cook, he had taken over the kitchen duties. Since the two of them were back late today, she decided to let them try her mother's cooking.

But when the dishes on the table were getting cold, Ye Qingchen and Xiao Chengyang still hadn't returned. Song Huixin felt uneasy and had no choice but to pull her husband to the academy.

Qingyun Academy truly lives up to its reputation as a place that produces outstanding talents; all those who enter and leave are dashing and elegantly dressed. The couple had never been here before—although they had never received much formal education, they knew that poverty was something to be ridiculed, and they didn't want Xiao Chengyang to be mocked by the other students, so they never appeared at the academy.

This time, it was truly out of necessity.

They inquired around and learned that Ye Qingchen was unwell. At this hour, the two of them were still at the clinic, so Xiao Shaoping and Song Huixin hurriedly rushed to the clinic.

Xiao Shaoping looked serious, but Song Huixin couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She ran desperately, her legs were so weak, but she still dragged herself forward.

She scolded herself in her heart. She knew that Qingchen was not in good health, but she did not find out sooner. Now that she had been in the clinic for half a day, she only found out. She really felt sorry for Ye Qingchen's mother.

When the two arrived, the crowd in the clinic had already dispersed, leaving only the old doctor packing up the medicine pots. Song Huixin wanted to speak, but she was too anxious to speak clearly. Fortunately, the old doctor recognized the couple and told them to rest assured that they had taken their medicine and were ready to go home.

Xiao Shaoping inquired in detail about Ye Qingchen's condition and asked the doctor if the two had settled their medical bills.

"The three hundred coins have been settled."

"Three hundred coins!" Xiao Shaoping's heart skipped a beat.

"His illness is sudden and expensive, mainly due to the tonics. If he doesn't take these tonics, he'll inevitably fall ill every few days. Don't let this little bit of money jeopardize your child's health," the old doctor patiently explained. He knew that this price was a considerable sum for ordinary people, but if the child had to go to the clinic every few days, he would suffer, and the expenses would certainly be substantial.

The two of them dragged their heavy steps out of the clinic.

"Shaoping, where do you think they got so much money?"

"They must have borrowed it, otherwise where would they get the money?" Xiao Shaoping said calmly, trying to comfort them.

"They wouldn't...wouldn't steal...rob...?" Tears welled up in Song Huixin's eyes. Although she knew her two children's character best, the images of those noblemen's fine clothes kept replaying in her mind.

A jumble of thoughts clouded her mind.