Chapter 53: This Stitching... Is a Bit Rough

Old Jiang's remark won the wholehearted approval of Su De.

Unfortunately, Old Cui and Old Xu did not see it that way. Treating the so-called "miracle doctor" almost like a drowning man clutching at a straw, they had scurried out in a panic.

Startled, Su De looked at Old Jiang. "Master, then what should we do today..."

Surveying the empty room, Old Jiang waved a hand. "Take a rest."

With the New Year fast approaching and not much money in his pocket, how could Su De possibly rest?

After a moment's thought, he headed to the vegetable market to find Su Xiaoyan.

Townspeople were accustomed to waking up early, so by this time the market was practically deserted. Su Xiaoyan was leaning over her stall, jotting something down. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and blinked in surprise at the sight of Su De. "Fourth brother? What brings you here? Aren't you working today?"

"Don't even mention it!"

With a sigh, Su De recounted the situation before finally asking, "Third sister, do you think you could lend me two hundred? I'll pay you back as soon as my wages are settled."

"Is that even a question? Wait, let me count it out for you."

Su Xiaoyan handed over not just two hundred, but an additional sixty. "These sixty are New Year lucky money for the kids—ten for each of them. You'd better not pocket it yourself; make sure you give it to the children."

"No, no, I haven't even given any lucky money to Xiaoyu and Xiaoxuan..."

"You have a lot of kids and things are tough for your family, I know that."

Fearing that Su De might overthink it, Su Xiaoyan quickly changed the subject. "Is that so-called miracle doctor you mentioned setting up a stall? I heard about him yesterday too. They say he's incredible—someone the hospital gave up on, and with just a needle and a bit of bloodletting, he was brought back to life, lively as ever."

Skeptical, Su De shook his head. "Third sister, do you think they hired actors for that?"

Su Xiaoyan thought it over and nodded. "That's certainly possible. Still, a human life is at stake. If I were in Old Xu's shoes, I'd be willing to spend a little money to try anything."

"By the way, Fourth Brother, have you bought the kids their New Year clothes yet?"

At this prompt, Su De gave an awkward, sheepish smile. "Well, I don't really have much cash on hand..."

"Never mind. In a couple of days, your brother-in-law and I are going to the city to look at houses. Clothes are cheaper in the city than in town, so I'll pick some out while we're there."

"No, no, Third Sister. I've already bothered you enough these past few years."

"What bother are you talking about? Didn't you call me sister, and don't they call me aunt?" Su Xiaoyan said, nodding toward the outside. "Look, your brother-in-law is here!"

Jiang Wanshuai greeted Su De with a smile the moment he saw him.

He held a good deal of respect for this brother-in-law. With a sickly wife and six children to raise, Su De had managed to hold the family together through sheer grit.

Of course, he also knew his own wife had chipped in plenty of help, but Su De was undeniably driven.

As long as he wasn't one of those men living off wealthy women...

At this thought, Jiang Wanshuai couldn't help rubbing his plump waist.

Yesterday, after his wife came back, she had given him a thorough tongue-lashing, insisting that her younger brother genuinely had real skills that the whole family knew about, and accusing him of spouting nonsense that had gotten her scolded by the family. He had no idea how many times the flesh on his waist had been twisted—it was all bruised!

Right!

Hurryingly pulling Su De a bit further away, Jiang Wanshuai lowered his voice to ask, "A-De, I heard you guys got lost in the mountains the night before last? Did A-Chen really save you?"

"Brother-in-law, you heard about that too?"

Revitalized, Su De patiently recounted the origin and progression of the entire ordeal. Before he knew it, several neighboring stall owners had gathered around.

"Really?"

"A-De, are you sure you didn't see things?"

"Yeah, I've heard of mountain ghouls, but I've never laid eyes on one."

Staring them down, Su De retorted, "Have any of you ever seen a ghost?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Su De slapped his thigh. "There you go! My younger brother can see them, and not only can he see them, he can catch them."

Jiang Wanshuai looked at him suspiciously. "A-De, you shouldn't just spout nonsense like that."

"Third Brother-in-law, how am I spouting nonsense? Didn't I get too scared by the night before last to walk the mountain trails? Yesterday morning, I wanted to wait at the village entrance for someone to walk down the mountain with, and ended up coming down with A-Chen. He said he was going to Long Mountain to capture a fierce ghost—said that fierce ghost even dared to harm the city police, and was vicious as hell. If he didn't catch it, he reckoned quite a few villagers would end up killed."

"Long Mountain? Oh, I have a relative who happens to live deep inside Long Mountain. I'll ask them about it later."

Su De nodded. "Right, right, just ask and you'll find out the truth."

"Third Brother-in-law, A-Chen is truly formidable. If you don't believe me, didn't my third sister just say? You're heading to the city in a few days—why not go see for yourself?"

Jiang Wanshuai nodded. "That's true, but where is A-Chen fortune-telling?"

Su De chuckled dryly. "Now that, I wouldn't know."

Su Xiaoyan chimed in, "Chunming Street. A-Chen told me all about it earlier."

Surprised, Su De remarked, "Chunming Street? That's where the miracle doctor everyone's talking about is."

"Isn't that a coincidence? If that miracle doctor is a fraud, our A-Chen certainly won't let him off the hook," Su Xiaoyan declared with absolute certainty.

Jiang Wanshuai curled his lips in silent skepticism.

My dear wife, you are truly soft-hearted; you believe whatever the family tells you.

Is it not equally possible... that your younger brother is an even bigger fraud?

Back in the market, Su De quickly stood up, intending to head home and clean the house during his break.

Meanwhile, Zhao Dongsheng's car slowly pulled to a halt at the entrance of Chunming Street.

Su Chen was in no hurry to get out. He patiently taught Honghong how to open the door, and seeing her successfully open it and step outside, he smiled and waved at Zhao Dongsheng. "Brother Zhao, go find somewhere to rest. I reckon I'll be finished around three or four in the afternoon."

"Right, sounds good. I'll head over to the boss's place and mention the matter about that concrete pit."

"Goodbye, Uncle Zhao."

Honghong waved obediently.

As soon as she turned her head, she noticed someone greeting Su Chen.

"Young man, you're here! How come you didn't set up your stall yesterday?"

"Went to Long Mountain, had some business to attend to."

"Young man, you're a bit late today."

"Yeah, overslept. Woke up late."

...

Not long after walking in, people continually greeted Su Chen, even inquiring about Honghong. Su Chen introduced her one by one. When they reached the hardware store, they saw that the stall had been set up early, though, just like the neighboring stalls, there wasn't a single customer in sight.

The sound of gongs and drums from the alley behind had already ceased, but the front of the Ye Family Noodle Restaurant remained lively. From a distance, A-Biao and Lin Jingyu could be seen sitting on small stools, burning ritual paper money.

"Come on, Honghong, let's go say hello to the uncles."

Spotting him, Lin Jingyu scrambled to his feet. "Brother, you're finally here. You have no idea—my brother came by several times yesterday, and he was looking for you again this morning. You..."

His gaze dropped downward. "Ah, brother, is this your kid?"

"Yeah, the oldest one, named Honghong."

"Hello, Uncle."

"Hey, hey, hey, hello there, Honghong."

When A-Biao stood up, Honghong instinctively took a step back. A-Biao smiled, and Honghong looked terrified.

Su Chen couldn't help laughing. "Honghong, don't let Uncle A-Biao's fierce look fool you; he's a very nice person. Don't be scared."

Honghong nodded and then obediently greeted him.

Su Chen glanced at the mourning hall, then at the paper house displayed at the doorway, raising an eyebrow. "This paper house... looks a bit crude."