Chapter 22: Oh, They’re Crocs; Never Mind Then
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The young man with streaks of white in his hair shut off his phone and hurried downstairs. He looked his sister up and down from head to toe.
A dress! A wide-brimmed hat! Crocs... Oh, Crocs. Then it should be nothing serious.
Lin Shu put away her Crocs, changed into slippers, and dropped onto the sofa.
Lin Zhou sat down beside her. “Where did you go?”
“An amusement park.”
“With whom?”
“Xie Buchen.”
“He asked you out?!”
“I asked him. After we finished, he said we shouldn’t keep in touch anymore.”
Lin Zhou gave a quiet “Oh,” thinking that boy certainly kept his word. He asked Lin Shu whether she wanted some late-night food. He had just finished writing a short paper and was a little hungry, while Auntie Zhu was resting at this hour and it would be rude to disturb her.
Lin Shu said, “Brother, did you go looking for trouble with Xie Buchen?”
“No.”
“Then look me in the eye and say it.”
Lin Shu leaned right up into her brother’s face.
Lin Zhou pressed down on her head. “What are you making such a fuss about?”
“Brother, I know you’re protecting me, but have you ever thought that if I never get any experience because I’m always sheltered by you and Mom and Dad, then once I enter society, I might be deceived badly by someone who seems like a good person?”
Lin Zhou pinched her cheek. “Who would dare deceive my sister?”
Lin Shu pinched him around the waist. “You’re not the Jade Emperor.”
The siblings wrestled around for a while.
Lin Shu made him promise not to trouble Xie Buchen. Lin Zhou agreed, then took his sister, who had only just returned home, out for some late-night food.
Afterward, Lin Shu developed a huge blister at the corner of her mouth.
What a stupid big brother!
...
“Son, I have something for you to do.”
“Go ahead.”
Lin Zhou slept until eleven, when his father’s call woke him. His voice was lazy and drowsy. In any other family, a child who slept so late would certainly be scolded, but not in the Lin family.
“Just woke up?” his father asked.
“Yeah.”
“Has your sister gotten up?”
“She probably has...”
Still wearing his pajamas, Lin Zhou went to his sister’s room, only to find that Lin Shu had already left.
Auntie Zhu said she had gone to listen to a lecture by some renowned scholar on a speaking tour. She had forgotten the name, but apparently the person was very impressive. Afraid of arriving late and finding no seat, Lin Shu had left at six in the morning.
“Dad, Little Shu went out.”
Lin Zhou went into the bathroom, squeezed toothpaste onto his brush, and rinsed his mouth.
“There’s a boy in her class named Ji Xingshen. He has excellent grades and receives our Spring Rain Scholarship. His family also has a sick grandmother. She’s in the hospital now and needs a special medication. The boy only dared ask your mother and me for eight thousand. Later, his father called and said they needed thirty thousand. We transferred the money, but we still feel uneasy. We originally wanted you to take Shu Shu there to visit her. Well, just go take a look first.”
“Oh.”
“What are you, a rooster? Cock-a-doodle-doo. The boy has it hard enough already, and his grades are excellent. He’s also your sister’s classmate. Put some thought into it.”
“Oh, oh, oh.”
“You little rascal.”
Lin Shiheng laughed as he cursed him affectionately, then hung up.
Lin Zhou fixed his hair, sprayed on a little cologne, put on his coat, and left.
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...
Tong City Central Hospital.
Inpatient Department.
Lin Zhou explained the reason for his visit. The nurse looked him over and said, “The patient is behind on her hospital fees. If they aren’t paid today, we’ll have to proceed according to regulations.”
“How much is owed?”
“Three thousand.”
Lin Zhou took out his phone. His balance displayed a long string of zeroes.
The nurse glanced at it, then continued, “The first course of treatment will cost around eight thousand. Are you a relative? If you are, you should probably pay a little more.”
“Eight thousand? How much has she spent since she was admitted?”
“Four thousand eight hundred. The family paid eighteen hundred before.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Lin Zhou paid ten thousand—enough to cover roughly the current course of treatment. As he walked away, he lowered his head and gave a derisive laugh. By coincidence, he ran into Ji Xingshen, who was coming out with a lunchbox.
The boy was plainly dressed and had a neat, pleasant appearance. Apparently, he had excellent grades too.
A good kid.
Too bad he had a swindler for a father.
Ji Xingshen stepped aside to let Lin Zhou pass. Lin Zhou entered the ward and found only an elderly woman lying in bed. It seemed Ji Xingshen had been the one caring for her.
Lin Zhou moved a stool over and sat down.
Not long afterward, Ji Xingshen came in carrying the washed lunchbox. He stared at Lin Zhou in surprise.
“...May I ask who you are?”
“I’m Lin Zhou, the son of Lin Shiheng and Wang Yan.”
Ji Xingshen lowered his head and set down the things in his hands.
Lin Zhou added, “Lin Shu from your class is my younger sister. You know who I am now, right?”
“Hello, Brother. I know you’re Uncle Lin and Auntie Wang’s son.”
“Good. I’ve paid the hospital fees. Put these things here. I don’t know what a patient can and can’t eat, so I simply bought whatever the salesclerk at the supermarket outside the hospital recommended. Take a look for yourself.”
Lin Zhou pointed toward the pile of items in the corner.
Ji Xingshen remained standing, unsure how to respond.
He had taken eight thousand from the Lin family and given it to his father to pay the fees. Who would have thought the doctors and nurses would still say the account was overdue?
Perhaps there had been a problem with the system.
His father was working the night shift and was still asleep...
Lin Zhou patted him on the shoulder.
Ji Xingshen wiped his face. His head dipped even lower, but his back remained perfectly straight, as upright as a pine tree—or perhaps simply proud.
Lin Zhou chose his words carefully. “You’re still young. From now on, money needs to pass through your own hands, especially money meant to save someone’s life. As for your father... when he comes, just tell him I visited.”
Ji Xingshen bowed deeply to him.
Lin Zhou quickly stopped him. “What are you doing? You’re my sister’s classmate.”
“Thank you, Brother,” Ji Xingshen said gratefully.
Seeing how honest and guileless the boy was, Lin Zhou felt even more strongly that Xie Buchen was trouble and would eventually lead his little sister astray. After a moment’s silence, he said, “When you have time, keep an eye on Lin Shu for me. She doesn’t have a private tutor or attend any tutoring classes. She spends all day doing who knows what.”
Ji Xingshen tugged at the edge of his clothes, looking as though he wanted to speak but didn’t know how.
Lin Zhou raised his chin. “What is it?”
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Ji Xingshen pressed his lips together, struggling with his words. “Brother, Lin Shu has been spending a lot of time with a boy from the class next door. I’m worried that she...”
“I know about that.”
Lin Zhou let out a long sigh and folded his arms. “She’s very stubborn. Since you’re in the same class, keep an eye on her at school.”
Ji Xingshen nodded.
...
After leaving the hospital, Lin Zhou called his father.
Lin Shiheng did not sound particularly surprised.
That old fox probably knew something, which was why he had sent his son to the hospital. The amount of money involved was not much, but being played for a fool was unpleasant all the same.
Ji Xingshen’s father had handled things terribly.
Every year, the school would recommend a few students with well-off families to receive scholarships. Their family usually turned a blind eye. But this old bastard had gone too far. It was bad enough that they were practically raising his son for him; now he was even using the boy’s mother’s illness to squeeze money out of them.
As a son, he was unfilial.
As a father, he was incompetent.
As a swindler, though, he was remarkably capable.
Lin Shiheng asked how he had handled the matter.
Lin Zhou told him.
“Well done,” Lin Shiheng said. “Adults are adults, and children are children. Don’t let this affect the boy’s studies. If something like this happens again, I’ll have someone deal with it personally. Go have fun.”
“Dad, I think Little Shu is in a puppy-love relationship.”
“With whom?”
“Some poor boy named Xie Buchen. He rides around on a broken bicycle. Auntie Zhu says Shu Shu even brings him breakfast every day. She doesn’t care that much about me.”
“Oh, from her school? The one surnamed Xie? Xie... Xie... Isn’t he the son of the owner of Zhonghe?”
“...What?”
Lin Shiheng smacked his lips and asked whether Lin Zhou had forgotten.
“Forgotten what? Why are you being so mysterious, Dad?”
“When you were little, you ate at the same table. You stole his toy, and he was younger than you, but he beat you until you cried your eyes out.”
...
Zhonghe had expanded rapidly over the past two years and had gone public. It was quite powerful, and there were some business connections between their two families.
Lin Zhou thought, Why didn’t I beat him to death that day?
Now that he knew who he was, it was too late.
Lin Shiheng laughed. “Son, you didn’t get into a fight with him, did you? Never mind, never mind. You couldn’t beat him anyway. When you were little, he beat you so badly that you hid behind your mother. Ha ha ha—”
“Dad, I’m talking about my sister’s puppy love!”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Lin Shiheng said. “It’s not puppy love. It’s an engagement arranged in childhood. Don’t interfere with your sister. Look at you—you’re nowhere near as well-behaved as she is. Even dating, you’re more trouble than she is. Who knows what you’re doing out there all day...”
His father was truly impossible.
Lin Zhou hung up.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
He slammed on the brakes halfway there and pulled over by the roadside. Then he sent Ji Xingshen a furious message:
Little Ji, keep a close eye on my sister. Don’t let a single dog get anywhere near her!
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