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Chapter 2567 Strong Medicine

At the end of August, with the start of the new semester just around the corner, He Wenhui was about to go to Peking University to register.

However, train tickets from Nanjing to Beijing are hard to buy, and with the start of the school season approaching, many students are returning to school and many people are going out to run errands, making train tickets even more scarce.

Especially for long-distance sleeper trains like these, even with connections, it's not guaranteed to be available, let alone for someone like He Wenhui who has no connections or acquaintances.

He Wenhui went to the train station twice and queued for several hours, her legs swollen from standing.

The first time she went, when it was her turn in line, the small iron door of the ticket window slammed shut, and a piece of paper was pasted on the dirty glass—"Tickets sold out."

He Wenhui stood blankly at the window for a long time, slowly lowering her hand that was clutching the money, and could only turn away in disappointment.

The second time I went, I arrived two hours early and stood at the front of the line, thinking that I would finally be able to buy it this time.

But when it was He Wenhui's turn, she still asked the same cold question: "There are no sleeper berths left, would you like a hard seat?"

He Wenhui gritted her teeth. A hard seat was fine; it was better than not being able to go at all.

Just as she was about to take out her money, the people behind her rushed forward and pushed He Wenhui to the side. By the time she managed to squeeze back, there were no more hard seats available.

He Wenhui stood at the entrance of the train station, looking at the square bustling with people, feeling a tightness in her chest.

School is about to start, what if I can't buy a ticket and am late?

He Wenhui became more and more anxious as she thought about it, her eyes reddening, but she knew that crying was useless and she couldn't get any tickets by crying.

However, what He Wenhui didn't know was that Liu Hongchang had been watching her every move.

Ever since He Wenhui treated everyone to a meal at the cafeteria, and after the lamb bone incident, Liu Hongchang had taken a liking to her.

When Liu Hongchang heard that He Wenhui was anxiously trying to buy a train ticket, he couldn't sit still any longer.

……

That evening, Liu Hongchang took only an enamel mug, two cold steamed buns, and a packet of pickled vegetables, and rode his bicycle to the train station.

After getting off work, I didn't even have time to change my clothes. I was still wearing that faded work uniform with frayed cuffs.

Liu Hongchang was going to try and get He Wenhui a sleeper train ticket so she could travel comfortably to Beijing without having to endure more than twenty hours in a hard seat.

Upon arriving at the ticket hall, a long queue had already formed in front of the sleeper berth window, winding and turning like a hibernating snake, stretching from the window all the way to the main entrance, making several turns.

Liu Hongchang stood at the end of the line, sat on the small stool he had brought, placed the enamel mug at his feet, and began his long wait.

The lobby was stuffy and hot at night, and the electric fan overhead creaked and whirred, blowing out hot air.

Some people around were dozing against the wall, some were squatting on the ground smoking, and some were chatting with the people in front of and behind them to pass the time.

Liu Hongchang doesn't smoke, nor does he like to talk to people. He just sits there, staring at the heads in front of him, counting them one by one.

When he was hungry, he would take a bite of a cold steamed bun, chew it a couple of times, swallow it, and drink it with plain water from his enamel mug.

The steamed bun had cooled down and hardened, crumbling when bitten, but he didn't care and swallowed it in a few bites.

When he felt sleepy, Liu Hongchang would stand up, walk a few steps, go to the water room to fill a tub with cold water, splash it on his face, and be instantly refreshed.

Liu Hongchang dared not sleep, afraid that if he fell asleep he would be pushed to the back, and even more afraid that after queuing all night, the tickets would be sold out and all his efforts would be in vain.

I queued all night.

The early morning hours are the hardest to get through.

The hall quieted down, with snoring filling the air. Some people lay sprawled on the benches, some curled up in the corners, and some could even fall asleep standing against the wall.

Liu Hongchang was so sleepy that he could fall asleep standing up, his eyelids drooping as if filled with lead.

I can only pinch the web between my thumb and index finger with my fingernails until it hurts. The pain will wake me up for a while, and then I'll feel sleepy again and pinch it again.

The area between my thumb and forefinger was pinched until it was red and there were several nail marks.

As dawn broke, it was finally Liu Hongchang's turn.

Liu Hongchang stuffed the money he had been holding all night through the window, "One sleeper berth, from Nanjing to Beijing."

The ticket seller glanced at him, took the money, quickly calculated on the abacus, then pulled out a ticket from the row of small compartments, stamped it, and handed it out.

Liu Hongchang took the ticket and looked at it under the light at the window—there was a seat, a berth, and the date was correct.

First, he carefully folded the ticket, put it in his shirt pocket, patted it against his chest to make sure it wouldn't fall out, and then turned and left.

When he got off at the train station, it was already broad daylight, and the sunlight was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes.

He squinted, his lips curled up as if he had found a gold ingot.

Having not slept all night, with bloodshot eyes and a scraggly beard, Liu Hongchang didn't feel tired at all and rode his bicycle straight to the factory.

……

When we arrived at the cafeteria, Suning was already chopping vegetables.

The potato shreds were cut quickly and evenly, the slicing sound echoing in the kitchen.

Liu Hongchang tied on his apron, took out the sleeper ticket from his pocket, looked at it over and over in his hand, then carefully put it back into his apron pocket, patted it to make sure it was still there.

Su Ning glanced at him, her hand still holding the cleaver, slicing potatoes into shreds with a clattering sound. "Did you buy it?"

Liu Hongchang nodded, his face beaming with pride, and said, "After queuing all night, I finally got a ticket. A sleeper berth, lower berth, the best spot. Wenhui can finally go back to school comfortably without having to squeeze into a hard seat for more than twenty hours."

"..." Su Ning paused for a moment with the knife in his hand.

Wenhui? When did she start being called Wenhui?

Didn't she used to be called He Wenhui? When did they become so affectionate?

Su Ning gave Liu Hongchang a disgusted look, and seeing his smug expression, a wave of nausea washed over her.

I queued all night, stayed up like a grandson, my face was covered in sleepyheads, and I was all unkempt, all to buy a sleeper ticket for a girl I'd only known for a short time, and I'm still so happy about it?

What else is this but a simp?

No! This is the ultimate simp! The best of the best!

Sometimes, Suning really doesn't want to care anymore, let them do whatever they want!

Let Liu Hongchang be a sycophant if he wants to; what does it have to do with me?

He wasn't Liu Hongchang's father; he could only manage him for a while, not forever.

But then I thought, no, I really can't ignore it.

This reward is too generous. Two percent of the memories have been restored, which, together with the previous eight percent, brings the total to ten percent, bringing us one step closer to the truth.

I can't throw away the reward I've already won just because I'm angry.

Sometimes, being willful is the least valuable emotion.

Therefore, I need to take drastic measures.

……

That evening, Su Ning's spirit left his body and went to the Liu family's house.

Liu Hongchang lay on the bed, half of the blanket kicked off to the floor, snoring loudly, sleeping like a log.

Last night, Liu Hongchang spent the entire night at the train station and then worked all day after returning home. He was so exhausted that he didn't even have the energy to dream.

Su Ning stood by the bed, looking at Liu Hongchang's unguarded face, and sighed inwardly.

Brother, don't blame me, I'm doing this for your own good.

If you really get involved with He Wenhui, the mess she'll create will be enough to ruin your life.

Although I am not a great philanthropist, I cannot stand by and watch my colleagues jump into a fire pit.

Su Ning's spirit raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, and a pale golden light, the size of a soybean, shone from the fingertips, flickering in the darkness like a firefly.

Then, he gently touched Liu Hongchang's forehead with his fingertip, and the golden light disappeared into his skin.

Liu Hongchang's snoring stopped for a moment, then started again; he was sleeping even more soundly.

The Great Dream Divine Technique is a celestial skill that Suning learned from Sun Wukong in "Journey to the West" through AFK gameplay. It allows a person to experience another life in a dream, as realistically as if they were actually living it.

The joys and sorrows in dreams are not forgotten upon waking, but they are not entirely believed either; most are simply considered as absurd dreams.

But the imprint of those dreams will be etched in your heart, and you can't erase it no matter how hard you try.

What I fear most is that what happens next will confirm my dream, and I won't believe that Liu Hongchang will still be a sycophant like in the original drama.

Soon, Liu Hongchang started dreaming.

In her dream, He Wenhui gave up going to university because of her blind mother and the burden of her three younger siblings.

She went to work as a textile factory worker, standing in front of the machines for more than ten hours every day. Her hands were covered in calluses, and her face was covered in dust from the cotton fibers.

Liu Hongchang felt sorry for her, so he would wait for her at the factory gate every day after get off work, bring her meals, and help her with her work. Gradually, the two of them got together.

Despite the strong opposition from Liu's mother, Wang Cuilan, and his brother, Liu Yunchang, Liu Hongchang insisted on marrying He Wenhui.

He shamelessly became the son-in-law of the He family...

The He family's conditions were extremely poor; their house was small and dilapidated, with the entire family crammed into two rooms.

He Wenhui's younger brother Wentao and younger sister Wenyuan are at the age where they can eat a lot, while her youngest brother Wenda is only a few years old and doesn't understand anything.

Liu Hongchang's mother-in-law, Yu Qiuhua, had poor eyesight and a bad temper. She found fault with everything Liu Hongchang did and always thought he was a burden to her daughter. Life after the marriage was even more difficult than Liu Hongchang had imagined, since a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family has no such thing as dignity.

He Wenhui disliked Liu Hongchang from the bottom of her heart and refused to share a room with him, saying that she was not used to it, but in reality, she had no feelings for him at all.

Because He Wenhui still harbors feelings for her ex-boyfriend Li Jianbin...

He Wenhui married Liu Hongchang not because she liked him, but because she needed someone to support her family.

Wen Tao and Wen Yuan were hostile towards their brother-in-law, often picking fights, throwing things, and cursing, treating Liu Hongchang like an outsider.

Wenda was young and didn't understand things. Following his older siblings, he also ignored Liu Hongchang.

Needless to say, Yu Qiuhua disliked Liu Hongchang for being poor, incompetent, uneducated, and unworthy of her daughter.

During Wenhui's second pregnancy, something happened.

Wen Yuan, having a fight with his family, ran away to visit his friends, where he was spotted by a street thug named Big Yellow Cat.

That night, Wen Yuan ran home crying, his clothes torn, his face bruised, and his whole body trembling...

Wentao, young and impetuous, rushed out after listening only halfway through and found the big yellow cat...

The big yellow cat died, and Wentao was arrested.

Upon hearing the news, He Wenhui ran out of her home and suffered severe bleeding due to the emotional distress.

When they arrived at the hospital, the person was already in critical condition, bleeding so much that it couldn't be stopped.

Liu Hongchang knelt in the hospital corridor, crying like a child.

After He Wenhui's death, Wenda was admitted to university and went to another city.

Yu Qiuhua also died in a car accident.

Liu Hongchang is the only one left in the Liu family, guarding that old house, those old furniture, and those days that can never be returned.

I go to the market to buy groceries every morning, cook myself lunch at noon, sit at the door in the afternoon and daydream, and go to bed early at night.

Days passed by one by one, as bland and tasteless as plain water.

When I woke up, it was already dawn.

Liu Hongchang opened his eyes and stared at the roof above him for a long time without moving.

At this moment, his pillow was wet, whether from sweat or tears, he didn't know.

I touched my face; it was wet, with tear stains that hadn't dried.

It turns out he cried in his dream, he cried very sadly.

I sat up blankly, rubbed my eyes, my mind a jumbled mess, like a pot of burnt porridge.

That dream was so real that he couldn't tell which was dream and which was waking up.

I dreamt that I got married, that I became a son-in-law of the He family, that He Wentao went to prison, that He Wenhui died, and that I was all alone in a dilapidated house, waiting for someone who would never come back.

Every scene was so clear, as if it had just happened yesterday.

Especially in the early days of their marriage, He Wenhui was so guarded and cold towards him. The way He Wenhui looked at him was like looking at a stranger, no, even worse than a stranger.

He Wenhui always avoided him, not letting him touch her or get close to her.

When talking to herself, He Wenhui's tone was polite, but behind that politeness lay distance, indifference, and an insurmountable wall.

Liu Hongchang stared blankly for a while, then shook his head and laughed at himself for being silly.

It's just a dream, isn't it? What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. It must be because I've been thinking about He Wenhui a lot lately, and my mind is too tense, so I can't sleep peacefully.

After calming himself down, Liu Hongchang put on his clothes, went to the washroom to wash his face, and the cold water splashed on his face, making him feel much more awake.

Looking at myself in the mirror, my eyes were a little red, my complexion wasn't good, and I had bags under my eyes, but I still felt okay.

I smiled at myself in the mirror and told myself to stop overthinking and just get on with my life!

This is just a ridiculous dream!

But is this really just a dream?

……

When Su Ning arrived at the cafeteria in the morning, she saw Liu Hongchang already busy in the kitchen.

I noticed that Liu Hongchang's chopping movements were even more efficient than yesterday, and he wasn't as distracted as he was yesterday, as if he had put He Wenhui's matter behind him quite a bit.

Su Ning was secretly pleased. The Great Dream Divine Technique was indeed effective, making Liu Hongchang suffer a setback in advance, to see if he could still grit his teeth and charge forward.

What Suning didn't know was that Liu Hongchang truly regarded that dream as just a dream.

Although Liu Hongchang dreamed that He Wenhui was dead and that he was suffering, he never considered that the suffering was brought to him by He Wenhui.

Liu Hongchang felt it was just a dream, and once he woke up, it was fine.

In Liu Hongchang's heart, He Wenhui is still that clean, gentle, and kind girl, not the cold and distant woman in his dream.

In fact, because of this fantastical dream, Liu Hongchang actually fell in love with He Wenhui.

Then, Liu Hongchang handed the stolen train ticket to He Wenhui, which naturally made He Wenhui ecstatic.

He Wenhui only gave Liu Hongchang the "friend zone" card, since she now has a boyfriend, Li Jianbin, and naturally she couldn't promise this sycophant anything.

……

When He Wenhui was about to leave for the capital, she went home to pack her luggage.

Yu Qiuhua, the mother, sat on the edge of the bed, watching He Wenhui fold the clothes one by one and stuff them into her handbag. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back.

He Wenhui didn't notice her mother's unusual behavior; her mind was preoccupied with returning to school.

After tidying up, He Wenhui wanted to go to Yu Qiuhua's house to get a needle and thread to sew up the button on her handbag that was about to fall off.

Yu Qiuhua's room was in the inner room, and the lighting was not very good. The windows were covered with old newspapers, so not much light could get in.

He Wenhui pushed open the door, walked to the bedside table, and opened the drawer to look for needles and thread.

She couldn't find the needle and thread, but she did find a piece of paper.

The paper was folded twice and placed under several pairs of old socks.

Upon unfolding it, the words on it were crooked and distorted, but every word was recognizable—"Adoption Agreement".

Party A is Yu Qiuhua, and Party B is Section Chief Xie.

The agreement states that He Wenda, a four-year-old boy, voluntarily gives up his home to Section Chief Xie and his wife at Meishan Iron Mine, and from then on, they will have no further obligations to each other.

Below is Yu Qiuhua's handprint, red like a drop of blood.

He Wenhui held the paper, her hand beginning to tremble.

I watched it from beginning to end, then watched it again, and then watched it once more.

She recognized each word individually, but when they were put together, she couldn't accept it.

My mother actually gave my younger brother away?

He gave his youngest brother, Wenda, to a section chief at the Meishan Iron Mine.

He Wenhui took the paper, walked to the outer room, and stood in front of Yu Qiuhua.

When Yu Qiuhua saw the paper, her face turned pale instantly, her lips trembled, and she tried to speak, but couldn't utter a single word.

"Mom, what is this?" He Wenhui's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of scaring someone.

Yu Qiuhua lowered her head, not daring to look at her, "Wenhui, let Mom explain..."

"Explain what? You gave Wenda away? You gave away your own son? Mom, how could you do this? How could you!"

He Wenhui slammed the paper on the table, and tears streamed down her face.

Thinking of Wenda's face, that chubby little face, with two dimples when he smiled, and his sweet, soft voice when he called "sister," like he was holding a piece of candy.

Wenda is only four years old this year and doesn't understand anything. He probably doesn't even know that he has been given away. He probably thinks he's just going to someone else's house to play for a few days and will be back soon.

Yu Qiuhua also cried, saying between sobs, "Wenhui, Mom has no choice! Your father passed away early, and I'm the only one raising you all, barely scraping by. Section Chief Xie's family is well-off, they don't have any children, so Wenda can eat well, dress well, and go to school if he goes to live with them. With me, what does he have? He can't even afford a full meal! You're going to study in Beijing soon, and we can't even afford the tuition. Wentao and Wenda also need to eat, and Wenda is still so young, I really can't afford to raise them anymore..."

"You can't just give him away!" He Wenhui cried out. "He's your son, he's my brother! Did you ask him? Did you ask him if he wanted to? A four-year-old child, how will he feel if you send him to be someone else's son? What will he think when he grows up and finds out? He'll hate you for the rest of his life!"

Yu Qiuhua covered her face and cried, her shoulders shaking, unable to speak.

He Wenhui stood there, cried for a while, and then suddenly stopped crying.

He wiped away his tears, folded the agreement neatly, stuffed it into his pocket, and turned to leave.

Yu Qiuhua panicked and chased after her to the door, shouting, "Wenhui! Where are you going?"

He Wenhui didn't turn her head, her voice coming from the alley entrance, "I'm going to Meishan to bring Wenda back."

"..."

...(End of this chapter)