Life Plan

Chapter 20, Hao Jia is discharged from the hospital

Just as he was about to make a move, a man with a buzz cut suddenly stepped out of the crowd and grabbed Chen Laosi's hand.

Liu Laosi's fist didn't land, but due to inertia, the distance between him and Brother Liu got even closer.

Brother Liu reached into Chen Laosi's mouth and took the cigarette from his mouth. He leaned close to Chen's ear and whispered, "You've made almost a million online, haven't you? If you get in my way again, I'll expose you."

Chen Laosi blinked rapidly, hesitated for a moment, then let go, lowering his head timidly. Brother Liu threw a cigarette butt at him: "Get lost."

Chen Laosi stepped back, grabbed his wife's arm without a word, and started to leave. Wang Lan, who was holding the photo frame with both hands, suddenly raised one arm, and lost her grip on the frame with her other hand. The frame shattered and fell to the ground again.

With a "whoosh," only some broken glass remained stuck at the edge of the picture frame.

Brother Liu, shaking his leg, looked down at them with a hint of dissatisfaction on his face. Old Chen quickly tugged at him twice, and Wang Lan stumbled and simply sat down on the ground, silently expressing her dissatisfaction.

Chen Laosi was getting anxious. He suddenly kicked Wang Lan, saying, "He's never been obedient. I'm still young. Let's have another one."

"I won't give birth! My son was wrongfully killed, and I want to get justice for him."

"Go if you want, I've got plenty of money. If you don't want to have kids, I'll have plenty of others to have them for me." Chen Laosi kicked her twice more, then turned to leave, while Brother Liu was still standing there watching him. He cursed, turned around, grabbed Wang Lan by the waist, and dragged her away.

Wang Lan struggled violently, and Chen Laosi slapped her twice more, saying, "If you don't leave, you'll die with him!"

In an instant, Wang Lan fell silent, her crying abruptly stopped, and her limbs hung limply at her sides. She spoke very softly to Chen Laosi, "Let go, I need to get something."

Chen Laosi loosened his grip on her waist, and Wang Lan retrieved the portrait from a pile of broken glass. Then she turned and obediently followed her husband, leaving quietly.

Brother Liu glanced sideways at the crew-cut man who had just rushed out to break up the fight: "If you hadn't stopped him, I definitely would have beaten him up."

"Brother Liu, it's not worth it, it's so close to the police station."

"Will we really get the money this way?"

The man with the buzz cut sounded impatient: "How could I possibly make a mistake?"

He raised his head slightly, his eyes revealing the spiritedness of youth. He called out "brother" but showed no respect on his face, and even seemed a little defiant.

Brother Liu smiled and lit a cigarette. "It's good that you're not willing to admit defeat."

Soon, the broken glass and picture frames on the ground were swept clean, and people came and went seeking medical treatment. Wang Lan's tears on the ground left no trace.

When Liu Chichi heard that Chen Bin's parents were no longer sitting at the hospital entrance, she was curious about why they had suddenly changed their minds, but she didn't know anyone at the hospital and couldn't bring herself to speak.

More importantly, Shen Shuyi has taken leave and won't be back until next week.

Today is Thursday. Liu Chichi carefully reviewed the work progress sheet she had left behind, and after confirming that nothing had been missed, she left work on time to pick up Zhou Ya's daughter.

The days without being on the team were so relaxing they made her feel dazed. On Friday, all she had to do was handle Hao Jia's discharge from the hospital. Her condition was stable, and the inflammation had subsided.

After the process was completed, she placed the diary card in Hao Jia's hand: "If you feel unwell, be sure to write it down. If you experience any particularly uncomfortable symptoms, call us."

Liu Chichi bustled about, even more attentive than her boyfriend Lin Hai, and Hao Jia watched them with a smile. Before leaving, she turned to Liu Chichi and asked, "Are you hungry?"

It was already dinnertime. Liu Chichi nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook her head.

"Want to come to my house? My steamed buns are pretty good."

Liu Chichi rubbed her hands awkwardly: "Isn't this a bit troublesome...?"

Even so, her steps had already gone mostly astray.

Hao Jia smiled knowingly: "We'll wait for you at the door."

The car passed by the gate of their former elementary school. The row of cedar trees behind the school building had disappeared, replaced by soapberry trees with broad canopies. In an instant, Liu Chichi recalled many things: Hao Jia's laughter and her own top ranking on the honor roll.

The brain may have a beautifying effect on memories; looking at the familiar gate and teaching building, she couldn't recall those harsh words or the feeling of being isolated.

The red light was long. Liu Chichi saw the breakfast shop that used to belong to Hao Jia's parents; it was now bright and spacious. Liu Chichi glanced ahead; this was a straight-ahead lane.

"Shouldn't we stop here?"

Hao Jia looked at her with a smile: "This place is too expensive, so my parents gave me a new little shop."

It's located on the edge of an office building complex, next to a row of small shops, including several barbecue, fast food, and coffee shops. Hao Jia makes breakfast, and Lin Hai runs a barbecue shop next door.

Every morning before dawn, after Lin Hai saw off the last table of customers, the aroma from Hao Jia's steamer would begin to fill the air. Lin Hai wasn't used to eating breakfast; he would usually bake the leftover ingredients, eat a few bites, then light a cigarette, start cleaning, close the door, and go to sleep in a cubicle on the second floor.

But Hao Jia was a busybody. Just like when she saw Liu Chichi was hungry, she handed the steamed buns to Lin Hai again, saying, "Eating barbecue at this hour isn't good for your stomach. How about trying my cooking?"

Lin Hai didn't want to eat it at first, but after staying up all night, his brain wasn't completely under his control. Before he could even refuse, the words "It smells so good" kept popping into his mind.

The freshly baked buns are plump and white, with fluffy dough that seems to be breathing and emitting white smoke. The aroma of the meat filling wafts out slightly, carrying a just-right amount of oily smell, like the moment when the fat from pork belly drips onto charcoal.

Lin Hai's barbecue business is the best on this street. He is especially good at grilling meat, but the meat filling is different from the barbecue. The aroma of the meat filling is wrapped in white dough, with a subtle sweetness.

He took out his phone: "How much? I'll scan it for you."

"It's free, we're neighbors."

He became Hao Jia's first loyal customer. He could go without smoking before bed, but he had to eat three steamed buns. Hao Jia would start making steamed buns at two in the morning. Sometimes when the barbecue restaurant was quiet, Lin Hai would help her.

If it weren't for their sudden illness, they had planned to get married in the fall.

The breakfast shop had four small tables. Hao Jia wanted to make steamed buns, but Lin Hai pulled her back into her wheelchair, subtly pointing at Liu Chichi: "Who starts working right after being discharged from the hospital?"

Liu Chichi nodded frantically in agreement: "Yes, yes, I'll just take a look."

When Hao Jia was a child, her dream was to own a breakfast shop. That year, Hao Jia helped cook at home, and she loved making uniquely shaped steamed buns. Her mother prepared a small steamer for her and showed it to her classmates, and it sold very well.

Liu Chichi thought she was very talented and told Liu Chunhong about it, but was met with a sneer: "What a loser."

Liu Chichi felt very sad, but didn't know how to refute it, so she remained silent.

When Hao Jia asked her what her ideal was, Liu Chichi couldn't answer. She couldn't very well say that she wanted to surpass her father's stepson; that would not only sound unambitious but also strange.

Now Hao Jia truly owns a breakfast shop, but her goal has never changed; she is still following in the footsteps of others, and it remains difficult for her to express it openly.