Chapter 47: A Heart Returning Swiftly Like an Arrow

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Zhang Yang returned to the hospital on his bike, carrying a basket brimming with harvest. He noticed an elderly woman discarding an old rag and went to fetch water to wash it. After cleaning the rag, he helped Huang Wan’er polish the bike until it gleamed. By the time he got back to the ward, Gao Wen and Gao Wu were already awake. Both looked so famished their chests nearly touched their backs, their spirits drooping, but upon seeing him, they instantly perked up.

“Yangzi, you’re back!” Gao Wen exclaimed.

Gao Wu’s eyes widened as he spotted the fine white flour bag in Zhang Yang’s hands. “Yangzi, did you go raid the supply and marketing cooperative?”

“Shut up,” Zhang Yang retorted, stuffing the pancakes he’d bought into the brothers’ arms. “Eat something first, we’ll talk later.”

While Gao Wen and Gao Wu were eating, Zhang Yang left the ward and headed to the nurse’s station to find Huang Wan’er. She was just about to hand over duty to a colleague, yawning with her triple eyelids drooping in exhaustion. When she looked up and saw Zhang Yang, she thought she was hallucinating. How could he have come back so quickly?

“You...” she began.

Zhang Yang pulled two small gifts from his pocket: hair ties and chocolate, specially chosen for her.

“The supply and marketing cooperative only had orange and purple hair ties left. I thought your lively personality suits orange better, so I picked you a pair,” he explained.

“Oh, and this chocolate—supposedly Russian. I haven’t tried it myself, so you tell me how it tastes. Hope you like it.”

Two other nurses nearby stared wide-eyed at the hair ties and chocolate. They had also worked night shifts and cared for patients, but had never received such thoughtful gifts from family members. Huang Wan’er blushed but tried to appear indifferent.

“Your taste is pretty good. But aren’t you supposed to be at the mine? Why are you back so soon?”

Zhang Yang smiled candidly. “Guess I got lucky. I ran into my cousin halfway there. He saw I was in trouble and immediately lent me money, then took me to the supply and marketing cooperative.”

Huang Wan’er breathed a sigh of relief and shared the latest news.

“I asked the attending doctor. Your friend isn’t in serious condition. As long as he wakes up by tomorrow, he can be discharged.”

Zhang Yang was overjoyed. “That’s wonderful. Thank you.”

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“Thanks for your gift too,” Huang Wan’er said, her smile fading. She suddenly realized that once her shift ended, if the patient in bed 1004 woke up, they would be discharged. She had accepted his gift without even knowing his name, and with colleagues nearby, it wasn’t convenient to ask. She felt conflicted.

Zhang Yang noticed she seemed hesitant and found an excuse.

“The hospital cafeteria food is quite tasty, but unfortunately, we don’t have employee meal tickets. Could I trouble you—”

“Let’s go!” Huang Wan’er agreed quickly.

On the way to buy lunch, she finally voiced the question she’d been wanting to ask.

“Thanks so much for the gifts. I was joking earlier but didn’t expect you to actually buy them. Since I’ve received your gift, let’s call it a friendship. What’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m Zhang Yang,” he replied, introducing himself in detail, even telling her exactly where he lived in Zhangji Village.

Huang Wan’er smiled brightly. “I cleaned your bike and parked it where it was.”

Her impression of him deepened: good-looking, loyal, grateful, a little naive, and honest.

...

After buying food, Zhang Yang briefly recounted to Gao Wen and Gao Wu about his experience selling medicinal herbs on the black market. The brothers felt as if they were hearing a tall tale—besides wanting to applaud him, they had no other reaction.

“What’s with those looks? Next time, if there’s a chance, I’ll take you to the black market. But it’s not a good place. If you can get proper tickets, try to avoid buying there.”

After being away for a day and a night, Zhang Yang was eager to return home. He couldn’t relax, worried about his family. Having made enemies at Wulipu and knowing the Wang family were no good, if they found out he was coming to Zhenhai City, they might take the opportunity to bully his family.

Just as his thoughts grew heavy, Zhang Simao, lying in the hospital bed, showed signs of stirring.

“What are you eating? Smells amazing...” Zhang Simao’s first words upon waking were about food.

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Zhang Yang had saved some for him, and while it was still warm, he fed Zhang Simao. After eating, Zhang Simao recalled the events of that night and couldn’t help but ask about Lang’s whereabouts.

“Let’s hurry back and check,” Zhang Yang said. Focused on saving lives, he hadn’t known how Zhang Haiquan had judged the matter in the end.

The four of them ate their fill at the hospital, returned the bowls to the cafeteria, and then hitched a ride on the cart they had brought, setting off back to the village.

On the way, Zhang Simao seemed eager to say everything he’d been holding in.

“Yangzi! This is my first time in the city, and it’s so beautiful!”

“Buildings can be so tall?”

“How did you drag me here? You three are amazing.”

“Where did the grain and oil come from? Does the hospital really hand these out?”

“How much did this medical treatment cost? Yangzi, you must tell me honestly. I’ll find a way to pay you back!”

Gao Wen laughed until his stomach hurt. “Simao, you’re asking so many questions at once, who can answer them all?”

Zhang Yang also didn’t know where to begin.

“Let’s talk more when we’re bored patrolling the mountains later.”

Finally out of the city, they crossed the hill and arrived at the small hut of the lonely old man who had given them the herbs.

“My surname’s Jiang. Just call me Uncle Jiang,” the old man said, astonished by the quantity of goods Zhang Yang had brought back.

“Many travelers have traded rations for herbs before, but never this much! I’ll take half the grain. I can’t split the oil, so I’ll take it all. You can take the rest back. It’s not easy selling these things — nobody give you a hard time, right?”

Zhang Yang shook his head.

“This is all for you. Keep it. Also, here’s a hundred yuan.”

But Uncle Jiang refused to accept the money.

“With my little patch of land, I’ve never had this much grain and oil before. You’re impressive, kid! Why give me money? I’m just an old man living here in the mountains. Where would I even use it?”

Staring at the small stack of currency, Uncle Jiang felt a deep, stirring emotion he couldn’t shake.