Chapter Thirty-Five: The Steel Ball Incident

After descending four more floors, she found only one steel marble.

As she continued downward, a sudden cry echoed—a familiar voice, the little boy from earlier. Jiang Huan peered through the stairwell gaps and saw the boy sprawled across the steps. Not far behind his feet, two steel marbles lay glinting.

Oh dear, trouble has struck.

Jiang Huan hurried down, quickly helping the child to his feet. She saw his chin had been bruised, and with a soft sputter, he spat out a mouthful of bloody water. Clearly, the inside of his mouth had been cut as well.

His tears threatened to fall, but he only whimpered, still trying to get up. "The rings, the rings," he muttered.

Jiang Huan glanced around and picked up the two rings. "Here are your rings."

"Thank you, Auntie," the boy clutched the rings tightly and stood, but his legs gave way and he nearly fell again. Jiang Huan steadied him and checked his injuries—his shin was badly bruised.

She sighed.

Jiang Huan stood up. This was clearly a mishap caused by her own marbles; she would take responsibility. She lifted the boy in her arms. "Let me take you downstairs to see the doctor. You’re hurt."

"But I need to exchange meat for my mom," he whimpered.

"Don’t worry, Auntie has plenty of meat. After you see the doctor, I’ll give you a whole pot."

The boy hiccupped through his tears. "Really?"

"Really. You know that room where you exchange things? That’s mine, I won’t lie to you."

Jiang Xi followed, learning that the boy had fallen because of the marbles. He stopped searching for them, feeling guilty and apologizing as he walked beside the boy.

"I didn’t see the marbles, sorry. Please don’t be scared, I don’t blame you."

Jiang Xi took out two candies for him. "Here, don’t cry."

"Thank you, big brother."

They soon reached the first floor. Jiang Huan knocked at the doctor’s door.

A voice inside called out, "For minor injuries, five pounds of grain. Serious injuries must go to the hospital. Even basic treatment costs five pounds."

"Minor injury," Jiang Huan described the boy’s wounds and asked them to check his bones as well.

Inside, the wife spoke to her husband. "It’s the one who goes out often."

"Then five pounds of grain is too little. Say the kid has bone issues, prescribe more calcium tablets, get more supplies."

"But I don’t know how to diagnose bone injuries…"

"Just pretend, she won’t know either."

After agreeing on their plan, they opened the door and let Jiang Huan and the others in. The boy’s wounds were treated, and he held a cotton wad in his mouth to absorb the blood. The man looked stern. "The bones are problematic, at least a fracture. Ligaments are affected, too. He’ll need long-term treatment."

Jiang Huan nodded. If it were such an injury, a pharmacy wouldn’t suffice.

She wasn’t a saint, but she wouldn’t ignore her own mistake. Since her brother’s marble had caused the incident, she would see it through and take the child to the hospital.

She stood up, and the woman quickly asked for supplies, recommending calcium tablets and vitamins from their pharmacy.

"No need for those. I’ll take him to the hospital; their machines are running and can provide more accurate diagnosis. I need to leave, so I won’t go up to the fifteenth floor. I’ll write you a note, you can fetch the grain yourself," she said, sensing that they wouldn’t let her pay later.

The couple exchanged uneasy glances, but Jiang Huan wrote a note for them to collect rice from the fifteenth floor.

They took the note eagerly, and the man went upstairs to fetch their share.

Jiang Huan informed Jiang Xi she would take the child to the hospital.

"I’ll go too."

"Alright." Jiang Huan carried the boy up to the fifth floor and knocked at his family’s door.

After some time, a little girl opened the door. "Brother! Who are you? Let go of my brother!"

Her shout summoned a frail elderly woman from inside, who also asked Jiang Huan to put the boy down.

"I fell," the boy explained anxiously, "and big brother and big sister are taking me to the doctor."

Earlier, Jiang Huan had removed her mask to explain the boy’s accident, at which point he stopped calling her ‘Auntie’.

The elderly woman lowered her outstretched hand. "Oh, oh, sorry for the trouble. Where does it hurt?"

Jiang Huan set him on the bench in the entryway and explained, "A few marbles fell from upstairs, and when he ran up, he stepped on them. I’ve already bandaged his wounds; this is medicine, please keep it. The couple downstairs said it might be a fracture, so I plan to take him to the hospital and wanted to inform you."

Her tone was calm and straightforward, her logic clear, and she didn’t shirk responsibility. Even if the old woman knew it was Jiang Huan’s marbles that caused the fall, she had no harsh words.

After all, if Jiang Huan hadn’t admitted it, she wouldn’t have known how the boy got hurt.

"Alright, I’ll go with you, let me carry him."

Jiang Huan told her directly, "If you come, I might end up carrying another person. Are there no other adults at home?"

"There are, the children’s mother is sick, but their father is fine. I’ll call him."

Jiang Huan waited in the entryway, watching the boy split a candy with his sister. She wanted both, but he frowned, "I only have two. One plus one is two. One for each of us is fair. If you want both, what about me?"

"Mom and dad said boys should let girls have things. If you don’t let me, you’re not a good brother! You even took mom and dad’s rings, shame on you!"

Jiang Huan had no interest in meddling with their family’s upbringing, but Jiang Xi couldn’t help himself. "You’re wrong, I gave the candy to him, not to you."

Lanlan, upset by Jiang Xi’s words, burst into tears when she heard she’d get no candy, and tried to chase him away.

Jiang Huan’s eyes grew cold. "Your brother took the rings to exchange food for your mom and got hurt. All you do is throw tantrums. You’re the one who should be ashamed."

Amidst the crying and fussing, Jiang Huan’s patience waned. She almost wanted to just give them something and leave, when the boy’s family finally emerged.

His father dragged the sobbing daughter into a room, and his grandmother comforted her, but she kept insisting her brother was bad.

"Sorry, the child is spoiled. Right, let’s go to the hospital."

Jiang Huan agreed, and the group set off in a delivery cart to the hospital.

She still had contribution points from her last visit, and managed to get the boy examined. The results showed his bones were fine, just some minor external wounds. If not for the poor weather, he’d recover in about a week.

Jiang Huan breathed a sigh of relief and explained to her brother.

Jiang Xi visibly relaxed. "As long as he’s not seriously hurt."

Seeing the boy remain stoic and not cry, he gave him another candy, an open one this time.

Jiang Huan couldn’t help but laugh; her brother, prompted by Lanlan’s earlier tantrum, had come up with a new way for the boy to enjoy the treat. The boy sweetly thanked him.

Jiang Xi nodded shyly. "Get better soon, then you can come play with me."

Jiang Huan paused, but did not stop her brother.

The boy’s father glanced at Jiang Xi several times, a knowing look in his eyes.

With the medicine prescribed and the checkup done, Jiang Huan’s contribution points were spent. Upon returning, she personally did the exchange, giving several extra pounds of meat, rice, and two pounds of dumplings. "This is for the boy to eat while he recovers."

"How can we accept? You already got him treated and spent so many contribution points…"

Despite polite refusals, the boy’s father, face flushed with embarrassment, took the supplies and headed downstairs.