Chapter 60

Recalling her A Zhen-like appearance, while she thought she looked beautiful, Yu Xiangnian felt so embarrassed!

Cheng Jingmo said, “I only noticed it when Comrade Wu pointed it out.”

Yu Xiangnian, half-believing, asked, “Didn’t you see it when you were helping me walk?”

“It wasn’t smudged at that time.”

Yu Xiangnian searched his back carefully but found no trace of lipstick marks.

So, her lipstick must have smudged only after she entered the clinic.

Perhaps there were so many onlookers, and in the crowd, she accidentally rubbed against someone.

At least, when she walked past those onlookers like a celebrity on the red carpet, her lipstick wasn’t smudged, which comforted Yu Xiangnian a bit.

The next morning, Yu Xiangnian had Wang Hongxiang and Liu Zhen push the bicycle and take her to the black market.

Today was the eighth day, and she was anxious to see how things were going with Brother Ping.

She remembered the route to Brother Ping’s place from her last visit.

This time, she had the two wait at the spot while she limped her way there.

She knocked on the door, which opened quickly, revealing the same man from before.

“You’ve finally arrived. Brother Ping has been waiting for you for two days.”

The man led her inside and went to call Brother Ping.

They spoke directly as usual. Yu Xiangnian asked Brother Ping, “Brother Ping, how’s the preparation going?”

Brother Ping handed her a report. “The hospital and doctor are all set. Here’s the report.”

Yu Xiangnian reviewed the report and asked, “Can the surgery be done? What are the time and place?”

“The day after tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the People’s Hospital. Be at the hospital entrance by 9:30, and Haozi will take you inside.”

The man smiled at Yu Xiangnian and said, “I’m Haozi. I’ll be waiting for you at the entrance.”

Yu Xiangnian replied, “Got it!”

Brother Ping glanced at her foot. “Do you need someone to pick you up?”

“No need!” Yu Xiangnian wanted to keep her identity hidden. “I’ll be on time at the People’s Hospital the day after tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll be leaving,” Brother Ping said.

“I have one more thing to say,” Brother Ping’s sharp eyes fixed on her. “I’m putting everything on the line with Rui Rui. If we win, we all benefit. If we lose, you’ll have to apologize to Rui Rui!”

Yu Xiangnian was also gambling.

Surgery always carries risks, but she was ninety percent confident of success.

Yu Xiangnian said, “Let’s wish for good luck for both of us!”

The next two days flew by.

On the appointed day, Yu Xiangnian woke up early, waited for Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie to leave, and then got up.

Her foot felt a bit better.

She didn’t want to let more people know about this, so she didn’t call Wang Hongxiang and Liu Zhen to push the bicycle. Instead, she tried to use her left foot and pedaled the bicycle to the People’s Hospital.

It was 9:17 a.m. when she arrived, and Haozi was already waiting. Haozi handed her over to a doctor.

Yu Xiangnian changed into the surgical gown, put on a hat and gloves, and the familiar feeling of anticipation returned, filling her with a subtle excitement.

The doctor led her into the operating room. Compared to modern operating rooms, this one was very basic.

But as soon as she picked up the scalpel, she was fully focused.

Two hours later, the surgery was successfully completed.

She came out of the operating room and saw Brother Ping and Haozi waiting outside. Brother Ping, usually calm, showed signs of worry in his eyes.

Yu Xiangnian removed her mask and told Brother Ping, “The surgery was very successful.”

She saw Brother Ping’s eyes redden instantly, but he quickly composed himself. “Haozi, take her to rest for a while.”

Yu Xiangnian’s foot was still sore from the bicycle ride and standing for so long.

Haozi took her to a room, where Yu Xiangnian removed her surgical attire and sat in a chair, resting her foot on another chair.

Outside the operating room.

Brother Ping asked the doctor, “Old He, how is Rui Rui?”

Brother Ping specifically had Old He assign himself as Yu Xiangnian’s assistant, both to keep an eye on Yu Xiangnian throughout the process and to ensure that if any accidents happened, she could trust Old He.

“The surgery was very successful; Rui Rui will wake up soon,” Old He said with admiration. “Where did you find such an expert? I’ve been a doctor for over twenty years, and this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of surgery. The technique was skillful and the trauma was minimal. Just look at that wound stitching technique—wow!”

Brother Ping excitedly asked, “Is Rui Rui’s illness cured?”

Old He replied, “We’ll do a comprehensive check again in a week, but it should be fine.”

Brother Ping waited until Rui Rui woke up, arranged for people to take care of him, and then went to find Yu Xiangnian.

By this time, more than two hours had passed, and she had almost dozed off waiting.

“The goods you were dealing with, I got them out the day after you came to find me. There are a total of 861 pairs, and I’ve already taken care of it.”

Yu Xiangnian immediately perked up, her eyes wide open.

“For the remaining goods, you’ll need to hand them over to Haozi. I’ll be at the hospital taking care of Rui Rui for the next few days.”

“What about my cart?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

The cart was borrowed from the daily chemical factory.

“It’s also taken care of. Haozi will take you to pick it up,” Brother Ping said. “You can have the goods transported first, but I’ll only give you the money after Rui Rui’s follow-up check confirms everything is okay.”

Yu Xiangnian thought to herself that Brother Ping was indeed meticulous in every step.

She said, “My foot is inconvenient. Can I have someone deliver the goods instead?”

Brother Ping scrutinized her for a while. “It needs to be someone reliable. If something happens again, I won’t be responsible!”

“Haozi, arrange the rest of the matters.”

Haozi led her out of the hospital, and by then it was already past lunchtime, and both were quite hungry.

“Let’s go eat first,” Haozi said.

Haozi rode a bicycle with Yu Xiangnian on the back, heading straight for a state-run restaurant.

Cheng Jingmo had just walked out of the People’s Bank and saw a bicycle whizzing by.

The person sitting on the back of the bicycle was someone he knew very well, but he didn’t see who was riding the bicycle. From the back, it looked like a man.

Cheng Jingmo gazed intently at their receding figures until they were out of sight and tightened his grip on the passbook in his hand.

Haozi treated Yu Xiangnian to lunch, and when Yu Xiangnian tried to pay, he refused.

“You’re Rui Rui’s savior; even Brother Ping gives you face. If I can treat you to a meal, it’s actually you giving me face.”

As expected from Haozi, he was smooth with his words.

Yu Xiangnian wanted to bring some meat buns for Xiao Jie. Remembering she had just made meat buns the other day, she bought two pounds of braised beef, spending five yuan.

Haozi then took her to their warehouse and had her transport the goods there.

From casual chatting with Haozi, Yu Xiangnian learned that Brother Ping controlled almost the entire black market in South City.

Every township, and even some villages, had various black markets, all under Brother Ping’s control.

In addition to this, Brother Ping also engaged in business, buying agricultural products from rural areas to sell in the city, and vice versa. He would first buy low-priced goods this year and sell them at a higher price in the coming years.

Yu Xiangnian’s goods would be distributed to various black markets, so she didn’t have to worry about them not selling.

Yu Xiangnian admired this woman deeply.

Finally, Yu Xiangnian had Haozi push the cart to the side of the road. After Haozi left, Yu Xiangnian found a passerby, paid him one yuan, and asked him to push the cart to the daily chemical factory.