Chapter 50 : How can I repay your kindness?

Zhou Tingyue’s handsome face appeared outside the door, but there was a hint of anxiety on his features.  

The moment he saw Song Shiwei, his heart instantly settled.  

Zhou Cheng was right behind him. As soon as Zhou Cheng spotted Song Shiwei, he pursed his lips, lowered his head, and let out a long sigh of relief.  

Only then did Song Shiwei realize how late it had gotten. She had been so busy that she hadn’t noticed the time. If Zhou Tingyue had come home and found her missing, of course, he would have been worried!  

She quickly apologized. “I’m sorry for making you worry!”  

Zhou Tingyue smiled and shook his head.  

“Why are you apologizing? As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”  

He and Zhou Cheng had asked around to find her. They first went to Xiao Cui’s house after arriving in the village, but Xiaojun told them that his sister and Sister Weiwei had gone into the mountains and hadn’t returned yet.  

That terrified Zhou Tingyue. It was already getting dark, what if something had happened to them?  

They hurried toward the back mountain, but luckily, they ran into a villager who mentioned seeing Xiao Cui and Song Shiwei heading to Doctor Sun’s house. That was how they found their way here.  

Sun Boan had been watching the conversation, but he was getting anxious.  

“Hey, so when are we heading into the mountains?”  

It was only then that Zhou Tingyue noticed Sun Boan standing nearby.  

“Into the mountains?”  

Song Shiwei quickly explained. “Oh, right! Tingyue, this is Doctor Sun. Xiao Cui and I dug up a large amount of Polygonum multiflorum in the mountains today. Doctor Sun is willing to buy it for four yuan per pound, so we’re taking him to see it.”  

Zhou Tingyue was surprised.  

“Polygonum multiflorum?”  

He had heard of this medicinal herb before, but he had never actually seen it. If he had, he probably wouldn’t even have recognized it. At the moment, he didn’t think much about how Song Shiwei had identified it he just assumed that Xiao Cui, who often ventured into the mountains, must have recognized it and dug it up for sale.  

But he was genuinely shocked by the price, four yuan per pound? How could it be worth so much?  

However, what he never expected was that when they arrived at the foot of the mountain, he would see such a massive patch of Polygonum multiflorum, its roots resembling sweet potatoes!  

This… this had to be at least 200 to 300 kilograms, right??  

Zhou Cheng’s eyes also widened in disbelief!  

Meanwhile, Sun Boan was practically losing his mind with excitement!!  

It was real! There really was this much Polygonum multiflorumand it was all 50 to 60 years old!  

If he could resell this batch, he’d make a huge profit!!  

He might even be able to renovate his house!  

He quickly pulled out bags and a weighing rod. If it weren’t for Zhou Tingyue helping him carry all the Polygonum multiflorum, he really wouldn’t have been able to manage it all by himself.  

It wasn’t until after 9 p.m. that they finally finished weighing the entire harvest.  

The total weight: 286 kilograms!  

At four yuan per kilogram, that came to about 1,144 yuan!  

But Sun Boan didn’t have that much money on hand.  

“Xiao Cui, Comrade Song, would you be willing to let me pay a deposit first and write an IOU? I’ll get you the full amount after I deliver the Polygonum multiflorum to my buyers.”  

Xiao Cui immediately looked at Song Shiwei, waiting for her opinion.  

Song Shiwei thought for a moment and then asked her in a low voice, “Can Doctor Sun be trusted?”  

Xiao Cui nodded firmly.  

“I think so. Doctor Sun is very kind, he’s always helped my grandparents with their medical treatments. Sometimes when we couldn’t afford to pay, he even let us get treatment on credit. He does the same for other villagers too.”  

“Besides, Doctor Sun’s ancestors were from our Jiabei Village. His entire family is here, he’s an old and well-respected member of the village.”

Hearing Xiao Cui’s words, Song Shiwei felt reassured.  

“Alright then, we’ll do it your way!”  

When Sun Boan saw that she agreed, he happily slapped his thigh.  

“Great! Let’s head down the mountain first. I’ll bring some back home for you, and then we’ll have to arrange for people to come up and carry the rest down. If some blind animals take off with it overnight, that would be a disaster!”  

Song Shiwei nodded. “Okay!”  

So the group made their way back to Sun Boan’s house. He only had a little over 200 yuan on hand, so he gave them a deposit of 200 yuan.  

“I need to save some for travel expenses!”  

Song Shiwei understood.  

Sun Boan then wrote an IOU, signed his name, and stamped it with his fingerprint.  

With that settled, they quickly arranged for people to go up the mountain to retrieve the rest of the Polygonum multiflorum.  

Song Shiwei handed the IOU to Xiao Cui.  

“Keep this safe. When Doctor Sun returns, you can take it to him.”  

She also gave Xiao Cui the 200 yuan.  

“Use this money to buy food for your grandparents and to help Xiaojun build up his strength.”  

Seeing Xiao Cui shake her head desperately, trying to push the money back, Song Shiwei spoke again, firmly,  

“This money isn’t just for you, it’s for your grandparents and Xiaojun too. Xiaojun is still young, and if he doesn’t take care of his health now, he could end up with long-term issues that will affect him for life. Be good and take the money.”  

Hearing her words, Xiao Cui’s tears began to fall, one after another plop! plop!  

“Sister Weiwei, how can I ever repay your kindness? You’re so good to me… I feel guilty!”  

Song Shiwei gently smoothed out her slightly messy braids, her heart aching for the girl.  

“I don’t need you to repay me, and I don’t want you to feel guilty. Who knows? I might need your help in the future! Just take good care of your grandparents and your little brother. And when you get the money, you and Xiaojun should go register for school! Study hard, work hard, and try to get into university!”  

But Xiao Cui shook her head.  

“I don’t want to go to school. The school is too far from the village, and I’d have to live there. If I go, there’ll be no one to take care of my grandparents! If there’s a chance, I’d rather send Xiaojun to school. He’s always envied the other kids who get to study, but our family never had the money for him to go…”  

At her words, the room fell silent.  

Even Zhou Cheng, who usually didn’t care about much, quietly clenched his fists at his sides.  

He had never cared about school. His grades were always at the bottom, and he often got into fights, skipped classes, and caused trouble. His parents had been called to the school so many times because of him.  

But now, hearing Xiao Cui’s words, he realized that for some children, simply going to school was a dream.  

They longed to learn, to read, to change their future by getting into university and leaving their difficult lives behind.  

And what about him?  

Had he ever seriously thought about his own future?  

Had he ever considered what kind of person he wanted to become?  

For the first time, Zhou Cheng found himself thinking carefully about the path ahead.  

No one knew that this moment would spark a deep reflection in a rebellious teenager.  

If Song Shiwei had known, she would have been overjoyed.  

But at this moment, all she felt was heartache for Xiao Cui and Xiaojun.  

A family that struggled just to put food on the table, how could they afford school? Even if they had the money, they still had two bedridden elders to care for.  

She had a feeling that Xiao Cui actually wanted to study too. When she spoke earlier, there had been a deep longing and envy in her eyes.  

After thinking for a moment, Song Shiwei suggested,  

“How about this, Xiao Cui? Starting tomorrow, come to the beach every afternoon. After you finish fishing, I’ll teach you how to read and write. How does that sound?”