EBE Chapter 144 Letting Go of Prejudice
Chapter 144 Letting Go of Prejudice
After thanking the old doctor, Cheng Yuntao and Jiang Yu planned to take the sesame cakes home first.
Shaobing's face was full of embarrassment, and he said anxiously: "Sister Yuntao, Brother Jiang, I really don't want to cause trouble for you. I can take care of myself. I'd better leave."
Seeing this, Cheng Yuntao immediately stepped forward to stop him: "Shaobing, your current physical condition does not allow you to leave alone."
"Think about it. You usually sleep in the open air, either under bridges or in dilapidated temples. At night, the cold wind blows in. How can your wounds heal in such an environment? And you go hungry every day, not even getting a decent meal. Without adequate nutrition, how can your bones grow well?"
Shaobing bit his lips tightly, his eyes revealing a struggle. He knew that every word Cheng Yuntao said was true, but his long-standing independence and unwillingness to trouble others made it difficult for him to accept this kindness for a while.
Cheng Yuntao saw through his thoughts: "Besides, you promised me that you would help me find someone, so just think of it as an advance payment, is that okay?"
Shaobing was stunned for a moment, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally nodded and agreed: "Well... okay, as soon as my leg is healed, I will go and find someone for you!"
Seeing that Shaobing no longer resisted their help, Cheng Yuntao breathed a sigh of relief, but then she remembered the stall that had been left behind due to the emergency.
She thought for a moment, then whispered to Jiang Yu, "Jiang Yu, we can't just leave the stall outside the theater. You go and push it back. I'll stay here with Shao Bing, so we can take care of both sides."
Jiang Yuben immediately said that it was no problem and quickly slipped out of the door.
The candlelight flickered in the clinic. Cheng Yuntao pulled over a chair and sat down beside the bed. She raised her hand to tuck the quilt in for Shaobing and said, "Shaobing, you should get some sleep. When your brother Jiang brings the stall over, we'll go home."
Shaobing nodded slightly, but his eyelids felt heavy, and he fell asleep again in a daze after a while. Cheng Yuntao stood by quietly, looking at Shaobing's tender and scarred face, her heart full of pity.
Soon, there was a slight noise outside, and Jiang Yu pushed his stall to a steady stop at the entrance of the clinic. Cheng Yuntao thanked the old doctor again, and then left with Jiang Yu, carrying the sleeping Shaobing, under the cover of night.
……
The next morning, Cheng Jingzhu sat on his bed, staring at the extra small bed on the other side of the room and the slightly arched curve in the quilt in amazement.
He rubbed his eyes hard, as if this could dispel the incredible scene before him, but when he looked again, the small bed and the person on it were still very real.
Cheng Jingzhu pinched himself again in disbelief. The pain in his arm instantly sobered him up. He nearly cried out when he realized this was real. Fortunately, he had learned a lot from his time with Cheng Yuntao and Jiang Yu. He knew better than to act rashly, so he suppressed the exclamation that was about to come out of his mouth.
He quietly got out of bed, not even bothering to put on his shoes, and trotted into the yard.
At this time, the morning light was just breaking, and the soft light was shining in the yard. Jiang Yu had already started his morning exercise, and the sound of his fists was whistling. Seeing this, Cheng Jingzhu rushed over without hesitation as if he had seen a savior.
Jiang Yu was practicing vigorously when he suddenly felt a strong wind coming from behind. He subconsciously dodged to the side. When he saw that it was Cheng Jingzhu, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Xiaozhu, you are here so early in the morning, are you going to attack me?"
Cheng Jingzhu didn't even have time to catch his breath. He waved his hands in the air, his eyes wide open, and said in a low voice, "Brother Jiang Yu, why is there someone else in my room? When I woke up, I almost thought I was still dreaming!"
Jiang Yu stopped his moves, crossed his arms, and explained with a faint smile on his face: "It's the little beggar Shaobing we met when we first entered Junhua City. Do you remember him?"
"Last night, your sister and I ran into him when we were about to close the stall. As you know, your sister is kind-hearted. Seeing that he was injured, she took him to see a doctor. Considering that he had no place to recuperate, she brought him back home. There are only a few rooms in our house, and he's just a little boy, so we had to arrange for him to stay with you in your room for the time being."
When Cheng Jingzhu heard that it was the little beggar who stole his sister's purse, the curiosity on his face instantly turned into a hint of disgust, and his brows were tightly furrowed.
Although he heard some stories about Shaobing's tragic life story from others on the road later, when he thought of his sister Xiaoli's anxious look at that time, he felt like a stone was blocking his heart. He still felt a little resentful and couldn't be happy at all, let alone living in the same house with him.
Cheng Jingzhu curled his lips and muttered softly, "Humph, of course I remember. He was the one who made Xiaoli anxious for quite a while."
Jiang Yu saw through his thoughts, walked over, patted his shoulder gently, and said earnestly, "Xiao Zhu, I know you're protective, but Shao Bing's kid is pitiful. He's wandering alone, with no food to eat. Just think about it, if we don't take care of him, his injury will never heal. How will he live in the future?"
Cheng Jingzhu lowered his head and scratched the ground with his toes. Although he knew that what Jiang Yu said made sense, he couldn't get over his emotions for a while.
Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Yu continued to persuade him, "I didn't like him much at first either. I thought he and I were on the wrong side of each other, but later I realized that he was just a little stubborn. Perhaps it was just a thorn he had deliberately erected to protect himself from being bullied over the years. Why don't we give him a chance and try to be friends with him? Who knows, maybe we can help him get back on the right path?"
Cheng Jingzhu hesitated for a long time before he raised his head and said softly, "Well... well, I'll try my best."
Jiang Yu smiled and encouraged him, "That's right. Our Xiaozhu is going to be a hero in the future. How can he not have this little bit of courage?"
Hearing the words "being a hero", Cheng Jingzhu chuckled, scratched his head, and then realized what was happening. He asked, "So, why did he get hurt?"
Jiang Yu's expression instantly became serious, and he told Cheng Jingzhu everything about how Shaobing was bullied by the drunkard.
Cheng Jingzhu grew angrier as he listened. His face flushed crimson, and he clenched his fists and waved them in the air, angrily saying, "That's too much! If I were to run into that bad guy, I'd beat him to a pulp!"
Seeing Cheng Jingzhu's indignant expression, Jiang Yu smiled and patted his shoulder to comfort him: "You are so small, you should practice martial arts well first. When you have the ability, you will naturally be able to punish evil and promote good."
Cheng Jingzhu secretly made up his mind. Since he had promised Jiang Yuge, he would try to put aside his prejudice and see what kind of person this Shaobing was. Shaobing in the wing room also slowly woke up. Feeling the warmth from the thick bedding on his body, a long-lost sense of relief appeared on his face.