Chapter 377: Section 373 - Hospital
The bird egg he once used to trick the newbies had actually turned out to be a Magical Beast Egg, which he picked up from a desolate place. It was indeed authentic, for it hatched into Xiao Jiu, an adorable creature. Although it was a common Pure Light Sparrow, it was still a genuine Magical Beast.
Now, whenever Xiao Jiu was mentioned, Pu Aihua's tone became very complex. After briefly chatting with Chen Fei, Pu hastily ended the call and sent his location.
The hospital where Old Piao stayed was not far from the train station, but it wasn't exactly close either.
Taking the subway for half an hour, passing six stations, then switching to an unmanned taxi, it took Chen Fei another ten minutes to find the place.
Before Old Piao was sent home, he had left a note for Chen Fei, which was the contact information for Han River City. Since Mount Kumgang was not far from Han River and there was still time to spare, he decided to visit.
As he was wondering who might be ill, a tired-looking Pu Aihua appeared before him.
"Old Piao, my goodness, are you sick?"
With a disheveled beard, sunken eyes, and a listless demeanor, he not only looked much thinner but also pale, appearing as if he had aged over ten years.
If it weren't for the familiar contour of his face, Chen Fei would hardly have recognized him.
"I'm fine, Little Chen, long time no see."
Pu Aihua forced a smile and waved to Chen Fei.
Chen Fei asked, perplexed, "What's going on with you?"
In front of Chen Fei, Old Piao didn't hold back and after sighing, held his head in distress and said, "My daughter is ill, has been ill for a long time, and it's not getting any better. Recently, it worsened again, oh, it's just terribly worrisome!"
Chen Fei asked, "What illness is it?"
With medical advancements nowadays, unless it is a congenital defect or life has reached its natural end, most human ailments can be effectively treated. It usually just comes down to money, as long as one is willing to spend a lot, the illness can generally be cured.
But seeing Old Piao like this, it seemed likely because of a lack of money.
Pu Aihua had ways of saving money far superior to Chen Fei. Whenever he saw a chance to make money, he'd think it over thoroughly.
However, he had his age to consider, and with no significant education or skills, he worked from the beginning of the year to the end but hardly earned much more than the average worker, just slightly better off. But if his household had a "bottomless pit of a medical jar," no amount of money earned would ever be enough.
"It's chronic pneumonia. Little Hui was premature, inherently weak. She has always been frail and constantly ill. We've spent a lot of money and tried many treatments without success. Ah, let's not talk about this. Come on, let me take you inside to sit. I'm really sorry, Little Hui would be delighted to meet a new friend, and you can chat more."
Pu Aihua led Chen Fei into the hospital and quickly arrived at a ward.
A thin, almost translucent-skinned girl lay on the hospital bed, her hair unnaturally dry and brittle, and she was on nasal oxygen, indicating that her condition was severe this time.
"Dad!"
The girl weakly called out when she saw Old Piao bring Chen Fei into the ward.
She then looked perplexedly at the young man beside her father, her gaze finally resting on the little bird on his shoulder, her timid expression revealing a hint of joy yet also filled with worry.
"Little Hui! This is dad's former colleague, Chen Fei. Oh, and on his shoulder is Xiao Jiu, the very one I told you about. Chen Fei, this is my daughter, Pu Meihui. You can call her Little Hui."
It was clear that Old Piao often shared stories with his daughter about his time at the Aircrew Base, and of course, about the Magical Beast Egg he found in the wilderness—a story he could boast about for a lifetime!
"Hello!"
The girl tried to struggle into a sitting position but ultimately lay back down, exhausted.
"Hey! Don't move, lie down. Little Chen and I are on good terms; he won't care about formalities."
Old Piao quickly pressed his daughter down, but indeed, his relationship with Chen Fei was close. When they used to help each other out in the base's canteen kitchen, they mutually supported one another.
That's why when he left, he didn't pass his connections to anyone else but Chen Fei.
However, Chen Fei himself wasn't accustomed to the trivial buying and selling activities. As the Aircrew Base was located in a remote area and had been blocked by an industry giant and his old employer for a time, there hadn't been much there to begin with. The channels he took over were barely maintained, far less lively than when Pu Aihua was there.
"Hello, Little Hui, I'm Chen Fei!"
Chen Fei nodded with a smile.
"Seba, could you keep it down, please? This isn't a place to chat. Try to be quiet, okay?"
A cranky voice came from the next bed. Although they were accusing Pu Aihua and Chen Fei of talking too loudly, the person's own voice was louder than anyone's.
"Sorry, very sorry. Having visitors, we need to entertain them a bit, please be understanding."
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Old Piao hurried over, continuously bowing and apologizing.
With four beds in the public ward separated only by a curtain, disturbances were inevitable. If patients or their visitors had a bit of a temper, arguments could surely arise.
The scolding voice Chen Fei had heard over the phone when speaking with Old Piao belonged to this irritable person, who exploded at the slightest provocation.
"Jiu!"
Xiao Jiu, dissatisfied with the loud voice, let out a clear chirp.
"Damn it, who allowed you to bring a wild bird in here? Get out, get out!"
At Pu Meihui's bedside, a burly man roughly pulled aside the dividing curtain, his gaze fell on the three people next door, and he pointed threateningly at the bird on Chen Fei's shoulder.
Chen Fei calmly said, "Are you asking for a beating?"
He turned his head, looked at the Park Family's girl on the bed, and said, "Old Piao, cover her eyes!"
For some who were heedless, Chen Fei never tolerated them. A gentleman's revenge was not put off overnight; offended, he would normally seek retribution right then and there.
"Ah! Oh!"
Pu Aihua was startled and quickly covered his daughter's eyes, while tightly closing his own.
He didn't know what would happen next, but he didn't hesitate to believe Chen Fei's words.
"Dad?"
With her eyes covered by her father's large hand, Pu Meihui was puzzled.
"Close your eyes!"
Her father's voice reached her ears.
"What do you mean, are you trying to hit me?"
The burly man swung his fist, perhaps only intending to threaten due to the distance.
That's what Chen Fei thought, but Xiao Jiu perhaps thought differently.
"Jiu!"
An extremely dazzling burst of light filled the entire hospital room in an instant.
This was a very natural outcome.
"Ah! My eyes!"
The burly man, severely dazzled, staggered back several steps, tripped over a chair, fell flat on his back, and then rolled on the floor covering his face.
"What? Was that lightning?"
A patient in the nearby bed, who had been napping, noticed the sudden intense light outside his eyelids and opened his eyes in confusion.
The person at his bedside, shielded by a curtain and not directly hit, wasn't much affected; they were dazzled for a moment but quickly recovered.
"My eyes, my eyes, I'm blind!"
The burly man rolled on the ground wailing continuously, and the room fell dead silent.
Naturally, no one jumped out to fight injustice and help out; such things were unnecessary.
Chen Fei had yet to exert any strength, yet the other party had already collapsed; bullying ordinary people brought no sense of achievement.
Being hit by Xiao Jiu's "Light Burst Flash" didn't cause permanent aftereffects or immediate blindness, so he watched the other man howling for a while, then awkwardly stood up with tears streaming down his flushed, tear-stained face, looking like a total wimp who had just had a good cry.
"Damn it, I'm going to call the police!"
With his eyes cried out, the burly man glared venomously at Chen Fei and stormed out of the hospital room in a rage.
"This, what do we do now?"
Old Piao rubbed his hands uneasily, unsure of what to do next.
Xiao Jiu's sudden burst of light had frightened him too, but fortunately, because he had listened to Chen Fei without hesitation, he hadn't been dazzled.
"Don't worry, this has nothing to do with you."
Chen Fei felt he could handle it. If he played the card of the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee, he was sure it would be effective.
The worst-case scenario: he might get kicked back to 911 and live off his parents' home; either way, it wasn't a loss.
After all, he wasn't desperately seeking to join something like the Bear Hunting Special Operations Division; getting fired would actually be getting what he wanted.
"Sorry to trouble you!"
Seeing Chen Fei's confident demeanor, Old Piao, who had been somewhat worried, now completely relaxed.
As an ordinary citizen running a low-end restaurant, he had no power or influence, while Chen Fei, at least, had the backing of a large military contractor (although Pu Aihua didn't know that Aircrew Base had recently split from Apocalypse Defense Group to establish Jiu Defense Company); ordinary people couldn't engage in military contracting business and had some societal connections after all.
"No problem! No problem!"
Chen Fei waved it off nonchalantly.
Had the problems he'd caused up to now been few?
And what was the outcome?
In the end, there had been no issues at all!
Some issues were resolved even without his immediate boss, Boss Hana, being aware of them.
"Can I, can I touch it? It looks like a Pure Light Sparrow!"
After her father let go of her, Pu Meihui, now at home and staying in bed for so long, stared eagerly at the little bird, her heart itching with envy and curiosity for the vibrant creature.
Especially because of its lively cuteness, it particularly scratched her itch.
"That's something you'd have to ask Little Chen about, is it okay?"
Pu Aihua glanced at Chen Fei, hoping that his beloved daughter's small wish could be achieved. He knew Xiao Jiu's temperament; it only listened to Chen Fei and gave face to no one else.
He worked so hard to make money on the side, even earning the reputation of a cunning merchant, but he relished it all, and it was all for the apple of his eye—the only daughter in the family. Born prematurely and thus innately unlucky, Old Piao still hoped that his daughter could grow up healthy and happy despite the circumstances.
Although it was a magical beast, it was just a mere Pure Light Sparrow, so there was nothing to worry about.
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