Chapter 41

Xu Xingguang spent the entire afternoon unpacking all the parcels from Huo Wen’an’s yard and moving them to the underground tool room at her own home.

In the evening, she went to the pharmacy to buy some herbs and ointment, preparing to treat Xu Qingnian’s bedsores.

Xu Qingnian was used to Xu Xingguang’s care but still felt embarrassed. He was disgusted by the foul smell emanating from the bedsores.

He cautiously glanced at Xu Xingguang, confirming that she was genuinely not repulsed by him, and relaxed. With a hint of hope, he asked, "Will these medicines really work?"

"Of course, they’ll work. In three days, they can stop the spread of the sores, and in a week, new flesh will start to grow. There might be some pain and itching during the process, Grandpa, you need to endure it."

Thinking that the sores would heal, Xu Qingnian felt he could endure even the most painful sensations.

"The caregiver I found for you can’t come yet, it will be next week before she can." Sister Lin is well-regarded, many patients are willing to pay extra for her care. She currently has a patient, who will be discharged next week.

Xu Qingnian was not in a hurry and said, "After all these years, a few more days don’t matter."

After applying the medicine, Xu Xingguang replaced the cotton pad under Xu Qingnian, cleaned up the trash in the room and was ready to dispose of it. Suddenly she heard Xu Qingnian remark: "You’re a good child. If your mother were still alive, she would be blessed. Yin Shu, that girl, wasn’t so lucky."

Xu Xingguang paused slightly.

She turned back to look at the elderly man on the bed and couldn’t help but ask, "But you and Grandma always pushed my mother to have another child, saying that having a son is an old age support."

Xu Qingnian’s face turned red at once.

Thinking about his disgraceful son, blood churned in Xu Qingnian’s chest, he sighed, "I’ve come to realize that gender doesn’t matter, the child’s character is most important. I do have a son, but I..."

Thinking about the grievances he had suffered over the years, Xu Qingnian’s aging eyes reddened instantly, remaining silent.

Xu Xingguang frowned, unwilling to continue mocking a paralyzed elder. She descended the stairs in a few steps, and as she discarded the garbage, she saw a tricycle approaching.

The tricycle had an advertisement for XX Express attached.

The express tricycle stopped at the entrance of house 219. The deliveryman saw Xu Xingguang and asked, "Miss, are you the resident of house 219, Xu Xingguang?"

Xu Xingguang nodded.

The deliveryman was a cautious and responsible person, he said, "Excuse me, I need to verify your identity."

Xu Xingguang took out her ID and let the deliveryman verify the information.

Once her identity was confirmed, the deliveryman handed over the express document to Xu Xingguang. The contents of the document envelope were thin, the sender was a certain testing agency in Shengjiang.

The paternity test report had arrived earlier than she anticipated.

Returning to her room, she switched on the small desk lamp, sat silently for a moment looking at the sealed envelope, before finally opening it.

After reading the paternity test results, Xu Xingguang calmly placed the document into the password-protected box in her wardrobe.

Standing by the window in a daze for a while, Xu Xingguang went to a shop in town that sold incense and paper money, bought several stacks of joss paper.

Late at night, Xu Xingguang squatted alone in the corner of the yard, silently burning the paper. The ashes from the burned yellow paper hovered in the void above the corner, refusing to disperse, as if narrating a grievance.

Xu Xingguang gazed upward at those ashes, silently clenching her fists. "Mom, he has been deceiving you, and also deceiving me. Those two children are Xu Zeqing’s, they hooked up even before you were married."

Thinking that her mother had been deceived for half a lifetime by Xu Zeqing and You Jingqiu, Xu Xingguang felt pained for her mother and hated her father’s betrayal even more.

"I will make that pair of dishonorable people ruin their reputations. Mom, wait for it."

*

Xu Xingguang was a person who acted on her words, the next day she applied for a live streaming account on Douyin. Whenever she had free time, she would start the broadcast, documenting the progress in transforming the small yard.

During the live streams, she would wear a hat and mask, both to block dust and dirt and protect her privacy.

During the live stream, Xu Xingguang typically didn’t speak, she simply and quietly did her work.

That day, the sun was shining brightly, Xu Xingguang brought back a truckload of logs.

Huo Wen’an heard the commotion and came outside with a cup of hot tea to sit on the deck chair.

He looked up toward the neighboring house and happened to see Xu Xingguang jump down from the driver’s seat, she quickly took off her down jacket and thin sweater, revealing a snug-fitting tank top.

The girl’s skin was fair and tight, her waist in the narrow straight-leg pants was slender and inviting.

After a glance, Huo Wen’an politely moved his gaze aside.

When he turned back to look outside again, he saw Xu Xingguang wearing a loose work uniform, easily carrying a solid wood log about four meters long and thirty centimeters thick into the yard.

Such wood would be difficult for even an adult male to carry, yet she exhibited an extraordinary carrying ability.

Huo Wen’an: "..."

Strongman, Miss Xu.

Huo Wen’an never used entertainment software, but he couldn’t resist downloading Douyin on his phone and registered a member account named ’Old Huo Next Door.’

Huo Wen’an knew Xu Xingguang’s username, he searched ’Little Star’ and successfully entered her live stream room.

Xu Xingguang’s account wasn’t well-established yet, her follower count wasn’t high. When Huo Wen’an entered, there were only a bit over a hundred viewers in Xu Xingguang’s live stream room, and her followers were merely 7.

Watching Xu Xingguang work through the live stream lens felt different from seeing her in reality. Huo Wen’an watched for a while, noticing someone speaking in the chat room—

Keleli: [666, streamer strongman.]

I am Earth Dog: [Is the streamer a man?]

Pink Memory: [Why doesn’t the streamer speak, why does she always wear a mask? Is she afraid to show her face because she is ugly?]

A viewer named ’Succulents are not meat’ retorted to the viewer above:[The streamer is a lifestyle streamer, not a dance streamer, let alone a face value streamer. Who cares if she’s ugly or beautiful.]

I am Earth Dog said: [The streamer’s body looks good, even if the face is normal, she’s still a six or seven out of ten.]

Pink Memory replied to Succulents are not meat: [Go to hell, you must be the streamer’s hired support.] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Seeing the chaotic chat room, Huo Wen’an moved his fingers and objectively said: [The streamer isn’t ugly. Pink Memory, speak civilly.]

Pink Memory immediately jumped out to curse Huo Wen’an: [Ha, a newbie with only two or three hundred followers, even has a bootlicker. Old Huo Next Door? You might be the streamer’s old neighbor Wang, right? So obsequious, have you slept with the streamer?]

Huo Wen’an frowned.

What’s this old neighbor Wang meme?

He made a call to Ye Mingluo.

Ye Mingluo had stayed up late performing surgery for someone last night, he was deeply asleep when the phone rang, annoyed he felt for his phone.

Opening his eyes, he saw the caller was A Zui, and suddenly woke up. "What’s wrong?" Ye Mingluo asked nervously, "Has your condition worsened? Wait, I’m coming over!"

To conveniently take care of Huo Wen’an, Ye Mingluo rented a suite in the only five-star hotel in University City. Huo Wen’an had limited days, Ye Mingluo feared receiving calls initiated by Huo Wen’an the most.

"I’m fine." Huo Wen’an’s tone was very calm.

Assured that Huo Wen’an was okay, Ye Mingluo’s heart settled back in place.

But then he heard Huo Wen’an asking on the phone: "What does old neighbor Wang mean?"

Ye Mingluo found this question both amusing and distressing but seriously explained, "Your mom slept with the man next door, the man next door is old neighbor Wang."

"Hanging up." Huo Wen’an got the answer he wanted, directly hung up the call, leaving Ye Mingluo staring at the phone in a daze.

Damn.

Where did Huo Wen’an hear about the old neighbor Wang meme?

Looks like his life has been pretty eventful lately.