Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 811 The Knight's Knighthood (Part 3)

A village in the city.

"Li Xia, you're back? Was work tiring?"

An elderly man with a kind face sat at the top of the stairs, fanning himself with an old banana leaf fan as he cheerfully greeted the thin man who had just stepped into the courtyard.

Upon hearing the sound, the thin man deliberately took a few steps into the shadows by the building before stopping, bowing slightly and facing the elderly man who had always helped his family.

"Grandpa Ma, you're back." The skinny man named Li Xia was very respectful to the old man, and he stood still before speaking. "The old men at the construction site are all very kind to me. I get enough to eat and I get paid. I'm so grateful to them. To be honest, I think I'm really suited to working on a construction site."

Grandpa Ma paused slightly in his fan-wielding, then said with regret, "You are such a promising student, it's a real pity about your grades. Actually, you should have continued your studies, your younger brother."

There are countless sorrows in the world, and his is no exception.

I'm the older brother. Li Xia didn't care whether his younger brother could go to school or not; he cared about whether his younger brother could go to school. Similarly, he didn't want the old man who had always taken good care of their family to be sad, so he quickly changed the subject and said, "Grandpa Ma, it's so late, aren't you going to sleep yet?"

Although he was the one who raised the question, Li Xia knew that Grandpa Ma was still sitting downstairs so late, he must be waiting for him.

Today was his first day working on the construction site, a job that was arranged by Grandpa Ma.

Seeing Grandpa Ma resting his hands on his knees, preparing to get up, Li Xia hesitated for half a second, then lowered his head and quickly took a few steps to support the other man's arm.

"It's hot, I can't sleep." Grandpa Ma got up without noticing that this well-regarded young man in the neighborhood not only excelled academically but also took care of his younger brother and sick mother, and worked part-time whenever he had free time to supplement the family income.

It's that "other people's child" that adults always talk about.

Grandpa Ma chuckled and patted Li Xia's hands, which were nestled in his arms. "No need for help. Your Grandpa Ma isn't old yet; I can stand up. Okay, I'm going to bed now. You should go home early too. Your mom's probably waiting for you."

When he got home, his younger brother was already asleep, and his mother was still sitting on a small stool by the door waiting. As soon as Li Xia entered, she smiled. This smile was the one that Li Xia loved to see most since he was a child.

I've never gotten tired of watching it all these years.

Looking at his mother's smiling face and listening to her nagging words, Li Xia felt a familiar sense of ease welling up inside him.

"Why are you working overtime on your first day? Do you have to work all night on the construction site? Are you hungry? Go wash your hands and eat while it's hot. It's all your favorite dishes, including braised pork."

Despite suffering from a serious illness for many years, her mother's words were always so gentle, and her frail body did not affect her cooking skills at all. The dishes on the table were still delicious, so delicious that Li Xia longed to continue eating them for decades to come.

As he ate, tears welled up in his eyes uncontrollably. Afraid that his mother would see the wound on his face, Li Xia could only bury his head deep in his rice bowl, swallowing the rice with tears in his eyes.

"Mom, the construction site boss gave me an advance on my wages. Take it to pay for my younger brother's tuition tomorrow, and keep the rest for the surgery at the end of the month."

Li Xia slammed his chopsticks down on the table, then pulled out the cash he had won from boxing that night and placed it on the table.

“I’ve been sick for so many years, and I’ve never had surgery, but I still manage to get by. Don’t listen to the doctors’ nonsense; they just make money by scaring people into going to the hospital.” The mother’s gaze was drawn to a thick wad of banknotes, and she touched it in disbelief. “Huh? So much money! Grandpa Ma told me you only make two thousand yuan a month. How come you have so much money now? Did you take a few months’ advance?”

"I don't know either." Li Xia flicked his chopsticks quickly, raising his rice bowl to intentionally or unintentionally cover his injured face.

"It's only your first day at work, how could the boss possibly give you an advance on your salary?" The mother had her doubts, but she still couldn't help but reach out and pick up the somewhat scattered stack of banknotes. "Uh, it's probably because of Grandpa Ma," Li Xia casually made up an excuse, then sped up his eating, finishing the bowl of white rice in a few moments.

"Oh, that's not right. Grandpa Ma only worked there for over a year. How could he have such influence that the boss would give a little kid like you so much money?" The mother was skeptical, but her eyes remained fixed on the bright red cash in her hand.

It's not that she's greedy for money, it's just that her family is really short of money.

To support their two children and her chronic illness, her husband takes a train journey of over ten hours every year to work in a coastal province. Just recently, right after the Spring Festival, he rushed off to work in a factory in that province, saying that the earlier he arrived, the bigger the "opening red envelope" (a traditional Chinese New Year gift) the boss would give him.

It's really only a few hundred yuan more.

Throughout the year, the family has only been able to reunite for a few days.

The mother smoothed out the slightly wrinkled and crumpled banknotes one by one and slowly folded them.

The mother smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening, and said, "Don't worry about me. Your father can still save up for your brother's tuition. I'll keep this money for you for now, and withdraw it when you need it. Ideally, it should stay saved until you get married."

Lately, my mother's health has been deteriorating. For some reason, she keeps urging Li Xia to find a wife as soon as possible and have a big, fat grandson for her to hold.

However, everyone knew that these were all jokes. Given the current dilapidated state of the house, no girl would be so blind as to fall for it.

"Hehe, I remember when you were in elementary school, you didn't really want to play with the boys and always stayed with the girls. Your dad and I were secretly worried about it for a long time. How come you've grown up and suddenly have no luck with women? Tsk tsk, Aunt Zhang downstairs is already a grandson. I wonder when I'll be that lucky."

Li Xia thought to himself, "How old am I? How did we get onto this marriage topic? This is outrageous!"

"By the way, Li Xia, go to the market tomorrow and buy some imported fruit baskets to deliver to Grandpa Ma downstairs. After all, he's the one who introduced me to this job."

The mother took out one bill from the stack of cash that Li Xia had just brought home, thought for a moment, then took out four more to make a total of five hundred and handed them over.

Li Xia responded and accepted the money.

Seeing that her son had almost finished eating, the mother got up and began to clear the dishes from the table, still grumbling about her son's uncertain marriage.

Li Xia couldn't stay still, so he made up an excuse and went out.

After leaving home, Li Xia rubbed his still red and swollen eyes, feeling the evening breeze, unsure of where to go for a stroll.

However, he was still in a good mood. He was able to take care of his younger brother who was still in school and also help with his mother's surgery expenses. To be honest, he was quite proud.

I used to think that with the ruthlessness I showed in school and street fights, I could make a decent living in the underground boxing scene and earn some money to make ends meet.

Unexpectedly, he was beaten to the ground in his first battle. If his opponent hadn't been careless and given him a chance to counterattack, and if the gym owner hadn't been aiming for an upset, his participation in the competition would have been a complete disaster.

But the money I earned tonight probably won't be enough for my mother's surgery. I don't know what my opponent will be like in the next competition, or whether I can win by luck again.

Go to the hospital and ask how much is still needed for Mother's surgery at the end of the month. If the shortfall is small, try asking the construction site owner for an advance. If the shortfall is significant, then you'll have to...
As Li Xia pondered this, he walked toward the only people's hospital in the county.

(End of this chapter)