The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

"Okay! Alright!"

When the shop owner heard that this woman wanted the exact same backpack for thirty yuan, he was overjoyed. His face beamed with joy, and he replied, "Please wait a moment, ma'am. I'll go get it for you right away. I guarantee it will be exactly the same as the previous one, and it's brand new."

He moved swiftly, turned around and went into the small storeroom again. A moment later, he came out carrying a new schoolbag with a red Transformers pattern and a large bag of stationery, including a pencil case, watercolor pens, a pencil sharpener, a sketchbook, pencils, erasers... a considerable pile on the counter.

Several other parents and children who were also buying stationery nearby couldn't help but cast envious and amazed glances at the scene.

These days, who's so generous when it comes to buying stationery for their kids?

And they always buy the top-of-the-line model!

Looking at the large pile of expensive stationery on the counter, Li Guihua felt a pang of heartache, but she put on a nonchalant, even superior, expression.

"Oh, Comrade Yang, you see, we parents all want to give our children the best."

She patted Erpang's head, deliberately raised her voice, and said to Yang Shuisheng in a tone that was both boastful and slightly sarcastic, "No matter how hard life is, we can't let the children suffer; no matter how poor we are, we can't neglect their education, right?"

"Erpang, is there anything else you want? Tell Mom, and Mom will buy it for you today!"

She said this ostensibly to Erpang, but secretly to Yang Shuisheng and those around her, to show that she was not short of money and loved her child.

Actually, that's not the case. She was planning to spend a few more dollars to buy some cheap little things to make the scene look good, which would both suppress Yang Shuisheng's arrogance and avoid wasting too much money—perfect!

Little did Erpang know what his mother was thinking.

He had been holding his breath because he hadn't been able to buy the toy gun, but now that he saw his mother being so generous and offering to buy him even more things, he immediately became happy, thinking that his mother was really going to make it up to him.

His small eyes scanned the store, and he was soon drawn to the other end of the shelf.

There were some colorful comic books on display, as well as a few novel-looking toys, such as a brightly colored Rubik's Cube and a box of wooden Go pieces.

"Mom! I want that too! The comic book! The one about Sun Wukong fighting monsters."

"And that one, that rotating cube."

"And that wooden box with compartments!"

Erpang excitedly pointed at those things and shouted loudly.

Li Guihua looked in the direction he pointed, and her heart skipped a beat.

Comic books? Toys?

She thought it was just something that cost a few cents or a dime, and that she could just buy a couple of things to appease the child.

Maintaining her smile, she asked the shop owner, "Boss, how much are those picture books my son mentioned, and those square ones and wooden boxes?"

The shop owner, who was happily calculating the profits from two big deals, quickly came over upon hearing this and enthusiastically introduced, "Comrade, we have single comic books and sets of them."

"Single copies are cheaper, like 'Havoc in Heaven,' four yuan a copy."

"The complete set is expensive; a set of ten 'Journey to the West' costs fifty yuan."

"That spinning cube is called a Rubik's Cube. It's an educational toy that helps train your brain. It costs fifteen yuan and all the kids in the city play with it."

"That wooden box contains a Go board game, which is educational and suitable for children. It's five yuan a box. Which ones do you want?"

Four dollars? Fifty dollars? Fifteen dollars? Five dollars?

Li Guihua's smile froze instantly, and her heart skipped a beat, as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

She thought it would cost at most a few cents, but she didn't expect it to be so expensive!

Four yuan for a single comic book? Fifty yuan for a set?

Those Rubik's Cubes and Gomoku (Five in a Row) aren't cheap either.

That adds up to another seventy yuan. Adding that to the stationery and schoolbag I just bought, the cost of finding a place to hold today is about to exceed one hundred yuan, which is no small amount.

My husband works himself to the bone at the machine factory for a month and only earns a few hundred yuan a month. If he really spends it like this today, he'll be scolded to death when he gets home.

She quickly had second thoughts.

No, absolutely not!

Saving face is important, but money is more important. It's not worth wasting so much money just to spite a pretty boy!

I should have just kept spreading rumors to get back at Xu Xiuxia; that would have been more effective.

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time and her expression kept changing, the shop owner cautiously asked, "Comrade, what would you like? How much? I'll get it for you."

By this time, Erpang couldn't wait any longer. Thinking his mother had agreed, he immediately ran to the shelf, pointed to the colorful "Journey to the West" comic book set, the Rubik's Cube, and the Go board game, and said to the shopkeeper, "Uncle, I want this! This one! And this one!"

"Okay, sure." The shop owner beamed and reached out to take it.

"Wait!" Li Guihua suddenly snapped back to reality and shouted sharply to stop her.

She forced an extremely unnatural smile, stepped forward, pulled Erpang aside, and explained to the shop owner and those around her, "Oh dear, boss, no need, no need. The kid doesn't know any better and just asks for things randomly."

"These things... cough, I've seen these things at the department store in the county town. The quality there is better, and the styles are more modern."

"My son Erpang's uncle works in the county town. He works in an office. When his uncle comes back next time, we'll have him bring Erpang some things from the county town. They'll definitely be better than what you have here."

She tried to save face by also belittling the products in the store.

"Mom! You're lying! You just said you'd buy me whatever I want, and I want it now! I want it!"

When Erpang heard that his mother had changed her mind, he refused to do it. He had been looking forward to it for so long, and now that he was about to get it, it had slipped away. Disappointment and the feeling of being deceived made him explode instantly. He grabbed Li Guihua's clothes and cried and made a fuss, his chubby face turning red.

"I don't care! I want it! Buy it for me now."

"Wow--"

"Shut up! Stop crying, or I'll hit you."

Li Guihua was even more embarrassed by her son's crying and tantrum in public. Feeling both ashamed and angry, she raised her hand and slapped Erpang's arm lightly.

"Why are you so disobedient? I told you your uncle would bring you better things. Aren't things in the city better than those in this run-down town? Don't embarrass me here."

"Wow--"

Erpang was beaten and cried even harder, his shrill voice echoing through the small stationery store.

This sudden scene startled the other parents and children in the store, who all looked over with surprise, dissatisfaction, and a hint of watching the spectacle.

Why did buying stationery turn into hitting the child?

Dong Xiaoqiang was so frightened that his face turned pale. He instinctively hid behind Yang Shuisheng and tightly grabbed his clothes, clearly showing an instinctive fear of adults getting angry and hitting children.

Yang Shuisheng frowned, gently patted Dong Xiaoqiang's back, and whispered reassuringly, "Don't be afraid."

Looking at the crying Erpang and the embarrassed and angry Li Guihua, he felt both amused and pathetic.

This woman brought this on herself; she's just too proud to admit her mistake and is suffering for it.

Once Erpang's crying subsided a bit and turned into pitiful sobs, Yang Shuisheng lowered his head and asked Dong Xiaoqiang, who was hiding behind him, "Xiaoqiang, do you like those comic books, Rubik's Cubes, and Connect Four? Do you want them?"

"Godfather, I...I don't want them, they're too expensive."

Dong Xiaoqiang peeked out from behind Yang Shuisheng, looked at the things on the shelf, then at Erpang who was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face. After hesitating for a moment, he said in a very sensible voice, "I have a new gun, a new schoolbag, and new stationery. That's already very good."

He knew those things were expensive and didn't want his godfather to spend any more money.

Moreover, seeing Erpang get beaten up for wanting these things made him a little scared.

Hearing this, Yang Shuisheng felt even more tender.

This child is so sensible, so sensible it breaks my heart.

"Whether it's expensive or not, it's up to my godfather."

He patted Dong Xiaoqiang's head and said gently, "Picture books can help you read stories and learn words, and Rubik's Cubes and Gomoku can help you use your brain and become smarter. These are all useful things."

"Boss, I'll take that set of 'Journey to the West' comic books, ten books in a set." He stopped asking Dong Xiaoqiang and went straight to the shop owner. "One Rubik's Cube and one set of Gomoku. Wrap them all up and include them with the stationery bags from before."

His voice wasn't loud, but in the stationery store where he had just experienced crying and embarrassment, it sounded particularly clear and powerful.

"Okay! Good!"

The shop owner was taken aback for a moment, then reacted, and his face lit up with an incredibly bright smile again. He replied repeatedly, "Comrade, you really love your child. I'll get it for you right away, I guarantee it's all the best."

He quickly and efficiently took the set of colorful "Journey to the West" comic books, a Rubik's Cube, and a wooden Go set, and carefully put them into a larger bag.

The way the parents and children around Yang Shuisheng looked at him had completely changed.

What began as surprise and envy has transformed into heartfelt admiration and admiration.

"Look at this godfather. He doesn't look at the price when buying things for his child. He only cares about whether the child is useful. He's never stingy when it comes to being generous."

"Look at her again..."

The parents didn't continue speaking, but the disdain in their eyes when they looked at Li Guihua was self-evident.