Ren Zhong rubbed his chin, pondering whether to casually ask around or directly knock on doors to inquire, when he heard footsteps coming from the other side of the street corner.
A young girl, wearing a loose, wind-battered man’s shirt with holes and only a pair of shorts barely covering her thighs, emerged with a terrified look on her face, rushing straight toward the building.
The girl was very thin, with messy hair, and seemed to be only twelve or thirteen years old.
She was holding a small palm-sized bottle, somewhat familiar, presumably a type of medicine sold at the Miracle Clinic.
"Wait, let’s see what’s going on."
Ren Zhong raised his hand, leading Wen Lei and Zheng Tian to slip into the gap between two adjacent buildings.
He then leaned forward, peering through the holes in the clothes hanging under the eaves to watch the door of the building.
The girl had already reached the door.
She first raised her fist.
Her fist hesitated in the air twice, then spread out into a palm.
The girl knocked lightly on the door with the back of her hand, speaking in a cautiously pleading tone, "Mr. Huang, are you home? Are you home? I have something to ask you. Are you home?"
There was no response from the door.
The movement inside paused briefly but quickly resumed.
The girl waited for over ten seconds, then looked down at the empty bottle in her left hand, the anxiety in her eyes intensifying, and her small right fist clenched and unclenched.
At this moment, the door across the way opened, and a face with a sharp nose and monkey-like cheeks poked out.
"Tsk tsk, another little unlucky one. I advise you not to knock on that door. Hehehe, are you stupid? Can’t you see he’s busy? Besides, even if he’s in, he won’t pay attention to you. You’d better leave quick. Otherwise, when he opens the door, it won’t be any good for you."
The girl shook her head repeatedly, saying, "No. I can’t leave, I must get to the bottom of this. This medicine is useless, it’s expired! Not only is my father’s wound not healing, it’s infected and inflamed! Now my father is on the verge of dying! I must find a way to save him!"
After saying that, the girl seemed to no longer hesitate. Gritting her teeth, she turned around and started pounding on the door with her fist, making a thumping sound.
She no longer spoke softly, instead shouting, "Mr. Huang, come out! Come out! How can you sell me expired medicine? Come out!"
This time, the movement inside the house finally stopped.
Nearing a minute later, the door suddenly swung open from the inside with a bang.
The girl standing at the door was hit hard by the door panel, let out a cry of pain, and was knocked back, falling into the middle of the alley.
She managed to sit up awkwardly.
Ren Zhong saw that the side of her face that was hit had instantly turned red, and the left hand holding the bottle was trembling uncontrollably.
She had been hit quite hard.
"Fuck you, are you trying to get yourself killed? Can’t you see I’m busy? If you keep going on, I swear I’ll crush you!"
A burly, shirtless man covered in sweat, wearing only a pair of loose beach shorts, cursed while stepping out of the relatively small door of the building, towering over the girl seated on the ground.
The girl lifted her neck, supporting her rapidly swelling left hand, trembling as she raised the bottle, crying as she said, "Mr. Huang, I’m sorry, I really didn’t intend to disturb you. But the medicine is wrong, it’s expired. I beg you. Help me, help my dad. He’s already delirious, he’s about to die!"
With the girl’s loud cries, more windows and doors of the surrounding prefab houses opened, one head after another poked out.
Some even walked merrily into the street, gathering nearby to enjoy the spectacle.
Another unlucky one, another show to watch, how delightful.
The burly man named Huang grinned, "Your dad dying is none of my business. I told you plainly at the time, this bottle of medicine was leftover from me. Brand new ones from the clinic cost 5 points. This one still had one-third left, I sold it to you for only 1 point. You should call me a great philanthropist. I’m almost moved to tears by myself. As for whether it’s expired or not, that’s not my responsibility. You didn’t ask at the time, did you?"
The girl was left speechless, "This..."
Instinctively, she felt that the other’s words were incorrect, but at only twelve or thirteen years old, she couldn’t argue against him.
The pointy-nosed, monkey-faced neighbor from before continued jeering from behind, "Little unlucky one, you better leave quickly. Everyone on this street knows old Huang never sells good stuff. How could you dare to buy from him? This is just a lesson for you. You’re still young, it’ll help you grow. Hehe, just don’t act stupid in the future."
At this moment, a woman came out from behind the burly man named Huang.