Chapter 436 Zuo Zuying is Back

Chapter 436: Zuo Zuying Returns

Zuo Jinghuan also nudged Hou Li. "I’m okay now. Only one person needs to stay with me. You and Aunt Wang should go back. Make me some sausage congee tomorrow—I love the sausage congee you make the most."

Hou Li, never one to stand her ground, was still worried about her child. But since Su An and her daughter insisted, and Wang Xiaocui was pulling her along, she could only follow Wang Xiaocui reluctantly, glancing back every few steps.

At the People's Hospital near Longxiang Mansion in West City, Lu Jin'an lay on the iron-framed bed with his eyes shut, biting down on a towel, his face contorted in pain. Tiny beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

The doctor used forceps to extract a bullet from his buttocks and dropped it into a nearby tray with a clang. The sound sent a jolt through Lu Jin'an.

Two of the three men who had gone with him stood nearby, their arms bandaged and in slings.

After the doctor left, one of them ventured, "Brother Lu, things didn’t go our way today, but we did our best. About the money you promised earlier..."

Lu Jin'an’s eyes were watering from the pain, making it hard for him to see clearly. His groin hurt, his buttocks hurt, and hearing Qiang Zi ask for money only made him angrier. "Worthless! You dare ask for money after this?!"

Qiang Zi’s expression darkened. "Brother Lu, I know you’re in a bad mood today, but this isn’t our fault. You just said to grab a woman—who knew she’d have a bodyguard like that? That guy’s arms were like logs—one swing could take out three men!"

"Even if things didn’t go well, look at us." Qiang Zi lifted his bandaged arm and gestured to the other man beside him.

"Forget the injuries—our third brother is still lying in bed, vomiting, dizzy, and with ringing ears. The doctor said he got slapped so hard he has a concussion. If you’d scouted first, we wouldn’t be in this mess."

"Whether the job was done or not, we still risked our lives to drag you out, Brother Lu. Don’t screw us over."

Hearing the thinly veiled threat in Qiang Zi’s words, Lu Jin'an quickly calmed down. Now wasn’t the time to offend them—he might still need them later.

"My mistake, Qiang Zi. I lost my temper. You guys worked hard today. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get what I promised. Let A’Quan and Old Sun focus on recovering first. I’ll cover all bills and extra for recovery. I might still need your help in the future."

Qiang Zi felt better. "No worries, Brother Lu. Just say the word, and we brothers..."

The next morning, Su An pushed the worried Wang Xiaocui out the door. Hou Li had already come to call for her.

"Xiaocui, go to the shop. Ping’s got Shanshan and An An looking after him, and I’m here too. Your store is busy—don’t lose business over this."

"An An, I cooked a huge batch of congee. Come, let’s eat at my place first, then we’ll go to the hospital together."

Su An didn’t hesitate and followed Hou Li.

Two large bowls of steaming sausage congee were already set on the table.

Hou Li brought out a plate of pickles and handed Su An a pair of chopsticks. "It shouldn’t be too hot now. Eat up."

The congee was filled with shredded chicken and diced sausage, topped with a sprinkle of green onions—it looked and smelled amazing.

Su An finished an entire big bowl.

After eating, Hou Li handed Su An three large lunch boxes to carry while she rode her bicycle, giving Su An a ride to the hospital.

"Shanshan, I’ll take over here. You pulled an all-nighter—you must be exhausted. Eat something, then go home and rest," Su An said as she fed her brother congee.

Ren Shan swallowed a mouthful of congee and smiled gently at Su Ping. "An An, I don’t need to rest. I slept really well last night."

Su Ping frowned impatiently at the spoon in Su An’s hand. "Quit spoon-feeding me—just hand it over! Such tiny bites aren’t even enough to fill my teeth."

He reached out to Su An. "Gimme that!"

Su An chuckled lightly, checked that the food container wasn't too hot, and handed it to her brother.

Su Ping took it and immediately dug in noisily from the container.

In just a few big gulps, he’d downed over half the large container.

He sighed, satisfied, and turned to Hou Li, who was feeding Zuo Jinghuan beside him. "Auntie, this porridge is amazing!"

Hou Li beamed at the compliment. "If you like it, I'll make it again tomorrow."

Ren Shan stirred the porridge in her container with a spoon, quietly noting to herself: *Brother Su Ping likes chicken shreds and diced sausage porridge.*

Yesterday, in her anxiety, Hou Li hadn’t asked much. Now that Zuo Jinghuan seemed much better, she lowered her voice to ask what had happened.

After hearing Zuo Jinghuan’s brief rundown of what happened, Hou Li was so shocked her eyes went wide with shock.

When she looked back at Su Ping, Su An, and the others, her gaze was filled with both guilt and gratitude.

She skipped the pleasantries—she would remember this kindness.

Once Su Ping finished eating, he grew downcast. "An An, how long will it take for my injuries to heal? The boss must be slammed without me. He won’t be angry, will he?"

"Without my knife skills, Master will be exhausted cooking. Nobody chops like I do..."

Su An affectionately patted her brother’s big head. "Alright, alright, don’t worry. I’ll go to the Good Luck Restaurant later and put in for leave for you. I promise Master Cheng won’t blame you, okay?"

Leaving the hospital, Su An hopped on her bike and headed straight to Good Luck Restaurant.

Thinking about her brother’s situation, she couldn’t help but blame Zuo Zuying.

*He provoked someone as dangerous as Lu Jin'an but didn’t handle it properly, just left Auntie Hou and Jing Huan behind and ran off himself. Total psycho.*

Last night, in her fury, she had emptied a few wild shots into the woods. From the screams, she must have hit someone. No clue how things stood now, but looking back calmly, Su An was starting to sweat it.

Even though the other side had started the fight and hurt people first, what if her shots had actually killed someone? Would she go to jail?

She’d just started living good—she couldn’t afford to go to prison.

But Lu Jin'an had also shot and injured her brother yesterday. He didn’t know Su Ping’s condition either. As long as he was still alive, he probably wouldn’t report it to the police.

At Good Luck Restaurant, Su An got her brother time off from Cheng Kang, keeping it vague, only saying that he had been injured on his way home from work the night before.

Cheng Kang was really worried. Over the past year, he had truly come to see Su Ping as his successor. Su Ping was hardworking, obedient, and easygoing—qualities Cheng Kang admired.

"He’s already in the hospital? Nothing too serious, I hope? Where was he hurt?"

"Tell him not to worry about the restaurant. I’ve got it covered here. He should focus on recovering first. By the way, which hospital is he in? I have a couple of free hours after lunch around three or four. I’m worried—I gotta check on him myself."

When Su An returned to the hospital, she heard Zuo Jinghuan’s hysterical sobbing even from the hallway.

Startled, she hurried into the ward.

Inside, Zuo Jinghuan, her head wrapped in bandages, was hugging a dusty and exhausted Zuo Zuying and bawling her eyes out.