Chapter 583: Extra—Ren Shan 1

Chapter 583: Side Story—Ren Shan (1)

Ren Shan's wisdom teeth were coming in, and half her face had swollen up with a fever.

Su Ping was extremely worried, so much so that he couldn’t focus at work. As soon as his shift ended, he rushed home, asking everyone he met for folk remedies to relieve tooth pain.

Chewing Sichuan peppercorns, cold compresses, rinsing with saltwater, pressing acupressure points—even biting into menthol oil, holding liquor in the mouth, or chewing ginger slices. He carefully jotted down every suggestion in a small notebook.

"Shan Shan, are you still feeling unwell? Would you like some congee? I made it with minced meat, slow-cooked so you can just drink it without chewing. It won’t hurt your teeth. Mom said you barely ate anything these past two days."

Looking at the listless Ren Shan, Su Ping’s face was full of concern.

Ren Shan reassured him, "It’s fine. I’ve already seen a doctor. He said it’ll get better once the tooth comes in. I just need some pain meds. You should eat something, Su Ping."

Su Ping had no appetite either. He couldn’t help but recall Aunt Liu’s boasting in the kitchen.

"My old man makes wine with Cherokee rose (jinyingzi) every year—it’s such a good thing. I drink a little every day, and my physique is fantastic. With a strong constitution like mine, no illness can touch me. Those who complain about aches and pains, thin as rakes—it’s because their foundation is weak."

"Look at my complexion—rosy, right? Let me tell you, Cherokee rose wine is nourishing, really good for the body. Some old doctor said it replenishes yin, warms yang, soothes coughs, promotes blood circulation, and strengthens all five vital organs inside the belly."

Aunt Liu counted the benefits one by one on her fingers, listing over ten advantages, nearly making the medicinal wine sound like a miracle cure. Su Ping listened intently.

He knew about this stuff—Uncle had some at home. During the New Year, Uncle had brought it out to serve everyone. He and Shan Shan had even had a small glass, sweetened with rock sugar, almost syrupy.

Thinking of Ren Shan at home, Su Ping pestered Aunt Liu. "Aunt Liu, could you sell me some? My Shan Shan is sick. I want to tonify her. She hasn’t been eating because of her toothache."

Aunt Liu shook her head. "I can’t sell it. There’s not much left, and my old man and I barely have enough for ourselves. Besides, there’s nowhere in the city to forage for Cherokee rose."

Su Ping couldn’t let it go. When he got home and saw Ren Shan looking so weak, his anxiety grew.

"Shan Shan, Aunt Liu said Cherokee rose wine can help. I’ll go find some for you, okay? Just hang in there a little longer."

Ren Shan nodded groggily. "Mm-hmm."

Su Ping grabbed some money and left immediately. He caught the first train back to District 93, heading to Uncle’s house to buy Cherokee rose wine to tonify Ren Shan. She was sick and suffering.

Ren Shan had gone to bed early the night before and didn’t know Su Ping had returned and left again overnight. The next morning, when Wang Xiaocui got up and saw Su Ping was gone, she assumed he had gone to work.

It wasn’t until noon, when Cheng Kang came by on his bicycle looking for him, that everyone realized Su Ping hadn’t shown up at the restaurant that day.

Su Ping was always punctual and reliable at work, rarely late or leaving early, let alone skipping a shift. Worried something might have happened to his apprentice, Cheng Kang came to check.

Su Ping was missing.

The news threw the Wang household into chaos. Everyone began searching frantically, checking every possible place, but by nightfall, there was still no sign of him. Ren Shan was on the verge of collapse.

She rode her bicycle everywhere, seething with quiet anger.

She searched over and over—Su Jianguo’s canned food factory, Zhao Daxing, Mr. Luo, Eldest Master Cai, Chu Shuyu, Ping An Trading, even Liu Xiaomei and her husband’s foam manufacturing workshop.

Su Ping had promised everyone he wouldn’t wander off. He was dutiful. Everyone was frantic, fearing something terrible had happened to him.

No one slept that night, and they even filed a missing person report with the police.

When the call finally came, at dawn the next morning, the police notified the family—Su Ping had been detained for ticketless travel, and they needed someone to pick him up.

After searching all night, the group hurriedly followed the officers to the train station.

Su Ping looked disheveled and exhausted, curling in on himself as he leaned against the wall, nervously eyeing the uniformed railway staff.

Ren Shan rushed in from outside and threw herself into Su Ping's arms upon seeing him, flooded with relief—she had been terrified to death.

Su Ping let out a cry of pain.

Startled, Ren Shan quickly released him and noticed his fist clenched and raised near his shoulder, frozen in place.

"Shan Shan, it hurts. It really hurts."

Ren Shan's face clouded over as she turned to glare at the uniformed railway staff. "Did you hit my brother?"

They got chills, and instinctively waved their hands in denial. "No, no!"

Seeing Ren Shan's anger, Su Ping grew a little fearful and hesitantly pulled her sleeve. "Shan Shan, no, these comrades didn’t bully me. They even helped me."

Through Su Ping and the comrades' explanations, Ren Shan finally learned that Su Ping had sneaked off alone to the 93rd Little Uncle’s house to get her some golden cherry wine.

Little Uncle had carefully filled six infusion bottles with the wine and packed them in a burlap sack for him.

On his way back, Su Ping had his money stolen at the train station. With no money for a ticket and fearing Ren Shan’s unbearable pain, he snuck onto the train without one.

The train was packed like sardines. Protecting the glass bottles, he was pushed to the very back. When the doors closed, the sack got caught outside.

He clung desperately to the sack, refusing to let go. For nearly four hours on the non-stop train, he stood gripping the sack tightly, too afraid to ask for help since he had no ticket. With pure determination, he held on all the way from another city.

Over a hundred kilometers.

By the time the staff noticed him, his hand had stiffened. No matter how much they urged him, he wouldn’t release the sack until they reached the station, where they helped him safely unload all six bottles.

The staff placed the sack of infusion bottles on the table and sighed in admiration. "This comrade’s determination is truly remarkable. He said his family member was unwell and this was to nourish them—he couldn’t lose it."

From their conversation, they also realized Su Ping wasn’t quite right in the head, making his devotion all the more touching.

With childlike excitement, Su Ping turned to Ren Shan. "Shan Shan, golden cherry wine! I got it from Little Uncle. He wouldn’t take money, so I secretly slipped it into his pocket when he gave me a ride in his oxcart. Drink it, and you’ll get better. You won’t get sick anymore. When you finish, I’ll get you more."

Ren Shan stared at Su Ping’s exhausted, foolish grin; her heart ached even as she fumed, tears streaming down her face.

"Shan Shan, don’t cry. Does it hurt again? Take some now, just one sip." Su Ping, unable to move his stiff arm, anxiously pointed at the infusion bottles with his other hand.

Ren Shan gently patted his shoulder. "Didn’t I tell you not to run off? Do you know how worried everyone was?"

Su Ping’s smile faded as he shrunk into himself. "Shan Shan, I told you the night before. I said I’d get you golden cherry wine, and you said ‘yes.’"

"Does your hand still hurt?"

"Yes, I can’t move it."

"Let’s go to the hospital right away."

"Shan Shan, the wine—don't forget the wine!" he pleaded.