Standing outside, An Ning forced a smile and bowed to the woman at the door.

"Thank you."

"Oh, hurry and get up." The woman quickly helped An Ning to her feet, then turned and shouted back into the house, "Lin, hurry up!"

"Coming, coming!"

The man called Lin ran out, still pulling on one of his shoes as he finished dressing. He looked at An Ning and said, "Let’s go, let’s go!"

"Be careful."

The woman at the door called out a warning, and Lin shouted back that he heard her without turning around.

Outside, An Ning had already moved aside. To Lin’s somewhat doubtful surprise, she mounted her bicycle and pedaled steadily and swiftly toward the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, An Ning and Doctor Lin wasted no time and quickly found An Guoming.

Doctor Lin consulted with the doctor on duty about the patient’s condition, then began his own examination.

"Two ribs are broken in this spot. From the feel of it, they aren’t completely fractured."

Doctor Lin was very experienced, but he still added, "But I can’t be certain. If you’re worried, you should go to the city. They can take X-rays there."

"We don’t have the equipment here."

Lying on the bed, An Guoming tilted his head slightly to look at An Ning.

The moment Doctor Lin saw this, he understood that this young girl was the one in charge.

Though he found it a little strange, he turned to An Ning as well.

"Doctor Lin, I trust you. What do you think the next step for his treatment should be?"

’My spiritual power confirmed it. They aren’t complete fractures, just cracks. They can heal on their own.’

"Alright, in that case, I’ll handle it."

"We can’t put a cast on ribs. If they were completely fractured, he’d need surgery to set them internally. But since these just look like cracks, not full breaks, they can heal on their own. I’ll fit him with an external chest brace. After that, he needs to go home and get plenty of rest. He should move as little as possible. Make sure he eats a lot of nutritious food so the bones heal quickly."

"Thank you."

After expressing her thanks, An Ning stood aside and let Doctor Lin treat An Guoming.

Once everything was done, An Ning completed the hospital admission paperwork for An Guoming, having him stay for a while.

She decided to ride her bicycle back home first. An Guoqing and An Sancheng had also left by now; if she didn’t go back and tell them what was happening, they would go mad with worry.

Just as An Ning rode her bicycle out of the hospital entrance, she saw An Guoqing.

"Brother?"

"Sis! Thank goodness, I finally found you."

An Guoqing jogged over from the hospital entrance. He peered behind An Ning, his expression gradually turning to fear.

"Guoming—where’s Guoming?"

"It’s okay, Brother, don’t be scared. He’s alive."

"As long as he’s alive. As long as he’s alive. As long as he’s alive."

An Guoqing wasn’t asking for much. The fear in his heart began to subside.

An Ning waited a moment, then asked, "Where’s Dad?"

"Dad’s looking around town. He told me to come check the hospital, and he’ll be over after he looks around a bit more."

An Ning nodded in understanding and waited with An Guoqing for An Sancheng.

Half an hour later, An Sancheng ran up, his face slick with sweat. The moment he saw An Ning, his heart leaped into his throat.

"Daughter, your brother..."

"He’s okay. His ribs are just cracked a bit. I’ve already checked him into the hospital, and he’s resting inside."

The heavy weight in An Sancheng’s chest finally began to lift.

The three of them stood at the hospital entrance and began to make a plan.

"Dad, we have to get him home. A cart won’t work; it’ll be too bumpy. It would be best to carry him."

An Sancheng squatted down, glanced toward the hospital, then stood up. "I understand. You and your sister stay here and look after Guoming. I’ll go home and get some people to help."

"Dad, take the bike."

An Sancheng rode the bicycle back to the village to find people. It wasn’t realistic for just two people to carry his son all the way home.

An Ning led An Guoqing back into the hospital and to their brother’s room.

An Guoming had already fallen asleep, but An Ning woke him up.

"Brother, he took a blow to the head. We can’t let him sleep for too long."

An Guoqing understood. A bitter feeling stung his nose as he looked at his injured brother, and anger began to boil inside him.

"Who did this?"

"Don’t worry, Brother. I already took care of them."

Just as An Ning finished speaking, a series of pained cries rang out from outside the room.

Curious, An Ning opened the door just in time to see Doctor Lin rushing past in a fluster.

"Brother, you watch over him. I’m going to step out for a moment."

An Ning slipped out the door and followed Dr. Lin.

She watched him go down to the first floor, where five familiar figures were crawling into the hospital.

"Wh-what is—? Hurry, someone help me! Get these men into a room!"

"Good heavens, where are your clothes?!"

For a moment, Dr. Lin was at a loss for words. He’d never seen so many orthopedic cases at once.

The crucial part was that all five men were wearing nothing but their underpants.

The nurses on duty were a little embarrassed, but they still pitched in to help carry the men into a room.

Dr. Lin followed behind, his forehead beaded with sweat, muttering to himself as he walked.

"What is with today? It’s just bizarre."

An Ning, who knew exactly what was going on, returned to the second floor feeling satisfied. As for the men’s injuries, she could only think of a common saying.

’Serves them right!’

Back in the hospital, An Guoqing took care of An Guoming. As the sky began to lighten, An Ning left the hospital and headed for the supply and marketing cooperative.

An Ning arrived early, just in time for the butcher’s section to open.

She still had the meat ration coupons she’d gotten from Fatty last time.

An Ning bought pork ribs and two large soup bones. She also came across some fresh kelp, which was said to be very nutritious, so she bought some of that as well.

Just as An Ning was about to leave after her shopping, she saw that the stall selling clothes and other daily necessities had new items in stock.

It was a blue backpack with small pockets on the sides, a zipper closure, and another small pocket on the front.

The design was familiar. The fabric was familiar.

’This is the backpack we made.’

"New item! Backpacks are in! Twenty-five each, sturdy and durable! It’s a great deal!"

The salesperson shouted the pitch a few times. Though many people glanced over curiously, no one bought one. They were too expensive.

Some of the more resourceful onlookers even went up for a closer look, figuring they could just buy some fabric and make one themselves. It wasn’t worth the price.

Of course, there were also those who weren’t short on cash and didn’t want the hassle, so they bought one outright to save themselves the trouble.

An Ning tore her gaze away and walked out of the cooperative.

’No matter who cheated my brother, this isn’t over.’

Carrying the pork she had just bought, she first went to Doctor Lin’s house.

The same woman from the previous night answered the door, looking a little surprised to see An Ning.

"Aren’t you the young lady from last night? What brings you here again?"

"Hello. I’m sorry for the disturbance last night. I wanted to thank you, and Doctor Lin as well."

An Ning bowed, straightened up, and left.

"Huh?"

The woman at the door was confused. ’Didn’t she already thank us yesterday?’

She was about to close the door when she glanced down and saw something on the doorstep.

She squatted down for a closer look. It was pork—and the best cut, too: pork belly.