Chapter Sixty-three: A Strange Occurrence

Early the next morning, Zhong Di rose from bed. Today was Sunday, the day his father was scheduled for surgery.

According to the hospital’s instructions, the procedure would begin at noon, and they needed to arrive by eleven-thirty. Zhong Di planned to get there before ten. That way, he could spend some time with his father beforehand; the man had never undergone surgery before and was understandably nervous. Originally, Zhong Di had hoped his mother would comfort his father, but she turned out to be even more anxious than he was.

As Zhong Di finished his chores, his brother-in-law called. Today, only his sister and her husband would accompany him.

“Hello, brother-in-law... Yes, I’m at the orchard now. Alright, I’ll wait for you.”

After hanging up, Zhong Di simply waited for his brother-in-law to come pick him up.

“I ordered two hundred half-grown chicks last night; they’ll arrive today. The money’s already been transferred. Just receive them, and there’s also corn and such.”

The previous evening, Zhong Di had checked the chicken coop. They’d sold quite a few native chickens lately, and their supply to Dongyang had increased from two birds to five. Soon, they’d need to ramp up production even more.

To ensure a seamless transition, Zhong Di decided to order a batch early, so if any problems arose, he could address them promptly.

“Alright, anything else?” Shao Hong agreed and asked.

“I’ve asked Aunt Xiaohua to bring a few people for weeding. Please arrange things for them, cook lunch, and if you want chicken, just slaughter one. Don’t repeat what happened last time.”

“Weeding’s not a big deal. If we pick up the pace, we’ll finish quickly. Why spend extra money?” Shao Hong felt a pang of regret at Zhong Di’s words. A hundred and twenty per person per day—several people would cost quite a bit.

“It’s fine. Let the aunties earn a little more, and you won’t have to work so hard. Don’t tire yourself out.”

As they chatted, the egg buyer arrived.

“Zhong Di, big brother, are you here?”

The voice was unmistakably Sun Miaomiao. Hearing her call his name, Zhong Di thought maybe she’d returned to normal, but then came the words “big brother.”

Ah, this... It was hard to handle!

“I’m here,” Zhong Di replied, heading back to the kitchen and retrieving two cups from the dry heat sterilization cabinet—one for Sun Miaomiao, one for her driver.

“Would you like some tea? It’s the same cup you used last time, washed and sterilized.”

“Oh... You even made a special label. Your handwriting is beautiful, even better than mine when you wrote my name.”

Sun Miaomiao chattered on, took the cup, and sipped some warm water.

“You didn’t do anything weird to my cup, did you?” Sun Miaomiao suddenly asked.

“Weird? What do you mean by weird?”

“Well... That kind of thing. I heard... Oh, never mind.”

She lost her nerve halfway through, embarrassed to say such things aloud.

Zhong Di felt exasperated. What weird thing? She was the strange one; last time, she’d insisted on using her own special chopsticks.

“Here you go. Everything’s been taken care of—the paperwork is complete. As long as you’re not making chemicals or doing anything odd, you shouldn’t have any problems.”

Sun Miaomiao decided to address the real business and not dwell on her previous question. Originally, she’d planned for her driver to deliver the documents, but she couldn’t resist seeing Zhong Di’s face herself.

“So fast?” Zhong Di was surprised as he looked over the business license and related papers. He’d heard these procedures were troublesome, requiring multiple reviews and approvals.

As Zhong Di studied the documents, the sun had just risen, casting golden light across his face. Sun Miaomiao quickly pulled out her phone, snapped a photo, opened it, and nodded with satisfaction, inwardly exclaiming at his cuteness.

“What are you doing?” Caught off guard by the sudden photo, Zhong Di felt strange.

“I’m rewarding the one who ran around for me with a picture. Is that not allowed?”

“Well...” Zhong Di paused, unable to think of anything to say. If she wanted to take a photo, let her—he didn’t care.

At that moment, Shao Hong had finished preparing the chickens and eggs.

“Can you provide more native chickens, big brother?” Sun Miaomiao asked.

“For now, five. Once things stabilize, I’ll supply ten. Ten... Is that okay?” Zhong Di asked tentatively. She’d helped with the paperwork and run errands, so a little flexibility was in order. Eleven or twelve wouldn’t be a problem.

“That’s fine.”

The eggs and chickens were loaded onto the truck, to be delivered swiftly to the designated restaurant.

“With your native chickens, we’ve created two dishes: Roasted Native Chicken and Special Native Chicken. The entrails and other parts are also used for different recipes.”

“Just relying on eggs and native chickens, we’ve completely opened up the market in Kuren City.”

Sun Miaomiao seemed to be deliberately finding topics to chat about, talking ceaselessly.

Just then, a vehicle appeared in Zhong Di’s line of sight—it was his brother-in-law’s truck. After exchanging a few words with Sun Miaomiao, Zhong Di got into the truck, and Sun Miaomiao left in her own vehicle.

Today, it was only his sister and her husband; Xiao Xi was not with them, still under their grandmother’s care. Taking a child to the hospital would be too chaotic.

“Zhong Di, who was that girl just now? She seems nice—you should consider her,” his sister said.

“Sis, what are you thinking? Dongyang is her family’s business; our backgrounds don’t match. Besides, I’m not thinking about that right now.”

Zhong Di explained carefully. This matter needed to be nipped in the bud—at his age, his parents were already anxious about his future. If they caught wind of this, it would be over.

“Dongyang, huh? Then it’s not suitable. You should find someone with a similar family background,” Zhong Hui agreed. Marriage required matching backgrounds; it was essential.

Some people dream of shortcuts—marrying a rich heir or a wealthy woman—but such hopes rarely come true. Those who go the distance usually have similar family circumstances.

Simply put, if you really found a wealthy girlfriend, her meal expenses might equal your monthly savings. For her, it’s normal; for you, it’s hard to accept.

It’s not about anything else—it’s just not a good match.

Chatting with his sister and brother-in-law, Zhong Di soon arrived at the hospital. With everyone’s reassurances, his father finally relaxed and chose local anesthesia.

It was a small surgery—no need for general anesthesia. With modern medical conditions, general anesthesia wasn’t a big risk, but who could say for sure? For minor procedures, local anesthesia sufficed.

The operation didn’t last long; by the time everything was settled, it was afternoon. The surgery went smoothly, and after a month of recuperation, his father would be able to walk again.

They stayed until dusk before bringing his father home. Recovering at home was no different from the hospital, and in fact, it was more convenient—he could eat whatever he liked.