Wu Jun grabbed the liquor, said goodbye to Xu Fei, and headed out.
’Huang Zili has been in the surveillance business for a few years now. He’s a business owner in his own right, so while he probably doesn’t have 600,000 to lend, he should be able to spare two or three hundred thousand.’
At 12:30, Wu Jun found a restaurant near Huang Zili’s surveillance equipment shop and waited for him.
When they spoke on the phone earlier, Huang Zili had said he wasn’t at the shop. As Wu Jun passed by, he saw the rolling shutter was down, with a note taped to it that read, "Closed due to a family matter."
He got a private room in the small restaurant and waited until almost 1:00, when Huang Zili called to say he had arrived and asked why he couldn’t see Wu Jun.
Wu Jun hung up and went out to meet him.
Seeing Huang Zili again after more than half a month, Wu Jun almost didn’t recognize him.
His hair was a mess, his face was covered in stubble, and his clothes were stained in several places, looking like they hadn’t been washed in a long time. He was holding the hand of a little girl whose hair was just as messy, her little pigtails all undone.
"Old Huang, what’s going on? Turned into a full-time dad?" Wu Jun greeted Huang Zili, then squatted down and picked up the little girl. "Come on, Yiyi, let Uncle give you a hug."
"Little Yiyi’s turning into a grubby kitten." Wu Jun noticed the girl looked like she hadn’t washed her face, with sleep still in the corners of her eyes. He shot Huang Zili a look of disdain. "You’re not very good at this parenting thing, are you?"
"Huang Jiayi, say hello to Uncle Wu Jun." Huang Zili ignored Wu Jun’s disdain, gave an embarrassed laugh, and told his daughter to greet him.
Huang Jiayi looked closely at Wu Jun’s face, reached out a small hand to touch it, and said in a clear, sweet voice, "Hello, Uncle Wu Jun. Uncle Wu Jun is getting more and more handsome."
Wu Jun was amused by the little girl. "You little rascal, you’re such a sweet talker. Uncle will buy you some candy later."
"Let’s not just stand out here. Come on, inside." Wu Jun said to Huang Zili, then led the way with Huang Jiayi in his arms. The three of them entered the restaurant’s private room.
Wu Jun took the menu and ordered five dishes to go with their drinks, as well as some kid-friendly pine nut corn, lean pork and egg custard, and a fruit salad. Huang Zili stood by, insisting, "That’s enough, that’s enough. We can just have something simple."
After some small talk with Huang Zili and teasing the child for a bit, the dishes arrived. Wu Jun pulled the bottle of Maotai he had brought from under the table and placed it on top.
Huang Zili reached out to stop Wu Jun from opening it. "Old Wu, you should save this bottle for your future father-in-law. For guys like us, some cheap liquor is more than enough. Drinking this is a waste."
"Cut it out. I brought it all this way, you expect me to take it back?" Wu Jun smiled, pushed Huang Zili’s hand away, and opened the bottle.
The two friends drank a few rounds back and forth. Huang Jiayi, wearing a bib, was using her own spoon, feeding herself and being self-sufficient.
Wu Jun felt the time was right and decided to stop beating around the bush. Huang Zili, after a moment of internal conflict, had decided to get straight to the point as well. Their eyes met.
"Old Huang..." Wu Jun began.
"Old Wu..." Huang Zili started at the same time.
"You first, you first..."
"No, you go ahead..."
"Alright, I’ll go first then." Huang Zili put down his chopsticks. "Old Wu, do you have any spare cash on hand right now? If you do, could you lend me 100,000 to deal with an emergency? I’ll pay you back within two years. If not, just forget it."
Wu Jun was speechless.
’What a mess. It felt like he beat me to the punch.’
’I came here today to borrow money from Old Huang, and now *I’m* the one being asked for a loan.’
"What’s going on, Old Huang?" Wu Jun asked him. "Did something happen at home? When I was coming over, I saw your shop was closed with a note about a family matter."
"I’m at the end of my rope. I have no other choice." Huang Zili poured himself a glass of liquor and downed it in one gulp. After putting the glass down, he said, "I’m not going to hide this from you, and I want you to be prepared. I won’t be able to pay this money back anytime soon."
Huang Zili turned to look at his daughter, whose face was covered in food. He took a napkin and wiped her mouth before turning back to Wu Jun. "Yiyi’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, it’s in the early stages, but she needs surgery to remove it. I’ve sold everything from the shop, and I’m still short 90,000..."
’Something this huge had happened, and Huang Zili was only telling me now?’ Wu Jun felt a surge of angry frustration flare up inside him.
After he finished speaking, Huang Zili poured himself another glass and raised it toward Wu Jun. "It might be a struggle to pay it back, but I promise, within two years, I’ll pay back the principal and interest, not a single cent less..."
"Old Huang, what the fuck are you talking about?" Wu Jun slapped the glass out of Huang Zili’s hand, cutting him off. He said angrily, "Sister-in-law is in such big trouble, and you hid it from me until now? If you’re going to treat me like a stranger, how can you have the nerve to ask me for money?"
Huang Zili propped his arms on the table and covered his eyes with his hands. The grown man actually started to cry. "Old Wu, if I had any other choice, I wouldn’t be asking anyone for help. You’re the first person I’ve told."
"Daddy, don’t cry! Daddy, don’t cry!" Huang Jiayi threw down her little spoon, hopped off her chair, and hugged Huang Zili’s arm. She glared at Wu Jun. "Uncle Wu Jun, I hate you! You’re not handsome at all anymore!"
Huang Zili hugged his daughter and comforted her. "Yiyi, it’s Daddy’s fault. Don’t blame your Uncle Wu Jun."
Seeing the deep bond between the father and daughter, Wu Jun’s heart ached, and at the same time, he felt a pang of envy.
’My own business is urgent, but compared to the health of Huang Zili’s wife, Dong Yajun, it’s easy to decide which takes priority.’
Wu Jun asked, holding on to a sliver of hope, "When is the surgery?"
’If the surgery is after this Friday, I can help him without it affecting my own plans.’
Huang Zili said, "The doctor said the sooner the better. As soon as we have the money, we can do it. It’ll be a problem if it starts to spread."
Wu Jun fell silent, resigned.
’What can you do when you have a friend like him?’ He pulled out his phone and, without another word, transferred the money.
A notification sound echoed in the private room: [Alipay transfer received: one hundred thousand yuan.]
His wife’s surgery fee was now covered. Huang Zili was both shocked and overjoyed. "Old Wu, you... we don’t need this much. Ninety thousand is enough."
Wu Jun said impatiently, "Don’t give me that nonsense. Does the food and drink not cost money? Don’t let the kid suffer."
His own father’s hospitalization had given Wu Jun a deep understanding of the plight of families with a seriously ill member.
His mom eating only a single steamed bun for a meal back then wasn’t an isolated case.
When illness stretches its demonic claws toward a loved one, treating them becomes the only priority. All the money goes to the hospital.
When the family of a patient has exhausted all their resources, they stop caring about whether they’re full. As long as they don’t starve, it’s enough.
Plain water with plain steamed buns, just to save a little more money for the patient’s treatment.
After hearing about Dong Yajun’s condition, Wu Jun was no longer in the mood to enjoy fine liquor and a big meal. He got up, paid the bill, and left the restaurant with Huang Zili and his daughter.
In a shop outside the Provincial First Hospital, Wu Jun bought a large fruit basket and a big bouquet of carnations. Huang Zili tried to stop him, telling him not to waste his money, but he couldn’t.
In a room in the breast surgery ward, Wu Jun saw Dong Yajun lying in a hospital bed, her face pale and drawn from her illness.