One Third Remaining Chapter Forty-Nine: The Stone That Opens the Door

"Have you finished your call yet?"

Hou San drooped his head, his voice listless. "You spent two damn hours making a call. It was just a few words, but you dragged it out with endless mumbling..."

Zhu Dachang scratched his head, grinned foolishly, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I'm just happy, you know? When Cuihua heard I was buying her a piglet, she couldn't stop smiling... She just thought buying her new clothes was a waste of money, said it would be better to spend it all on piglets."

"That's why I say you're a fool," Hou San's lips quivered slightly. "How can you tell a woman these things in advance? There's no surprise, and without surprise, where's the romance... Let me tell you a truth, all women in the world love romance."

Hou San swallowed painfully and went on, "First, the word 'romance'—the 'roman' part means waste. You have to be willing to spend. Women always say no, but when you lay the new clothes in front of her, she'll jump up and kiss you for sure."

"Really?" Zhu Dachang blinked in bewilderment. "I was just wondering if I should listen to her and send all the money for the clothes to her instead..."

"Don't ever do that," Hou San coughed twice and trudged forward, leaving a trail of fresh red footprints. "If you really send her all the money, she'll buy only piglets, not spend a cent on herself. At that point, it's like you're investing in her piglets. If she makes money, she might even pay you back—then what 'feelings' do you two have left?"

Zhu Dachang's eyes lit up. He slapped Hou San on the shoulder, exclaiming, "Good thing I have you to analyze this for me, Third Brother! I almost made a huge mistake! Right, I can't just give her all the money—I'm supposed to be her lover, not her benefactor... Giving clothes is still best!"

Hou San was knocked to the ground by Zhu Dachang's slap, his face turning even paler. He tried to point at Zhu Dachang and scold him, but his eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.

Zhu Dachang stood there, stunned. Only then did he notice that Hou San's pants were soaked through with blood. Panic took hold; he rushed forward, scooped Hou San into his arms, and shook him violently, tears welling in his eyes. "Third Brother... Third Brother, don't scare me, wake up! Weren't you going to take me to do great things?"

"Stop shaking..." Hou San forced his eyes open and spoke weakly, "If you shake me any more, I'll really be gone... Looks like we can't make it to Jiangnan Hao today. Hurry and find a pharmacy, get me some hemostatic and fever medicine... We ran too fast earlier, my wound split open, lost too much blood... I need to rest and recover for a while."

Relieved to see Hou San awake, Zhu Dachang hoisted him onto his back, his expression solemn. "Third Brother, you rest easy. I'll take you to a pharmacy right away. This is a big city; there are pharmacies everywhere. It won't take long... You have to hang on!"

On Zhu Dachang’s back, Hou San suddenly felt safe and at ease, letting out a soft "mm" before closing his eyes and dozing off.

Many people have experienced this: when you don’t need something, it’s always right in front of you; but when you desperately need it, it’s nowhere to be found.

Pharmacies are like that too. When you don’t need medicine, it seems there’s one on every corner. But when you really need one, the road feels endlessly long.

Zhu Dachang ran farther and faster, wind and dust reddening his eyes, sweat streaming from his brow, but he dared not stop. His breath grew ragged as he felt Hou San’s limp body on his back. His heart raced like a headless fly darting aimlessly.

Fortunately, after seven minutes, he spotted a street cleaner and steadied himself to ask, "Auntie, could you tell me where the nearest pharmacy is? My third brother is ill..."

"If he's sick, take him to the hospital," the street cleaner glanced at Hou San, her voice earnest. "You can't just take any medicine. What if you make things worse instead of better?"

Hou San mustered a bit of spirit and forced a smile. "No need for a hospital. We're tough folk, it’s just a minor injury. Any medicine will do. Hospitals are too expensive for us... Please, just tell us where the nearest pharmacy is. I really can't hold on much longer."

"Born into hardship, I see," the cleaner sighed and pointed. "The closest pharmacy is by the Erxian Bridge. Go straight for about a kilometer, cross Chenghua Avenue, then turn the corner... But that pharmacy usually closes at three in the afternoon, and now it’s already five..."

Hou San patted Zhu Dachang's shoulder, smiling as he bid her farewell. "No problem, we’ll try our luck. Maybe today they stayed open late. Thanks a lot!"

Zhu Dachang caught on, gave the cleaner a sheepish grin, and once more set off at a lumbering run.

A few minutes later, Zhu Dachang arrived with Hou San at the pharmacy the cleaner had mentioned. As expected, the store was closed, the inside empty and deserted. Zhu Dachang set Hou San down by the door and asked anxiously, "Third Brother, what do we do? The door’s locked."

Hou San exhaled slowly, his lips pale. "The door’s locked... then we open it. We’ll leave the money on the counter after we take the medicine. Even better if there’s no one inside. Did you forget? I was shot in the backside. Anyone would notice instantly. Before we even walk out, the police would be waiting outside..."

Zhu Dachang nodded repeatedly, growing frantic as he looked at Hou San’s bloodless face. He stood up. "I’ll go open the door and get the medicine..." But when he reached the lock, he stopped, turning back awkwardly. "Third Brother... I don’t know how to pick locks..."

"That’s why I always tell you to pick up a few skills," Hou San grumbled, pointing toward the grass. "Forget it. If you can’t pick the lock, just grab a rock and smash it. Thankfully it’s a glass door..."

Hearing this, Zhu Dachang immediately went to the grass, bending to select a suitable stone.

Hou San pursed his lips, steadied himself against the doorframe, and tried to move away but suddenly noticed something odd about the lock—it seemed broken already. Enduring the pain, he hobbled closer to inspect it.

"Alright!" Zhu Dachang called out, having found a rock the size of a bun. He swung his arm back and, turning swiftly, hurled the stone at the pharmacy door. "Third Brother, watch this! Let me show you my hundred-pace archery!"

Before he could finish, Hou San heard a whistling sound behind him. His pupils contracted—there was no time to dodge.

After throwing the stone, Zhu Dachang realized something was wrong. He stared blankly as the stone flew straight toward the back of Hou San’s head. Instinctively, he clapped his hands over his eyes, peeking through his fingers.

With a bang, the stone struck true, and Hou San collapsed to the ground without a sound.