Chapter 181: A Visit

After wrapping up the business with Blade, Shi Ji followed his original plan and headed to the hospital to visit the gatekeeper and Regular A.

But the idea of going empty-handed made him feel a bit awkward. So, he decided to pick up some fruit for the two of them.

Since the incident with Wasteland Wolf, security had been tightened at the hospital reserved for heroes, with heroes constantly patrolling the area. Because of this, a few people could still be seen on the streets. And that’s where the fruit stand was.

You could say business adapted these days. Even in times like this, there were still fruit vendors hanging around near the hospital.

But there was nothing you could do about it. Even though Shi Ji wasn’t exactly rolling in money, he felt he had to buy something. After all, as a person, you’ve got to show some decency, right?

Though, really, it was just a matter of saving face.

“Auntie, how much are the apples?” 

He called out to the woman running the fruit stand as soon as he walked up.

The older lady beamed when she saw Shi Ji approach.

“Eight yuan a pound. Let me tell you, young man, these apples are big, sweet, and super crunchy. You should get ten pounds. Come, come, I’ll help you pick them. I promise you, they’ll be big, sweet, and crispy.”

It seemed like she was really eager to make some money, not even waiting for Shi Ji’s approval before grabbing a large bag and starting to pick out apples for him. Everyone was looking to make a buck, but this lady wasn’t so bad—at least she wasn’t cutting corners. The apples she picked for Shi Ji were indeed big and looked pretty good.

Shi Ji stood there, feeling a bit embarrassed. He had already greeted her, but the old lady didn’t seem to hear, too busy talking to herself as she carefully picked out apples, all the while explaining where they came from and how good they were.

By the time she was done, she had actually packed a full ten pounds.

Shi Ji stared at the huge bag of apples, a little dumbfounded. That poor plastic bag really had its work cut out for it.

“That’ll be 80 yuan, young man! Thanks for your business!”

She was already tying up the plastic bag as she spoke.

“Wait, Auntie! Hold on!” Shi Ji hurriedly stopped her.

The woman blinked in surprise, “What’s wrong, young man?”

Shi Ji didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he slowly reached into the bag and pulled out two of the smaller apples.

The old lady saw what he was doing and quickly nodded, “Oh, yeah, these two are a bit small. Let me swap them out for bigger ones.”

She was about to grab the bag again, but Shi Ji stopped her.

“No, no, wait. Auntie, I only want these two.”

The apples in the bag were all decent, but Shi Ji specifically chose the smaller ones because, well, they were cheaper.

For a moment, the old lady just stood there, stunned. The change in mood hit her hard. It was like all her effort had been for nothing.

Her friendly smile disappeared instantly. She shoved the big bag of apples aside and weighed the two small ones Shi Ji had picked.

“Five yuan,” she said, her tone suddenly much less pleasant than before.

Shi Ji chuckled awkwardly, pulling out his wallet to pay. But as he rummaged through his pockets, trying to find five yuan, he noticed something.

“Huh? Wait… wait! Where’s my hundred yuan bill?!”

His mood plummeted instantly. Just a second ago, he had been all smiles, but now he was completely crushed.

Shi Ji turned around to look at the road he had walked down. It was a pretty long stretch. If it had fallen, someone probably picked it up by now… or maybe the wind blew it away.

“Sigh… I must’ve lost it while messing around with that guy earlier. Whatever, just my bad luck.”

Shi Ji handed over the money and, with a big bag holding just two small apples, headed toward the nearby hospital.

Losing a hundred yuan like that really stung. He kept telling himself it was no big deal, but deep down, it bothered him. I mean, a hundred yuan! The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got.

When he reached the hospital, Shi Ji went to visit the gatekeeper first.

Thanks to his special Starborne physique, his body recovered several times faster than a normal person’s. Even minor injuries could heal within a few hours.

***

The gatekeeper was doing pretty well now. He was lying in the hospital bed, casually flipping through a magazine.

Knock, knock, knock!

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

The gatekeeper assumed it was just the nurse, so he didn’t pay much attention. The door creaked open, and he heard footsteps approaching the bed.

“Hey! You’re looking pretty good!”

A familiar voice suddenly rang out, and Men Qianren was startled. He quickly looked up, only to see Shi Ji’s all-too-familiar face. In his shock, the magazine slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a light thud.

The sound snapped the gatekeeper back to reality, and he fumbled to pick up the magazine.

Shi Ji’s visit was the last thing the gatekeeper had expected. They had only crossed paths a few times, but one particular encounter stood out in his memory—the time Shi Ji defeated him. Since then, the gatekeeper had never forgotten about him.

For a moment, the gatekeeper just stared at Shi Ji, not saying a word, looking a little dazed.

“Oh, I’ll just leave the apples over here,” Shi Ji said, breaking the silence.

The gatekeeper snapped back to reality at the sound of Shi Ji’s voice. Glancing at the large bag with just two small apples inside, he didn’t feel disappointed—instead, he found it amusing. The combo of such a big bag with tiny apples was pretty funny, after all.

The gatekeeper was a straightforward guy. Someone coming to visit him was enough to make him happy, no matter what they brought.

Then…

Shi Ji pulled one of the apples from the big bag and placed it on the table. Looking a little embarrassed, he said, “Uh, yeah… sorry about this. Prices are skyrocketing these days, and unlike you heroes, I don’t have a salary to rely on. I’m really short on cash right now. I’ve gotta save the other apple for someone else I’m visiting. Sorry, sorry.”

Shi Ji didn’t try to sugarcoat it, just laying out the truth.

The gatekeeper didn’t mind at all and simply chuckled.

“No, no, just having you visit me makes me really happy. Shi Ji, don’t just stand there, sit down, sit down.”

In battle, the gatekeeper was a hot-blooded warrior, but when things calmed down, he was just an ordinary guy, easy to get along with.

Shi Ji showing up genuinely surprised him. He never expected this guy, who he’d only seen a few times and barely talked to, would actually come to visit.

After Shi Ji sat down, the gatekeeper spoke up.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but can I ask? Why’d you come visit me? We’re not exactly close, right?”

“Oh, because we know each other,” Shi Ji answered simply.

The gatekeeper blinked as if he wanted to say more, but then he just smiled. 

‘Yep, that’s Shi Ji for you.’

“Thank you,” he said, smiling.

Shi Ji shook his head, “No, you should thank yourself. The fact that we know each other was just a reason. The real reason I’m here is because you’re a hero.”

Shi Ji’s words were straightforward, but the gatekeeper could sense there was a deeper meaning behind them.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll keep working hard.”