Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 71 – To Leave No Regrets

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A few minutes later, three adults and one child were crouched by the roadside. In the center, an antique vase rested on a thick cotton cushion. The three adults exchanged uncertain glances while the little one lay on the cushion, staring intently at the vase with great seriousness.

Seeing him tracing patterns on the vase with his tiny finger, Xia Mian recalled that this was exactly how he used to study auction catalogs. She had thought he was just playing—but had he really remembered it all? She looked at the little guy with envy in her eyes. ‘If only I could have just a bit of that brainpower!’

After a while, Xiao Feng looked up at Xia Mian. “Auntie, the bottom.”

Xia Mian looked awkwardly at the man and said, “Could you let him see the bottom?”

Though it was a normal request, it still felt strange somehow. Perhaps because this child was the first person to show any interest in the vase, the man didn’t say anything, just picked up the vase and showed the base, letting the little boy inspect it carefully.

Finding it amusing, a few owners of the antique shops nearby came over to watch them.

“Little one, can you tell? Is it real?”

Startled by the sudden crowd of strangers, Xiao Feng quickly leaped into Xia Mian’s arms.

The onlookers had only meant to tease him, thinking he was cute. Seeing his reaction, they chuckled and let it go.

One porcelain dealer said, “Miss, don’t get duped. If this vase were real, it’d be worth quite a bit. If he really wanted to sell it, he could get an expert’s appraisal or take it to an auction house. That’d be way better than spouting nonsense here on the street.”

“I already went!” the man explained quickly. “But the appraisal takes a week, and the earliest auction is a month away—I can’t wait that long.”

His voice was tinged with desperation. “I need the money today. My uncle has surgery scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and the hospital asked for the payment today.”

Xia Mian: “…”

No wonder no one believed him—everything he said sounded exactly like a scam.

But he had said ‘uncle’ just now. If his intention was to scam people, telling them that he needed the money for his parents, children, or wife would be much more convincing. Why go with uncle, then?

Xiao Feng clung tighter to Xia Mian’s neck. He didn’t understand the adults’ rapid-fire discussion, and quietly whispered to her, “Auntie, antique.”

Seeing he’d made up his mind about the vase, Xia Mian hesitated. It was rare for this child to ask for something.

The man saw Xia Mian’s expression and, as if grasping at his last straw, gritted his teeth and said, “Give me ten thousand—just ten thousand, not a cent less.”

“You just halved the price,” one store owner laughed. “Still claiming it’s not a scam? No one would sell a real antique like that.”

“Exactly. Miss, don’t fall for it. He thinks you’re easy to fool. With that kind of money, you could buy a genuine one from our shop. Much more reliable.”

The man clearly hadn’t expected that his final, desperate attempt would only make things worse. Like a trapped animal, he clawed at his head in frustration, then looked up at Xia Mian. “Miss, this really is genuine.”

“If you don’t believe me, consider the vase as collateral. I’ll give you my address, all my personal info. Once I have the money, I’ll come back and buy it back from you—with extra, even. I promise you won’t lose out.”

“That’s so funny,” one shop owner said. “We don’t even know if the vase is real. Why should anyone hand over that much money? Even if the info you give is real, what if you can’t pay it back? Is this little girl supposed to chase you around forever for her money?”

No matter what the man said or did, he only looked like a scammer.

He shut his eyes tightly, opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end just hung his head low. He silently bent down and began carefully packing the vase, preparing to leave.

Xia Mian could almost see the last taut string in his body—one more straw and he’d collapse completely. The air grew heavy. She felt a tight squeeze on her hand and looked down to see Xiao Feng frowning unconsciously, looking like he was about to cry.

She patted his head, then looked up and called out, “Sir!”

The man froze, his face showing a strange expression—hope mixed with fear of disappointment. He asked stiffly, “What is it?”

“I don’t want to be fooled or scammed. Since we can’t verify the vase right now, I want to check the other parts of your story,” Xia Mian said. “What’s your uncle’s illness? Which hospital?”

The man’s dim eyes lit up again. He said urgently, “At Yan University Hospital. I can take you there right now. If you don’t trust me, the money doesn’t even have to go through me—you can pay the hospital directly!”

“I’m not a scammer!”

Xia Mian and Ning Shaoyun exchanged a glance—what a coincidence.

The shop owner nearby reminded again, “Miss, if the part about his family being sick is true, then it’s even more likely the vase is fake. People at the end of their rope often have no bottom line. You should be careful.”

Xia Mian knew the owner meant well and smiled. “Thank you for the reminder, boss. I’ll be careful. My family lives right by the hospital, so I’ll have them come take a look.”

The owner shook his head and sighed. “You have a kind heart, miss.”

When he looked up at the man again, he opened his mouth, but ultimately didn’t say anything harsh. They had apparently started to believe that the part about his family member being sick might actually be true. He just sighed and said, “Everyone has a hard time. Just don’t lose your conscience, that’s all.”

The man remained silent. At this point, the only thing he cared about was whether the girl in front of him would buy the vase. Everything else was meaningless.

The group took a taxi straight to Yan University Hospital. On the way, the man shared a bit about his background.

His name was Yan Peizhang, a farmer from the outskirts of Yan City. The person in need of surgery was his uncle—or more precisely, his adoptive father.

When he was seven, his father died, and his mother soon remarried. When his grandmother tried to sell him, he ran away and fainted from hunger by the roadside. He was rescued and taken in by a scrap collector named Fan Huairen, who raised him. That was nearly twenty years ago.

A year ago, Fan Huairen developed lung problems from overwork and has been bedridden since. They thought rest would help, but a month ago, things suddenly worsened—it turned out to be a tumor. Surgery had to be arranged quickly while Fan Huairen was still strong enough.

“If the decision to have surgery was made a month ago,” Ning Shaoyun said gently, “then the money for it should’ve been prepared long before now.” The vase could’ve been sold a month ago.

Yan Peizhang understood her implication and explained, “My uncle only gave me the vase recently, when he felt he might not make it.”

“We actually had the surgery money ready.” As he said this, Yan Peizhang’s eyes turned red with anger and resentment. “But it got stolen…”

Xia Mian frowned. People who steal money meant for life-saving treatment deserve to be beaten to death.

“The surgery is the day after tomorrow, and today is the last deadline to pay.” Yan Peizhang’s eyes pleaded. “If you think the vase is fake and don’t want to buy it, I… I will work for your family.”

“I only have a junior high education, but I’m strong—just give me food, and I can work like a cow. Until I’ve paid it back, you don’t have to pay me a cent.”

Xia Mian immediately thought of Xia Wenyue’s workshop. If what this man said was true, he might actually be a suitable worker. Not that it had anything to do with this transaction—she just thought he seemed like a decent person.

She gently stroked the child nestled silently in her arms. “Don’t worry. As long as what you say is true, I’ll buy your vase.”

Xiao Feng lifted his head sharply at that, his eyes sparkling.

Xia Mian smiled softly. This little guy remembered things so clearly and had such rich emotions—she didn’t want this to become a lasting regret for him as he grew up and came to understand the world.

Of course, she felt the same. So, for both of their peace of mind, she was going to see this through.

Yan Peizhang was overwhelmed. His eyes red, he started rambling incoherently, “Thank you, thank you, I—I swear it’s all true. My uncle really needs the surgery, and the vase is real too. He told me it’s been passed down in their family.”

Xia Mian shook her head, almost tempted to tell him to hold his tongue—every word out of his mouth only made him sound more like a scammer.

When they arrived at the hospital, Ning Shaoyun went directly to find Ning Shaobai to confirm the full story, while Xia Mian followed Yan Peizhang straight to Fan Huairen’s ward. To avoid arousing the old man’s suspicion, Xia Mian and Xiao Feng stayed at the door, peeking inside.

Lying in the center bed was an elderly man with white hair, so thin he was nearly skin and bones. He looked to be in his sixties or seventies. Rather than an uncle, he seemed more like a grandfather. He was awake and smiled when he saw Yan Peizhang. “Xiao Zhang, you’re back?”

That smile, set against his sallow face, aroused sympathy and heartache.

Yan Peizhang did his best to keep his expression from looking too grim. “Uncle, how are you feeling today? Are you in any discomfort?”

Fan Huairen naturally replied that everything was fine.

But the daughter of the patient in the next bed exposed the truth. “Fine? How could he be fine when he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day? Xiao Yan, where have you been? With neither you nor Brother Fan around, your uncle couldn’t even get to the bathroom on his own…”

“Cough, cough, cough!” The old man in the bed started coughing violently, and his daughter hurriedly stopped scolding Yan Peizhang to help soothe him. “Dad, where does it hurt? Want some water?”

On the other side, Yan Peizhang’s face had already changed. “Uncle, didn’t I bring you food? Why didn’t you eat it?”

Fan Huairen quickly said, “I just didn’t have much of an appetite.”

“You have to eat even if you don’t feel like it,” Yan Peizhang said urgently. “Your surgery is the day after tomorrow, and the doctor said your body needs to be in the best possible condition.”

Fan Huairen hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but Yan Peizhang seemed to know what he was thinking. “Don’t worry about the money—I’ve got it handled. You just focus on staying alive.” His voice was caught with emotion. “Just live, please. I only have you left.”

Tears welled in Fan Huairen’s eyes. He let out a long sigh and let himself be helped to the restroom.

As soon as they left, the old man who had been coughing up a storm suddenly stopped and angrily scolded his daughter. “Damei, you only know how to stir up trouble!”

“Dad, you’re okay? You scared me,” the daughter said, feeling wronged. “What did I say that was wrong? Uncle Fan’s so sick, hasn’t it always been Brother Fan and Xiao Yan taking turns taking care of him?”

The old man let out a long sigh. “That day you weren’t here. Xiao Fan didn’t want to spend money and refused to let Old Fan have the surgery. He had a big fight with Xiao Yan.”

“A few days ago, I heard Xiao Yan sold the house and scraped together the surgery money from all over. But when he came to pay the hospital the day before yesterday, Xiao Fan had already run off with the money.”

“And now you bring him up? You’re stabbing that kid right in the heart!”

“Brother Fan? Fan Peiyu?” Damei said in disbelief. “Fan Peiyu’s the real son, right? Not supporting the surgery is bad enough, but Xiao Yan gets the money together and he steals it?”

“Oh my god,” Damei couldn’t even find the words. “That’s beyond heartless. The real son’s worse than the adopted one?”

So the thief turned out to be Fan Huairen’s biological son? No wonder Yan Peizhang looked like he wanted to tear someone apart just now. Betrayal from your own family must be the most devastating of all.

Fan Huairen probably realized that too. Whether it was to settle his affairs or give Yan Peizhang some hope, he gave him the antique vase.

And Yan Peizhang had immediately used it to raise money for the surgery.

At this point, Xia Mian finally understood why he had been so desperate.