Read Novel Full Chapter 54.2 – Afraid of the Shot? Get Drunk First! (II)
Chapter 54.2 – Afraid of the Shot? Get Drunk First! (II)
Extra chapter (1/1) from us, AerialRain! Buy us a ko-fi for more chapters. Thank you for your support!
Before long, it was finally their turn. In those days, private consultation rooms were still rare—usually, four doctors would share a single room to see patients.
Xia Mian sat near the door, holding Xiao Feng. The doctor attending them was a plump, middle-aged woman. Perhaps because Ning Shaobai had given advance notice, the doctor was very thorough and friendly.
Xiao Feng opened his mouth, puffed out his little chest, and obediently let the doctor examine him. Then he allowed a thermometer under his armpit and waited quietly to have his temperature taken.
Not long after, a nurse pushed the door open. “Dr. Li, something seems off with the child in Bed Five today. I haven’t given the shot yet…”
Without warning, Xiao Feng, who had been quietly nestled in Xia Mian’s arms, suddenly tensed and clung tightly to her, his voice filled with panic. “Auntie!”
Xia Mian stiffened. This reaction mirrored exactly how he had behaved when she first encountered him after transmigrating.
She quickly tightened her embrace. “What’s wrong? Xiao Feng, tell Auntie, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Feng’s frightened eyes locked onto something nearby, and he looked so terrified it seemed he wished he could disappear into Xia Mian’s body. His small voice, trembling with tears, pleaded, “Auntie, don’t let them prick Xiao Feng.”
Following his gaze, Xia Mian spotted the row of syringes and needles laid out on the nurse’s cart.
She immediately rose to her feet, clutching the trembling child close. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. No one is going to prick Xiao Feng.”
In the past, when Chenchen had mentioned getting shots, Xiao Feng had shown no reaction, so Xia Mian had assumed he wasn’t afraid. Only now did she realize he might never have set foot in a hospital before and didn’t even know what a shot was—he had simply been triggered by the sight of the needles, memories of Huang Xiaojuan’s cruelty surfacing.
Xia Mian’s heart ached. She continued to gently stroke his back. “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Really, no one is going to prick Xiao Feng.”
“Auntie promises you, okay?”
Seeing the situation, Ning Shaobai immediately instructed the nurse to push the cart away, then turned to Xia Mian and said, “That’s enough. Hand me the thermometer and take him out for a walk.”
Xia Mian gently pulled the thermometer from under Xiao Feng’s arm and passed it to Ning Shaobai, then turned to the doctor and apologized, “I’m sorry, this child has some special circumstances.”
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” the doctor said kindly, having more or less guessed the source of Xiao Feng’s fear. “I’ll check the temperature and have Dr. Ning relay the results to you.”
Holding Xiao Feng close, Xia Mian walked straight out of the hospital. Gradually, the boy’s body began to relax, though he remained slumped weakly against her shoulder.
“It’s alright,” Xia Mian murmured comfortingly. “Auntie promises, no shots. At most, we’ll just take some medicine and get better slowly, okay?”
Clinging to her with complete trust, Xiao Feng’s small hand brushed against her neck as he nuzzled his face against her.
Only then did Xia Mian finally feel a little relief.
Along the hospital road was a row of shops, where many parents were comforting children who had just gotten their shots. Xia Mian carried Xiao Feng to the front of a cake shop and motioned for him to look inside. “Auntie will buy you a cream cake, okay?”
The boy slowly turned his head, his big eyes still slightly red. Xia Mian stroked his warm face. “Has Xiao Feng never had a cream cake before?”
In this era, cream cakes were a luxury, and very few people had tasted them.
As she spoke, a father and daughter emerged from the shop. The little girl clutched a cake just a bit larger than her palm, adorned with colorful little flowers, looking absolutely lovely.
The girl’s face glowed with a radiant smile. Her father gently patted her head and said, “It’s your birthday today, so no more tears, okay?”
Seeing Xiao Feng’s gaze fall on the cake, Xia Mian smiled. “Our Xiao Feng’s birthday is coming up too. On that day, Auntie will buy you a big birthday cake, okay?”
Xiao Feng blinked in confusion. “Birthday?”
Xia Mian closed her eyes briefly, feeling a pang of sorrow as she realized this child had probably never celebrated a single birthday in his life.
“Yes, birthday,” Xia Mian kissed his soft cheek, “It’s the day Xiao Feng was born, a day that belongs only to Xiao Feng. On that day, you can do whatever you want.”
Xiao Feng didn’t quite understand what it meant for a day to belong only to him, but his desires were always simple.
He hugged Xia Mian and said, “Xiao Feng wants to be with Auntie forever and ever.”
“That doesn’t count as a wish. Auntie will always be with you anyway,” Xia Mian said, gently patting his head.
It’s okay, she would give him a wonderful birthday and let him know that his existence had brought much joy to others.
She would teach him to be a little greedy, a little bold, and to learn to claim the happiness he deserved from the world.
In the end, Xia Mian only bought a small cake about the size of a palm. She didn’t mean to be stingy, but she realized that the quality of cream cakes in this era left much to be desired. The strange, brightly colored dyes aside, the cream itself looked stiff and unappetizing—it felt like eating it would only make an already unwell child even unhealthier.
However, seeing the awe in Xiao Feng’s eyes, Xia Mian still bought a small one for him.
Just as they came out of the cake shop, Xia Wenyue and Ning Shaoyun appeared, each carrying a child.
Ning Shaobai followed behind them and handed Xia Mian a brown paper medicine bag. “He’s fine, just needs to take the medicine on time. For specifics, ask my sister later.”
Xia Mian finally felt at ease and said to Xiao Feng, “See, Uncle Ning says you’re fine.”
Xiao Feng visibly relaxed, a sigh of relief escaped him as his expression softened and his chest fell slightly, making him appear both adorable and heartbreaking.
Ning Shaobai patted his tuft hair. “It’s okay, don’t be scared.”
Mao Huizhu and Chenchen came over too, each grabbing one of Xiao Feng’s small hands to comfort him.
“Don’t be scared,” Chenchen said. “We didn’t have to get any shots, either.”
Xia Mian chuckled. Fortunately, Chenchen’s jinx attribute was less harmful when it came to friendly fire!
Mao Huizhu also comforted, “Right, no need to be scared. From now on we won’t drink wine, and we won’t get shots.”
Now that the kids were fine, the adults relaxed as well. Xia Wenyue laughed at her daughter’s remark, “It’s a pity we didn’t get to test your butts’ alcohol tolerance.”
Xia Mian also laughed. “I wonder what it’s like to have a drunk butt.”
Chenchen and Mao Huizhu instinctively touched their little butts, and the adults couldn’t hold back their laughter. Ning Shaobai tapped Xia Mian’s forehead. “Always talking nonsense.”
After giving a few more instructions, Ning Shaobai headed back to work.
Ning Shaoyun glanced at the cake in Xia Mian’s hand, “These cakes are made with artificial cream. They don’t taste good and aren’t healthy. If you want a cream cake, you can go to Huangfu Street. They have real cream there, but it’s a bit expensive.”
“It’s okay, we’ll make it ourselves,” Xia Mian said, bouncing the now-cheerful Xiao Feng lightly. “When it’s your birthday, Auntie will bake you a cream cake, okay?”
Xiao Feng pressed his lips together and smiled.
Mao Huizhu was already cheering. She knew from experience that anything Xia Mian made was guaranteed to be delicious!
“So Xiao Feng’s birthday is coming up?” Ning Shaoyun asked.
Xiao Feng paused, clearly still not quite understanding what a birthday meant as he looked at Xia Mian.
Xia Mian replied with a grin, “That’s right. Next Friday is our Xiao Feng’s birthday. Everyone, remember to prepare birthday presents!”
< | >