One Third Remaining Chapter 26: Steamed Pork Buns

Opening the shop for business, with the door wide open, customers naturally arrived. Moreover, the previous owner of the little car repair shed had already scattered prosperity along the road.

By noon, Zhu Dachang had already changed tires for eleven cars, and three more had come for a wash and a refill of windshield fluid. Each tire was three hundred yuan, a wash thirty, and a bottle of windshield fluid three. Total earnings: three thousand three hundred and ninety-nine yuan. With fair pricing, business truly flourished.

Zhu Dachang was busy and delighted, calculating inwardly that with this sum, he could buy five piglets back home, raise them to about a hundred jin each, sell them at ten yuan per jin, netting a thousand per pig—five pigs would be five thousand, enough to buy a tractor.

Hou San had clearly noticed Zhu Dachang’s odd behavior and resolved to set him back on the right path. Seizing the lunch break, he earnestly advised, “Zhu Dachang, never forget your roots, you understand?”

Zhu Dachang picked up a piece of fish from his bowl, gazed at it wistfully for two seconds, then placed it in Hou San’s bowl. “Brother San, I’m not that kind of person. I know the principle: never forget the well digger when drinking water!”

“You know nothing!” Hou San rolled his eyes. “What I mean is, changing tires here is just a temporary stopgap. Don’t forget your real job. Keep your original intention and stick to it.”

Zhu Dachang lowered his head, shoveling food into his mouth, muttering, “Actually, fixing cars isn’t bad. This morning, after costs, I made three hundred and nineteen. If I make another two or three hundred this afternoon, I could buy a piglet in a single day. It’s more than we ever made carrying bricks on the construction site…”

“Think long-term. There won’t be this many customers every day,” Hou San tapped his bowl with his chopsticks. “We are meant for bigger things. Fixing cars makes money too slowly. The New Year is almost here… Besides, this shop isn’t ours,” he pointed to the cluttered storeroom inside. “The real owner is right there. Sooner or later, we’ll have to give it back.”

Zhu Dachang let out a disappointed “oh” and continued eating in big bites.

Seeing Zhu Dachang so dispirited, Hou San lost his appetite, put down his chopsticks, struggled to get out of bed and put on his shoes. “Three days without reciting, and you forget your lines; three days without practice, and your hands get stiff. Let’s go! Let’s try something small, just to get the feeling back.”

“Huh?” Zhu Dachang said anxiously, “Brother San, your injury isn’t healed yet. Wait until you recover…”

“Minor injuries don’t keep you off the front line,” Hou San waved him off. “It’s no big deal. We’re not pulling off any big jobs, just finding a place to practice. Practice for real action… The car won’t run, so we’ll have to pick somewhere close,” he said, limping toward the door. “When we arrived, I noticed a supermarket at the intersection, just over two kilometers away. This area is quiet, perfect for us.”

Zhu Dachang glanced worriedly at Hou San’s injury. “What if we get caught? You can’t run fast with your injury…”

“You’re the lead this time,” Hou San gritted his teeth against the pain. “I’ll keep watch outside. If anything happens, we pretend not to know each other. They’ll chase you, and I’ll just walk away.”

Zhu Dachang nodded woodenly, then suddenly remembered something. He went to the corner, pulled out two meat buns from the steamer, and tucked them in his pocket, following Hou San closely.

Half an hour later, the two stood before the supermarket at the intersection. Seeing the wide-open door, Hou San gave Zhu Dachang a signal and pointed to the back door. “Go in through the back. Stock is usually stored inside. Pick something valuable, preferably a rice cooker or an induction stove—something we could use ourselves these days. Grab it and get out fast. Remember: quick, precise, ruthless! I’ll wait here for you. If anything happens, we communicate with signals, understood?”

Zhu Dachang flashed an “OK” gesture. He had barely taken two steps when a “cuckoo-cuckoo” sound came from behind. Turning, he saw Hou San beckoning him back. “What’s wrong?”

“I forgot to tell you,” Hou San whispered. “There’s a dog by the back door. I heard it barking when we passed earlier—be careful…”

“Heh, I heard it too,” Zhu Dachang patted his chest, pulling out two meat buns proudly. “I’m prepared. Meat buns to distract the dog…”

Hou San, who hadn’t eaten much at lunch and was feeling hungry, eyed the buns and snatched one, stuffing it into his mouth in a few bites. “One bun is enough to lure the dog. Don’t waste them.”

“Don’t eat it!” Zhu Dachang cried, but he was too late. Watching Hou San swallow the bun, he said blankly, “I sprinkled some knockout powder on it…”

Hou San’s eyes bulged, his mouth opening, “Where did you get knockout powder?”

“From that fake medicine seller,” Zhu Dachang said soothingly. “I meant to take it home for Cuihua—she said there were lots of mice in the house… But don’t worry, Brother San, I think the powder is probably fake. The packaging said it was expired, so it likely won’t work…”

Before he finished, Hou San felt dizzy, his eyelids growing heavy, and slowly toppled backward, struggling to utter his final words, “How much did you use?”

“Three sachets…” Zhu Dachang replied awkwardly. “I was afraid the expired powder wouldn’t work… Looks like it’s the real thing, even expired…”

Before Zhu Dachang finished, Hou San’s eyes closed, his mouth still half open.

Zhu Dachang stared at the unconscious Hou San, overwhelmed and at a loss. He took out Hou San’s phone and dialed “12580,” muttering, “12580, press and get help, hope I remember right…”

After three rings, the call was answered. Zhu Dachang urgently said, “Hello, is this 12580? I want to ask, what’s the number for 120… Oh, thank you, you really are reliable!”

After hanging up, Zhu Dachang immediately dialed 120. “Hello, 120? I have an emergency… Not a car accident, no injuries, you don’t need to come. I just want to ask, what should I do if someone ingested expired knockout powder… Yes, it was just now… Oh, besides waiting, is there anything faster? Because we’re really in a hurry… Okay, got it! I’ll try it now…”

Finishing the call, Zhu Dachang hung up and walked straight toward the supermarket entrance. Fifteen seconds after he left, Hou San’s eyelids twitched slightly.