Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 6: The 1970s Naive Supporting Girl (6)
Lu Tingxiao fell silent for a moment, then quietly accepted the pill.
What the young comrade said really did sound like those street quack doctors who went around selling miracle medicine.
He had originally wanted to remind her not to believe in superstitions, but after thinking it over, he let it go.
It was just a chance encounter anyway. The girl clearly was not having an easy time. There was no need to nitpick.
“Then thank you,” Lu Tingxiao said with a faint smile.
Seeing his reaction, Song Susu knew he did not believe her at all. She rubbed her cheek helplessly.
“I would lie to anyone but never to a ¹PLA soldier. This pill is very precious. You should keep it with you at all times.”
At this point, whether he believed it or not was up to fate.
Lu Tingxiao was momentarily stunned by her serious tone. Her expression did not look fake at all.
His face grew a bit more solemn as he nodded. “Alright. Then I really should thank you.”
Song Susu waved it off casually. “No need. Comrade Lu helped me a lot too. It’s just returning the favor.”
A faint smile appeared on Lu Tingxiao’s face. He found her personality surprisingly interesting.
He had planned to casually slip the pill into his pants pocket, but after hesitating, he raised his hand and placed it into the inner pocket on the left side of his jacket.
Lu Tingxiao went to the nurse’s station to borrow some paper and a pen, wrote down the phone number of a friend at the district hospital, then returned and handed the note to Song Susu.
“Comrade, if anything comes up with your brother later on, you can call this number to ask.”
Song Susu felt she probably would not need it, but she still thanked him politely. “Thank you, Comrade Lu.”
“You’re welcome. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
Lu Tingxiao had already been held up for a while, and he still had important matters to attend to later.
Song Susu stood up to see him off, watching his tall figure gradually disappear down the corridor.
She could not help but sigh inwardly. No wonder he was a big shot later on. That kind of presence and composure was on a whole different level.
Good looks, money, family background, solid character, humble and well mannered, knowing when to advance and when to stop. Very nice, very nice.
Not long after Lu Tingxiao left, several people hurried over to the emergency room entrance.
“Susu, how is Yuanchao?”
A middle aged man wearing glasses walked over at the front, asking anxiously.
When Song Susu saw him, she stood up and went over, calling out, “Uncle Li.”
The man was an old friend of Song Susu’s parents, named Li Yanlong, a top leader in a certain government department.
The “big leader” the Song family always talked about was none other than him. To make life a bit easier for the siblings, he had helped arrange quite a few jobs for the Song family.
When Li Yanlong saw what Song Susu was wearing, he frowned subtly. How could the Song family not even buy the child a few decent outfits?
He did not dwell on that at the moment and instead fixed his gaze on the emergency room, asking, “Susu, how exactly did Yuanchao get hurt?”
Song Susu lowered her head and gathered herself. When she looked up again, her eyes were red and brimming with tears.
“My uncle beat him. Yuanchao and our cousin Zhiqiang were just arguing and roughhousing, and when Zhiqiang cried, my uncle started kicking and hitting Yuanchao. I had just come back from the countryside and saw Yuanchao lying there covered in blood, with no one taking care of him. The doctor said if we had come any later, he would not have made it…”
As she spoke, Song Susu cried harder. Combined with her travel worn look from just returning from the countryside, the siblings truly looked like two pitiful kids who had been bullied to the extreme.
Li Yanlong’s face darkened, his clenched fist cracking as he tightened it. “They’re a bunch of damn bastards!”
A grown man in his early thirties like Song Jiabao actually laid hands on a ten year old child. No one stopped him, and he even beat the kid into the hospital, to the point where his life was in danger.
That whole family did not have a shred of conscience left.
The others who had come with Li Yanlong were also shocked when they heard this. The Song family had always acted so kind in front of them, constantly claiming they were protecting and looking after the two kids.
Who would have thought they were this vile behind the scenes.
Beating a child into the hospital. That family was unbelievably stupid. No matter what, these two kids had Li Yanlong backing them. How did the Songs even dare to do something like this?
Suppressing his rage, Li Yanlong scanned the area. “Where are the Song family? They just left a little girl like you here to keep watch?”
Song Susu put on a pitiful look and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, “My grandpa and my uncle would not let me take my brother to the hospital. I had no choice but to carry him out and run for help. Luckily, I met a kind PLA comrade who drove us here and even lent me money to pay the medical fees.”
Bang!
Li Yanlong finally snapped and kicked one of the corridor benches hard.
“To hell with the Song family. One face in public, another behind closed doors. So they were just playing me for a fool!”
He had arranged jobs and applied for subsidies, all for the sake of these two children.
And this was the result. They were treating him like an idiot.
Seeing the leader explode like this, the others all lowered their heads in fear. The Song family had really kicked an iron plate this time.
Song Susu could not help but sigh inwardly. The original Song Susu had been far too soft. Even with such a powerful backer, she still ended up living like this.
She added fuel to the fire, “Uncle Li, my grandpa urgently called me back to sign a proxy contract to sell a house. It seems to be my mom’s property. My uncle even pushed me to finish it this afternoon, or else he would not be able to sign the contract for his new house. I think they want to sell my mom’s house so my uncle can buy a new one.”
Li Yanlong’s temples throbbed as he forced himself to calm down and keep his rising blood pressure in check.
“Susu, from now on, you are not to listen to a single word the Song family says. Do not sign any contracts. Leave this matter to Uncle Li. You stay here at the hospital and take good care of Yuanchao. Uncle Li will definitely give you and your brother an explanation.”
Song Susu nodded. “Alright. I’ll listen to you, Uncle Li.”
As they were talking, the doors to the emergency room finally opened.
Everyone rushed over. Li Yanlong was the first to ask, “Doctor, how is the child?”
“He’s out of danger now. He’s awake, but he’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation.”
“Oh, good, good. Thank you so much, doctor…”
……
In the hospital room,
When Song Yuanchao woke up and saw his sister, his eyes immediately turned red with grievance. His small hand reached out and clutched hers tightly, refusing to let go.
Song Susu gently touched his forehead and comforted him. “Xiao Chao, don’t be afraid. Big sister is back. I won’t let anyone bully you ever again.”
Song Yuanchao looked at her with wide, confused eyes.
In the past, his sister would always tell him to endure it, saying they were living under someone else’s roof and should not cause trouble or make people dislike them.
Yet now, she was saying something like this.
But he liked this version of his sister. Those bad people had gone too far. Endless tolerance only led to more bullying.
He wished he could grow up quickly, protect his sister, and stop those people from taking the money and house their parents had left behind. But his body was too weak, and he was easily beaten down by his uncle.
Thinking of his uncle’s merciless blows and his grandfather’s cold complaints, Song Yuanchao lowered his eyes, hiding the hatred beneath them.
²Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. One day, he would make them pay.
Song Susu noticed the hatred in the child’s eyes, so out of place on his young face, and softly said, “Be good, Xiao Chao. Uncle Li already knows about how the Song family has been bullying us. Those people will definitely get what they deserve.”
“And big sister will take back everything that belongs to us. We won’t have to live under anyone else’s roof anymore. For now, the most important thing for you is to recover properly. Eat well, sleep well, and don’t worry about messy things, alright?”
________________
Glossary:
¹PLA stands for People’s Liberation Army, which is China’s military. In context, it refers to the soldiers of that army during the 1960s–70s period this novel is set in.
So when the FL says she’d never lie to a PLA soldier, it’s like saying she respects someone in the official military, not just any random person.
²This line is using a Chinese idiom.
“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river” means life’s fortunes change.
Power, luck, and status don’t stay in one place forever. Someone who’s weak today might rise later, and those on top now can fall.
So the full meaning here is basically:
> Right now I’m suffering, but this won’t last forever. One day, when the tables turn, I’ll make them pay.
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