Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Testing It Out on Ling Qianfan

Seeing the delivery driver take the medicine and head over to the steps to clean and bandage his wounds, Hua Buwan turned around, planning to head back inside the supermarket to eat her takeout.

To her surprise, before she even opened the door, the driver rushed up to her. His face was filled with extreme hesitation, but finally, he gritted his teeth and looked at her with determination. ”Miss, maybe you should get a refund for this order... The place you ordered from... isn’t very sanitary.”

Hearing this, Hua Buwan instantly understood. It was likely her earlier kindness that prompted the delivery driver to risk losing money on a canceled order just to warn her about the dirty restaurant.

She didn’t overthink it and smiled. ”Thank you for telling me, but don’t worry about the refund. I just won’t eat it. Could you tell me which restaurants in town are safe to order from? I’ll just stick to those from now on.”

The delivery driver’s expression instantly went blank. He furrowed his brows and rested his chin in his hand. ”Uh... let me think... wait a second, I’m trying really hard to think...”

Time seemed to have paused; Hua Buwan felt as if the man had been completely frozen in place.

After who knew how long, the driver finally gave her a slight bow. ”I’m sorry, Miss, I honestly can’t think of a single one. How about you order less takeout from now on and cook for yourself? I’m so sorry, I really don’t mean to leave you hanging.”

Thinking back to all the takeout she had ordered since moving to the supermarket, Hua Buwan’s stomach began to inexplicably ache.

”Never mind, never mind. You go ahead and get back to work,” Hua Buwan said, giving up the struggle and waving her hand.

The delivery driver lowered his head apologetically and went to the side to apply his medicine. After tending to his wounds, he returned the remaining medical supplies to Hua Buwan. However, in that very moment, he had made a crucial decision.

Hua Buwan had no idea that her simple act of kindness today would completely alter a person’s life trajectory—at least, not until she ran into a completely transformed version of this very same delivery driver much later down the line.

”Sigh.” Looking at the takeout container on the table, Hua Buwan felt a headache coming on.

The most agonizing problem of living alone was always, ”What do I eat for breakfast, what do I eat for lunch, and what do I eat for dinner?”

Now that ordering takeout was off the table—especially considering the driver’s expression, which spoke volumes about the shady practices going on in those kitchens—it seemed she had no choice but to cook for herself from now on. There was a small kitchen on the second floor of the supermarket, but Hua Buwan rarely used it. By now, it was probably covered in a layer of dust.

After a moment of internal debate, she simply grabbed a cup of braised beef instant noodles to tide herself over for the time being.

Ling Qianjun emerged from the woods with the bag of medicine, successfully making his way back to his family. As for the pen, he had tucked it securely into the folds of his robes, treating it like a precious treasure.

”Yunge, take this pill first. It’s fever medicine.” Ling Qianjun immediately popped out a fever reducer and handed it to Ling Yunge.

Ling Yunge’s face was flushed red. Her eyes were barely open, and she was so weak that even her exhaled breaths were scorching hot. ”Okay.”

Ling Qianfan and Xu Panqing were both deeply curious. This pill was so small; could taking just one really reduce a fever? Did it really not require boiling other herbs and forcing down a bowl of bitter broth?

However, seeing how much Ling Yunge was suffering, and placing their complete trust in Ling Qianjun, neither of them voiced their doubts. Ling Yunge swallowed the pill with some water and snuggled up beside Xu Panqing.

Once darkness fell, the government officers led them stealthily into the city. No one dared to speak loudly, and their footsteps were deliberately slowed. There wasn’t a single pedestrian on the streets, allowing them to successfully reach the designated inn.

Upon entering the inn’s room, Ling Qianjun immediately bolted the door shut. He then opened the bag and took out all the medicine Hua Buwan had given him. Even though his family members had been well-protected, it was inevitable that they had suffered a few bumps, bruises, and minor injuries along the way. They all needed to be treated.

Ling Qianjun decided to practice applying the medicine on Ling Qianfan first.