Chapter 42: A Stroll Through the Mall

"Sanpao, I think your parents really love you—you can tell just by the name they gave you. In the Northeast, anyone with a name like that is a warrior among warriors. They must have had high hopes for you, so… you really mustn’t let them down."

Amid the bustling crowd of the mall, two youths appeared, one tall and one short, drawing attention and stirring up whispered conversations wherever they went. The taller boy looked rather ordinary, dressed in clothes that were worn and faded from years of use. Though his shabby appearance attracted many scornful and dismissive glances, he still passed for a normal person.

But the shorter boy was different. He wore a set of blue-and-white striped clothes that struck fear into those who saw them—and he walked barefoot across the floor, looking odd no matter how you viewed him. Just his strange attire was enough for people to label him as abnormal. Wherever he went, passersby instinctively kept their distance, afraid that this patient—who looked as if he’d just been discharged from a psychiatric hospital—might suddenly have an episode.

"My parents sent me to the village when I was seven or eight. For as long as I can remember, it’s been Lord Hokage who’s taken care of me," the frail boy said, a look of confusion crossing his face at the mention of his parents.

Indeed, Katerina had said that this child was a pitiable soul, much like himself. Chang Yu sighed inwardly.

"It’s no big deal. I’m an orphan too, and I’m doing just fine," he replied, trying to sound casual. "But this Lord Hokage you mentioned—who is he?"

"Lord Hokage is the leader of our Konoha Village. We all have to listen to him, even the medical team’s kunoichi follow his orders."

"The Lord Hokage you’re talking about—could he be the director of your psychiatric hospital?" Chang Yu thought for a moment before realizing what Feng Sanpao meant.

"Some people have called him that," Feng Sanpao nodded.

"And those medical team… kunoichi? Do they all wear white coats?"

"Yes! How did you know?" The boy’s innocent words sounded almost mocking to Chang Yu.

Was this the legendary, ‘not much damage, but deeply insulting’ kind of comment?

"The medical team’s kunoichi you’re talking about are probably just the nurses who take care of the patients." If it weren’t for the helpless look on Chang Yu’s face, this would have been quite a warm and loving conversation.

"They have called themselves that too! Sasuke, you’re really smart, you figured that out!" The boy beamed, pure and delighted.

"Sanpao, could you please stop calling me Sasuke? I’ve told you a million times, just call me Chang Yu."

"But Sasuke is Sasuke—why should I call you Chang Yu?" The boy stopped, his wide, innocent eyes fixed on Chang Yu, unblinking.

Chang Yu felt utterly mortified, especially when, just as the boy called him ‘Sasuke,’ two young women walking past burst out laughing. Clearly, they had overheard their conversation.

He caught snippets of their not-so-friendly remarks: "chuunibyou," "acting crazy," and the like.

For the first time, Chang Yu blushed—a rush of blood from his heart colored his cheeks and even the tips of his ears.

It wasn’t for any deep reason; even Chang Yu himself found the nickname ‘Sasuke’ so embarrassing that he wished he could disappear into a crack in the floor.

This! Was! Just! Too! Humiliating!

Feng Sanpao was truly toxic...

Chang Yu put his arm around the boy’s shoulders, repeating to himself not to get angry, not to stoop to a child’s level.

"Sanpao, listen to me—when we’re out in public, let’s try to keep a low profile, okay? Don’t call me Sasuke in front of everyone."

"But…" Feng Sanpao’s lips moved as if he wanted to say more.

"No buts, you understand?" Chang Yu covered his face, feeling so miserable he wanted to cry.

He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the Lord Hokage and those medical-team kunoichi Feng Sanpao had mentioned.

Taking care of a patient like this must be no easy task.

Director, nurse, you really have my respect!

He glanced down at Feng Sanpao’s still bare feet and said, "Let’s hurry and get you some shoes. Walking around barefoot like this, you’ll catch cold."

This was something Katerina had specifically instructed him to do.

After the tests of strength and speed, Katerina had told Feng Sanpao to hurry back and put on shoes. Clearly, she was quite concerned about her new colleague, worried he might fall ill.

But who could have guessed that Feng Sanpao, in all his honesty, would confess that he only owned one pair of shoes, which he’d just given to Shi Chengjin a short while ago.

The department always treated their own with warmth like a spring breeze, never shortchanging anyone on the team.

So, with a single order from Comrade Guihua, Chang Yu was saddled with the task of taking Feng Sanpao to buy shoes.

According to Guihua, Feng Sanpao had lived his whole life in a closed psychiatric hospital, with no experience dealing with the outside world. Sending him to buy shoes alone would be a tall order, so she told Chang Yu to take this future colleague—a comrade in the revolution—to the mall.

Chang Yu wouldn’t dare question why Guihua didn’t take Feng Sanpao herself.

On the contrary, he sensibly agreed to her request.

After all, she was the boss.

Good heavens, rank really does oppress the lower ranks!

If he’d refused, it might even have affected his career prospects!

So, much as he disliked the idea, Chang Yu had no choice but to pinch his nose and drag this troublesome Feng Sanpao to the mall.

Thanks to Feng Sanpao’s blue-and-white hospital garb, the two of them had smooth sailing the whole way.

Whether it was an elderly lady in her eighties or a child of seven or eight, as soon as anyone caught sight of Feng Sanpao’s clothes, they’d immediately make way for the pair, afraid of bumping into him.

On the bus, two heavily pregnant women even gave up their seats for Feng Sanpao and Chang Yu!

All because Chang Yu and Feng Sanpao had casually stood beside them.

It was the first time Chang Yu had ever experienced such VIP treatment.

He didn’t dare accept the seats from the expectant mothers—their bellies held the future blossoms of the nation, after all!

Who knew if one of them might give birth to the world’s next richest person?

But there was no arguing with them; the mothers insisted on giving up their seats, saying the spots should go to those who really needed them, and practically forced the two of them to sit down.

How strange! Since when had the people of the nation grown so compassionate?

It was always Chang Yu who gave up his seat for pregnant women, but now it was the other way around.

Indeed, there are more good people in this world than you’d think!

Yes, those two expectant mothers surely took pity seeing how frail the two young men looked, and that’s why they gave up their seats—surely that was the reason.

...

Feng Sanpao had grown up in the special environment of the psychiatric hospital, rarely stepping outside, and had little need for outdoor shoes. There, everyone wore slippers no matter what they were doing.

So it wasn’t until he was about to be discharged that Feng Sanpao realized he only owned one pair of shoes.

"Look, Chang Yu! What do you think of these shoes?" Feng Sanpao’s eyes shone as he gazed at a pair of bright red running shoes, unable to look away.

It was his first time in a mall, and he was as excited as a curious child, finding everything new and fascinating.

One moment he wanted to see this, the next he wanted to see that, leaving Chang Yu exhausted in mind and body.

It had taken considerable effort just to get him to the shoe section, only for the boy to make a beeline for the most expensive store, impossible to pull back.

"I think they look great, but they're a bit pricey," Chang Yu said honestly, for the sake of Feng Sanpao’s wallet.

The pair Feng Sanpao had his eye on were top-brand sneakers, costing over a thousand yuan—a sum that would have been more than half of Chang Yu’s old security guard salary. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at them without feeling they were too expensive!

He was always practical, thrifty with both clothing and food. He bought things according to his means, never pretending to be rich for the sake of vanity.

If you earned 500,000 a month, you could eat steak every day with no problem. But if you only made 2,000 a month and still ate steak every meal, that was just ridiculous!

To him, expensive or cheap, shoes were shoes—they all went on your feet. Did brand-name sneakers sprout wings or something?

He tried to pull Feng Sanpao away, hoping to find a more affordable store. But who could have imagined Feng Sanpao would drop to his knees, clutching the counter and refusing to move?

He cried out, "No, I won’t leave! I want to buy these!"

Can you picture the scene? A delicate-looking young man weeping and clinging to the cashier’s counter, throwing a tantrum—nothing could be more humiliating.

Just as Chang Yu was agonizing over how to get him out, the store clerk finally stepped in.

"If your friend likes them so much, why not just buy them?" she suggested.

"These running shoes are made with the best materials and craftsmanship. They use... technology, and so on... They're extremely comfortable."

Though her face betrayed a touch of awkwardness, her service remained impeccable. Even if she doubted these two shabby youths could afford such expensive shoes, she still dutifully launched into a full sales pitch.

"Well! She’s willing to sell shoes to anyone, even the insane," Chang Yu thought, rubbing his face in resignation.

After the clerk’s glowing description, Feng Sanpao was even more reluctant to let go. He sobbed and begged to buy his "little darling."

Seeing how much Feng Sanpao wanted them, Chang Yu decided not to argue further and told the clerk, "We’ll take them."

He pulled out his own bank card, trying to look calm, though his heart was bleeding inside.

He really didn’t want to foot the bill, but what choice did he have? Feng Sanpao had been in the hospital until recently, everything provided, so he couldn't possibly have any money.

If Chang Yu didn’t pay, was he supposed to wait for the salesgirl to take pity and give them away for free?

As he mourned the imminent loss of his money, Feng Sanpao suddenly placed a hand over his, stopping him.

"Those are the shoes I want, so I should pay for them, not you," Feng Sanpao said, winking at Chang Yu.

"You have money?" This time, Chang Yu was the one surprised.

"Of course." Feng Sanpao pulled out a bank card.

"Sakura-chan gave it to me yesterday," he explained, "She said it was an advance on my monthly salary."

"I see," Chang Yu realized. "Not bad of her, actually."

The story was easy to piece together: Comrade Guihua, knowing Feng Sanpao had no money, must have worried about him and given him his salary in advance.

With a basic monthly wage of 5,000 yuan, Feng Sanpao could easily afford the shoes.

Chang Yu quietly put away his own bank card, letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed he wouldn’t have to spend his own money today after all.