Chapter 123: Wonderful, There’s Only One Bedroom

“Hey, hello there.” The old man greeted Song Kai and Xu Ling warmly. “My name’s Winston. Are you here looking to rent a room?”

“Good day, Mr. Winston,” Xu Ling replied politely as she engaged in conversation with him.

Song Kai took a moment to survey the house. It was beautifully built, surrounded by expansive lawns dotted with chairs and swings.

After exchanging a few words with Winston, Xu Ling started to move inside.

At the threshold, Winston paused and said, “I must apologize, ladies and gentlemen. My wife accidentally came into contact with peanut butter today and is having an allergic reaction. She’s coughing incessantly. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No problem at all,” Xu Ling smiled reassuringly.

Song Kai noticed that without his gun, Winston appeared quite gentle and refined.

Inside the bedroom, an elderly woman was coughing violently, her face swollen and her cough uncontrollable.

“Mr. Winston, this seems serious. Why not take her to the hospital?” Xu Ling asked.

Winston waved his hand dismissively. “The emergency room wouldn’t admit her, saying it’s not urgent. They referred us to the respiratory department, but you need an appointment there, and the earliest is three days from now.”

“Uh…” Xu Ling was at a loss for words.

Song Kai looked over and stammered in broken English, “Mr. Winston, this illness—we can treat it with traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture.”

Winston gave him a curious look. “You’re a doctor?”

“Sort of. Oh, you can let me try,” Song Kai offered.

“But I don’t have acupuncture needles,” Winston shrugged.

Song Kai scratched his head and pointed to a safety pin. “This will do. Don’t worry, it’s completely safe.”

Winston hesitated.

At that moment, the elderly lady on the sofa gasped between coughs, “Old man, let him... try... cough, cough.”

Song Kai picked up the pin, sterilized it by warming it over the fire, and once cooled, inserted it swiftly into the Dingchuan point on her back.

“Wow... wow!” Winston shouted in alarm and rushed over. “No, no, no, sir, you must pull that out! Good heavens, that’s the back—right behind it are the diaphragm and the heart! You’re going to kill my wife! I shouldn’t have listened to you.”

Song Kai shrugged and rotated the needle quickly.

“Pull it out now, or I’m going to draw my gun!” Winston ran toward the weapon.

“Winston!” The old woman finally spoke through heavy breaths, “Oh, Winston, you’re so reckless. Apologize quickly! I feel amazing now—better than ever! Honestly, I’m not coughing at all anymore, and the tightness has gone!”

Winston looked at his wife in confusion, then back at Song Kai.

Song Kai withdrew the pin, sterilized it again over the fire, and put it away. He thought it wise to carry acupuncture tools from now on; who knew when they might come in handy—even here in America.

Winston rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then patted his wife’s back, “Honey, are you alright? Your heart and breathing—are they smooth now?”

“Everything’s fine,” the elderly lady stood up and thanked Song Kai warmly. “It’s incredible, sir. Is this the mysterious magic from your China?”

“Uh,” Song Kai was at a loss for words, especially since the explanation involved many specialized terms he couldn’t articulate.

Xu Ling quickly chimed in, “It’s not magic but traditional medicine, grounded in scientific theory.”

The old woman smiled gratefully. “Yes, it’s medical science—wonderful and great. Would you like something to eat?”

Xu Ling was about to decline when Song Kai eagerly said, “Sure, we actually haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

Xu Ling gave him a side glance. “You’re really quite conscientious.”

“I’m hungry, and besides, it’s a chance to try an American feast,” Song Kai replied.

Xu Ling sighed and turned to Winston. “Mr. Winston, we’ll cover the meal. Actually, we ran into some trouble earlier and didn’t get a chance to eat.”

Winston smiled. “No need to be so polite. We should thank you. Oh, what kind of trouble did you encounter?”

Xu Ling skirted around the details. “On our way from the airport, we saw some hoodlums trying to rob a Chinese man. We intervened and called the police. Now they want revenge. It’s frightening.”

Winston gave a thumbs-up. “Things are getting worse. It’s related to your China—your country controls finance and manufacturing.”

“Oh, Mr. Winston, that’s a bit unfair to say. Our China…” Xu Ling tried to argue.

They debated using technical financial and economic terms, leaving Song Kai utterly lost.

He watched their dispute with silent disbelief. Really, what was the point of arguing?

He excused himself to the kitchen to help the elderly lady prepare toast—and steak.

Though the food wasn’t exceptional, as long as it was meat, it was enough.

The steak was tender, if lacking in flavor.

While cooking, Xu Ling and Winston continued their lively discussion.

Xu Ling studied finance and economics and could talk endlessly about the world economy, which Song Kai understood. But he didn’t expect Winston, an old man, to be so engaged in a back-and-forth debate with her.

Quite impressive.

“Let’s eat, ma’am,” Song Kai said, “Let them argue.”

The old woman smiled and nodded.

After dinner, she led Song Kai to see the bedroom.

It was spacious and neatly arranged, simple in furnishings but charming.

Most importantly, there was only one bedroom.

And in that bedroom, only one bed.

Song Kai rubbed his hands excitedly. “Thank you, ma’am, thank you so much. Just to confirm, you only have this one room for rent, right?”

“Yes.” The old woman looked at him curiously, then suddenly understood. She laughed heartily. “Oh, young man, do you need a protective shield? I can provide one free of charge.”

With that, she turned to fetch it.

Song Kai hurriedly said, “Ma’am, no, really, it’s not necessary. Besides, I wouldn’t need it. My girlfriend wouldn’t agree, anyway. Ah!”

The old lady chuckled. “Women in your China are very conservative. That’s good, very good.”

Song Kai smiled along.

In the bedroom, Song Kai changed out of his jacket into pajamas.

He waited for Xu Ling to arrive.

Tonight was bound to be wonderful!

But damn it, it was already late, and Xu Ling still hadn’t returned. Did she have that much to talk about with the old man?

Sighing, Song Kai grew bored and sat cross-legged on the bed, pulling out a black silkworm pupa to absorb its spiritual energy.

The pupa was rich in energy, but to open the dantian—a vital energy center—required a large amount of energy in a short burst.

The energy from the pupa was good for replenishing lost energy in the meridians but insufficient for opening the dantian.

After some practice, he hung the pupa around his neck.

Things had been unstable lately, and if a fierce battle broke out requiring a steady supply of energy, having this pupa would extend his endurance considerably.

Song Kai lay back on the bed and waited.

It wasn’t until after one in the morning that the bedroom door finally opened.

Feigning sleep, Song Kai lay still.

Xu Ling entered quietly, saw him sleeping, and prepared to lay a blanket on the wooden floor for herself.

Song Kai couldn’t let that happen. He sprang up. “Hey, you’re finally back! The floor’s cold. This bed’s big enough for both of us.”

Xu Ling shook her head. “No way. I’m afraid you might make a mistake.”

“Absolutely not. If I slip up tonight, then may our Song family perish! Heh, Xu Ling, why worry so much?” Song Kai said as he gently pushed her onto the bed.

Xu Ling paused. “Okay, we’ll split the bed in half, with a glass of water in the middle. That’s settled.”

Song Kai was speechless. Muttering, “I’m not some foolish Liang Shanbo who doesn’t realize there’s a beauty beside him... Fine, fine, but just an empty glass, right?”

“Of course not!” Xu Ling grinned and placed a glass of water on the bed.

Song Kai sighed. “Alright then… let’s sleep. Don’t you have a defense to prepare for tomorrow? It’s so late already.”

Xu Ling yawned and quickly fell asleep.

Song Kai glanced at her, then picked up the glass in the middle and drank it all down...