Chapter 271: Chapter 271 Was He Really Bitten by a Frog?_1
"What in the world is going on with him?"
"Why can’t he even speak anymore?"
Mrs. Bai and Bai Wei were both completely dumbfounded and couldn’t help but ask the doctor beside them.
"When we found him, he was already unable to speak." The doctor handed a piece of paper to Mrs. Bai and her daughter, saying, "He just drew this; it must be what bit him."
Mrs. Bai and her daughter were even more confused when they saw the paper. Drawn on it with crooked lines was a pattern that could vaguely be recognized as a frog.
Was it a frog that bit Lu Haobo into this state? Are frogs poisonous?
"Doctor..." Mrs. Bai’s mouth twitched. "So, was it really a frog that bit him?"
"No." However, the doctor shook his head. "We extracted his serum and, after testing, found that he was likely bitten by centipedes, venomous snakes, scorpions, geckos, and toads, among other things, all at once. It was definitely not a frog."
"What?" Upon hearing about those poisonous creatures, Mrs. Bai couldn’t help but shiver. She dreaded these things the most. Bai Wei felt the same way and hurriedly hid behind her mother.
But no one, including the doctor, knew that Lu Haobo had only been bitten by a single toad. It was just that this particular toad had been raised on a diet of various poisons, carrying a myriad of toxins within its body.
"You should go and pay the fees quickly!" the doctor urged them. "He was heavily poisoned, and it wasn’t easy for us to wake him up. He’ll need at least half a year of treatment, so it’s best if you pay a larger sum upfront."
"What? At least half a year?" Mrs. Bai was stunned.
"Half a year is an optimistic estimate," the doctor said. "The toxins have damaged his entire nervous system. It’s very difficult to treat."
"And if he can’t be cured?" Mrs. Bai asked.
"He’ll be bedridden forever."
"I see." Mrs. Bai’s expression darkened, and she glanced at Lu Haobo.
Weren’t you supposed to chop off that bastard Su’s arm? How did you end up getting bitten by those things? You got completely sidetracked!
"MMPH! MMPH!" Lu Haobo’s lips moved with difficulty, as if trying to explain his miserable experience to Mrs. Bai, but he couldn’t utter a single word.
"Cousin, what are you trying to say?" Bai Wei mustered her courage and approached the hospital bed, maintaining a half-meter distance as if afraid of being contaminated by the toxins.
"MMPH!" Upon seeing Bai Wei come closer, Lu Haobo’s eyes suddenly lit up, like a final burst of life. He didn’t know where he found the strength, but he lifted his hands and gestured a shape. Then he placed his hands to his mouth and puckered his lips.
TOOT! TOOT!
If Su Xuan were here, he would have understood immediately. Wasn’t Lu Haobo just trying to say that he took out a flute, played it, and then the poisonous toad bit him?
But Bai Wei didn’t know the situation. Seeing Lu Haobo make such a suggestive shape and then put it to his mouth to make those movements, her face instantly turned red.
"Haobo, really!" Mrs. Bai also misunderstood his intention and said sternly, "You’re this poisoned, and you still have the nerve to hit on your cousin?"
With that, she took Bai Wei to pay the fees.
"MMPH!" Lu Haobo’s gaze revealed anxiety and a sense of being wronged as two lines of tears slid down the corners of his eyes. Even his tears were somewhat black. This showed just how venomous the toad was.
"Daughter, do you have any more grand principles from your books for me?" Mrs. Bai, who had been forced to pay 500,000 in medical fees, asked Bai Wei with a mournful face. "Why is your cousin so unreliable? He didn’t manage to chop off that Su fellow’s arm and instead got himself into such a tragic state. The medical fees cost us a fortune, and it’s breaking my heart!"
Bai Wei was also feeling down and simply shook her head. "I don’t have any."
Then, the mother and daughter returned to Lu Haobo’s hospital room with grim expressions. They had no choice but to put on a show and keep him company for a while. If they abandoned Lu Haobo, who would dare to help them in the future?
In their hearts, their grudge with Su Xuan had only deepened.
***
"Why haven’t you two gone to bed yet?" After returning home, Su Xuan saw that the light in the siblings’ room was still on, so he knocked on their door.
"Brother Su, come quick and see, this is really fun!" Shi Yazi pulled Su Xuan into the room with a grin.
Su Xuan then saw Xiaoyun sitting on the bed, using her phone to film her little green snake.
"Little Green, stand up!"
"Little Green, roll over!"
"Little Green, crawl backward!"
Xiaoyun kept issuing commands to the little green snake, which obediently followed them, appearing quite intelligent. Then she looked proudly at Su Xuan and said, "Brother Su, isn’t it fun?"
"It’s so-so."
Xiaoyun, who had expected Su Xuan to say it was amazing, was surprised by his lukewarm response.
"But it’s really fun!" Xiaoyun pouted.
"Here, let me show you something even more fun!" Su Xuan mysteriously pulled something out, placed it in front of the siblings, and started to play a flute.
The siblings’ eyes immediately widened. It was a golden toad. Accompanied by Su Xuan’s flute music, it amusingly executed a variety of dynamic actions: rolling over, doing handstands, walking upright, sticking out its tongue, doing backflips... Compared to this toad, the little green snake’s skills were indeed somewhat unimpressive.
"Wow, that’s amazing!"
"Is that toad a circus performer?"
The siblings couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. "Brother Su, you must have spent a lot of money on this, right?"
They knew that Su Xuan was wealthy and subconsciously assumed that he had bought the toad.
"I didn’t spend a cent," Su Xuan said proudly. "A friend gave it to me to play with."
"Wow, your friend is so generous!" the siblings exclaimed. "If it were us, we definitely couldn’t bear to give it away!"
(Wei Haojie’s narration: Damn it, I didn’t want to give it away either; your Brother Su snatched it from me!)
"Brother Su, can we borrow your little treasure to play with for a couple of days?" The siblings really coveted it.
"No way," Su Xuan said seriously. "I haven’t had my fill of playing with it yet!"
"Huh?" The siblings were taken aback. "You’re an adult, but you’re still so playful?"
"HAHA!" Su Xuan suddenly grinned, patted the siblings’ heads, and teased, "Just kidding. I was actually planning to give it to you."
With that, he handed the flute to the siblings and patiently taught them how to control the poisonous toad. Moreover, he specially warned them that the toad was highly toxic and that they had to be very careful when playing with it.
"Poisonous is good!"
"Poisonous is good!"
The siblings were so delighted they almost jumped for joy.
And that little green snake, perhaps feeling neglected or unwilling to be outdone by the toad, slithered off to a corner and began to practice various movements on its own. Su Xuan was quite surprised when he saw this.
This snake is interesting! Smart and ambitious, too!
"Xiaoyun, I also brought some gifts for your little snake, though I don’t know if it will like them." Su Xuan then took out the bottles and jars he had scavenged from Zhao and Wei.
He never anticipated that this thoughtless act would end up being a great help to him in the future...