Shen Feng quickly followed the young girl to her home. Upon arriving at her doorstep, Shen Feng was astonished. He had initially assumed the girl was from an ordinary family, but it was clear she was not. The girl led Shen Feng to the entrance of a grand hotel. People bustled in and out, and business was clearly booming. When the girl appeared, the security guards at the hotel entrance bowed respectfully, calling out, "Young Miss!"
Shen Feng then remembered that it was the apocalypse. Who could casually go to a bookstore to buy books? The young girl, clutching a large stack of books, clearly came from a wealthy family. It now seemed apparent that she was the daughter of a rich household. While this wasn't unusual within the city, it was outside the city walls. To have a wealthy individual among the mercenaries was indeed surprising.
Yu Zhiling pointed to a low-lying shop nearby and said, "There, that's the doctor's home. She just moved in not too long ago and isn't well-known yet. I heard her fees are quite high. You go ahead!"
Shen Feng nodded and said, "Thank you, young lady. I'll remember you and repay your kindness. Goodbye!"
Deeply grateful for the kindness of this stranger, Shen Feng didn't have time to ask for her name. He immediately entered the shop with the child, exclaiming, "Doctor, doctor, save my son!"
Inside the small shop, there was a modest medicine cabinet stocked with dozens of common medications. The air was filled with the scent of disinfectant. The shop also contained over a dozen white beds. A female doctor, wearing a white lab coat, was engrossed in reading. The book in her hand was "Internal Medicine."
As the saying goes, it's not the doctor's frown that's worrisome, but the doctor's reading!
A doctor's frown might simply indicate a difficult case, but a doctor reading a book suggests two things: first, that the doctor is not professional and needs to consult a book before diagnosing, otherwise they wouldn't know how to proceed. Second, it implies that the illness is one not recorded in books, thus requiring research for confirmation.
Seeing this, Shen Feng felt a sense of unease, thinking, "Could I have stumbled upon a quack doctor?"
This was Shen Feng's first time encountering a doctor who consulted books on the spot. The doctor appeared very young, clearly lacking experience. Even if she had just moved in, the fact that no one was being treated indicated a lot. Most importantly, she hadn't earned the trust of the public.
However, Shen Feng had no other options at this moment and had to let the young doctor try.
At this, the female doctor stood up, put down her book, and asked Shen Feng, "Which child needs to be seen?"
He handed over Xiao Hu and said, "See this one first!"
The doctor took Xiao Hu and placed him on a bed to begin the examination. She first took his temperature and, while doing so, frowned. "He has a fever, doesn't he? Did he catch a chill? Did you give him any cold food last night?"
Shen Feng shook his head and replied, "I don't know!"
The doctor frowned, walked over to Shen Feng, and directly asked, "Aren't you the child's father? How can you not know?"
Shen Feng quickly defended himself, "He is indeed my child, but I've been busy with matters outside. When I returned, I discovered he had a fever, so naturally, I wouldn't know."
"Alright, let's try to reduce the fever first, so he doesn't become delirious. He'll need an injection. Hold him still, so he doesn't struggle!" The doctor shook her head helplessly, surprised to encounter such an unreliable father who didn't even know what his child had eaten. She mused that in the apocalypse, one could encounter all sorts of peculiar fathers, and she had just met one.
"Okay!" Shen Feng nodded quickly, but still added with concern, "Also, my son accidentally inhaled some hypnotic pollen. Will that affect the medication's efficacy?"
"What?" This time, the female doctor couldn't contain herself. Even if he was unreliable, he shouldn't be so careless! Such a potent anesthetic, and he let the child inhale it?
"How can you be a father? It's bad enough you couldn't take care of your child, but you let him inhale hypnotic pollen! Do you know the harm that can cause?" Upon hearing this, the female doctor couldn't hold back and immediately began to scold him, regardless of his identity.
Shen Feng felt helpless. This was clearly the work of those scrupulous scoundrels, yet he was now forced to take the blame.
"Doctor, I know I was wrong. Please help me. I'll give you whatever amount of money you ask for. I beg you to save my child!" Shen Feng pleaded.
The female doctor had no choice. Since the child had accidentally inhaled hypnotic pollen, his nervous system was suppressed. She couldn't simply administer medication without caution, as it might lead to adverse reactions. She decided to use physical cooling methods. She found cotton swabs, dipped them in alcohol, and began to wipe Xiao Hu's body. The evaporation of alcohol would absorb heat, similar to using an ice pack, but ice packs were too cold for a child.
Shen Feng, carrying Xiao Long on his back, watched from the side. At that moment, Xiao Long began to struggle and woke up. As soon as he woke, he started crying, babbling incoherently. Shen Feng quickly held Xiao Long and tried to soothe him. Perhaps it was because of the mask, but the fiery red mask appeared in Xiao Long's eyes, and he cried even more mournfully.
Helpless, Shen Feng turned his back to the doctor and removed his mask, revealing his true face. He cooed, "Good boy, Long'er. Be good and listen to Daddy. Daddy is right here!"
Strangely enough, after seeing Shen Feng's face, Xiao Long stopped crying and even smiled. He laughed and called out, "Daddy, Daddy..."
Seeing that Xiao Long recognized him, Shen Feng felt a surge of relief. His godson still had a good memory. After being away for over half a year, Xiao Long still recognized him upon his return.
Knowing that the mask had frightened Xiao Long, Shen Feng dared not wear it again. He found a mask and put it on, which could somewhat conceal his true appearance. Most people wouldn't recognize him even if they saw him.
At this moment, Shen Feng also saw the female doctor's introduction: "Gu Yanxiao, from Jinling! Outstanding graduate of Medical University, Internal Medicine Physician!"
Shen Feng was somewhat surprised by this introduction. So, she was a professional medical student. However, it seemed she hadn't graduated yet, otherwise, the introduction wouldn't use the word "student." Typically, people would introduce themselves as a physician with so many years of experience.
Dr. Gu's physical cooling method was very effective. The high fever was quickly brought under control, and Xiao Hu also woke up soon. His awakening indicated that the anesthetic's effect had largely worn off. He was only a six-month-old infant and couldn't even walk. Seeing himself in an unfamiliar environment, he immediately burst into tears.
Infants' vocal cords are naturally higher in pitch, and their crying can be unsettling. Shen Feng quickly stepped forward to soothe the child, "Xiao Hu, Xiao Hu, I'm Daddy. Don't cry, everything is fine now!"
However, Xiao Hu had never seen his father before and continued to cry. No matter how Shen Feng tried to comfort him, he kept crying. Meanwhile, Xiao Long was crawling on the bed and reached Xiao Hu. He gently patted Xiao Hu and mumbled indistinctly, "Good job, little brother..."
At this point, Gu Yanxiao couldn't help but say, "The child is probably hungry. Feed him quickly!"
Hearing this, Shen Feng immediately looked at Gu Yanxiao, his gaze drifting, and he began to observe her chest, as if assessing something.
"What are you thinking? I haven't had children, why are you looking at me like that?" Gu Yanxiao was startled by Shen Feng's gaze and quickly backed away, crossing her arms defensively.
Just then, someone walked in from outside, seemingly having heard Gu Yanxiao's words. As they entered, they shouted loudly, "Who is it? Who is it? Who is bothering my friend?"
Shen Feng heard a familiar voice and immediately looked in the direction of the sound. Upon seeing the person who had arrived, he couldn't help but frown. The person before him was none other than Lu Kaiwen from the laboratory. He should have been working in the laboratory at this time, but now he was standing in front of Shen Feng.
Seeing Lu Kaiwen appear here, Shen Feng couldn't help but be surprised. Logically, Lu Kaiwen spent most of his time within the city and shouldn't have friends outside the city. Yet, it seemed that wasn't the case. Lu Kaiwen was here, and he seemed quite familiar with the surroundings.
Gu Yanxiao quickly said, "It's nothing, it's nothing! Please don't make a scene. This patient's father and I just had a small misunderstanding. Please don't fight!"
"If that's the case, then never mind. Stay here with peace of mind. Don't worry, no one can take you away from under my nose. I've already spoken with the boss here!" Lu Kaiwen said, finally feeling reassured that they weren't there to cause trouble.
Seeing Lu Kaiwen, Shen Feng did not reveal his identity. He thought to himself, "You might not be able to beat me yet!"
Gu Yanxiao thought for a moment and then said to Shen Feng, "Go buy some soy milk quickly, and find a baby bottle. The child is already six months old, so soy milk is fine! But he can't drink it all the time!"
Shen Feng nodded and then quickly went out. The hotel was nearby, so Shen Feng walked straight in, placed a stack of ration coupons on the counter, and said directly, "Quickly, soy milk, a baby bottle, and a portion of steamed dumplings. I want to take them to go!"
This immediately put the hotel staff in a difficult position. Soy milk and steamed dumplings were fine, but where could they find a baby bottle?
Shen Feng didn't care about that. He drew his long sword and, with a "clang," placed it on the table, stating directly, "I don't care how you do it, but find one quickly, or I'll take action. Let me tell you, I'm an esper!"
With that, Shen Feng casually unleashed a wind blade, shattering a paving stone.
Having been outside for such a long time, Shen Feng understood what ordinary people feared. Ordinary people were filled with admiration for powerful espers, but harbored deep fear in their hearts, daring not to offend them. Therefore, once an esper's identity was revealed, it could make many ordinary people subservient.
"I'll go look!" the waiter said quickly.
A large hotel naturally wouldn't be short of security guards, especially outside the city. The residents here were mercenaries, and without strong abilities, survival was impossible. The security guards were mostly equipped to handle petty thugs. Upon seeing an esper appear, they could only watch cautiously, clutching their guns tightly, ready to flee if the situation turned unfavorable.
However, the security guards also realized that the man wearing the mask wasn't unreasonable. He was just a bit overbearing, not intending to cause a scene, so they felt somewhat relieved.
In the West, there had always been propaganda for so-called artificial milk, made from plants. Some were made from beans, while others were made from peanuts. The marketing was always high-end, catering to vegetarians. However, these Westerners were unaware that in the great Eastern country, artificial milk had been used for thousands of years, with soy milk being a prime example. When peanuts were introduced to China, China also created peanut milk. Artificial milk had been popular in China for many years.
The waiter found a mother with a baby in the back. She had a baby bottle, although it was second-hand. However, they couldn't afford to offend an esper, so they had to inconvenience the lady: "I'll replace it with a new bottle later. You can soothe the child for now!"
In the current apocalypse, everything had become expensive. A simple baby bottle was no longer readily available for sale. Primarily, it was a plastic product, and with the inability to import petroleum domestically, various petroleum derivatives, such as plastic, became difficult to obtain.
"Sir, here are the baby bottle, soy milk, and steamed dumplings you requested. Please take care!" the waiter said respectfully.
Shen Feng didn't stand on ceremony. He took the items and left, pointing to the ration coupons on the table. "These are for you. The excess is a tip!"
The waiter happily collected the ration coupons, thinking he had struck it rich.