Chapter 385: One for Me and One for Taozi
Before Luo Yan could even start brewing his tears, he received a message from Su Tao, asking him and Manman to come downstairs to pick up something.
She didn’t mention what it was.
Confused, Luo Yan carried a large box upstairs. When he opened it, his eyes almost popped out.
Wen Man peeked over anxiously.
“Did Su Tao return all the meat I gave her? Wait… no, these are all medicines?”
Luo Yan suddenly turned to his wife.
“Did you give the medicine Dad sent us to Su Tao?”
It had to be his wife who secretly gave Su Tao the medicine, and now Su Tao, feeling it was too valuable, was returning it.
But… the quantity seemed off.
Wen Man was also stunned. “I did give her some, but not this much.”
She rummaged through the box, her face full of surprise.
“These aren’t the ones Dad gave us—the packaging is completely different.”
Luo Yan also checked and realized the same thing. The box contained a complete assortment of medications—from cold and fever relief to digestive aids, montmorillonite powder, and cough syrup—everything a household might need.
His father-in-law had only sent a few urgent cold and fever medicines.
So… where did all these come from?
Although they lived in Taoyang, they weren’t official tenants and couldn’t access the internal announcements. With the recent surge in illnesses, they had also been avoiding going out or interacting with others for safety reasons.
This left them completely unaware that Taoyang now had a pharmacy.
Wen Man quickly grabbed her communicator to contact Su Tao, intending to return the expensive medicine. Compared to what she had given, these were superior in both quantity and quality.
Wen Man hated taking advantage of others—even the slightest bit would make her uncomfortable.
But after hearing her explanation, Su Tao paused for two seconds before saying:
“If you don’t want to take it for free, just have someone send the box to Taoli Building. Then, go find Dr. Zhong for a prescription and buy the medicine from the public pharmacy on the second floor of the clinic.”
Relieved by Su Tao’s agreement, Wen Man happily arranged for the box to be returned.
Luo Yan watched the medicine being taken away and felt like crying again.
Only his wife could give up such a good deal without hesitation.
Seeing his expression, Wen Man questioned him soulfully:
“What? You don’t agree with what I did?”
Luo Yan forced a smile.
“Of course not. Taking advantage of others is shameful—you did the right thing.”
Wen Man snorted. “Hmph, don’t think I don’t know your heart is bleeding. What’s there to be upset about? If you want it, just go buy it yourself. It’s not like we can’t afford it—why take advantage of Tao?”
Luo Yan: “Buy it? Where?”
Wen Man recalled Su Tao’s words. “Taoyang Clinic, second floor. Find Dr. Zhong for a prescription and go to the pharmacy.”
At first, Luo Yan didn’t believe it. But the sight of that box had shaken him enough to think Su Tao might really have a source for the medicine—after all, she was a bit mysterious.
So, he headed straight to the clinic. After getting a prescription, Dr. Zhong led him to the public pharmacy.
Dr. Zhong tapped on his communicator a couple of times, granting them access. “Go ahead and buy.”
When Luo Yan saw the prices on the vending machine, his eyes widened. He turned to Dr. Zhong and asked, “Are these prices correct?”
Dr. Zhong, eager to clock out, replied, “Nope. Hurry up—I’m resetting the prices in ten minutes.”
Without hesitation, Luo Yan switched into shopping mode.
In just ten minutes, without Wen Man’s interference, he managed to buy two full boxes of medicine—spending less than 10,000 federal credits in total.
Fifteen minutes later, the “correct prices” still hadn’t returned, and Dr. Zhong had already taken off his white coat and happily left work.
Luo Yan had a bad feeling and turned mechanically to look at his wife.
Finally, Wen Man realized why Su Tao had so easily agreed to take back the medicine—because even if she had to buy it herself, it was only 10,000 credits.
For her, that amount was nothing.
Su Tao wanted her to take advantage of the deal.
Wen Man pinched Luo Yan hard. “You’re always the fastest when it comes to getting a bargain!”
Luo Yan didn’t dare to argue.
Without hesitation, Wen Man grabbed one of the boxes and sent it all the way to Changjing for her beloved father.
Father Wen was so touched he almost cried—his precious daughter finally remembered him. After expressing his gratitude, he eagerly asked where the medicine came from, whether he needed to reimburse her, and if she wanted him to buy her anything.
Wen Man took advantage of the warm father-daughter moment to bring up a request:
“Dad, I heard that Changjing recently developed an artificial mini-sun that can warm a 10-meter radius without any energy source. Is that true?”
Father Wen froze. “Your intel is scarily accurate.”
Wen Man drawled, “Daddy, it’s so cold outside…”
Father Wen: “…You little rascal, I’ll have someone send you one tomorrow.”
Wen Man: “Make that two.”
Father Wen hesitated. “Two is tricky. It’s a new technology, and supplies are limited.”
Wen Man wheedled, “Come on, Dad—you’ve always been my hero.”
Gritting his teeth, Father Wen agreed.
After hanging up, Luo Yan excitedly asked, “One for each of us?”
Wen Man: “One for me and one for Tao—not you.”
Luo Yan: “…Betrayed.”
Meanwhile, Su Tao had no idea what was happening.
She had just finished a meeting with the leaders of Dongyang. With the successful development of District 3, the next step was to consolidate and develop the entire eastern region.
Compared to other parts of Dongyang, the eastern region was the most complex—mainly due to Gu Mingchi’s presence. As the real power behind the region, he overshadowed the officially recognized district governor, Director Liang.
Director Liang, the most frustrated official in Dongyang, could only implement policies after consulting with Gu Mingchi. Attempts to curb his power through military intervention had failed, resulting in mutual losses.
Eventually, an uneasy peace was established, allowing Gu Mingchi to manage the district unofficially.
Seeking guidance, Su Tao consulted the veteran commander and Pei Dong. While Pei Dong, having a personal grudge against Gu Mingchi, stayed out of the matter, the veteran commander laughed:
“Girl, you’re overthinking it. I’ll bet you—once news of your eastern district plan spreads, Gu Mingchi will come knocking on your door within three days.”
