CHAPTER 302: CHAPTER 302: THE BUSY LITTLE FAIRY

It was all the fault of this little fairy who popped up from who knows where, being nosy. Thinking this, the old woman glared at Xu Jingjing, "Forget it, forget it. I’m not the type to be unrelenting when I’m right. I won’t stoop to argue with a country bumpkin like you. Just take care next time, watch where you’re going, you hear? Not everyone is as easy to talk to as I am." The old lady released her grip on Wei Jiaqiang’s collar, grumbling angrily. Then, without bothering to pay the fee she had meant to, she quickly made her way out of the lobby with agile, nimble steps.

The crowd sighed in exasperation at the sight, fully aware of how shameless the old woman was. To think she would still have the gall to say she was easy to talk to and look down on country folk. She supposed she was a city person, oh yes! Such was the quality of city people—cheating, deceiving, and bullying the honest ones.

"Young man, don’t take it to heart! Not all city folk are like her. There are good and bad people everywhere; we shouldn’t tar everyone with the same brush," said an old man with presbyopia glasses, trying to smooth things over.

"Grandpa, I understand," Wei Jiaqiang nodded earnestly in agreement.

And with that, the incident came to a close, and everyone slowly began to disperse, going about their business.

Seeing the shameless old lady slink away and the many people who had stood up for him, Wei Jiaqiang turned to Xu Jingjing with a grateful look, "Thank you, Miss Xu. If it weren’t for you, I might have been heading to the Police Station right now." Wei Jiaqiang was truly grateful.

He really had been in a panic just now; the old woman was too sharp-tongued and persuasive, he had felt utterly powerless against her. Had Xu Jingjing not spoken up for him, he surely would have been forced to compensate her.

"It was just a few words, no big deal," Xu Jingjing didn’t take it too seriously. If it had been her before, maybe she would have also found the situation troublesome, like those who preferred to watch from the sidelines, avoiding trouble at all costs. But today’s her was different from the her of the past, so standing up to help out with a few words was really not a big deal.

"Still, I have to thank you," Wei Jiaqiang couldn’t be more grateful.

"Mm, it’s nothing," Xu Jingjing nodded, accepting his gratitude, "By the way, weren’t you at the hospital to visit a workmate? How’s he doing?"

"He’s doing alright, just that he didn’t have enough for the hospital fees, so I went ahead and paid some for him. Look, this is the payment receipt I just made," said Wei Jiaqiang, passing the crumpled receipt in his hand to Xu Jingjing. He even had a bit of a boastful air of doing a good deed, but Xu Jingjing knew this man—this was his way of hoping she would believe him, his intention, and thought behind it pure and clean.

"Well, I’ll be going then. Take care. If you’re ever in trouble or don’t understand something, you can come to me. We’re all from the same hometown, and if you have difficulties while out and about, you can just say so. I’ll try my best to help you," Xu Jingjing said coldly, not knowing why she had blurted out that last part. When she realized what she had just said, she was shocked.

Oh my! She had actually offered protection-like words to Wei Jiaqiang, the burly man over one meter eighty tall. "Come to me if you have any problems," what for? It’s as if she were his... someone.

But the words were out, to retract them saying she misspoke would be too unseemly. Forget it, slip away under the guise! We’re all fellow villagers, after all!

"Mm, if I don’t understand something, I will definitely come to ask you for help. Please don’t find me troublesome or a nuisance; I’m not very bright. If I do something wrong or inappropriate, just tell me straight, and I’ll change it," Wei Jiaqiang earnestly nodded in agreement. The rugged man on his own didn’t take offense to what Xu Jingjing said; subconsciously, he thought this sister from the Xu Family was capable and smarter than his blockheaded brain, far better to consult with on any unclear matter.

Otherwise, just like earlier, no matter how much he talked, he couldn’t get any favorable response, and the old lady’s voice just got louder. But with just a couple of sentences from Xu Jingjing, the old lady was speechless – the difference was clear as day.

"..." Xu Jingjing glanced at Wei Jiaqiang with a slightly embarrassed look, then helplessly agreed before hastily escaping the hospital.

Wei Jiaqiang stood there, simple-hearted, watching Xu Jingjing leave and then cheerfully returned to his coworker’s ward with the payment receipt.

"Brother Yuan, here, I’ve already paid a few days’ hospital fees for you. Rest assured, focus on healing," Wei Jiaqiang said heartily, happily placing the payment receipt on the bedside table.

"Thank you, Brother Wei," Yuan Kai, lying on the hospital bed, said with immense gratitude. "Thanks to your righteous help, otherwise, I might have been driven out of the hospital by now."

"Why the courtesy! It’s not a lot of money. Besides, even if you couldn’t afford the hospital fees, Brother Yuan, these doctors and nurses wouldn’t kick you out; this is the Military District Hospital, and the doctors here value more than money. Yuan Fang, do you want to eat an apple? How about uncle washes an apple for you to eat?" Yuan Kai and Yuan Fang were arranged to stay in the same ward, with beds next to each other. Although the ward housed eight patients, curtains separated them, which was convenient, and such wards were relatively cheaper.

"Thank you, uncle," the little girl lying in bed, her arm injured, thanked him politely.

"You’re welcome!" Wei Jiaqiang went off, all smiles, to wash the apples.

...

More than half a month had elapsed since the post-disaster reconstruction, and compared to other heavily affected areas, Z city had stabilized. Xu Xiuxiu’s Tangshui City also resumed construction. The construction had stopped due to a lack of manpower, but then Song Yuanhuan made a phone call and found many retired soldiers for her. The construction issue at the site was resolved immediately. At the same time, Xu Xiuxiu also helped solve a problem for the military, as reemployment of veterans, especially those with disabilities and without education, was an ongoing headache.

Xu Xiuxiu’s construction site, though demanding, offered reliable compensation and benefits. Plus, soldiers are accustomed to hardship; these were hardly challenges to them, making her minor contribution indeed.

Meanwhile, several other large projects were independently brought in and commenced according to regulations. Tangshui City’s natural hot springs had not suffered as badly as feared from the natural disaster, and with the expectation of a major amusement park opening next year, the revenue of Tangshui City Resort was set to grow progressively.

The thought that in a few months, her hard work would finally pay off and bring profits made Xu Xiuxiu’s mood ecstatic – the end of her days of struggle was at hand, and she was about to become one of the first nouveau riche of the ’80s, such an exhilarating prospect!