Chapter 9 Never Counting Cows and Sheep

The construction permit has not been issued.

The black gold discovered in the oil field was burning, and the dispute spread to the tribes here. Suddenly, a group of ferocious people rushed in and told them that the land was not theirs, but the old land of the neighboring tribe. They planned to cooperate with the energy company to take the land back.

"Things are terrible."

The tribes were in a turmoil, even starting a massive fire. Across the river, wildfires engulfed the grasslands to the south, white embers drifting on the wind. Wounded bodies were constantly being brought in, and the churchyard was filled with people sprawled out like a swarm of wriggling insects. Father Paul complained incessantly that the Mijikenda people considered cattle and sheep symbols of wealth, but the elders never counted their herds, fearing disaster. Now they were doing so.

Gu Weiyi worked non-stop for three days and three nights, hardly closing his eyes, until the three supporting doctors arrived from the county, and then he returned to his room to rest for a while.

Li Wenjing brought the food and knocked on the door, but no one answered. Worried about him, she pushed the door open and went in. He was still sleeping with his eyes closed and a towel on his head.

Li Wenjing put the tray on the desk and asked with narrowed eyes, "Is it time for lunch?"

"No, it's dinner."

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"Everyone has eaten, but you haven't."

He climbed out of bed and put on a black shirt and pajamas that clung to his slender body. He first pushed a chair over for Li Wenjing, opened the curtains, took off the towel from his head, and let the air blow for a while before sitting down to eat.

"Are you sick?"

"No, I'm just too tired. I haven't slept for a few days and my head hurts."

That being said, Gu Weiyi had a poor appetite. He only drank two mouthfuls of porridge before putting it down and picking at the meat in the dishes. The yellow flowers in the glass vase on the table had withered. A framed photo stood at his elbow. Li Wenjing looked over, and her face was reflected in the glass.

"Your mother is so beautiful, you? Did you used to be so fat?"

"Everyone always says this, and I have to explain why I lost weight. When I was a kid, I loved hamburgers and meat. I ate anything that would make me fat. But after my mom passed away, I couldn't eat for a long time, so I lost weight."

Li Wenjing felt a little uncomfortable sitting with him. Her hands were on her legs, and her fingers were rubbing the fabric of her pants.

“I’m going back to Mombasa,” she said.

"No, you can't leave yet. I need your help." He put down the spoon. "There are too many wounded to fit here. Besides, the rainy season will arrive in a month. The tribe leader should have told you that we need to build a medical center in the open space outside the village."

"I know, but repairing anything requires money... Even if we're friends, we still have to pay."

Gu Weiyi stared down at the withered flowers on the table, opened his mouth but said nothing.

Li Wenjing thought for a moment and said, "We can use mobile homes. That way it will cost less."

"That's going to cost money, too. Labor, materials, generators, water... add it all up. Is that $20,000?"

Li Wenjing nodded.

"I'll figure out the money issue. Please help me with the project schedule. It can't wait too long."

"I need to report to my unit, so I have to go back to Mombasa."

"Do you have a car? Do you want me to give you a ride?"

"You're already so busy, don't bother sending me off! A car from work is coming over and picking me up on the way."

"When are we leaving?"

"tomorrow."

"You're leaving tomorrow?" he asked in surprise. "I was hoping you could help me pick some flowers."

He looked at the flowers in the glass vase; they were all withered.

"Where did you pick it? If you want it, I'll go out and pick it for you."

“Forget it, it’s late and unsafe,” he said. “It’s a bit far from here. I picked it next to the sacred kaya tree.”

"What tree?"

"There used to be a baobab tree in the center of the old village. They believed in spirits, and the chieftain would hold sacrifices there. Of course, they don't do that anymore. It's just an ordinary tree. Next time, I'll take you there."

Li Wenjing stood up and said, "No need, I'll just ask Anna. If you're sick, just lie down. You keep asking me to rest, so let me urge you this time."

After returning to Mombasa, she would often think of him inadvertently. She wondered if the number of patients had decreased, what the sacred tree looked like, whether he had gone to pick flowers from the sacred tree, and what color flowers he picked this time. She stared at the artificial flowers on the cafeteria table in a daze.

"What happened next? Why didn't you let the handsome doctor take you there? Talk to him more. He must have a good impression of you." Fu Yudie asked.

"You misunderstood. He is a doctor and is kind to every patient."

"So he'll ask every patient to pick flowers?"

"I don't know, what if?"

Fu Yudi propped up her round face with her palms and said in surprise, "Oh my god, it's better to say he's a bad guy, pretending to be good and catching people in the cave to do experiments. Frankenstein is like that."

Fu Yudie is Li Wenjing's roommate in the company dormitory and the company's French translator. Li Wenjing just came back and has been asking about her well-being all day long.

"If you don't seize this great opportunity, someone else will snatch it up sooner rather than later! It's already hard for girls working here to find a partner, and it's all about youth. It's easier for guys, but they need to save enough money to get married. Girls can't afford to wait a few years. In the blink of an eye, they'll be thirty and suddenly worthless."

"Yeah, it's a job for the young." Li Wenjing smiled and shook her head. "Unlike you, you have it all planned out. You've already found a partner and saved enough money to reunite with us in France."

"It's just a miserable fate. I'm a poor student with no money. My family never saved any money for me. He's a boy, and my family treats him well. But the money we saved can only support Brother Feng to study in France alone. He misses me every day and asks me to go there quickly. Oh, Wenjing, when will these hard times end?"

Everyone here has their own sufferings and can only grit their teeth and endure them. Li Wenjing sighed, and Yu Di breathed a sigh of relief after complaining. She was like a little animal, and never seemed to waste time on herself. Li Wenjing sometimes envied her, but was also a little annoyed by her talkativeness, as if she was the one who suffered from her anger. She often praised Li Wenjing for her stable emotions, and Li Wenjing could only smile bitterly.

"Ladies, is this place available?" Zhang Zhaochuan walked over, and Li Wenjing nodded. He sat down beside them to eat and said to Li Wenjing, "There's an oil conflict over there, and the hospital can't operate for the time being. The energy company's project is the real lucrative one. I've signed you up to the project team."

Li Wenjing hesitated for a few seconds, "Doctor Gu is looking for me again, I want to finish his project first."

Hearing the word "doctor", Fu Yudi immediately perked up and interrupted with a smile: "You like that handsome doctor, right?"

Zhang Zhaochuan said, "The boy is really handsome, Yu Di. Next time, come with us to see the handsome guy."

Li Wenjing's heart was pounding, and she pretended not to hear the two people's laughter. In the cafeteria, Zhao Haoran walked by with his girlfriend, earning a line of envious glances. They heard that his girlfriend was on annual leave and came to see him.

"Look how happy people in love are. I miss my wife, too. Xiao Qiao, she said she'd come over for her annual leave. Who knows if she's here to see me or Oxford?" Zhang Zhaochuan watched them pass by. "Oxford is a nice guy, and his conditions are so good. How much does it cost to study in Oxford or Cambridge in a year? It must be Rich Brother. Why are you still working so hard? You've made a direct class leap! He can't stay in Africa his whole life. Going to France or returning to China is better than you staying in Kenya. Take him back to our little hometown and show your parents! It's definitely a face-saving move. Isn't it great? Live your life well and slap them in the face."

Li Wenjing curled her lips and said, "You married people always like to persuade others to get married. I won't jump into the fire pit."

"I know you young people don't like to talk about marriage these days. Life is boring, especially in Africa. Without dating and marriage, it's even more boring."

"I don't feel bored, nor do I need to indulge myself. I can just make do with dating someone. Just looking at the money in my bank card every day makes me feel fulfilled."

Zhang Zhaochuan smiled and said, "You still say you don't like him? I saw the project he's going to do, it's just a small Karami, how can you make any money there?"

At the same time, Fu Yudi echoed her, "I'm curious, a handsome guy who can make you lose money, oh, how come you are in love too!"

"He saved my life. I want to make money. I'm not an ungrateful person. How can I not help my friend when he asks me for help?" Li Wenjing lowered her head, seeming a little unsure. She explained, "It's done in a week. Senior, give me a few more days and I'll catch up. It's quick."

"Doctors have to do their job, and the employer has to manage it, too. This afternoon, I went with my supervisors to the French Total Energy Company. They're building factories and roads. It's such a big project, and we're going to make a lot of money. It's definitely worth it."

Mombasa, the largest port city on Africa's east coast, bustles with activity day and night, its harbor thick with containers. It's also home to an energy company's East Coast branch, which has built an office building in the new town. Li Wenjing gazed from the high-rise building. The wind gently rippled across the blue-gray waters, and the harbor resembled a giant seashell, swallowing and discharging ships the size of pearls.

When going to the meeting room, Li Wenjing unexpectedly saw Gu Weiyi standing by the window. There was no trace of his usual gentle smile on his face. He was arguing with a fifty-haired man. They were speaking French, which she could not understand, but she could hear his resentment, which he was venting loudly at the man.