Chapter 55 Fresh Chicken Soup, I'm Back!
In just half a day, as if locusts had swept through, half of Ning Jia's bedroom was empty.
She sat down at her desk with a delighted expression and wrote down the large sum of money that had just been deposited into her account:
A bunch of old comic books sold for several thousand yuan, and most of the gold, silver and jade jewelry that Ning Fang had bought for her before was also sold. As for the old cell phone, it was completely worthless, but it sold for nearly a thousand yuan because of the quantity. In total, it was close to fifty thousand yuan.
Of course, this includes a friend's price, but it's not much higher. Ning Jia had already searched on other platforms, otherwise she wouldn't have felt comfortable accepting the money.
She chose Wang Yong mainly because he was reliable and the money would arrive quickly.
She transferred the money into Yu'ebao (Alipay's money market fund), then picked up her pen and started writing and calculating again:
Well... this hospitalization cost a total of NT$165,892, which is less than expected. As for the next treatment, it will be in about three to four weeks, and the medical expenses should be covered by then. As for the third treatment, it will be in about two months, and with the new money coming in, it should be just about enough...
But by the time the fourth treatment arrives, or even the fifth, then there really won't be any money left.
That means there's still a shortfall of 300,000 to 500,000 yuan in medical expenses...
At this moment, Ning Jia silently stared at the large 50 on the paper, deeply understanding the saying: "You only realize how little money you have when you need it."
However, Ning Jia didn't want to borrow money from relatives and friends unless absolutely necessary. In the years since Ning Fang fell ill, she and her daughter had already received a lot of care.
It seems that in the next few months, I still need to find ways to make more money. Of course, cutting costs is also essential!
After Ning Jia finished calculating the accounts, he knew his next goal. He immediately stood up, went to the storage room to rummage around, and then dragged out a huge suitcase.
...
"Jiajia, why did you bring out that big box from home?"
On the day before she left, Ning Fang asked curiously.
She clearly remembered that Ning Jia only had a backpack when she came back, so how come she suddenly had twice as much luggage when she left, with two large suitcases?
"Oh, I took the clothes that I could still wear, and some stationery that I could still use."
"Since it's just sitting at home anyway, I might as well take it and make the most of it."
Ning Jia patted the large suitcase, which was packed so full it was almost impossible to pull it open, and then suddenly chuckled, as if she had thought of something.
As for the other suitcase next to the large suitcase, it was already overburdened with Ning Fang's large gift package of ingredients:
Knowing that Ning Jia was leaving today, Ning Fang had already asked someone to buy a lot of food before dawn, including freshly killed old hens, fresh pork and beef, as well as chicken head rice, local honey, freshly peeled shrimp, and even an unused electric griddle.
If Ning Jia hadn't stopped her, Ning Fang was also planning to bring some organic vegetables grown by her friend.
Ning Jia wasn't unwilling to bring some vegetables back; every little bit helps, and saving a little is always good.
But it's so hot now, and vegetables can't be sealed properly. If they're left stuffy all the way home, they'll either spoil or wilt, and who knows how much will go to waste.
At this moment, Ning Jia was a little envious of people who had cars. They could just open the trunk and bring a whole carload of groceries home!
However, thinking about the annual fuel costs, insurance premiums, maintenance fees, parking fees, traffic violation fees... she felt that this car was just too expensive, so she decided against it.
One hour later.
Ning Fang stood at the security checkpoint of the train station, her eyes red. She seemed to want to say something but couldn't. She glanced at Wang Lin beside her, then suddenly stepped forward and hugged Ning Jia, whispering in her ear:
“Jiajia, don’t be stingy when you get back. Your Aunt Lin said she’d lend me 200,000 yuan. I’ll borrow the rest from my friends. That should be enough.”
Ning Jia was taken aback. "But we have to pay back this money, it's not like it's free."
Ning Fang smiled slightly, "Once I'm feeling better, I'll become a consultant for those restaurants, come up with some new dishes, and show off some of my specialties. That way, I'll make back the money."
Times have changed. Making money isn't as easy as you think now.
Ning Jia shook her head in disapproval, but said aloud, "We'll talk about these things later. For now, you just need to rest well."
"Okay, you too, don't be too stingy..."
Ning Jia chuckled. Ever since Ning Fang found out that she was being stingy and saving money, she had been constantly telling her not to be frugal, not to be frugal. It seemed that her stinginess had really caused quite a stir among her mothers...
...
After Ning Jia, carrying two children and a backpack, took the train back to H City, and then took a Didi (ride-hailing service) home, it was already evening.
Dragging her large and small suitcases, she excitedly opened the courtyard gate and happily shouted, "I'm back!" As soon as she entered, the familiar scene rushed towards her, causing her eyes to suddenly sting with tears. Overwhelmed with emotions, she burst into tears for no apparent reason.
I don't know when it started, but this inconspicuous little courtyard seems to have become my second home.
"I'm back."
After Ning Jia shouted, the entire courtyard fell silent, and not a single person appeared.
Huh, where did everyone go?
At this time of day, the little people should be out in the yard playing and having fun.
She looked up at the persimmon tree again, but there was no one on it.
That's strange. Does everyone stay home with the air conditioning on and not go out?
Ning Jia wiped away her tears, closed the courtyard gate, dragged her suitcase to the front door, and just as she opened the door and said, "I'm home," she was struck dumb, and everything went black—
The living room, which was perfectly tidy in the security camera footage yesterday, is now a complete mess, accompanied by a cacophony of wailing and howling.
"Ahhh..." "Aiya wah~~~" "Oh my god!!" "Waaaaah..."
Ning Jia stared blankly at the shattered glass jars, the dirty tissues scattered everywhere, the crumpled blankets, the pothos plants torn apart and lying on the ground, the food scraps, water stains, and mud everywhere...
And then there are the little people who are in complete chaos, it's unclear whether they're cleaning up or destroying the "crime scene".
Ning Jia was stunned: This living room at the disaster site is my home? I must have come to the wrong place!
She patted her head, expressionlessly closed the door again, took a deep breath with her eyes closed, then opened it again and saw:
Haha, you didn't go to the wrong place!
Ning Jia was speechless, tears silently streaming down her face: Where was her warm and lovely home?
Damn it, who did this?! Did a thief break into the house?!
"What on earth is going on?!"
...
The Lilliputians were also terrified at this moment.
Ning Jia suddenly appeared out of nowhere, standing at the door of her house without saying a word, silently shedding tears. This scene terrified them.
Oh my god, after knowing each other for so long, this is the first time they've ever seen Ning Jia cry. It's so scary, so scary, so scary!
Suddenly, they scrubbed the floor and cabinets even faster, their little bottoms sticking out in the air, while inwardly they were all fiercely condemning Quartz:
If this idiot hadn't insisted on making a bet with He Meng and accidentally opened all the doors, letting that stinky dog run in and causing a big fight, how could the house be in such a mess?
This really made Ning Jia cry!
"Ning, Ning Jia, you... are back."
Xuecao, who was closest to the door, looked up somewhat guiltily and greeted Ningjia in a trembling voice.
Seeing Xuecao, who is usually the most daring, acting so furtively, Ning Jia understood immediately: Good heavens, this isn't a thief breaking into the house, it's clearly someone tearing the house down!
She couldn't bear to look at the living room, which resembled a garbage dump, and felt an urge to just walk away.
"Sister Ningjia, we didn't mean to."
At Bai Su's prompting, Guo Guo struggled to drag the chubby Tuan Tuan along, and the two little ones slowly shuffled to Ning Jia's feet, their big eyes wide open, and they mustered up their courage to speak.
Seeing that Ning Jia didn't react, Bai Su quickly ran over and pointed to a corner of the relatively clean sofa:
"Ning Jia, don't be angry. Sit down and rest for a while."
The wild orchid, still battling the mud in the distance, carefully traversed a "garbage heap" and came panting to apologize:
"Lord Ningjia, I'm so sorry, it was our fault this time, we will clean it up."
The other little people didn't dare to speak, but they tidied the living room even faster and more vigorously.
"……fine."
After Cang Lan explained the whole story, Ning Jia silently wiped away her tears, feeling physically and mentally exhausted, her whole body weary.
But looking at the little people he hadn't seen in a long time, all staring at him expectantly, especially the culprit Quartz, who was as docile as a quail and almost crying with fear, he really couldn't muster any anger.
She sighed softly, "Never mind, don't bother cleaning up, I'll take care of it later."
“That won’t do,” Canglan shook her head. “Let us clean it up.”
"No, let's not," Ning Jia waved her hand weakly. "This living room is so big, by the time you finish cleaning, it will be dawn."
"Besides," she said, looking at the tissues scattered all over the floor, her anger rising, "who told you to use tissues to wipe the floor? Do you own a mine? Such a waste!"
"Leave everything alone, let me do it!"
...
Fortunately, the only thing that happened was the living room. Ning Jia went back to her clean room to rest for a while, then cheered herself up and started doing housework.
She first took the food out of her suitcase and put it in the refrigerator. When she took out the plump old hen, she hesitated for a moment, then simply cleaned it and put it in a clay pot to simmer.
She originally intended to keep the chicken and eat it later, but given the current situation, it would be too much of a waste not to nourish herself.
After the chicken soup was simmering and the scallion oil noodles were finished, Ning Jia felt much better.
She took the broom and went to sweep the living room. Seeing the little ones sitting obediently in the only clean corner, she suddenly remembered something:
"By the way, have you finished all the food at home? Have you had dinner yet?"
He Meng, one of the culprits behind the chaos, saw that Ning Jia had returned to her previous state and knew the alarm was over. She quickly nodded and looked at her pitifully.
"Ning Jia, I'm hungry..."
Ning Jia's fingers instinctively reached out, about to pat He Meng's little head, but then she withdrew them with a hint of disgust:
Tsk, that's a stray dog. Who knows if He Meng has gotten anything dirty or smelly on her?
Fortunately, everyone was safe and no one was scratched or bitten by the stray dogs, otherwise it would have been a big problem.
Moreover, Ning Jia's expression turned serious:
"Don't open the door to anyone again. If a bad guy comes in and takes you all out, it won't be as simple as just cleaning."
"What you should be thinking about isn't whether I'm angry or not, but your own safety!"
"Even if Quartz and He Meng insisted on opening the door, why didn't the others stop them? And once the door was open, why didn't they close it immediately?"
Ning Jia analyzed the cause and consequences of the whole incident one by one, and even the villains couldn't help but feel a sense of dread after hearing it.
"From now on, you're not allowed to open the door to anyone, understand?"
"knew."
Everyone nodded in unison as they listened, especially Shi Ying and He Meng, who lowered their heads in shame.
Ning Jia thought about it and, still not satisfied, said another harsh sentence:
"I brought you all some delicious food especially for this occasion, but now, hmph, I'm going to charge you for it!"
Cang Lan nodded. "Of course, you can deduct it from your account."
“And compensation for emotional distress,” Bai Su said from the side, “let’s deduct that directly from our account.”
The term sounded somewhat new. Canglan pondered for a moment, then nodded, "This compensation for emotional distress is also appropriate."
“Before Ning Jia left, she thought so much about us, but we ended up making such a mess of the house. We really feel sorry for her.”
"But that's all because of that stinky dog!" He Meng said, somewhat unconvinced.
Shi Ying lowered his head and walked to Ning Jia's feet. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have opened the door and let that dog in."
“He Meng, come over here and apologize as well,” Cang Lan said. “Although this matter was caused by that stray dog, the cause was you and Shi Ying.”
He Meng obediently agreed and even bowed to Ning Jia, saying, "I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Ning Jia resisted the urge to pat He Meng's head and said with a smile, "I'll accept the money for the food without hesitation, but you don't need to pay for the emotional distress."
Bai Su said anxiously, "But Ning Jia, aren't you short of money?"
What? Is Ning Jia going to go hungry again?
Everyone looked at Ning Jia with concern, offering various suggestions and pretexts to give her money, such as cleaning fees or homecoming celebration fees.
Seeing how enthusiastic the little ones were, Ning Jia's lips curled up slightly, and her good mood from just arriving home returned.
"Actually, it would be nice if you could help me earn some extra money..."
Her eyes lit up. "How about this? You guys eat first, I'll clean up. We can have a little activity tomorrow when we're free."
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Author's Note: It's Monday again! (Painful Mask)
I desperately need your comments and favorites to heal myself [poor face]
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