The old man recognized Xing Zhaozhao at a glance, after all, her outfit was quite rare to see nowadays.
"Oh, young lady, it's you! What a coincidence, we meet again." The old man said, then asked curiously, "Didn't you say you were going to the Zhaohong Hotel construction site to find work? Why didn't you go?"
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and held up what she was holding to him, saying, "I went and came back, otherwise where would I get the money to buy things?"
The old man was so shocked that his mouth dropped open, and he couldn't speak for a while: "No, no, I remember when I met you, it was only two hours ago, right? You finished and made money so quickly?"
Xing Zhaozhao nodded and said nonchalantly, "It's all hard work, it's too easy to do. I finished it all for them in less than two hours."
uncle:"……"
The old man gave her a thumbs up: "You're amazing."
Xing Zhaozhao thought of something, her eyes darted around, and she quickly picked up her things, squatted down next to the old man, and rummaged through her bag for a while before pulling out an apple and handing it to him: "There's no work at the construction site for the time being, sir. Do you have any other ways to make money? Please introduce me to some."
The old man glanced at her bag; she had bought quite a lot of things, so it seemed she had made a good profit.
He returned the apple: "Grandpa, my teeth aren't good, give me a softer one."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Xing Zhaozhao reluctantly broke off a banana and handed it over.
Her two children, Dafei and Xiaoyu, haven't tried it yet.
The old man couldn't help but laugh at her stingy manner. He took the banana without ceremony, peeled it, took a big bite, and asked, "You're really strong, aren't you?"
"Yes, yes." Xing Zhaozhao nodded repeatedly, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at him.
“My daughter works as a nurse at Zhaohong Sanatorium. I heard they’re hiring caregivers there right now. You could give it a try. The pay and benefits are good, and a lot of people are scrambling to get in,” the old man said.
Upon hearing the familiar name "Zhao Hong," Xing Zhaozhao exclaimed in surprise, "It's Zhao Hong again! Their family seems to be very powerful; their name is everywhere here."
“That’s right.” The old man puffed out his chest, looking proud, and said, “Zhaohong Group is the richest company in our country and the pride of Lanyuan. It is said that Mr. Gao, the founder of Zhaohong, suffered a lot when he was young and even had a disability, but he was determined and founded Zhaohong Group. Afterwards, he did not forget his hometown and developed Lanyuan into a famous tourist attraction, which is well-known throughout the country.”
When Xing Zhaozhao heard the old man mention Mr. Gao, the CEO of Zhaohong, she couldn't help but think of her eldest son, Dafei, who was also crippled and had a limp. She wondered what had happened to him after she died in her previous life.
Thinking of her son, Xing Zhaozhao's eyes welled up with tears.
The old man, seeing this, asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Xing Zhaozhao sniffed and said, "It's nothing, I just feel that President Gao has had a tough time."
"That's not true," the old man exclaimed.
Xing Zhaozhao quickly composed herself, looked at the old man, and asked, "By the way, sir, is that kind of caregiver job a long-term job?"
The old man nodded: "That's for sure. They're strict there and don't hire temporary workers."
Xing Zhaozhao said regretfully, "I'm afraid that won't work. I have three children to take care of at home, the youngest of whom is only a month old. I can't leave for too long."
"Is there no one at home to help take care of her?" the old man asked.
Xing Zhaozhao shook her head.
"That's really difficult." The old man sighed helplessly, then thought for a moment, looked at Xing Zhaozhao, and suggested, "Since you can't leave your children at home, you don't necessarily have to come out and find work. Don't you live in the mountains? You can take out the wild things you usually pick and sell them. City people like these things now. As long as they are wild, they sell for a lot of money. Wild mushrooms can sell for over a hundred yuan a pound."
Xing Zhaozhao's eyes immediately lit up.
This is a good idea, I'll write it down.
This old man is definitely resourceful.
Just as Xing Zhaozhao was about to ask him for more advice, a quarrel suddenly broke out not far ahead.
"Zhang Peng, you shameless bastard, how dare you come back to see your aunt?"
“I am my mother’s biological son. I’m here to find my mother and be filial to her. It’s none of your business.”
"Filial piety my foot! You just found out that your aunt has some compensation money from the demolition and you've got your eye on it."
"What do you mean by 'thinking about' or 'not thinking about'? That's so unpleasant to say. I'm my mom's only son, so her money is mine."
"Get out! Your aunt doesn't have a son like you. Don't forget, you were the one who broke off relations with your aunt and went off with that ingrate Zhang Wenming."
"I can't just regret it now. Besides, what do you mean by severing ties? Can blood ties be so easily broken?"
"I……"
Xing Zhaozhao looked up and saw two men, both probably in their fifties, wrestling and exchanging punches not far ahead. Beside them, an elderly woman, probably in her seventies with gray hair, was hunched over, trying to pull them apart.
"Stop hitting him, stop hitting him, Qiangzi."
Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her.
A crowd of onlookers quickly gathered around.
The old men next to Xing Zhaozhao shook their heads repeatedly, saying, "What a tragedy."
"What's going on?" Xing Zhaozhao asked curiously.
"It's all because of the demolition compensation," the old man said.
"Demolition compensation?" Xing Zhaozhao had never heard of it.
The old man nodded: "Back then, Zhaohong Group mobilized the demolition of several villages to build the scenic area, and gave them a lot of compensation, enough for them to buy another house and still have enough left over to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. However, as soon as they had more money, conflicts arose. That lady was one of them."
"I heard that he married a sent-down youth when he was young. Later, the sent-down youth's family found him a formal job in the city. He abandoned his wife and children and left. He never came back until the movement ended. He then sent a divorce agreement and completely severed ties."
"That woman had long given up hope and planned to stay with her son. But unexpectedly, a few years later, that ungrateful wretch came back. I don't know if God couldn't stand it and it was retribution, but she can't have children anymore. She wants to come and take this one from the countryside with her."
"No wonder there's an old saying: like father, like son. The father is an ingrate, and so is the son. When he heard that his father came to take him to the city, he left without saying a word, abandoning his own mother who raised him with great difficulty, and even severing ties with her. If it weren't for his good nephew helping him out, I don't know what his life would be like."
“The relationship is over. A few years ago, that ungrateful brat heard from somewhere that his family’s house in his hometown was being demolished and his mother had received a considerable amount of compensation. He came looking for her again and made a scene several times.”
"That's really going too far," Xing Zhaozhao sighed.
However, this matter had nothing to do with her, and she didn't think much about it. She was only thinking about the demolition that the old man had just mentioned, and her heart stirred.
"By the way, sir, do you know Xiaogaozhuang, the village to the west that was flooded by the reservoir?" Xing Zhaozhao asked the old man.
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