Chapter 98: Going on a business trip to the provincial capital
Jiang Nan had only been testing Old Cheng's reaction, but he'd been surprised to learn how much everyone knew about "Mr. Bai Sanye." Some said he was forced to give up his activities by traitors, others said he retired at the height of his career, and some even heard of the legend of Mr. Bai stealing a treasure.
A charred-faced old man said, "That's right. A treasure like that certainly isn't the kind you'd find hidden in a public toilet. It could be hidden somewhere deep in the mountains and forests, waiting for everyone to dig it up. Xiaonan, you should interrogate those two thieves carefully. You might find out something."
"Deep mountains and old forests, do you think there might be something hidden by a big capitalist in the mountains around here?" An old woman slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh, why are those people always staring at the toilet? There are so many treasures in these deep mountains and old forests. No, tomorrow..."
When she said this, she blinked her eyes and suddenly felt that she had said too much. How did she say it out loud? Looking at everyone's expressions, they were all ready to give it a try.
Jiang Nan sighed and began to advise everyone, "Don't mess around. Even though it's hidden deep in the mountains and forests, things without an owner belong to the country. Don't dig them up secretly. It's a crime and you'll be punished by being put under house arrest."
Everyone's eyes were avoiding, looking here and there, but not at Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan knew what was going on, but she didn't understand. But she thought, "It's better to look for it than to stare at the toilet." She added, "There are wolves and bears in these deep forests, maybe even tigers. Don't be impulsive."
Everyone chuckled, and someone started to change the subject: "Xiao Nan, tell me, is it a crime for the righteous thief Bai Sanye to steal from those traitors? If you knew who Bai Sanye was, would you arrest him?"
"That's right, Xiaonan, tell me quickly, is this considered a crime?"
Jiang Nan shook his head. "As long as Mr. Bai Sanye doesn't steal again after the founding of the People's Republic of China, we shouldn't arrest him. He stole from those traitors almost forty years ago, so the statute of limitations has long passed. But if the treasure is real, and he's greedy and secretly digs for it, we have to arrest him. It's a crime, and he's punishable by imprisonment. The treasures underground belong to the country, not him."
Everyone suddenly realized that, yes, the laws of New China generally do not hold things related to the Republic of China accountable, not to mention that it was not the Republic of China at that time, but the Japanese colonial period.
As for squatting under the fence, ahem, they didn't hear it, they didn't know. Ignorance is not a crime. Yeah, that's it.
Old Cheng's eyes flashed.
He had actually discovered the secret of the silver bracelet a long time ago.
Wasn't that the day last year when the oil field was discovered on the west bank of the river and a movie was shown and recruitment was announced? He didn't go and stayed alone in the staff quarters, secretly transferring the treasure hidden in the public toilet back home.
Time was urgent. When he was carrying the things home, the silver bracelet accidentally fell to the ground and hit something, triggering the mechanism. Old Cheng then saw the note.
As an old thief in the provincial capital, he knew at a glance that this place was in the west mountain of the provincial capital.
Old Cheng didn't want to make it public at first. He thought that when the situation was not so urgent, he would secretly go to the provincial capital and get the things moved.
Who knew it would be exposed now.
He didn't know if Jiang Nan was deliberately pointing fingers at him, but he was relieved that New China wouldn't pursue his actions back then. He wasn't a good person, and the "righteous thief" he was calling was just a cover. He just didn't want to farm and wanted to go out and try his luck.
Unfortunately, when the "wanted order" for the ten gold bars was issued, Old Cheng got scared and quickly left the provincial capital to avoid disaster.
After decades of peaceful living, married, raising children, and finding work, Old Cheng no longer had the urge to take a radical approach. He simply wanted to live a stable life and die peacefully. The gold bars he held were enough to provide a comfortable life for his grandchildren, so why was he still tinkering with this?
Old Cheng made up his mind and felt relieved.
Seeing everyone was talking about something else, Jiang Nan said goodbye to Zhou Zhixing and left. She had already nodded to Old Cheng, and it seemed that he had listened. The choice would depend on tonight.
When she got home, Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua had already left for work, leaving the Jiang household completely silent. Jiang Nan quickly washed up. On the dining table sat a specially prepared breakfast: her favorite fried dough sticks and salty soy milk. Beneath the soy milk lay a note. Jiang Mancheng's words, "Eat well," were written in a flamboyant style, and Jiang Nan's smile brightened.
In her previous life, she lived in Shanghai and fell in love with the salty slurry there. Dipping it into the crispy fried dough sticks, the soft yet crispy texture instantly captivated Jiang Nan's taste buds. In this life, she was the only one in her family of three who liked this dish. Whenever she was tired from working overtime, her parents would prepare this for her, and Jiang Nan felt particularly happy.
She happily finished her breakfast, quickly got into bed and slept soundly.
Elsewhere, Zhou Zhixing left the Wu residence. Luckily, Wu Jianguo and Wu Dachui finally returned from their work. Upon hearing that Old Wu had been hospitalized, they quickly packed up their belongings and went to the hospital to take care of him, though they felt ashamed of the old man's reckless behavior. Zhou Zhixing returned home for a simple meal.
When Jiang Nan woke up, it was already half past twelve and Jiang Mancheng had already prepared lunch.
Seeing his daughter wake up, Jiang Mancheng said distressedly, "Hurry up and eat. You haven't eaten well these days, have you? Dad fried your favorite shredded radish meatballs and made roujiamo (Chinese steamed buns). Hurry up and try them."
Chen Jinhua even handed Jiang Nan a clean towel and said distressedly, "Hurry up and wipe your hands and face. Let's wash up after dinner. Are you going to the police station this afternoon?"
Jiang Nan took it and chuckled, "Go, the case isn't over yet."
She wiped her face vigorously and said with a smile: "Dad, Mom, I'm fine. Let's go and eat~"
As usual, Zhou Zhixing sat at the dining table early. Jiang Nan raised his eyebrows and quickly sat down to eat.
Jiang Mancheng poured a large bowl of tomato and egg drop soup and handed it to Jiang Nan: "Here, eat it with meatballs and roujiamo."
"Okay."
After a good night's sleep, Jiang Nan was very happy and her words were particularly energetic. She told Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua everything about what she had done to Old Cheng in the morning, and asked with a smile, "Dad, do you think Old Cheng will hand over that silver bracelet? It's a treasure, and I don't know if he'll be willing to give it up."
Jiang Mancheng: "I will be willing to do that. He's been retired for almost forty years now, and he can't stand the life of living on the edge of a knife. Wait, it will be dropped off at our door tonight, so just wait and collect it."
Jiang Nan giggled. It was great that she had solved another case.
Thinking of solving the case, Jiang Nan hurriedly opened the system in her mind and looked at the number of Chigua coins. Oh my god, she exclaimed, "Dad, Mom, I have almost 20,000 Chigua coins. Oh my god, I haven't checked for a long time, and I didn't expect it to increase so much."
Zhou Zhixing laughed, "We've had a lot of cases lately, so it's no surprise the gold coins have increased. Think about it, ever since Dong Jiaojiao died, there's been the killing of wild boars to save people, the dismemberment case, and the arrest of a thief and a tomb robbery gang two days ago. And now you've discovered the treasure. Twenty thousand or so isn't a lot."
Jiang Nan nodded, "Hmm, Hmm, Hmm." Even though she said that, she was still very happy. She whispered slyly, "Do you want to upgrade your space? Let's buy some more things and put them in there. Then we don't have to bring anything when we go out to play. We can just take it directly from the space."
Jiang Mancheng shook his head. "Forget it. We haven't even used half of your space yet. Expanding it would be a waste of gold coins. If you want to spend money, you can buy more food to put in. And some fine grains for the family, ten kilograms of flour, ten kilograms of rice, and some cherries. You can handle the rest."
Jiang Nan made a reassuring gesture and began to exchange things frantically. Since he couldn't use the gold coins in real life, it would be more cost-effective to exchange them for more food.
She kept rubbing and rubbing until the space was almost full, and even so, she still had 5,000 system coins, so her purchasing power was very strong.
Jiang Nan finished his work and began to drink his soup again. After a while, he looked up and said apologetically, "Dad, we may not be able to go on the weekend outing. Zhou Zhixing and I have to work overtime."
Jiang Mancheng didn't care: "It's okay, your mother and I will go, you two can go work overtime."
Jiang Nan pouted: "Huh, you two went on an outing without me."
Jiang Mancheng squinted his eyes and said, "Don't you have any sense? Well, hurry up and eat. We still have to go to work in the afternoon after eating."
Chen Jinhua and Zhou Zhixing watched the father and daughter having fun and ate happily.
At the police station, after more than ten hours of interrogation, Rong Xiangu and He Pangzi were almost unable to open their eyes. Based on experience, this was a critical moment for the attack. Shen Mingguang focused on Rong Xiangu, worked tirelessly all night, and finally pried Rong Xiangu open.
At the same time, Jiang Nan, who had opened the door early, was not surprised to find the silver bracelet on the doorstep. She glanced at the Cheng family next door, smiled, and carefully closed the door.
Because the Revolutionary Committee was watching, Jiang Nan could only wait until noon when she got off work, then she quietly entered Director Shen's office and handed the bracelet to Shen Mingguang. She said, "Director Shen, I found this at my doorstep this morning. I don't know why Mr. Bai Sanye would leave this thing at my doorstep, and I dare not give it to anyone else, so I can only give it to you. Look, I haven't touched this thing, and I don't know if it's real or fake."
Shen Mingguang gave Jiang Nan a deep look. This was the female field agent he had insisted on recruiting. He still trusted his own judgment. Shen Mingguang withdrew his gaze and did not ask any more questions. Instead, he followed Rong Xiangu's confession and searched around the bracelet. Soon, he found the mechanism and gently removed the note.
After looking at it for a while, he frowned and said, "This place is in the provincial capital."
He tapped the table and pondered, "I remember Chief Engineer Chen is in the provincial capital these days giving a report, right? So, you and Zhou Zhixing should pack up your things and go to the provincial capital, saying you're going to visit Old Man Chen. It would be best if your parents could also take time off to go with you, okay?"
His tone was very serious: "As you can see, the police station has been targeted by the Revolutionary Committee. Qingshan is already on a business trip. If I leave again, Wanhu will immediately know what's going on. Therefore, I can't move. You and Xiao Zhou are different. You can go to see Mr. Chen under the pretext of visiting relatives. This reason is always reasonable. So, I will talk to Secretary Tu and ask him to give Mancheng and Jinhua a vacation. How about it?"
Jiang Nan was naturally very happy. She was going to the provincial capital on public funds. In this era, the provincial capital was one of the largest cities, comparable to Beijing and Shanghai. She nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'm willing. Director, who should I go to when I get there? I..."
She scratched her head. "I don't know anyone in the provincial capital. Would it arouse suspicion if I went directly here to dig for treasure? And how would I bring back the treasure if I dug it up?"
Shen Mingguang lowered his head and wrote a string of addresses and names on the notebook, then tore it off and said, "Take this. When you get to the provincial capital, go find Lao Bao. He's an old comrade of mine, and now he's the head of the security department at the provincial steel plant. Don't hide it from him. He's one of us, and he'll cover for you. You don't need to bring back anything you find, just give it directly to Lao Bao, and he'll hand it over."
Jiang Nan nodded and took the note solemnly. As soon as she left Shen's office, she jumped up excitedly.
I didn’t expect that in this day and age, she could still travel.
She has been here for so long, but has never left Baishui City. It makes her happy just thinking about it.
Jiang Nan quickly reunited with Zhou Zhixing, and on the way, she couldn't help but tell him the news. Zhou Zhixing, not one to stay home, was also excited. When they returned home and chattered about it to Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua, they were, unsurprisingly, both smiling.
Chen Jinhua rubbed her hands happily. "I wonder how Dad is doing these days? I haven't seen him for a long time. No, I have to buy some more things to bring over. Xiaonan, when are we leaving?"
Jiang Nan: "I'll go to the train station to buy a ticket this afternoon. If there are tickets for tomorrow, we'll leave tomorrow. If not, we'll leave the day after tomorrow. Anyway, we'll take the earliest train."
Chen Jinhua said happily: "Okay. I'm going to the black market tonight and we'll buy some good stuff to take with us. Xiaonan, you can exchange some eggs and ask your dad to braise them so we can eat them on the way. We can also steam some buns..."
Jiang Mancheng: "Okay, Jinhua, don't worry, let's eat first. I'll go to the black market with you tonight and we'll go shopping together. We still have time, so we can plan it slowly."
As he said this, he rolled his eyes at Zhou Zhixing. What a shameless guy! You bought the tiger whip wine and you dare to go see the old man? You are so shameless.
Zhou Zhixing laughed awkwardly. Could he say he'd forgotten something in the heat of the moment? It looked like he'd have to have a hand in the evening's black market business.
The four of them quickly finished their lunch. Jiang Nan didn't dare delay, so she took her household registration booklet and went to the neighborhood office to get a letter of introduction. She was going to the provincial capital on a private basis, so the police station couldn't issue her a letter of introduction; she had to go to the neighborhood office.
Jiang Nan was a celebrity in No. 1 Courtyard. When she heard that she was going to the provincial capital, Deputy Director Sun from the Street Office personally issued her a letter of introduction, which was the longest one with a validity period of three months. Jiang Nan thanked Director Sun with a smile, took the letter of introduction, and went to the train station to buy a ticket.
It only takes six hours to get from Chaoyang Oilfield to the provincial capital by train, and this is when the green train is not fast. It can be seen that Baishui City is really not far from the provincial capital. No wonder Old Chengtou was able to make a living in the provincial capital back then.
On the train, Jiang Nan quietly told Jiang Mancheng about this discovery. Jiang Mancheng laughed and said, "What nonsense! There were no trains back then. Old Cheng was able to go to the provincial capital because he was desperately trying to make a name for himself and live a good life. If it was really that close, why didn't others go? Stop imagining things and eat your eggs."
Jiang Nan chuckled twice. She'd taken things for granted. The 9:00 AM train arrived in the provincial capital just after 3:30, perfectly timed. There were no unexpected incidents along the way, and no human traffickers or the like offering their lives. Jiang Nan felt like the trains of this era didn't seem like they belonged to her.
After getting off the car with some regret, everyone quickly found Lao Bao's house according to the address on the note. Lao Bao was not at home, so his wife Zhuang Yufang received everyone.
The Bao family lived in a large courtyard with three entrances in the west of the city. They lived in the middle east wing, which had two and a half rooms in total. At this moment, everyone was sitting in the hall. Zhuang Yufang poured tea and warmly invited everyone to drink tea.
Hearing that it was Shen Mingguang who introduced them, Zhuang Yufang smiled particularly brightly: "This Old Shen always finds trouble for my old Bao. Old Bao doesn't get off work until six o'clock, so you have to sit for a while."
Chen Jinhua, a woman of similar age, continued, "Sister-in-law, please stop worrying. While Lao Bao is away, if you have time, take us to the steel plant's guesthouse and book two rooms. We'll check in first, and then we can come back to your house to wait for Lao Bao."
Zhuang Yufang smiled: "Since we are here, why can't we go to the guesthouse? Let's just stay at home..."
Chen Jinhua wouldn't take that lying down. These days, everyone's living in a very tight spot. There were four of them, so how could they possibly stay at your house? She smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, there are too many of us to stay at your house. It's really a big bother for you to take us there. We originally wanted to go on our own, but we heard on the bus that the guesthouse at the steel plant requires company members to stay there, so we came here."
Zhuang Yufang's smile grew more sincere. "That's right. The steel mill guesthouse is not far from the factory, and not far from the family quarters either. Previously, spies lived there and sabotaged things, so this rule was introduced."
She wiped her hands, didn't say anything polite, stood up and led everyone towards the guesthouse.
As they walked along, Jiang Nan finally understood why Chief Shen had recommended Lao Bao. This place wasn't far from Xishan. They could go digging at night without being noticed. Chief Shen was indeed a veteran policeman, and he was very thoughtful.
Led by Zhuang Yufang, everyone checked in quickly. The guesthouse had two floors, and they booked two rooms on the first floor, both standard rooms with two beds, one for men and one for women, just right.
Back at the Bao residence, it wasn't long before Old Bao returned. He was a tall, muscular man in his forties. He'd heard that Shen Mingguang had introduced him, so he knew something was up. It wasn't easy to talk in a large compound like his, so Old Bao led everyone back to the guesthouse. This trip had really exhausted everyone.
At the guesthouse, Lao Bao didn't say much when he heard that we were here to dig for treasure. After a moment's silence, he said, "I'll put tools like shovels at the small door of the guesthouse at night. There's a big banyan tree over there, so it won't be a problem to secretly hide a few shovels. Just take the tools and go digging at night. I won't follow you, but I'll keep an eye on you at the guesthouse and provide cover if anything happens. This place is not far from Xishan, only an hour's walk there. Just be careful and avoid people, and you won't be discovered."
Jiang Nan couldn't help but look at Lao Bao twice. He was a man who was very good at controlling his desires. He was not tempted even when he heard about treasure. He was not simple.
Everyone agreed and quickly separated, each going their own way. Eating together? Let's wait until the mission is complete. These days, work is more important; building relationships is for later.
Since he didn't see the four people coming, he was not in a hurry to see Chen Wanli, but to complete the task first.
The four of them had a simple dinner in the guesthouse's cafeteria, and waited until ten o'clock in the evening before quietly jumping out of the window. There was no other way, there was someone at the front desk, and they couldn't be discovered.
Two shovels and three large sacks had been placed behind the big tree. The four of them picked up their things and walked quietly towards the west mountain.
The moon is bright and the stars are sparse. Although it is night, the road is still bright.
The four of them walked along the wall, quietly without making any noise, and luckily they didn't run into anyone. Following the coordinates, they quickly found the treasure hiding place in Xishan.
I have to say that the traitors and lackeys all have similar ideas. This place is very similar to the place where Zong Renlong hid his treasure. It is surrounded by dense trees and rarely visited by people, but it is not a deep mountain. It is much less dangerous and is a good place to hide treasure.
Jiang Mancheng and Zhou Zhixing didn't waste time, picking up their hoes and getting to work. Unlike Zong Renlong, this traitor had buried all his treasures here, thinking they'd have three burrows. But because they were all buried in one place, they hid them deeper for safety. They'd already dug a meter, but still hadn't found anything.
Chen Jinhua grabbed Jiang Mancheng's hoe and began to work. Jiang Nan wanted to dig as well, but Zhou Zhixing held on tightly to the hoe under his father-in-law's deathly gaze.
Fortunately, it wasn't very deep down there. After digging less than half a meter, I heard a thud. It was obvious that the hoe had hit something.
Chen Jinhua's face was covered in sweat. She looked up and said with a smile, "I found it!"
Jiang Mancheng wiped his wife's face and said, "Jinhua, dig around. Be careful not to touch it again."
"I understand." Chen Jinhua nodded, rubbed her hands, and became full of energy again.
There was something hanging in front of them, and the two men suddenly didn't feel tired anymore. They dug out a big box in no time.
It is not unfair to call it a big box. It is one meter long, half a meter high, and sixty to seventy centimeters wide. It is a real big guy.
Jiang Mancheng snorted, "This traitor has plundered a lot."
The four of them looked around the box, really wanting to take a look, but they couldn't.
If this is opened, they won't be able to explain it.
The four suppressed their curiosity and did not delay any longer. They quickly filled the area with soil and cleaned up the surroundings. When they could no longer see anything, they quietly left.
For convenience, Jiang Nan put the box into the space first, and the four of them went down the mountain easily.
The forest becomes increasingly quiet at night, even the birdsong becomes less frequent, and everything is silent.
But the quieter it got, the more obvious the other sounds became. Jiang Nan's ears moved quickly, and she said uncertainly, "Why do I think I heard someone shouting for help?"
Zhou Zhixing echoed: "I heard it too, it seems like he was still a little kid."
Jiang Mancheng: "I heard it too. It's in the east. Let's go and take a look."
Chen Jinhua didn't know what she was thinking about, but she was a little scared. She held Jiang Mancheng's hand tightly and followed the man carefully.
Jiang Mancheng comforted him, "It's okay. There are so many of us. We have to avoid anything we see."
Besides, since they heard it, they couldn't pretend not to know. The other party was still a child, if anything happened... Anyway, they couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
Chen Jinhua naturally understood this. She nodded, and her fear of the unknown also eased. In fact, she didn't believe these things before, but with three children in the family, she had already accepted them with open-mindedness, so she naturally began to believe these things.
This is because Chen Jinhua is very brave. If this happened to an ordinary person, they would probably go crazy.
That's too far to go. Suffice it to say that the four of them followed the sound and found a gentle slope to the east. The slope then dropped sharply to the east, forming a small depression. In the depression, a skinny little boy, who looked only six or seven years old, clutched his right leg and repeatedly cried out for help. Next to the boy was an overturned backpack, with wild vegetables and mushrooms scattered around it.
Jiang Nan was impressed by the little boy's courage in not crying even though he was screaming for help. She deliberately made some noise to attract the boy's attention, then said, "Don't be afraid, little friend. We're here to save you. Just sit still and don't move. We'll get off from the side. Don't worry."
The little boy looked up and saw the four people. His eyes were instantly filled with joy at being rescued. However, he soon became alert and his voice trembled: "You... why are you going up the mountain so late at night? You... I have no money. I can remember things. I don't want to be someone else's son..."
Jiang Nan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She hadn't expected the child to be so alert. Seeing that Jiang Mancheng and Zhou Zhixing had already gone down to rescue the man, Jiang Nan continued to comfort the little boy: "Don't be afraid, we are from out of town. We originally came to the mountains to play, but we got lost there and found ourselves here. We are not bad people, really."
The little boy was small to begin with, and although he was wary, he still lacked the persistence of an adult. Seeing Jiang Nan's sincerity and seeing that she looked good and didn't look like a bad person, he finally felt relieved. It must be said that this was a wary child who was very appearance-oriented. Well, he naively believed that people with good looks were all good people.
The little boy lay on Zhou Zhixing's back, while Jiang Mancheng gathered the boy's backpack, wild vegetables, mushrooms and other things together and lifted them up together.
On the way, Zhou Zhixing asked, "Little boy, where is your home? We'll take you back."
The little boy pursed his lips and looked up. Seeing the concerned eyes of Jiang Nan and Chen Jinhua not far away, he gritted his teeth and decided to take a gamble. He said, "My home is at the foot of Xishan Mountain. If you take me back, I... I'll give you the mushrooms as a thank you."
"Great, you're really capable. You know so many mushrooms at such a young age and you can pick so many. When I was your age, I didn't know many mushrooms." Jiang Nan said with great joy.
The little boy was delighted to be affirmed by his beautiful sister. He stretched out his little finger and pointed in a direction: "Go from there. It's close to my home."
The little boy started talking more. He continued, "My name is Xiaohu. This is Xishan Brigade, not far from the steel plant. Are you guys here on business?"
Jiang Nan nodded. "Yes, we just arrived in the afternoon and had nothing to do, so we thought of going up the mountain to have a look. Who knew it was so big? Is this a large mountain range?"
Xiaohu nodded. "Yes, this mountain is very deep. I heard it extends to Baishui City. There is also this mountain at Chaoyang Oilfield."
As they chatted, Xiaohu led the way, and they soon arrived at a thatched cottage at the foot of the mountain. They were surprised that Xiaohu was missing and no one in the village had come out to look for him, but when they opened the door, they saw the old woman lying on the bed, her face red and unconscious from a fever. No wonder no one knew Xiaohu was missing.
"grandmother."
Xiaohu choked and screamed, tears plopped down his face. Jiang Nan took a few steps forward, touched the old lady's nose, and comforted her, "Don't worry, your grandma is fine. I brought some antipyretics with me on my business trip. Don't worry, I'll look for them."
She pretended to fumble in her pocket, but in fact she was placing an order in the system for a bottle of fever-reducing medicine. She took it out and said, "I just remembered I put it in my pocket. Is there any water at home? I'll be fine after taking the medicine. Don't worry."
No matter how sensible Xiaohu was, he was only seven years old. His face turned pale and he pointed to the water tank in the corner of the room: "There's water over there. I'll go boil it..."
Zhou Zhixing put Xiaohu on the kang and said, "Sit down. I'll go boil some water."
As soon as he got on the kang, Xiaohu crawled over, hugged his grandmother's arm, and called out: "Grandma, don't leave Xiaohu, Grandma..."
Jiang Mancheng couldn't bear to listen and simply went out to find firewood. Jiang Nan and Chen Jinhua were also busy. They looked around and found a towel at home. They wet it with cold water and applied it to the old lady's forehead. Since she couldn't take medicine, they tried to cool her down physically first.
Jiang Nan asked, "Xiao Hu, do you have any towels at home? I can use them to wipe Grandma's body. This will help her cool down faster."
Xiaohu was already at a loss. After hearing Jiang Nan's words, he was stunned for a long time without any reaction.
Jiang Nan was helpless, so she rubbed the little guy's forehead, got up and searched around the room. She saw a shirt on the kang, which should be Xiaohu's clothes. She simply wet it and wiped the old man's exposed skin over and over again, including his face, neck, arms, calves, feet, etc.
After a long time, the old man's face finally became less red, and his breathing became heavier, no longer as weak as before.
Xiaohu raised his head in surprise: "Sister, grandma, is grandma getting better?"
Jiang Nan was also happy. Of course, she wanted to cheer the child up. She said, "Yes, Xiaohu, don't cry. After you take the medicine, grandma will be fine."
Xiaohu nodded and murmured softly: "Grandma will be fine. I want her to live a good life. She will definitely be fine."
The water quickly boiled, and when it was no longer so hot after being stirred back and forth, Jiang Nan fed the old lady some medicine. She then secretly glanced at her watch. An hour had already passed, and she was afraid something might happen if she stayed any longer. She stood up, pulled the other three people together, and whispered, "How about I stay here and you guys go back first?"
She lowered her voice and said, "Don't worry, I've checked. Xiaohu and his grandmother are both good people. Nothing will happen to them."
Chen Jinhua nodded: "Okay, give us the things first, and we'll carry them back."
After the discussion, Jiang Nan turned around and said, "Xiao Hu, don't be afraid. I'll stay with you. But my parents have to go back first. They have work tomorrow. Do you know the fastest way to get to the steel plant?"
When he heard that the beautiful sister was going to stay with him, Xiaohu's eyes sparkled and he started talking quickly: "I know. Go out and walk east. There is a small road over there. Just keep walking and you will get there."
Jiang Nan rubbed Xiaohu's head and said with a smile, "Okay, thank you, Xiaohu. I'll go out and see them off. You stay here and take care of grandma. I'll be back soon."
Xiaohu nodded hesitantly, and Jiang Nan smiled: "Don't worry, sister is a man of her words. If she says she will stay, she will definitely stay."
Xiaohu finally stopped hesitating this time and nodded heavily.
Jiang Nan escorted the three of them out. Once outside, Zhou Zhixing and Jiang Mancheng used their height advantage to block the view of the door and windows. Jiang Nan took the opportunity to quickly retrieve the box from the space. She hesitated and said, "This box is quite heavy. You..."
Chen Jinhua patted her chest and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Xiaohu trusts you the most. Just stay. I'm strong enough to carry you."
Zhou Zhixing also said, "It's okay, I can help. You can stay and take care of Xiaohu's grandmother. If anything happens, I can buy some medicine in time. Okay, go in, we're leaving first."
This was not a good time to talk, and the four of them quickly separated. Jiang Nan watched the figures of the three gradually disappear among the shadows of the trees, and then turned back to the thatched hut.
Inside the house, Xiaohu imitated Jiang Nan's actions just now, wiping his grandmother's body while occasionally leaning over to look at the door. Seeing Jiang Nan coming back, he finally smiled: "Sister."
Jiang Nan stopped thinking about anything else. He quickly walked over, touched the old lady's forehead, and said, "Don't worry, grandma's fever has subsided. I think she'll wake up soon."
"Yeah." Xiaohu nodded. His grandmother had been feeling unwell these past few days, and he had been going up the mountain alone to pick wild vegetables and mushrooms. Who would have thought that he would accidentally fall down the hillside while chasing a wild rabbit today? His grandmother must have been worried and had a fever because she saw that he had not returned home so late.
Thinking of this, Xiaohu felt a little depressed again. He said, "Sister, do you think studying is useful?"
Jiang Nan looked at Xiaohu in confusion. Xiaohu scratched his head and expressed his confusion and struggle.
"My grandma wanted me to go to school. A few days ago, in order to save up tuition, she braved the rain and went to the mountains to collect herbs. That's why she got sick. She didn't want to spend money on medical treatment, so she collected herbs herself and boiled them to drink. If it wasn't for my education, she wouldn't have gotten sick at all."
He scratched his head, not knowing what to say. He organized his words and continued, "I don't know if studying is useful. Now there are educated youth going to the countryside in the brigade. They have all been to school, but they still come to the brigade to do farm work. Everyone says studying is useless and that you still have to work in the fields in the end, so it's better not to spend the money in the first place. But grandma said it is useful and she must let me study. But if I go to school, I can't help grandma with the work."
He was very distressed: "Sister, do you think studying is useful? Should I study?"
Jiang Nan rubbed the little guy's head and said firmly, "It works. Xiaohu, if you believe your sister, then listen to grandma and go to school. Although I don't know what kind of person grandma is, I know from her insistence on sending you to school that she is a strong and knowledgeable old lady. Just listen to grandma. If you are worried about delaying your work, then study hard at school and help grandma with work when you get home. It won't delay you."
Jiang Nan continued, "Sister has also been educated. If you go to school, the workload won't be heavy in the first one or two years. You can finish school at three or four in the afternoon and still be able to help with chores when you get home. It won't be a problem at all. If you care about grandma, study hard and get good grades. Grandma will be happier than anyone else."
"Okay, cough cough, well said." The old lady opened her eyes with difficulty and wanted to say a few more words, but she started coughing before she even opened her mouth.
Jiang Nan rubbed the old lady's chest vigorously, and Xiaohu jumped off the kang sensibly, stamped his stirrups and ran to pour a glass of water. The old lady drank the water in big gulps, and then she felt much better.
Her voice was hoarse as she spoke softly, "Little girl, you saved me and my little tiger, right?"
Jiang Nan waved her hand. "Saving him is too serious. My parents and I just happened to meet him and wanted to help him. Grandma, please don't be so polite."
The old lady coughed twice more and shook her head. "I saved you, and that's polite. Just call me Mountain Granny. I've lived in these mountains all my life, and everyone calls me that."
The old lady was not a friendly person, but her eyes were firm and clear, and it was obvious that she was a person with a clear mind. Jiang Nan readily called her "Mountain Grandma".
Grandma Shan smiled slightly, turned to Xiaohu and said, "You, child, are just too worried. Grandma is still young and has always been strong. If she hadn't been caught in the rain, she wouldn't have gotten sick at all. Don't worry, your grandfather used to have some money from hunting, so it won't be a problem for you to go to school."
She was a little out of breath after saying so much at once, and after a short pause she continued, "Your parents always wanted to send you to school. Although they are gone now, grandma can't forget their wish. Xiaohu, grandma has only this one wish: to send you to school, to high school, and if you can go to college in the future, we'll go to college, okay? Don't worry, grandma is in good health, and I'll have no problem living until you graduate from college."
Xiaohu nodded, tears falling down his face, which made Grandma Shan laugh: "Okay, stop crying. Grandma is waiting for Xiaohu to lead me to a good life."
Seeing that her grandson finally stopped crying, Grandma Shan patted the edge of the kang and said, "Go to sleep. Grandma and sister have something to say."
Xiaohu obediently got up to wash up, then quickly lay down on the kang, hugged one of Shan Po's arms, rubbed his face against hers affectionately, and closed his eyes to sleep. The little guy had been frightened twice today, and it was really late, so he fell into a deep sleep not long after.
Grandma Shan gently pulled out her arm and motioned Jiang Nan to help her get off the kang.
Guessing the old woman had something to say, Jiang Nan followed her lead and helped Shan Po to the adjoining kitchen. This room was even lower, only a third the size of the thatched hut. Aside from a large stove in the center, crammed full of firewood, there was nothing else. Jiang Nan helped Shan Po to sit on a small stool beside the stove. She leaned against the wall behind her, took a few breaths, and then spoke again.
"Little girl, I won't waste my time talking to you. I have an old wild ginseng here. It's almost fifty years old. Xiaohu's father risked his life to pick it back. Now, for Xiaohu's education, I want to sell it. Do you want to buy it?"
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