Fang Guilan rubbed her hands together, looking awkward. Even the director of the women’s office of the military family compound could feel this uncomfortable at times. ”Miss, you saved my eldest grandson. How can I ever thank you enough?”
Shen Zhiyao looked up at her. “Just pay me the house-call fee. Fifty cents.”
“That won’t do.”
Fang Guilan felt anxious.
The girl had saved a life! How could fifty cents possibly cover it?
Zhai Dongdong tilted his head up, gazing at Shen Zhiyao with a wounded look. ”Sister, my family got Erhuang from a farmer for a whole basket of eggs. A whole basket! That’s way more than fifty cents. Am I not even worth as much as Erhuang?”
Shen Zhiyao burst out laughing. Meeting his eyes, she couldn’t help but pat his fuzzy little head. “Fine, I’ll add a milk candy to the fee, then.”
Fang Guilan turned the matter over in her mind.
Among her and Old Zhai’s connections, the most promising one was Lu Zhaoli.
It was a pity Zhaoli already had an engagement. She couldn’t do anything underhanded.
Though, she’d heard he was thinking of breaking off the engagement.
That match had been arranged by his grandfather. He’d always had his own mind and never wanted to go along with his parents’ wishes and a matchmaker’s word.
“Could you leave your name and contact information?”
Truthfully, she would love to make this match. The girl was so wonderful.
Ah well. If Lu Zhaoli truly had no such luck, his younger brother Lu Zhenyan, who did scientific research, was a good option too. He had a good sense of humor—just not as steady as his older brother, but otherwise quite decent.
While Fang Guilan was busy scheming all this, Shen Zhiyao wrote down her name and contact information and handed it over. More connections never hurt.
She would work hard herself, but she never turned away any extra help.
The moment Fang Guilan stepped aside, the others swarmed up. “Dr. Shen, that thing you did just now—the what-was-it, Heimlich—it didn’t look too hard. Could you teach us?”
They were always worried some grandchild might choke on something at home. If they learned it, they too could save a life in an emergency.
Shen Zhiyao nodded. “Of course.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Shen. Here’s some hawthorn leather.”
“Have some dried fig threads.”
“Sister, here’s some Tang Monk Jerky and Monk Jigong Pills.”
And so Shen Zhiyao was fed treats the whole way—a different snack every time, as if she were eating from a hundred households.
Later, when she read her book—
“Shh!”
The adults tiptoed around with the children, and the children, on their own, kept quiet for her.
Their train car had a great scholar in it, and they were proud of that.
In the blink of an eye, the train arrived in Haicheng. Fang Guilan, Zhai Dongdong, Mother Zhen, and Zhen Zhen had to go into town first to buy some things before taking a boat back to Nanyu Island. It was time to part ways with Shen Zhiyao.
Zhai Dongdong was very reluctant to leave her, his eyes wet as he gazed at her.
Zhen Zhen didn’t look happy either. She walked up to Shen Zhiyao.
“Even though you won’t forgive me, my dad is a very impressive doctor. Once you’re on Nanyu Island, he can take you on as his apprentice.”
“No need.”
Zhen Zhen’s eyebrow twitched.
What was wrong with this person? Such a great opportunity, and just as she opened her mouth, Mother Zhen slapped her down. Annoyed, Mother Zhen snapped, “Shut up. Don’t bother Dr. Shen.”
At that moment, Zhen Zhen felt her pocket, and suddenly hurled the whole big bag of candy from it at Shen Zhiyao.
Terrified that Shen Zhiyao would make her take it back, she threw it and ran off, her legs spinning like wheels.
Mother Zhen didn’t react at first. When she finally did, she gave Shen Zhiyao an apologetic smile and pointed at her temple. “This child—she’s missing a screw in her head.”
Shen Zhiyao shook her head with a smile, but still handed the candy over to Mother Zhen.
“Doctor Shen, you really don’t want it?”
“She made such a big mistake. I’m deliberately letting her stew so it sticks with her.”
Mother Zhen wholeheartedly agreed.
She looked again at the girl across from her with her porcelain-white face. She was about the same age as her Zhen Zhen—how had she become so much more mature?
Comrade Zhao Qian had said the girl had come looking for relatives; there must have been some misfortune in her family.
It seemed…
Her Zhen Zhen had simply lived too comfortably, with the two of them old folks there to catch her whenever she fell!
After parting with them, Shen Zhiyao boarded a boat to Nanyu Island.
By the time she got off, it was already past five in the afternoon. The setting sun shone on her face, and she raised a hand to shield her eyes.
The salty, briny sea breeze brushed her face. She frowned slightly, yet a trace of a smile curved her lips. She had made it, at least.
An old woman squatting nearby selling seafood looked up at her. “Miss, where are you headed?”
“Grandma, I’m going to Jinsha Village.”
The old woman shook her head vigorously. “Why are you still waiting at the station? The last bus is already gone.”
Shen Zhiyao was taken aback. The buses stopped running this early?
If that was the case, she’d have to find a guesthouse. But she looked around and saw nothing but a dusty, sprawling port with scattered vendors—where was there any guesthouse?
Truly stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Just then, a military vehicle pulled up in front of her, and a soldier climbed out. “Miss, are you heading to Jinsha Village?”
Shen Zhiyao instinctively stepped back, eyeing him warily.
Song Fan waved his hands repeatedly. “Miss, I’m not a bad person.”
He paused, then felt a bit confused—what bad person would have those words written on his face?
So he pulled out his ID and hurriedly opened it.
Shen Zhiyao’s gaze swept over it: Third Special Forces Unit, Nanyu Island—Song Fan.
A one-inch black-and-white photo was attached, showing his young, immature face.
The young soldier looked to be barely eighteen.
“We’re also heading somewhere near Jinsha Village,” Song Fan said. “We can give you a ride.”
Only then did Shen Zhiyao lower her guard.
The old woman laughed. “Miss, you’re lucky. I set up my stall here all the time, and I’ve never seen a military vehicle.”
Song Fan gave a guilty smile and said goodbye to the old woman.
Shen Zhiyao got into the vehicle, and later two more people heading back to Jinsha Village climbed in as well.
“Young soldier, since you’re giving me a ride, I have to pay you for the fare.”
Facing Shen Zhiyao, Song Fan, seated in the passenger seat, waved his hand. “No need. The army and the people are one family.”
He had also been asked by someone to do this.
But Shen Zhiyao still insisted on pressing some snacks into their hands—some for him, some for the driver.
The other two passengers bound for Jinsha Village also felt lucky today. They’d never expected to run into a military vehicle—they’d thought they’d have to sleep on the ground outside for the night.
One of them, a woman clutching a bundle, saw how striking and pretty Shen Zhiyao was and couldn’t help but feel curious. She was from Jinsha Village herself, and she’d never seen anyone that beautiful there—she’d have to be the village flower.
She eyed Shen Zhiyao curiously. “Miss, are you going to visit relatives?”
Shen Zhiyao nodded.
The woman with the headscarf nodded back. She’d said so—there was no one that pretty in their village.
“Who are you looking for?”
Shen Zhiyao figured that since they were all villagers who would inevitably run into each other, they would find out sooner or later anyway, so there was nothing to hide. “I’m looking for Shen Chengren.”
“Shen Chengren?”
At those words, the two exchanged glances.
Wasn’t he the poorest, most wretched, most unlucky person in their village?