Because of this incident, the departure time was delayed by ten minutes.
When they boarded the bus again, the man’s expression was gloomy, as if he had lost several hundred yuan, while Chen Aping couldn’t stop thanking Miao Yunwei.
Miao Yunwei exchanged pleasantries with her and returned to her seat.
This incident also served as a reminder to her. As soon as the bus started moving, she raised her voice again to emphasize the importance of civilized behavior on the bus. At the same time, she checked the garbage bags in every seat, replenishing them where necessary.
After completing these tasks, she could finally sit down and rest for a while.
Yuanbao appeared, “Congratulations, host, for helping another passenger solve a problem. The progress of the first task has reached 2%. You have been rewarded with ten cubic meters of storage space. When using it, select an accessory item, and the space of that accessory will expand by ten cubic meters.”
Following Yuanbao’s reminder, Miao Yunwei noticed another glowing light in her Sea of Consciousness, displaying “Ten Cubic Meters of Space.” Selecting the “Details” button revealed specific usage rules.
At the moment, she didn’t have time to study it closely. She simply pursed her lips in excitement and sat up straight.
Miao Pingkang lowered his voice and asked, “How was it handled?”
Miao Yunwei patted her chest in relief, “Fortunately, we distributed garbage bags to everyone from the start. That man tried to argue that he had nowhere to throw the banana peel, so he left it on the floor. The logistics and security personnel came to investigate, but since we had done everything properly, I wasn’t worried.
The man couldn’t shirk responsibility and ended up paying three yuan in compensation. Both parties signed and stamped the mediation agreement. Later, a report will be written and sent to our unit along with the agreement. It shouldn’t be a big issue.”
As she spoke, she asked curiously, “Didn’t something like this happen when Aunt Zhang was on duty? How did she handle it?”
Miao Pingkang thought about his recent experiences and felt somewhat speechless, “She didn’t handle anything. It was always Dad who stepped in to resolve issues. Dad is the driver, but he couldn’t really intervene in such matters either. Most of the time, it was left to the security personnel to handle. Zhang Xiuqing didn’t care anyway.”
From these snippets of conversation, Miao Yunwei guessed that Zhang Xiuqing’s connections were definitely not ordinary. Recalling her experiences over this period, it seemed that she had only tricked Zhang Xiuqing in the matter involving Xu Xiujuan. Otherwise, things had been relatively fine.
The reason she chose Xu Xiujuan was because she had seen the two of them getting off the bus several times without any interaction. On the rare occasions they did interact, they didn’t seem to be on good terms. Several cleaners in the logistics department mentioned that Ke Youzhi often acted superior in front of Xu Xiujuan, ordering her around.
Xu Xiujuan was ambitious and determined to change positions. Since Miao Yunwei wanted revenge, it was a win-win situation.
As for how Zhang Xiuqing and Ke Youzhi would get along afterward, that was none of her business. Besides, it was uncertain whether Ke Youzhi could even continue working at the company in his current state! No matter what, Zhang Xiuqing wouldn’t be able to pin the blame on her.
Having figured this out, Miao Yunwei let out a long sigh of relief.
Thanks to the lingering fragrance from the cleaning tools, no further trouble arose among the passengers until they reached Quan City.
After the bus stopped, the man who had paid compensation angrily grabbed his bag. After getting off, he kicked the luggage compartment several times, cursing loudly.
The other passengers simply watched it as a joke.
Cai Zhiming and another loader came over to help and ended up arguing with the man, which alerted the security personnel on site. They were taken away for investigation again.
Miao Yunwei hurriedly got off the bus and looked apologetically at Cai Zhiming, “Comrade Cai, I’m sorry. That man threw fruit peels on the bus earlier, causing another passenger to slip and fall. He had to pay three yuan in compensation and took his frustration out on us!”
“What kind of person is that! Absolutely outrageous! Comrade Miao, I think you’re too soft-hearted. If it were any other conductor, they’d have already shouted at the top of their lungs to scare the guts out of him. Some people just need to be taught a lesson.”
Cai Zhiming was furious.
Miao Yunwei quickly handed him the five catties of brown sugar. “Here, the brown sugar you asked me to help buy. It’s not the high-quality kind sold in the supply and marketing cooperative—the quality is a bit inferior, but it’s still edible. It’s fifty cents per catty, plus five catties’ worth of sugar ration coupons.”
Cai Zhiming’s anger turned to delight. He took the items and glanced around cautiously, lowering his voice urgently. “Wait for me. I don’t have that much money and coupons on me right now. I’ll give them to you in a bit.”
Miao Yunwei nodded with a smile. She and Miao Pingkang tidied up the bus before heading to the break room to eat.
About five minutes later, Cai Zhiming hurriedly ran in and said to Miao Pingkang, “Security asked you to open the luggage compartment and give that man his luggage. He’s getting off at this stop. Let me warn you—that guy has been cursing and complaining nonstop, and he even said he’s going to file a complaint against you.”
Drivers and conductors hated passenger complaints the most. Too many complaints could lead to wage deductions.
Miao Yunwei remained calm. After Miao Pingkang left, she immediately said, “Comrade Cai, could you help me buy some more sweet potatoes? After I brought back the last batch, all the aunties and grannies in the compound were buzzing with excitement. They all came to my house asking me to help them get some too. I can’t help one and not the others, so I have to ask you to buy a bit more. Of course, they said they won’t take advantage of you for free—it’s only fair if you charge a small handling fee.”
Cai Zhiming shook his head and waved his hands in alarm. “No, no, we can’t undermine socialism. Helping buy sweet potatoes is no big deal. But will your bus’s luggage compartment have enough space? If the sweet potatoes take up luggage space and affect other passengers, you could get complaints.”
Miao Yunwei immediately patted her chest and assured him, “Don’t worry about that. We definitely won’t make such a basic mistake. At worst, I’ll put the stuff in the aisle or by the stairs. It won’t affect the passengers at all.”
Seeing her confident promise, Cai Zhiming didn’t think too much about it. “Alright, I’ll bring them for you first thing tomorrow morning. How much do you need?”
Miao Yunwei tentatively held up two fingers. “Two hundred catties, is that okay? And get me some fresh sweet potato vines too.”
Cai Zhiming took a deep breath and nodded firmly. “Deal! I’ll ask a friend to help. If possible, they don’t want money—they’d prefer sugar. The kind you helped me get is perfect—good quality and affordable.”
Miao Yunwei understood. She took the money and coupons from Cai Zhiming, and the two reached a preliminary agreement.
Just as they finished discussing the matter, Miao Pingkang limped in, his face dark with anger, clearly still fuming over that disgusting man.
Miao Yunwei urged him to eat quickly. After the meal, the siblings rested for a while before it was time to depart.
Upon arriving in the provincial capital, Miao Yunwei didn’t forget about the injured Chen Aping. After getting off the bus, she asked Miao Pingkang to go to the guesthouse first while she helped Chen Aping carry her luggage out.
Chen Aping wore a constant smile on her face. “Comrade, you’re such a kind person!”
Miao Yunwei turned and gave her a bright smile. “It’s the least I could do!”
As they spoke, the two noticed a bicycle parked outside the station. Chen Aping waved excitedly at the person and carefully walked over.
The man noticed her awkward gait and frowned slightly. “Cousin-in-law, what happened to your waist?”
Chen Aping sighed, his expression rather unpleasant. “Don’t even mention it. I ran into a rude man on the bus who threw a banana peel carelessly. It made me slip and fall when I got off. Luckily, the conductor was fair-minded and testified on my behalf. That man ended up compensating me three yuan.”