Chapter 118 : Creating Opportunities

Han Zhenyu asked, “Comrade Jiang, do you need any help? Or is there anything you need? I can find a way to assist you.”

“No, there’s nothing needed. We’re fine here. From now on, just pretend you don’t know me,” Jiang Shaoting quickly rejected his offer, afraid of being implicated.

Han Zhenyu sighed lightly, saying nothing, as he wondered how he could help them.

The two arrived at the cafeteria, and Jiang Shaoting said, “Zhenyu, go in, I’ll wait for you here.”

“Okay!” Han Zhenyu nodded and entered the cafeteria.

He asked the kitchen staff to fill a kettle with hot water, and as he saw some buns coming out of the pot, he bought a few.

When Jiang Shaoting saw him coming out of the cafeteria, he walked straight ahead without saying anything.

Han Zhenyu wanted to offer him the bun in his hand but feared that passersby would see.

Halfway there, he quickly took a few steps forward, shoved the bun to Jiang Shaoting, and whispered, “Eat it quickly.”

Jiang Shaoting was afraid of being seen, so without hesitation, he stuffed the buns into his clothes and ate two with his head lowered.

He wanted to hide the remaining two in his arms to take them back, but the clothes he wore today were thin, and he was worried about being discovered.

It would cause trouble for him and implicate Han Zhenyu, so he ate all four buns.

As they passed a large water reservoir, Han Zhenyu pondered for a moment and asked Jiang Shaoting, “Comrade Jiang, can you swim?”

Jiang Shaoting didn’t understand his intent and looked at him, replying, “Yes.”

“Alright, then. If I accidentally fall in later, remember to rescue me,” Han Zhenyu said.

Jiang Shaoting still didn’t understand what he meant.

Then Han Zhenyu twisted his foot and fell into the water tank.

He flailed around in the water, shouting, “Help! Help!”

Jiang Shaoting was stunned for a moment, then immediately jumped into the water to save him.

By the time people nearby arrived, the two had already emerged from the water.

Han Zhenyu held Jiang Shaoting’s hand and said gratefully, “Thank you so much, comrade. If you hadn’t risked your life to save me, I would have been in great danger today.”

“…You’re welcome.”

Had Jiang Shaoting not known that he could swim, he would probably have believed him.

Only then did he realize that Han Zhenyu was trying to help him.

Both men’s clothes were soaked. Han Zhenyu smiled and nodded to the onlookers, then returned to the loading area with Jiang Shaoting.

On the way back, Han Zhenyu reminded him again, “Comrade Jiang, I’ll talk to Director Chen later and ask him to let you off work early. Go back and change your wet clothes quickly, drink hot water to warm up, and don’t catch a cold.”

“I see.”

Jiang Shaoting thought for a moment, then whispered, “Zhenyu, I know you want to help me, but our family’s situation is complicated, and I don’t want to involve you. So please don’t worry about it, and don’t get too close to me. If anyone finds out about our relationship, it will really implicate you.”

Han Zhenyu nodded and said, “Comrade Jiang, I know my limits. My abilities are limited, so I may not be able to help much.”

“Zhenyu, you’ve already done me a huge favor by helping me raise the child.”

Jiang Shaoting looked up at him and smiled, “I know your character. My wife and I can rest assured that the child is at your home.”

Han Zhenyu was silent for a moment before replying, “Comrade Jiang, you and your wife are both meritorious. I don’t think you’ll stay here forever. You and Comrade Gu must hold on. The two children are still waiting for you, especially Chenchen. Sometimes he calls for mom and dad in his dreams. If anything happens to you, the child won’t be able to bear the blow.”

He felt he should give them some hope. Jiang Shaoting and his wife were proud people, and if they couldn’t endure the humiliation, they might even consider suicide.

Jiang Shaoting’s eyes reddened when he heard Han Zhenyu talk about the child, and something in his eyes seemed to fall to the ground. “I know, thank you, Zhenyu.”

—

When Chen Yuanming saw that their clothes were all wet, he asked in surprise, “Brother Han, what happened?”

Han Zhenyu, still feeling thankful, said, “Brother Chen, I accidentally fell into the reservoir just now. Fortunately, Comrade Jiang can swim, otherwise, I would have been in real danger today.”

“Ah, how did you fall in?” Chen Yuanming was shocked. If something had happened to the comrade sent from the city to their farm, he, as the person in charge, would definitely be blamed.

He glanced at Jiang Shaoting, who was lowering his head, and felt fortunate that this bad guy could swim otherwise, it would have been troublesome.

“Brother Han, your clothes are all wet. Why don’t you come to my house and change?” Chen Yuanming said.

Han Zhenyu, who had been looking for a reason to befriend him, of course didn’t refuse his kindness. “Brother Chen, thank you for your help.”

“It’s nothing, no problem.” Chen Yuanming said to a nearby manager, “Old Li, keep an eye on things. I’ll take this comrade to change his clothes.”

“Okay, no problem.”

Han Zhenyu pointed at Jiang Shaoting and said, “Brother Chen, why don’t you ask him to go back and change his clothes? He jumped into the water without hesitation when he saved me. If he catches a cold, I’d feel really bad.”

Chen Yuanming readily nodded. “Jiang Shaoting, you can go back. You don’t have to work this afternoon. Take a rest and report for work tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, thank you, Director.” Jiang Shaoting walked away with his head down, not looking at Han Zhenyu.

Chen Yuanming led Han Zhenyu to a small courtyard where the door was locked.

He took out the key and opened it, saying, “Brother Han, come in.”

Han Zhenyu smiled and nodded, then followed him inside.

The courtyard was not very large, with two rooms and a small kitchen. “Brother Chen, you’ve kept this place really neat.”

Chen Yuanming smiled and said, “Usually, it’s my wife who takes care of it. She works at a pig farm, so it’s not that tiring. She’s the one who looks after the house.”

Han Zhenyu smiled and complimented, “As soon as I saw this yard, I knew that my sister-in-law must be a capable person. Brother Chen is really lucky.”

“Hahahaha, Brother Han, you’re just joking. ” Chen Yuanming laughed, letting him into the house. He quickly found a set of clothes that he no longer used for Han Zhenyu to change into.

Han Zhenyu, being much taller than him, found that the pants and sleeves of the clothes were a bit short, but he made do with them.

“Brother Chen, after this batch of grain is delivered to the city, we’ll need to return for a second batch. I’ll bring the clothes to you then.”

“No problem, as long as you don’t mind, just wear them,” Chen Yuanming said readily.

Because the train was about to depart, Han Zhenyu changed into the clothes and returned to the loading area with Chen Yuanming.

As they were about to start the train, Li Shaohua noticed that Han Zhenyu was wearing ill-fitting clothes.

He asked in surprise, “Where have you been? Where are your clothes?”

“I accidentally fell into the water, so I borrowed a set of clothes from Brother Chen.”

Han Zhenyu didn’t say much. Li Shaohua knew that he could swim, and it would be exposed if they discussed it further.

Li Shaohua glanced at him but didn’t say anything more.

He suspected that something had happened to Han Zhenyu, but now wasn’t the time to ask questions, especially with the farm’s accountant in the car.