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After comforting the young lady, Wang Tiezhu returned to the team to complete his onboarding process, which only took about half an hour.
—-
Lin Qing said, “Your phone must remain accessible 24/7. If there’s an emergency in the middle of the night, you must respond immediately. Also—”
“Officer Lin, I got it all!”
Wang Tiezhu interrupted, “You’ve told me three or four times already. I’m not deaf. You’re nagging me like my mom.”
This remark seemed to hit a nerve, and Lin Qing suddenly snapped, scolding him:
“Who are you calling old?!”
“I didn’t say you were old!”
Wang Tiezhu was speechless. He didn’t want to argue and quickly said, “Captain Lin, I’m leaving now!” With that, he turned on his heel and dashed away.
“This arrogant guy…”
Watching Wang Tiezhu flee in a hurry, Lin Qing snorted, “He sure ran off quickly. Guess nothing happened last night after all?”
—-
At around 10 AM, Wang Tiezhu arrived home. As soon as he stepped inside, his mother started complaining.
“Tiezhu, you didn’t come home last night, and you didn’t even call! Your father and I were so worried!”
“Mom, I’m fine!”
Wang Tiezhu explained, “I was selling wild boar meat late into the night, so I didn’t come back. I stayed in town overnight, and my phone just happened to run out of battery. No need to worry.”
Inside the house, his father was still lying on the bed. Wang Tiezhu pulled up a chair and sat beside him.
“Mom, Dad, I want to discuss something with you.”
“What is it?” Wang Xiumei asked, sitting beside him.
“I want to open a rural guesthouse here at home!”
Wang Tiezhu continued, “We can plant fruit trees and medicinal herbs on our land. What do you think?”
“Fruits and medicinal herbs? I know about those!”
Wang Xiumei said, “But what’s a rural guesthouse? Is it like a drink, like Coke?”
“A drink? No!”
Wang Tiezhu rolled his eyes. “Mom, it’s not a beverage. It’s kind of like a hotel in the city. It provides food and lodging for guests.”
Wang Xiumei frowned, “But we live in such a remote place. Who would come here? Hardly any outsiders visit. Who’s going to stay at your hotel?”
“Mom, people’s lives are getting better now. City folks love coming to the countryside to experience rural life. Our village, Wangjiapu, is backed by Niushan Mountain, with beautiful scenery and fresh air. City people would love to visit, especially on weekends and holidays.”
“Trust me, this business will do well.”
Wang Xiumei didn’t fully understand but asked, “Wouldn’t it cost a lot to start a hotel?”
“Not much!”
Wang Tiezhu explained, “City folks come to experience authentic rural life. As long as we keep things simple and clean, it’ll work.
We must ensure good hygiene, especially in the kitchen. As for lodging, we can renovate the old houses nearby, strengthen them a bit, and add some furniture and bedding.
It won’t cost much. Yesterday, I sold that wild boar and earned tens of thousands of yuan, which should be enough to start.”
“Will this really work?”
Wang Xiumei was uncertain and turned to her husband. “What do you think?”
Wang Shuigen had fewer concerns. Ever since their son had found hope for treating his leg, he had unconditional trust in him.
“Let Tiezhu give it a try. I think it’ll work.”
Since the head of the family had spoken, Wang Xiumei stopped arguing and instead changed the subject.
“Tiezhu, there’s another thing. Do you have something going on with Axiu?”
“Huh?”
The sudden question caught Wang Tiezhu off guard. “What do you mean?”
“She came looking for you last night. I told her you had gone to town and didn’t come back.
Tiezhu, you should be careful. She’s a widow, and people love to gossip.”
“Mom, there’s nothing between me and Sister Xiangxiang-jie!”
Wang Tiezhu said seriously, “And so what if she’s a widow? It’s just gossip spread by the village’s nosy women. Sister Xiangxiang is actually quite pitiful. I was even thinking of hiring her to help out at the guesthouse.”
“You silly boy, rumors can be harmful.”
Wang Xiumei sighed, “I’m not saying Axiu is bad. I just don’t want people talking behind your back. Understand?”
Wang Tiezhu didn’t care. “Let them talk. It doesn’t affect me.”
“So, was there something important?”
“No, she left when she saw you weren’t home.”
Just then, a panicked female voice called from outside.
“Tiezhu! Is Tiezhu here?”
A middle-aged woman rushed into the house, her face full of anxiety. Wang Tiezhu recognized her—it was Xiao Caie from the village.
She was in such a hurry that she tripped over the threshold and fell forward. Wang Tiezhu reacted quickly, catching her just in time.
“Auntie Wang, why are you in such a rush? What happened?”
Xiao Caie grabbed his hand, almost in tears.
“Tiezhu, please help my daughter! She… she was bitten by a snake and has lost consciousness. Please save her!”
“What?!”
Wang Xiumei stood up in shock. “Xiaoxue was bitten by a snake?!
Tiezhu, hurry and check on her! This is serious!”
“Alright!”
Wang Tiezhu didn’t dare waste time. He grabbed a medical kit from home and said, “Auntie Wang, let’s go, now!”
“Yes, yes!”
The two of them rushed out. Within minutes, they arrived at Xiao Caie’s house, where a crowd of villagers had already gathered, murmuring among themselves.
“Make way! Move aside!”
Wang Tiezhu pushed his way through the crowd. In the courtyard, Wang Xue’s older sister, Wang Yu, was kneeling beside her unconscious sister, tears streaming down her face.
“Xiaoxue, please don’t scare me! You can’t have anything happen to you! Wake up, Xiaoxue… please…”
Wang Tiezhu reached them, set down his medical kit, and crouched beside her.
“Where was she bitten? Did you see what kind of snake it was?”
Still sobbing, Wang Yu looked up in confusion.
“Wang the Fool? What are you doing here?
My mom went to call the village healer. Why are you here?
You idiot, don’t interfere! This is a life-or-death situation!”
Wang Tiezhu rolled his eyes.
Wang Yu had married into the city years ago and rarely visited the village. She probably didn’t know that his brain injury had healed.
There was no time to explain. He said sternly, “You’re the one causing trouble! Tell me—where was Xiaoxue bitten? Did you see what kind of snake it was?
Hurry up, or she could really die!”
“Ah? Well…”
Seeing her sister’s face turning paler, Wang Yu panicked and stammered,
“She was just using the toilet when a venomous snake bit her. It got her on the right thigh…”