Chapter 17: Not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted

In her eagerness to save the woman, she completely ignored the disparity in strength between herself and the older lady.

Instead of pulling the woman back, she stumbled, almost falling into the water herself.

At the critical moment, a strong hand grabbed her from behind, with a thud, someone pulled her back from the brink of danger.

The older lady was also saved and returned to her seat.

Shen Sisi was shaken, her back drenched in cold sweat.

The older lady was also scared, her face pale, her lips trembling, still recovering.

Shen Sisi, holding Niu Niu, gasped for breath, about to thank her rescuer, when she heard a gasp: “Hua, your hand…”

She turned her head, a man behind her was holding his wrist in pain.

The man was about twenty-five or six, strong and sturdy, with a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, quite handsome, a righteous-looking man.

The thin young man beside him looked like an underdeveloped child.

It was this man who had saved her and the older lady!

The dull thud… must have been his wrist hitting the chair, it must have hurt.

Shen Sisi saw that his wrist was purple and swollen, it looked serious.

“Are you alright?” Shen Sisi asked with concern.

Before the man could speak, the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy spoke like a firecracker: “Does he look alright to you?”

“He already hurt his hand, and to save you, he made it worse.”

“Alright, Xiaojiang, they’re fine.” Cao Hua endured the pain, softly stopping him.

He looked up, habitually glancing at Shen Sisi, and was completely stunned.

Such a beautiful girl!

Her face was small, her skin fair and tender, her bright eyes sparkling, looking delicate and soft, like a flower bud about to bloom.  Without exaggeration, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Not only was she beautiful, but she was also kind-hearted.

Seeing the older lady about to fall, she instinctively reached out to save her.

Cao Hua stared at her beautiful face, his hand didn’t hurt so much anymore.

“Are you alright?” Cao Hua asked softly.

Shen Sisi shook her head: “I’m fine, but your hand is swollen…”

“Minor injury, it’ll be fine later.” Cao Hua pretended to be fine, secretly wincing in pain.

Dong Xiaojiang glared: “Hua, don’t be tough… your hand was twisted yesterday, and now it’s worse, what if it’s crippled…”

“Crippled your ass!!!” Cao Hua wanted to kick him off the boat.

“Brother, I’m sorry, pfft pfft, just kidding, good things will happen…”

Seeing this pair, Shen Sisi couldn’t help but laugh, taking a small bottle of medicinal oil from her bag.

“This is medicinal oil I made myself, it reduces swelling and promotes blood circulation. Rub it on your hand.”

Cao Hua’s eyes flickered, she made it herself…

He stared at the medicinal oil, like a precious treasure.

“I’m so sorry…” He was being polite.

“Take it, thank you for saving me…” Shen Sisi put it in his hand, instructing him to use it at least twice a day until his skin turned red.

Cao Hua held the bottle tightly, repeatedly agreeing: “Okay, okay, I know, thank you, my name is Cao Hua, Cao Cao’s Cao, China’s Hua, I don’t know your name.”

Shen Sisi smiled faintly, not answering, but looking towards the bow: “We’re arriving.”

She helped the older lady off the boat, sitting on a large stone by the shore.

The older lady, with tears in her eyes, held her hand and thanked her repeatedly: “Thank you, girl, if it weren’t for you, I would have fallen into the river… In this cold winter, I would have gotten seriously ill!”

Shen Sisi patted her hand: “Auntie, you should thank Brother Cao, who saved us.”

“But you grabbed me first, so he could reach you?”

She thought for a moment, it was true: “Anyway, be careful next time, don’t be distracted…”

The older lady thanked her again, wanting to treat Shen Sisi and Cao Hua to a meal.

“My name is Xu Jinhua, everyone in the south gate knows me, I’m not a bad person, I just want to thank you both.”

Cao Hua had already gotten off the boat, seeing Shen Sisi, he was captivated, staying with her and the older lady.

Hearing Xu Jinhua’s offer, he was delighted.

He was about to agree, when Dong Xiaojiang bluntly refused: “We don’t have time to eat… My Hua is busy, he’s the boss of unloading goods at Pier 8, managing many people…”

Cao Hua angrily bumped him: “If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute…”

“Am I wrong? Weren’t you rushing to the pier to discuss business…”

Cao Hua glared at Dong Xiaojiang, signaling him to shut up.

Hearing that they had business, Shen Sisi also politely refused Xu Jinhua: “Auntie, we’ll skip the meal, I also have things to do…”

She left, carrying Niu Niu, leaving the others staring at her retreating figure.

Cao Hua held the bottle of medicinal oil, his fingers almost crushing it.

Dong Xiaojiang finally realized: “Hua, you like this woman, don’t you!”

“Get lost!” Cao Hua would have hit him if his hand wasn’t injured, useless idiot.

Dong Xiaojiang said sourly: “Don’t look, she has a child, you can’t be a homewrecker…”

“You look like a homewrecker…”

The small incident didn’t affect Shen Sisi, but Dong Xiaojiang’s words reminded her.

Jiangcheng was a port city!!!

Shipping was developed here, connecting Beijing in the north and the Special Economic Zone in the south, it was a crucial hub.

Whether going north or south, or east to the sea, ships would pass through Jiangcheng for supplies.

The timber from Lin County was transported to Jiangcheng for sale.

Therefore, there were many people coming and going, and the black market was larger than elsewhere.

Even with the city’s crackdown on speculation, people still flocked to it.

Entering the black market, Shen Sisi quickly covered her face with her scarf, also covering Niu Niu’s face, before daring to enter.

She walked and looked, her eyes wide.

The provincial black market was far better than Lin County’s.

Besides clothes, shoes, socks, daily necessities, meat and eggs, she saw many foreign goods.

Donkey-hide gelatin, ginseng, and kimchi from the north.

Beef, mutton, and dried fruits from the northwest.

Mountain products and Chinese herbal medicine from the south.

Seafood and sea salt from the east…

Even electronic products from Hong Kong were on sale.

Everything was available.

People whispered their calls.

Shen Sisi had come to look for business opportunities.

After a tour, she felt disheartened.

She walked aimlessly, when someone stopped her.