Ji Xingzhi steered the conversation back to the main topic. "You heard on the phone, of course. The reason we came this time."
Fan Wenhua nodded. "I never imagined something like this could happen in Tianyang Village."
She had married into the area for several years and rarely went out and about. Even when she did, the villagers seldom interacted with that other village. She wouldn't do anything that didn't benefit her. It was miles away, no relatives, and even if there were food or drink, they wouldn't think of her. So there was no need to bother.
"So, how do you plan to help that child?"
Ji Xingzhi gestured with his eyes. "She plans to go scout the way first."
She? Scout the way?
Fan Wenhua followed Ji Xingzhi's gaze to the woman. Xingzhi's wife, intelligent and sharp, but slender. She didn't look professionally trained. How could she go in to scout?
Ji Xingzhi gave an inexplicable laugh before explaining. "Because she's a doctor."
There were many reasons a doctor could enter a village. Just offering free check-ups to the villagers—no one could refuse such a benefit. Her idea was good.
But as for a companion?
Ji Xingzhi pursed his lips. Just because he had to look after kids, he was excluded?
"How many people can help this time?"
Ji Xingzhi sponsored the area and often went to the countryside himself, but it was impossible without assistants to distribute rice, flour, oil, and grain. His company had a dedicated team for this. Besides Sister Fan, he wondered how many people Mingqiao could temporarily gather here.
"I just counted. Thirty-seven."
The village rooms were left for Ji Xingzhi and his family. The rest were paid to stay in hotels. The company would reimburse them anyway.
Fan Wenhua watched her company's boss with amusement. He reimbursed others for fancy hotels, yet he himself stayed in this small brick-and-tile room. This was the new house she planned to build for the child. It hadn't been plastered yet, with a layer of bare bricks exposed.
"You don't mind, do you?"
Ji Xingzhi shook his head. "How could I? The room is so clean and everything is complete." In such a short time, Sister Fan must have put a lot of effort into tidying it up.
"Besides, this house gives me a feeling of going back to my hometown."
Ji Xingzhi stuck his finger into a crevice between the bricks and picked out a small piece of cement.
Fan Wenhua: "..."
Xingzhi must have been a naughty kid in his childhood.
Ji Xingzhi didn't like sleeping in hotels because of poor soundproofing. In the early days, he had encountered robberies and theft. Though he didn't lose much, the constant disturbance was annoying. Hotels nowadays had much better security, but Ji Xingzhi had already formed a prejudice. And because of that, he had bought houses all over the country. So he had even less desire to sleep in a hotel.
Ji Xingzhi sank into his chair, tilting his head back as far as possible to look at the ceiling. Gradually, he heard rustling sounds and slowly woke up.
Bo Xin: "Did I wake you?"
Ji Xingzhi rubbed his head. "It's fine. My sleep quality is better than before anyway."
Bo Xin remembered that both Ji Xingzhi and Bo Yuxu were light sleepers—any little noise could startle them awake. But better sleep quality after the car accident?
You better make sure you didn't just pass out, Bo Xin thought, looking away silently.
Ji Xingzhi: "What's up? Do you have a plan?"
"It's still early. I want to go directly."
The sun was high, and the scenery down the mountain was beautiful. Bo Xin was in no mood to appreciate it, and thinking about the child ruined her mood even more. So she couldn't sit still.
Ji Xingzhi casually ran his fingers through his hair as a form of grooming. "I'll go with you."
Bo Xin had already planned to have Sister Fan's husband, Yang Hu, accompany them. He was a village cadre who frequently traveled back and forth and had once seen the child gathering firewood on a small path. He didn't remember the name, but he remembered the limp. He had wanted to help at the time, but was stopped.
Bo Xin frowned. Something didn't seem right. She set aside her doubts and focused on the present.
"Yanyi is asleep. Yuxu said he'll obediently follow you once you wake up."
Bo Xin's subtext was that he was in charge of watching the kids.
Ji Xingzhi pretended not to understand.
As for Yuxu's promise to 'obediently follow him,' Ji Xingzhi found it funny. "He's lying to you."
"What?"
"He's just waiting for you to leave so he can target me." Ji Xingzhi pointed at his own eyes, as if to say, 'My wise eyes have seen through everything.'
Bo Xin was silent for a moment. She thought that with him badmouthing the kid behind his back, it was no wonder the kid disliked him.
But she noticed that the two of them were butting heads again, even though their relationship had improved a lot. She cast a puzzled look at him, and Ji Xingzhi shook his head.
Ji Xingzhi had never understood children.
"I've learned one thing from recent events."
"What?"
Ji Xingzhi slung her equipment over his shoulder. "Probably it's called 'like repels like.'"
The more similar two personalities, the lower the chance of peaceful coexistence. And he and Yuxu were so alike.
No need for much discussion when changing plans. As soon as the couple walked out together, Sister Fan's husband, Yang Hu, obediently pushed his bicycle and left. They had been wondering why they hadn't asked for her husband's help earlier.
He described the location for them.
Ji Xingzhi nodded happily.