Ch 8: The Unfilial Children Trembles in Fear (QT)

The bridge had collapsed. People trying to travel could not cross the river. Broken pieces had been swept away by the water, and some people were trapped underneath.

When it was first discovered, the person in charge had not taken it too seriously and had only called nearby villagers to help. Who would have known that the wind and rain would grow stronger and stronger? Many people were injured, and someone even fell into the river. Now they had to rescue people too, and the matter had blown up.

The mayor happened to be handling business nearby and had planned to stay the night. The moment he heard something had happened, he immediately went to the scene to direct operations. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Only then did the disaster relief begin in an orderly fashion, and he notified Xiao Zhang to deliver supplies.

The mayor glanced at his watch.

“How long until Xiao Zhang arrives?”

The mayor’s secretary estimated.

“At least another ten minutes. But Mayor, we should make another plan too. The weather is terrible. If the truck breaks down or something else happens, Xiao Zhang won’t be able to arrive in time.”

The mayor nodded.

“Then find the nearest households and discuss temporarily requisitioning their houses. We’ll think of a way to transfer everyone there…”

Suddenly, the sound of a vehicle came from not far away.

The two exchanged a look and quickly walked over.

They saw the familiar truck stop in front of them, and Yun Xi jumped down from the driver’s seat.

???

The mayor and his secretary were both stunned. They looked at her, then at the truck.

“Aunt Li? Why is it you?”

Yun Xi smiled brightly.

“This is what they call training troops for a thousand days to use them for one moment. Xiao Zhang was too anxious and accidentally fell. Driving like that would be dangerous, wouldn’t it? So I snatched the job and covered his shift for a day.

How’s everything here? I didn’t delay anything, did I?”

“No. You arrived even earlier than I expected.”

The mayor’s secretary hurriedly called people over to unload the goods from the truck. Then he saw that Yun Xi’s hands were covered in grime, and even the front of her clothes was black.

“Aunt Li, how did you get like this?”

Yun Xi glanced down and said casually,

“It’s nothing. The truck stalled halfway here, so I fixed it. I was in a hurry, and it was dark, so I got dirty. I’ll wash up after things are handled.”

“You can repair vehicles too?”

The mayor wondered if he was dreaming.

That countryside old woman he had met back then not only knew how to drive a large truck, she could even repair one?

Yun Xi said as though it were perfectly natural,

“Xiao Zhang taught me well. I’ve been watching him for more than a month. How could I still not know?”

She looked around.

“Is there anything else we need to do here? I’m strong. Assign me whatever task you need.”

The mayor’s original plan had been to arrange the injured properly while carrying out disaster relief, then send them to the hospital after dawn. Going in the middle of the night was too risky.

But now, seeing how well Yun Xi drove, he considered it and simply had people carry the injured onto the truck, shelter them from the rain, and let Yun Xi take them to the hospital.

Yun Xi accepted the task and immediately went to help carry the injured.

She was very strong, and when she walked, she was especially steady and did not slip.

With her joining in, everyone moved quickly.

The others did not know her situation. They were only a little surprised that this older woman was the driver. They did not know she was covering someone’s shift, nor that this was her first time driving.

So no one worried.

They all thanked her.

Once the truck was full of people, Yun Xi called out to the mayor and drove away.

The mayor’s secretary hesitated, then asked the mayor,

“…Will this really be all right? If something happens, it’ll be over.”

The mayor thought of how Yun Xi had dealt with the criminal back then and saved his family. Then he thought of how hard Yun Xi had studied during this period, even learning to drive and repair vehicles.

With his hands behind his back, he said,

“I believe her.

There is something about her that makes people feel convinced and reassured.

I always feel that if she cannot do something, she simply won’t agree to it. But once she agrees, she can do it well.”

That was extremely high praise.

At least in all the years the mayor’s secretary had followed the mayor, he had never heard him praise anyone like this.

But when he thought about how Yun Xi often came to ask him about Russian, and how in such a short time she had already learned simple basic conversations, she truly was a capable person.

The mayor’s secretary settled down, though he silently prayed that everything would go smoothly for Yun Xi.

If she could really complete the task this time, then in the future, everyone at the city government would give her a thumbs-up!

Yun Xi did more than complete the task.

She completed it beautifully.

Halfway there, someone in the back of the truck started banging on the vehicle and shouting. She stopped and checked. Someone had gone into shock, and the wound kept bleeding.

They were all countryside people and did not know what to do, so they panicked and asked her for help.

Yun Xi looked over the situation, tore the sleeve off her own clothing, and quickly bandaged the wound to stop the bleeding. Then she took a cup of hot water from Xiao Zhang’s things in the truck and asked someone to help keep the injured person warm.

Seeing how calm she was, everyone else calmed down too and was not as panicked.

Another person spoke up and said his arm was dislocated, asking if Yun Xi could help put it back.

Yun Xi felt it twice, then casually lifted his arm and restored it.

The man moved his arm and immediately thanked her.

This greatly increased everyone’s trust in Yun Xi.

They all listened to her and cared for one another, allowing Yun Xi to focus on driving.

Yun Xi sped up.

The moment they reached the hospital, she picked up the injured person in shock and rushed inside, sending him into the emergency room in time. He was successfully revived.

The doctor said hemorrhagic shock was very serious. Under such harsh conditions, if he had arrived even a little later, his organs might have failed. By then, whether he could be saved would have been uncertain.

After the injured person woke, he kept holding Yun Xi’s hand and said fearfully,

“Thank you, elder sister. You saved my life. Thank you so much…”

Yun Xi waved her hand.

“Thank our mayor. He was the one who arrived in time and saved everyone. I was only following his arrangements. We have a good mayor.”

“Yes, yes, yes. The mayor really is a good person. If not for him today, who knows what would have happened to us? But elder sister, you’re a good person too. A truly good person!”

Yun Xi stayed with the dozen or so people as they received treatment, comforted them, arranged their beds, and, after asking the doctor, bought food for them so they could eat their fill and sleep.

These people had suffered an undeserved disaster. It was the initial person in charge’s mistake that had harmed them, so they were full of resentment.

But after Yun Xi’s efforts to soothe them, their resentment turned into gratitude toward the mayor.

They clearly understood that the incident was entirely the fault of that person in charge and had nothing to do with anyone else. In particular, it had nothing to do with the government. The mayor was very good.

This was very important.

In this era, good news did not travel beyond the gate, but bad news spread a thousand li.

If this matter was handled poorly, it could easily turn into rumors that officials did not treat ordinary people’s lives as lives, that they made careless arrangements without any measures and caused the people to get injured and nearly die.

Once such rumors spread, they would naturally become distorted.

In the end, it would affect the reputations of both the city government and the mayor. That would not be good for the city.

It could be said that Yun Xi had helped the mayor with crisis management.

The term did not exist yet, but the mayor understood such matters perfectly well.

After he went to the hospital the next day to visit the injured and understand the situation, his feelings toward Yun Xi included not only admiration but also gratitude.

The follow-up matters were left to the mayor’s secretary to arrange. Compensation would be paid where it should be paid. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Accountability would be pursued where it should be pursued.

As for the mayor, he rode back to the city government in the truck driven by Yun Xi.

“They’re back! They’re back!”

“Quick, look! Is Sister Li still the one driving?”

“It’s her! Look, isn’t that the mayor in the passenger seat?”

“Aiyo, even the mayor dares sit in the truck Sister Li is driving. Sister Li must drive really well!”

“Sister Li is amazing. I thought she just liked vehicles and enjoyed following Xiao Zhang around to watch the novelty. Who would’ve known she actually learned how? Amazing!”

The rain gradually stopped.

When a group of people heard the commotion, they ran out to look.

Seeing that the mayor was also in the truck, even more people gathered around.

The two got out.

Someone called loudly,

“Sister Li, are you all right? Did you really drive outside the city?”

The mayor smiled and said,

“Sister Li drives very well. She’s no worse than Xiao Zhang.

When the truck stalled and broke down on the road, Sister Li repaired it alone.

Not only did Sister Li deliver the supplies ahead of time, she also transported the injured to the hospital overnight for timely treatment, preventing a tragedy from happening.

She made a tremendous contribution to this collapsed bridge incident.

Sister Li has joined our city government family for less than three months, yet she has already learned so many things and can independently complete tasks outstandingly. This shows how exceptional Sister Li herself is.

Everyone, give her a round of applause!”

Everyone immediately applauded Yun Xi.

The people from the Logistics Department who were closest to Yun Xi clapped especially hard, their faces filled with proud smiles.

The mayor continued,

“From now on, Sister Li will hold two positions. In addition to her role in the Logistics Department, she will also serve as a driver, alternating shifts with Xiao Zhang.”

Yun Xi was not especially concerned about praise, but she was delighted that she had gained another position and could drive freely.

She immediately smiled.

“Thank you, Mayor! I’ll definitely work hard and won’t embarrass our city government!”

Yun Xi’s words often made people feel that the city government was one big family, and she had already completely treated the city government as her home.

The mayor then announced Yun Xi’s reward for this incident.

She would be named an Outstanding Employee and rewarded with a bicycle.

Only then was the matter concluded.

Everyone cheered again.

To everyone, this was encouragement from leadership, proof that leaders could see everyone’s efforts.

As long as they worked earnestly and diligently, they could receive rewards.

Everyone envied Yun Xi.

From now on, she could receive two salaries and had even gotten a bicycle.

But no one was jealous.

Because she had braved such heavy wind and rain to drive so far and transported an injured person who had nearly died.

If that task had been given to them, they would not have dared to do it.

Yun Xi deserved this reward.

So everyone was happy for Yun Xi.

Yun Xi was generous too. She went back to her dormitory, brought out candy, and handed several pieces to each person.

Afterward, she changed clothes and went to Xiao Zhang’s dormitory. She did not forget to bring two cans of meat and canned yellow peaches.

When Xiao Zhang saw her, he smiled.

“Sister Li, it’s good that you’re all right. I heard from the others that the mayor values you a lot. Congratulations.”

Yun Xi smiled and asked how his leg was.

Xiao Zhang touched the cast on his leg.

“It was a little displaced. The doctor corrected it and said that within one month, it’s best for me to stay in bed and not move this leg. After that, if the follow-up check shows it’s healing well, I can move around a little.”

Yun Xi nodded.

After asking after him a bit more, she said,

“Xiao Zhang, I learned to drive from you, but it wasn’t because I wanted to steal your work…”

“Sister Li,” Xiao Zhang interrupted before she could finish, “I understand. We’re so familiar with each other now, so don’t say such distant things.

This time, you helped me tremendously.

If it hadn’t been for you, maybe my leg would have been ruined, or maybe both I and the truck would have gotten into an accident. No matter what, I would have lost my job.

And my leg needs to recover. They say injuries to the muscles and bones take a hundred days. If I can’t drive for so long, by the time I recover, I might have lost my job already.

When I heard that you would also be serving as a driver, I truly breathed a sigh of relief.”

He said seriously,

“Sister Li, you braved the wind and rain to drive in order to help me. I’ll remember that.

When I’m better, I’ll definitely teach you everything I know. I won’t keep anything hidden.

If there’s something I don’t know, I can help ask around for you too.

From now on, we’re on the same side.

I’ll remember this friendship for the rest of my life!”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Good. Then I won’t say any polite nonsense either. From now on, we’ll help each other and live better and better!”

After this incident, Yun Xi gained a new identity at the city government.

The name “Sister Li” also became a sincere term of respect from everyone.

Many people admired her from the bottom of their hearts.

Her popularity became even better, and her days became even more comfortable.

Soon, drivers and workers from other factories also heard about this matter and were all shocked.

What?

A forty-five-year-old countryside old woman had actually learned to drive so easily?

Even veteran drivers like them did not dare guarantee they could deliver goods in the dark through wind and rain without incident.

Who exactly was she?

If they had the chance, they had to meet her!

Unknowingly, the name Li Yunxi had already been remembered by many people.

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