Yang Jian glanced at Wu Laizi without acknowledging him, instead facing the girl.
“Miss, call the police. Even if it’s entirely your fault, it wouldn’t amount to ten thousand yuan.”
“Even with full responsibility, it’s not ten thousand?”
The girl finally found someone to speak up for her, a flicker of hope in her eyes.
Yang Jian nodded. “I’m in construction. We often have workers with broken arms or legs. An X-ray at the hospital costs fifty to sixty yuan, and then the doctor setting the bone and applying a splint would be no more than two to three hundred yuan.
In such cases, there’s no need to stay in the hospital; recovery at home is sufficient. Occasional check-ups at the hospital would only cost a hundred yuan or so. Within two to three months, one can walk again.
Three months of lost wages, at a thousand yuan per month, would only be three thousand. This is because the monthly salary of ordinary factory workers and those in stable employment is around a thousand, not even as high as construction workers. Adding the so-called nutritional expenses, the total wouldn’t exceed five thousand yuan.”
Before the girl could react, someone nearby immediately chimed in, “Yes, this young man is right. Minor fractures don’t warrant such compensation.”
“Miss, call the police. The authorities will handle it fairly.”
Seeing more and more people siding with the girl, Wu Laizi’s eyes blazed with anger. His entire plan was in disarray, yet he felt no inclination to retaliate against Yang Jian.
However, the other young men clearly didn’t know Yang Jian. Seeing their scheme about to be foiled, they immediately surrounded him.
“Are you looking to die, you bastard? How dare you meddle in my business.”
The young man closest to Yang Jian made the first move, swinging his fist towards Yang Jian’s face.
Yang Jian didn’t even dodge. He reached out, grabbed the man’s wrist, and twisted it. The young man’s right arm instantly dislocated. Then, Yang Jian kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backward.
By this time, the other three had also charged forward. Yang Jian was faster than them. He moved in, delivering one punch and two kicks, and all three lay on the ground.
“Good, well fought.”
“Excellent skills, this young man is clearly trained.”
“Wow, his moves are so cool, and he’s handsome too, like a movie star.”
The onlookers cheered, including a few young girls. Wu Laizi stood aside, extremely awkward. These young men were his hired thugs, and he watched them get beaten without daring to intervene or even try to stop it.
The girl was a little excited. She wiped away her tears and took out her phone to call the police.
Yang Jian, however, stopped her. “Don’t rush. Let me see where this brother is injured.”
Those who have studied traditional martial arts generally understand the structure of the human skeleton and possess basic diagnostic skills and simple bone-setting techniques.
As Yang Jian squatted down to examine the injured man’s leg, the man who had been groaning on the ground suddenly jumped up, pushed through the crowd, and ran away.
“Damn it, so it was a scam.”
“Son of a bitch, what kind of people are out there these days? Young and capable, yet they resort to such crooked ways.”
“Exactly. If it weren’t for this young man today, this girl would have lost a large sum of money again.”
The crowd erupted in commotion, each person speaking with righteous indignation, completely forgetting that no one had stepped forward to speak up for the girl when she was being bullied, not even to help her call the police. Their indifference and detached attitude were chilling.
This outcome also caught Yang Jian by surprise. When he stood up, Wu Laizi had disappeared. The thugs lying on the ground had also gotten up and slipped into the crowd. They had encountered a tough opponent, and even Wu Laizi dared not provoke him, so how could they dare to fight back?
“Brother, thank you.”
The girl walked up to Yang Jian and bowed, a brilliant smile on her face.
Yang Jian looked a bit older due to months of exposure to the sun and wind on the construction site, so being called “brother” was normal. However, he felt the girl was around his own age.
Her radiant smile made his heart skip a beat. She was too beautiful. Her smile seemed to brighten the otherwise gloomy sky.
“Ah, it’s nothing, nothing. Be more careful when you ride next time.”
Yang Jian waved his hand and left the scene. He dared not look into the girl’s eyes, fearing he might fall for her.
The girl bowed again towards Yang Jian’s retreating back and then rode her scooter towards the teachers’ village.
Yang Jian got into his car and checked the time. It was already half-past eleven. Thinking that Lu Qian might be having lunch at home, he felt it would be awkward to go now. He decided to call first.
“Hello, Uncle Lu, hello.”
Yang Jian used to call him Chief Engineer Lu, but now, with the connection through Lu Feng, he naturally had to call him Uncle.
The voice on the other end was a bit hoarse. “Who is this?”
“Uncle Lu, it’s Yang Jian. I just returned from out of town and came to see you. I’m near the teachers’ village. Are you home?”
“Oh, you’re Yang Jian. I’m at the hospital now. Lu Feng’s mother is ill, and I’m taking care of her here.”
“Auntie is ill? Which hospital, which room?”
“People’s Hospital, third floor, room 308. Come over for a bit.”
Lu Qian knew Yang Jian was his son’s so-called master and wanted to talk to him.
Yang Jian immediately changed direction and headed for People’s Hospital.
Carrying a large bag of gifts, he pushed open the door to room 308 and found that Lu Qian looked much older than two years ago. His once jet-black hair had turned gray.
“Uncle, what happened to Auntie?”
Yang Jian placed the gifts on the bedside table and looked at Chen Lan, who was asleep in the hospital bed, an oxygen tube inserted into her nostril.
Lu Qian moved a stool for him. “Ever since Lu Feng had his accident, she fell ill. Her physical ailments aren’t very serious, but her spirit is broken. She doesn’t eat or sleep well, and her body can’t cope. She’s been here for a month.”
“Then aren’t you working?”
“How can I have the mind to work? Even Auntie has taken early retirement due to illness. If it weren’t for our daughter being here, I would have collapsed. Xiao Yang, do you have any news about Lu Feng?”
Lu Qian asked casually, without much expectation.
Yang Jian surveyed the hospital room. The other bed was empty, likely no one else would enter. He got up and closed the door, as the conversation that followed could not be overheard by outsiders.
“Uncle, Lu Feng has been with me all this time. He’s doing well, so don’t worry.”
As soon as Yang Jian finished speaking, Lu Qian shot up from his seat, and Chen Lan, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.
“Where is he now?”
“Xiao Feng is with you?”
The couple spoke simultaneously. Chen Lan’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Uncle and Auntie, please don’t get too emotional. After Lu Feng’s accident, he went directly to my place and has been working for me. That place is in the mountains, very safe. Because he was worried your phone might be monitored, he hasn’t dared to call you. He said he misses you very much.”
Before Yang Jian could finish speaking, Chen Lan had already burst into tears.