Chapter 434: Such an Ending

Chapter 434 Such an Ending

Hao Chengbing didn’t notice anything, thinking the other person was just passing by.

Yu Gang had a bad feeling.

Watching Hao Chengbing push Hao Yanyan away, he didn’t seem like a bad guy either.

It wasn’t until Hao Yanyan left that Yu Gang snapped back to reality.

He’d memorized the address Hao Yanyan gave him, but he didn’t go to meet her at ten the next day like she’d asked.

Instead, he first went to find Ye Changning and filled him in on what happened.

Ye Changning stayed quiet.

“What’s the deal? Spit it out,” Yu Gang pressed.

Seeing Ye Changning’s reaction, Yu Gang realized he already knew about Hao Yanyan’s situation.

Ye Changning sighed. “Gangzi, you’re family, so I’ll level with you. Yan Yan’s not the girl we knew.”

Ye Changning then told Yu Gang about everything that had happened after Hao Yanyan left home.

“She’s still Hao Yanyan, but she’s not my sister anymore.”

After hearing this, Yu Gang was at a loss for words.

Ye Changning shared these details to help Yu Gang get the full story and keep from getting played.

Yu Gang asked, “Should I still go see Yan Yan tomorrow?”

Ye Changning shook his head. “If you want to catch up, sure, go. But if she asks you for anything, think twice.”

Hao Yanyan had previously been involved in stealing company goods, so you gotta be careful.

“Is the man with her her father?”

Ye Changning nodded. “Sounds like him from what you said. He’s been taking care of her since she got hurt.”

Recalling what he had seen earlier, Yu Gang noted that while Hao Yanyan looked frail, she wasn’t in any real trouble.

“In that case… I won’t go.”

Best not to stir up trouble. After learning that Hao Yanyan had colluded with insiders to cause significant losses for Ningyuan Company, Yu Gang wasn’t so eager anymore.

Ye Changning patted Yu Gang’s shoulder. “Hao Chengbing’s just trying to get her out of town. Relax.”

Ye Changning knew why Hao Chengbing was in a hurry to leave—it was because the Zhai family had made a move.

But no matter how down-and-out Hao Chengbing was, he wouldn’t harm Hao Yanyan.

Hao Yanyan’s current desperation for help suggested she might be planning something shady.

And so, Yu Gang didn’t keep his appointment with Hao Yanyan.

The next day, Hao Yanyan deliberately sent Hao Chengbing away, waiting for Yu Gang to show up.

But no matter how long she waited, Yu Gang never showed.

Hao Yanyan couldn’t walk far, so she had no choice but to go along with Hao Chengbing’s plans.

Though she didn’t want to, Hao Yanyan boarded the train bound for the small county.

Watching the scenery flash by outside the window, a tear slipped down Hao Yanyan’s cheek.

...

Ye Xiaoxiao’s garden vegetables had finally come up.

Mayor Cao came back for another checkup, and Ye Xiaoxiao tweaked the prescription for his symptoms, adding 25g each of raw os draconis and raw oyster shell, along with 15g of moutan bark to the original formula.

Cao Zeming carefully tucked away the prescription, gazing at Ye Xiaoxiao like she was a miracle worker.

Ye Xiaoxiao said to Cao Zeming, "Take this prescription for another two weeks, and your insomnia should clear up completely."

Cao Zeming replied, "Thank you, Dr. Ye. We agreed on a fee—I won’t shortchange you."

Cao Zeming wanted to pay Ye Xiaoxiao, but money wasn’t what she wanted.

"Mayor Cao, I don’t want money. If it’s convenient for you, just get me a couple of baby chicks."

Ye Xiaoxiao had taken a liking to farm life.

If she could grow vegetables, a few chicks would be no trouble.

Cao Zeming blinked in surprise at her request but soon realized she simply wanted to raise some poultry.

"Don’t worry, Dr. Ye. I’ll handle it."

After leaving the island, Cao Zeming had someone send twenty chickens and twenty ducks over to the island.

He put his secretary in charge of it.

Upon hearing the mayor’s instructions, the secretary felt compelled to advise, "Mayor, I think Dr. Ye just wants chickens for fun. Look at her yard and home—there’s nothing there. If we dump a bunch of chickens on her, what’ll she feed them with?"

Cao Zeming replied, "She only asked for two chicks, but if I only send two, wouldn’t that look cheap?"

After some thought, the secretary suggested, "How about sending ten four-month-old pullets? Newborn ones might not survive. And we should also send enough feed. Better to keep things simple so they can be properly cared for."

The secretary had thought it through. With this reminder, Cao Zeming realized his initial plan was too simplistic.

"Then do as you suggest."

Since she had cured his insomnia, he’d gladly pay whatever it took.

Chickens were nothing—he’d have given her ostriches if she’d wanted.

The secretary acted quickly, and Ye Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened at the sight of ten plump chickens.

"So many chickens!"

But these weren’t the fluffy little chicks she’d pictured.

"Yes, there are eight hens and two roosters here, along with the feed Mayor Cao instructed us to deliver."

They unloaded sack after sack of feed from the vehicle—enough to last the chickens a year.

"Please thank Mayor Cao for me," Ye Xiaoxiao said gratefully, then added to the secretary, "And thank you for your hard work."

The secretary quickly replied, "No problem at all, just doing my job."

Now that everything was delivered, it was time for him to leave.

Ye Xiaoxiao saw him off at the door, genuinely grateful.

It hadn't even crossed her mind to consider the issue of chicken feed before.

Although there was some bran on the island that could serve as feed, getting some now wouldn't have been as easy.

Back in the yard, Ye Xiaoxiao opened the wooden crate containing the chickens.

The secretary had mentioned that keeping the chickens cooped up in the crate for too long could suffocate them.

As soon as she lifted the lid, the chickens went flying out in all directions.

Several of them made a beeline for her vegetable patch.

Ye Xiaoxiao frantically tried to stop them from running wild, especially from pecking at her vegetables.

After what felt like forever, she finally managed to round up all ten chickens temporarily into the woodshed in the yard.

When Lu Hanchuan returned home, all he heard was the clucking in the yard but saw no sign of the chickens.

"Whose chickens got loose over here?"

Ye Xiaoxiao plopped down onto the leather sofa in the living room. "Ours. I asked Mayor Cao for them."

She was having second thoughts about trading medical fees for chickens.

She had absolutely no experience raising them.

"What made you suddenly decide to raise chickens?" Lu Hanchuan didn’t mind—it made the place feel more lively.

"I wanted them for eggs, but I forgot to build a coop first. Now I have to keep them all in the woodshed, or my tender greens will be ruined."

Ye Xiaoxiao had certainly gotten her workout in for the day.

Chasing chickens around the yard had turned into an all-out battle to protect her vegetable garden.

Lu Hanchuan laughed at Xiao Xiao's predicament. "Tomorrow, I’ll build a proper coop in the yard with some wooden stakes. And about the greens—weren't you craving hotpot? I’ll bring a pot and charcoal back tomorrow."

Ye Xiaoxiao immediately perked up. "Really? Then I’ll run down to Hai Yan's store early tomorrow to see what ingredients they have for hotpot. I’ll grab plenty."