A good life starts with blind date

Chapter 289 The plane has arrived
After waiting for nearly half a year, Jiang Ning finally bought the plane.

Fly to Shanghai to check on the plane, and Kong Fangfei will come over to handle the handover.

I boarded the plane and took a look. It had a 13-seat layout, and the cabin's main color was off-white, without the dark colors that middle-aged and elderly people prefer. The right side of the front cabin had club seats, while the left side had single seats. It didn't use traditional airline seats.

In the middle is a private room with a bar counter.

There are two sofa beds in the back, for sleeping on long-haul flights.

Kong Fangfei asked, "Boss, should we recruit the crew ourselves, or should the airline arrange it?"

Jiang Ning asked, "What's the difference?"

Kong Fangfei said, "If you hire them yourself, you can hire whatever kind you want, and you'll have to pay for their salaries yourself. If the airline arranges them, the airline will pay for the crew's salaries. Of course, you'll still have to pay for it, but it will save you trouble."

Jiang Ning didn't have any special requests: "Let the airline arrange it!"

Kong Fangfei said, "The airline has provided a list of candidates; you can choose one yourself!"

So they went to the airline to select flight crew members.

The staff brought over a list with several candidates for captain and first officer, as well as a dozen or so flight attendants. After a brief introduction, they asked, "Sir, would you like to have an interview in person? If so, we can arrange one."

"No need to bother."

Jiang Ning randomly picked four, pointed at the flight attendants, and asked, "Are these my relatives?"

The staff couldn't help but laugh: "It's quite a coincidence, isn't it!"

Jiang Ning said, "Then these will do!"

"Ok!"

The staff member agreed and then asked, "When do you have time so I can arrange for a crew member to meet with you?"

Jiang Ning checked the time and thought for a moment: "Two hours from now, I'm having dinner with your big boss tonight. I'm flying to western Shandong tomorrow, so could you please help me with my itinerary?"

"Ok!"

The staff member should leave.

Two hours later, we were still in a hotel suite.

All four crew members have arrived.

In addition to the captain and first officer, there is also a flight attendant and a maintenance worker.

Captain Liu Jun, 35 years old, and First Officer Chen Qi, 31 years old.

Aircraft mechanic Zhao Xiaodan is a 33-year-old woman.

Women hold up half the sky, and women can even repair airplanes.

Flight attendant Jiang Wen is the youngest of the four crew members, at 28 years old. With three years of experience flying business jets, she is both a flight attendant and an aircraft concierge, taking on the role of secretary in addition to her daily flight attendant duties.

She was responsible for arranging flight routes, itineraries, and daily in-flight purchases.

Fluent in English, Japanese, and five other foreign languages, capable of daily communication.

It's a waste for someone with such talent to be a flight attendant.

You should go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

After chatting for a few minutes, Kong Fangfei glanced at the time and reminded herself.

It's dinnertime.

Jiang Ning got up and went downstairs to have dinner with the airline's boss.

Kong Fangfei went with them, and the airline boss also brought his office director.

The next day.

Kong Fangfei flew to the provincial capital, and Jiang Ning flew to western Shandong.

There was nothing going on the plane; the maintenance crew couldn't see it and didn't know where they were hiding.

Jiang Ning chatted with Jiang Wen for a few minutes.

"Your surname is Jiang, aren't we from the same clan?"

"It's an honor, maybe!"

"Don't be shy, let's chat casually."

"Ok."

Are there many people with the surname Jiang in Fujian?

"There are quite a few; our whole village is surnamed Jiang."

"Are you from the countryside?"

"Yes, but I live in the city now, and I haven't been to the countryside many times."

"Is your branch a descendant of Jiang Wei?"

"Yes, I heard from the elders that our ancestor was Jiang Gongfu, who was also a descendant of Jiang Wei."

"They really are from the same clan!"

Jiang Ning was surprised. Of course he knew Jiang Gongfu; he was a prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and a descendant of Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wen was also surprised: "Are you from Jicheng?"

Jiang Ning asked curiously, "You know about the Jiang family in Jicheng?"

Jiang Wen nodded and said, "I've heard from my elders that Jicheng is the ancestral home of the Jiang family."

Jiang Ning said, "My family is not from Jicheng, but my great-grandfather came from Jicheng. During the chaotic times, when we couldn't get enough to eat, he went to Bei'an County in Hebei Province and settled down. Now we still have contact with our relatives in Jicheng."

Jiang Wen felt that fate was too wonderful.

Actually, I received a notification yesterday that the owner of the new service also has the surname Jiang.

It felt quite amazing.

I never expected we were actually from the same family!

The key point is that she's so young, and looks about the same age as me.

I've seen plenty of bosses who buy airplanes, but this is the first time I've seen one so young.

I'm very curious about what this relative does.

But we're not familiar with each other yet, so it's not appropriate to ask.

We chatted all the way until we arrived at our destination.

Feng Yu and a girl arrived at the airport in a car to pick them up.

The car was rented, and the girl was an employee of the foundation.

Let me introduce her. Her name is Wang Ting, and she flew in from Hangzhou.

Both of them arrived yesterday, intending to investigate the actual situation of the people to be rescued.

Charitable foundations are meant to do good deeds, but these days even good deeds are difficult to do, with countless schemes and tricks. Some scammers will stop at nothing to swindle money, so it's essential to conduct a thorough investigation and only provide assistance after confirming the facts.

We didn't go into the city; we went straight to the county.

We arrived at the hotel and settled in.

Jiang Ningcai asked Feng Yu, "Why didn't you rent a better car?"

Feng Yu said, "Anything that can get me around is fine, why would I need to rent something so nice!"

Jiang Ning complained, "That car is so small, I can't even stretch my legs out in the back. I'm leaving, I'll find a better one."

Feng Yu was speechless: "We've already agreed on everything, how can we possibly return the car?" "I'll explain!"

Jiang Ning really didn't want to ride in that car; it was too small and cramped.

I called the car owner and returned the car.

Then they made a few more phone calls and found an SUV.

Feng Yu asked him, "Can the plane you bought fly yet?"

"It can fly now."

Jiang Ning said, "This trip was made on our plane. You'll see it when we get back to Bei'an."

Feng Yu asked, "Is that flight attendant surnamed Jiang you mentioned related to you?"

"It's from the same clan!"

Jiang Ning said, "Her ancestor was Jiang Gongfu, and tracing back further, he shares the same ancestor as our family."

Feng Yu felt a sense of wonder: "Fate is truly amazing."

After lunch, we went to the countryside for an inspection.

Jiang Ning also looked at the documents on the way.

The person to be helped was found by Lao Lu. The girl was eight years old. Her father had died, her mother had run away, and her grandmother had also died. She lived with her grandfather, who had difficulty moving around. She had never been to school and was in a very bad situation.

The further you go into the mountains, the more dilapidated the villages become.

Jiang Ning remembered something: "Shouldn't we contact the local civil affairs bureau for this kind of thing?"

Feng Yu said, "Let's not contact each other yet. We'll contact you after we've completed our investigation and are sure we want to provide assistance."

"Afraid that someone might cheat?"

"Yes, there are quite a few people who pretend to be poor to scam money these days, and there are also those who fake illness to scam money through crowdfunding."

Jiang Ning clicked her tongue twice. What's wrong with this society?

The off-road vehicle traveled more than 30 kilometers before arriving at a dilapidated village.

I first inquired around the village, and the situation was confirmed to be true.

Then we arrived at a dilapidated courtyard.

Land is scarce in the mountains, so a vegetable garden was cultivated on the slope in front of the entrance.

There weren't many vegetables left in October, only some leftover radishes.

A little girl, dressed in tattered clothes and looking only six or seven years old, was pulling radishes in the field. There was a basket next to her. She would shake the radishes to get rid of the dirt, and then put them back into the basket.

Feng Yu and Wang Ting went forward to talk to them.

Jiang Ning just watched without saying a word.

He was just there to join in the fun and keep his wife company.

The two women exchanged a few words with the little girl and then asked her to take her to see her grandfather.

Upon entering the courtyard, an old man sat on a small stool, beating a bundle of straw.

I don't know what I'm doing.

It looks like a traditional rural broom.

There was a cane next to him, which clearly indicated that the old man had difficulty walking.

You can't tell her age; at first glance, she looks to be in her fifties or sixties.

But his face was full of wrinkles and his complexion was so dark it was almost as dark as a black guy's.

It makes it impossible to determine their age.

The old man was thin and small, wearing a cotton-padded jacket even in the sweltering heat.

The two women introduced themselves and explained their purpose.

After chatting for a while, I learned that the old man's name was Li Jicai and his granddaughter was Li Meiling.

The old man's name was well chosen, but unfortunately it was chosen backwards.

The little girl was quite sensible. At her grandfather's instruction, she brought three small, dark wooden stools for the three of them and poured them a cup of tea. When Jiang Ning took the cup, she noticed the calluses and chilblains on the little girl's hands.

Her face was dark reddish-brown and very rough.

It's like suede.

Jiang Ning didn't feel anything; he had seen too much suffering.

Feng Yu and Wang Ting felt a lump in their throats as they watched, unable to bear such human tragedy.

I asked about their family situation.

Feng Yu asked, "Grandpa, doesn't the county care about your situation?"

The old man said slowly, "It's managed. The county has waived the cooperative medical care fee, so I don't have to pay anymore. I also receive a minimum living allowance, and the Civil Affairs Bureau gives me oil and flour during holidays and helps me with laundry and cooking."

How much is the minimum living allowance per month?

"More than three hundred."

"Is it enough?"

"We have enough to eat, but money is worthless these days and doesn't last long."

What will happen to my child if they stop going to school?

"It's my fault for dragging the girl down."

"Where is your uncle? Why doesn't he take care of you in your old age?"

"The second son is also having a hard time."

The old man seemed unwilling to discuss this topic further.

They chatted for half an hour before leaving.

The old man had difficulty moving around, so his granddaughter escorted him out.

The little girl is too young to understand anything.

When Feng Yu and Wang Ting waved goodbye to her, the little girl's face was blank.

It's no wonder the two women felt so bad watching this.

Jiang Ning was also somewhat moved. He was burdened with the weight of life at the age of eight. Although he was not rich when he was young, at least he was able to eat and dress warmly and did not have to bear responsibilities that did not belong to him before adulthood.

"What should we do now!"

Feng Yu was a little worried: "The old man has problems with his legs and can't take care of himself. Giving money won't solve the problem. The young girl has to stay at home to take care of her grandfather and can't go to school. Sigh!"

Wang Ting said, "That old man has another son who doesn't care about his father. If his younger son could take care of his father, the little girl could go to school."

Feng Yu thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we go and ask what the reason is, and see if we can do something about it?"

Jiang Ning felt something was off and quickly interrupted, "Stop, stop, stop! Are you here to help the poor or to solve their household problems?"

Feng Yu slapped his forehead: "That's right. Even an upright official can't settle family disputes. There are plenty of people who are unfilial to their elders. We can't interfere with these kinds of things. It's just a pity for that child. What will happen to him if he doesn't go to school?"

Wang Ting changed the subject: "We need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau."

Feng Yu nodded and went to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

(End of this chapter)