The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 467 Village Trivia
Zhao Xiaochui carefully examined the middle-aged man's file, her brows furrowing slightly.

He is from Taiwan and is an actuary with the triple crown certifications of FSA, FFA, and FIAA. There are only a handful of such talents in the world.

His lack of reputation in the industry is not due to a lack of ability, but rather because he operates independently and is not affiliated with any institution. His services are clearly priced, much like an academic mercenary who takes on suitable cases and leaves once completed.

His appearance in Beijing this time was because he had simultaneously taken on four business deals from Baidu, Fantasy, Ugly Donkey, and Wheat.

Back-end information showed that the quotes for these four services were so low they were practically favors, less than half of his usual fees. But what was most perplexing was that he managed to complete all the complex tasks from these four major companies in just one day – an astonishingly high efficiency!
The efficiency of operating four giant companies is ridiculous, even for a top actuary.

Zhao Xiaochui raised an eyebrow, suppressed his doubts, and continued reading.

The man arrived in Shijiazhuang yesterday morning. After getting off the train, he went straight to a logistics park in the suburbs and completed a commission in just ten minutes... However, the hotel check-in information showed that he had booked a room for four whole days in advance.

ten minutes……

Zhao Xiaochui looked at his phone and slowly raised his right hand.

热流
Thumb kneading method

督脉
Baihui acupoint...

A moment later, Zhao Xiaochui, his mind clear, released his right hand.

"Ten minutes? You're kidding me!"

Zhao Xiaochui looked at the record on the screen and couldn't help but chuckle.

He knew all too well how terrifying the mental strain was to precisely calculate that series of butterfly effects that could lead to fatal accidents!
Let alone ten minutes, even if this man's brain were completely intact, it wouldn't be enough to just sort out all that complex logistics data and ledgers! Not to mention his brain is clearly damaged…

and so……

Zhao Xiaochui narrowed his eyes: "After all this trouble, what exactly are you trying to achieve?"

He looked up in the direction of Shijiazhuang, a cold smile playing on his lips, and casually put his phone back in his pocket.

"If I can't figure it out, then I won't." He muttered to himself, "Anyway... I have plenty of patience to play along with you."

……

After tidying himself up, Zhao Xiaochui pushed open the door to the side room, and it was already broad daylight.

However, when he saw the scene in the yard, he froze at the doorway, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg! The once spacious farmhouse yard was now piled high with all sorts of things.

Yuanshi Red Fuji apples and Yincun donkey meat gift boxes were piled up like small mountains, while fried dough sticks and twisted dough sticks made by the villagers themselves, as well as a pot of freshly made, steaming donkey meat sandwiches, filled the stone mill...

The gifts filling the courtyard left Zhao Xiaochui bewildered. He looked around blankly, somewhat at a loss.

Until he caught a glimpse of a small head peeking out from the crack in the main room door. It was the little girl who had led the way yesterday, blinking her big eyes and secretly watching him.

Zhao Xiaochui quickly waved to her and asked in a low voice:

"Where is your grandpa?"

The girl was about seventeen years old, with a rather thin frame and a fair complexion.

Her parents worked away from home year-round, and since she wasn't very good at studying, she stayed at home and learned the family's traditional pancake-making skills from her grandfather.

She seemed a little embarrassed when she spoke to Zhao Xiaochui, her fingers unconsciously undoing and re-braiding her slightly yellowish braid, going back and forth endlessly. Through the girl's shy and hesitant narration, Zhao Xiaochui pieced together the outline of the story.

It turns out my own live stream went viral!

After fermenting overnight, it spread like a virus.

That night, internet traffic surged to this once-obscure northern village.

Before dawn, local transportation authorities detected an abnormal surge in traffic on the road leading to Zhangye Village. Awakened from their sleep, county leaders decisively issued an order—an emergency mobilization to immediately open an extra market!
Thus, in the pre-dawn chill, the entire village of Zhangye was quickly awakened. The villagers prepared goods overnight, and promotional materials and signs from the Culture and Tourism Bureau were swiftly delivered and arranged.

So when Zhao Xiaochui pushed open the door, he saw a courtyard piled high with thank-you gifts.

Looking at the gifts scattered all over the yard, Zhao Xiaochui grinned, his initial embarrassment instantly vanishing. He casually sat down on a stone bench in the yard and waved to the little girl beside him: "Come on, eat it while it's hot!"

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed a still-hot donkey meat sandwich, stuffed it into his mouth and took a big bite, then pushed the plate of fried dough sticks and twisted dough sticks toward the little girl.

The little girl looked at the table full of food, but her face showed a troubled expression. She hesitated and pointed to the breakfast, explaining to Zhao Xiaochui that an elderly lady living alone lived next door. Because the market came so suddenly, she and her grandfather had been busy all night and hadn't had time to bring breakfast to the old lady.

This simple request made Zhao Xiaochui pause in his act of stuffing a baked bun into his mouth.

Without saying a word, he picked up a large plate of fried dough sticks and several donkey meat sandwiches and stuffed them into the little girl's hands: "Take them over quickly."

The little girl carried her food and ran to the next room.

While we were eating, we heard the old lady's unreasonable complaints coming from next door.

Not long after, the young girl returned. From her, Zhao Xiaochui learned that the old lady had lost her husband and son early in life, and her daughter-in-law had also run away.

Now, it has been four years since she last saw her beloved granddaughter whom she raised.

The old lady's days are numbered.

Who knows, one day she might not be able to see her granddaughter one last time, not be able to caress her granddaughter one last time, not be able to silently watch her granddaughter's beautiful yellow hair one last time.

For several years, the old lady's living expenses were sent to her by her granddaughter, but the granddaughter often missed sending them. Whenever she missed sending, no one knew how the old lady managed to survive.

"She wanted to see the orchard again..."

The little girl's name was He Lu, Yuan He Lu. She whispered this to Zhao Xiao Chui after breakfast.

"Then let's take her there," Zhao Xiaochui said casually, chewing on his roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

He Lu lowered her head sadly: "I can't lift her up, and Grandpa is at the market."

Zhao Xiaochui remained silent for a moment, then swallowed three roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwiches) in succession before finally standing up: "Let's go."

He followed He Lu to the door next door...

……

It took the old lady a long time to get dressed.

She put on an old, thick woolen coat, wrapped a thick old headscarf around her neck, and with trembling hands, tightly gripped Zhao Xiaochui's arm as she slowly moved down the steps of the main room.

(End of this chapter)