Chapter 10

Just as Zhao Yong and his group were planning to "borrow" money from Xiao Ping, he had already arrived at the Garden Hotel. Sun Lin, following the usual routine, bought 300 kilograms of vegetables and, as promised, introduced several colleagues to Xiao Ping. These people were either head chefs at large hotels or in charge of purchasing ingredients, all of whom could be considered professionals. They all knew the reason why Sun Lin's dish was so popular, and without hesitation, they bought the vegetables. The remaining vegetables were quickly divided among them.

Everyone was optimistic about Xiao Ping, who could grow such high-quality vegetables, and they exchanged contact information with him. When Xiao Ping left the Garden Hotel, his pockets contained not only over 30,000 yuan but also several business cards from head chefs and purchasing agents at large hotels. While 30,000 yuan was a significant amount for Xiao Ping, he valued the business cards even more. This indicated that he had started to enter this circle, which would undoubtedly be very helpful for his future development.

Recalling how the chefs had vied to buy his vegetables, even arguing over them, Xiao Ping realized that he had grown too little. Now, he faced the problem of supply falling short of demand, and the only solution was to expand his operation. However, the space in the urban village was limited, so Xiao Ping had to find another place to develop.

Another factor constraining Xiao Ping's development was the supply of spirit liquid. This problem was not difficult to solve; as long as he was willing to spend money, he could buy enough jade for the Spirit Pot to absorb.

Without even having a chance to enjoy his earnings, Xiao Ping headed straight for the antique market. He toured a few stalls selling jade materials and soon had a large bag of jade in his hands. The jade sellers, seeing Xiao Ping buy so much jade, assumed he was the owner of a jade processing factory. They were very polite to him, offering cigarettes and their phone numbers, promising to contact him first when they had good goods.

Xiao Ping knew he would need a large amount of jade in the future, so he accepted his new identity and exchanged contact information with the jade sellers. After all, more friends meant more opportunities, and building a network was always beneficial.

After buying a bag of jade, Xiao Ping's pockets contained less than 10,000 yuan. However, he was not upset; he was willing to spend whatever it took to upgrade the Spirit Pot. If not for the Spirit Pot's weak response to other jade materials, Xiao Ping's money would have been completely spent.

Xiao Ping was relatively satisfied with his day's harvest and slowly pushed his tricycle out of the market. He hadn't gone far when he saw a large crowd gathered ahead, and he was curious to see what was happening. Pushing through the crowd, he saw an elderly man lying on the ground, a trickle of blood flowing from the back of his head, clearly injured from a sudden fall. Beside the elderly man stood a little girl, about five or six years old, with a delicate and beautiful appearance, sobbing sadly. She was likely his granddaughter.

The scene before him made Xiao Ping's mind buzz, and he felt a surge of blood rush to his head. Without thinking, he pushed through the crowd and shouted, "What are you all looking at? Hurry up and help him!"

A voice from the crowd responded, "We've already called 120, but the ambulance is busy and we have to wait."

"Then take him to the hospital now; we can't wait!" Xiao Ping didn't just say this; he really stepped forward to help the elderly man up.

"Don't be impulsive, young man," a well-meaning person warned Xiao Ping. "In this world, people are unpredictable. Be careful they don't accuse you!"

Xiao Ping hesitated for a moment. The little girl, seeing his hesitation, tearfully pleaded, "Uncle, please save my grandpa!"

Under the girl's pleading gaze, Xiao Ping couldn't hesitate any longer. He gently lifted the elderly man and said to the little girl, "Come with me!"

The little girl nodded obediently, wiped her tears, and followed Xiao Ping. Xiao Ping brought the elderly man to his tricycle, gently placed him on it, and then lifted the little girl onto the tricycle as well.

"Hold on tight and support your grandpa, okay?" Xiao Ping instructed, then pedaled the tricycle towards the nearest hospital.

Xiao Ping pedaled as fast as he could while maintaining stability. The little girl's sobs occasionally reminded him of a similar incident from his past. When Xiao Ping was in his final year of high school, his grandfather, who he lived with, had a fall. At the time, Xiao Ping was in poor health and couldn't get his grandfather to the hospital in time, resulting in his grandfather's lifelong illness. Although his grandfather survived, he never fully recovered and passed away in his fifties.

This incident had always been a thorn in Xiao Ping's heart, and he often felt deep sorrow when he thought about it. Today, seeing a similar situation, Xiao Ping immediately recalled his past feelings and decided to take action.

Xiao Ping pedaled the tricycle quickly, and it wasn't long before they reached the nearest hospital. He carried the elderly man to the emergency room, holding him as gently as possible to avoid any jolts. Despite the elderly man's considerable weight, Xiao Ping seemed relaxed, his breathing steady. If not for the little girl following behind, he could have moved even faster.

Xiao Ping handed the unconscious elderly man to the doctors and paid 5,000 yuan for his medical expenses. Watching the doctors begin their work, he finally had a chance to speak to the little girl. He asked kindly, "Little girl, what's your name? Where do you live? Do you know your parents' phone numbers?"

"My name is Zhang Jiamo," the little girl replied politely. "I know my mom's phone number, but I don't have a phone..."

Xiao Ping quickly took out his phone and said, "Call your mom and tell her your grandpa is sick and is now at the Sixth People's Hospital. Ask her to come quickly."

"Thank you, Uncle. Mom will be here soon," the little girl said, quickly returning the phone to Xiao Ping and looking worriedly at the operating room. "Uncle, will my grandpa be okay?"

Xiao Ping patted the girl's head. "Don't worry, your grandpa will be fine."

Zhang Jiamo nodded in agreement and waited obediently for the surgery to end. Xiao Ping had done enough to help, and he could have left. However, he was reluctant to leave the little girl alone, so he decided to stay until her family arrived.

Unexpectedly, it took several hours, and even after the elderly man was wheeled out of the operating room, Zhang Jiamo's mother still hadn't arrived. This made Xiao Ping somewhat unhappy, and he muttered to himself about how irresponsible the little girl's mother was, considering the severity of the situation.

"Who is the family member of the elderly man?" a doctor asked loudly.

Xiao Ping looked at the pitiful little girl beside him, sighed, and stepped forward. "I'll be the one."

The doctor looked at Xiao Ping in confusion. To him, a family member was a family member; there was no such thing as "I'll be the one." However, the doctor didn't care about the details and said seriously, "Fortunately, he was brought in on time, and his life is no longer in danger. However, the pressure from the hematoma in his brain is affecting his nerves, and surgery in that area is not possible. Whether he can fully recover depends on the patient himself. You can see him now, but don't give him anything to eat or drink, not even water."

"Understood, thank you, doctor," Xiao Ping said, then took Zhang Jiamo to the ward to see her grandpa.

The elderly man lay motionless on the hospital bed, with an IV drip in his arm and an oxygen mask on his face, looking very bad. Zhang Jiamo, seeing her grandpa in this state, pouted and was about to cry. The little girl was very considerate and quickly covered her mouth with her hand to avoid disturbing her grandpa, but tears still streamed down her face.

Seeing the little girl's pitiful state, Xiao Ping couldn't help but feel compassion. Especially remembering how his own grandfather had been in a similar condition, he felt even more compelled to act. He thought to himself, "I still have three drops of spirit liquid left. Fine, I'll use one to save him. This old man is really lucky."

Xiao Ping whispered to Zhang Jiamo, "Jiamo, don't cry. Uncle has medicine that can cure your grandpa's illness. Shall I give it to him now?"

In Zhang Jiamo's young heart, she already trusted Xiao Ping. Hearing this, she nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Uncle, please give the medicine to Grandpa so he can get better soon!"

"Stay here and wait. Uncle will go get the medicine and be back soon," Xiao Ping instructed the little girl, then took a cup and went into the bathroom of the ward.

Xiao Ping couldn't take out the Spirit Pot in front of others, so he had to use another method to get the elderly man to take the spirit liquid. He put a small amount of cool water in the cup, carefully added one drop of spirit liquid, and then hid the Spirit Pot and returned to the ward.

"Uncle, is this the medicine that can cure Grandpa?" Zhang Jiamo asked curiously, looking at the water that barely covered the bottom of the cup.

"Yes," Xiao Ping smiled at the little girl. "As long as your grandpa drinks my medicine, he will get better soon."

As he spoke, Xiao Ping removed the oxygen mask from the elderly man's face and slowly poured the water with the spirit liquid into his mouth. Watching the elderly man drink all the water, Xiao Ping secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it wouldn't be long before he recovered.

At that moment, a stern female voice came from the doorway. "What are you doing?!"

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