Chapter 9: 9. Chapter 9: Riding a Donkey to Find a Horse

Chapter 9: Looking for a Horse While Riding a Donkey

As the old saying goes: "At seventy-three and eighty-four, even the King of Hell won't call you if you don't go yourself."

Whether there is any scientific basis for this is unknown, but whenever elderly people reach these two age milestones, they tend to get a bit nervous, fearing they might stumble at these hurdles and fail to cross them.

"Sigh." Hong Qi sat down on a bench outside the intensive care unit, feeling physically and mentally exhausted. "It's my fault. I was too busy with business and neglected to take proper care of Dad."

Hong Qi's father, Hong Wentao, was the elderly man who had been rushed into the ambulance from Sister Gui's Fast Food. The old man lived a very simple life; who could have imagined he was the father of Hong Qi, the wealthiest man in the county!

"Brother, if you put it that way, then my sister and I are even worse! We are away from home most of the time, and you've been looking after him all by yourself. Doesn't that make us even more unfilial?"

"Exactly!" Hong Ying added. "Dad has physical exams every year, and he's usually in great health. Who could have expected something like this to happen?"

"Alright, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, you two have been busy for a long time. Go back and get some rest. Yingzi and I will handle things here; you can come back to take over for us tomorrow! If anything happens with Dad, I'll call you."

Hong Qi nodded. "Alright then, we'll head back first."

The couple drove home from the hospital.

"Hey, what did Old Liu say?"

Hong Qi said wearily, "I almost forgot since you didn't mention it. I'll give you an address in a moment. Find some time tomorrow to pay them a visit and give them a proper thank you." He then explained Qin Yike's situation.

Bai Yanhua hadn't expected this turn of events and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I'll go tomorrow."

"If they have any requests, as long as they aren't unreasonable, try your best to satisfy them. After all, she saved Dad's life!"

"Understood!"

Qin Yike had no idea there would be so many follow-ups. She swore she had saved the man out of pure instinct, with no other intentions. So, when Bai Yanhua showed up at her door with gifts, she was startled.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Miss Qin?"

Qin Yike nodded. "That's me!"

"You called yesterday to save my father-in-law, so I came specifically today to thank you." Bai Yanhua wore a polite smile. "May I come in first?"

Qin Yike thought for a moment before stepping aside. "Please, come in!"

Bai Yanhua entered the house. "Should I change my shoes?"

"Oh, no need." It was an old building and an old house, incredibly dilapidated—why bother changing shoes?

The driver followed Bai Yanhua into the house and placed the gifts in the small living room.

"Water?" Out of politeness, Qin Yike poured two cups of water for Bai Yanhua and the driver using disposable paper cups, though they didn't look like they would actually drink them.

"Thank you."

Bai Yanhua discreetly observed the surroundings, quickly assessing the Qin family's economic status. Her gaze fell upon Qin Yike, and a flash of admiration crossed her eyes. She thought to herself that the girl was truly beautiful and a graduate of a prestigious university; it was just a pity her background was a bit poor.

"Thank you so much for what happened yesterday."

Qin Yike put down her bag and sat in the chair opposite Bai Yanhua. "Actually, it was just a small thing I could do. You don't need to be so formal." She was telling the truth; she really felt that way.

"How is the elderly gentleman doing now?"

"The surgery is finished, but he needs to be observed for a while. He hasn't woken up yet." Bai Yanhua asked curiously, "I saw you carrying a bag just now; were you heading out?"

Qin Yike smiled. "Yes, I just graduated and have been looking for a job lately. Yesterday was just a coincidence; I happened to run into the old gentleman at the same restaurant."

"It's all thanks to you. We are usually busy with work and can't be with the elderly every moment. I heard from them that you studied medicine; it's lucky you reacted so quickly, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"

Qin Yike's mind raced through several possibilities. As soon as she heard Bai Yanhua's words, she knew the woman had investigated her, and they had certainly looked into yesterday's incident thoroughly.

It was understandable; people of their status were bound to be cautious in everything they did.

"Oh, right, these are the gifts we brought. We weren't sure what you liked, so we just bought some things young girls usually enjoy."

Qin Yike scanned them quickly and noticed the logos on the bags were all designer brands—there were bags, a phone, and what looked like two jewelry brands suitable for young people.

"Ma'am, these things are too valuable. Please take them back!" Qin Yike said generously. "I see there's a bag of fruit; I'll keep the fruit, but please take the rest back!"

Bai Yanhua was slightly surprised. "You don't like them?" She smiled and added, "I even made special inquiries about gifts suitable for young women."

"It's mainly because they are too expensive. One shouldn't accept rewards without merit. Besides, I'm not used to wearing jewelry, and as for things like bags and phones, I have no specific requirements—as long as they work, it's fine! These things are too wasteful for me." Even if she carried a designer bag, people would probably just assume it was a knockoff.

The two engaged in a tug-of-war, and in the end, Qin Yike still refused to accept the items.

Bai Yanhua found it quite interesting. After returning home, she told Hong Qi about it. "She only kept a bag of fruit. Since there was no other way, I just left a business card. Let's just consider it a favor we owe her!"

Hong Qi agreed deeply. "You did the right thing. But that girl is quite interesting—she treats money like dirt!"

Bai Yanhua gave a soft snort, thinking to herself that of course she was different from the "vamps" surrounding him.

Qin Yike was far from as noble as they imagined. She simply believed that a gentleman pursues wealth through proper means; if she accepted such expensive gifts just for making an emergency call, it would be quite improper.

She went out to wander for another day, and needless to say, she came up empty-handed again.

When Qin Weiming returned in the evening, he quietly asked her how the job hunt was going.

"Not great. It's all pharmacies hiring, which isn't suitable for me."

Deng Caijie, while cooking, strained her ears in the kitchen. Knowing her daughter hadn't found a job, she couldn't help but feel a secret sense of disappointment.

"Oh, working in a pharmacy is actually quite good," Qin Weiming suggested to Qin Yike. "Just ride a donkey while looking for a horse! It's better to be working than to be doing nothing."

Qin Yike could tell that these words weren't meant by Qin Weiming, but were likely Deng Caijie's thoughts.

"What, do you think there's a useless person being supported at home?" Qin Yike didn't hold back, asking Qin Weiming loudly, though she was specifically addressing Deng Caijie.

Qin Weiming gave a sheepish laugh. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just afraid that if you stay home too long, your skills will go to waste!"

Qin Yike turned her head toward the kitchen and indeed saw Deng Caijie peeking out, acting all sneaky while eavesdropping.

Caught red-handed by her daughter, Deng Caijie stopped hiding. She put on a stern face and said, "I was just talking to your father. I feel like you staying like this isn't a solution. Just find something to do first, regardless of whether the pay is high or low. It's better than doing nothing."