Chapter 31: Repaying the Teacher's Kindness

Teacher Zheng had suffered a stroke more than two years ago, which left her paralyzed. She could no longer walk and had to rely on a wheelchair, though she was relatively fine in other aspects.

Her cognitive functions were intact, her spirits seemed good, and her eyes were bright.

What moved Chen Feng deeply was that she recognized him the moment she saw him.

"You're Chen Feng, from Class 3. Quick, sit down, sit down."

Teacher Zheng struggled to sit up in bed, and seeing this, Chen Feng hurried forward to help her up.

"Sigh, I'm old and useless now. I've become a burden to my husband and daughter."

Chen Feng quickly comforted her, "Don't think like that just because you're older. Taking good care of your health is more important than anything else."

"Let's not talk about my troubles." Teacher Zheng shook her head, a look of gratification on her face. "It's rare of you to take the time to visit me. How are you doing now? I remember you got into Donghai University of Finance and Economics."

"It's alright, I'm getting by," Chen Feng said, naturally not mentioning his unhappiness.

"That's good. Are you developing your career over in Xiuzhou?"

"Yes, I'm building my career there."

The teacher and student exchanged questions and answers before gradually drifting into conversations about their high school days. Chen Feng specifically brought up the time she had helped him call the police and even lent him three hundred yuan, expressing his gratitude once again with great sincerity.

Teacher Zheng was delighted to see that Chen Feng still remembered the small kindness she had shown him back then.

She held onto him for a long chat, and as the conversation grew more spirited, Chen Feng listened patiently, occasionally chiming in to keep her in high spirits.

It wasn't until Teacher Zheng's daughter and son-in-law arrived with groceries that Teacher Zheng happily introduced Chen Feng to them and insisted he stay for dinner.

Teacher Zheng was stubborn; Chen Feng's two attempts to decline were futile and only served to make her unhappy. Left with no choice, Chen Feng stayed to eat, though it felt quite awkward to him.

They were a family having dinner—what was he, an outsider, doing being squeezed into their meal?

Fortunately, the daughter and son-in-law didn't give him any attitude; instead, they were very polite to him.

Since they had to drive, neither Chen Feng nor the son-in-law drank alcohol.

After dinner, remembering the electric foot bath he had bought for Teacher Zheng, Chen Feng worried her husband wouldn't know how to use it, so he took the initiative to unpack it and demonstrate it.

These electric foot baths were quite popular. Washing one's feet daily promotes full-body blood circulation, which is certainly beneficial to the body—especially for someone like Teacher Zheng, whose legs were paralyzed.

Chen Feng had considered this when he bought it as a gift.

As for whether they already owned one, that wasn't his concern; it was primarily an expression of his thoughtfulness.

As it turned out, they didn't have one.

After Chen Feng finished his demonstration, her daughter slapped herself in self-reproach, saying, "How did I not think to buy this for Mom? I'm such an idiot."

Her reaction made both Chen Feng and her husband feel a bit awkward.

Chen Feng truly hadn't intended to "slap the face" of Teacher Zheng's children.

Teacher Zheng's husband gave a cold snort, showing no mercy: "A daughter is no better than a student."

The daughter's face instantly turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Alright, alright. She's usually so busy, it's normal not to think of it," Teacher Zheng said, defusing the tension before turning back to Chen Feng with a smile. "This foot bath is actually quite good. It has a massage function; it's very comfortable."

Although she was paralyzed and could not walk, she still had sensation in her feet.

Seeing Teacher Zheng so happy, Chen Feng felt that the thousand-plus yuan spent on the foot bath was well worth it.

Next, Chen Feng taught Teacher Zheng's husband how to use it and had him try it out; the man learned it quickly.

Seeing this, Chen Feng took the opportunity to take his leave.

It was dark by then. Although Teacher Zheng was reluctant to see him go, she finally stopped insisting. She only urged him to come visit again when he had time—after all, every visit was one fewer they would have left.

There was nothing Chen Feng could say but to agree.

Teacher Zheng's daughter and son-in-law personally saw him out the door.

Coming down from the apartment building, he checked the time and realized he had actually stayed there for over three hours.

Time really flew.

When he returned home, since he had already told his mother via WeChat, she didn't ask much.

Over the next few days, Chen Feng drove around Linnan County, mainly visiting several townships he had never been to before.

As a native of Linnan County, his knowledge of his own county had surprisingly been quite limited. He was only familiar with the county seat, his home town of Qingpu, and the two adjacent townships. The other townships were all foreign to him; he hadn't visited them in all his years.

The only exception was the last time he had tagged along with Wu Mengting to visit another town to climb mountains and see waterfalls, though in truth, his knowledge of that town remained limited.

Therefore, Chen Feng wanted to, at least before he died, understand his hometown better—to understand Linnan County by seeing its local customs and landscapes firsthand.

After a few days, the weather cooperated and it didn't rain. Chen Feng finally managed to tour almost every township in the county. He ate local specialties in every town, took photos of local scenery for keepsakes, and even chatted with the locals.

Finally, the rain began to fall, so Chen Feng stayed home to help his mother run the shop and pick up his two young nieces in the afternoon.

That evening, the whole family gathered for dinner again. Such reunion meals were something Chen Feng cherished deeply, as every day was one day closer to the end.

However, today, Chen Dayong and Chen Rui both looked quite upset.

Zhao Xiaolan noticed and asked directly, "What's wrong with you two? What happened?"

Chen Rui didn't hide it and said plainly, "People from the Environmental Protection Bureau came today. They said our shop is polluting farmland and told us to move within a set timeframe."

Chen Dayong said gloomily, "It must have been those other two shops reporting us."

Hearing this, the mood of the entire family plummeted.

Chen Feng frowned. "Have you contacted our franchise company?"

Chen Rui nodded. "We did. They suggested we go to the Environmental Protection Bureau first to check if this specific plot of land is regulated against opening a car wash."

Chen Dayong said indignantly, "Why wouldn't we be allowed? We definitely can. One of those other two shops is right by the river, using river water to wash cars, which directly pollutes the water. They're still operating just fine. Our shop is much more professional; we're far from the river, and the surrounding fields have been abandoned for over a decade—they don't even count as farmland anymore."

Chen Feng nodded. "Alright. I have an idea. I'll go to the Environmental Protection Bureau tomorrow to ask about it."

Chen Rui hurriedly asked, "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No need. I think I have a classmate working at the Environmental Protection Bureau. It shouldn't be a big deal."

"That's good then."

Hearing Chen Feng say this, the family's mood immediately relaxed, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became lively again.

The next day, Chen Feng first drove to inspect the other two car wash shops. One was indeed located by the river, using river water for washing, with the wastewater flowing directly into the river. The other was located by the national highway, surrounded by genuine farmland with crops growing.

After taking several photos and recording some videos, Chen Feng drove toward the county seat.

(End of Chapter)