Chapter 131 - Old Schoolmate
Chapter 131 Old Schoolmate
Although Xiaoniu didn’t get into details, Ding Ning could still detect his pain and sadness. The national policies were good but not all local governments could fully implement them.
After all, many units were unwilling to accept disabled soldiers as they were a burden. Even if the units accepted them under the pressure, they would try and make them quit on their own.
He could imagine how distressed and resentful the disabled soldiers, who had protected homes and defended the country, would feel. They fought bloody wars on the battlefield and defended the peace of their motherland, even becoming disabled because of that. They had no regrets.
But those behind all these couldn’t understand their patriotism and abused these national heroes with vicious words and sickening behavior. How ironic and sad it was!
Ding Ning once read a report of the Yellow Bird Oil Depot Explosion Accident, where in the late 1980s, a young firefighter desperately rescued more than 10 staff members from a raging fire in Dongshan Province. The firefighter ended up sustaining burns on 80% of his skin. He was later awarded the National First Class Fighting Hero Medal.
After retiring due to the injury, that soldier returned to a small four or five-tier city in his hometown in Huizhou Province and earned a monthly salary of 1,300 yuan in a public institution.
The multiple skin grafting surgeries he had to go through cost more than five million. The government had subsidized part of the cost and there were also plenty of preferential policies. However, it was still a million miles away from the entire cost of the operation fees. He had to borrow money everywhere and ended up incurring massive debt. He even had to resort to usury for his subsequent operations.
How could he repay the usury with compound interests with his monthly salary of 1,300 yuan? Thus, he suffered various heinous dunning methods by law-breaking money-lenders, such as getting beat-up, abused, insulted, poured with oil paint, and trouble in his unit.
More ridiculously, instead of standing up for him, the unit indiscriminately dismissed him citing that he brought bad influence to the unit and disturbed the office order.
He wouldn’t have asked the media for help were he not at the end of his rope. The tremendous attention from the government and the society ended up in them fighting the social lawbreakers, solving all of his debts through donation drives and social security, and giving him a good job. Otherwise, the National First-class Fighting Hero would die a wrongful death in the hands of “one of us”.
Ding Ning still remembered that the black-and-white photo of the soldier crying in the newspaper. The shocking title was printed in bold letters: “Who made this hero bleed and shed tears?”
Heroes bled and even sacrificed their lives. There was no reason for society to forget them. The government had no reason to abandon them. However, the state had been perfecting the government compensation and social security system so that these heroes who had bled for the nation would no longer have to shed tears.
Many heroes would rather be independent and live in poverty. They weren’t willing to make it difficult for the government and become a burden to the state. Their exemplary conduct and noble character were touching and their strength of character was admirable.
The cruelty of real life couldn’t be equal to the treatment of heroes. Even if the government paid more attention to it, there would always be inopportune people without conscience stepping all over their pride and dignity.
The rumors never stopped, be it about the soldiers relying on the fact that they had contributed to the nation and that they were now pathetic to get easy jobs. The rumors accused the soldiers of taking salaries without contributing. These made people feel both startled and sorrowful.
These rumors were vicious. The saddest thing was that it was still prevalent in society. This resulted in the heroes and their families not daring to ask the government for help when encountering difficulties in their lives, lest irresponsible remarks were targeted at them.
This made the disabled soldiers and their families a very vulnerable group. Ding Ning was deeply pained by this. He wanted to help this group as much as he could.
Therefore, ideas were racing through Ding Ning’s brain after hearing Xiaoniu’s explanation. Even though his ability was currently limited and he couldn’t help all the disabled soldiers, he would try his best. It was still good to do as much as he could.
In particular, he could help soldiers with low levels of disability. He could definitely help them recuperate and regain regular mobility. Once this idea emerged, it would linger in his mind.
It seemed that he needed to make money as soon as possible to set up a foundation or rehabilitation center for disabled soldiers. It would be great if he could draw interest to it on social media so that more kind-hearted people would lend a helping hand.
Once he had established a goal, Ding Ning immediately started working on it. He carefully determined the specific steps to implement it and soon came up with a preliminary plan.
Despite his good planning, the specifics of the implementation was still a challenge. The site, personnel, funds, qualifications, and approval procedures were all problems that needed to be urgently solved.
In the female dormitory of Ninghai University, Zhao Chenxi looked at the materials on the table. On the first page of the materials was the picture of a beautiful woman smiling. It was Ling Yun.
“Ding Ning, you’re having fun two-timing, aren’t you? Then I’d like to see who you’d save, Ling Yun and Shen Muqing.” Zhao Chenxi sneered. She took out her phone and dialed a number. “Hello. I’m Zhao Chenxi from the Zhao family.”
“Hello, Miss Zhao. What is it that you need handling?” An insidious voice came from the other end of the line.
“Do something for me. I want you to kidnap a beautiful woman. I’ll send you her information right away. If no one saves her at midnight tonight, she’s yours. You can do whatever you want with her.”
“I’ll definitely fulfill anything you ask for, Miss Zhao. I hope she’ll really be as beautiful as you say.”
The person with the insidious voice smiled obscenely. “But our rules…”
“I know, I owe you one, Black Rat. Remember not to do anything to that woman before midnight.”
Disgust flitted across Zhao Chenxi’s pupils. Black Rat was an underground organization which specifically did dirty works for influential families and forces. It was extremely mysterious and its means was cruel. They needed not money but favors. They had never made a mistake. She knew how abnormal these filthy people were.
“Miss Zhao, sorry. Your favor isn’t worth our action.” The person humiliated her.
“What do you mean? Is my favor not valuable enough?” Zhao Chenxi’s face was cold, as was her voice.
“In my humble opinion, your favor might be very valuable. But it’s insufficient for the Black Rat. If it’s a favor from Childe Zhao, we’ll accept this deal,” the Black Rat member said indifferently.
Zhao Chenxi was so ashamed and angry that she bit her lip. She hesitated for a moment before saying coldly, “Okay, no problem!”
“Alright. I’ll take your promise, Miss Zhao. Judging by how much Childe Zhao dotes on Miss Zhao, I believe he’ll agree so I won’t seek verification from him. If he can’t fulfill this favor, please don’t blame us for breaking our relationship. You should have heard the ways of the Black Rat,” the person said, threatening her.
“Don’t worry. That’s my older brother. He’ll make good on the promise. Remember, I don’t want anyone to know about this.”
“Rest assured that it’s our professional integrity to keep the secrets of our customers.”
“That’s good. I’ll send you the information now.”
After sending the information Zhao Chenxi whispered with a contorted face, “Shen Muqing, you’re already an unclean woman. You don’t deserve my older brother at all. I hope you have the luck to survive tonight.”
After arriving at Renhe Hospital, Xiaoniu led them to the intensive care unit on the 12th floor where Qian Yongjin was.
“Sister-in-law, Doctor Ding is here to visit my older brother,” Xiaoniu said loudly.
He pushed the door and hastily ran inside. He ended up colliding with a doctor who had just finished making his ward round. How could the doctor’s physique compare to Xiaoniu’s? He cried out in surprise and fell to the ground along with his glasses.
“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you use your eyes when you walk?”
Before the doctor could say anything, a thin and tall houseman immediately followed him and crouched down to help him up. He reproached Xiaoniu with dissatisfaction.
Xiaoniu was still full of respect for the doctor, knowing that he had been rash. Blushing, he lowered his head and repeatedly apologized.
“I’m sorry, doctor. I’m really sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. Doctor, are you okay?”
“Did you handicap your eyes alongside your legs?” “If you end up hurting Doctor Liu in the collision, can you afford the compensation?”
Even though Xiaoniu had apologized, the houseman was still cursing in rage.
Xiaoniu uneasily stood there, blushing. He didn’t know what to do. A young married woman in simple clothes flusteredly walked over. She repeatedly bowed and apologized.
“I’m so sorry. This is my brother-in-law. He didn’t do it on purpose. Are you okay?”
Doctor Liu picked up the pieces of his broken eyeglasses and examined them. His expression turned sour. “I’m fine but my glasses are broken.”
“I’m really sorry. Doctor Liu, how much is your glasses? I’ll compensate you.”
The young married woman was Qian Yongjin’s wife, Han Li. She immediately turned around to grab her purse from the bedside table. There were about more than a thousand yuan in it. She took them out, about to hand them to the doctor.
“Compensation? This is a pair of hawksbill eyeglasses that Doctor Liu’s son purposefully ordered to be custom-made in Fuso. Do you know anything about hawksbill glasses? The base material is the shell of a turtle called hawksbill and it’s all handmade. Your compensation isn’t enough to cover one of its lenses.”
Before Doctor Liu could say anything, the houseman berated Han Li haughtily. He looked like he was far above the masses. It was absolutely disgusting to see.
Ding Ning’s expression darkened. He patted Xiaoniu on the shoulder and pushed him aside. He said coolly, “Wang Bo, it hasn’t been that long ago since we last met but you still have such a bad mouth.”
“Oh my, who is this? Isn’t this miracle-worker Doctor Ding? What a rare guest. What did you come to our hospital instead of staying in Diannan Hospital?”
Wang Bo’s pupils shrunk when he saw Ding Ning. Then he curled his lip and sneered in a strange tone.
He had always been envious of Ding Ning since they were in school. After Ding Ning became a hit online, he became even more psychologically unbalanced. Back when they had a graduation get-together, he was the main force in ridiculing Ding Ning.
“Why? Do you own this place? Can’t I come?”
Ding Ning narrowed his eyes and stared at him coldly. He never understood why Wang Bo always targeted him. Before, he couldn’t care less but after hearing Wang Bo insult Xiaoniu, he was utterly infuriated.
Doctor Liu frowned and asked in surprise. “Wang Bo, do you know each other?”
It seemed like a fight was about to break out between them any time soon.
“Doctor Liu, I told you about him before. He’s the one who puts up false pretenses at school to swindle others.”
Wang Bo’s sarcastic expression immediately became fawning when facing Doctor Liu.
“You’re the kid who only knows to play to the gallery?”
Doctor Liu’s eyebrows knitted in disdain. His eyes became unkind as he looked at Ding Ning.