Read Novel Full Chapter 548: Let Me See What You Can Do
Chapter 548: Let Me See What You Can Do
Jiang Ning was at a loss for words at Rong Sanshao’s thick skin and overly familiar attitude. “He’s feeling better.”
Rong Sanshao didn’t seem to notice. “See? I told you. Our father has great luck and strength. His upright character allows him to fight off illness, and even the King of Hell would take a step back. He’ll live to a hundred without any issue.”
Jiang Ning couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
“Sister, the bodies on the cargo ship have been taken care of, and I had people clean out the cabins,” Rong Sanshao returned to the main topic. “There’s quite a bit of supplies on board. How do you plan to handle it?”
Gu Tinglin’s illness was no longer a serious problem. As long as he continued treatment, he would recover. It was time to deal with the cargo ship.
Jiang Ning thought for a moment. “Leave the fuel on the ship, bring back all the glass, steel, and wood, and throw away all the spoiled food. Keep half of the good food for me; the rest is yours. If the military handles the glass, you can use the fuel as payment. If it’s ordinary people moving it, then we can use food or medicine as compensation.”
“We’ll handle it with our team. The fuel cost will be handed over.” Rong Sanshao, ever clever, made his calculations. “We can take a little less fuel, but each soldier gets two more pounds of grain. How does that sound?”
What could Jiang Ning say? He was using the fuel as a bargaining chip to earn favor with the leaders and ensure his soldiers were well taken care of.
People like him could thrive anywhere.
It was just a shame he hadn’t started sooner. If the natural disasters hadn’t come, his business success could have rivaled that of Old Master Rong.
Of course, he could have also ended up in prison or met some other unfortunate fate.
“Sister, you and Brother-in-law have done so much for me. How could I take more from you?” He spoke with great righteousness. “Don’t worry, I’ve already made sure everything on the ship is accounted for. Nothing will be missing.”
Jiang Ning, irritated by his constant chatter, sighed and rubbed her forehead. “The food is split in half. The soldiers’ rewards will come from my share.”
“Sister, how can I accept that? This is something you and Brother-in-law risked your lives for…”
“Give half of your share to Captain He. I’ll visit him in a few days.”
Rong Sanshao quickly agreed, not realizing he had spoken too soon. “Got it, Sister!”
He was so proud to be bossed around by her. “Sister, where do you want the glass stored? Your yard can’t fit it all.”
“I’m thinking of building a greenhouse with glass, but just having the glass without the accessories and rivets won’t work.”
“Sister, don’t underestimate the wisdom of us Chinese people. There’s no way a living person could be killed just by holding in urine, right?” 1
Rong Sanshao patted his chest confidently. “Leave it to me. I’ll make sure we build dozens of glass greenhouses for you.”
Hearing his careless tone, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but be on alert. “Are you sure?”
“What’s there to worry about? Fengcheng Base has thousands of people with boundless wisdom. Building greenhouses is nothing difficult. Just wait and see.”
Remembering the “God-making” plan and his recent performance, Jiang Ning decided to give him a chance. “Fine, let me see what you can do.”
Rong Sanshao was very pleased, his mouth stretching all the way to the back of his ears.
Jiang Ning suddenly felt a bit sentimental. Back in the day, he was such a flashy figure at the car club. With diamond-studded slippers, fancy cars, and beautiful women surrounding him, he seemed untouchable.
Now, though, he was acting like a little kid, overjoyed just to take on an engineering project.
Time sure flies.
“Sister, the glass has been shipped straight to the southern district plantation. But there was a sandstorm a while back, and the rain from the last few days was no good. The vegetables have all turned yellow and wilted, and there’s no saving them now.”
It was unfortunate. After months of hard work, they were on the verge of harvest, only to have their efforts destroyed by the harsh weather.
It was clear that the survivors’ lives would only become harder in the coming period.
After the second-generation heir had eaten and drunk his fill, Jiang Ning handed over six cans of fruit preserves. “There’s none for you. These four cans are for your big brother and niece, and two are for Captain He.”
Having been used to calling him by that name at Aoyuan, Jiang Ning still referred to He Tianming this way.
Rong Sanshao, who had been eating and taking things without hesitation, was completely unbothered. “Thanks, Sister. Transporting materials and building the glass greenhouses is time-consuming and exhausting. I won’t have the time for it during my shift, so I’ll have my big brother and niece run errands for me.”
“But don’t worry, I’ll make sure the job is done right. If not, you can take my head and use it as a ball to kick around.”
Jiang Ning was really getting tired of his constant chattering. “Stop talking nonsense and hurry up.”
That night, when the lights were turned off and it was time to rest, seeing that she had no particular need or desire to sleep, Huo Yishen asked in confusion, “Something on your mind?”
Jiang Ning thought for a moment. “Rong Sanshao has actually been quite reliable this time. I’ve decided to give him a chance.”
“Are you tying him to our interests?”
“Yes.”
Gu Tinglin’s illness was like a heavy punch to Jiang Ning’s heart. Some things couldn’t be delayed.
Rong Sanshao may have been arrogant and had his own motives for getting close to her, but in times of crisis, people’s true intentions showed. Because he had his own agenda, she felt comfortable pulling him into their team.
Whether it was socializing or surviving, he had his own way of doing things.
As a partner, he seemed like a good choice.
After making that decision, she felt much lighter and hoped he wouldn’t make her regret it.
The next morning, after breakfast and once Shu Xueqing had gone to work, Jiang Ning stopped by next door. “Why didn’t you get the IV drip?”
Gu Tinglin explained, “There are too many patients at the hospital. Your Aunt Shu said she’d come back at noon to give me one.”
Jiang Ning took out some stewed chicken soup to help him recover and set up the IV drip.
Seeing some handwritten papers still on the desk, her expression darkened. “You work so hard every day. Aren’t you worried you’ll work yourself to death?”
Gu Tinglin denied it. “It’s nothing serious. I’ve had my people take care of the minor stuff.”
Having just returned from the brink of death, and with his daughter’s concern, he was willing to talk about the work challenges. “The military side is fine, but the political side is what’s giving me a headache.”
Jiang Ning had already been paying attention to this issue.
Even with a southern military base housing three hundred thousand people, handling it had been a breeze for Gu Tinglin. Now, with only about five thousand soldiers, it was nothing more than a piece of cake for him.
But the southern military base was strictly military-managed. Even though it was made up of countless small factions and scavenger teams, no one dared to act recklessly inside the base, thanks to his iron-fist management.
But Fengcheng was different. It was not a military base but a base led by military personnel.
Turning all survivors into a military force was simply unrealistic.
However, if the army was turned into a society, the base would also descend into chaos.
The reason modern society can develop rapidly and civilly is that the military and politics are separated. These two lines advance side by side in times of turmoil yet remain parallel during peaceful times.
They complement each other but do not interfere with each other.
Managing a society requires more than just iron-fist control; it needs wisdom.
Under the watchful eyes of the military, survivors wouldn’t dare to kill or start fires, but today they might steal firewood, tomorrow someone might steal torn clothes, or there could be small fights in the streets. These trivial matters would happen every day.
If soldiers with rigid, stubborn personalities were tasked with judging right from wrong, it would only escalate the tension.
These weren’t big crimes, but they couldn’t just point guns at everyone either. Unfortunately, these daily trivial matters drained their energy.
Jiang Ning didn’t want him to work himself to death. “Have you ever thought about completely separating the military from the political side?”
- This is used to express disbelief, implying that something that seems impossible or unlikely can’t actually happen. It’s like saying, “That would never happen! ↩︎