12: Chapter 12 Selling Tofu

"The patient is not in serious condition, but the leg fracture requires hospitalization. If family members don't have time to take care of her, you can hire a caregiver. It would be best if a female family member could come to look after her for convenience."

Outside the hospital room, Zhang Tao's attending physician explained the precautions for caretaking to Zhao Jian.

He nodded to indicate that he had noted them down.

Only at this moment did Zhao Jian finally put his anxious heart at ease.

Returning to the room, he sat by the bedside to peel an apple.

Zhang Tao lay quietly on the bed with her eyes closed.

But her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and occasionally she would open a tiny slit to peek.

Ever since she heard Zhao Jian's voice, she had been pretending to sleep.

Originally, Zhao Jian intended to tease her, but since she was injured, he was afraid that vigorous movements might cause the set bones to misalign.

So he let her continue playing the ostrich.

Until two middle-aged people rushed into the room.

They were a man and a Woman, looking to be in their 50s.

Seeing the motionless Zhang Tao, the Woman immediately reddened her eyes.

She rushed to the bedside and wanted to hug her, but hesitated.

Perhaps she was worried about waking Zhang Tao up.

To the point that tears fell with a patter but without a sound.

The Middle-aged Man also wore a face full of worry, and with an unfriendly look in his eyes, he whispered to Zhao Jian:

"Come out with me!"

After saying this, he turned and walked out.

Zhao Jian figured these were Zhang Tao's parents, so he agreed and followed him out.

"What did the doctor say?" The Middle-aged Man stopped in front of the resting bench.

"A mild fracture of the left leg, requiring bed rest for one month and quiet recovery for three months."

The doctor had instructed that she must not get out of bed to walk in the near future, as there was a risk of aggravating the injury.

He only needed to repeat what the doctor said.

The Middle-aged Man nodded after hearing this, then said: "You can leave once you've paid the hospitalization fees."

Huh?

Zhao Jian thought to himself: Why is the uncle's attitude so bad? Could it be that he's worried about his cabbage being raided?

"Alright, goodbye uncle, I'll come see her another day."

Before leaving, he took a look inside the room.

Seeing Zhang Tao and the Woman chatting and laughing, he confirmed they knew each other and left with peace of mind.

After Zhao Jian left.

The Middle-aged Man returned to the room.

Zhang Tao looked towards the door, and not seeing Zhao Jian's figure, couldn't help but ask: "Where is he?"

Her mother turned her head to look upon hearing this: "Who?"

"Zhao Jian, the one my dad just called out."

The Middle-aged Man vaguely realized something.

He explained: "I sent him away. Wasn't it him who hit you?"

"Of course not. I was distracted while driving and hit the guardrail, causing the car to flip. He is my friend who came to take care of me."

"Oh, a friend?" Zhang Tao's mother asked back in a teasing tone.

She had watched her daughter grow up since she was a child, and she could tell at a glance whether it was a friend or a boyfriend.

"He really is a friend!" Zhang Tao covered her face with the quilt.

Her father now realized he had misunderstood, and hurriedly said:

"Alright, alright, call that friend later and apologize on Dad's behalf."

Zhao Jian didn't think too much after leaving the hospital.

After paying two thousand for the hospitalization fees with the money he had on him, only three hundred remained.

Fortunately, he would see the lottery results tonight and become a billionaire tomorrow.

So there was no need to worry about having no money to spend.

On the way home, he received a call from Zhang Tao.

The first sentence was: "I'm sorry."

Then she explained: "My dad thought you were the one who hit me, so his attitude was very bad. Please don't take it to heart."

"It's fine, the uncle was just worried and acted out of turn."

Zhao Jian thought to himself that it was just a misunderstanding.

The two chatted for a few more sentences, and after hanging up, he arrived at the place where he needed to get off.

Thinking about buying some pork pancakes to make up for lunch and settle dinner at the same time.

But he saw an acquaintance near his rental house.

Tofu Beauty.

"Little Zhao, I want to ask you for a favor."

Tofu Beauty jogged a few steps to greet him.

Zhao Jian thought to himself: Could it be that she wants to borrow money?

But he said: "What favor? Tell me."

"Help me look after the stall. A big client wants a large quantity, so I have to go home and make it fresh."

"Sure."

Tofu Beauty had driven here, and Zhao Jian quickly sat in the passenger seat.

Watching her skillfully start the car and shift gears from the driver's seat, the thought of buying a car arose in his heart.

This thought was quickly suppressed by Zhang Tao's plaster-cast lower leg.

He definitely wasn't reluctant to spend the money; it was just that driving was too dangerous.

Arriving at the Vegetable Market, Tofu Beauty left in a hurry.

Zhao Jian sat in front of the tofu stall, boredly scrolling through his phone.

Usually, Tofu Beauty would sell out three boards of tofu very quickly after setting up the stall, and those who came late could only return empty-handed.

But today, not a single person bought any.

Which was actually worry-free.

"How much is the tofu? Oh? It's you!" A Woman holding a few cucumbers stood in front of the stall.

"Three yuan per kilogram."

He looked at the Woman twice; she had an average appearance, with a black mole between her eyebrows.

He recognized her, but didn't know her name.

One of the girls who was trying to curry favor with Wang Peng at the last class reunion.

"We're all classmates, why do you need money? How did you end up selling tofu? Is selling this profitable?"

"I think you should find a proper job. Look, nobody buys yours except me."

The Woman had very expressive facial expressions while speaking.

Perhaps due to a preconceived dislike, Zhao Jian felt slightly nauseous looking at her expressions.

"How much are you buying?"

If it were actually his tofu, he wouldn't sell it to this Woman even if he fed it to a dog!

But entrusted by others, one must be faithful to the task. Refusing customers would leave a bad impression on other clients.

It would easily ruin the reputation.

"Why are you still talking about buying? Didn't I tell you we're classmates? Can't you just give me a piece?"

"My name is Yao Xiaohui. If you don't believe me, call Wang Peng and ask."

This Woman is really sick!

The conflict between Zhao Jian and Wang Peng had already erupted at Joyful Sea World; it wasn't like she hadn't seen it.

How dare she still mention those two names in front of him!

"Classmates still have to pay when eating. If you're not buying, leave. Don't hinder my business."

Hearing the words 'eat' and 'money', Yao Xiaohui, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately hissed:

"What are you saying? Who doesn't pay when eating? It's Wang Peng who is willing to treat me; what does that have to do with you!"

"It's not your money being spent, so what right do you have to criticize?"

I didn't mention the meal money.

At this moment, Yao Xiaohui was like a shrew.

Zhao Jian ignored her.

To deal with a shrew, one must disrupt her rhythm; otherwise, one will fall into the field she is familiar with and then be defeated by her rich experience in being a shrew.

Yao Xiaohui was disappointed that her shouting failed to provoke Zhao Jian's anger.

Only by hurling insults at each other could she possibly catch a man's slip of the tongue and land a fatal blow.

Her one-Woman show could only be considered clownish.

"Why aren't you speaking? Is it because you know you're in the wrong! Apologize now and compensate me with a piece of tofu, and we'll pretend today's incident never happened!"

Zhao Jian thought to himself: Me, apologize? This Woman must have lost her mind!

There were already quite a few people around who had heard the commotion and gathered to watch the spectacle.

He couldn't let Yao Xiaohui continue making a scene, otherwise, she would twist white into black.

But explaining was also useless.

He wasn't the owner of the stall in the Vegetable Market, and the only person he knew well was Tofu Beauty.

Other stall owners wouldn't believe his words.

As long as Yao Xiaohui's eyes turned red and tears fell, whatever she said would be easier to gain sympathy.

After all, in the hearts of the middle-aged and elderly, no girl would lower her dignity for a piece of tofu.

In that case, he had to strike first!