"Well, if it isn't Boss Wu."
Wang Hongliang pushed his car door open and got out. Seeing Wu Jun carrying a pile of daily necessities in his hands and a bag of rice on his shoulder, he said with a smirk, "Boss Wu, are you planning on moving into the hospital?"
"Wang, you'd better watch your mouth. Have some decency." Wu Jun placed the bag of rice and the bag of necessities on the ground, freeing both his hands.
If Wang Hongliang dared to spout any more crap, Wu Jun was ready to beat him up.
"Don't get mad, Boss Wu. It was just a little joke," Wang Hongliang said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and sticking it between his lips.
Just as Wang Hongliang took out a lighter to light it, Wu Jun reached out, snatched the cigarette from his mouth, crushed it in his palm, and stuffed it back into the breast pocket of Wang Hongliang's shirt.
Wang Hongliang's expression shifted several times. He sized up the situation, realized he was no match for Wu Jun in a fight, and ultimately restrained himself.
Wu Jun pointed to the "No Smoking" sign on a nearby pillar. "This is a public place. No smoking. Try to have some class."
The last time they were at the convenience store, Wu Jun had thought Wang Hongliang was genuinely there to discuss the transfer. He had been in urgent need of cash, so he hadn't made a fuss about Wang Hongliang smoking inside.
Now that he no longer needed to sell the store, Wu Jun wasn't afraid of making a mortal enemy of him.
"Boss Wu, your principles are so high and mighty. A coarse man like me just can't compare." Wang Hongliang suppressed his anger and let out a few dry chuckles. "I hear your dad is staying here? And you're in urgent need of money for surgery? How about we discuss the store transfer again?"
Hearing this, Wu Jun froze for a moment. 'How does he know so much about my family's situation?'
"That old hag in my family works as a janitor at this hospital," Wang Hongliang said. "That old hag got her paycheck and refused to give it to me. She was even thinking of helping your family. Of course, I had to put a stop to that. It's not like that money grows on trees; it's earned one sweep of the broom at a time."
The moment he heard Wang Hongliang speak, Wu Jun immediately thought of the kind cleaning lady he had seen in the hospital corridor three days earlier.
Hearing Wang Hongliang call her an "old hag" with every other breath, a grown man extorting money from that woman… Wu Jun was furious, but he knew it wasn't his place to meddle in another family's affairs.
'If I beat him up and teach him a lesson, he'll just take it out on that aunty later. I'd only be making things worse for her.'
He sighed internally for the cleaning lady. 'How could such a kind woman have given birth to a scumbag son like Wang Hongliang?'
Having nothing more to say to Wang Hongliang, Wu Jun bent down, picked up his things, and turned to leave, but Wang Hongliang blocked his path again.
"Boss Wu, don't be in such a hurry. We haven't finished our business."
Wang Hongliang stood in front of Wu Jun and said, "How about this? I know you're desperate for cash, and that's why you're selling the store. I'll add another 1,000 yuan to my original offer. Consider it my little donation to your family's cause. How about it? 61,000 yuan. Give me the store, you take the money to treat your dad, and go be a good, filial son."
"Get out of my way." Times were different now. With the Resource Tycoon system, Wu Jun no longer had to worry about money. He shoved Wang Hongliang aside and strode toward the inpatient department's lobby.
"Wu, just you wait! You'll be begging me to take that crappy store off your hands! On my turf here in Shimen, I have plenty of ways to mess with you!" Wang Hongliang watched Wu Jun's retreating back, snorted coldly, and turned to walk back to his car.
「It was morning, so the elevators were relatively empty.」
Laden with bags, Wu Jun easily took an elevator to the 15th floor. After stepping out, he headed toward his father's room.
As he reached the door to Room 1521, Wu Jun heard someone sobbing. His heart clenched, and a wave of panic washed over him as he pushed the door open.
"Mom…" The moment he entered, Wu Jun saw that the person crying wasn't his mother, but a woman in a janitor's uniform.
He remembered her vividly; it was the same woman who had helped his mother get food in the hallway three days ago.
"Jun, you're here." Ma Dongmei looked up and greeted him. The cleaning lady also stopped crying and hastily wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
"Sister, this is my son, Wu Jun."
"Jun, hurry and greet Auntie Xu."
Ma Dongmei introduced Wu Jun and Xu Xiulan.
"Hello, Auntie Xu." Wu Jun placed his things against the wall and stepped forward to greet her with the utmost respect.
His respect for Xu Xiulan was genuine and came from the heart.
A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring, especially when that kindness was shown to one's parents.
"Good boy. Your mother often says how filial and good you are." Thinking of her own adopted son, Wang Hongliang, Xu Xiulan couldn't help but compare him to Wu Jun. As she praised Wu Jun, she felt a pang of envy toward Ma Dongmei.
Remembering what Wang Hongliang had said downstairs, Wu Jun understood why Xu Xiulan had been crying. He didn't pry and instead said, "Auntie Xu, I brought some rice from my store. It's what I sell, so I hope you don't mind. I can help you take it down later."
"For me?" Xu Xiulan waved her hands in refusal. "No, no, I have plenty at home. You should take it back and sell it. Your family needs the money right now. I was hoping to help, but I wasn't able to."
Wu Jun smiled. "Auntie Xu, I have tons of this at my store. Please, don't be so formal with me."
"Sister, don't be so polite. Just accept it. It won't go bad, and you'll save a trip to the store when you run out," Ma Dongmei chimed in, seeing how sensible her son was being.
"Alright then, I'll accept it this time. Thank you, Jun. But please don't bring me anything in the future. I don't need anything," Xu Xiulan said. Seeing that the mother and son were sincere, she relented and accepted the rice, but not without a gentle admonishment for Wu Jun.
After chatting for a while, Xu Xiulan had to get back to cleaning the hallways. Wu Jun carried the bag of rice to her break room before returning to his father's room.
During a casual chat with his mom, he learned more.
Xu Xiulan's husband, Wang Degeng, had passed away a year ago. They had married later in life, and when she joined the family, Wang Hongliang was already in his twenties.
Wang Degeng had been preoccupied with his business and had neglected to discipline his son. Without a mother figure to rein him in, Wang Hongliang had grown into the scoundrel he was today.
After Wang Degeng's death, Wang Hongliang kicked Xu Xiulan out of their home.
Worse still, every month on payday, Wang Hongliang would show up to demand her money, using every trick in the book, from soft persuasion to outright threats.
"Is he even human? He's an animal! Why doesn't Auntie Xu call the police and have that bastard arrested?" Wu Jun's anger flared up as he listened. He deeply regretted not having beaten the hell out of Wang downstairs.
"Let's not talk about it. Your Auntie Xu is just too soft-hearted. A good person is easily bullied, just as a gentle horse is easily ridden." As Ma Dongmei spoke of Xu Xiulan's plight, her eyes reddened. She wiped their corners and asked, "Jun, have you really made up your mind? To sell the convenience store? Let's try to think of another way."
"Mom, you saw the rice I gave Auntie Xu just now, right?" Wu Jun didn't answer her directly, instead posing a question that left Ma Dongmei completely bewildered.
"I'm the agent for that brand of rice now. Your son is the sole distributor for all of Shimen City." Wu Jun had prepared his story on the way over. "Sales are fantastic. You don't have to worry about the rest of the surgery fee. We don't need to sell the store. We can make the money just by selling rice."
"In just three days, I've earned this much from selling rice alone," Wu Jun said, holding up one finger with a proud look on his face.
"One thousand yuan? You earned a thousand in three days! The heavens must have taken pity on us to let you stumble upon such a good opportunity! The heavens are finally smiling on us!" Ma Dongmei was overcome with emotion.
She rarely meddled in his business affairs, so she didn't ask how he became the sole distributor, which saved Wu Jun the trouble of explaining.
Wu Jun shook his head and wagged his finger. "Nope. Not even close. It's ten thousand."
"Ten thousand!" Ma Dongmei gasped, stunned by the number.
'Ten thousand in three days means a hundred thousand a month! The surgery fee is covered!'
At this thought, Ma Dongmei began to weep with joy, hot tears streaming down her face.
Wu Jun was rendered speechless. 'If I told her the truth—that I earned over 20,000 in a single day and will earn even more in the future—she'd probably faint from the shock.'
"Mom, don't get so emotional," Wu Jun said, putting an arm around her shoulders with a smile. "This is just the beginning. We'll be earning more and more. From now on, our family will never have to worry about money again. Once Dad gets better, you two can just stop working, enjoy a quiet life, and travel wherever you want."