Chapter 241: Heading to the Town
Seeing Wei Jia's tightly furrowed brow slightly relax, Li Jing took the medicine bottle and water bottle for her and frowned, "Do you have a stomach problem?"
"Yes, it's an old issue. I have an irregular diet, and I've been quite tired from work lately."
Wei Jia replied in a low voice, seemingly not having the energy to say much more.
Seeing this, Li Jing noticed that the usually sharp Wei Jia seemed like a toothless tiger now, appearing much more gentle.
But he knew this was a sign that Wei Jia was not feeling well; otherwise, with her personality, she would never expose her vulnerable side, no matter how uncomfortable she felt.
At least as long as Li Jing had known her, this was the first time he learned she had health issues.
Thinking of this, Li Jing glanced back at the train compartment's entrance at the attendant, stood up, and walked over.
...
After a while, Wei Jia, who was resting with her eyes closed, felt a warmth spread across her stomach.
She was slightly surprised and raised her eyelids to see a water bottle wrapped in a towel gently placed on her abdomen.
"There's no hot water bag on the train, so I asked the attendant to fill a bottle with hot water. I wrapped it in a towel so it wouldn't burn you."
After listening to Li Jing's explanation, Wei Jia's eyes flickered slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.
This was the first time she was cared for and looked after by a man so considerately.
She only experienced this feeling when her parents took care of her when she was a child.
Then, her expression changed again as she found her hands were being held together by him.
"Your hands are cold too. My hands are still warm, so let me warm them for you."
Li Jing held Wei Jia's hands naturally, as if it was an utterly ordinary thing to do.
Wei Jia silently watched the man before her, not knowing if it was her physical weakness that made her heart softer, or because it had been so long since she felt cared for, but her heart was slightly stirred.
But soon, her unwillingness to admit defeat made her open her mouth anyway, "Are you this considerate to other women too?"
"As long as she's my woman, of course, I'd take care of her."
Hearing Li Jing's answer, the slight warmth Wei Jia felt was instantly wiped away by his words, and her gaze regained some coldness, "So it's your usual trick, is it?"
"No, among my women, you're the only one with a stomach condition."
Li Jing said honestly, "This method to warm your stomach was something I just thought of."
Hearing this, Wei Jia fell silent, then turned her head to look out the window without further words.
Yet her hands continued to be warmly held by Li Jing, with no intention of pulling away.
She might not even have realized it herself; this was her first time in public actively allowing a man to hold her hands like a couple.
Moreover, she didn't reject it; she even felt inexplicably relaxed and relieved under his care.
...
The three-and-a-half-hour train ride was neither too long nor too short.
After getting off the train, Li Jing and the others couldn't help but stretch their stiff bodies.
As they exited the high-speed rail station, two Buick GL8s were already parked in the lot.
Li Jing initially thought they were sent by the town government or school to pick them up and was surprised that they'd send business cars, but Bai Rui beside him explained proactively, "These are business vehicles we rented in advance. It's over a hundred kilometers to the town, so for convenience in the upcoming work, we rented two cars in the city."
After her explanation, Li Jing saw that two of Wei Jia's employees were already coordinating with the car rental owner who brought the vehicle.
In no time, Wei Jia's team had sorted everything out, dividing everyone into two cars.
The front car had four male employees brought by Wei Jia leading the way.
The second car had Wei Jia, Li Jing, Bai Rui, and Xu Tuantuan.
Bai Rui and Xu Tuantuan took turns driving, acting as chauffeurs, allowing bosses Wei Jia and Li Jing enough rest.
Li Jing didn't expect that Bai Rui and Xu Tuantuan were pretty good at driving, easily navigating the highway to the county town.
In early April in Xiangnan, the fields were bright with blooming canola flowers.
The breeze swayed the sea of flowers, as if laying a dazzling carpet on earth.
Distant green mountains stretched with new buds sprouting in the sun, vibrant greenery ready to drip. Occasionally, white-wall black-tile farmhouses dotted the landscape. Farmers wore straw hats and carried tools, walking slowly along the field paths.
Looking at the leisurely and beautiful scenery outside the window, Wei Jia felt her mood lift and remarked, "I didn't expect Xiangnan to look so beautiful at this time."
"Yeah, it's really pretty. President Li, what are those golden flowers?"
At this time, Xu Tuantuan was driving while Bai Rui leaned on the passenger-side window, marveling at the field's scenery and asking proactively.
"Canola flowers."
Li Jing, also captivated by the view, smiled and explained, "The canola flowers here in Xiangnan usually bloom in March and April, making it an excellent time to view them now."
Upon hearing this, Xu Tuantuan's eyes sparkled, even feeling the urge to stop and shoot videos.
However, soon everyone was attracted by other rural scenes.
Rolling green hills, spring ponds full of water, early-blooming mountain flowers, and farmhouses with curling smoke.
The continually changing scenery outside the window enchanted the three women from the city, letting the fatigue from traveling dissolve in the picturesque view.
After about an hour and a half, the two Buick GL8s exited the highway into the county town, then switched to a county road continuing toward the town.
Their destination was in the town, and the road leading there was a not-so-wide county road.
According to Bai Rui's navigation, there were still forty minutes left.
Compared to the smooth highway, these forty minutes on the county road were more challenging to drive.
The narrow road and occasional pedestrians on the edge forced Xu Tuantuan to focus, with no time to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
The sudden appearance of stray dogs and chickens also caught her off guard.
Fortunately, Bai Rui's driving skills were slightly better than Xu Tuantuan's, and after they switched, the ride was smooth again; otherwise, Li Jing might have had to drive this stretch.
Though Bai Rui drove more skillfully, it still took over fifty minutes, not reaching Wangshui Town until dusk.
As they passed through narrow streets and parked in the less than a few hundred meters squared government yard, Li Jing noticed a few middle-aged men in administrative jackets had been waiting under the building in advance.
Wei Jia straightened her suit, opened the car door, and as she stepped out in her high heels, she turned back to Li Jing and said:
"Let's get off. Those over there should be the deputy mayor and principal responsible for coordinating with us."