After Jian Fei returned to Tongcheng, she found a clerical job at a public hospital in the city.
Although the salary was not high and the job was not directly related to her major, it was at least within the medical system.
The public hospital was a Grade III Class A hospital, and she hadn't used any connections. For someone from her family background, this was already quite good.
At least her family members all thought the job was pretty good.
Jian Fei lost her mother at a young age and grew up with her grandmother, father, and younger sister.
Her father used to work at construction sites and in his spare time drove a three-wheeled vehicle in the county town, taking on odd jobs. Although life was meager, the family was healthy and safe, and they lived harmoniously.
But fate always seemed to oppose the poor. The year she was in high school, her father was on his way to pick up her younger sister, who had just started junior high, when he was involved in a serious car accident. Everything changed afterward.
The three-wheeled vehicle overturned, leaving her father with a severe disability in his left leg. Her sister was thrown out of the vehicle, hitting her head and becoming deaf.
The compensation from the other party was barely enough to cover administrative fees. For the entire year, the whole family relied on her grandmother to farm and make a living.
From then on, every winter and summer vacation, Jian Fei worked in restaurants to save up for her tuition.
During her university years, she managed to get by solely on scholarships and various part-time jobs.
Her sister had no money to attend a special school, and with her hearing loss, her grades were naturally average.
But fortunately, she had a desire to learn. She attended vocational school and now works at a local grain and oil factory.
Her sister was pretty, honest, and due to her physical disability, she was afraid of interacting with the outside world. She was always Jian Fei's greatest concern.
In a small town with traditional views, most young men were reluctant to find a partner with her sister's conditions.
Her biggest wish so far was to work and earn money quickly to get her sister cochlear implants, allowing her to live a normal life as soon as possible.
On the weekend, Jian Fei took a bus back to her hometown.
She was busy with work normally, and to save money, she usually only went back once every half a month.
Every time she returned, the whole family was very happy, treating it like a festival and preparing better meals for her.
Her grandmother caught a large fish from their own pond and stewed it in the pot. Her sister happily washed vegetables in the yard, and Jian Fei helped with the fire.
Halfway through stewing the fish, her grandmother turned to pour soy sauce into the pot, only to find the bottle empty.
"We're out of soy sauce. Feifei, go to the small store and buy me a bottle. Hurry up."
Jian Fei took her phone, ran out, and asked her grandmother as she ran if there was anything else she needed.
"No. It's getting late, and call your dad to tell him to come back quickly for dinner."
Jian Fei agreed and was already at the front gate.
She ran out quickly, turned a corner, and there was a small store across the street.
Before going over, her gaze was attracted by a group of people at the corner.
A group of men and women, young and old, were gathered by the roadside, noisily watching something, as if there was news.
She was mindful of the food in the pot and didn't intend to join the commotion, but as she was about to leave, an aunt she knew called out to her.
"Jian Fei, you're here at the right time. Come quickly and take a look, your dad got into a car accident."
Jian Fei was startled and hurried over.
Pushing through the crowd, she squeezed in and saw her father, dressed in dusty autumn clothes, standing beside his rusty red three-wheeled vehicle, which was his lifeline. He was arguing with three tall men.
"I was driving normally, I didn't bother you, why should I pay?"
Jian Fei walked to her father's side and gently tugged his sleeve.
"Dad, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?"
The leader, a man wearing sunglasses and a thick gold chain, heard her call him Dad and looked over, his tone fierce.
"He's blind, you can't get through to him. You're his daughter, right? Then I'll talk to you."
"Look how you father damaged my car. Get ready to pay!"
Jian Fei followed the man's gaze and saw a gleaming black car with a Porsche logo on the front.
There were two obvious scratches on the car body above the left tire.
"He's uneducated and has no experience, he doesn't know quality. You must know what this is, right?"
Seeing the Porsche, Jian Fei hadn't recovered yet when her father grabbed her arm.
"Don't listen to his nonsense. You don't need to worry about this! I was driving home normally, and when I reached this spot, their car was going too fast and suddenly hit me. How can you blame me?"
"I don't care what car it is, if you don't agree, we can call the police. In any case, don't expect me to pay!"
Jian Fei quickly simulated the scene of the two cars colliding in her mind.
Their family was on the right, and Dad was driving to the right. This car was driving normally, so it grazed the left side.
The old street had no surveillance cameras and no witnesses. As things stood, it was difficult to assign blame.
If they called the police, and the police arrived, they might end up being the ones who had to pay.
Although Jian Fei hadn't driven a luxury car, she had basic common sense. The cost of repairing the car would definitely not be low.
Given her family's situation, any saving was a saving. So, she bravely stepped forward.
"What evidence do you have to prove that my dad hit you first? Don't think you can just extort people because you drive a car."
"Hey! You're so young, I thought you'd be reasonable, but I didn't expect you to be a..."
The man glanced at her dismissively, "Fine! I won't waste my breath with you. I have a dashcam!"
"Call traffic police. My car is imported from abroad. Even the touch-up paint needs to be done abroad. The shipping and repair costs will be at least 100,000. Prepare to pay!"
One hundred thousand?
For an elderly person like her father, who was disabled and only earned three to five yuan per trip, wasn't that like asking for his life?
He was so angry that he lunged forward, "You hit me first. 100,000 for such a small scratch? Why don't you just rob me? Feifei, don't waste your breath with him. We're in broad daylight. Do you really think he can extort us."
After saying that, he grabbed Jian Fei and was about to get into the three-wheeled vehicle to leave. The three men rushed forward aggressively.
Without a word, they grabbed her father and Jian Fei by their collars, pushed them onto the ground, and started beating them while spewing obscenities.
Although she had lived a hard life since childhood, her father had never laid a finger on her.
In her entire life, this was the first time Jian Fei had been hit by a man.
The hard leather shoes kicking her body felt like being cut by a knife.
The neighbors who usually greeted them now stood by without daring to step forward.
Soon, apart from the ringing in her ears, Jian Fei felt blood flowing down her mouth from her nose.
The opponents were aggressive and strong, and she and her father couldn't resist. She wondered desperately when this brutal assault would stop.
For some reason, the first face that flashed in her mind was Ke Teng's.
It was just too far away, too impossible.
He was so high and mighty, so unrelated to her, he couldn't possibly help her.
After enduring the beating for an unknown amount of time, a familiar honking sound approached from the distance. Finally, a voice in the crowd gave her a glimmer of hope.