Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder — I Rise to Female Lead Through Hard Work-Chapter 82: Jiangcheng

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, what do you think of my watch?" Yi Roujing hadn’t snapped back to reality before being drawn by Ding Anmin’s cheerful call.

Wrapped around Ding Anmin’s slender wrist was a women’s Shanghai brand wristwatch, with a round dial and a brown leather strap—it was a very ordinary style, at least compared to the one on her own wrist.

Yi Roujing looked at the familiar Patek Philippe brand, with its classic rectangular dial; it’s a real antique. Although in this era it might not fetch tens of thousands, it’s not cheap either, probably close to a thousand. A typical worker’s annual salary is only about four hundred; such indulgence!

"Sister-in-law, your watch is really nice, an imported one, but I still think the domestic brand my second brother and I have looks better." Ding Anmin just glanced at Yi Roujing’s watch, then happily admired her own watch.

"Big brother is so generous; I dream of having a watch myself." Ding Anmin was extremely excited, but soon she looked troubled, "Sister-in-law, do you think big brother spent all his savings on us three this year?"

"Not likely," Yi Roujing assured, knowing Ding Ancheng’s financial state, this was just a drop in the ocean.

"Wow, now our family has four watches; you can’t find another family with that many, not even in the whole brigade, probably even rare in the county town," Ding Anmin puffed air to clean the imaginary dust off the watch face and carefully polished it.

Though reluctant to admit it, Ding Anmin earnestly glanced at Yi Roujing and said, "I’ve benefited from your luck."

"But my big brother is truly good, marrying a wife yet still not forgetting about his family," Ding Anmin’s smile was stretched wide with happiness.

Upon exiting the room, Yi Roujing caught sight of Ding Anguo, with an expression nearly identical to Ding Anmin’s, the only difference was his watch was a men’s version of the same style.

"Sister-in-law, you’re awake, did you sleep well?" Ding Anguo inquired warmly.

"Yeah, it was good."

"Does it fit well?" Ding Ancheng picked up Yi Roujing’s left hand, not even glancing at the perfectly sized wristwatch, since he had previously put it on her himself, instead, he gazed straight at Yi Roujing, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"It’s perfect, looks great, I really like it." These words were genuine, although a part of her winced at the cost, Yi Roujing truly adored the watch.

In her past life, she had received even better watches for her birthday, gifts from family, more than one at times, yet she hardly wore them because they weren’t personally chosen by her family, just picked randomly by subordinates for the occasion. As a result, even her family didn’t recognize them later.

The watch Yi Roujing wore in her past life was a very simple, lesser-known brand she bought with her first scholarship, it held significance.

Unexpectedly, now she had again received a unique gift that truly belonged to her.

Yi Roujing’s earlier praise greatly lifted Ding Ancheng’s spirits.

"But why did you suddenly decide to buy watches?" Yi Roujing was slightly curious.

"So that you’ll never miss the time again," Ding Ancheng explained.

Yi Roujing realized it was because he had noticed her looking at his watch before, truly attentive. He treated her extraordinarily well.

"Let’s go eat." Having received the answer he wanted, Ding Ancheng was content and led Yi Roujing, along with the other two, to the hospital.

Mr. Hu had fully recovered, already up and packing his belongings when their group entered, his face lighting up with joy, "Roujing, you’ve arrived."

"Mr. Hu," Yi Roujing greeted with a smile, "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better," Hu Zhishu admitted thankfully, "Without Roujing, I might have lost my life there."

Though the speaker was unintentional, the listener was deliberate, and Yang Cuihu’s face turned pale, her hands twisting together. Mr. Hu, attentive as ever, softly comforted her, "Cuihu, this wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know about my asthma, don’t blame yourself. Truly, from a teacher’s perspective, I’m just fine now, and this is a reason to rejoice, as the saying goes ’great blessings follow great calamities.’

Yang Cuihu’s expression improved greatly upon hearing this.

"The transportation team’s car will be at the hospital around five-thirty, let’s go eat first," Hu Zhishu was genuinely hungry after his ordeal.

The state-run restaurant in Yongning County was just a street away from the hospital, and as it was not yet meal time, Yi Roujing and her group were the first to arrive, allowing them to pick any dish they liked.

Hu Zhishu personally ordered—braised pork chops, steamed ribs, sweet and sour carp, mushroom chicken soup, scrambled eggs with loofah, stir-fried amaranth, and sugared tomatoes—a well-rounded feast of meat and vegetables.

By the time they returned to the hospital after the meal, it was five-twenty; a green Liberation brand truck had already parked, and as the cab’s door opened from the inside, a youth around thirty, standing about 1.75 meters tall, with wheat-colored skin and a robust build, climbed down. He had a square face, densely formed sword-like brows, small eyes, slightly thick lips, wearing a military green Lenin suit.

"Mr. Hu," The young man’s excitement was evident as he clasped Mr. Hu’s hand with both of his.

"Jiashang, sorry to trouble you with this."

"Mr. Hu, you’re too polite..."

The two exchanged smiles and a few words.

"Chen Jia Shang, he was in the first class I taught," Mr. Hu jovially introduced him to Yi Roujing and the others.

All their luggage was loaded onto the wooden cargo bed at the back of the truck, with Ding Ancheng and the others also climbing aboard since only two people could fit in the driver’s seat. They spent a good five minutes bickering over the front seats before setting off with the original arrangement.

The wooden cargo bed was sturdy and fairly clean, as Chen Jia Shang had thoughtfully laid a layer of old cotton padding, making it somewhat comfortable for Yi Roujing and the others to settle in.

But the suspension on cars from this era was really subpar, and combined with the poor road conditions, sitting and reclining for long periods was discomfortingly bumpy, causing Yi Roujing to regret eating too much at dinner.

"Ah—" The truck suddenly hit a large pothole, causing Yi Roujing to bounce up a bit, but Ding Ancheng quickly pulled her into his embrace, safely cushioning her landing.

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," Yi Roujing nodded.

For the remainder of the trip, Ding Ancheng never let go of Yi Roujing, making her too embarrassed to lift her head, especially since they weren’t alone in the cargo bed.

Upon reaching the area of Jiangcheng, Yi Roujing checked the time—it was eight o’clock, arriving half an hour sooner than by train.

Jiangcheng, the capital city of Jiang Province, already had street lamps installed along the roads, and the buildings along the roadside were visible, some even towering to eight stories, though there was only one such building, some scattered five-story buildings, with the majority being three or four stories tall.