Chapter 649: Zhao Kai Goes Down to the Coal Mine

Chapter 649: Zhao Kai Goes Down to the Coal Mine

After everyone was seated and the dishes were served, Bai Zhi and Lu Ye stood up to toast everyone. Since Lu Ye was not allowed to drink alcohol according to the rules, Bai Zhi drank with everyone after the toast.

At first, Lu Ye suggested using tea instead of wine, but Bai Zhi, being generous, insisted on having a drink with everyone on such a joyous day.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to support our clinic."

First and foremost, I must thank my maternal grandfather. Despite his advanced age, he insisted on coming here to practice medicine, and he selflessly supported my work. I am truly grateful for his understanding and support.

"In addition, I would like to thank all the elders who came all the way from the south of the city. I would also like to thank Grandpa Sun and Grandma Sun as well."

"Lu Ye and I would like to raise a toast to everyone."

Bai Zhi picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Her words were sincere and heartfelt, but Ye Rufeng remained calm and showed no reaction to her words of gratitude.

Lu Zheng'an said, "Xiao Zhi, we are all family. Don't be so polite with us. As your parents, we are proud that you have been able to settle down and start a business here."

Lu Shaoan chimed in, "Yes, niece-in-law, you're so young, yet you have such great courage and determination. Your second uncle admires you very much."

"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle."

The other elders all affirmed Bai Zhi's abilities.

Although they knew that Ye Rufeng would be the next doctor at the clinic, Bai Zhi's abilities were evident to all her family members; it was just that an elder was needed to see her because of her qualifications.

After the toasts, Bai Zhi and Lu Ye took their seats, and then everyone ate and chatted freely.

Wang Guifang and Wang Yumei sat next to Shen Qian. When Bai Zhi and the others were toasting, they saw the group of distinguished figures at the table and realized that Bai Zhi was indeed someone of great importance.

Wang Yumei, in particular, was experiencing a mix of emotions. Her gaze towards Bai Zhi had changed. Ever since Bai Zhi came to the military family compound, she had treated her like a country girl from the bottom of her heart.

She had previously heard that Bai Zhi was a country girl arranged for Lu Ye by his family, so she always looked down on her. However, she later saw that Bai Zhi's abilities and temperament were nothing like those of a country girl who had never seen the world.

But she still refused to admit it, and always unconsciously compared herself to her, trying to put her down. At this moment, looking at her confident and generous words and deeds, Wang Yumei felt her face burning, and felt like a clown.

She was almost 10 years older than Bai Zhi, who was still a young woman, while Bai Zhi, a 30-year-old woman, was incredibly naive.

Look at Bai Zhi's uncle, he's a big boss.

And this grandfather of mine, I heard he's known as a miracle doctor.

Bai Zhi's family background is something that ordinary people can't compare to.

After Bai Zhi finished entertaining everyone, she noticed Wang Yumei and Liu Guifang sitting there awkwardly, not having eaten much. She smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Guifang, Sister-in-law Yumei, please start eating!"

"Okay, okay." Liu Guifang was clearly very uneasy.

Liu Guifang usually got along very well with Bai Zhi, who was also very kind, but seeing so many people today still made her feel a little overwhelmed.

She added, "My husband, Lao Yang, and Company Commander Zhou both went to work and didn't have time to come, so they specially asked me and Yu Mei to come and congratulate you."

“Yes, yes, they both had work to do at their jobs today and didn’t have time to come over,” Wang Yumei chimed in.

"We understand, we understand. We're very happy that you two could come."

Bai Zhi said, "We were just unveiling a plaque and didn't intend to trouble everyone. But the elders in our family insisted on coming to see us. They missed Lu Ye and me and wanted to take this opportunity to reunite with us."

Liu Guifang said, "Your parents must miss you so much, being so far from home."

“I heard from Xiaozhi that you all take good care of him. This shows that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. I’d like to toast you all.”

Xie Jun poured himself a drink, stood up, and politely toasted Liu Guifang and Wang Yumei.

This must be really embarrassing for you, Wang Yumei.

He had never taken care of Bai Zhi; on the contrary, they used to be at odds. It was only recently, when Zhou Jianming needed medical attention and he hadn't heard of Bai Zhi's appearance, that he was from the provincial hospital and was planning to open a clinic there, which changed his attitude towards him. It was rare that Bai Zhi would let them off the hook.

If you encounter someone petty and narrow-minded, you might not even bother with them.

"You're too kind."

Liu Guifang and Wang Yumei hurriedly got up and clinked glasses with Xie Yun.

As Xie Yun's second aunt, Wang Shufen originally planned to toast them, just like Xie Yun had done.

To showcase the elegance and refinement of one's elders.

Before she could even speak, Bai Zhi spoke up first, "Everyone, don't be shy, sit down and eat, let's chat."

After Bai Zhi said this, Wang Shufen had no choice but to give up.

Xie Yun also chatted with Liu Guifang and the others in a friendly manner, learning about their professions.

I was quite surprised to hear that Liu Guifang makes and sells her own noodles.

Of course, she understood more about the difficulties they faced as military wives.

"Sister-in-law, I have something to tell you." Lu Hai suddenly leaned over, looking mysterious.

Bai Zhi glanced at him and nodded, "Go ahead and say it."

"Zhao Kai has gone down to the coal mine."

Upon hearing Lu Hai's words, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's good."

Lu Hai scoffed, "He's completely useless at work. He looks tall and strong, but he's actually a coward. The workers in his team are always complaining that he's dragging them down."

"I'm even considering whether to fire him."

"He's come to me many times, hoping I can arrange an easy job for him. Tell me, where in the coal mine is there an easy job?" Lu Hai scoffed. "If there were an easy job, would he even get it?"

Bai Zhi said, "He probably wants to work in an office."

“That’s wishful thinking. He thinks he can sit in the management team?” Lu Hai said slyly. “But I’ll keep giving him empty promises and let him hold on a little longer.”

After finishing his sentence, he added, "I don't think his physical condition can hold out for much longer."

When they can no longer perform, just fire them and send them on their way.

Bai Zhi reminded them, "You must pay attention to safe operation, so that nothing goes wrong."

"No, we all have proper operating certificates; we're not an illegal coal mine."

Lu Ye noticed Bai Zhi and Lu Hai whispering to each other, so he walked over and asked, "What are you two talking about?"

Lu Hai sat up straight and said naturally, "I'm going to talk to my cousin-in-law about work."

"By the way, sister-in-law, it's not far from the capital. When do you have time to come visit us?"

Bai Zhi agreed without hesitation, "Okay."

"What good would it do to go to the coal mine?" Lu Ye looked at Lu Hai, indicating his refusal.

Lu Hairuo confidently introduced, "Don't be shy, our place is much more interesting than this. I was hesitant to invite you before, afraid you'd think our place was too harsh, but seeing it now, the environment is pretty much the same. Although our coal mine is in the mountains, we can go back to the city to live after work. The city is quite bustling, and I can show you around then."

Lu Hai looked at Lu Ye with a kind and understanding expression, "Cousin, it's not that I don't want to invite you, but you're just too busy. Even if I wanted to invite you, you wouldn't have time to go."

"Yeah, your cousin is really busy."