Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 368 Anniversary Gathering

A few days later, at Pier No. 3 of Xincheng Port.

"Ouyang—" Jiang Yuwei stood on tiptoe, waving her raised arm vigorously and calling out happily.

Ou Yang smiled and quickly went to meet him.

Jiang Yuwei ran up and gave Ou Yang a warm hug... She was really warm. It was a hot day, with the temperature under the sun exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Even standing still, you would be covered in sweat, let alone two grown people hugging each other.

Zhu Yiming, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow: "Hey, hey, a hug is enough. I'm still here. Separate, separate, separate now!"

Jiang Yuwei reluctantly parted ways with Ou Yang, glaring fiercely at the sarcastic Zhu Yiming: "You're so annoying!"

Zhu Yiming complained, "Hey, why are you favoring him? Why are you only hugging him and not me? Are you treating me differently?"

Jiang Yuwei, her face flushed, raised her leg and kicked him.

Zhu Yiming laughed loudly and jumped away, giving Jiang Yuwei no chance to retaliate.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around. Aren't you two hot under this blazing sun?" Ou Yang helplessly stepped in to smooth things over, and the two finally calmed down and began to talk about their recent situation.

Before, the three of them were on the ship and saw each other all the time, so they didn't think much of it. But after arriving at Saint Wa Island, Ou Yang and Zhu Yiming went ashore and could still see each other often, but Jiang Yuwei was left on the ship by Zhou Jimin. Even though the Hua Tuo ship was always docked near Saint Wa Island, it wasn't like they could see each other whenever they wanted.

The trio hadn't gotten together for over half a month. Today, Jiang Yuwei was off work, and the Hua Tuo ship happened to be docked, so they had a chance to have a small get-together.

woo-

Before we even left the port, a large roll-on/roll-off ship entered the port, its deep whistle carrying far and wide.

Trucks that had been waiting at the dock drove up to the ship one by one, carrying containers unloaded by the crane and transferring them to a small boat on the other side.

After loading several containers, the small boat immediately left the port and headed west.

Jiang Yuwei asked curiously, "Where is this being sent?"

Shouldn't the supplies sent from China be delivered to the new city?
Zhu Yiming didn't speak, but immediately looked at Ou Yang.

The latter watched the small boat sail away and smirked, "That one? It was for Dongzhen."

Jiang Yuwei immediately understood: "The supplies promised during the kidnapping?"

“Yes!” Ou Yang nodded and briefly explained the situation behind it.

According to incomplete statistics afterward, the bounty in the new city caused nearly 10,000 deaths and injuries in East Town and the main island, and the total amount of bonuses claimed by various forces reached 146,000 tons!

If we calculate based on one ton of currency for each rioter, that's 14.6 people!

"Isn't this ridiculous? Excluding New City, how many people are there in the entire Kenong Islands? Even if they all died, there wouldn't be that many!" Zhu Yiming shouted. "Are the local powers desperate for money?"

“They might have been starving,” Ou Yang added. “Even if we assume each culprit weighs 100 tons, there would have to be 146 underground organizations involved in planning the kidnapping.”

"That's even more ridiculous. Where would so many underground organizations come from? Even if they did, wouldn't the information have leaked out long ago?" Zhu Yiming said with even more disdain. "If they had calculated less, the higher-ups might have turned a blind eye and let it go, but with so many calculations, how could they possibly agree?"

Jiang Yuwei asked curiously, "So how much should we give?"

"More than 3 tons," Ou Yang said.

Jiang Yuwei immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Only 3 tons? Thank goodness!"

Ou Yang looked surprised: "Is 3 tons not enough?"

"That's not what I meant," Jiang Yuwei quickly explained. "Didn't you just say 14 tons?"

3 tons is indeed a lot, but it's less than a fraction of 14.6 tons. When she said it was a small amount, she was actually referring to this.

“Actually, 3 tons is an overestimation.” Ou Yang sighed. “After investigation and verification, after squeezing out the excess, the confirmed tactical results were only 2.6 tons. Even including the disputed parts, it was just over 3 tons.”

Jiang Yuwei objected: "Why should we overcharge? Our stuff didn't just fall from the sky!"

"What else could it be? They don't want to break ties, otherwise they could have given even less," Zhu Yiming said discontentedly. "If you ask me, it should be 26,000 tons, not a single pound more!"

Jiang Yuwei was about to speak when Ou Yang stopped her: "Don't listen to his nonsense."

"Who's spouting nonsense? That's exactly how it is!" Zhu Yiming said, full of resentment. "What era are we living in? Isn't this ridiculous?"

Jiang Yuwei blinked: "Ouyang, this time I support Lao Zhu!"

Ou Yang, hands on hips, said, "You two, don't be so superficial in your thinking!"

"Who's superficial? You're the one with deep-seated superficiality. Then tell me, why give so much more?"

“First!” Ou Yang held up a finger, but his voice was much softer. “In order to obtain the right to use Saint Var Island, the higher-ups had an agreement with the neighboring prefecture. They were supposed to provide a batch of supplies, and the quantity was far more than 3 tons. So, this batch of supplies was paid out under the name of aiding friendly nations. That’s not excessive, is it?”

Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously: "Not excessive."

Exchanging aid for usage rights is something no one can fault. But if it's paid as a reward, that's a completely different matter.

"Secondly, for New City to gain a foothold on Saint Václav Island, a stable external environment is crucial. You all know the situation on the main island and in East Town; they're almost at the point of cannibalism. And here? Supplies are piled up like mountains. With such a short distance between us, how could the locals not see them? If it weren't for this, how could there have been a kidnapping incident?"

Zhu Yiming and Jiang Yuwei shook their heads in unison: "No!"

The crucial details behind the kidnapping are known only to a select few.

Thanks to the efforts of the new city authorities, as soon as the kidnapping incident ended, an underground organization called Botu stepped forward and claimed responsibility for the accidental bombing of the neighboring city. They also claimed that it was an accident caused by the guidance of hostile forces, rather than an intentional act.

Shortly after the statement was issued, another underground organization called Hans came forward and accused the New City authorities of orchestrating everything.

But they were too late; the waters had already been stirred up. Even if the people who had preconceived notions didn't believe Botu's statement, they would hesitate and wouldn't accept Hans's account entirely.

Hans may not be the mastermind, but he is definitely inextricably linked to the mastermind. The New City authorities immediately began to keep an eye on Hans and investigate the truth of the matter.

However, all of this was done in secret, and few people in the new city knew the truth. Although Ou Yang was not one of them, he always thought the kidnapping was just a simple extortion attempt.

“So!” Ouyang concluded, “Providing assistance to the locals not only stabilizes the local situation but also creates a favorable external environment for the new city. Why not do it?”

"We can't keep sending supplies forever, can we?" Zhu Yiming said. "How long can 3 tons last?"

"We'll definitely have to rely on ourselves in the future, teaching the locals how to grow crops and so on." Ou Yang chuckled. "But these are just my guesses; the higher-ups must have a more comprehensive plan!"

As they spoke, the three left Honggang Port and walked all the way to Zhu Yiming's new home, a small villa built by the sea on the outskirts of the new city!

The kind with a swimming pool.

Jiang Yuwei's mouth was practically agape: "This is outrageous! Bought with a loan?"

The purpose of building the new city is to resettle our compatriots who have left Maine, and the resettlement is aimed at helping them settle down. Therefore, we encourage everyone to settle in the new city in every way.

This includes, but is not limited to, job placement, affordable housing, and matching subsidized loans—in short, offering a variety of preferential conditions.

With a house and a career, many people are willing to settle down locally after building a new home.

If it weren't for his parents still being alive, Ouyang would have been tempted to stay in the new city!
To put it bluntly, only a small portion of the compatriots who evacuated from the Americas were international students or came to the Americas for other reasons, and these people had the strongest desire to return to their homeland.

Most of our compatriots have actually settled down in the USA. Their houses, businesses, and social connections are all here. The main reason for leaving the USA is to get away from the pandemic, and their desire to return to their home country is not strong.

Returning to one's homeland would mean starting from scratch, with no end in sight, so why not stay in the new city where conditions are better?
Moreover, the new town does not follow an egalitarian approach; it offers different settlement options to different target groups.

There are residential communities similar to those in China, as well as large areas of villas and sea-view apartments.

Zhu Yiming's villa is currently the best sea-view villa. He can be considered one of the first evacuees to settle in the new city!

He chuckled and replied without any restraint, "So-so, full payment!"

Jiang Yuwei was extremely surprised and looked you up and down several times: "I didn't realize you came from such a wealthy family!"

"Regretting choosing Ouyang now?" Zhu Yiming teased deliberately. "How about you two break up, and I'll make do with you for a bit?"

"Tch!" Jiang Yuwei scoffed. "Give me a break!"

Ou Yang rolled up his sleeves: "You're asking for a beating, aren't you?"

"Hey, hey, a gentleman uses words, not fists... Wow, you little rascal!" Zhu Yiming was grabbed by Ou Yang and pinned to the ground for a beating until he cried out for mercy before Ou Yang let him go.

“This kid just happened to be born at the right time.” Ou Yang didn’t hold back at all and directly exposed Zhu Yiming’s secrets. “He’s started live streaming again, hasn’t he? There are already very few people from epidemic areas, and even fewer like us who came from Brown Bear City. The higher-ups are keen to promote common sense related to epidemic prevention, and this kid has taken advantage of the opportunity. His traffic has skyrocketed. I’ve been his guest several times.”

Jiang Yuwei suddenly realized, glared fiercely at Zhu Yiming, and accused him half-jokingly, "So, you're going to work for free, huh? You're going to eat all the food yourself, huh?"

"Stop, stop, stop! What are you talking about? I never said I wouldn't pay the reward, it's just that your Ouyang absolutely refuses to accept it!" Zhu Yiming said, looking aggrieved. "How can you blame me?"

Faced with Jiang Yuwei's puzzled goal, Ou Yang shrugged: "I'm still getting paid by the emergency response team, and I also get bonuses for appearing on shows, so I'm not working for free. I definitely can't accept the income from live streaming... Also, this villa isn't as expensive as you think. I only paid the cost price. Because Lao Zhu cooperated with the publicity, I even got a discount, so it's like I sold it to him at a loss."

Jiang Yuwei agreed, saying, "That's unacceptable... but I'm still upset. You're treating today!"

Zhu Yiming said irritably, "It was an invitation, and everything is ready!"

Soon, canned meat, canned fish, canned fruit, shredded squid, peanuts, and other items were laid out on the table, some imported from China and some locally produced.

There were also two cases of beer.

As the host, Zhu Yiming tore open a can of soda: "Come on, let's not say anything more, let's have one!"

The three of them clinked glasses and drank together, and started chatting.

Zhu Yiming suddenly said, "At this time last year, Ou Yang and I were waiting for our flight at the airport. I was doing a live broadcast when this happened... Thinking about it now, it feels like it was just yesterday."

Ou Yang suddenly realized that today was July 5th, and couldn't help but sigh: "A year has passed in the blink of an eye. If it had been just a few hours earlier, we could have boarded a plane back to our homeland and wouldn't have had to suffer this hardship abroad!"

A year later, the experience is still vivid in my mind, as if I have returned to that time when I was living a precarious life.

"That's right, I just don't have the luck!" Zhu Yiming sighed. "Come on, let's have a drink!"

The three clinked glasses again, the two men downing their drinks in one gulp, and Jiang Yuwei also took a big gulp.

Ou Yang threw away the empty can and said, "At the time, I was only thinking about how to escape. I didn't know if I would live to see tomorrow. I stumbled and fell along the way."

Zhu Yiming opened another can and handed it to Ou Yang before opening one for himself: "No matter what, we've all come out safe and sound. Even if we can't go back for a while, at least things are alright here in Xincheng. We don't need to worry about safety... Sister Wei, what were you doing when the epidemic broke out?"

Jiang Yuwei shook the can and took a small sip: "It's nothing. My experience wasn't as dangerous as yours. I was hiding with my mentor, but then he got infected. I heard there were inhibitors, so I risked running away, and that's how I ran into Ou Yang..."

"Wow, you're quite lucky!"

"Lucky my ass!" Jiang Yuwei complained angrily. "You have no idea, I was almost going crazy at the time. I was thinking that we were all fellow countrymen, so I mustered up all my courage to ask him for help, but he didn't want to help and was planning to abandon me!"

Ou Yang choked on his drink, coughing several times before recovering: "How can you blame me? I didn't even know if I would survive, how could I dare to do anything reckless? Besides, didn't I not abandon you in the end?"

He really wanted to ask, "Didn't you say you'd warm my bed too? It's been a whole year, when are you going to keep your promise?"
“That’s different!” Jiang Yuwei shook her head. “Stop making excuses. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life!”

Zhu Yiming pointed at Ou Yang and laughed loudly: "You're finished, you're finished!"

Being remembered by a woman for a lifetime? That's terrifying, isn't it?
Ou Yang was both amused and exasperated: "Do you need me to get you some paper and a pen so you can write it down in black and white?"

Zhu Yiming clapped: "That's a good idea!"

Amidst their laughter and banter, a fleeting shadow suddenly blocked the window. The three of them froze, rushing to the window to look out—in the direction of the dock, an airship that looked somewhat like a jet engine was slowly taking off, with thick mooring lines extending from the ground all the way to the airship.

It looks like a giant kite!

Zhu Yiming exclaimed in surprise, "What is that?"

(End of this chapter)