Chapter 766 - 736: Free Shuttle Service
At eleven in the morning, dozens of Mercedes S-series vehicles lined up neatly at the exit of Dongzhou High-speed Railway Station, with uniform decals on their bodies. Upon learning of this event, Fu Guomin, Director of Tourism and Culture, rushed to the scene early. He coordinated with the traffic management department, and the high-speed rail station management also specially arranged for a channel for the free shuttle service.
Seeing this magnificent scene before him, Fu Guomin was extremely excited, thinking that only Xu Chunliang could pull off such an impressive move. Although it was impossible to provide free shuttle service to all the tourists coming to Dongzhou, at least they showed the attitude of the people of Dongzhou.
Many local internet celebrities and broadcasters in Dongzhou also came to the scene to shoot videos, which they quickly uploaded online. Soon, the news of Dongzhou’s hospitality and the grand Maybach fleet offering free shuttles became a trending topic.
Fu Guomin accepted a special interview from Dongzhou TV Station on site. He publicly welcomed every distinguished guest visiting Dongzhou for tourism. If they encounter unfair treatment during their visit, they can directly call the Tourism and Culture Bureau’s hotline or follow their official account for rights protection. He promised to resolve any issues promptly.
In the afternoon, over a hundred more free shuttle cars led by Enheng Pharmaceutical joined the fleet. Enheng Pharmaceutical specially organized a ten-member etiquette team, setting up a temporary booth at the station exit to promote Dongzhou tourism for free and distribute their group’s customized gift packages, which included essentials like umbrellas, folding fans, sun hats, and Enheng’s sunscreen and mosquito repellent water.
The gift package also included discount coupons from twenty Dongzhou restaurants, coordinated by Sheng Chaohui.
When faced with negative news, the people of Dongzhou did not choose to retreat but took the initiative to confront it, demonstrating unprecedented unity in the process.
For a while, both negative and positive reviews soared online, and negative and positive news alternated, but no matter what, Dongzhou’s visibility rose to a new level.
Brother cities within Pinghai Province were baffled, having never felt Dongzhou’s presence so strongly, wondering why its attention surged suddenly.
The internet celebrity blogger Wuyu, who first reported the taxi overcharging issue in Dongzhou, also faced a wave of online attacks. The Dongzhou-loving public flocked to his comment section, leaving messages, some of which contained extreme remarks.
Wuyu had previously reported negative news about other cities but had never encountered such a fierce reaction. He was almost depressed from the criticism and quickly issued a statement clarifying that his report was only targeting isolated issues, not the whole of Dongzhou, and acknowledged that the majority of Dongzhou people were friendly and most businesses were conscientious.
This negative event greatly boosted the people of Dongzhou’s sense of honor. Even before the regulatory authorities could verify, concerned citizens had already gone to supervise the restaurants reported for overcharging, scaring those with such histories to the point that they dared not open their doors. Dongzhou men are famous for their swift justice, and in such circumstances, no one would dare to commit such offenses for fear of their stores being vandalized.
While the final impact of this crisis management remains uncertain, it clearly had an effect.
Xu Chunliang sat in the corridor outside the observation room, contacting the TV station to expand the promotion of these positive news stories.
When Mei Ru Xue came out, she saw he was still there and quietly sat down beside him.
After sending the message, Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "I’m busy with work."
Mei Ru Xue softly said, "Go home, don’t stay here all the time."
Xu Chunliang said, "Do you want to come home and rest with me?"
Mei Ru Xue shook her head and said, "I’m keeping my sister-in-law company, my brother is doing quite well."
Xu Chunliang reached out and held her hand in his palm, "Don’t work too hard either."
"I’m fine, the family is here. Oh, grandpa says he doesn’t want to stay at the second guesthouse, so I was thinking of letting him stay at your house."
Xu Chunliang said, "That would be perfect, I’ll go prepare for it now."
When Xu Changshan heard that Elder Qiao was coming, he was also very happy and scolded Xu Chunliang for not telling him sooner. With such a big event happening in the Qiao Family, he felt he should have gone to visit.
Xu Chunliang explained Qiao Rulong’s current situation: if they wanted to visit, they had to wait until his quarantine period was over.
Elder Qiao had deeper considerations for not wanting to stay at the second guesthouse: having retired, he didn’t want to invite gossip, and his encounter with Secretary Zhou that morning made him realize such encounters would be frequent. He didn’t want to have too much interaction with people within the system.
This time, he came to Dongzhou to visit his grandson, who needed time to recover. Before ensuring his grandson’s safety, he didn’t want to return to Beijing, and staying in a hotel for a long time wasn’t suitable, so Mei Ru Xue suggested he stay at the Xu Family’s place.
At five in the afternoon, Mei Ru Xue accompanied her grandfather to the Hidden Lake Villa.
Upon hearing that Elder Qiao had arrived, Xu Changshan quickly went out to greet him, shaking Elder Qiao’s hand and saying, "Elder Qiao, you finally came. I’ve been waiting for you all day."
Elder Qiao said, "I’ll be troubling you for a few days."
"Oh, please don’t say that and be so formal. Our families will be one in the future."
Following behind Elder Qiao, Mei Ru Xue blushed slightly. Not seeing Xu Chunliang, she asked around and found out he was in the kitchen.
Xu Chunliang’s voice came from the dining room, "Grandpa Qiao, the meals are ready, and most were prepared by my grandpa himself."
Grandpa Qiao’s mood improved a bit today: "Is that so? Then I must give it a try."
Xu Chunliang came to Mei Ru Xue’s side and asked her to stay for dinner. Mei Ru Xue whispered, "I have to go back; my sister-in-law and them are still over there. My aunt and the others are leaving tonight, only my uncle will be there."
Xu Chunliang knew she was worried about Qiao Yuanjiang: "Alright, I’ll go with you."
"No need, you stay here and chat with them."
Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Staying here would make it inconvenient for the two old men to chat."
Grandpa Qiao followed Xu Changshan for a tour of the villa, and praised, "Brother, your living conditions are much better than mine."
Xu Changshan laughed, "I didn’t want to live in such a big house; it was my son who insisted on buying it. Chunliang made me move here. It’s not that I’m being fussy; I’m just not used to it. I’d rather hang around the hospital area than stay at home. The house is big, but the kids aren’t here, and it’s empty and unsettling."
Grandpa Qiao nodded in deep agreement.
Xu Changshan invited him to eat and chat, opening a bottle of Maotai and pouring a glass for Grandpa Qiao.
The old friends had a glass together, and Xu Changshan said, "I only just heard from Chunliang about what’s happening in your family. You’ve been through so much more than I have, with a broader heart, so you don’t need my advice. I believe Rulong will surely recover fully."
Grandpa Qiao sighed and said, "Oh brother, recovering fully is easier said than done. The heart is no small organ. Now I only hope he lives safely; I dare not wish for anything else."
Xu Changshan said, "Our Xu Family does have some secret remedies. When Rulong’s health permits, I’ll come and visit with a prescription based on his condition, which should help."
Grandpa Qiao said, "Thank you, I’ll toast to you for that."
Xu Changshan said, "I wouldn’t dare; I should be toasting to you, my big brother."
Grandpa Qiao said thoughtfully, "Life is full of unexpected fortunes and disasters, no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Oh brother, what is most important to you?"
Xu Changshan refilled Grandpa Qiao’s wine glass, thought for a moment, and said, "In the past, it was the reputation left by our ancestors that mattered the most. Now it’s different; I’ve come to see things more clearly. What’s most important to me is Chunliang. I just want him to be safe and sound. Don’t laugh at my limited view. I’m not expecting him to achieve great things. Now, I just hope he and Xiaoxue get married soon, and expand the Xu Family."
Grandpa Qiao said, "You’re still traditional in your thinking."
Xu Changshan said, "Don’t you wish for that too?"
Grandpa Qiao sighed, "Of course I do." He was thinking about Qiao Rulong and Ye Qingya. Despite being married for so many years, they still had no children. Grandpa Qiao didn’t say anything, but he was anxious. Now that his grandson was in a car accident, the Ye Family hadn’t shown up, which seemed unusual. They might have heard something and were expressing their displeasure this way.
Seeing Grandpa Qiao’s expression, Xu Changshan thought his words had made him unhappy, so he quickly said, "I was just speaking casually, please don’t think too much of it."
Grandpa Qiao said, "I wasn’t overthinking. The two kids are doing well, and Chunliang is sensible. However, getting married and having kids is their own business; what we say doesn’t count."
Xu Changshan said, "Why wouldn’t it count? If both of us agree, surely they’d comply."
Grandpa Qiao laughed, "I see now, staying at your place doesn’t come free. I might even end up giving a granddaughter to the Xu Family."
Xu Changshan said, "You said it yourself; I didn’t ask for anything."
Xu Chunliang took Mei Ru Xue back to Changxing. Just as they parked the car in the parking lot, they saw Secretary Zhou’s car driving in. Xu Chunliang thought Secretary Zhou was there to visit Qiao Rulong, but when the car door opened, Zhang Song and Ye Changyuan got out.
Ye Changyuan had come specifically to visit his son-in-law. Though he received the news yesterday, he didn’t come immediately, using busy work as an excuse, and only came today. He believed the Qiao Family had received their signal, and with Grandpa Qiao’s wisdom, it wasn’t hard to discern something from it.
Before coming, Ye Changyuan had done a lot of groundwork. He had someone investigate the identity of the woman in the car and understood the whole accident process clearly.
With his relationship with Secretary Zhou, understanding the details wasn’t difficult. He didn’t see Qiao Yuanjiang’s initial concealment of Qi Shuang’s existence as a deliberate cover-up. Ye Changyuan never thought much of Qiao Yuanjiang. In the whole Qiao Family, he only respected Grandpa Qiao. When his daughter married Qiao Rulong, he didn’t approve.
His father insisted on it, and Ye Changyuan always felt his daughter could have had better options.
After marriage, Qiao Rulong indeed treated Ye Qingya well, but Ye Changyuan keenly sensed that he had no love for his daughter, and it was the same for his daughter; he never saw genuine affection in her eyes for Qiao Rulong.
Their marriage was purely for political needs, and they both understood this very well.