Chapter 651 - 666: Cash Only

The news from Barbara lifted the trio’s spirits.

After hearing her out, the three of them immediately decided to leave on the cruise ship.

"Alright, alright, I’ll go let them know. The ship leaves in two hours. You should pack up... although it doesn’t look like there’s much to pack."

Barbara looked at the messy state of the house with an indescribable sense of loss, but she quickly composed herself and went to make the arrangements for them.

"Barbara is such a good person."

Jack remarked with a sigh, then was the first to head upstairs to get ready. Their suitcases were still intact, so some of their clothes and belongings were salvageable.

Downstairs, Jiang Xia and An Ning didn’t rush to follow. A large hole had been torn in the roof above their room, and many of their things were soaked and caked with mud.

"What are you thinking about?"

Jiang Xia asked, looking at An Ning, who was staring out the window. An Ning turned back to him playfully. "Guess."

"I guess... you want to leave something for Barbara."

This time, it was An Ning’s turn to be surprised. She cupped Jiang Xia’s chin, pretending to inspect his face closely.

"Well, you’re certainly handsome enough. I guess I can forgive you for reading my mind."

"Oh, you."

Jiang Xia took the opportunity to pull An Ning into an embrace. That was one thing he’d learned well and quickly while abroad: how to express his affection openly.

"We still have some cash. We can leave it all for her."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I really hope she can fix her house and live out the rest of her life in peace."

"Okay. If you want to do it, let’s do it."

Hand in hand, they went upstairs together. They prepared a small package containing all the cash they’d brought with them. An Ning also added a handwritten letter explaining everything, planning to slip it to Barbara as they left.

After the three of them were ready, they went downstairs together just as Barbara returned.

She wasn’t alone. She had returned in someone’s truck and was now shouting for them from the doorway.

"Hurry, they’re driving people to the docks!"

"Coming!"

"Thank you, Barbara."

The three of them came out carrying their things and expressed their gratitude to Barbara.

"Don’t mention it. You’ve been keeping me company. I’m so grateful to have met you all."

Barbara hugged each of them, and An Ning took the opportunity to hand her the package they had prepared.

"What’s this?"

"It’s a gift to thank you for taking us in. If you ever get the chance, please come visit Huaxia. I would be delighted to host you."

"Alright, if I get the chance."

Barbara didn’t refuse. In fact, she wanted to open the gift right in front of An Ning, as was her custom.

But An Ning gently stopped her with a hand.

"Our custom is to wait until the giver has left before opening a gift. Since I’m the one giving it, shouldn’t we follow my custom?"

"Yes, you’re right."

Barbara didn’t think much of it and hugged An Ning one last time, clutching the package.

"An... I wish you happiness."

"I will be. Thank you."

After they let go, An Ning grabbed Jiang Xia’s hand and climbed into the back of the truck.

Someone at the front of the truck bed banged on the roof of the cab. The driver inside stepped on the gas, and the vehicle drove away.

Jack, An Ning, and Jiang Xia all waved goodbye to Barbara. With a look of reluctance in her eyes, Barbara waved back, then her lone figure turned and headed back to her house.

"Poor Barbara. I really wish I could help her."

Jack sighed. His wallet wasn’t exactly flush, though. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

"Heaven will find a more suitable way to help her."

Jiang Xia’s comment made Jack stare at him, speechless. "Xia, you’re too optimistic. There’s just so much you can’t control in this world. I’m genuinely worried about you two. How are people like you going to survive in this dog-eat-dog world?"

"My God, how are you even going to find jobs?"

Jack started worrying about Jiang Xia and An Ning all over again. He wasn’t a bad person at heart, he’d just been through a lot and had developed certain fixed ideas about the world that were hard to change.

"Thank you, but things have a way of working themselves out."

After Jiang Xia’s response, Jack could only offer a helpless smile. ’Reality will teach them soon enough,’ he thought.

As the truck headed for the docks, Barbara arrived back home and opened the package An Ning had left her.

"Oh my heavens! They can’t do this."

Barbara shot to her feet and ran outside, intending to find a car to take her to the docks.

It was too much money. She couldn’t accept it.

But the storm had damaged many vehicles, and the truck that had just left was the only working one in the vicinity. Barbara stood in the empty lot, growing more and more frantic.

"What do I do, what do I do?"

Barbara stomped her foot in place. A letter fell out of the package. She picked it up, opened it, and read it through.

"Barbara, by the time you read this, we’ll be gone. Please don’t try to return the money. There’s something I didn’t tell you: Jiang Xia and I are actually very wealthy. Please don’t believe what Jack says. We have plenty of money."

In the letter, An Ning emphasized several times that they were very wealthy. She ended by telling Barbara not to feel burdened and to please use the money to repair her house as a token of her gratitude for taking care of them these past few days.

Finally, she left her phone number and address in Huaxia, inviting Barbara to come and visit when she had the time.

Barbara held the letter, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Such beautiful, kind Huaxia people."

Barbara stood there, watching some firefighters working in the distance. She thought about what An Ning had said about Huaxia soldiers, how they would rush to the front lines to rescue civilians the moment a disaster struck.

At that moment, a powerful thought struck Barbara. ’Maybe I should go and visit that mysterious country?’

An Ning, for the time being, was unaware of Barbara’s thoughts, though she would have welcomed them if she knew.

The trio’s truck finally arrived at the docks.

However, they ran into a small snag while trying to board the ship.

The cruise ship wasn’t free.

The owner of the ship was standing on the deck collecting payment—cash only.

But at this point, An Ning and Jiang Xia didn’t have a single cent of cash on them.

They asked if they could pay by card, but the answer was no.

The owner was just looking to make a quick buck. Card payments would leave a paper trail and involve tax issues, which was not what he wanted.

An Ning did have some money, but it wasn’t in US Dollars, so it was useless here.

"I’ll get it."

Jack stepped forward from behind them, emptied his wallet, and bought tickets for Jiang Xia and An Ning.

"Jack, we’ll pay you back."

"Thank you, Jack."

Jack just shook his head, not seeming to mind, and boarded the ship ahead of them.

Jiang Xia and An Ning followed Jack on board. Their tickets only got them standing room on the deck; there wasn’t even a place to sit.

On deck, Jack sat down on his suitcase and asked Jiang Xia, for the first time, a serious question.

"So, which city are you two headed to for work?"