Chapter 154: Chapter 67

Life went on slowly and unhurriedly, and after a time of intensive preparation, the community finally welcomed the day of the sports meet.

The Yuelan community is unprecedentedly lively, and everyone was very enthusiastic about answering questions. Although run off their feet, Ning Wan and Fu Zheng were enjoying themselves.

Not only was Auntie Xiao the square dance queen, but also a top performer in the law trivia pop quiz, performing well across the board. She had recently broken up with her latest boyfriend and returned to the ranks of the golden single aunties, and several uncles were cheering for her on the field.

Auntie Xiao herself didn't bother pretending to be humble about it. "I'm just showing some jealous old biddies in our community that not only can I dance, but I can be intellectual, too! These commonsense law trivia is nothing to me! Also, I want the fellows chasing me to know that I'm too good for an ordinary man!"

Aunt Xiao did exactly as she said and very well. However, she was old and after participating in five activities in a row, she begun panting and had to stand beside Ning Wan and Fu Zheng to rest, losing out on the other activities going on.

What was currently going on was the most popular activity for the audience - the fun run.

This particular activity had the most generous prizes, ranging from daily necessities to computers, phones, smart appliances, batteries, cars and bicycles. The rules of the game were quite simple. There was just one - upon the starting call, players could take anything from the prize pile, regardless of quantity and price, and carrying it in their hands, run to the finish point. If anything in their hands fell halfway, they were out, so they couldn't be too greedy. If you took too many things, you might fall halfway and be disqualified. The person who made it to the finish line first without dropping their prize would win the prize that they had selected.

It was just like a buffet. So long as you can finish eating without leaving anything as leftovers, everything would be yours. So long as you could carry it, not drop it halfway, and win the first place, everything you held was yours.

The rules and generous prizes alone were attractive enough to draw many participants.

The fun run would be held for a total of five rounds, and three of those rounds had already passed. Alas, Auntie Xiao could only watch the winners return home in triumph with their prizes. "If I hadn't pulled a muscle skipping rope and long jumping just now, I would have won more than him..."

The fun run was indeed the finale of this community sports meet. Director Ji, that wily old fox, had deliberately set it at the end with a clear purpose - to use other activities to first sap the strength of the community. By the last activity, most people were in the same state as Auntie Xiao, where the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.

"I bought all these prizes and they can be returned or exchanged anytime in the next seven days," Director Ji, that frugal genius, commented. "Let the contestants spend some effort in the other activities, so that only a few will be able to participate in the final one. Otherwise, if I put an activity like this right at the start, won't all the prizes be snatched up? Our community runs on a tight budget! It's great like this! With fewer people able to participate, one stems the enemy's deadliness and strength right from the source, and I'll lose less of the prizes. When it's all over, I'll return whatever prizes remain and save myself some money!"

Ning Wan was quite impressed to hear this. What Director Ji had predicted came true. The fun run had originally been planned for five rounds, five participants in each round. But in the final round, there were less than five. One person was somehow missing... Since no one had known in advance that there would be such a good activity at the finale, they had all tried their best in the previous activities and were all now panting and resting, wishing to strike the evildoers yet helpless to resistThis is the same idiom as the 'spirit is willing but the flesh is weak' I translated earlier..

However, that left them with not enough contestants for the last round. The activity had to be finished perfectly, so after some back and forth, Director Ji had no choice but to look toward Fu Zheng, who was standing next to him. "Xiao Fu, why don't you go up to make up the numbers? Just put in a little effort. Although all the phones and laptops were snatched up by previous contestants, there are still plenty of pretty good appliances out there, and you can grab whatever you're missing at home."

Fu Zheng smiled and declined. "I don't need anything at the moment."

"This is the last game, and there are still prizes leftover from other activities. It's okay to take whatever you want from this entire competition! So long as you can make it to the finish line and come in first, it's yours!"

Fu Zheng hadn't seemed very interested at first, but after Director Ji said this, who knew what correct button he pressed but Fu Zheng first glanced thoughtfully at Ning Wan, then nodded.

Ning Wan watched Fu Zheng head to the starting point and began to call out the instructions. As she was waiting to see what prize Fu Zheng was going to pick, she found that Fu Zheng was not running toward the pile at all, but instead… towards her?

Looking at him already standing in front of her, Ning Wan asked, confused, "What's the matter? Are you feeling oka..."

Before she could finish the word "okay", Fu Zheng bent down, picked her up, and then ran toward the finish line amidst her cry of surprise.

All of a sudden, the onlookers in the community began cheering, clapping, and whistling. Ning Wan suddenly became the focus of  the scene. Embarrassed to be held in Fu Zheng's arms like a princess, she demanded, "What are you doing?"

Things had already turned out this way. Fu Zheng said quite eloquently, "Director Ji said that I could have anything I wanted from this competition."

He glanced at her. "So I decided to follow my heart and take from the competition the only thing I wanted."

For a short instant, Ning Wan blushed red and her heart beat fast. What was up with Fu Zheng? Wasn't this breaking the rules? It was obviously him running while carrying a heavy load, yet his heart didn't seem to be racing. Instead, it was Ning Wan, who he was holding, who seemed to have taken part in strenuous exercise.

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Regardless, Director Ji, who had opened the back door for Fu Zheng, not only failed to stop him but even took the lead in cheering him on.

Fu Zheng was apparently the sort of person who lay low most of the time, but when he did something, did so extraordinarily well. Although he was holding an entire living human being, he ran faster than the other four in the his group and was the first to reach the finish line.

Old Ji stood at the finish line, grinning ear to ear like an old fox. He patted Fu Zheng earnestly on the back. "Xiao Fu, take good care of our Ning Wan in the future."

At almost the same time that Fu Zheng let her down, before either of them were ready, old Ji made a gesture behind his back, and her, and the other community staff unfurled a silk bannerA flag of colourful silk. It's usually like an expression of congratulations or reward. . for Ning Wan and Fu Zheng--

"Xiao Ning, I know you're going back to headquarters soon. Although I'll be under a lot of pressure without your help here in the future, I'm incredibly happy for you. An enthusiastic, practical person like you shouldn't stay buried out here in the community."

"Ever since learning that that you were about to leave, I've been bombarded with messages on our community forum asking me to gift you this banner." Director Ji brought out a box. "The contents of this carton are the gifts given to you by the many aunts and uncles from our community, all of them hand-made. Some knitted you a scarf, others made you a cross stitch. Though they're not worth much, please regard them as a piece of our hearts. Thank you for your contribution to Yuelan these past two years."

Having said all this, Old Ji turned to look at Fu Zheng. "Xiao Fu, although you've only been with us for a short time, I've seen that you and Xiao Ning are the same kind of people, with your own ideals, abilities, and convictions. Everyone used to grouch to me about how I hadn't done something about Xiao Ning's singlehood in the last two years, so this is a happy ending. In the future, I will entrust Xiao Ning to your care."

When Director Ji had finished speaking, someone set off some fireworks. As they were all engrossed in watching the colorful fireworks, someone else, who knew who, unfurled another banner, the content of which made Ning Wan laugh helplessly--

Celebrating the successful conclusion of the 4th Annual Community Law Educational Activity

Celebrating the successful graduation of Lawyer Ning Wan from Yuelan

In fact, the scene was not very grandiose. It was obvious that due to having been hastily prepared, it had not been rehearsed and was even a little chaotic, but Ning Wan's heart was overflowing with warmth.

It was clear to see that all this had been carefully prepared for her.

Ning Wan had never obtained the loving care of her father. However, Director Ji's gentle and encouraging gaze gave her the feeling like 'everything lost at sunrise shall be regained at sunset'.

When she had first been thrown into the community, confused and flustered and at a loss, hadn't Old Ji kindly guided her with fitting in? Had he not led her way when she had dealt with difficult and unfavorable cases...? Looking back on those scenes now, she was deeply moved.

Many feelings did not need to be intense. Oftentimes, kindness and care came stealing in like the night wind to softly, silently ease matters. She hadn't had a happy childhood or a father to rely on, but there were still so many gentle people around her, all of whom could not be more ordinary. Yet it was the ordinary, warm, sincere people like Old Ji upon which society ran, who even without knowing, brought others encouragement and courage.

Holding the carton Old Ji had handed over, Ning Wan peered at the little gifts inside. The crooked cross stitch was from Aunt Wu, that Sanda champion; the knitted gloves and matching scarf from fashionable and beautiful Auntie Xiao; by the green succulent was the name of Auntie Shi; there was even a carton of free-range eggs inside, which were from Uncle Wang...

For the longest time, even though Ning Wan had taken her job as community lawyer seriously, she had felt like having been here for two years was a waste of time. She had always felt like she was squandering her career path, not being able to touch those high-end cases in the commercial field. But at this moment, she realized that every journey and experience in life was meaningful. For so long as she lived earnestly and seriously, not one minute nor one second of her time had been wasted.

Director Ji was also a little teary-eyed, but there was happiness in his eyes. "In short, come back to Yuelan often in the future to see what's going on. And if anything ever angers you, think of our community as your maiden home. We will always have your back. All us old geezers and old ladies will jointly sign a petition for you!"

Clasping Ning Wan's hand tightly, Fu Zheng declared, "Don't worry, Director Ji. With me here, Ning Wan will never have the need."

Although Fu Zheng, an intern, could not shelter her from the wind and rain, Ning Wan was greatly gratified by his attitude alone. At that moment, a new thought hatched in her heart. Even after joining the senior partner's team, so long as she had enough time, if any complex cases arose at Yuelan, she would gladly help them out.

Finally, surrounded by everyone's applause and blessings, she took a big photo together with everyone, still unable to keep herself from getting a little weepy. She looked at the smiling Old Ji before her, at Auntie Xiao who was looking between her and Fu Zheng as if she had a lot of questions to ask, at the many other familiar faces in the community, and finally at Fu Zheng standing by her side, and felt that every experience was growth, and that none of her efforts had been in vain.

In life she might never have great wealth, but with a loving soulmate, kind elders, friends who would accompany her through thick and thin, and warmth and affirmation all around, she would surely have a plain, pedestrian, yet meaningful happiness.