Chapter 201 - 161: Nuwa’s Answer! The Great Man of the Century, Chu Bamboo

"Next, I should head back to the Nuwa Base for the night."

Chu Bamboo walked as he thought. But as he continued, he suddenly realized something and couldn’t help but feel a little wry. ’For some strange reason, it feels like the Nuwa Base has become my home.’

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Chu Bamboo glanced at the time, his eyes widening in surprise. He had a missed call!

Chu Bamboo pondered. ’This number... If I’m not mistaken, this should be Madam Xue’s, right? Lu Muxue’s mother, Governor Lu’s wife... Why would she suddenly call me at a time like this?’

Chu Bamboo was a little confused. He hadn’t had the phone for long, and he hadn’t saved Madam Xue’s number in it—though he had saved Governor Lu’s.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Bamboo called the number back. The call connected after a few rings.

"Hello! Mr. Xiao Zhu." Madam Xue’s clear and gentle voice came through the phone.

"Just get straight to the point," Chu Bamboo said, his tone casual and calm. He didn’t even break his stride.

"It’s about the Five Poison Sect!" Madam Xue heard the wind and the faint sound of a steam car passing by, guessing that Chu Bamboo was outside. She immediately dropped the pleasantries. "Just as you said, I did... find some problems! I’ve captured the traitor you mentioned."

As she said this, a hint of coldness entered her voice, but she quickly suppressed it. She continued with a light laugh, "I’d like to invite you to that same teahouse tomorrow. I want to thank you in person..."

"...Lu Muxue will be there, right?" Chu Bamboo asked abruptly, a strange expression on his face. "And it won’t just be the two of you, will it?"

"...Indeed."

"Let me guess again... Old Lu isn’t coming either, right?" Chu Bamboo mused. ’After all, if Governor Lu were coming, the call would have been from his number.’

"So, will you honor us with your presence?" Madam Xue didn’t answer his question, but her silence was an answer in itself.

She continued, "Aside from that, we also wanted to discuss another matter with you... As you know, the Xue Group’s initial foray into Jinghai is in the medical sector. I hope to cooperate with the shantytown... by hiring some of the more knowledgeable workers."

"In return, we are also willing to provide the shantytown with a supply of relatively affordable medicine..."

Chu Bamboo stopped under a tree. After pondering for a few breaths, he chuckled. "Trying to entice me with benefits?"

"It’s merely a mutually beneficial cooperation," Madam Xue said, her voice calm.

Chu Bamboo remained noncommittal. He knew that both offers—hiring workers and providing affordable healthcare—were Madam Xue’s form of payment.

Hiring workers would address unemployment and help the struggling residents of the shantytown survive better. And as for healthcare... The shantytown was a lawless, neglected area, and its medical facilities were practically non-existent.

When many residents of the shantytown got sick, their only options were to wait for death or head to the church in the Third District and see if they were lucky enough to beg for some medicine.

This was also why some residents of the shantytown were members of the God Worship Sect.

Even the union wasn’t All-Powerful... At the very least, the union really couldn’t manufacture medicine!

The healthcare system of this era was even more absurd than that of the White-headed Eagle in the Real World. Truly, only the rich and powerful could afford to go to a hospital.

For the average middle-class person, if they got sick, their wealth was only enough to buy some penicillin from a pharmacy and inject it themselves. Whether it was the right treatment for their ailment, or if it would cure them at all, was all up to fate. If it didn’t work, you died!

But even that was considered a good outcome... The people of the shantytown didn’t even have the privilege of buying medicine!

You could even say that some of the union’s upper management couldn’t afford medicine—of course, now that the union was officialized, the ones who had secured positions as clerks could now get into hospitals. Daqian treated its officials very well, and a large portion of their medical expenses was reimbursable.

"Alright," Chu Bamboo agreed without hesitation. "You set a time."

"In the afternoon..."

"I’m busy in the afternoon," Chu Bamboo refused flatly; he had to go with Wall Announcements to the Moisture Teaching. "Let’s make it the morning."

"...You’re, uh, quite busy!" For a moment, Madam Xue wasn’t sure how to react. It had been many years since she’d met a young man who showed her so little deference, but she wasn’t actually angry.

"Nine in the morning, then," she said softly. "The usual spot at that teahouse."

Chu Bamboo hung up the phone, his eyes narrowing as he began to think about Madam Xue’s situation. ’She’s starting to hand out benefits this desperately... Hmph. It seems she must have uncovered a lot of problems through that mole... So, she’s starting to panic now, is she?’

’Of course, it’s also possible she wants to ask about Judge Xu Sun, the one transferred from the Imperial Capital who seems to be targeting Lu Jin.’

The night wind on his cheeks cleared his head. ’Whatever. I’ll head back first.’

...

「Inside Nuwa Base.」

The moment he returned, Chu Bamboo flopped onto the soft bed and stretched lazily. His eyes were half-closed, and it took him a while to collect himself. He propped himself up, stared at the silvery wall, and said, "Nuwa No. 17! Next..."

After a moment’s thought, Chu Bamboo suddenly said, "Could you please pull up all the information on the Divine Continent stock market, the White-headed Eagle stock market, and the global stock market for the full year from April ’25 to April ’26."

In the next instant, a dense stream of data appeared, a blur of red and green that made Chu Bamboo’s eyes glaze over.

"This is... truly a calamitous year!"