Chapter 288 - 108: Anti-cancer Drug Successfully Developed, The Drug Trial

Jiang Li had barely managed the foundation since its establishment, leaving everything to her assistants.

This was the first time she had ever issued a directive.

The reason was simple: she was putting herself in their shoes.

Because she was wealthy, Shen Shiyu was born with a silver spoon in his mouth; he wouldn’t have to worry about a thing in the future.

Even if he turned out to be a spendthrift, the money in her bank accounts would be enough for him for several lifetimes.

’But what about the children from poor families?’

’Putting food on the table was a struggle, let alone getting an education.’

’And to build schools for them, you first needed to build roads.’

After all, many villages without proper access still had dirt paths. They were manageable on sunny days, but a downpour turned them into a muddy mess, impossible to walk on—let alone send a child to school.

At the mention of this, Liu Qian’s expression grew troubled. "All the rural roads in Capital City have been paved, and the Hope Primary Schools are under construction. The problem is expanding the project to other cities."

"Things are fine in Capital City. People are more reasonable, and even the villagers are easy to deal with."

"But once we got to other regions, it was a different story. It really proved the old saying: harsh lands breed harsh people."

"The moment they hear our accents, they say we can build the road, but we have to pay every single person in the village two hundred a day. On top of that, anyone who helps with the labor demands an extra four hundred, and we still have to provide all the meals."

"Who can put up with that?"

"We’re doing charity, not looking to be taken for fools."

The more Liu Qian thought about it, the angrier she became. "I don’t know where they got the idea that road construction comes with guaranteed jobs, but now they’re all clamoring for us to hire them. And they won’t take a penny less than four hundred."

Jiang Li frowned as she listened to Liu Qian’s rant.

She wasn’t building these roads for some kind of kickback; she was doing it so children in rural areas could go to school.

She just hadn’t expected people to be so unreasonable.

Jiang Li pinched the bridge of her nose. "If that’s how it is, then forget it. We don’t need to put up with that nonsense. We’re the ones providing the funds; we don’t have to grovel."

Liu Qian let out a sigh of relief, her voice audibly lighter. "Okay, Sister Jiang. I’ll relay the message immediately."

’I was so worried I’d get blamed for this.’

Jiang Li chuckled. "You’ve all been working hard. I’ll have the finance department send you a bonus."

Liu Qian grinned. "Oh, we couldn’t possibly accept that."

’Seriously, you guys, who gets this lucky?!’

’A boss who hands out bonuses at the drop of a hat, is low-maintenance, and doesn’t even make us go to those awful business dinners.’

’Hehehe!!!’

"You’ve earned it. Don’t feel awkward about accepting it."

Liu Qian stopped protesting. Remembering something even more important, she said, "Oh, right, Sister Jiang. The research institute just called. They said they’ve successfully developed the anti-cancer drug. The trials confirmed it’s effective. Should I contact a factory for mass production?"

Jiang Li thought for a moment. "Let’s not rush it. I need to contact someone first. I’ll get back to you. For now, we wait."

’I can’t believe they developed it so quickly. Those researchers really are something else. No wonder they cost so much money.’

"If there’s nothing else, that’s all for now. I have to make a call."

"Okay, Sister Jiang. Goodbye."

After hanging up, Jiang Li immediately called Zhao Xia.

"Hello, Sister Xia? It’s Xiao Jiang. Do you remember me?"

Zhao Xia chuckled. "Of course, I remember. Why the sudden call? Looking for a mahjong partner?"

"Not exactly. The thing is, we’ve developed an anti-cancer drug, and I was wondering if you could perhaps..."

Before Jiang Li could finish, Zhao Xia cut in, astonished. "What did you just say? An anti-cancer drug?"

"That’s right. It was just developed today."

Zhao Xia swallowed hard and said immediately, "Okay, how about this: are you free right now? I’ll grab my husband and we’ll come over. We should discuss this in person."

Jiang Li’s whole reason for calling was to get in touch with Mayor Xu through Zhao Xia, so with Zhao Xia herself suggesting it, she certainly wasn’t going to refuse. "I can. I’m at Jinyuan having dinner right now."

"Great. Wait for us."

As soon as Zhao Xia hung up, Jiang Li called the director of the research institute and got straight to the point. "I’m at Jinyuan. Bring a complete sample of the drug over now."

"Yes, President Jiang."

Just as she hung up, Shen Yanzhi found her. He looked a little helpless as he said, "Dad and the others are short one person for mahjong. They want you to join."

Jiang Li shook her head. "I don’t think I can. I have something I need to take care of in a bit."

Seeing her serious expression, Shen Yanzhi couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

"You’re not going to believe this, but my research institute developed an anti-cancer drug."

A flash of astonishment crossed Shen Yanzhi’s eyes. "So what are you planning to do?"

Instead of answering, Jiang Li countered, "What do you think I should do?"