Chapter 7: You play the novice, I act the expert

The incompetent man had been looking down, but when he heard the door open without a sound, his head shot up instantly.

Now, they were staring at each other, eye to eye, locked in confrontation.

Dammit, why did this incompetent man have to be from the Forestry Bureau? And if he had to be from the Bureau, why did he have to be in this office?

Zhao Yang furrowed his brows and sneered, "Big shot, you sure are busy, not showing up for work the entire day yesterday."

"What are you doing here?" The incompetent man didn't show any kindness, having had his embarrassing secret revealed by Zhao Yang in broad daylight the day before, his face completely lost.

Several in the crowd knew him; Yan A County wasn't big or small, but the news probably had already spread.

The incompetent man had been fuming all day and night, and now had blisters in his mouth. Seeing the culprit now, anger was chaotically stirring in his heart, and he wished he could kill Zhao Yang!

He had completely forgotten that it was he who had forced Zhao Yang to reveal his impotence yesterday.

Seeing the incompetent man's unfriendly expression, Zhao Yang wanted to laugh as he thought about the name he had learned yesterday but didn't dare; his brows became several curves intertwined.

Because yesterday, Zhao Yang had clearly found out that the head of this department was surnamed Yang, named Yang Wei.

The incompetent man, seeing Zhao Yang looking like he was going to burst an internal organ, furrowed his brow too, and by the time he guessed why Zhao Yang was acting this way, he was slightly ready to commit murder.

"Hello, I'm from Li Family Village," Zhao Yang said.

"Li Family Village?" Yang Wei suddenly remembered the recent incident and asked, "Is your last name Li?"

"No, my surname is Zhao." As he spoke his own surname, Zhao Yang's face turned somewhat grim.

Having endured the hardship of traveling under the open sky for two days and nights, Zhao Yang definitely wasn't here for a joke.

"Zhao?" Once Yang Wei thought about it, he couldn't help but laugh.

Looks like this kid is here about the matter of relocating graves.

Great, now you've fallen into my hands.

"My name is Zhao Yang. Zhao Yishan is my father. I don't need to spell out my purpose here, do I?" Zhao Yang said coldly.

"Young man, that's no way to talk! Let me tell you, the decision on that matter has been made by the Bureau, and there's no changing it no matter what you say. You might as well go back early and get ready to relocate those graves!" Yang Wei leaned back in his chair, picked up his cup of tea, and took a sip of the freshly brewed Goji Berry and Ginseng Tea, all laid-back.

Zhao Yang glanced at the contents of Yang Wei's transparent tea cup and snorted coldly, "You have yang deficiency and are physically weak. Goji berries are yin-nourishing, and the more you drink, the more serious your problem down there will become."

"What do you know!" Yang Wei snorted coldly and said, "Goji berries combined with ginseng are specifically for treating... Hmm, why am I even explaining this to you!"

"Ginseng?" Zhao Yang suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Yang Wei looked at the bright red object shaped like a human body in his cup; it was given by Li Xingmao. Ginseng was most effective in strengthening the kidneys and the body; he had agreed to Li Xingmao's request happily as it was just a trivial matter for him.

"I'm laughing at how you've been fooled and are still happy about it," Zhao Yang pointed at the so-called "ginseng" and said, "That thing is called American ginseng. Nowadays, real ginseng is twice as expensive as American ginseng on the market, and they are hard to distinguish. That's why some businesses soak American ginseng in chemical agents to turn it red and sell it."

"You—You're talking nonsense!" Yang Wei's eyes widened, pointing at Zhao Yang, furious.

Zhao Yang gave a faint smile and said, "Goji berries are sweet, but isn't your tea bitter?"

Yang Wei carefully pondered the taste in his mouth, and indeed it was somewhat bitter...

"Impossible!" He looked at his tea cup and although he said "impossible," his hand pushed the cup aside.

Zhao Yang let out a slight sigh and said, "American ginseng has a cold nature and a bitter flavor; consuming it nourishes yin but damages yang. If you continue drinking this, heh, in this lifetime I guess you can only be a eunuch with a handle."

Yang Wei felt a chill down his spine and broke into a cold sweat on his forehead, unable to help asking, "How do you know so much?"

Recalling how yesterday morning Zhao Yang had only taken his pulse before diagnosing Director Song with a cerebral hemorrhage, Yang Wei suddenly felt that the young man before him was somewhat sinister.

Yesterday, in the ambulance, the doctor said it was good that they had called an ambulance. If they had carried Song to the hospital, there would have been no need for the emergency room; he could have been sent straight to the morgue.

At that time, Yang Wei had also broken into a cold sweat. It was he who had actively suggested carrying Song to the hospital. If Zhao Yang hadn't been there, and Song had died on the way to the hospital, he would have been inescapably culpable.

"I studied medicine, of course I know," Zhao Yang said with a sneer.

"So... can you help me?" Concerned about his lifelong bliss, Yang Wei gritted his teeth and pleaded, "If you can help me, I can ask the bureau to retract the decision to make that area a resource zone."

"Didn't you just say it was irrevocable?" Zhao Yang sneered.

"If you can help me, I'll definitely help you with all my might. Policies are dead, people are alive. By then, I'll talk to the bureau about your family's situation, and I believe they will seriously consider it," Yang Wei earnestly said.

Zhao Yang cursed inwardly, What the hell with the bureau, this was your doing!

However, Zhao Yang didn't point it out, instead, he smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Director Yang."

Hearing Zhao Yang's words, Director Yang's eyes lit up as he eagerly asked, "So... you're willing to help me?"

The county hospital was at a loss for treating Yang Wei's impotence, even if there was a way, he wouldn't dare to try it carelessly, for in such a small county, if word got out, how could he face anyone.

He did not fully trust the man before him either; he wanted to see what Zhao Yang intended to do for treatment. If it was too risky, he would never agree.

Zhao Yang did not respond, but rather sat down across from Director Yang and lit a cigarette.

The smoke spread between them, and in a moment, Director Yang found the man before him increasingly unfathomable.

"Actually, I've already helped you. If you keep drinking this American ginseng, you'll be impotent for life. To thank me, it would only be fair to cancel that affair," Zhao Yang indifferently said.

"It's true, but I..." Director Yang was becoming anxious. He realized more and more that this youngster before him was not easy to deal with, and now that he was asking for his help, he might have to swallow his pride.

"Director Yang, I've only been back for a couple of days and there's so much to do. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way," Zhao Yang said, getting ready to stand up.

Now he wasn't worried about this Mr. Yang not being led by the nose by him. From the moment he had lit the cigarette, Zhao Yang felt sure of himself.

"Wait, brother, don't rush off!" Director Yang quickly stood up, pondered for a while, and then said, "Let's do this, let me know what else you need, I'll fulfill it, just as long as you can cure my condition, I'll help with all I can!"

Zhao Yang chuckled, sat back down, and said, "A doctor must have a compassionate heart; I'm not a cold-blooded person. It's just that when people come to me with problems, I always have to find a solution, right? Li Xingmao's family is in the timber furniture business, they've been deforesting the mountains, making a lot of dirty money over the years. The forest on the hill west of the village is almost gone, and eventually, when the land becomes desertified, not only Li Family Village will be affected, but the Forestry Bureau will have to come up with a solution too. I hope you as a leader can take pre-emptive action for the sake of the people and immediately stop them, alright?"

Upon hearing Zhao Yang's words, Li Xingmao inwardly exclaimed how formidable he was!

Before, he took bribes from Li Xingmao, who made the particulars clear to him. Although he felt it was disloyal, the ginseng was worth at least ten thousand; he could only do it with a guilty conscience. The forest on the west side of Li Family Village was Li Xingmao's cash cow, and Zhao Yang's demand would certainly turn Li Xingmao's family upside down!.

"He initiates on the first day, I respond on the fifteenth. Director Yang, I'm not being excessive, am I?" Zhao Yang said coldly.

"No, not at all!" Director Yang immediately replied, "Li Xingmao's family now has at least a few million, thinking they're above everyone, even wanting to disturb other people's graves, he deserves a lesson."

"Alright, then you handle this for me. Once it's done, your issue is no difficulty for me," Zhao Yang said.

"Do I have to wait until it's done before you can help me?" Director Yang thought, what a cagey young man!

"It's not that it has to be that way, but I have to prepare some things," Zhao Yang said.

"Oh, then please prepare them quickly, it's been almost a year with this problem. Ah, I'll confess to you, my wife has been nagging me every day!" Director Yang said, his face turning red.

"Hmm, that's normal. When I've fixed you up with some medicinal liquor, your wife will certainly be obedient, not even daring to take a deep breath in front of you," Zhao Yang said with a snicker.

"Well then, brother, let's each do our part. I'll have the paperwork to your village within two days, no, three days!"

Zhao Yang nodded and said, "Okay then, I'm counting on you."

For an organization like the Forestry Bureau to settle a matter in two days was already lightning-fast.

"Don't worry, it's on me!" Yang Wei said, thumping his chest.

"By the way," Zhao Yang said as he reached the door and then turned back, "I'm out of money, give me some to buy the liquor."

"Oh, how much?" Yang Wei quickly asked.

"A hundred or so should do."

"A hundred or so, that's not enough, brother, just spend it, call me if you need more!" Saying that, Yang Wei took out all the money he had, it added up to seven or eight hundred in assorted bills.

"Alright, that's enough." Zhao Yang didn't hesitate, took the money, and left.

"I'm counting on you, brother!"