Restarting life by going to the countryside to support medical work

Chapter 594 Thinking About It

A dozen minutes later, Li Yancheng arrived at the place Chen Xiangtian had mentioned on the phone.

As soon as he turned onto the road at the entrance of the alley, he saw Chen Xiangtian standing by the roadside looking in his direction. About a meter away from him stood a mature and beautiful woman who looked to be no more than thirty years old, with a curvaceous figure that was very eye-catching.

With just a casual glance, he noticed that many men passing by the woman would secretly give her a look.

The alleys here are different from the ones where he lives. The roads in these alleys are very narrow, and cars can't drive in at all; they can only park on the side of the road.

As the black sedan approached and prepared to stop at the roadside, Chen Xiangtian turned to the woman beside him and quickly said, "They're here, Xiao Rong. I've brought the person over for you. Whether you can win them over depends on your own methods, but no matter what, you can't ruin my plans."

Finally, I still want to give you a piece of advice: the Luo family is not to be trifled with. Neither of the Luo family's daughters are easy to deal with. Don't be fooled by their seemingly unassuming nature in the capital; there are plenty of people who want to curry favor with them.

If Luo Min finds out you're after her man, she won't even need to come looking for you. She can just shrug it off and have plenty of people willing to offer you up as a gift.

In short, think it through yourself.

After quickly finishing his sentence, Chen Xiangtian walked towards the black sedan that was already parked on the side of the road. After taking only two steps, he made a sound of "Eh," and then slowed down.

"What's wrong?" The woman following him asked curiously when she saw him slow down.

"This...this license plate number is wrong. I remember that person's license plate number was 1001..."

Before Chen Xiangtian could finish speaking, the back door of the black sedan was pushed open, and a figure that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him stepped out of the car.

After confirming that it was indeed the person he was waiting for, Chen Xiangtian quickly took two steps forward and extended his hands.

"Hello Director Li, I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Director Chen, you're too kind. There are some things we really need to sit down and have a good talk about."

After shaking hands with Chen Xiangtian, Li Yancheng turned his gaze to the woman standing half a body length behind Chen.

Chen Xiangtian noticed his gaze and introduced her, "Director Li, let me introduce you. This lady is the friend I mentioned, Tong Xiurong. Tong means child, Xiu means beautiful, and Rong means Rongcheng. She runs the teahouse."

It has its own courtyard, offering excellent privacy, making it convenient for business discussions. There's even a chef on-site to prepare simple meals, which are quite delicious.

Li Yancheng glanced at Chen Xiangtian without making a sound, feeling a little strange and wondering why he was giving such a detailed introduction to the teahouse.
However, he did not show any unusual expression on his face, but instead smiled and nodded to the woman.

"Director Li, hello. I've long admired your name. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Li Yancheng originally had no intention of shaking hands with this woman, but now that she had extended her hand, it would be awkward for him to remain aloof. So, he had no choice but to extend his right hand as well and lightly touch her fingertips.

"Hello, Comrade Tong Xiurong."

This surname is quite rare. Li Yancheng was already thinking about it when Chen Xiangtian introduced her, and he only remembered who she was after touching hands with the woman.

The widow of the Huang family.

Tong Xiurong's situation is quite similar to Jiang Xiaodong's. She grew up in the Huang family and married the Huang family's only son after growing up. The time between her marriage and Li Yancheng's marriage to Luo Min was less than a month.

Not long after the wedding, the old man of the Huang family was transferred to work in a forest farm in Northeast China due to some unfounded accusations, and the whole family went with him.

The working and living conditions in the Northeast forest farm were so harsh. Just three years after they arrived, the old man and woman of the Huang family passed away one after the other.

In 1977, shortly after the notice to resume the college entrance examination was issued, Huang's only son, who was also Tong Xiurong's husband, encountered a bear while cutting down trees. He was unable to escape and was slapped by the bear, losing half of his head.

Not long after his death, his father's problems were investigated and the organization decided to restore his treatment. Unfortunately, of the four people who went there, only Tong Xiurong returned to Beijing.

After returning to Beijing, she took the college entrance examination and was admitted to a junior college, majoring in accounting. She just graduated this year and was assigned to work at the Finance Bureau of Chengdong District.

These are not the key points. The key point is that Li Yancheng had heard others mention this widow of the Huang family. They said that this woman was very adept at social maneuvering. During the three years she studied after returning to Beijing, she used her deceased father-in-law's old connections to cultivate her own network of relationships. This teahouse was also an important part of her network of relationships.

When Chen Xiangtian mentioned a secret teahouse run by a friend on the phone, he hadn't thought much of it. But now, seeing this woman and remembering who she was, he finally connected what he had heard with the woman in front of him.

At that moment, Li Yancheng wanted to turn around and leave.

As far as he knew, this place was not just a simple teahouse; providing light meals was just a side benefit. The main purpose was to offer some special services.

This service isn't just for men; it's available for women as well.

As the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, not only did he fail to eradicate this den of iniquity, but he also went there for tea. What will people think if this gets out?

But after hesitating for a moment, he decided to go along with the host's wishes. His main purpose today was to talk to Chen Xiangtian about Chen Xiangyang's problem, and he also wanted to see the Chen family's attitude towards the matter.

As for the teahouse run by this woman, he'll send someone to investigate it later. If it's really as rumored, he'll definitely shut it down.

The woman led the way, while he and Chen Xiangtian walked behind, exchanging meaningless pleasantries. Guan Weidong walked at the very back.

On the way here, Li Yancheng told him that today's meeting might not go smoothly, and that the third son of the Chen family might cause some trouble, so he had to be on high alert.

Before getting out of the car, Guan Weidong made sure to release the safety of the gun that was clipped to his lower back, just in case something unexpected happened.

He is now Li Yancheng's driver and security personnel in name and in fact. He is registered with headquarters and has the authority to take immediate action if anyone under his protection is in danger.

Following behind, he kept an eye on the leader in front of him out of the corner of his eye, and scanned the surroundings with his eyes to observe the situation.

During this period, whenever he had free time, he would consult with his colleagues in the Internal Security Department about security work. As a former reconnaissance soldier who had received rigorous training in the army, he learned these things very quickly. What he lacked now was time, experience, and a shift in his mindset regarding offense and defense.

The courtyard is a standard two-section siheyuan, about the same size as the courtyard Li Yancheng has in Meishan East Hutong. The courtyard has not been renovated, only simply refurbished. The courtyard is kept quite clean, and for convenience, a toilet has been built in the corner of the backyard.

There's also an old jujube tree in the backyard, its branches and leaves so thick that they cover most of the backyard. It must be very comfortable to sit here in the summer.

There seemed to be no one else in the courtyard. After entering through the main gate, I walked all the way to the front of the main house in the backyard. The entire courtyard was quiet and still.

Tong Xiurong lifted the curtain of the main house in the backyard and gestured for the two to come in. Just then, Guan Weidong, who had been following behind, quickly took a few steps and rushed into the main house first.

His action surprised both Tong Xiurong and Chen Xiangtian, who both turned to look at Li Yancheng at the same time.

But Li Yancheng acted as if he hadn't seen it, and had already stopped and turned around to admire the scenery in the courtyard.

Upon seeing this scene, Chen Xiangtian's pupils suddenly contracted, a look of horror flashing across his eyes. He quickly turned his head and glanced inside the room.

He had already guessed the identity of the very strong-looking young man from earlier; if nothing unexpected happened, he was probably a security guard.

However, Li Yancheng's administrative rank was far below the level required to be equipped with security personnel, and he did not believe that this newly promoted Deputy Director Li would dare to openly and blatantly equip himself with security in a place like Beijing.

Beijing is unlike other places. Those who still have a chance to advance within the system almost never dare to give themselves treatment that is not commensurate with their rank. So many eyes are watching, and with so many wolves and so little meat, if anyone dares to act recklessly, there will be reports flying around the next day.

Every step upward is difficult, and no one will give up the struggle unless absolutely necessary.

Since Deputy Director Li was able to bring out young people who were clearly security personnel, it means that he must have had approval from higher authorities.

Despite not being of a high enough rank, he was granted special treatment by his superiors, which was a level higher than his own. The only thing Chen Xiangtian could think of was the special skill of this Deputy Director Li.

No, that's not all. He'd also heard from his father that this man was a highly skilled doctor, responsible for the health of many retired comrades. He had an exceptionally good reputation among them.

His ability to rise to such a high position at such a young age has little to do with the Luo family. On the one hand, it is indeed due to his outstanding contributions, and on the other hand, it is due to the recommendations of those veteran comrades.

The first point is achievable if you're willing to risk your life and work in a relevant organization, and if you're lucky. But the second point is completely impossible.

In his twenty years of work, Chen Xiangtian had never heard of any of his older colleagues, other than the one in front of him, being able to unanimously praise the same person.

In the blink of an eye, so much had passed through his mind. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Guan Weidong, who had entered the room first, came out again.

After coming out, Xiao Guan didn't say anything, but just stood silently on the other side of the door.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Li Yancheng turned around. Seeing that Xiao Guan remained silent, he smiled and raised his hand to Chen Xiangtian.

"Director Chen, please."

"Director Li, please go first."

The room was decorated very simply. The floor was paved with ordinary blue bricks, and the furniture consisted of an eight-immortal table, an official's hat chair, a display shelf, a daybed, and a desk. The doors leading to the west and east wing rooms were closed, so nothing could be seen inside.

"Please have a seat, both of you, and try Zhang Yiyuan's new tea this year."

After inviting the two men to sit down on either side of the octagonal table, Tong Xiurong personally brewed two cups of jasmine tea for them. She then chatted with them for a few moments before leaving, leaving the room to the two men.

"Comrade, would you like to sit and rest for a while in this room?"

After leaving the main house, Tong Xiurong looked at Guan Weidong, who was standing under the eaves on one side of the door, and asked him.

Xiao Guan didn't speak, but simply shook his head calmly.

The woman surnamed Tong had by then realized the identity of the strong young man. She didn't know as much about Li Yancheng's identity as Chen Xiangtian did.

I just think this Deputy Director Li is putting on airs. He's only a low-ranking official, yet he dares to bring security guards when he goes out.

Chen Xiangtian invited Li Yancheng here today because it was a relatively secluded place, making it convenient for them to talk, since what they wanted to say was not suitable for others to hear.

Secondly, it's because of this woman.

Tong Xiurong was very smart and ambitious. She knew that it was very difficult for a woman to gain a foothold in a place like Beijing. She wanted to climb the social ladder and make money.

However, making money is not so easy when the current policies are not very clear, so we can only do some behind-the-scenes business for the time being.

She is now all alone, and no one can help her. She can only turn to her father-in-law's old connections.

These old connections might help her once or twice out of consideration for past relationships, but they can't keep providing her with assistance indefinitely.

She needs to build her own network of connections.

That's why this teahouse was set up – it's all about privacy.

As for the rumors that Li Yancheng heard, they were indeed just rumors.

It is true that some people spend the night in her courtyard, and those who do have companions, but they bring their own, not the things she provides.

It doesn't matter whether you're male or female.

She had only been back in Beijing from Northeast China for three years. Even if she wanted to do this kind of "towing" business, she couldn't find suitable candidates, let alone dare to do it. None of the people she had connections with worked in the Public Security Bureau.

You can definitely find connections by asking someone else, but this kind of thing is much harder to get done by asking someone else.

Moreover, she always felt that it was really beneath a woman to run that kind of business, and it didn't sound good to others. She thought that when many people found out she was in that business, they would consciously or unconsciously distance themselves from her.

She had heard the rumors outside, of course, but she couldn't explain it to others. She couldn't very well explain to them that those people, whether male or female, were brought by themselves.

If she really dared to say that, not to mention whether people would punish her, no one would ever come to her teahouse again.

She also knew that if these rumors were allowed to continue, the police would eventually find her, so she urgently needed to find someone influential in the public security system to act as her backer.

She also understood that she couldn't offer anything to others; the only thing she could offer was herself.

She felt she had a good figure and a decent appearance, and being single, she was willing to settle down with someone, but...

But she absolutely refused to face those bark-like faces and touch that loose skin.

Looking at her from top to bottom, there aren't many people who meet her standards, but there are definitely quite a few. However, when it comes to those who have real power, Li Yancheng is undoubtedly the one.

Tong Xiurong pulled a string of connections, but unfortunately, none of the people she supposedly had any dealings with Li Yancheng.

Or to put it more bluntly, all the people she knew, apart from a few elders of the same generation as her father-in-law, were all scrambling to get in touch with Li Yancheng.

The reason she was able to know Chen Xiangtian and have a good relationship with him was because her father-in-law had a good relationship with the Chen family. When her father-in-law was being persecuted, the old man of the Chen family did a lot of work, so he was eventually assigned to a forest farm in Northeast China to undergo labor reform. Otherwise, he might not have even been able to leave Beijing before he died.

After she returned this time, she contacted the Chen family as soon as possible. The old man of the Chen family asked his eldest son to help take care of her, and that's why the two of them became closer.

In fact, Chen Xiangtian's willingness to help her time and time again was also due to his lust for Tong Xirong's beauty.

However, he still valued his future very much, so even though he had lustful thoughts, he never took any further action.

Taking advantage of his younger brother's situation, he also wanted to establish a connection with Li Yancheng, currently the most promising peer in Beijing. He even hoped that Tong Xiurong could actually win over this Deputy Director Li.

If this really works out, he'll have some leverage over them, which will allow him to further strengthen their relationship.

Tong Xiurong, having been rejected, said nothing more. She stepped into the west wing, pulled out a chair and handed it to Guan Weidong, then turned and went back into the west wing.

She planned to change out of her grey Lenin suit and into a cheongsam that would better accentuate her figure, and then go into the main house an hour later to personally brew Kung Fu tea for the two men.

This hour was something she had discussed with Chen Xiangtian beforehand.

The eldest son of the Chen family believed that his brother's situation was as it was: if Li Yancheng was willing to let things slide, they could reach an agreement in less than an hour; but if Li Yancheng decided to handle things officially, even a whole day of talks wouldn't change the outcome.

He valued himself more and didn't want his younger brother to be a burden to him.

Chen Xiangyang's actions this time were so outrageous that even he, as the older brother, felt deeply disheartened.

He had already made up his mind: if he could get it done, he would; if he couldn't, he would have to tell the old man. He didn't care what the old man wanted to do, as long as he couldn't delay him.

Inside the main house, after Tong Xiurong left, Chen Xiangtian and Li Yancheng chatted for a few more pointless and repetitive words before quickly getting to the main topic of the day.

"Director Li, about my brother..."

As Chen Xiangtian spoke, he picked up a cigarette from the table and handed one to Li Yancheng.

(End of this chapter)