A small plot of land in a mountain village

"Why are you in such a hurry? What's wrong? Judging from your tone yesterday, it sounded like something happened. It's not an internal problem, is it? If so, coming to me won't help." Chairman Zhang poured himself a cup of tea.

"That's understandable. You don't know this while you're in the countryside, but it's practically the talk of the town. That's why I called you. If you hadn't come back soon, I was even thinking of sending someone to your Happy Little House to look for you," he said slowly.

"Ah! Is that so? The local news didn't mention this at all." Chairman Zhang looked surprised; he really couldn't understand it.

What kind of news is circulating in high society that even a high-ranking provincial official like Lao Zhu is paying attention to? This is not Lao Zhu's style; what important matter could he possibly keep to himself?

"You should know about the Liu family in the provincial capital, right?"

The Liu family? Chairman Zhang certainly knew about this; he had even visited them before. Most of the Liu family members were officials, serving in various provinces and cities, holding positions such as mayor, secretary, and department head. Some of their family members were even in the military.

"But what does this have to do with the Liu family? Why is it causing you so much trouble?" he asked, puzzled. The matter here is not simple, and it's not something Chairman Zhang can understand. Perhaps only established families would know a little about it.

What is a secret in the eyes of ordinary people is basically no secret in their eyes. This is the difference in status. Old Zhu obviously knows a little bit about it.

"Although the Liu family has moved their main base to the capital, there are still people living in their old home. It's bustling with traffic every day. This incident happened a month ago, but it's only now that the news has spread." He sighed as he spoke.

This made Chairman Zhang even more puzzled. The matter had been kept secret for quite a long time. If it could be kept hidden for a month without anyone knowing, wouldn't it be better to continue hiding it?

Why release the news?

"That's why I called you back. If you had stayed in the provincial capital, you would have known everything. But you've just come back, so it's probably hard for you to understand now."

Old Zhu is right. These are all powerful figures. If they don't want to leak information, they can still do so. That's one of the benefits of being an official. But it depends on their background.

The Liu family is a well-known family in the provincial capital and even the whole country. In addition to holding official positions, they also have family businesses, not including overseas. They can be said to have money and power.

"I only found out about this news the day before yesterday. It is said that Liu Guanfeng of the Liu family is currently lying in bed, and we don't know what illness he has. We only know that he rushed back from out of town the day before and then this happened. At first, the family thought it was a simple minor illness and asked a private doctor to come and take a look."

"What happened after that?" Chairman Zhang couldn't help but ask.

Liu Guanfeng is the most outstanding figure in the third generation of the Liu family. He holds the same position as Old Zhu and is only in his early thirties. He has achieved a lot and is expected to be transferred to the capital this year.

But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes," and the illness struck with ferocity.

"The doctor thought it was just a minor cold and didn't take it seriously. But just a few days later, Liu Guanfeng's face started to ulcerate and develop many age spots. His condition began to worsen, and he's currently hanging around in a sanatorium. Rumor has it that he might not make it through." The last few sentences were said in a very low voice.

Although it's just a rumor, you still have to be careful in places like the family quarters, especially since Chairman Zhang and Old Zhu are sitting in the courtyard right now.

Many people occasionally pass by outside, and if someone overhears this, it will be difficult to explain. If word gets out that a high-ranking provincial official is cursing the Liu family's children to die young, that would have a terrible impact.

Even if Lao Zhu jumped into the Yellow River, he couldn't clear his name.

Chairman Zhang finally understood what was going on. It turned out that Liu Guanfeng, the third generation of the Liu family, had gotten into trouble. It was truly a pity. These old-fashioned families need a new generation of vitality to keep them afloat, otherwise, they will drift further and further away from officialdom.

As long as there are influential figures at the top, the family will prosper through the development of subsequent generations.

After hearing only half of the story, Chairman Zhang had a new question in his mind: why was the news only being released now when he was so close to death? There must be a purpose behind it; it couldn't be a simple matter.

"There must be more to this story!" A question arose in my mind, and I felt compelled to ask.

"Well, at most this matter will be considered a slightly bigger issue, and most people will pay attention to it, but it won't spread so widely among the upper echelons."

"Old Zhu, stop keeping us in suspense. You've been keeping us in suspense all day, and I'm really curious about what happens next." Clearly, this matter has been on Chairman Zhang's mind.

Old Zhu chuckled. "Don't rush! I'm about to start explaining. The rest is quite simple. This disease couldn't be diagnosed in the hospital, and we even brought in many doctors from abroad, but the condition didn't improve. We even considered sending him abroad, but the doctor said that if he were to get on a plane, he would probably die halfway there. So the Liu family spread the word about this in the provincial capital. They said that if anyone could cure this disease, they would grant three requests and try their best to fulfill them. Once this spread, everyone started looking for folk remedies and other treatments, hoping to cure this disease."

"So that's how it is. This is a chance to avoid twenty years of hard work; it's like climbing onto a phoenix's branch." Chairman Zhang laughed heartily after hearing this.

"That's what makes all the fuss. Those three requests are more useful than money. With the help of people in the capital, getting promoted is no big deal. As long as the performance is average, promotion is definitely within reach. Or, asking for some money is even easier."

"Old Zhu, have you ever thought about going out and finding a Taoist priest from Maoshan to exorcise evil spirits? Who knows, these three requests might help you take a few more steps forward," Chairman Zhang joked.

Old Zhu was amused by these words. "If the Maoshan Taoist priest is invited over, I guess I won't be able to keep my official position. A high-ranking provincial official taking the lead is a big deal. I'd better just wait and see how things develop."

"So you called me here today just to hear this news? You might as well have just talked to me on the phone." It seems that Old Zhu's purpose was not this.

He held up one finger. "The first thing is to ask you to come and hear this news. The second thing is for us to go to the hospital together to visit Liu Guanfeng."

These words still stunned Chairman Zhang. Why would someone go to the hospital to visit him? Wouldn't someone else be more suitable? If he went, wouldn't he be superfluous?

"Why would I go? Wouldn't it be better if you went alone?"

"You seem to have forgotten something. I asked the Liu family for help with that matter before, and your company was involved in it." He then revealed the whole story.

Chairman Zhang hadn't expected this. Gently rubbing his temples, he thought, "Oh right, it seems that when my company had problems last year, I had to ask Old Zhu for help."

It turns out the Liu family helped with this. No wonder Old Zhu asked me to come along. I really have to go. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.

If Old Zhu doesn't bring it up, Chairman Zhang won't want to get involved; he guesses things are still pretty turbulent over there.

"Now that I think about it, that's why I asked you to come! Otherwise, why would I have called you so many times? The reason I haven't come yet is because I'm waiting for you." He picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and looked at Chairman Zhang.

Since Old Zhu has said so, it seems we really can't not go. He then said with a wry smile, "So when are we going? We need to set a timeframe!"

Actually, Chairman Zhang didn't say the last half of what he meant. If he had gone a few days later, the person would probably have been buried.

"Let's go visit him today. If we wait a few more days and his condition worsens, it really wouldn't make sense to go too late."

"Wait a moment, I'll go inside and get something," Old Zhu said, standing up.

Chairman Zhang thought this was about choosing a gift to send over. It's normal to visit someone with a gift, and he didn't expect them to send money.

Old Zhu brought out a bag, and through the shape squeezed out of the bag, Chairman Zhang felt that it looked very similar to the plum wine in Happy Little House.

He then asked, "Old Zhu, is that bag of plum wine you're carrying?" He glanced at the bag Old Zhu was holding a few more times.

"Hey, you have good taste. This is the plum wine that Happy Little Abode brought back from that time. Mix a few bottles of ordinary wine in, and it's okay to give as a gift. It's not too bad. But if you give it as a gift that's too fancy, it'll really cause some trouble."

"Isn't this from when we often saw people drinking at Happy Little Abode? I've seen this plum wine bottle all the time. As soon as you came out, I started thinking about it." It was quite unexpected that Old Zhu would give me plum wine.

"No wonder you said that. You must have drunk a lot of plum wine over there. There's no way around it; when giving a gift, it has to be different from others, otherwise it will seem too awkward. Giving tonics is too common."

"Let's hurry over while there's still time, so we don't have to go to the hospital when it's crowded and it'll be too much trouble," Chairman Zhang said hastily. The sun is high in the sky, so it's best to go as soon as possible.

Old Zhu smiled faintly and said, "This hospital isn't like you imagine. It's under martial law for the time being. You need approval to go in; it's not like you can just go in whenever you want. It's absolutely quiet inside."

So that's how it is. Why didn't Old Zhu tell me sooner? I've been worried about this all this time, afraid that if I went too late, the hospital would be packed with people. It was all for nothing.

Chairman Zhang drove over, so there was no need to call a private car.

The hospital where Liu Guanfeng works is located in a mountainous area of ​​the provincial capital; it's more accurate to call it a sanatorium, as it's mostly frequented by retired military personnel.

Ordinary people can't get in; it's reserved for government officials. The facilities are better than those of typical large hospitals, and the medical staff are highly skilled. It's truly a superior environment.

As usual, there were guards at the entrance. After verification, Chairman Zhang drove his car in. Chairman Zhang had heard of this place, but had never been here before.

The dense grove of trees provides ample shade, and many elderly people stroll leisurely beneath it, each accompanied by a dedicated staff member – the service is truly excellent.

After parking the car in the garage, Zhang noticed a number of military vehicles parked below. Without a doubt, it was clear that Liu's relatives in the military had come over. Chairman Zhang couldn't help but glance at them a few more times after coming out.

PS: Third update! (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in and read the official version!)