“Who are you?”
“I’m your daughter,” the woman replied.
“Well, you do look a little like my daughter.”
“A little like your daughter? Come on, let’s go home.” The woman had a wry smile, knowing that her father was ill.
“I want mutton for lunch,” the old man said.
“Alright, I’ll make it for you,” the woman helplessly said.
Ever since her father had gotten this strange disease, he had become more like a child. He was willful and had a temper. Most importantly, he was forgetful. He would eat but forget about it after a while and say that he was hungry and wanted to eat something.
“Sigh, I shall go back and discuss with Elder Sister and Second Brother if we want to come here for treatment.”
At the thought of the tens of thousands for treatment, the woman balked.
They were not a rich family. They did not have much money. Besides, such a small clinic had dared to ask for that kind of price. In their opinion, it was only the big hospitals that would request such prices.
In the clinic, Wang Yao carefully sorted out the old man’s condition. He wrote it in the notebook he kept for difficult and miscellaneous diseases. For this disease, he was quite sure that he could treat it. He had several magic herbs that were effective in treating the symptoms of this disease.
Go back and think about it? He looked at the clear tea that the old man did not drink.
It was up to what the old man’s children thought.
It grew windy as evening approached.
It was a little chilly in the mountain village, but it was still possible to wear light clothing in Southern Yunnan, thousands of miles away. The temperature was around 68 degrees, which was the best weather.
In a hotel in He county, Guo Zhenghe set up a special banquet for Yang Guanfeng, who had returned from the Valley of Thousands of Medicine. They could not refuse it, so they had no choice but to attend.
“Captain Yang, congratulations on your triumphant return,” Guo Zhenghe said with a smile. His words set the bar high.
“Secretary Guo, you’re flattering me,” Yang Guanfeng said. “Many unexpected things happened during this trip to the Valley of Thousands of Medicine. This case can’t be considered closed. After all, Miao Qingshan, the main criminal suspect, hasn’t been caught yet. A triumphant return? We do not deserve it!” He was just stating things as they were.
“Captain Yang, you are too modest,” Guo Zhenghe said. “Didn’t you at least confirm the suspect? As for the arrest, that’s the next step. This can’t be defined as an unsettled case. In my opinion, it has been successful for the most part, and it is worth celebrating. The key is to have such a big harvest in such a short time. It proves once again that Captain Yang and his colleague are worthy of being experts in criminal investigation. You guys are professional and efficient, and I admire you very much.”
“Here, I’d like to represent the county and propose a toast to you,” Guo Zhenghe said before drinking all the wine in his cup.
“Thank you, Secretary Guo.” Yang Guanfeng and his colleague followed suit, finishing the wine in their cups. This was the toast from the young consul. As the leader of He County, they had to give him face, not to mention that he had a very large family behind him.
“I heard that you encountered danger in the Valley of Thousands of Medicine.”
“We indeed encountered danger.”
It was a kind of danger he had never encountered. It was poison. If it wasn’t for Miao Xihe and the others’ help, he didn’t know how things would have turned out.
“Come on, it’s time for a second cup. I’d like to express my thanks and respect. Thank you.” Guo Zhenghe drank all the wine in his cup again.
The two of them had to follow him and downed the wine in their cups.
After a few drinks, the table was beginning to get lively. Those who could participate in the occasion were quite discerning. They knew what to say on all occasions, and their words were pretty.
Yang Guanfeng was fine. He had participated in many of these occasions, so he was a lot more experienced. He knew that those people were saying polite compliments. He also knew which drinks should be drunk and which should be drunk less or even not at all. The young colleague beside him was different. He must have participated in quite a few banquets, but this was a banquet where he could drink with the secretary of the county party committee, director and so on. These opportunities were still far and few for him, especially since these directors and county party committee secretary were toasting him. It was an unexpected thing that he could only have wished for. He unknowingly drank too much. When he drank too much, he began talking too much.
In the end, he was still a young man and could not control himself when he spoke. He said what should be said and what should not be said. Fortunately, what he had said was all about the case and the Valley of Thousands of Medicine.
“I’m sorry Secretary Guo, and other leaders, he’s drunk,” Yang Guanfeng said with a smile.
“Well, that is nothing here,” a director said. “He hasn’t said anything that shouldn’t have been said, isn’t that right, Secretary Guo?”
“Yes,” Guo Zhenghe said with a smile.
He had learned something from what the young man had said.
He was in his 20s. One could not say that the criminal investigation expert from the province was bad. His future was bright. After all, he was following Yang Guanfeng, a person who was famous even in Jing. As long as he followed him, he would be able to get some credit. That credit would be the biggest capital for his future promotion. However, when compared to others, he was not as good. He was outstanding, but Guo Zhenghe, who was sitting in the host’s seat, was more excellent. He had become the secretary of a county before turning 30. It could be said that although there was the word “temporary” in front of his title, everyone knew that it was a symbolic word. When the time came, there was a 99% chance that the word would be removed.
Sometimes, the context was critical, but not all time. Some people had a background that caused people to look up to him, but they were all just useless people who only knew how to drink and feast, wasting away the high-quality resources that so many people wanted but could not get. Some people had a deep background and strived for success. When those two factors added up, one could almost benefit in every way possible, for example, Guo Zhenghe.
He was old-fashioned when dealing with things in life. His way of speech was capable and refined. He had a charming personality and was able to accomplish things. Such a person was a rare talent. Plus, he had a powerful family behind him. He could be described as being born to be an official.
“Secretary Guo, I’d like to toast you,” the young man said.
“Sure.” Guo Zhenghe downed the glass of wine even though he could have just drunk it a little as a show of respect.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“You’re welcome. You can come to He County anytime. We’ll always welcome, won’t we?”
“Yes!” Several of the people answered in accordance.
The guests and host both enjoyed the meal.
After the meal, Guo Zhenghe arranged for a personal driver to take the two men to their accommodations.
Sigh!
Looking at the young man who was snoring in bed, Yang Guanfeng sighed.
How nice it is to be young!
He didn’t mean to blame him. He was young, so it was hard not to be impulsive. Besides, he didn’t say anything against principle.
That night, He County was very quiet.
“Ah!”
Guo Zhenghe was lying in bed, tossing and turning. He could not sleep.
He had drunk a lot of wine. It had been a long time since he had drunk so much. He could not endure it.
There is indeed a big problem in that Valley of Thousands of Medicine. He was thinking about what the young man had said by accident.
I hope Uncle Xu can bring back some useful things.
Although he had said that the case was over, he was afraid of the Valley of Thousands of Medicine. They could easily kill more than a dozen people and leave no signs on the surface. That could be described as invisibly killing people. Those people could easily kill the villagers, and they could also easily kill themselves. If this case were to happen in other places, even if he knew about it, he would not think much of it. The problem was that this case happened within his jurisdiction. The Valley of Thousands of Medicine was hundreds of miles away. It was not far, but it was not close.
It was like a poisonous snake being close to the cough. It made people shiver in fear just by thinking about it.
How could Southern Yunnan allow such a place to exist?
He had been thinking about this problem for more than a day.
How could he solve it? He would not be able to do it on his own.
It is best to go through the higher-ups.
When he woke up the next day, Comrade Xiao Liang had a bad headache.
Ah, my head hurts so much!
How much did I drink last night? He could no longer remember how many glasses of wine he had drunk. Toward the end, he had accepted all the alcohol passed to him. It was a typical blackout.
Did I make a fool of myself? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?
After waking up, he washed up and went to find Yang Guanfeng.
“Boss.”
“You’re awake,” Yang Guanfeng said with a smile.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I had too much to drink last night. I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have said, did I?” Xiao Liang asked. He had been excited. There had been so many leaders toasting him, which had never happened to him before. It was hard to avoid getting excited.
“No, but pay attention in the future. You were outside after all,” Yang Guanfeng said.
“Oh, good, yes, I got it. Don’t worry. There will never be a next time.” Comrade Xiao Liang patted his chest and promised.
“Alright, as for this case, think it through carefully and write a report,” Yang Guanfeng said.
“OK.”
This seemed to be the end of the matter.
In the government office building of He County, Guo Zhenghe received a phone call, which made him anxious.
“Cough, cough, cough, Sir, I have encountered a problem here.”
“What’s the matter, Uncle Xu?” Guo Zhenghe hurriedly asked. He could tell that the other man’s voice was hoarse and weak, which was different from the previous times he had called.
“I have probably been poisoned.”
“What?” Guo Zhenghe shot up from the chair. Xu Xinyuan had just been to the Valley of Thousands of Medicine. They had even met each other. At that time, he had specifically asked if there was any possibility of getting poisoned. At that time, Xu Xinyuan said there was no problem. He had gone to the hospital for an examination.
