"Speak, what do you want?" Although Zhao Anling and Lu Chaoyang were close friends, they rarely interacted. Zhao Anling was the type who wouldn't visit unless there was a reason. Seeing that Lu Chaoyang had taken the initiative to come to his door with money, it seemed that there was something very important.

Lu Chaoyang found a stool, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and slowly began to drink it, showing no signs of being in a hurry.

This whole thing baffled Zhao Anling. What was he up to now? Didn't he say he had something to say? Why was he acting so calmly?

"Speak quickly, I have things to do." Zhao Anling kicked him angrily, hitting him right on the ankle.

Lu Chaoyang cried out in pain, "What are you doing? I helped you a lot!"

Zhao Anling mocked him: "Yes, you helped me, but didn't you also ask me for favors? We don't owe each other anything."

Lu Chaoyang rolled his eyes. He was used to his good friend turning his back on him as soon as he got the better deal.

"Alright, stop rolling your eyes, or they'll pop out. Tell me, what's wrong?"

Lu Chaoyang ignored the advice and immediately turned the table again, saying, "You still have the nerve to ask? You are a local official, and your people are suffering in dire straits. How can you have the mind to drink tea here?"

“How am I not a local official? Didn’t I just raise three thousand taels of silver from you? Isn’t that enough?” Zhao Anling argued vehemently, feeling incredibly important.

Lu Chaoyang rolled his eyes again: "What's the use of raising money? Don't you see those speculators who use counterfeit and inferior medicinal materials to impersonate Tianming Medical Hall's medicines? Many people have been fooled, not only wasting money but also failing to get cured, and some have even lost their lives because of it, while you are still here leisurely."

As a good friend, Lu Chaoyang was determined to scold Zhao Anling awake.

"Is this true?" Zhao Anling was completely dumbfounded. How come no one told him about something so important?

"You still don't know?" Lu Chaoyang's eyes widened. As the county magistrate, how could he not know about such a big matter? Did he have no sense of responsibility at all?

Zhao Anling summoned Fang Deming and verified the matter.

Fang Deming meant that he had just learned of the matter and had not yet had time to report it to Zhao Anling.

"Lord Zhao, your subordinates are incompetent. Shouldn't you teach them a lesson?" Lu Chaoyang said leisurely after Fang Deming left.

Zhao Anling frowned slightly. Fang Deming was his capable assistant. Without him, he wouldn't be able to be the county magistrate so comfortably. He guessed that Fang Deming had really forgotten and had not intentionally concealed the fact.

"Alright, I understand. I'll have someone handle it right away." The epidemic is the top priority, and he dares not slack off in the slightest.

Seeing that he was serious, Lu Chaoyang knew he could solve the problem, so he went back. Zhao Anling invited him to stay for dinner, but he refused outright.

Turn around and you'll arrive at DouDou Tavern.

Despite the mess he made last time, he acted as if nothing had happened, walking in with a smile and ordering red wine and steak.

Yuan Doudou sat in front of the counter, holding Tangtang in her arms, and was coaxing her to talk.

"DouDou, I heard you donated one hundred taels of silver. You're truly a woman who doesn't yield to men." Lu Chaoyang tried to find a topic to talk about between the two.

Yuan Doudou smiled and said, "Helping others helps yourself. I also hope the epidemic will end soon."

She runs a business, and the impact of the pandemic on her has been devastating. In just three months, her business has been declining day by day, and if things continue like this, she might as well close down.

If it weren't for her limited resources, she would have loved to donate several thousand or tens of thousands of taels of silver so that all the patients in Ping'an Town could receive treatment, preventing the epidemic from spreading further and affecting nearby counties and towns.

"You have a broader perspective. Many shops are stingy; their mentality is 'it's none of my business.'" Lu Chaoyang genuinely wanted to praise Dou Dou. The woman he admired was independent and aloof, unlike any ordinary woman.

"Don't make me laugh. This wasn't just my idea. An Rong thought of it more thoroughly than I did." Yuan Doudou could tell that Lu Chaoyang was trying to drag her into this. She felt awkward. She didn't dislike someone who liked her; on the contrary, she genuinely considered him a friend. Naturally, she couldn't say anything unpleasant.

"I have something important to tell you. I just came back from Zhao Anling's place. I asked him to deal with the fake medicine trafficking issue," Lu Chaoyang said seriously.

"Oh, what did he say?"

Lu Chaoyang's lips curled up, and his eyebrows danced with excitement. He was quite pleased that Yuan Doudou took this matter so seriously. Sure enough, his trip was worthwhile, and the three thousand taels of silver were not wasted.

"He just learned about this as well, and has already sent people to handle it. I believe there will be a result soon." Lu Chaoyang was full of confidence. He knew Zhao Anling's temperament well and had a high opinion of his ability to get things done.

Yuan Doudou immediately tensed up. The situation was serious, and the drug dealers were rampant. She couldn't let her guard down.

The more optimistic you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes.

Lu Chaoyang was merely a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and ultimately knew very little about the people's conditions, and he tended to think of things in a positive light.

"DouDou, you don't seem very happy. Did I say something wrong?" Lu Chaoyang was slow to react, but he noticed that Yuan DouDou's expression was strange. He put down his knife and fork and his expression returned to calm.

He had thought that when he told Dou Dou the good news, she would show a satisfied smile, but this was completely different from what he expected.

Yuan Doudou smiled and said, "No, I'm just a little worried that this matter won't be so easy to resolve."

She didn't hold back and directly expressed her concerns.

Lu Chaoyang suddenly realized that she had this worry; he really felt sorry for her.

"Don't worry, Zhao Anling may not have any other skills, but dealing with a few people is no problem."

As a ninth-rank county magistrate, his official position was not high, but he was quite adept at deceit and treachery, so punishing a few opportunistic scoundrels was not a difficult task for him.

This is exactly what Yuan Doudou was worried about: underestimating others, thinking they are just a few small groups, when in fact they could be a large organization.

She was a bookworm, and her books were full of scheming and backstabbing plots. Profiteering from national disasters like this existed in every dynasty, and it was commonplace, both big and small.

Yuan Doudou looked into his clear eyes and smiled to herself. He was young after all, and everything he saw was positive and optimistic. She never imagined that there was such a dark side to society, with its complex and intertwined layers. Their evil claws would occasionally reach into the light, like a vine entwining itself around an ancient tree. Only by clinging to the tall and straight ancient tree could it bask in the sunlight.

But their roots remain in the shadows, and that can never be changed.

"Lu Chaoyang, thank you no matter what." Yuan Doudou knew perfectly well that if Lu Chaoyang hadn't intervened, Zhao Anling probably wouldn't have gotten involved.