Chapter 164: Taking a break from work to test the word "Xiao"

At 1 p.m. the next day, I got a call from Shu Xiaoting saying she had gotten off the highway. I borrowed my brother-in-law's car, took Yifan with me, and went to the Wuxiang Hotel on Times Spring Avenue to wait for her.

The Wuxiang Hotel was an old establishment, formerly a government reception center, with a large front yard. Yifan, with his sharp eyes, spotted a white car and said, "That's the one with 'Help You' painted on it."

I went over to greet her. Shu Xiaoting came out of the car carrying a backpack. She was indeed capable and pretty, with short hair that reached her shoulders, a melon-shaped face, and a sunny smile.

I introduced Yifan as my assistant. She shook hands with Yifan politely.

Then, he led her to room 8807. After they entered, Yifan poured tea. Fruit was already laid out on the small round table. She put her things down, washed her face in the bathroom, and then looked around the room.

I quickly took out a business card and gave it to her, saying with a smile, "Have a seat. This hotel is a bit old, but it's safe to stay in. The security measures are quite strict."

She had no interest in the hotel. She glanced at the business card and said with a smile, "President, let's talk about the situation first."

I said, "This is what a relative of the Xiang family told me. The Xiang family is very rampant in counterfeiting. They don't do it in some remote mountain village, but openly in their warehouse on the street. They blend the loose liquor they bought from other places, put the label of 'Mao-flavored liquor' on it and sell it.

We in Wuxiang have a special fondness for Maowei Liquor. Rural areas generally like to use this kind of liquor for banquets, and the demand is huge. According to Lao Li, the Xiang family's practice is to buy half real liquor and mix it with half fake liquor..."

Reporter Shu said, "I'll take your car and secretly visit the warehouse first. Tomorrow, you pretend to be consumers and go to his store to buy alcohol. I'll film the whole process."

I stood up and said, "Okay. Let's go now."

Trucks were coming in and out of the Xiang family warehouse.

Fortunately, a few "Maowei Liquor" labels fell at the door of the warehouse. A man who looked like a worker quickly picked up the labels and ran into the warehouse.

Security guards are on duty outside the warehouse and no one else is allowed to enter.

It was obvious that the trucks were carrying bulk liquor.

Reporter Shu was an old hand at undercover investigations. He directed Yifan here and there, like a customer purchasing small hardware nearby, either passing by the warehouse or following the movements of the filling trucks.

After more than two hours, she said, "Okay, let's go back to the hotel."

Back at the hotel, she said bluntly, "Come over again during dinner. I'll edit this video first and see if I need to reshoot it."

Yifan and I went home and took a nap.

At 5 p.m., I accompanied her to a small fish jelly shop, had lunch, and then returned to the hotel. Reporter Shu said, "The results of the afternoon shoot were very good."

Then they sat down and chatted. Just as I was about to say goodbye, Reporter Shu said with a smile, "President, it's time to combine work and rest. Today's mission has been successfully completed. Relax for a while. I heard from President Xiao that you can predict fortunes. How about you do it for me?"

“You can play games, but don’t take it seriously.”

"Why?"

"Because when humans are serious, God laughs."

"The president is quite humorous."

Yifan was quick and handed over the hotel's notepad and pencil: "I need to write it down."

Shu Tingting wrote "Xiao".

"Which specific aspect are you testing?"

"Whatever you want to talk about."

I smiled faintly: "I give you twelve words: noble ideals, a tortuous path, and a leader among men."

She looked at me and asked, "Can you explain it in detail?"

I pointed to the character "晓" (xiao) and said, "For this character, I'm mainly looking at the character '尧' on the right. Generally speaking, characters containing the radical '尧' have the meaning of 'high, curved, and upturned.'"

She felt curious.

I wrote down a line of characters: jiao, qiao, xiao, nao, rao, rao, xiao. Pointing at the line, I asked, "Do all of them contain the character 'Yao'?"

Reporter Shu nodded.

I continued to write and explain:

Watering: pouring water from a high place. Contains the meaning of "high".

Cross your legs and bend them. To lift them up. It implies bending.

Xiao: Xiaojiang: A horse's legs are raised, airborne, and bent, giving it a ferocious look. A rider is called a Xiaojiang. This term implies "high" and "bent."

Unyielding: Unyielding. After a hundred setbacks, it still does not bend.

Rao: enchanting, beautiful female curves, with the meaning of curvature.

路: To go around, to take a detour. It means to bend.

Dawn: The sun rises and begins to move in a parabolic trajectory, which also implies bending.

Reporter Shu and Yifan took a look and found that these characters containing "Yao" indeed have one of the three meanings mentioned above. It was really strange.

She suddenly asked, "Why does it also have the meaning of 'qiaochu'?"

"Look up what 'qiaochu' means."

Reporter Shu checked his phone and read: "Qiaochu originally means a thorn tree that stands taller than the bushes."

I said, "That's right, it means 'high'."

Reporter Shu was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. He said, "This is the first time I've seen a fortune-telling like this. Your understanding of Chinese characters is really unique."

Yifan's face was filled with admiration. He had never learned such advanced knowledge before.

I smiled and said, "That's why I said you have noble ideals, a tortuous path, and are a leader among people."

"I admire you so much. When Mr. Xiao introduced you, I thought you were just a spoofer who could read palms, horoscopes, and fortune-tellers. It turns out you're actually a learned man. Remarkable."

I thought to myself, how can I become friends with you knowledgeable journalists if I don’t have some knowledge?

She smiled. "Come to think of it, those twelve words of yours do quite align with my reality. As a journalist, I truly believe in being a conscientious journalist. I've also suffered a lot and taken many detours. I can't say I'm the best, but it's the president's encouragement that has given me this."

"You're a leader. I'm not flattering you at all. You've been named the province's outstanding journalist many times. You're the conscience of the journalistic community and a leader in the news industry."

Reporter Shu smiled and said, "Interesting! This trip is very meaningful. I really understand your twists and turns. It's been a long and winding journey, and it's hard to describe it in a few words."

Finally, reporter Shu worked with us to design the shooting schedule and precautions for tomorrow's filming.

I said, "Don't worry about filming, Yifan will protect you."

She smiled and said, "It's okay. I've experienced this kind of situation many times. You should go home and rest early."

On the way home, I said to Yifan, "You should mainly protect reporter Shu. If she's discovered by the store owner and they come to grab the camera or hit her, you should protect her head. As for people pushing her, you can let them push her a few times. As long as reporter Shu doesn't fall to the ground and doesn't get hurt, that's fine."

Yifan glanced at me and asked, "Why?"

I said, "If you push her, it will be easier to write an article. Selling fake liquor and beating up reporters will only make things worse."

Yifan said, "Uncle Wan, there is so much I can learn from you."