10140 New Urban Farmers Chapter 185: Top-Grade Tea
"Mayor, it's true that some people are renting rooms at Liu Ewang's place. I suspect they might be involved in the Fan'er Garlic Mine. A while ago, they transported a hundred tons of ore there! Not only did they damage many sections of our township's roads, but they also destroyed a lot of farmland at the foot of the mountain, not to mention the environmental pollution. If you ask me, they should be severely punished this time. A light punishment is too lenient; these outsiders never learn!" Zhong Ben, the deputy director of the township police station, sat next to Mayor Zheng Haifu in the car, expressing his dissatisfaction with Zhang Guodong and his group of outsiders, thus catering to Zheng Haifu's wishes.
Township Head Zheng Haifu is 52 years old, plump, and not very tall. He has a long-standing feud with Lin Zhong, the Party Secretary of the township. The two have very different governing philosophies and deep-seated conflicts.
There were other people in the car, including Yan Weimin, the police station chief, but he and the deputy chief, Zhong Ben, didn't get along, or rather, he looked down on them. He naturally knew who Liu Dewang had rented the land to—Liu Neng!
But Liu Neng has already spent over 20,000 yuan on him recently, right? So, in his heart, he wouldn't have done that. Old Zheng's attempt to use this to undermine the prestige of the township party secretary, Lin Zhong, has backfired on this outsider.
Liu Neng and Lin Zhong also met through his introduction.
Zheng Haifu's so-called investigation into environmental pollution is utter nonsense! It's purely retaliation!
However, Zheng Haifu was determined to teach Secretary Lin Zhong a lesson, and Yan Weimin, as a neutral party, couldn't ignore this. He couldn't persuade Zheng Haifu to give up, so he could only give Liu Neng a heads-up beforehand. That was enough for him.
Zheng Haifu, his belly protruding, patted Deputy Director Zhong on the shoulder and smiled, "Zhong is a good comrade. Those who damage the environment of Qingmu Township must be resolutely cracked down on! No matter who it is, they must pay the price!"
"Sycophant!" Yan Weimin cursed under his breath.
"Mayor, should we invite Liu Dewang, the person involved, to come and cooperate? If necessary, I think Deputy Director Zhong should go over; he knows Liu Dewang quite well!" Yan Weimin said with a forced smile.
Zheng Haifu thought about it and agreed. Liu Dewang was indeed a "celebrity," a man with many flaws, but now he was actually quite useful. If he cooperated, that would be even better.
"Old Zhong, go and invite Liu Dewang. Make sure he cooperates with the township government and the environmental protection officers!" Zheng Haifu said.
The environmental protection officer was a man in his thirties from a rural town who was not usually required to work. Zheng Haifu took him along on this mission.
Zhong Ben's face was not good, but he had to take the matter seriously since it was ordered by Township Head Zheng. After all, his official rank was not as high as Yan Weimin's; Yan Weimin was not only the head of the police station but also a member of the township party committee.
“Township Chief, I’m worried that if I go to find Liu Dewang, won’t that take up time? What if they’re prepared?” Zhong Ben said.
Yan Weimin's face hardened as he said, "Old Zhong, how could you be a deputy director and then a township head? You must have your reasons. So much ore was moved in just a few minutes? Liu Dewang is the key person. If you're late, he might have escaped!"
Zheng Haiyan remained silent, while Zhong Ben cursed under his breath. Yan Weimin immediately got out of the car and took with him a police officer named Xiao Li from the local police station.
Liu Dewang did not run away.
This guy had no idea someone would come looking for him; he was fast asleep in his rented room. He'd stayed up too late last night. Last night, he'd watched people try their luck at lotteries, and then, unable to resist, he'd tried a few rounds himself—and lo and behold, he'd won over two hundred!
But late at night, when everyone was too tired to continue and it was time to leave, he finally left and went home, still feeling quite excited.
He bought a bottle of wine, some ham, and pickled vegetables at a convenience store on the street and drank until after 5 a.m. before finally lying down to sleep. He had only slept for less than six hours and was still feeling energetic.
The loud knocking at the door didn't wake him at all.
"What should we do, Chief Zhong? Has that old bastard not come back yet?" Police officer Xiao Li was sent to assist Deputy Chief Zhong, but after knocking on the door for a long time, there was no response from inside.
"Damn it, Liu Dewang, smash the door!" Zhong Ben cursed.
"But this isn't Liu Dewang's door. It's Guihua's sister-in-law's yard. If they smash the door, Deputy Township Head Liu won't be fooled. Xiao Li isn't stupid enough to make Zhong Sheng, that bastard, a scapegoat. This yard may be dilapidated, but it's Deputy Township Head Liu's sister-in-law's yard. Who would dare smash someone else's door?"
Deputy Township Head Liu is a local with a large and influential family. The Party Secretary and Township Head have changed positions two or three times, yet he remains the Deputy Township Head without any advancement. He also doesn't seem to be part of a third force besides the Party Secretary and Township Head.
Zhong Ben's expression changed slightly: "This is Township Chief Liu's wife's yard? Oh, I really forgot!"
"What should we do, Director Zhong? Or maybe Liu Dewang is drunk again and stayed up late? If that's the case, he won't be able to get up for a whole afternoon." Xiao Li wasn't worried, but he was putting on a show of concern for Director Zhong.
Wait until the afternoon? That's nonsense. If he delays the township head's business, he can forget about being the deputy director.
"Climb over the wall!" Zhong Ben said through gritted teeth.
Xiao Li opened his mouth but couldn't say anything, feeling frustrated. He was supposed to climb a wall studded with shards of glass in his newly changed clothes? Those clothes would be ruined in an instant, and if someone saw him climbing, he'd be drowned in their spittle.
But is it possible to do it without climbing the wall?
Zhong Ben, that bastard, is an official while he's just a lowly soldier. If he didn't climb the wall, he'd probably get himself into trouble.
"Shuo Suo, wait a moment, I'll go find a ladder!" Xiao Li made an excuse and came up with a solution. There was nothing wrong with climbing over the wall and setting up a ladder first, but Zhong Ben's brows were furrowed like ropes.
"Get it over with!" Zhong Ben frowned and shouted.
There was a ladder in the station, but by the time they found it and brought it here, about ten minutes had passed, and Zhong Ben was about to lose his temper. The township head had urged them several times, and hearing Yan Weimin's somewhat gloating and reprimanding voice made Zhong Ben's anger rise to a fever pitch.
But Xiao Li came running over, panting heavily, with a ladder on his shoulder, cursing, "I don't know which bastard locked the ladder, making me spend so much time and finally had to pick the lock on the door. Zhong Suo, you have to be my witness!"
Zhong Ben's face, unusually flushed, then turned pale. If his memory served him right, he should have locked the ladder himself. Last time Yan Weimin was looking for a ladder, he scolded him for using the only one in the unit. "Get up! Go visit someone else!" he thought. Now he was getting his comeuppance. "Enough with the nonsense! Hurry up!" Zhong Ben snapped.
Soon, Xiao Li climbed over the wall and opened the latch of the inner gate, and Zhong Ben also entered the courtyard.
"Knocking on the door caused all the delays today, it's all that bastard's fault!" Zhong Ben was extremely annoyed as he looked at the still tightly closed door.
Xiao Li banged on the door so hard it was deafening.
But Liu Dewang inside just turned over a few times and went back to sleep.
"Still not awake?" Zhong Ben was genuinely worried now. He checked the time—good heavens, they'd made the township head's car wait for twenty minutes!
But just then, a series of footsteps could be heard outside.
"Hey, which bastard dares to steal my stuff? Surround them! The ladder's still here? You've got some nerve!" A woman's loud voice made Zhong Ben and Xiao Li inside turn pale instantly.
"Sister-in-law Guihua!"
Zhong Sheng's face turned very ugly. He had actually been mistaken for a thief?
"What's going on?" Zhong Ben asked Xiao Li, looking both embarrassed and annoyed.
Xiao Li looked innocent and aggrieved, saying, "Director Zhong, I don't know either. I just took the ladder and left. I didn't meet anyone on the way. How did anyone know Guihua's surname? I suspect someone saw the ladder outside the wall."
"Bang!"
The door was suddenly pushed open, and five or six people came in, carrying shovels and wooden sticks, forming a defensive posture. A plump woman also came in.
"Ah, Zhong Ben? Chief Zhong?" Someone immediately recognized the thief inside.
Everyone was at a loss. How could they possibly catch Deputy Director Zhong and Officer Xiao Li while catching thieves?
But after a moment of surprise, Sister Guihua pressed her advantage. Besides, the feud between Old Zhong's father and the Liu family was a family feud spanning generations. Now, the second son of the Liu family had been the first deputy township head for several years, finally suppressing the Old Zhong family.
"Well, you little rascal Zhong actually stole from my own house? Let's see how you explain this to the township leaders today!" Sister Guihua immediately scolded.
"Why are there so many people? What are they doing?" Just then, the door inside opened, and Liu Dewang came out rubbing his eyes and yawning.
Zhong Ben was filled with rage, but he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“This is a case being handled; unrelated personnel please leave!” Zhong Ben said.
"Climbing over the wall of a concubine's courtyard to investigate a case? No way; you have to argue with the township leaders to make the police station so great that you can climb over people's walls?" Sister Guihua was unforgiving, always insisting on being right.
The last group of people went to the township government, and things got really chaotic.
Zhong Xing was extremely frustrated. Deputy Township Head Liu had criticized him, and it was Zheng Haifu who eventually called him to come back to the rescue.
When he brought the bewildered Liu Dewang to the township head's car, Zheng Haifu's brows were furrowed deeply.
"Old Zhong, you're still lacking in finesse when it comes to handling things. How did you get into a conflict with Old Liu's family? Township Chief Liu just called me with a lot of complaints!" Zheng Haifu said unhappily.
He then called Deputy Township Head Liu to plead for leniency, and Zhong Ben was released.
Surrounded by women, and this was a deputy director no less! This immediately diminished Zheng Haifu's impression of him.
Fortunately, Zhong Xi and Lao Zhong, who were prominent local figures, supported him, which allowed the matter to be resolved amicably.
Zhong Ben vented his anger on Liu Dewang, who was completely stunned. Although Liu Dewang was a well-known figure in Qingmu Township, he was never considered high-class, let alone riding in the same car as the township head and secretary.
"You son of a bitch Liu Dewang, what are you standing there for? Get on the bus! You've ruined my life! Why do you lock the door all the time? It's a complete mess in there. What are you locking?" Zhong Ben kicked Liu Dewang and cursed.
Yan Weimin, however, was secretly delighted.
Xiao Li just recounted what happened. He praised Xiao Li for being quick-witted!
At the same time, he was also furious. "You little bastard, Zhong, you locked the ladder! No wonder I couldn't find it last time!"
"Old Zhong, what are you saying? It's wrong for someone to lock their own door? I think you need to be educated! You're behaving very disrespectfully in front of the township head!" Yan Weimin scolded.
The relationship is already irreparably damaged, so he might as well stop caring. This is a golden opportunity. If he doesn't teach him a lesson, he won't know he's the real boss of the police station!
"Alright, alright, let's go to Liu Dewang's house right away!" Zheng Haifu interrupted the two of them, annoyed.
The township head's car and the police station's car quickly arrived at the foot of the mountain. Unexpectedly, they encountered a group of four people doing something in the fields. Judging from their attire, they didn't look like farmers.
"What do Lao Yan and his men do?" Zheng Haifu asked, looking at them with some confusion.
Yan Weimin glanced at it, thought for a moment, and quickly remembered. He was also a member of the township party committee, so he attended many meetings, but he didn't say much.
“Township Chief, these are teachers and students from Yangling Agricultural University. The township hosted them last time for some research they were doing,” Yan Weimin said.
With the hint, Zheng Haifu quickly remembered.
This was received by Secretary Lin Zhong, but he simply avoided the conversation at the time, so he doesn't remember it well.
"Why haven't these people left yet?" Zheng Haifu frowned. He remembered it had been two or three months, right? But these people had letters of introduction from the city and county authorities requesting that the township provide them with proper hospitality and all necessary assistance for their research.
Yan Weimin smiled inwardly and said, "Among these people, one is a professor from an agricultural university. The other three are graduate students who initially said they would conduct three or four months of research and eventually submit a report to the township."
"Oh? I see," Zheng Haifu said, tapping his head.
"It looks like the township head and the others are packing up to leave!" Zhong Ben said at this moment.
Indeed, the four teachers and students were packing up their things, as if their research for the day was over.
“Let’s wait until they leave before we go over,” Zheng Haifu said. He didn’t want to meet these people.
Yan Weimin's eyes flashed, but his mind was sharp and disdainful. These are just researchers. Why should you, a township head, get angry? You're so narrow-minded, you don't even have the heart to meet them!
"The teacher's courtyard is where they refine ore. Will this affect our seedling research?" A female student asked, looking at Liu Dewang's courtyard at the foot of the mountain, where smoke seemed to be rising from a small tower.
Actually, they had noticed this place long ago. Truckloads of what appeared to be ore had left deep tracks on the country path. Every day, they would conduct research in the fields and could see the smoke, although there was very little smoke and no pungent smell.
The team leader was Professor Fan Ruhai, a master's supervisor at the agricultural university and an expert in environmental and plant growth research. Although over sixty years old and with dark skin, he was a spirited young man.
people.
“That shouldn’t be for refining ore. I’ve seen iron ore and aluminum ore refined using blast furnaces that emit black smoke. How could it be that small?” said Li Shengtong, a male master’s student standing next to him, with a smile.
“But those five cartloads of ore are definitely real. Professor, shall we go and take a look?” Another male master’s student, Tao Jianhua, countered.
Fan Ruhai stood up, shielding his eyes from the sun. Looking in that direction, he nodded, seemingly agreeing, for reasons unknown: "Alright. But... that's their private property. Let's see if they allow visitors." Ye Zi asked, "Teacher, if it really is a private ore refining operation, should we report it to the local government?"
"Of course! We can't just let these people who damage the environment go unchecked. It's imperative to report them to the local government!" Tao Jianhua replied firmly.
"Let's go over and take a look first." Li Shengtong glanced at him and said calmly. "When refining ore, the furnace usually emits black or yellow smoke, and you can smell a pungent odor from a distance. This one is clearly not like that!"
“Li Shengtong makes a good point,” Fan Ruhai said, giving Li Shengtong an approving look. “Ordinary ore refining does have a significant impact on the environment, and the emitted fumes do have many distinctive characteristics.”
Research is important, but common sense is just as important. That's the fun outside of research!
Fan Ruhai led three students toward Liu Dewang's courtyard at the foot of the mountain.
This was unexpected for Zheng Haifu and the others.
"What's going on with these four? Why did they have to run into us? I don't think someone tipped us off, did they?" Zhong Ben said, glancing at Yan Weimin with a hint of delight as he watched Fan Ruhai and the other three head in that direction.
This caused Zheng Haifu's expression to change.
"Old Yan, I heard you have a good relationship with the people renting this place?" Zheng Haifu said casually.
Yan Weimin's expression changed, and he was very annoyed by Zhong Ben.
But he immediately distanced himself, saying, "Township Chief, I haven't known the person renting Liu Dewang's courtyard for very long. I thought he was an investor, so we had a few meals together. But I remember that Director Zhong should know more; Director Zhong's father was the first to know about Liu Dewang's place being rented out!"
"Oh?" Zheng Haifu responded, then frowned and glanced at Zhong Sheng.
Zhong Sheng's face immediately flushed red. It was indeed his father who first found out about this matter, and this investigation could not withstand scrutiny.
“This matter concerning the township head is known not only to my father but also to many other people, so it’s not exactly a secret,” Zhong Ben immediately explained.
Yan Weimin glanced at him disdainfully. His resolve strengthened: this old bastard had to be eliminated when the opportunity arose! Otherwise, he'd ruin his plans again!
"Mayor, should we walk over now or wait for these teachers and students to leave?" Yan Weiju changed the subject.
“In the past!” Zheng Haifu said.
Zhang Guodong hadn't expected that a professor and students from the Agricultural University would arrive in this small courtyard. It was here that Liu Neng, after some negotiation, clarified the identities of Professor Fan Ruhai and the three jin (a type of cat). He considered the students' identities and then let them in.
"Old Yi, I think we should stop refining for now. It looks a bit sore today." Zhang Guodong watched Liu Neng negotiating over there, but he heard it clearly.
Two other cars approached from a distance. One of them had a police license plate.
Old Yi nodded and called out to Dunzi and Gou Dan, who came down covered in sweat.
Soon the white liquid in the ceramic conduit had drained, and Zhang Guodong had Dunzi tidy up and put the jade and essence into another room.
Then he walked over with a smile and said to Fan Ruhai and his three students, "You've come from afar, so please come in for tea, Professor Fan!"
When Liu Neng saw the boss arrive, he stood to one side.
Fan Ruhai looked at Zhang Guodong curiously. Without being polite, he followed Zhang Guodong towards Elder Yi's direction. There were parasols and drinks there, perfect for such hot weather; however, there weren't many people drinking hot tea under the sun.
"Thank you! Oh? Good tea!" Fan Ruhai looked at the old man with curiosity, thinking to himself that this old man had amazing health preservation methods! His beard was as white as snow. But his complexion was extremely rosy, and his arms and legs were as strong as a young man's.
He twitched his nose from several meters away. He could actually smell the aroma of tea—this gave him quite a shock!
Zhang Guodong was astonished that Professor Fan was actually a tea master? How could he distinguish the quality of tea from several meters away?
"Professor Fan, you also enjoy tea?" Zhang Guodong asked curiously. "Please sit down! Please make yourselves at home. There are drinks here. Don't forget those three master's students." However, Zhang Guodong wasn't particularly polite to the younger generation.
Professor Fan Ruhai smiled, sat down, and stared at the teapot, saying, "I'm a self-taught tea master, not really qualified. It is indeed good tea! However, what kind of tea is this? I can't smell it. Longjing? Not Tieguanyin? Not Maojian? Young brother, can you tell me what kind of tea this is?"
He took a quiet sniff but couldn't discern the origin of the tea leaves. It should be noted that he had considerable knowledge of tea, yet he couldn't identify the source of the tea leaves in this pot!
The teapot was at least comparable to the finest Longjing tea. Its unclear origin, however, truly surprised him.
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