When Guodong returned to the luxurious guesthouse of the district government, he was already drowsy around 10 p.m., sniffling occasionally, completely unaware of his surroundings. Zhang Guodong was slightly surprised. Had this kid been working very hard lately? He never had this problem before.
Without disturbing him, Zhang Guodong quickly took a shower and went to sleep.
Nothing happened that night, and Zhang Guodong woke up promptly at six o'clock the next morning. His biological clock had adjusted again. Practice boxing? But looking at the room, he immediately gave up. He'd better go wash up first!
The guesthouse is quite nice, comparable to a three-star hotel room. The bathroom has a good variety of toiletries.
Not long after they finished washing up, the fat man woke up and came out in his pajamas and slippers.
"Fatty, you're awake?" Zhang Guodong asked in surprise.
"I was so full of pee. What time did you get back tonight?" the fat man asked, yawning. He still wanted to sleep, but once he woke up, he basically couldn't fall back asleep. This was something he'd developed since working as Luo Jianhui's secretary.
"It's past eleven o'clock. Seeing you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't disturb you!" Zhang Guodong said with a smile. "I never noticed before, you sleep like a log. I came in and bothered you for ages and you still didn't wake up!"
The fat man froze. "Really? I was really sleeping that soundly?" he asked incredulously.
"What kind of look is that? Do you think I'd fool you?"
"Hehe, maybe it's because of the stress lately? To be honest, I slept really well last night, nine hours straight!" the fat man said. "Guodong, is this some kind of illness? Maybe you could try to get it treated?"
The fat man stared longingly at Zhang Guodong, secretly hoping to get something in return. Seeing his expression, Zhang Guodong knew the fat man was up to no good again.
"Promise me one thing. I'll give you a good beating, I guarantee you'll be in top form!" Zhang Guodong said with a sly grin.
"What's up? Let's make this clear first, don't ask me for anything too difficult!"
A chill ran down my spine. Looking at Zhang Guodong's smile, things might not be so easy. But the spirit of the dragon and tiger, perhaps including some other aspect of it, is incredibly attractive to him. One cut up the mountain, another cut down the mountain.
"Don't be nervous, look at you. Would I harm you? I'm telling you, Fatty, you're not getting any younger. Go back and hurry up and marry your Yu Jiao sister. Isn't it said that being politically mature also involves whether or not one is married? How difficult is that?" Zhang Guodong said.
"Really? That gave me a fright."
The fat man thought it was something difficult, but unexpectedly, Zhang Guodong came to urge him to get married. Zhang Guodong clearly remembered the fat man's mother's instructions, and now they were coming in handy. Speaking of which, Lin Yujiao's conditions are really quite good.
Only she could keep the fat man in check. So Zhang Guodong was just joking.
"Hmph, what do you think it is? Don't blame me for not reminding you. As a brother, I may not be as good as you in terms of officialdom, but in other aspects, I still need to remind you. These days, you have to pick the cabbage early. Otherwise, it will be eaten by other pigs!" Zhang Guodong said calmly.
The fat man broke out in a cold sweat; something he thought sounded really awkward.
"Yes. We'll get married as soon as we get back!"
"It's good that you have this idea. I was just worried about how to answer your mother's request when I went back to visit again. Now it's all good, everyone's happy." Zhang Guodong laughed. "Don't look so sad, it's a good thing for you too. Look, do you know why my body has become so strong, shapely, and handsome? It's related to what you have in your hand. Take off your clothes, eat these, and your body will detoxify."
"Damn! Is this for real? I'm coming right now!" The fat man's eyes lit up, and he clutched the two small jade boxes in his hand before dashing into the bathroom.
A moment later, eerie wails and howls echoed from inside. Zhang Guodong trembled at the sound. Could the substandard "Spirit-Nourishing Pill" and "Body-Strengthening Pill," which contained the new elixirs, really have such a powerful effect? They were like pornography, utterly lewd.
"Guodong, do you think I've gotten thinner? Stronger? More handsome? I feel more energetic than ever before!" About ten minutes later, the noticeably different-looking fat man rushed out of the bathroom, excitedly babbling incoherently.
He looked in the mirror for a long time. He never expected those two small pills to have such a powerful effect. The things his body expelled were utterly disgusting. Toxins and excess fat seemed to have been completely eliminated. And he didn't feel any adverse effects.
Zhang Guodong stared at it for a long time, trying to suppress a laugh, but his gaze irritated the fat man.
"Well, it's alright, but you need to exercise regularly, otherwise relying solely on medication won't work, and your weight will rebound! Although this medication has no side effects, it's only an auxiliary method!"
"Phew!" The fat man breathed a sigh of relief; he had been incredibly nervous. This feeling was better than ever before! "That's good, that's good! I'll exercise for half an hour every morning!"
After saying that, he actually went to do push-ups and sit-ups. Zhang Guodong didn't stop him. The elixir was miraculous, but ultimately, one must rely primarily on oneself. Moreover, through exercise, most of the unabsorbed spiritual energy and medicinal power would be integrated into the body. That was the key.
"Last night, Yangling police raided an arms and drug trafficking den in the South District and engaged in a firefight with the criminals." The fat man was doing sit-ups, panting, and muttering numbers. Zhang Guodong turned on the TV and tuned it to the provincial capital's second channel, which happened to be the morning news broadcast.
The morning news featured an unfamiliar face, and Zhang Guodong suddenly remembered that his usual anchor, You Anqi, was no longer the host, but a government official. "You're watching the news first thing in the morning? And it's local news? What's so interesting about that?" The fat man finished his simple workout, plopped down, and although he was tired, he felt incredibly energetic.
"What else is there to watch if not the local news? This Yangling District isn't safe either. There was a gang fight last night, and some people died. En Yi."
"Looks like you'll have to wash up again. We still have to go to the Agricultural God Temple later!" Zhang Guodong glanced at the fat man; this guy was sweating again. The fat man looked at him and agreed, then dragged himself into the bathroom. Zhang Guodong himself, however, kept his eyes glued to the television.
"This news sounds so familiar."
Zhang Guodong couldn't help but recall Song Jiani's situation. He'd learned from those three thugs that their boss was involved in some big deal—could it be the one shown on TV?
These people are insane. Gangsters and police are fighting each other!
"Let's go, it's time to leave." Sometime later, the fat man, who had been preparing to leave, stood in front of them and urged them on.
"Oh, you brought everything?"
"I brought everything. Besides, I didn't bring much with me this time. I'll buy some local specialties to take back with me. I heard that the variety of fruits here is very complete, and they're all organic and pollution-free!" the fat man said.
Zhang Guodong scoffed inwardly. Purely green and pollution-free? Can it compare to the ones in Taoyuan? Taoyuan already has plenty of fruit these days—more than they can eat. Fortunately, even when the fruit ripens, it remains on the surface and won't spoil.
When Zhang Guodong arrived at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, it was exactly 7:30. Unexpectedly, Bai Zhongsheng was already there. After Zhang Guodong called, Bai Zhongsheng personally came to greet him at the entrance, which flattered Zhang Guodong. If Zheng's father knew about this, he'd probably be criticized.
After they introduced themselves, the fat man also started calling him Uncle Bai.
"You two come with me. Everyone in the institute has been quite busy lately. We've acquired some new and unusual species, and we're often short-handed!" Bai Zhongsheng said as they walked. "So we're all working overtime a lot."
"Uncle Bai, you must take care of your health. You can't do research without rest! I brought you some tea that I roasted myself, and some fruit. My father-in-law often nags you about when you're going to the provincial capital," Zhang Guodong said with a smile.
"He'll welcome me? Haha! He'll probably be nagging about my medicinal tea again. But it's a pity, the medicinal tea is good, but it can't compare to the tea you gave me! The tea that Professor Fan Ruhai brought last time, that's really good stuff. We can't even cultivate it here. It's a pity the roasting method was too rough, but it's still a grade higher than the tea on the market. I was just worried about finishing it!" Bai Zhongsheng's eyes lit up as he said.
"I'm just worried you won't like it! If you finish drinking it, just give me a call and I'll bring it over! There won't be much, but there's enough for us to drink!"
Zhang Guodong made a few modest remarks, and the three of them returned to the reception hall. This time, however, they were in a VIP room with food and drinks provided, so they had nothing to worry about.
Having connections to mentor you makes a huge difference in treatment.
"You all rest here for a while. Due to the confidentiality regulations here, outsiders can only come here. I'm taking this medicinal herb to the lab for personal testing and identification. The results should be available by noon!" Bai Zhongsheng took the star grass, examined it curiously for a while, and then left in a hurry after giving some instructions.
Now only Zhang Guodong and the fat man were left.
"Guodong, are we just going to stay in this room all morning?" The fat man got bored after a while.
Zhang Guodong, on the other hand, was looking for some peace and quiet. He could sit and sit for a whole morning, let alone a whole month, and he persevered.
"If you're bored, go to the reception hall downstairs. Ge Xin, Yang Haoji, and the others will be here soon," Zhang Guodong said helplessly.
"Alright, I won't leave empty-handed this time!" The fat man, never one to sit still, immediately went downstairs. More contact with business people might be very beneficial for attracting investment.
There are two sides to the story.
Upon arriving at the secure area, Bai Zhongsheng encountered some colleagues who noticed he was holding a plant. They were all quite curious.
"Old Bai, what kind of plant are you holding?"
"Could it be one of those new and unusual plants that have appeared recently?" someone's eyes lit up.
Recently, someone at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences collected a new species, and its remarkable effects have astonished everyone. However, studying its genes is no simple task. Breeding it is even more difficult...
easy.
But no one backed down; instead, they became even more determined to dedicate themselves to the research.
It's a pity that there are too many monks and too few porridges, and even for those doing research, there aren't enough readily available standards to follow.
Bai Zhongsheng held a star grass in his hand. He was somewhat sensitive, and the ripples it caused were...
"We don't know yet. It was brought in by a junior for identification, and they need a test report. But this medicinal herb is quite peculiar; we'll only know for sure after testing!" Bai Zhongsheng said with a slight smile.
"Old Bai, the preliminary results are in, let me see them! It's settled!" These old men and women are all crazy people. They are all getting old now, but their curiosity about new things has not diminished.
Bai Zhongsheng had no choice but to agree to them all. He also hoped that this was a new species, and if it could also have miraculous effects, that would be even better!
P.S.: The next update will be later.
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