Zhang Guodong created a fake boyfriend identity, while the fat guy also had his own troubles.
He's making some progress in pursuing Lin Yujiao, but his wallet is in trouble. His sister, Wang Lin, recently reinstated his annual allowance of 100,000 yuan, exactly half of what it used to be.
But the fat man was always a big spender; 100,000? It was gone in just a few months. He sent a bouquet of red roses every day and took him out to restaurants; the money just flowed away like water.
Lin Yujiao kept pestering the fat man to go to Zhang Guodong's shop, especially eyeing the wild medicinal herbs. The fat man scratched his head. Zhang Guodong had already said that he was temporarily out of wild medicinal herbs; where was he going to get them?
Wild ginseng, in particular, is not like a radish that can be dug up anywhere. As for black ginseng, although scientific research has proven that it is not as miraculous as legend has it, the natural medicinal components it contains have the effect of prolonging life. Whether it is white or black, it also has its benefits.
But probably no one knows that older wild medicinal herbs contain significantly more spiritual energy than younger ones, although that spiritual energy is still less. This is from Zhang Guodong's perspective.
Spiritual energy is the source of all things, nourishing the growth of trees, flowers, and plants. However, with the destruction of the Earth's environment, spiritual energy is decreasing. The older the medicinal herbs, the fewer there are, and naturally, the less spiritual energy they contain.
Perhaps no one knows this.
It's because of the existence of Peach Blossom Spring.
After thinking it over, the fat guy decided to ask his buddy for help to solve the problem, and Zhang Guodong was the one he chose.
"Xiao Lin, I'm going out for a bit. Call me anytime if anything comes up!" the fat man instructed a clerk in his office. Now that the fat man was the deputy director of the government office and Luo Jianhui's personal secretary, his status had naturally increased, and people flocked to him to curry favor.
In the office, besides the director, the fat man was the de facto first deputy director.
"Don't worry, Director Wang, I'll call you immediately if anything happens!" Xiao Lin said respectfully and quickly. Actually, Xiao Lin wasn't younger than the fat man; in fact, he was two years older. But that's how it is in officialdom. If you want to make a name for yourself in your career, you have to abide by certain unspoken rules: the leader is the most respected.
"Hmm!" The fat man nodded, displaying a leader-like demeanor, and left satisfied.
Once he left the district government building, the fat man's serious image vanished without a trace.
"Guodong, I'm on my way. If anything happens, don't leave!" Fatty called while driving, giving his best friend a heads-up. Speaking of this, Fatty really did have a different opinion of his close friend.
How did he get involved with people inside the provincial TV station? Fatty found out about Zhang Guodong's several meals with him. However, Zhang Guodong refused to say who he was eating with, which made Fatty grit his teeth, but he was helpless.
Arriving at Green Treasure Pavilion in a flurry, Zhang Guodong was studying online, preparing for the big black market flower and tree auction. Li Yun usually slept in at this time, so the fat man's footsteps were much quieter.
As soon as the four little green dogs saw the fat man arrive, they ran over and bared their teeth at him, scaring him so much that he dared not move. Big Black and Two Black, however, followed slowly behind, much like a boss traveling with his underlings clearing the way.
"Damn, it seems like I'm a regular here, right? I've given you guys plenty of meat, haven't I? Why are you all hostile towards me?" the fat man said, annoyed.
After Zhang Guodong scolded Dahei, Erhei, and Sixiaoqing away, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Character, it's a matter of character. How come Li Yun is alright?"
With that, the two of them simply went downstairs to sit on the sofa.
"Fatty, what's the rush?" Zhang Guodong finally asked. Fatty was the leader's personal secretary and was indeed very busy. This was a rare opportunity for Fatty to get some experience, and Zhang Guodong was happy for him.
The fat man said awkwardly, "Oh, don't even mention it. I came here to borrow money; I'm a little short on cash lately!"
"Pfft!" Zhang Guodong spat out the water he had just drunk, and the fat man almost got sick.
The fat man complained, "Damn it, you can't treat me like this just because you have a problem with me! This outfit of mine costs several thousand yuan, and it's my livelihood to make a good impression when I go out!"
After coughing a few times, Zhang Guodong's face turned red, then he laughed loudly, "Fatty, say it again? Did I hear that right? The dignified young master Wang is actually short of money?"
This is indeed hard to believe.
The fat man retorted, annoyed and embarrassed, "What? Is that not allowed? You guys are allowed to be short of money, but I'm not? You think chasing women doesn't cost money?"
I despise this guy; he makes up a perfectly plausible excuse about spending money to pursue women.
Zhang Guodong's laughter had barely stopped when he said, "You're something else. This reason really does cost money. But are you sure my little bit of money can solve your problem? Why doesn't your Lin sister know how to save you money?"
Although he had made a fortune, and with the shop's income, he had 2.6 million in savings, compared to that fat guy, he couldn't even afford half the price of that Bentley.
"Hey, let's not talk about how much money you have. You can't ask my older sister for this. If she tries to take a bribe, my dad will break my legs if he finds out," the fat man said.
"I can only offer you 2 million at most, that's all I can do!" Zhang Guodong said helplessly.
"How much?!" The fat man jumped up. "Damn it, how much did you say?"
Had he misheard? Two million had shocked him. He couldn't have misheard; Zhang Guodong's expression was normal, and he didn't seem to be lying. In Fatty's opinion, even if the shop made money, it couldn't be that much, right? He could believe several hundred thousand.
"Oh my, my good brother, I love you to death!" The fat man hugged Zhang Guodong. Earning 2 million yuan in just a few months without a word—this guy, a vegetable seller, is simply the most amazing person in the world.
"Screw you, that's all I can offer. I made over a million gambling on flowers and trees a while ago. But, Fatty, tell me what you're planning to do?" Zhang Guodong explained.
The fat man didn't know about the gambling on flowers and trees business, so he didn't continue the conversation.
"Hehe, it doesn't need to be 2 million. Borrowing 100,000 or 200,000 will be enough. Recently, I'm planning to formally confess my feelings to your future brother and sister-in-law. I can't do without a gift. Yu Jiao seems to be interested in your wild medicinal herbs, Guo Dong. Unfortunately, you don't have any. So, think about it, should we buy a few from the market?" The fat man finally told the truth.
Zhang Guodong was momentarily stunned by this.
He felt a little ashamed. There were wild ginseng in Peach Blossom Spring, and he wouldn't mind giving it all to Fatty; he could just plant more. After all, Fatty was his only close friend and brother, and Fatty hadn't complained when he was driving a pedicab. That kind of friendship was more precious than anything else.
However, the secret of Peach Blossom Spring must not be revealed; too much of a good thing can be bad.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Guodong said, "Just buying medicinal herbs? Then I'll go with you. There are too many fakes in the market. If it really doesn't work, I'll find a way to get you some. I guarantee it won't delay your proposal gift!"
"Haha, I knew Guodong was a good friend. When you get married, I'll let you have some water during the wedding night pranks!" The fat man smiled broadly upon hearing this. With Zhang Guodong around, it would be easy to buy wild goods.
This is an inexplicable trust in Zhang Guodong.
Zhang Guodong left a note for Li Yun and stuck it on the door; it was an agreement.
Then I drove with Fatty to the medicinal herb market.
The medicinal herb market mainly deals in Chinese herbal medicines. While Western medicine is widely used in today's society, Chinese medicine should not be overlooked. Those in the know place great importance on the business of Chinese herbal medicines.
'Pharmacy' Market.
This place sells raw medicinal materials and finished Chinese herbal medicines.
The raw medicinal herbs that have just been harvested contain too much moisture, so they need to be dried. Therefore, the 'medicine shop' in the market mainly sells dried goods, with very little fresh produce. Moreover, if you're dealing with fresh goods, this stuff is difficult to preserve, so you have to sell it quickly.
The fat man learned about this place from his colleague.
This was also Zhang Guodong's first time here.
As Zhang Guodong parked and entered the premises, the "medicine shop" gave him the impression of being chaotic and rustic, with traces of mud everywhere and dried medicinal herbs that were not afraid of the sun scattered all over the place. It was even more messy than a vegetable market.
The fat man pointed at the numerous dried medicinal herbs and said, "These are medicinal herbs? Why do they look like tree roots and firewood? Were they meant to be burned as firewood?"
Zhang Guodong rolled his eyes. He thought to himself, some Chinese medicinal herbs are just tree roots. When you get medicine from a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy, they're always chopped up. Otherwise, how could anyone eat them if they looked like that?
Is it a fake?
Most people have this tendency, this intuitive understanding.
"Keep your voice down, or someone will give you a hard time!" Zhang Guodong hurriedly reminded the fat man, and someone immediately gave him a very unfriendly look.
Experts dislike laymen the most; they feel humiliated when laymen spout nonsense despite knowing nothing. Conversely, they also love laymen—they're easier to exploit.
Upon seeing this, the fat man chuckled twice and then shut up, refusing to comment further.
There are several ginseng dealers, and you can easily find out about them by asking around. However, these dealers do not comment on other people's shops or products, as this is a taboo subject.
This is also the default rule in the market.
These are the medicinal herbs. Take your pick. If you like them, offer a price; if not, leave.
Standing in front of a shop, the fat man recognized the ginseng at a glance and asked, "Boss, is this cultivated ginseng?"
The fat man was a bit clever, but his cleverness was so obvious that anyone with expertise would recognize him as an amateur. Those in the know could spot him and didn't say much. Buying wild goods requires both a keen eye and a bit of luck. Zhang Guodong remained silent, following behind the fat man.
The shop owner, Qian Wu, was very thin and short, but his eyes were sharp. His hands were calloused, and his skin was rough, probably from years of working outdoors. Many herbal medicine dealers like to venture into the mountains to find medicinal resources, so their skin is often not in good condition.
Boss Qian glanced at the fat man, who was dressed smartly and looked very healthy, clearly a wealthy man. He pointed to the dozen or so ginseng roots displayed on the stall and said, "Those are all here, pick whatever you like, they're all good quality, two thousand each!"
On the red cloth stall, a dozen ginseng roots with withered branches and leaves lay, their age easily discernible from the branches and leaves.
Zhang Guodong glanced at them; most of the ginseng was only one or two years old. He had thoroughly brushed up on his knowledge of plants and precious medicinal herbs, such as ginseng, so he was no longer completely ignorant about medicine.
The fat man's eyes lit up when he heard the price. The price wasn't high, but it wasn't low either, which meant the item might be good. Bringing two of them to Lin Daiyu should be a good idea, right?
When a man falls in love, his IQ can drop, and this is especially true for fat men—it's pitiful!
P.S.: The second update is here early!
Latest donation thank-you list: Congratulations to 'Suifeng' for being promoted to 'Disciple'! Second disciple!
'1uiz' has given another reward, and the first butler is about to appear! Hehe.
'The Burial Guardian', 'The Pain of the Cicada', three new friends!
Thank you again to the five of you for your great support!
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