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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

n“Come on, all our other schoolmates agreed to come. Just come for my sake!” laughed Yang Ming.

n“Well, text me the time and address. I’ll go if I’ve got the time,” said Wang Yao.

n“Sure! You must come! All the beautiful girls will come as well!” said Yang Ming.

n“Haha, okay.” Wang Yao hung up the phone and shook his head.

nSoon he received a message from Yang Ming telling him the time and address of the party. When Wang Yao was about to go to the hill after dinner, Wang Jianli, the village committee secretary came to visit him unexpectedly.

n“Hello, Yao, going up to the hill?” said Wang Jianli.

n“Yes, uncle, please come in,” said Wang Yao.

nHe invited Wang Jianli into the house. Wang Jianli said hello to his parents.

n“Hello, Jianli, what brings you here?” asked Zhang Xiuying.

n“I’m here to speak to Yao,” said Wang Jianli, who pointed at Wang Yao.

n“Me? What is it?” asked Wang Yao.

n“I would like you to speak to Mingbao,” said Wang Jianli.

n“Mingbao? What happened?” asked Wang Yao in surprise.

n“He bumped into Shanfa this morning and beat him up for no reason. He did it again this afternoon. Shan Fa is still hiding in my home!” said Wang Jianli.

nWang Mingbao was highly regarded by Wang Jianli. He was always polite and knew when to act and when not to. He didn’t become a bully in the village because of his dad, who was the vice mayor of the town. But Wang Mingbao could be impulsive occasionally and didn’t take advice. Wang Jianli knew Wang Yao was the only one who could calm Wang Mingbao down as they were good friends and grew up together. Wang Jianli suspected the reason why Wang Mingbao beat Shan Fa up was because of Wang Yao.

n“I see. I’ll speak to Mingbao!” said Wang Yao.

n“Good, please talk to him as soon as possible. Those who hang out with Shan Fa a lot don’t even have the guts to return to the village. They haven’t been scared like this for a long time!” laughed Wang Jianli.

nWang Mingbao had been busy with his business so he spent less and less time in the village. Those scumbags were like old cars, playing up after they hadn’t been fixed for a long time. They didn’t expect Wang Mingbao to attack them this time.

n“One more thing, one of the leaders in the county is going to retire. The mayor could get promoted. Mingbao’s father is likely to replace current mayor, so it is a sensitive time now. I don’t want anything to go wrong,” said Wang Jianli.

nNormally he wouldn’t tell young people about politics, in particular young people from the village, but he trusted Wang Yao after a few meetings. Even if Wang Yao decided not to work in the public system, he could still succeed in a different area. So Wang Jianli didn’t mind telling Wang Yao the personal arrangements in the local government.

n“I see!” Wang Yao decided to convince Wang Mingbao not to take any further actions, otherwise it could jeopardize Mingbao’s father’s promotion.

nWang Jianli talked with Wang Yao for a short while before he left. Wang Yao also left for Nanshan Hill. He always had a quick evening meal so that he could stay longer on the hill, in case troublemakers came to destroy his herbal field again.

nI wish these trees could grow bigger! thought Wang Yao.

nWang Yao called Wang Mingbao and asked him not to take any further actions. He didn’t mind the troublemakers too much, otherwise he could take action himself. He could be as calm as still water, or as furious as the rolling waves.

nIt was getting colder as it came closer to the end of the year.

nI wish they would grow faster! though Wang Yao as he was looking at the shanjing and guiyuan herbs. The two licorice roots were growing slower than he had expected and the leaves were still tiny. Compared to the other two licorice roots, the Moonlight herb and the antidote herb, whose leaves were used to brew decoctions, shanjing and guiyuan’s roots were used to brew decoctions. The roots were growing much slower than the leaves.

nI won’t be able to make Regather Soup before the due date if the licorice roots continue to grow at their current speed, thought Wang Yao.

nWang Yao opened the system. He found he had enough reward points to trade for the two licorice roots required for Regather Soup. After careful consideration, he decided to use his reward points to trade for an existing shanjing and guiyuan and start to making the Regather Soup for Guo Sirou’s grandpa.

n…

nThousands of miles away, in a private hospital room in Beijing, lied a frail, elderly man who didn’t look well. Several people were sitting next to his bed.

n“Dad, do you feel better?” said a man in his 40’s. He was chubby and had good manners.

n“I don’t want you to be here! All of you! Can’t you find anything better to do? You are all holding important positions of responsibility. You should be busy with work instead of staying here for a whole day. I’m not going to get any better by being watched by you!” said the elderly man angrily. He was not loud due to his poor health, but all his children kept as silent as cicadas in cold weather.

n“Dad, it’s good to see you still have the energy to lecture us,” a younger man said.

n“That’s good! Those government people will still make your life easier for my sake, right?” said the elderly man sternly.

n“Dad…” said a good-looking, middle-aged woman.

n“Aye!” sighed the elderly man.

n“I’m going to die one day. Maybe I’ll have one more year to live thanks to Sirou. But what difference is it going to make? You need to do the right things in your position. Be honest and decent! Stop calculating and conspiring. Don’t get blinded by power. Your priority is to serve the public!” said the elderly man.

n“We all know it, Dad,” said one of his children.

n“What do you know about power? Go back and focus on your work. Mind your own business. Don’t be a stirrer. The doctors will notify you if anything happens to me,” said the elderly man who hit the frame of his bed angrily.

n“Okay!” said one of his sons.

nThe visitors all left the room. A moment later, a young and pretty woman entered the room.

n“Hi, grandpa, do you feel better?” The woman held a thermal container, “I just made some chicken soup for you.”

nIn fact, given this elderly man’s social status, whatever he wanted to eat, the people in the hospital would prepare it for him.

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