Chapter 409 You Still Showed Up
Group Leader Lu had been waiting outside the resettlement area after receiving the news, contemplating his next move. A ship full of grain was something everyone coveted.
Seeing the approaching car, Group Leader Lu immediately straightened his clothes and put on a smile.
The secretary opened the car door, and a man around forty years old stepped out. Due to his habit of frowning, two deep lines were etched between his brows.
"Secretary Tan, hello, hello. I'm the group leader of the resettlement area."
Tan Dun paused his step, turned to look at Group Leader Lu, and squinted his eyes.
"Take me to see the gentleman from Mi Province."
"Yes, yes, please."
Tan Dun sat in Group Leader Lu's office waiting for Li Cheng, with the secretary standing by.
"Tingdong, what's the situation with the resettlement area?"
"The resettlement area has accommodated nearly twenty thousand people. As you saw earlier, the living environment is very poor. As for relief grain, we've prioritized distribution to the resettlement area."
"So you don't know the actual situation of the resettlement area."
Wei Tingdong quickly lowered his head. Having followed Secretary Tan for four years, he knew that not tracking the actual situation of affairs was a major offense to Secretary Tan.
"I'm sorry, Secretary Tan. I'll investigate immediately."
Tan Dun didn't make things difficult for his secretary, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
"Investigate secretly, focusing on Group Leader Lu."
Wei Tingdong glanced at Secretary Tan, knowing that this Group Leader Lu had problems.
"Yes!"
Li Cheng arrived quickly. After briefing Gong Aidaing and the others, he took a walk around the resettlement area. The living conditions of the disaster victims were indeed very poor, with some families who couldn't afford food relying on just a bowl of gruel to get by.
The door was knocked open, and Tan Dun looked at the person entering.
"Are you Mr. Li Cheng?"
"Yes, Secretary Tan."
Li Cheng and Tan Dun were unacquainted. Typically, Ouyang was the one who handled work-related contacts for Young Master Zi.
"Mr. Li Cheng must be thirsty. May I offer you a cup of tea?"
Group Leader Lu intended to come in and show his goodwill, and also to overhear their conversation. However, as he took a step into the room, Wei Tingdong blocked him.
"Group Leader Lu, you're not needed here. You can go about your business."
Group Leader Lu felt stifled seeing the tall man blocking him, but he couldn't afford to offend him. He could only smile and leave.
"Secretary Wei, you can go out too. Hurry and handle the task I assigned you."
Only after everyone had left did Tan Dun quietly ask Li Cheng.
"Did Young Master Zi send you?"
"Yes. Young Master Zi is deeply concerned about the disaster victims and has sent me to deliver a batch of grain. My main purpose is to assess the actual situation of the victims."
Tan Dun hesitated, then spoke. He was promoted by Young Master Zi, but they rarely interacted.
"Where is Young Master Zi now?"
Li Cheng smiled enigmatically. Young Master Zi's presence in Mi Province was meant to be kept secret.
Seeing Li Cheng's smile, Tan Dun realized he had asked a superfluous question.
"How does Young Master Zi intend to distribute this batch of grain? Will it be distributed by your people, or will the resettlement area staff be responsible?"
"Hand it over to the resettlement area? Secretary Tan, I don't know if you're aware that in the resettlement area, disaster victims have to pay for grain. I don't want Young Master Zi's goodwill to become a tool for profit for unscrupulous individuals."
Tan Dun was both angry and ashamed. Biancheng was supposedly under his jurisdiction, yet he was unaware that relief grain was being sold. This was not only dereliction of duty but also a great embarrassment in front of Young Master Zi.
"I will investigate this matter thoroughly immediately."
Li Cheng smiled and waved his hand. This was not his concern.
"Secretary Tan, you can deal with these matters later. Let's settle the grain distribution first, as there are still five more ships of grain to arrive."
"Yes, yes. You've seen a joke at my expense. Young Master Zi is truly making a significant contribution this time. Six ships of grain are no small amount."
"Secretary Tan, you think too highly of Young Master Zi. He can't afford seven or eight hundred thousand worth of grain himself. This is all due to the efforts of Young Master Zi's fiancée, the Ye family and the Bai family."
Credit should be shared; it shouldn't all fall on Young Master Zi. On the surface, Young Master Zi was not a wealthy man.
"So that's how it is. Overall, it's still Young Master Zi who is thinking of the disaster victims. What is Young Master Zi's intention?"
"Young Master Zi's intention is for my people to cooperate in distributing the first batch of grain to the disaster victims. For the remaining five batches, I will only take one-third, and I will take away the remaining two-thirds for future disaster relief."
Secretary Tan understood. This meant they would ensure all the grain reached the disaster victims, preventing any fraudulent activities.
"Alright, we'll proceed according to Young Master Zi's wishes. I will arrange for new personnel to cooperate with your work. I will replace all the previous staff of the resettlement area."
Li Cheng nodded. Once his companions arrived, he could go back.
"Also, please pay special attention to the disaster victims from Chuncheng, especially those from the Bai Rong Brigade. They have helped Young Master Zi before, so..."
"Understood, understood. Everything will be done according to Young Master Zi's wishes."
The brethren from Biancheng soon arrived. Knowing that Young Master Zi was well, they were relieved and worked with much greater efficiency than the resettlement area staff.
The grain was distributed that day, on a per capita basis. Each person only received a little over four catties. There were simply too many people, and even with six ships of grain, it would only last for about a month.
Therefore, an individual's strength was indeed limited. Zi Yisheng and the others were not billionaires; what they offered was within their means and was a gesture of goodwill.
Group Leader Lu was already upset that he wasn't in charge of the grain distribution. He had planned to deal with Li Cheng and the outsiders after Secretary Tan left.
However, before he could formulate a plan, he was arrested. Many people were taken away along with him. The disaster victims showed no reaction to this, as at this point, nothing was more important than grain.
Secretary Tan stood in the open space of the resettlement area, looking at the disaster victims who were weeping with joy upon receiving the grain. His heart ached; he, as the secretary, had failed to do his job properly.
"My fellow villagers, due to the actions of the resettlement area staff previously, not only did you not receive relief grain, but you also spent a lot of money to buy it. Once I recover the money, I will compensate you with grain so that everyone can have enough to eat."
Although the disaster victims were happy with this decision, many had reservations. After all, everyone had paid different amounts, and receiving the same amount of grain later would mean some people would be at a disadvantage.
Li Cheng could only smile helplessly upon hearing Secretary Tan's words. In fact, there was no need to tell everyone that the relief grain had already been bought by them. They only needed to convert the recovered money into grain and distribute it to everyone. No disaster victim would fail to be grateful to Secretary Tan.
However, this was not something Li Cheng needed to point out. How could Young Master Zi value someone who couldn't even manage the city under his jurisdiction properly?
Gong Aidang was all smiles throughout the day, especially seeing the extra grain delivered to the Bai Rong Brigade. He felt immensely proud, as Zi Yisheng was from his Bai Rong Brigade.
If he could, he would have proudly paraded around in front of all the disaster victims.
Li Cheng rushed back overnight, but he didn't dare to disturb Zi Yisheng in the middle of the night. He stayed at Asen and the others' residence.
Ye Shenge woke up early again, as she was visiting her senior Lei Ai's teacher's house today. She didn't want to be impolite and had early asked Mother Ye to accompany her to the mall to buy a gift.
Initially, Ye Shenge wanted to offer medicinal herbs from her spatial dimension as a gift, but Mother Ye stopped her. After all, she didn't know what kind of person Lei Ai's teacher was. If they didn't get along well, there would be no point in wasting high-quality medicinal herbs.
Ye Shenge gave her mother a thumbs-up, acknowledging her mother's thoughtful consideration!
Zi Yisheng also took this opportunity to meet with Li Cheng. Li Cheng recounted everything that had happened in Biancheng in great detail.
Zi Yisheng was clearly displeased. He was troubled by the number of disaster victims, worried about the grain shortage, angry about the corruption in the resettlement area, and disappointed by the inadequate leadership in Biancheng.
"Have Ouyang write a report and send it to Mingcheng immediately. You, go and send the remaining grain to Biancheng, and then have the black markets in other cities send a batch of gold over."
"Young Master Zi, are we still going to buy grain for disaster relief?"
Zi Yisheng shot Li Cheng an exasperated glance. It was evident that his innate stinginess had kicked in.
"How much money do I have to spend like this? The gold that arrives will continue to be used to buy grain and be distributed to all the black markets. We can't let other places also run out of food due to the disaster, can we?"
Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought Young Master Zi was going to continue being charitable.
"Heh heh, I didn't mean anything else. After all, we have to support many brothers. Young Master Zi, you've misunderstood."
Zi Yisheng quickly waved his hand, telling him to scram. Li Cheng cautiously retreated, and let out a huge sigh of relief at the door. Young Master Zi's temper was getting worse.
Ye Shenge was personally picked up by Lei Ai. Although Zi Yisheng didn't accompany them openly, he secretly followed behind with his elder brother-in-law.
Ye Shenge was clearly in a good mood. She chatted a lot with Lei Ai in the car, which was rare for her.
Senior Lei Ai's teacher lived in a rather secluded area, almost in the suburbs. A courtyard that somewhat resembled a siheyuan could be seen from afar.
Ye Shenge got out of the car and stood outside the large red-painted double wooden gates of the courtyard.
"Senior Lei Ai, does Teacher Han really like the culture from across the strait? Even the house has a flavor of the other side."
Lei Ai smiled and nodded. Her teacher's hometown was from across the strait.
"It's not just a little flavor. Once you go inside, you'll find it's a genuine siheyuan."
Lei Ai knocked on the door, and someone quickly came to open it.
"Uncle Chen, I've brought a friend to see Teacher."
"Ah, good. Mr. Han is waiting for you. Come in quickly."
Ye Shenge, holding the gift, followed them into the courtyard. It was a typical three-courtyard complex. Every detail of the house showed the owner's meticulous attention, with even patterns carved on the beams.
Ye Shenge only took a cursory glance, not wanting to be impolite on her first visit.
Upon entering the main hall, Ye Shenge smelled a strong medicinal scent and frowned slightly.
"Is that Lei Ai?"
Ye Shenge turned towards the voice and saw a middle-aged man in his thirties walking in. He wore a white kung fu uniform and black cloth shoes. His face could be described as strange, elegant, heroic, and even a hint of roguishness, a contradiction.
"Teacher, this is the classmate Ye Shenge I told you about."
Teacher Han smiled at Ye Shenge, his attitude very warm.
"Please, sit down. You're such a beautiful young lady, and I hear you're very talented."
Ye Shenge smiled faintly and placed the gift on the table.
"Teacher Han, you flatter me. I hope my unannounced visit today doesn't cause you any trouble."
"Hahaha, how could it be trouble? I love talented children!"
Lei Ai pulled Ye Shenge to sit on a red sandalwood chair opposite Teacher Han. Uncle Chen also brought tea at the appropriate moment.
"Have some tea. Try the Yunwu tea from Mi Province."
Ye Shenge picked up the porcelain cup, lifted the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted towards her. However, Ye Shenge soon detected a peculiar smell.
Ye Shenge sniffed again, a slight smile playing on her lips. She gently placed the teacup on a small tea table beside her.
Teacher Han had been observing Ye Shenge's every move. Seeing the teacup she had put down, the corners of his lips curled up.
"What's wrong? Do you not like the taste of Yunwu tea, classmate Ye?"
"Yes, it smells a bit sour."
Lei Ai, who was beside them, took another sip of her tea with a puzzled expression.
"There's no sourness. Yunwu tea is very fragrant."
Ye Shenge's tone grew a little cold. She looked at Lei Ai, who hadn't noticed anything amiss, and then at Teacher Han, who maintained his smile.
"Perhaps my tea is different from Senior Lei Ai's tea."
If it were the same, she would have collapsed by now.
"Different! How could that be?"
Lei Ai said this as she picked up the teacup next to Ye Shenge. Ye Shenge didn't stop her but stared intently at Teacher Han's face.
Lei Ai, being naturally carefree, took a sip of Ye Shenge's tea.
Ye Shenge's heart sank as she watched Teacher Han, who hadn't moved at all. What did this person mean!
"Hey, it really is a bit sour. This taste is so familiar."
"Ah, why am I feeling a bit dizzy?"
Ye Shenge watched calmly as the cup in Lei Ai's hand fell to the ground, and she slowly slumped onto the chair.
The main hall fell into a deathly silence. Ye Shenge looked at Teacher Han, and Teacher Han smiled at Ye Shenge. Their eyes locked in a silent confrontation. In fact, Ye Shenge had already mentally selected a powder from her spatial dimension that could incapacitate the person in front of her.
Teacher Han looked at the girl, who appeared calm but was actually tense all over.
"You're very good. Actually, your specialty is poison, isn't it? You were able to detect the medicine in the cup immediately. It seems my disciple is far behind you."
"Are you doing all this just to test me?"
Teacher Han shrugged and took a sip of his own cup.
"From what my clumsy disciple always tells me about you, I guessed you were skilled in poison. I wanted to test your abilities just now."
Ye Shenge pointed at the unconscious person, her tone somewhat displeased.
"To test me, you disregard your own disciple?"
"Hahahaha, this is a punishment for her lack of skill."
Ye Shenge was speechless. She felt like she had encountered a madman. But then again, it didn't seem right. Why did this scene feel like he wanted to speak with her alone?
"Teacher Han, do you have something you want to tell me?"
Teacher Han put down his cup and nodded. The smile on his face disappeared.
"Someone wants to talk to you."
Ye Shenge realized something was wrong and quickly stood up, but a third person had already appeared in the hall.
"Shenge, long time no see."
"Han Yuyan, I didn't expect you to show up after all."
Seeing Han Yuyan, Ye Shenge immediately stopped worrying. Although this person acted recklessly, he had never done anything to harm her.
Ye Shenge simply sat back down. Since she couldn't leave anyway, she might as well listen to what Han Yuyan had to say.
"Teacher Han, Han Yuyan, what is your relationship?"