sbdcsierra Chapter 1931 What you can't beat, I, Zhao Jun, can!
Chapter 1931 What you can't beat, I, Zhao Jun, can!
Chapter 1931 What you can't beat, I, Zhao Jun, can!
When Zhao Jun hung up the phone, he felt genuinely happy, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
As Zhao Jun walked out of the west hut and through the corridor to the outer room, everyone except Zhao Youcai stared at him.
In a good mood, Zhao Jun didn't need anyone to ask him and said with a smile, "It's settled. We'll hold the Ginseng King Conference when we get back from Lushuihe."
"Great!" Li Baoyu slapped the table with joy, and Wang Meilan said excitedly, "Then I'll arrange some wild mountain vegetables and river fish in advance, and you guys go up the mountain to get some roe deer, wild boar, black bears, and deer. After that, we'll make sure these big bosses eat and drink well."
The thought of hosting a grand banquet filled Wang Meilan with boundless energy.
Normally, Zhao Youcai would definitely have muttered something. But today he probably wasn't in the mood; he just craned his neck and glanced out the window.
Zhao Youcai didn't see the person he wanted to see, and after turning his gaze away, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Just then, Ma Ling asked Zhao Jun, "When are you going to Lushui River?"
"Hmm..." Zhao Jun hesitated for two seconds, then looked at Li Baoyu.
Having learned something from Li Ruhai yesterday, Li Baoyu immediately replied, "Brother, you're in charge. We'll all listen to you."
"Listen to me?" Zhao Jun thought for a moment and said, "It's better to leave sooner rather than later. Let's try to leave tomorrow. After we get down the mountain, we still need to check out the courtyard and the house, right?"
"Yes, brother." Li Baoyu nodded emphatically, and just then, the sound of dogs barking came from the backyard.
Upon hearing the dog bark, Zhao Youcai suddenly jumped up from the bench, his movement so large that it startled everyone around him.
Zhao Youcai hurried out to greet him, but when he saw someone riding a bicycle along the path towards the house, the anticipation and smile on Zhao Youcai's face vanished.
"Dad!" Hearing the cyclist call out to him, Zhao Youcai still managed a smile and replied, "Jianjun, why are you here so early?"
Zhao Youcai's question was superfluous. At that moment, Zhou Jianjun was riding a bicycle with three carp hanging on the left and four crucian carp hanging on the right.
The gills of the fish are strung with thin hemp rope. The fish are not big, the largest carp weighs just over two pounds. However, the scales near the tail of the fish are yellowish and reddish, and seem to have a metallic luster.
This characteristic is only present when the fish have an excellent growing environment and good water quality.
Seeing Zhou Jianjun arrive through the window, Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan quickly came out to greet him.
As the mother and son were leaving, they heard Zhou Jianjun laughingly say to Zhao Youcai, "Dad, I went fishing last night. I caught some big ones and brought you a few."
"Fishing all night?" Zhao Youcai looked up at Zhou Jianjun and frowned when he saw that Zhou Jianjun looked tired. "What are you doing this for? You won't get a good night's sleep."
Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Zhou Jianjun assumed it was his father-in-law's concern and just grinned. Wang Meilan and Zhao Jun, however, both curled their lip. This Zhao Youcai was talking about others, but he himself was stuck in his hut all night long, so why shouldn't he say anything?
"Mom, Jun." Zhou Jianjun greeted Wang Meilan and Zhao Jun with a smile, and the mother and daughter quickly ushered Zhou Jianjun into the house.
Several people carried the fish into the house, removed the thin hemp rope that was threading through the fish's gills, and then placed the fish in the water.
The crucian carp recovered quickly after being put back in the water, but the three carp, though not dead, were all lying on their sides on the surface. They were smacking their lips, but it seemed unlikely they would recover.
Zhou Jianjun sat down next to Zhao Jun, took the bowl and chopsticks from Wang Meilan, and casually asked Zhao Jun, "Jun, you've been staying home quietly these past few days, haven't you gone up the mountain?"
"We're up there," Zhao Jun laughed. "Oh my god, we've been up in the mountains for several days, and only had two days to rest at home."
"Well..." Zhou Jianjun shoveled some food into his mouth and mumbled, "My dad told me to tell you that the Party Secretary of Lushuihe called him yesterday and said he wanted to invite you over."
"Hehe." Zhao Jun chuckled upon hearing this and said, "What did my Uncle Zhou say?"
“He doesn’t care,” Zhou Jianjun said. “My dad said, if you want to go, go; if you don’t want to go, then forget it.”
Lushuihe Forest Farm and Yong'an Forest Area have had no contact for years, and Zhou Chunming doesn't know their leaders. After all, one forest area is in Jilin Province and the other in Heilongjiang Province. Zhou Chunming still doesn't know how the people at Lushuihe Forest Farm knew about Zhao Jun.
It was just that it was the same system, and Zhou Chunming felt it wouldn't be right to refuse the call. However, Zhou Chunming left the decision to Zhao Jun, since Zhao Jun was a close relative.
“Brother-in-law, I’ll go.” Zhao Jun said, “After dinner, I’ll call Lushuihe and try to leave tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow or the day after that.”
“Jun, something’s not right,” Zhou Jianjun said. “How far is it from here to Lushuihe? Is it five hundred li? Let’s leave early tomorrow, or we won’t be able to get there in one day?”
"I can get a hug, but I have some business in town tomorrow..." Zhao Jun said, but then suddenly remembered something and asked Zhou Jianjun, "Brother-in-law, do you know anyone influential in town?"
"What are you doing?" Zhou Jianjun asked. Zhao Jun replied, "I'm in a hurry to buy a big courtyard house, but I don't know anyone in town."
"That guy!" Zhou Jianjun raised his hand and said, "Xu Wenqi, don't you remember him?"
"Xu Wenqi?" Zhao Jun was taken aback, then realized who Zhou Jianjun was talking about, and immediately nodded and said, "Remember, isn't he the guy you asked him to buy you a motorcycle?"
“Yes, yes,” Zhou Jianjun said. “You can ask him. He’s doing quite well around the train station and has a lot of connections.”
"Should I just go see him tomorrow?" Zhao Jun said. "Or should you call him first, brother-in-law?"
After saying this, Zhao Jun paused slightly and then asked, "It's Sunday today, will it be easy to find him?"
“Yes,” Zhou Jianjun said. “They work shifts on the railway, so he might be working today. I’ll ask his company for their phone number in a bit.”
As soon as Zhou Jianjun finished speaking, Wang Meilan called out to him, "Jianjun, eat first, then you can fight."
Zhou Jianjun responded, and the group ate their meal chatting and laughing.
At the table, surrounded by men, women, and children, Zhao Youcai was the first to put down his rice bowl. Logically, since his son-in-law had arrived, even if he had finished eating, he should still sit with Zhou Jianjun for a while.
But Zhao Youcai left the house after finishing his meal. After leaving the house, he moved a small stool and sat in front of the house, craning his neck to look in the direction of the gate.
No one paid him any attention, and everyone ate their meal as usual. After finishing their meal, Zhao Jun and Zhou Jianjun went to the west hut.
“It’s convenient to have a phone at home.” Zhou Jianjun chuckled as he picked up the phone and said to Zhao Jun, “It’s all thanks to Mom’s idea. Otherwise, what kind of cadre’s house would have a phone? Haha…”
“Brother-in-law,” Zhao Jun laughed, “Let’s not talk about other cadres, but if any cadre from the township comes to our house, we have to hide this phone number. Otherwise, if the township head finds out, he’ll give our mother a hard time.”
"Hahaha..." The two laughed heartily. Wang Meilan, who was working in the outer room, looked up and asked, "What are these two kids talking about me about?"
After the laughter subsided, Zhou Jianjun dialed the exchange desk and then asked for directions to the baggage room at Shanhe Town Railway Station.
When the call was answered, Zhou Jianjun said he was looking for Xu Wenqi. The person who answered said that Xu Wenqi was indeed on duty today, but he hadn't arrived yet, and told Zhou Jianjun to call back after 8:30.
Zhou Jianjun hung up the phone and Zhao Jun took over. Zhao Jun dialed for quite a while before finally getting the number to the switchboard of Lushuihe Forest Farm.
The Lushuihe Forest Farm has dedicated telephone operators, and someone is on duty on Sundays as well. Upon answering the phone, Zhao Jun said, "Connect me to your security department, and ask for Director Zhang Xudong."
A few seconds later, a shrill voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, who are you looking for?"
The voice didn't sound like Zhang Xudong, so Zhao Jun said, "I'm looking for Zhang Xudong, the farm manager."
"Do you have something urgent to discuss with Director Zhang?" The man was quite talkative, asking Zhao Jun, "Our farm is closed today, Director Zhang isn't at work."
“Even if he’s not at work, you still have to look for him,” Zhao Jun said. “He called me several times, asking me to come over. I figured if I went, I wouldn’t be able to find him.”
"Oh dear!" The voice sounded increasingly neither male nor female as it grew louder. "You're Team Leader Zhao Jun, right? The Tiger General of Lingxi?"
"Ah! It's me." Zhao Jun responded, and then heard the person on the other end of the phone say, "Wait a moment, don't hang up, I'll go get him for you!"
"Go on your way," Zhao Jun urged, and then everything was fine on the other end.
"What a day," Zhao Jun muttered to himself, then picked up the phone and chatted quietly with Zhou Jianjun, asking about Zhao Chun and Xiao Zhoudao's recent situation.
Just then, a faint static sound came from the other end of the phone. But it wasn't coming from the phone; it was from the Lushuihe Forest Farm broadcasting.
Immediately afterwards, a voice that was neither male nor female was heard shouting over the loudspeaker: "Director Zhang Xudong, Director Zhang Xudong, please come to the security section immediately after hearing this announcement. This will be repeated..."
"Oh dear." Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun said to Zhou Jianjun, "Brother-in-law, look, they are in the security section, and we are in the security team, which is one level lower than them."
"Hey," Zhou Jianjun laughed, "Our farm was established early, so we've always called it that. We don't have a security section, so you and Liu Jinyong are basically their section chiefs."
"That sounds nice," Zhao Jun said. "Otherwise, if people go out and tell everyone, they'll all think I'm the group leader."
Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Zhou Jianjun smiled but didn't reply. The two whispered for another twenty minutes or so, during which Xing San and Li Baoyu also came over to chat with them.
Just as everyone was discussing whether carp tasted better braised in soy sauce or stewed in red sauce, Zhang Xudong's urgent voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, Team Leader Zhao."
"Director Zhang," Zhao Jun asked with a smile, "How's things going over there?"
"Oh, don't even mention it." Zhang Xudong said, but still said, "These wolves are getting more and more outrageous. This morning they even strolled up to the edge of our village. I had just gotten up and hadn't even washed my face when they called me, so I grabbed my gun and went to them."
"Ouch!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun quickly asked, "Did you hit it?"
“What are we even shooting at!” Zhang Xudong said helplessly, “There’s no grass outside, and if it burrows into the woods, there’s no way to shoot it.”
Zhang Xudong meant that the grass was too tall for hunting this season.
Zhao Jun knew that this was a common problem when hunting at this time of year. Even if Zhang Xudong himself took up his gun, let alone Zhao Jun, it would be difficult to hunt wolves under these conditions.
As for Zhao Youcai, Zhao Jun glanced outside. He had to admit that Zhao Youcai was quite capable.
"Team Leader Zhao," Zhang Xudong said to Zhao Jun, "they all say you're a tiger general, incredibly capable. Do you think you can help us?"
Zhang Xudong said this to test whether Zhao Jun could solve the problems they couldn't.
This morning, after chasing wolves, Zhang Xudong sat down with several expert wolf hunters to discuss the situation. Zhang Xudong concluded that even if Zhou Chengguo came, he could kill one or two wolves, but not all of the remaining wolves.
Because wolves are exceptionally cunning, they don't kill indiscriminately. Once they realize that large-scale retaliation against humans is no longer feasible, the remaining wolves will retreat, hide, and slowly exact their revenge.
Zhang Xudong and his group were locals. They knew the terrain of Langcaogou and knew that the wolves hid there, so no one could fight them.
Zhang Xudong thought that if Zhou Chengguo couldn't do it, how could Zhao Jun possibly do it? Everyone said that Zhao Jun was very capable, but how old was Zhao Jun? Even if he had been shooting since he was born, could he catch up with an old gunner?
Zhang Xudong had already thought about it while eating: if Zhao Jun wasn't up to the task, then he wouldn't have to come.
To Zhang Xudong's surprise, Zhao Jun smiled faintly on the other end of the phone and said, "Don't worry, Director Zhang, I'll take care of these wolves for you."
"Huh?" Zhang Xudong was taken aback, then asked, "Team Leader Zhao, how are you going to fight?"
"Director Zhang, this... you don't need to worry about how I fight." Zhao Jun laughed, "I'll fight it for you."
Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Zhang Xudong was silent for two seconds, then said in a more serious tone, "Alright! Team Leader Zhao, then we're counting on you for this."
"Don't worry, Director Zhang," Zhao Jun said. "I'll be there the day after tomorrow... at the latest the day after that."
"Okay, okay, okay." Zhang Xudong said "okay" three times in a row, clearly his hope had been rekindled.
Then, Zhang Xudong continued to say to Zhao Jun, "Team Leader Zhao, please come. Our forest farm will definitely treat you well. We will reward you handsomely after everything is over."
"Hehe, no need for a generous reward," Zhao Jun laughed. "But I'll have to bring a few more people."
"Hmm? Ah..." Zhang Xudong asked, "Team Leader Zhao, how many people are you leading?"
“There are eleven of us,” Zhao Jun said, including Xing San, Li Ruhai, Ma Yang, Ma Sheng, and Lin Xiangshun.
The purpose of this trip is not to hunt wolves, but to graze them in the mountains.
Since it was a mountain rafting trip, Li Ruhai and Ma Yang were indispensable. As for Xing San, Zhao Jun originally didn't want to trouble the old man. But Xing San objected, saying that mountain rafting is always a one-way trip with a two-way return, and it wouldn't be right for the Zhao family to send ten people.
"Eleven people?" Zhang Xudong hadn't expected Zhao Jun to bring so many people, but then he thought, so what if there are more? There's plenty of room in the guesthouse, and as for food, does such a large forest farm really need a few more people?
“Okay, no problem, Team Leader Zhao.” Zhang Xudong agreed readily, then said, “So, should I talk to your Director Yan tomorrow when we get to work? Or should we have Secretary Liu talk to your Secretary Zhou?”
"You can just talk to our Director Yan." Zhao Jun knew that Zhang Xudong's purpose in saying this was not how to communicate about this matter.
So Zhao Jun said directly, "Of the eleven of us, three are not from our forest farm, and the remaining eight, including myself, are security guards from our farm."
Zhao Jun and the other eight were seconded to the forest farm. They continued to receive their salaries at the forest farm and received additional subsidies at Lushuihe.
Of course, the Zhao family isn't short of money. But this matter has to go through the proper procedures; otherwise, if something unexpected happens at the forest farm, and the leaders see that only Zhao Youcai is left holding the fort, that certainly won't do.
“Okay, Team Leader Zhao, that’s easy to arrange.” Zhang Xudong said, “I’ll call Director Yan when I get to work tomorrow, and then you can wait for my news.”
"Okay." Zhao Jun agreed and then hung up the phone.
Then, Zhao Jun turned around and waved to Li Baoyu, saying, "Baoyu, go outside and set off the cannons!"
"Hey!" Li Baoyu got up and ran outside, passing by Zhao Youcai like a gust of wind.
My stomach has been acting up again these past couple of days. It's been uncomfortable every day, I can't quite describe the feeling, it's just plain uncomfortable. And I vomit whenever I eat something—anything slightly cold, hard, spicy, or if I eat too quickly… I feel completely unwell all day…