HPDBC Chapter 1724 An Ancient Chinese Saying (Part 1)
Chapter 1724 An Ancient Chinese Saying (Part 1)
Chapter 1724 There is an old Chinese saying... (Part 1)
The road from Shanhe County to Yong'an Forest Area is a long, winding mountain road. The further into the mountains you go, the more treacherous the road becomes, with steep cliffs on one side and a bottomless abyss on the other.
At this moment, a jeep and a Santana were driving on the winding mountain road. The jeep was leading the way, and inside sat three burly men from Northeast China and the Japanese driver, Tomotaro Murata.
The Santana was in the back, with Keiya Ishii and Mayumi Mori sitting in the back. The driver and passenger were both Chinese. The driver was bald, had a fleshy face, and a menacing look in his eyes.
The man in the passenger seat was rather thin, wore glasses, and had a calculating look in his eyes, making him seem like a cunning strategist.
Suddenly, the Santana jolted violently, making Keiya Ishii's expression even worse.
At this moment, Chen Yifeng, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head and smiled at Ishii Keiya, saying, "This is a remote and desolate place, the road is really bad."
The Japanese devils know small manners but lack great principles, they know minor details but lack great virtues. At this moment, Ishii Kei was also cursing under his breath, but he responded to Chen Yifeng with a smile and asked, "Chen-san, are we almost there?"
"It should be," Chen Yifeng said somewhat uncertainly. "I've never been to this place before, but it looks like it should be soon."
Hearing Chen Yifeng's words, Ishii Kei also took a light breath, his hands on his knees clenched into fists, as if this trip to Yong'an had made him a little nervous.
As someone close to Ishii Keiya, Mori Mayumi noticed his unusual behavior and knew how important the golden bear bile was to him.
During the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, traditional Chinese medicine was introduced to the island nation through the dynasty. After being simplified and standardized by the island nation, it formed the island nation's unique traditional Chinese medicine.
Despite the fact that traditional Chinese medicine is suppressed by Western medicine in China, people in Japan have a high regard for Kampo medicine.
Despite its small size, this island nation has over two hundred traditional Chinese medicine factories and produces more than two thousand kinds of traditional Chinese medicine preparations.
Keiya Ishii's family business is called Ishii Kanpo Co., Ltd., which had a history of nearly 100 years by 1988.
No matter which country a large family is in, there are always internal conflicts, and the Ishii family is no exception.
In the past two years, Keiya Ishii's father has advocated for the development of health products, but he has not received much support within the family.
The person in charge of the Ishii family was none other than Ishii Keiya's grandfather. That old Japanese man had some kind of illness; a large patch of festering sores had grown on the back of his neck, and no matter how many doctors he saw, it wouldn't get better.
Their family was in the business of traditional Chinese medicine. When Old Shijing consulted a famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor, the doctor said it was caused by heat toxins and prescribed a medicine with bear bile as the main ingredient.
Bear bile has the effects of calming the liver and improving eyesight, clearing heat and detoxifying, and is effective for sores, carbuncles, swelling and pain, and sore throat caused by heat toxins.
At first, the prescription really worked, but the wealthy old man Shijing became arrogant as soon as he felt better, indulging in excessive eating and drinking and revelry. When the sores recurred, the previous prescription no longer worked.
So when I saw the black bear monster in the "New Evening Post" that day, the thought that flashed through Kei Ishii's mind was: if the bear bile powder in the prescription were replaced with golden bear bile powder, his grandfather's illness would definitely be cured.
When the body is ill, the mind becomes anxious. When the body is healthy, the mind is at ease. If old Ishii's illness can be cured, then Keiya Ishii and his son will be safe and sound.
Moreover, old Ishii's illness was caused by neglecting to take care of himself. If his sores are cured, it will be a good opportunity to advance the research and development of health products for Ishii Keiya's father.
So, Kei Ishii postponed his plans to return to Japan, spent a lot of money and contacted many people before finally managing to reach the Yong'an Forest Area.
At this time, the mountain was still barren, devoid of greenery. The wind was also strong today, making Kei Ishii feel irritable.
After more than twenty minutes, the terrain gradually leveled out, and Kei Ishii saw the unburned and uncultivated farmland.
Kei Ishii knew they were almost there. He silently cheered himself up and comforted himself: "There's an old Chinese saying: 'People die for money, birds die for food.' As long as I pay enough, I don't believe they won't sell me the golden bear bile!"
About fifteen minutes later, a Jeep and a Santana drove out of Changling Village. After inquiring around the village, they learned that this was not Yong'an.
Following the directions they had gathered, the two cars drove for another twenty minutes before arriving at Yongsheng Village.
Although they had gone to the wrong place again, they were already very close to Yong'an Village. After leaving Yongsheng Village, Shi Jing and his group arrived at the outskirts of Yong'an Village in just over ten minutes.
We thought this should be our destination, but because we had gone to the wrong place twice before, the two cars stopped outside the village. People got out of the jeep in front and walked towards the "big duck" that darted out of the woods to the south.
Zhang Laibao, holding a small pheasant in his hand, looked at the two cars not far away and the people getting out of them.
It's Sunday, but Zhang Laibao is in a bad mood. He threw a tantrum at home this morning because his blind date failed.
Zhang Laibao meant that if he had been the one to take over the business, he would have been able to find a partner no matter what.
But Zhang Laifa said that Zhang Laibao's body was not capable of heavy physical labor, and even if he took over the job, he would be a gatekeeper for the rest of his life.
But he's different. Although he's currently working in the boiler room, it's because he's young. In a few years, he'll become an apprentice in the workshop. If he could bribe his way into becoming an inspector, that would be a very lucrative job.
The two brothers started arguing about it, and Xu Meihua watched with a broken heart. She felt sorry for Zhang Laibao, but she also knew that Zhang Laifa was the pillar of the family and her future support. On a larger scale, only Zhang Laifa could carry on the Zhang family line.
The Zhang brothers were cunning, but they were both considered filial. Seeing Xu Meihua go to the outer room to wipe her tears, Zhang Laifa glared at Zhang Laibao and hurriedly went out to comfort her.
Feeling stifled at home, Zhang Laibao went out to the South Land to snatch wild pheasants from other people's traps, hoping to improve his family's meals.
Today's harvest was alright; I caught a female pheasant. The pheasant was thin and small, weighing only a little over a pound, but it had meat on its thighs, wing roots, and breast.
"Buddy." The man who got out of the jeep was a tall, burly man, about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a big leather jacket and gold jewelry on his wrist.
The man was well-dressed, but his face had a fierce look, which made Zhang Laibao's heart skip a beat. He subconsciously hid the pheasant in his hand behind his back.
Noticing Zhang Laibao's subtle movements, the man in the big leather jacket smirked, pointed back at the village, and asked Zhang Laibao, "Buddy, is this Yong'an Village?"
"Yes." Zhang Laibao nodded, then the man in the leather jacket pressed on, "Isn't there a guy in the village named Zhang Yuanmin?"
"Zhang Yuanmin?" Zhang Laibao frowned, blinked a few times, and seeing the man in the leather jacket's uncertainty, he quickly asked, "No one?"
“Zhang Yuanmin…” Zhang Laibao suddenly seemed to realize something and asked, “You mean the big crotch, right?”
"Big crotch? That must be it..." Despite his shiny leather jacket, he was a country boy before he entered the underworld. He knew that people in the countryside all had nicknames, and some nicknames were so famous that people didn't even know their real names.
"Let's go!" Zhang Laibao gestured towards the village and said, "You hold my hand, and I'll lead you there."
Zhang Laibao wasn't acting out of a sudden conscience; rather, Zhang Yuanmin's family lived in a house behind his own, and Zhang Laibao wanted to hitch a ride.
"Let's go." The man in the leather jacket readily agreed. There was room in the car, and having someone lead the way was better than taking a roundabout route.
Before getting into the Jeep, Zhang Laibao glanced at the Santana behind him, his eyes filled with envy and jealousy.
After getting into the car, Zhang Laibao was startled. All three people in the car were men, and they all looked quite fierce. This made Zhang Laibao a little scared; thankfully, he hadn't given anyone wrong directions.
Zhang Laibao obediently gave the driver directions and drove them all the way to Zhang Yuanmin's house.
As soon as the jeep stopped, Zhang Laibao pushed open the door and got out, sauntering over to the gate of the Zhang family compound.
At this time, Zhang Yuanmin's courtyard gate was hung on a stake next to it with wire, so anyone could open the gate and go in.
But these days, living in a village isn't so bad. Seeing that the door is open like that, everyone knows no one's home, and nobody's going to force their way in.
What's more, there are two dogs roaming around in the Zhang family's yard.
However, the two dogs recognized Zhang Laibao. When they saw him, they didn't bite him and instead wagged their tails at him.
Zhang Laibao knew no one was home, but wanting to embarrass Zhang Yuanmin in front of outsiders, he held onto the curtain door and shouted into the courtyard, "Big Pants, you have guests! Big Pants, Pants Sister-in-law! Pants Bell! Are you home?"
The four people in the Santana didn't get out of the car. Hearing Zhang Laibao's shout, Ishii Kei asked Chen Yifeng in surprise, "Mr. Chen, are there people in China with the surname 'Kudang'?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yifeng laughed and said, "They're from the same village, they give each other nicknames and joke around, hehe..."
Hearing Chen Yifeng's words, Ishii Kei nodded and said nothing more.
At that moment, the driver glanced outside and laughed, "This house looks empty. The kid leading the way has a really rude mouth."
As he spoke, the driver's attention fell on Zhang Laibao's leg, and he said, "His leg might have gotten hurt because of his foul mouth."
Chen Yifeng smiled, while Ishii behind him shook his head slightly and said, "There is an old Chinese saying: A gentleman should be slow to speak but quick to act."
“Mr. Ishii is right,” Chen Yifeng agreed, then said to the driver, “Honest down and urge them on.”
Just as the driver was about to honk the horn, people came out from the house to the west of Zhang's villa.
"Zhang Laibao, what are you yelling about?" Zou Yufeng, a worker in the second workshop of the forest farm, shouted at Zhang Laibao, "The door is hanging there, no one's home, can't you tell?"
Zhang Yuanmin and his wife are good people, and they get along well with their neighbors. On the contrary, everyone in the village knows that Zhang Laibao's family is dishonest.
"Uncle Zou," Zhang Laibao said, disregarding Zou Yufeng's attitude, and shamelessly asked, "Where did Big Pants and the others go?"
"Are you from this village?" Zou Yufeng asked back, then said, "They're not home, so they must have gone to Old Zhao's house!"
After saying that, Zou Yufeng turned around and went into the courtyard.
Zhang Laibao glared in the direction of the Zou family, then turned around and laughed at the man in the leather jacket, "Brother, Big Pants isn't home, he's gone to visit someone else."
"Whose house did they go to?" the man in the leather jacket asked. "Do you know?"
"We're going to Old Zhao's house." As Zhang Laibao spoke, Chen Yifeng got out of the Santana and asked Zhang Laibao, "Young man, is the Old Zhao's house they're talking about Zhao Jun's house?"
"Hmm?" Zhang Laibao was slightly taken aback, gave Chen Yifeng a deep look, and then nodded and said, "Yes, it's Zhao Jun's house."
After confirming this with Zhang Laibao, Chen Yifeng laughed and said, "Young man, since you all live in the same village, could you please make another trip and take us to Zhao Jun's house?"
Hearing Chen Yifeng's words, Zhang Laibao's face fell, and he shook his head, saying, "I'll show you the way, you can go yourselves."
After saying this, Zhang Laibao added, "Our two families don't get along, so I won't go to his house."
“That’s alright, young man.” Chen Yifeng, despite being rejected, still smiled and said, “Then you point out the way for us, and we’ll go there ourselves.”
As he spoke, Chen Yifeng walked over to Zhang Laibao, took out a pack of Hongmei cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to him, saying, "Young man, take this and smoke it."
There are no Hongmei cigarettes in the Yong'an forest area, but when Zhang Zhanshan was alive, someone had given him these cigarettes when the second canteen served guests. According to Zhang Zhanshan, these cigarettes sold for 45 cents a pack.
"I'm so sorry, brother, look..." Zhang Laibao took the cigarette with one hand and pointed west with the other, saying, "Go straight west from here..."
Zhang Laibao pointed out the route to Chen Yifeng, watched the two cars leave, and then happily went home carrying the pheasant and some Hongmei cigarettes.
When the Jeep and Santana stopped outside the Zhao family compound, the green tiger in the backyard barked incessantly, accompanied by the black tiger and other dogs.
Seeing the Jeep parked outside the courtyard, Chen Yifeng couldn't help but say, "This place is pretty nice."
The man in the big leather jacket got out of the car, arrived at the Zhao family compound, and knocked on the large iron gate.
"Coming!" a voice called from inside the courtyard. Zhao Jun opened the gate, looked at the man in the leather jacket, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"Hey buddy, is this Zhao Jun's house?" the man in the leather jacket asked. Zhao Jun nodded and said, "I'm Zhao Jun."
"Is Zhang Yuanmin at your house?" the man in the leather jacket asked again. Zhao Jun didn't answer, but Zhang Yuanmin stepped out from behind him and said, "I am Zhang Yuanmin. Do you know me?"
The man in the big leather jacket glanced down and then said, "Wait a minute."
At this moment, Lin Xiangshun, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui appeared behind Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin.
The man in the leather jacket walked to the passenger side of the Santana, nodded to Chen Yifeng inside, and Chen Yifeng turned around and said a few words to Ishii Kei. Then they got out of the Santana.
Upon seeing Chen Yifeng and Ishii Kei get out of the car, the three people in the jeep also got out.
Ishii Keiya and his group of eight arrived at the gate of the Zhao family compound. Seeing Zhao Jun and his men blocking the entrance, Ishii Keiya was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "I am Ishii Keiya..."
Before Ishii Keiya could finish speaking, Zhao Jun interrupted him, saying, "Little devils?"
Keiya Ishii's expression instantly turned sour. Tomotaro Murata, who was standing next to him, was about to step forward, but Keiya Ishii raised his hand to stop him.
Zhao Jun took in the actions of the two Japanese soldiers and then said directly, "I don't know what you're here for. I'll just say two things: I have nothing to sell you, I have no history with you, and I've never offended you."
At this point, Zhao Jun tossed his chin to the side and said, "Let's go, don't come back."
Keiya Ishii and the others were somewhat bewildered; they hadn't expected Zhao Jun to have this attitude.
"You must be Mr. Zhao Jun?" Coming to his senses, Ishii Keiya asked Zhao Jun with a smile. Receiving no response, Ishii Keiya remained unfazed and continued with a smile, "We've come all the way from Harbin, traveling hundreds of miles to reach your esteemed residence. There's an old Chinese saying, 'Give me a peach, and I'll repay you with a plum…'"
"What? Who stole the peaches?" Zhao Jun frowned as he looked at Ishii Keiya.
Kei Ishii is also an expert on Chinese culture. When communicating with Chinese people, he always likes to quote classical texts to bridge the gap between them.
But he didn't expect that Zhao Jun was illiterate.
At this moment, Kei Ishii smiled and said to Zhao Jun, "Mr. Zhao Jun, now that we're here, why not invite us to your residence for a visit? I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
"I can't sit here." Zhao Jun waved his hand dismissively and said, "I've already made it clear to you that I'm telling you to leave, so you should leave now."
As soon as Zhao Jun said this, Murata Tomotaro next to him subconsciously yelled "Baka!"
Zhao Jun had sharp ears. He glanced at Murata Tomotaro and then smiled at Ishii Keiya, saying, "We Chinese have an old saying, I don't know if you've heard it before."
"Oh?" When Ishii Kei saw Zhao Jun smiling at him, he thought there was hope of buying the golden bear bile, and immediately said, "Mr. Zhao Jun, I would like to hear more about it."
Zhao Jun turned to look at Murata Tomotaro. When their eyes met, Zhao Jun glared at him and shouted, "You little devil, I'm pretty!"
The update will still be at 11 PM tomorrow, with two chapters and a bonus chapter.
(End of this chapter)