Chapter 924 - 890: Switching Tracks

Xu Chunliang said, "Master, this is where you’re wrong. Yan Hong is an adult. Wherever he wants to go, whatever he wants to do, he’s responsible for himself. Whether you suspect he’s missing or dead, you should go to the police, not to us."

Yuanrong nodded. "Since you two refuse to speak, this old monk can only take his leave. I’ll go back and burn incense to deliver him from suffering."

Xiahou Mulan watched Yuanrong’s departing back, a faint layer of melancholy veiling her eyes. Although Yuanrong had left the secular world, that didn’t mean his influence in the Sect of Tiredness was gone; who knew what he might do next.

Xu Chunliang said, "That monk won’t let this go. You need to be careful of his revenge."

Xiahou Mulan said, "You should worry more about yourself."

Xu Chunliang lowered his voice. "In for a penny, in for a pound—just cut him off. Then there’ll be no future trouble."

Xiahou Mulan said, "Didn’t you hear what he just said clearly? Looks like Cao Xinwei is thick as thieves with them. If he’s suspicious, Wu Yuanyi will be suspicious too."

Xu Chunliang said, "That’s exactly why we need to work together, move before they do, and not miss the first strike."

Xiahou Mulan said, "Wu Yuanyi is no longer one of the Sect of Tiredness. However you deal with him has nothing to do with us. Mr. Yan has done great service for the sect. You must not move against him on your own. Otherwise, you’ll become the enemy of the entire Sect of Tiredness."

Xu Chunliang laughed. "So what if the whole Sect of Tiredness treats me as an enemy? As long as you don’t see me as one, that’s enough."

Xiahou Mulan said, "You and I are not friends."

Xu Chunliang asked back, "Then what would you say our relationship is?"

Xiahou Mulan’s pretty face flushed. She couldn’t say clearly what exactly there was between them, but whether she admitted it or not, Xu Chunliang definitely had a place in her heart. She murmured, "I’m leaving."

Xu Chunliang said, "Let me give you a piece of advice: why don’t you stay one more night?"

Xiahou Mulan knew what he meant, but it was too embarrassing. She shook her head. "Another day."

Xu Chunliang said, "Up to you."

Xiahou Mulan’s delicate face flared red. Just then, she heard someone calling her from above, "Sister Mulan." It was Ji Jiajia shouting down from a third-floor window.

Xiahou Mulan said, "What’s up?"

Ji Jiajia said, "Want to get your hair done? My treat!"

Xiahou Mulan was about to say she had to go back when Xu Chunliang said, "I actually have your health in mind. Strike while the iron is hot—endless benefits. Using yang to guide yin can’t be delayed too long. Once the Profound Yin Qi has been completely transformed by me, I’m afraid your meridians won’t be able to take it. I really can’t bear to see you left with a lifelong ailment."

Xiahou Mulan wondered whether this bastard’s words were true or not. She didn’t respond to Xu Chunliang, but said to Ji Jiajia, "Come down!"

That very evening at dusk, Fu Guomin arrived in Dongzhou. Seeing his son safe and sound, the burden in his heart finally eased. He regretted things deeply now; when the two of them were alone, he took the initiative to apologize to his son.

Fu Xuedong made him promise not to drink or smoke anymore before he agreed to go back with him.

Fu Guomin had originally planned to take his son away that night. Mainly, Dongzhou was a place of heartbreak for him; if not for picking up his son this time, he wouldn’t have come at all. But Xu Chunliang had notified Fan Lidada, and Fan Lidada had already arranged a hotel, wanting to have a good talk with this former leader. After all, in the end, the only one who truly suffered losses over the Culture and Tourism Bureau affair was Fu Guomin.

Unable to refuse such sincere hospitality, Fu Guomin had to agree.

Fan Lidada was very thoughtful. He arranged the meal at the Second Guesthouse, and even had rooms prepared for the father and son.

Xu Chunliang called Ji Jiajia and asked her to come over for dinner. Ji Jiajia said she was getting her hair done with Xiahou Mulan and that by the time they were finished, dinner would probably be over.

Since Fu Guomin had already promised his son, he didn’t go back on it, and Fan Lidada and Xu Chunliang didn’t push him either. It wasn’t appropriate to spell things out too clearly in front of a child. After Fu Xuedong ate his fill, he went back to the room first.

Only then did Fu Guomin say, "Old Fan, Xiaoxu, I understand how you two feel. Honestly, there’s no need to make such a big deal of it. I’ve already come to terms with it."

Xu Chunliang thought, If you’ve really come to terms with it, you wouldn’t have hit your son. You’re obviously still seething inside.

Xu Chunliang said, "I can actually put in a few words with our new Secretary Wang. How about I talk to him about your situation?"

Fu Guomin shook his head. "No need. I was just a pretext; they weren’t really targeting me. The sword dance was all for someone else."

Xu Chunliang and Fan Lidada both understood what he meant. Fu Guomin was just a chess piece; getting Secretary Zhou out of Dongzhou was their true objective.

Fan Lidada said, "Director Fu, what are your plans for the future?" Since Fu Guomin had been demoted, he definitely wouldn’t be going back to the Culture and Tourism Bureau; they didn’t know if he’d already lined up a new post.

Fu Guomin said, "I’m planning to resign."

Xu Chunliang and Fan Lidada exchanged a look; neither of them had expected Fu Guomin to make such a decision.

Fan Lidada said, "No way, you’ll be retiring in just over ten years. You’re really willing to give up a civil service post?"

Fu Guomin said, "To be honest with you, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I don’t have much of a future left in the system. Rather than muddling along in a daze like this, I might as well switch tracks."

Xu Chunliang said, "Brother Fu, what track are you planning to switch to?"

Fu Guomin said, "I’m planning to do barbecue."

"What?" Xu Chunliang and Fan Lidada spoke in unison. Their first reaction was that Fu Guomin had been traumatized and still hadn’t bounced back from the Dongzhou Barbecue setback.

Fu Guomin said, "They say wherever you fall, that’s where you should get back up. I made a mistake with Dongzhou Barbecue, so I plan to get back up again through Dongzhou Barbecue. I’ll go from a promoter to an actual practitioner."

Fan Lidada said, "Actually barbecue can make pretty good money. Are you planning to open in Capital City or back in Dongzhou?"

"Capital City, in the alley behind the Beijing Office. There used to be a Dongzhou Barbecue there; the boss was called Li Quanguai, you’ve both met him. He’s getting ready to go back to Dongzhou because of family matters. I’ve talked it through with him and will take over his barbecue shop, still called Dongzhou Barbecue. Roughly calculating, as long as business runs normally, making a few hundred thousand a year won’t be a problem. That’s way more than my salary."

Xu Chunliang said, "A few hundred thousand is a conservative estimate, isn’t it?"

Fu Guomin said, "I’m just being honest. I’m short of money right now. My son’s future schooling needs money, the mortgage at home needs money. My wife has a stable job in Capital City. While I’m still able to hustle, I want to give it a try. Dongzhou Barbecue managed to make a name for itself nationwide, that wasn’t by chance. I believe I can definitely do this well."

Xu Chunliang said, "Looks like I’ll have a place to eat whenever I go to Capital City from now on."

Fu Guomin laughed and said, "You two are VIPs among VIPs. I’ll give you lifetime free meals."

Fan Lidada said, "Don’t do that. If you don’t take our money, it’s like you’re turning us away. Charge whatever you should charge. For official meals, full price; for private meals, just give us a friendship discount."

The three of them raised their glasses at the same time, for their reunion and for the better tomorrow to come.

Neither Xu Chunliang nor Fan Lidada talked about their own recent situations, because they didn’t want to set off Fu Guomin.

When they left that night, Fan Lidada specially walked a stretch with Xu Chunliang. He couldn’t make sense of Fu Guomin’s choice: "Looks like Director Fu really took a hit. He’d been doing that job half his life, and now he can actually resign? How can barbecue be put on the same level as being a civil servant? Is it even comparable? Does it come with social insurance and housing fund?"

Once Li Yushan steps down it’ll definitely be Xiao Dong. Xiao Dong is about the same age as him; barring a miracle, he’s going to be stuck as a deputy for life.

Xu Chunliang said, "You can’t put it that way. If you never take that step, you’ll never know how big the world outside really is. Maybe Director Fu will hit it big from here. I’ve been to Li Quanguai’s barbecue place a few times; business was always good, basically full every time. I figure if it’s run well, it can make a million a year. If Director Fu works at it for another twenty years, conservatively he could pull in twenty million."

Fan Lidada said, "Twenty million? If it’s really that easy to make, I’ll resign and go do barbecue too."

Xu Chunliang knew he was just joking, so he laughed and said, "You’d have to be in Capital City. Competition is way too fierce in our city."

Fan Lidada said, "Seeing Director Fu like this makes me feel bad. You all took the fall this time, and I’m the only one who stayed out of it. I feel like I betrayed you."

After Li Yushan is taken down it’ll definitely be Xiao Dong. Xiao Dong is about the same age as him; unless a miracle happens, he’ll be stuck carrying this deputy post for the rest of his life.

Xu Chunliang said, "The Culture and Tourism Bureau has been pretty busy lately. I keep seeing news about you guys in my feed."

Fan Lidada said, "Hua Tou Group invested in Dongzhou Culture and Tourism to build Dongzhou’s cultural axis. They’re building a plaza between the museum and Hidden Dragon Mountain and adding an underpass tunnel. That way Hidden Dragon Mountain, the museum, and Zhuangyuan Street can be linked into one whole. Hua Tou also took the plot of land to the east of Hidden Dragon Mountain to build cultural tourism supporting projects. Right now, the reconstruction of the Confucian Temple, City God Temple, and Gulou has already been put on the agenda."

Xu Chunliang said, "Qiao Rulong’s giving Dongzhou quite a bit in return."

Fan Lidada said, "Mainly it’s because Secretary Wang is capable. He’s only been here a few days and major projects are coming one after another. Oh right, that plot of land your hospital swapped with our Culture and Tourism Bureau has been pretty lively lately."

Xu Chunliang said, "Korea thinks that just because they invested in a China-Korea Industrial Park they can snatch our land. There’s no way to reason with that bunch."

Fan Lidada laughed and said, "With one slap you scared off fifty million. The Lexus Group originally promised a fifty-million donation, but the money still hasn’t come through. In the end, our Culture and Tourism Bureau had to shoulder it all."

Xu Chunliang said, "Now there must be quite a few people in the Culture and Tourism Bureau who hate me."

Fan Lidada said, "Not to that extent. It’s all public business. That fifty million was being donated to the Qingshan Mine Ruins Park; it wouldn’t have gone into anybody’s pocket. Of course people feel a bit of regret. If that fifty million had gone into building the ruins park, it could have saved the state a chunk of investment."

Xu Chunliang said, "Their donation wasn’t without ulterior motives."