Chapter 9

The next day, when Ye Zetao woke up, he realized he had slept at Yang Genmin's house.

Rubbing his eyes and shaking his still slightly painful head, Ye Zetao couldn't remember how he had collapsed last night. The villagers had been too热情, offering him bowl after bowl of alcohol. Although he had the Five Animal Exercises, he couldn't withstand so much drinking.

Feeling the warmth around him, he noticed that the Yang family was covered with wild grass.

Seeing this, Ye Zetao understood that they had given him their only quilt.

Feeling the poverty here, Ye Zetao had a strong desire to help everyone out of poverty.

Once the alcohol wore off, Ye Zetao remembered that he was still a probationary civil servant. Fortunately, the place was far from the city, and his words hadn't spread, or he might have faced criticism.

Sometimes, it's really hard to do something!

Of course, Ye Zetao didn't regret what he had said. He remembered the promises he had made to the villagers, and from their bright eyes, he felt their strong desire for prosperity.

Scratching himself, Ye Zetao felt itchy all over. When he pulled up his clothes, he saw large bumps from flea bites.

Quickly getting up, Ye Zetao went outside.

The sun was already up, and he squinted. He rummaged through his clothes and saw many red spots where he had been bitten.

"Comrade Ye, you're awake?" Yang Genmin came out, wearing a coat.

Enduring the itch, Ye Zetao smiled and said, "I disturbed you!"

"We're family, don't be so formal!" Yang Genmin laughed.

This made Ye Zetao speechless. He didn't know what to say. This family seemed to think he was supporting their daughter!

Seeing there was nothing else to do, Ye Zetao ate a piece of bread he had brought and left the rest for the Yang family. He then headed back down the mountain path.

Halfway through, Ye Zetao saw Yang Jun sitting by the roadside waiting.

Seeing Ye Zetao, Yang Jun stood up and said, "Comrade Ye, it's a four-hour walk to the town. It's your first time, and I'm worried you might get lost. I'm going to the town anyway, so I'll take you."

Looking at Yang Jun, Ye Zetao nodded. Despite his few words, Yang Jun was a sincere and thoughtful person. He must have been waiting here to see him off.

Giving Yang Jun a cigarette, Ye Zetao walked with him.

"Junzi, I heard you were a special forces soldier?" Ye Zetao chatted casually.

"Uh-huh!" Yang Jun's eyes were fixed ahead, and he only grunted.

Ye Zetao didn't know what else to say. Seeing Yang Jun, he suddenly had an idea. If such a person could be his driver, it would be the best choice.

Then he laughed. He was still a probationary civil servant, so he had no right to talk about having a driver!

Unconsciously, they had walked for over two hours.

Just as they were walking, Yang Jun suddenly pulled out a small knife and threw it into the grass on the left.

The speed was so fast that as the knife flew, Yang Jun's figure flashed and he entered the grass.

Then he came out with a mountain chicken.

What a great skill!

Even with his Five Animal Exercises, Ye Zetao felt that Yang Jun was much more skilled.

"Comrade Ye, let's find a place to roast this mountain chicken. What do you think?"

Ye Zetao smiled and said, "Sure."

There was a small river ahead, and they found a flat spot. Yang Jun quickly gathered some dry branches and skillfully cleaned the chicken by the river.

Ye Zetao couldn't help much. Soon, the chicken was roasting over the fire.

Seeing Yang Jun's skilled movements, Ye Zetao admired him even more.

This is a talent!

Yang Jun had several tools. After sprinkling some salt on the chicken, it soon smelled delicious.

Feeling extremely itchy, Ye Zetao saw the river and decided to take a bath, washing all his clothes as well.

Wearing only shorts, he hung his clothes on branches to dry.

The sun was intense, and the clothes dried quickly.

With nothing to do, Ye Zetao saw a small hill nearby and went to urinate.

After urinating, he looked at the area hidden by wild grass.

Running over, he was shocked.

"Shengshi Peony!"

"Really, Shengshi Peony!"

Seeing the orchids growing in the wild grass, especially the ones just blooming, his heart raced.

As a student in the provincial capital, he had a classmate whose family grew orchids. The classmate often brought books about orchids, and Ye Zetao had learned a lot. He remembered that Shengshi Peony was priced at over 60,000 yuan per pot.

Ye Zetao didn't know if it was per pot or per plant, but it was worth a lot.

If he could sell these orchids to his classmate's family, he might get several thousand yuan.

This was a huge temptation for the cash-strapped Ye Zetao.

"Comrade Ye, what's the matter?" Yang Jun saw Ye Zetao run over and thought something had happened, so he rushed over to ask.

"These are orchids!" Ye Zetao pointed to the five or six orchids.

Yang Jun looked at the orchids and smiled, "There are many of these in the mountains."

Hearing this, Ye Zetao's eyes lit up.

Looking around the mountains, he sighed, "There's treasure in the mountains!"

Yang Jun said, "I heard many people in the provincial capital play with these, but not many in the county."

"Help me dig them up without damaging the roots," Ye Zetao said, seeing that Yang Jun had tools.

Yang Jun nodded and carefully but quickly dug up the orchids, including the soil.

Remembering he had plastic bags in his bag, Ye Zetao carefully wrapped the roots of the five orchids with soil.

Worried about damaging the flowers, he held them in his hand.

They quickly finished eating the chicken.

The clothes were dry, and Ye Zetao felt much better after putting them on.

Looking at the orchids, Ye Zetao smiled at Yang Jun, "Yinliang Jing is very poor. We need to think of more ways to help. In such critical times, the vanguard role of Party members is crucial. Although some Party members in other places are not up to standard, we, as Party members, must make the villagers feel that we are different!"

If he had said this elsewhere, people might have looked down on him. But after his speech last night, the villagers in Yinliang Jing trusted him. Many had already gathered at Yang Pinzhi's house to discuss development.

Yang Jun also felt a sense of trust in Ye Zetao. Hearing his words, he sighed, "The key is money!"

Ye Zetao smiled, "See, if these orchids are real, they might help develop Yinliang Jing. I plan to find someone to see if we can sell them for some money."

"Brother Ye, I don't know much about this, but I'll do whatever you say!" Yang Jun had heard that orchids could be sold for a lot of money. Hearing that Ye Zetao would use the money to develop Yinliang Jing, he naturally changed his address.

Looking at Yang Jun, Ye Zetao felt that he was at least a few years older. He was surprised that he called him "Brother Ye," a sign of great trust!

Seeing the trust in Yang Jun's eyes, Ye Zetao nodded without correcting him.

"Brother Ye, I'll find a place to grow these orchids. I'll send them to you when you need them!" Yang Jun said.

Touched, Ye Zetao knew that Yang Jun understood his plan to earn money with the orchids and was taking the initiative to dig them up.

Patting Yang Jun's shoulder, Ye Zetao said, "I believe our path will be long and bright!" He couldn't make any promises, but he expressed his thoughts.

Walking a bit, Yang Jun saw some mountain bamboo, quickly cut it, and made a basket for Ye Zetao to put the orchids in.

Seeing the orchids, Ye Zetao smiled. If he was lucky, he might get several thousand yuan, which would help with Yang Yuxian and the development of Yinliang Jing.

Holding the basket, Ye Zetao felt much lighter and said, "Junzi knows a lot!"

Yang Jun smiled but didn't say much, continuing to walk.

They soon reached the town government.

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