Chapter 76: All of This Is Trouble

"Sister Ma, that rascal has been kneeling for an hour now—still not cooled off?" Yang Meng leaned against the kitchen doorway. "Oh, you bought cola? Perfect, my throat is parched, I'll have some."

Ma Fengying quickly snatched the cola away. "This is for cooking. If you want to drink, I'll buy more for you later!"

Yang Meng laughed. "So all that so-called anger was just for show, eh? I remember you telling me your son loves cola chicken wings."

Ma Fengying snorted coldly. "This time I'm truly angry! A college student, how could his thoughts be so vile? I don't ask him to be extraordinary, but he can't be like this! I haven't read much, but I honestly think he's worse than me. The most basic thing in life is to understand what's right and wrong! He can't even do that! Look at you—you’re about his age, and you haven't studied as much as he has. But compared to you, he really falls far behind."

Yang Meng blinked. "I’ve read plenty, thank you very much! I've been practically living in the library lately!"

Ma Fengying chuckled. "The other day, Hu Er Dumb told me a story about you. He said when you were in school, the teacher assigned an essay titled 'Words I Want to Say to So-and-So,' five hundred words. You wrote ‘Words I Want to Say to a Chick,’ and filled all five hundred words with ‘chirp.’ The teacher was so furious, he made you stand up and translate what you meant for the class."

Yang Meng burst out laughing. "Those idiots only remember things like that. Did Er Dumb tell you about the time he and Lobster snuck off to spy on Widow Li bathing and, in their panic, fell into the septic tank?"

Ma Fengying was startled. "They really did something so embarrassing?"

Yang Meng grinned. "I made up the second part. But spying on Widow Li’s bath was real."

Ma Fengying laughed heartily. "Who hasn’t done something foolish when they were young? Did you ever sneak a look?"

Yang Meng shrugged. "Spying on Widow Li? I wouldn’t dare. She’s the kind of woman who could race a horse on her arm—no ordinary man could get close. She’s bigger than Schwarzenegger! Who knows what those two were thinking!"

Ma Fengying was taken aback, then laughed even harder. Then she said, "Let me apologize on behalf of my foolish son. Don’t take it to heart."

Yang Meng sighed quietly. Ah, the hearts of parents everywhere!

But he smiled. "You mean Lu Xin? I actually quite like him."

Ma Fengying doubted her ears. "He cursed you and you still like him?"

Yang Meng nodded. "Depends on what he cursed. Just now he said, 'So what if you’re rich?' To be honest, I’ve dreamed my whole life of someone saying that to me!"

Ma Fengying laughed even louder.

While the two of them laughed merrily, persistent dry coughs echoed from the yard. It seemed Lu Xin was having trouble kneeling.

"Excuse me, does Mr. Yang live here?" At that moment, a voice called from outside the courtyard.

Yang Meng was about to open the door, but Ma Fengying went out herself. Lu Xin called out pitifully, "Mom," but Ma Fengying ignored him and walked straight past, opening the gate. "Who are you looking for?"

Outside stood seven or eight people, several in uniforms resembling police but not quite.

Who were these people?

"Excuse me, does Mr. Yang Meng live here?" the leader asked.

Yang Meng came out and, upon seeing the speaker, recognized him immediately—wasn’t that Di Shouye, the chief of internal medicine at the city hospital?

He walked to the gate. "Yang Meng doesn’t live here," he said, and promptly closed the gate. "Sister Ma, remember their faces—they spell trouble."

Ma Fengying nodded, still confused, but if Yang Meng said so, then so be it.

Outside the gate, Di Shouye and the others were baffled.

"Director Di, did we come to the wrong place?" an elderly man in a Zhongshan suit asked.

Di Shouye smiled wryly and pointed at the closed door. "That was Yang Meng who just spoke."

"What?" the old man was startled.

Di Shouye coughed. "Really, Director He. That was him!"

A man in uniform frowned. "What’s with this kid? Doesn’t he know Director He is here?"

Director He merely cast him a glance. "Of course he doesn’t. Tell me, does the Health Bureau interact much with ordinary people? Why should he know me? Director Chen, did you come along just to throw your weight around?"

Both men were ‘directors,’ but the difference between them was vast. He Changsheng was the director of the Health Care Bureau under the National Health Ministry, while Director Chen—Chen Hanbin—was the director of the Handong City Health Bureau. The ranks were worlds apart.

Chen Hanbin said awkwardly, "Director He, you misunderstand. You’ve come all this way to Handong and been shut out. I’m just concerned for your health! That kid really doesn’t know proper manners!"

Di Shouye added, "Exactly. He was quite rude. Doesn’t he know what it means to respect elders?"

He Changsheng shook his head. "Why do I feel he’s clever? If I were him, I’d do the same. We need something from him, not the other way round. Why should an ordinary citizen give face to the Food and Drug Administration? He doesn’t deal with us, so why be polite?"

Di Shouye frowned. "So we’re just going to be shut out?"

He Changsheng thought for a moment. "All right, you all head out. Little Di, stay with me. Little Gu, you go ahead."

Chen Hanbin protested, "But..."

He Changsheng waved him off. "No buts. That’s settled. Secretary Tan, escort Director Chen back."

"Yes!" The suited man beside him nodded.

Chen Hanbin realized he had no choice—Secretary Tan’s assignment was clearly to see him off.

He could only nod farewell to He Changsheng, giving Di Shouye a meaningful look as he left—hoping he’d put in a good word for him.

Di Shouye nodded.

The Health Bureau was the immediate superior of their hospital, overseeing malpractice management and the implementation of medical practitioner laws. Offending them would only bring trouble—best to avoid it.

After Chen Hanbin and his group left, Di Shouye asked He Changsheng, "Old He, what shall we do next? Should I knock again?"

He Changsheng replied, "No need. I see a family-style restaurant at the corner—join me for a bit. I haven’t tasted authentic local cuisine yet."

Di Shouye blinked. "Authentic local cuisine? You won’t find it here. If you want to try, I can arrange something?"

He Changsheng gave him a disappointed look. "Is the place you arrange at the corner?"

Di Shouye understood. "Old He, is it necessary to give this kid so much face, waiting for him at his doorstep?"

He Changsheng explained, "Little Di, by your account, this Yang Meng almost certainly holds the secret to cellular vitality. Otherwise, how could his friends change so inexplicably? But why would he hide this method?"

Di Shouye said, "I can’t figure it out either. If he really had such a method, he’d have endless wealth—why live in such a shabby place?"

He Changsheng sighed. "Think about it, Little Di. If this technology really exists, I’m not exaggerating: there’d be no incurable disease in the world. Isn’t that right?"

Di Shouye considered, then nodded. "Unless it’s a fatal trauma, there’d be no terminal illness left."

He Changsheng continued, "Let’s make an assumption: if the world knew he had this method, what would happen? Is there anything more important than life? The world’s attention would be on him. How could his safety be guaranteed? Frankly, even if he handed it to the nation, he still wouldn’t be safe. The saying, ‘a man of virtue carries a dangerous treasure,’ applies here. Whether or not he possesses the method, if we seek him out, his only answer will be denial. Just now, he made the clever choice."

"He seems quite skilled," Di Shouye added. "Back at the hospital, even so many security guards couldn’t stop him."

He Changsheng scoffed. "Skilled? What good is that? If he truly has such miraculous methods, believe me, those who come looking will have guns! Even if he protects himself, what about his family? He’s smart; no matter how we ask, he’ll never admit it."

Di Shouye was puzzled. "Then why are we seeking him?"

He Changsheng smiled. "Just to satisfy my curiosity. Do you realize how much impact your hospital’s report has caused? The Health Ministry is in an uproar. Most believe your local hospital inflated or faked results to obtain research funding, and many are looking for flaws in your data!"

Di Shouye's eyes widened. "We’re accused of faking? All the records are there—what’s fake? Old Pan and Old Xuan are still studying the matter. Old Xuan practically lives in the lab! Just because they mouth accusations, we’re guilty? Who says so? Let them come research together! See if we’re faking!"

"Little Di, don’t get so worked up. In research, everything is examined with a dialectical eye. Actually, I don’t believe it either, but I’ve been reviewing your data for a long time and found no flaws—unless all your machines are broken. So I wanted to see for myself. But based on his reaction, I actually think it might be true. I’ll do nothing for now, just observe this young man for a while."