Chapter 8: Secret Mission

Ye Fan smiled and quickly stepped forward to greet him. It is important to note that Cai Dajiang is the third most important figure in Linquan Town, after the secretary and the mayor. With Mayor Wu having hanged himself, there is a subtle implication of a potential replacement. Although Ye Fan is still a young lad, he has begun to gain a preliminary understanding of some situations in Linquan Town.

Cai Dajiang suddenly lowered his voice, his expression serious.

The two of them managed to finish a whole case, and it is worth noting that at that time, a case of beer contained 24 bottles, each 640 milliliters. Unfortunately, they soon encountered a group from the Family Planning Office of Linquan Town, who also came to dine at the Chunxiang Restaurant. They all came over to toast and congratulate Ye Fan, the group leader. As a result, the cost of the drinks for their table was naturally counted under Ye Fan's expenses. By the time the two of them staggered out of the restaurant, their activity funds had decreased by 300 yuan, and this was after the restaurant owner, Fan Chunxiang, gave them a 20% discount out of consideration for Li Chunshui; otherwise, it would have been around 400 yuan.

Because Secretary Qin asked Ye Fan to prepare for tomorrow's trip, Ye Fan felt at ease and took a nap in the afternoon since there was nothing else to do. When he woke up, it was nearly 5 o'clock. As soon as he went downstairs, he saw a plump middle-aged man chatting with Director Chen of the guesthouse in the hall.

Hmm! The deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Linquan Town, Cai Dajiang, let out a faint hum and cast a glance at Ye Fan, as if there was some question in his eyes

After chatting for a few moments, Cai Dajiang affectionately patted Ye Fan's shoulder, resembling an elder showing concern for a younger generation, and said

Three people went up to the second floor and directly entered a private room by the stream. The interior was quite well-decorated, with stone slabs on the floor and the walls painted a bright white. It looked clean and natural, and opening the window to listen to the gurgling stream was particularly pleasant

"Ah! Secretary Cai, you are here for a meal as well! That's great, let's eat together and make up the numbers." Deputy Director Li's eyes suddenly sparkled like glass reflecting sunlight, and he immediately bent slightly forward to offer a cigarette and greet.

Uh! Xiaoye, there is another matter you need to pay attention to. This time, the town has appointed you as the leader of the village work team in Tianshuiba, but there is actually an implicit task involved, which is to discreetly gather information regarding Mayor Wu's situation in Tianshuiba. This matter is somewhat delicate; you are only required to understand the situation, not to investigate anything. Hehe, we are not law enforcement personnel, so you and *Tu* *Shu* need not be overly tense. However, you must keep this matter confidential. Whatever information you gather, just report it directly to me; do not speak of it indiscriminately, mainly to avoid causing misunderstandings among others. Hehe, we are not law enforcement personnel, so you and *Tu* *Shu* need not be overly tense. However, you must keep this matter confidential. Whatever information you gather, just report it directly to me; do not speak of it indiscriminately, mainly to avoid causing misunderstandings among others.

Team Leader Ye, this is Deputy Director Li Xuanshi from the Family Planning Office. Director Chen is indeed greeting him warmly

Oh! You are Ye Fan, the leader of the village work team stationed at Tianshui Bazi. Not bad! Young man.

Ye Fan was in great pain, as it was known that at that time, Secretary Qin's monthly salary was only a little over 300 yuan. Ye Fan's salary, which he himself was unaware of until after the 15th, was estimated to be no more than 250 yuan.

"Secretary Cai, Brother Ye, I will go downstairs to make a phone call; you can take your time drinking." Deputy Director Li 'tap-tap' went downstairs, leaving only Ye Fan and Cai Dajiang in the private room.

Ye Fan quickly greeted others, as he had just arrived in Linquan Town and felt like a blind person. It is always better to make a few more friends. As the saying goes, having more friends makes the journey easier; one must learn to navigate the intricacies of the officialdom.

Practicing to the extreme, a single strike can break ten or so overlapping blue bricks. Old man Ju said that his master could even shatter a stone back in the day. Ye Fan has been training for ten years, and under the pressure of his breath, there is certainly no internal energy of a martial arts master to unleash, nor could he possess the strength to split rocks and break stones.

This meal is equivalent to stuffing the entire monthly salary of Secretary Qin into my stomach. After returning to the guesthouse, I originally planned to go out to buy some essentials to take to Tianshui Dam, but feeling a bit tipsy, I simply collapsed and fell asleep.

Ye Fan felt as if he had seen it somewhere before, but for a moment he could not recall where

Ye Fan finally understood the meaning of 'hundred flavors'

Moreover, that old man Fei is a reclusive herbalist, and it is said that his skills are passed down through generations. Ye Fan personally witnessed him declare a major hospital's patient terminally ill—claiming that he had saved a hopeless case, allowing the patient to live for several more years

Three people enjoyed a sumptuous lunch. Although Liu Chi appears thin and pale, he can drink as well as some heavy drinkers. One person downed over a hundred yuan's worth of beer, consuming eight bottles, and in order to foster camaraderie, Ye Fan also joined him in indulging.

Over the past decade, Old Fei has learned quite a bit about herbal medicine; in fact, it mainly consists of just a few formulas

"No, you all take your time drinking. I have some matters to attend to this evening; my wife at home is calling me back," Director Chen replied with a smile.

After three rounds of drinks and five flavors of dishes, everyone had a bit of a buzz. At that moment, Li Xuanshi's pager suddenly went off

Haha! Team Leader Ye, you are quite generous. We are not as young as you are, after all. Deputy Director Li smiled as he took the cigarette that Ye Fan handed him, jokingly adding, "Brother Ye, you are our guest for lunch today, and in the evening, I will host. Let’s have a couple of drinks then."

Thank you, Secretary Cai, for your concern. I will make sure to buy everything," Ye Fan said, feeling somewhat touched

The two arrived at a restaurant called "Baiwei Pavilion" in the town. Gazing at the "Baiwei Pavilion" built by the Linquan Stream, Ye Fan couldn't help but exclaim: "What a refined place this is, Director Li. This restaurant called Baiwei Pavilion must have some significance, right?"

The dishes served indeed have local characteristics, including braised wild boar, stir-fried wild chicken, and surprisingly, a pangolin was also included

"Alright! Since Director Li is treating, I certainly have to drink it back." Ye Fan would certainly not refuse.

Oh! I remember now. Director Li, you really got me drunk at noon; I almost couldn't get out of bed.

"Director Chen, how about going together?" Li Xuanshi glanced at Chen Zhenming and said with a smile

Moreover, during a visit to play with Old Fei, I inadvertently discovered that he had crushed three overlapping blue bricks with a single kick. I was momentarily astonished and immediately ran over, kneeling on the ground to insist on being accepted as his disciple.

However, even with eyes closed and relying on sheer luck, one could still break a piece of blue brick; it felt as if that leg was as hard as a piece of mixed wood. Ye Fan felt content with this ability, as he had once single-handedly kicked down five thugs during his time at school.

Xiao Ye, you are going to Tianshui Bazi tomorrow. Make sure to buy everything you need tonight, otherwise you won't be able to buy anything when you get to Tianshui Bazi. It's not easy to come back once you leave.

Life is full of flavors, just like dishes reflect life! The main thing is that it is quiet here. Director Li smiled as he led Ye Fan into the restaurant

From now on, whenever I have free time, I will practice what Old Fei calls 'health cultivation techniques.' According to Old Fei, this is a form of health preservation, commonly known as Qigong. It can invigorate the meridians and nourish the skin and muscles. Of course, it is not as miraculous as portrayed on television; it merely offers some benefits for maintaining physical well-being

Hello, Secretary Cai, I am Ye Fan, who has just been assigned here

The old man shifted from left to right, as Ye Fan was also a chess master. Although he was only in the fifth grade at the time, he had previously won first place in the children's category at a county competition. Unable to resist his curiosity, he approached, and from then on, he became acquainted with the old Taoist priest surnamed Fei