Medical Sage

Who was Wang Yifa? He was none other than the brother-in-law of Liu Guangrong, the secretary of the Chengyang County Party Committee!

In a remote little county like Chengyang, where the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, Liu Guangrong was the local tyrant, the top authority whose word was law. Even the county head was often too timid to confront him directly, which only served to inflate Wang Yifa’s arrogance. He was used to running roughshod over the county, bullying people with his connections, and had his hands in no small number of dirty deeds.

But now, some kid from a small construction team actually dared to come looking for trouble with him, Wang Yifa! This made him feel as though his authority in Chengyang County had been challenged, and he believed he had to crush this budding insubordination. That led to his ”little trick,” where he colluded with the hospital and the Xicheng Police Station to set a trap and get the kid thrown in a cell.

Originally, Wang Yifa wanted to use this opportunity to teach the clueless, overconfident brat a lesson, and maybe extort one or two hundred thousand yuan in ”medical fees” while he was at it. But now, Du Yuanbing had damn well gone and released the person ahead of time! Wasn’t this disrupting his plan?

”Old Du, what’s the meaning of this? I never told you to release him,” Wang Yifa said, his face darkening. ”And if you just let the kid go like that, then what about my injuries? Are you trying to make me a laughingstock?”

”President Wang, Yifa, it’s not that I, Du Yuanbing, don’t want to give you face, but this matter has put me in a really difficult position,” Du Yuanbing explained patiently, though he was exasperated. ”Just a moment ago, Director Wang from the County Public Security Bureau personally called and told me to release him. Tell me, what was I supposed to do?”

If County Party Secretary Liu Guangrong wasn’t backing you, who the hell would bother with you? Do you really think you’re such a big shot? Fuck! he cursed inwardly.

”What? Director Wang Ye of the County Public Security Bureau?”

Indeed, Wang Yifa was startled when he heard that. His expression turned ugly. ”Old Du, you’re not lying to me, are you? How could that kid’s family possibly have connections to a big shot like Director Wang? Is this a joke? Didn’t we check his background before? I thought there was nothing to it.”

It was clear that upon hearing Director Wang Ye’s name, even Wang Yifa, Liu Guangrong’s brother-in-law, was starting to panic. Although Secretary Liu was aware of the shady things he did and usually turned a blind eye, all of that was contingent on one crucial rule.

He absolutely could not get any major figures involved! After all, the dirty business he was into couldn’t see the light of day. If things blew up and involved someone as high up as the director of the County Public Security Bureau, it would undoubtedly spell big trouble.

”Why would I lie to you? But don’t panic just yet. From Director Wang’s tone, it didn’t seem like he knew the details. It sounded like an acquaintance called in a favor he couldn’t refuse, so he just passed on the message for me to release the guy,” Du Yuanbing said, hearing the anxiety in Wang Yifa’s voice.

”Sigh, that Wang Ye is such a fucking busybody. So, Old Du, what do we do now?” Wang Yifa asked, his voice filled with bitter resentment.

”What else can we do? Let him go. A call like that from Director Wang will only come once, not twice. Besides, we haven’t lost anything. At worst, we just stomach a little injustice. What’s that compared to money?” A disdainful smile touched Du Yuanbing’s lips. ”Besides, you know that troublemaker’s personality. If he gets out and keeps his head down, fine. But what if he doesn’t? If he comes to the company to cause trouble again, he’ll be right back in our hands. We can just find any excuse to arrest him again, and that’ll be the end of it, right?”

CLAP!

”Yeah, how did I not think of that?” Wang Yifa slapped his hands together, his eyes shining. ”If that kid acts up again and looks for death, we can arrest him on any pretext. A man of Director Wang’s high-and-mighty status certainly won’t make two calls for the same minor issue. Even if he did, I’d just have to subtly mention my relationship with my brother-in-law, and he’d definitely have nothing more to say! Brilliant! Alright, Old Du, that’s the plan!”

”Then I’ll tell my men to release him. Also, don’t forget about the profit-sharing. I think the payment is about due, isn’t it?” Du Yuanbing added, as if it were an afterthought.

”Don’t you worry, Old Du. I might shortchange anyone else, but never you. As soon as I’m through this busy patch, you’ll have it,” Wang Yifa promised, thumping his chest.

And so, Du Yuanbing, the chief of the West City Police Station in Chengyang County, quickly ordered Yi Shu’s release and called again to urge his family member, Aunt Deng, to come pick him up. At that moment, Chen Fei and the others were just about to arrive at the station.

...

Ten minutes later, at the entrance of the West City Police Station in Chengyang County, a simple, honest-looking man stood with his head bowed, a police officer beside him.

”Yi Shu, take some advice from me. Now that you’re out, you’re out for good. Don’t go getting any more wild ideas,” the police officer said, patting the man’s shoulder gently. ”Wang Yifa is a bastard, but he’s the County Party Secretary’s brother-in-law. What chance do ordinary people like us have of fighting him?”

The dejected, simple-looking man was, of course, Aunt Deng’s son—Yi Shu.

”Brother Liu, I know you mean well! But I... I just can’t stomach it! Why is it that after we work ourselves to the bone for over half a year, we can’t get the wages we’re owed? Is there no justice in this world?” Yi Shu said, his voice full of indignation despite his lowered head.

”Justice? In Chengyang County, Liu Guangrong is the justice. You still don’t get that?” the officer sighed. ”Sigh, Yi Shu, that’s just how society is. There’s nothing to be done. Even if not for yourself, you have to think about Aunt Deng! She’s getting on in years. Can you really bear to see her go through all this?”

Yes, that was just how society was. With a powerful backer like Liu Guangrong, who would dare to cross Wang Yifa? They were just a bunch of ordinary folks. How could they possibly win?

”Sigh, Brother Liu, I... I was too useless, just worthless,” Yi Shu said, clenching his fists, but his voice revealed his reluctant surrender. He was right. Even if not for himself, he had to think of his mother. At her age, how could she possibly withstand this kind of ordeal?

”Yi Shu! Yi Shu!” Just then, a Mercedes GL400 roared to a stop at the curb. Aunt Deng rushed out, her eyes red with emotion, and threw her arms around her son.

”This car... you all... Mom, Auntie, Aunt Lin, and you... you’re Xiaofei?” Yi Shu was stunned. He couldn’t believe his mother, his aunt, and Aunt Lin had just stepped out of a luxurious Mercedes GL400, a car worth a million yuan. He was a car enthusiast, especially SUVs, so he recognized the model parked at the curb immediately.

Moreover, when he saw Chen Fei’s familiar yet slightly unfamiliar face, he couldn’t help but cry out in surprise. He knew Chen Fei hadn’t been back in a long time. For him to show up today of all days... How truly, truly embarrassing.

The policeman Yi Shu called ’Brother Liu’ glanced furtively at the Mercedes parked by the road. I think I see why the chief suddenly agreed to let him go, he thought. Then, a smile appeared on his face as he turned to Aunt Deng. ”Aunt Deng, since you’re here, please come inside with me to sign the papers. Once you sign, Yi Shu will be a free man.”

”Ah, Officer Liu, thank you so much for these past few days. If it weren’t for you, who knows what kind of trouble my Yi Shu would have faced in there. I’m so grateful,” Aunt Deng said, thanking him profusely as she followed him inside to handle the formalities. They seemed to know each other well.

”Yi Shu, are you alright? Did anyone bully you inside?” his fashionable aunt asked with concern.

”Auntie, no. They just kept me locked up. They didn’t do anything else to me,” Yi Shu mumbled, lowering his head in embarrassment.

”Hey, what were you thinking, being so stubborn and causing all this trouble?” his aunt began to rant. ”If it weren’t for your Aunt Lin’s son, Chen Fei, this time, you’d probably still be stuck in there for who knows how long! Do you have any idea? That bastard from Sheng’an Real Estate Company claimed you injured him. He was demanding your mother pay two hundred thousand yuan, or he’d have you locked up in the station indefinitely!”

”What? Pay two hundred thousand? I just gave him a little push, nothing even happened! On what grounds is he demanding two hundred thousand from us?” Yi Shu exclaimed in shock, his honest face filled with rage. He had been taken away by the Xicheng Police Station right after the incident, so he was completely unaware of what had happened afterward.

”On what grounds? On the grounds that he’s the brother-in-law of the County Party Secretary, Liu Guangrong!” Aunt Deng cried, emerging from the station after finishing the paperwork. Her eyes were red as she hit Yi Shu hard on the back a few times. ”You brat, can’t you give me a moment’s peace? If it wasn’t for Xiaofei this time, tell me, what would a widow and her son like us have done?”

”Mom, don’t cry! I wasn’t... I was wrong, okay?” Yi Shu panicked at the sight of her tears and began fumbling with his words. He shot a desperate look at Chen Fei, pleading for help.

Seeing this, Chen Fei immediately stepped in to mediate. ”Aunt Deng, Brother Yi Shu is safe now, which is a happy occasion. Why are you crying? Let’s not just stand around here. How about we head back and eat? The food’s going to get cold if we wait any longer.”

”That’s right, Sister Deng, look at you getting so worked up. Yi Shu is out and safe now, isn’t he?” Chen Fei’s mother, Aunt Lin, added soothingly. ”Let’s go. We’ll head back first, and we can talk about everything once we’re home.”

With that, they all got back into Chen Fei’s car.