"We can do it too, just like copying a gourd!" When Guo Tian and Han Fusheng were plotting against Xu Zhengyang, Guo Tian was careful not to tell Han Fusheng about how he had harmed Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao.
But if Han Fusheng insists that Guo Tian told him about this, then what are you going to do?
As for how to get Han Fusheng to help with this...
Xu Zhengyang smirked. With the title of "spokesperson for the local deity" on his head, how could Han Dashan not listen to him?
Another crucial point is that Xu Zhengyang realized that in the past two weeks, he seemed to have overlooked a very important detail in his impatience: the guy who committed the crime with Guo Tian. Xu Zhengyang didn't know his name or who he was, but he figured he was probably from Futou Town, not Huaxiang.
A few days ago, Zhong Shan also asked him, if Guo Tian really did commit that case, then who was the other person?
Xu Zhengyang said he didn't know and had no way to investigate. Zhong Shan did investigate privately, but it wouldn't be appropriate to just randomly grab someone and ask them questions.
Han Fusheng and Guo Tian were close, so Han Fusheng might know who Guo Tian's best friend was. The person Guo Tian trusted so much to do something like this must have a very special relationship with. Xu Zhengyang actually had a few candidates in mind. Back when the two groups were fighting in Futou Town, Guo Tian did have a few close friends, but he couldn't be sure who they were.
However, if Han Fusheng... steps forward and turns around to bite Guo Tian, and reports him to higher authorities...
Then Zhong Shan would have ample reason and excuse to investigate this case!
With these plans in mind, Xu Zhengyang arrived at the two-story office building of Han Dashan's cement products factory. In the distance, he could see the vast western end of the factory, where workers were busily engaged in their tasks. Xu Zhengyang saw his father's back; a kind and honest farmer, vigorously throwing sand into the mixer with a shovel…
It's time to open a shop. I can't let my dad do this kind of work anymore. Xu Zhengyang felt the filial piety that everyone has.
In Han Dashan's office, Xu Zhengyang openly shared his thoughts with Han Dashan, hoping he could persuade his son to report Guo Tian for abusing his family's wealth and power to frame others for crimes. Unexpectedly, Han Dashan readily agreed, immediately calling his son Han Fusheng over and explaining the situation. Han Fusheng also readily nodded in agreement: "Report! Report! Definitely report! We'll get rid of that bastard Guo Tian!"
Xu Zhengyang didn't have to exert much effort, nor did he need to invoke the local earth god to put pressure on them. The three of them quietly discussed and settled the matter in the office.
It turned out that half a month ago, Xu Zhengyang brought the police to find Han Fusheng, and Han Fusheng later told Guo Tian about it.
Guo Tian was furious and cursed Han Fusheng for being a cripple, spineless, and cowardly man who had been intimidated by Xu Zhengyang and had even betrayed his friends. Han Fusheng retorted a few times in dissatisfaction, and Guo Tian actually slapped him several times... Han Fusheng was a coward and naturally didn't dare to fight back, so he went back and told his father.
When Han Dashan heard that his lame son had been beaten, he was naturally upset. However, his cement products factory had business dealings with Guo Haigang's construction company, and he didn't want to escalate the conflict over such a small matter. But he couldn't just swallow his anger silently either. So Han Dashan went to Guo Haigang's house to argue with him, thinking that if he could clear things up and get Guo Haigang to apologize, that would be enough. As for any conflicts between Guo Haigang's son and the young people in his village, he wouldn't get involved.
But Guo Haigang didn't take Han Dashan's words seriously at all. After giving a few perfunctory replies, he brought up the fact that the cement slabs and hollow bricks produced by Han Dashan's factory were too expensive, and that the bill would be settled according to the current market price when it came time to settle accounts in six months... Guo Haigang naturally had his own arrogant reason. The customer is God, and his harbor construction company was definitely Han Dashan's biggest customer.
Han Dashan was furious. How could they do this? Wasn't this blatantly trying to scam people?
People in this world are just so strange. There's always someone who can subdue another. Han Dashan used to be a notorious hoodlum, but when he met someone like Guo Haigang, he actually became a bit scared. Firstly, because of the factory's interests, and secondly... because Guo Haigang has powerful connections. His brother-in-law is the director of the Futou Town Police Station. Can we afford to offend him?
Han Dashan was furious at having suffered a loss in silence, but for the time being he had no other way to deal with Guo Haigang.
Upon hearing Xu Zhengyang bring this up today, Han Dashan immediately nodded in agreement. "Damn it," he thought, "I'd rather not work for your company and go out and find more clients!" If this really works out, not only will Guo Haigang's son go to jail, but his brother-in-law probably won't be able to stay as the police station chief either. "That's satisfying! That's satisfying!"
Han Dashan certainly believed Xu Zhengyang; after all, Xu Zhengyang was a man of the local earth god!
If God wants to punish someone, won't that person suffer?
Moreover, this is a golden opportunity to get closer to Xu Zhengyang and the Earth God, and we can't miss it!
Thus, a righteous conspiracy was born.
Han Fusheng reported the incident to the Huaxiang Police Station. After learning about it, Zhong Shan contacted Wu Feng and reported the situation to the county bureau. Wu Feng reported to the Fuxin District Public Security Bureau. At the same time, people from the county bureau and the public security bureau went to the municipal bureau...
As fate would have it, a small conspiracy or trick can become a lever with a fulcrum at the right time. So the eerie calm under the turbulent undercurrents was disrupted by the sudden appearance of Han Er the Cripple.
The Municipal Public Security Bureau has established a special task force to thoroughly investigate the theft and robbery case involving Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao...
I wonder how many things similar to the "butterfly effect" have happened in this chaotic world.
What is certain is that Xu Zhengyang, this earth crab with a bit of the power of a local god, crawled out of the ditch and waved his two little pincers to scratch a few people in Huaxiang and Futou Town. While this caused a chain reaction in the Fuxin District Public Security Bureau and even the Fuhe City Public Security Bureau, he, as the instigator, didn't even know what the butterfly effect was.
Two days later, Xu Zhengyang received a call from Zhong Zhijun, who said that the investigation into Gang Chuan and Zhang Hao's case had been basically completed, and they would be released in a couple of days. Zhong Zhijun had a classmate in the Municipal Public Security Bureau, so he was able to leak this information in advance.
Xu Zhengyang grinned and chuckled. "Damn it, this local deity isn't just sitting around doing nothing!" He thought, "Hmm, when Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao come back, I'll have to talk them out of it. They absolutely mustn't impulsively go find Guo Tian and give that bastard a good beating; that's a crime, not good."
Of course, it's not that we won't retaliate, but we need to plan this carefully.
Anyway, with tens of thousands of people in the whole township, anyone who dies will know. Hmm, using ghosts to torment Guo Tian's family will let them know that doing bad things will be punished. Otherwise, wouldn't this scourge really live for a thousand years? Sitting on an airplane dancing disco, making them feel so good! But then again, if Guo Tian's uncle is really taken down, beating him up to vent our anger shouldn't be a problem.
Xu Zhengyang was in high spirits and couldn't help but hum: People say heaven is wonderful, immortals live a carefree life, but how many tears are shed behind success...
Humming a song, Xu Zhengyang came out of the house, intending to first tell Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao's families that the two of them would be able to go home in the next couple of days.
"Brother, what's making you so happy?" Xu Rouyue asked with a smile as she picked vegetables under the grape trellis in the yard.
"That's good news." Xu Zhengyang walked happily towards the west wall, saying, "I'll buy a few bottles of beer and cook a couple of good dishes for lunch. I'll go to Gangchuan and Zhang Hao's house first."
"I understand," Xu Rouyue replied with a smile, then asked, "Are they both alright?"
"Yes, I'll be back in the next couple of days!"
Xu Zhengyang got on his bicycle and excitedly left the courtyard.
For the Cao and Zhang families, this was indeed incredibly good news, especially after such disappointment bordering on despair. The sudden 180-degree turn of events felt like a dream, unbelievable. Both fathers repeatedly invited Xu Zhengyang to stay for lunch and drinks, while both mothers claimed it was a miracle from the local earth god and hoped Xu Zhengyang could express their sincere gratitude on their behalf…
After cheerfully leaving the two places to deliver the news, Xu Zhengyang's phone rang. He found a shady spot by the wall to stop and looked at the caller ID. It was Yao Chushun.
"Hey, Mr. Gu."
"Zhengyang, I need to discuss something with you. Are you going to sell that piece of jade you have? Zheng Ronghua said he's willing to pay 1.8 million if it's genuine..."
"No sale!" Xu Zhengyang refused decisively. He was the local earth god; how could he sell his livelihood? Not even for eighteen million! However, he was in a good mood today, so he wasn't too angry about Yao Chushun's entanglement with the local record. Thinking of the wooden box at home, Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Uncle Gu, I have a wooden box on hand, hmm, it must be quite old. I'll bring it to you to take a look later… Ah, that jade piece… let's not mention it again, okay? I won't sell it for any amount of money."
"I see, well, what a pity..."
"Hey Mr. Gu, how about grabbing a couple of drinks sometime?"
"Okay, where are you?"
"Ah, not today... I'll come find you later," Xu Zhengyang said hurriedly, thinking to himself that this Master Gu really couldn't stand being polite.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhengyang was aroused by a few polite words and decided he really wanted to have a drink. Drinking with his father at home wasn't very interesting, so he might as well go out for a drink with his buddies. So he dialed Zhong Zhijun's number and asked if he was busy at noon. If not, he suggested they have lunch at the "Tianwaitian Hotel" in Futou Town.
Zhong Zhijun said, "Sure, I was just thinking of taking advantage of you, this rich guy, for a meal."
Since they were both in a good mood today because of what happened between Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao, they hit it off immediately. Zhong Zhijun told Xu Zhengyang to go ahead first, and he would take the bus back.
After making arrangements with Zhong Zhijun, Xu Zhengyang called Zhou Qiang, hoping he would come back for a drink; it had been a while since the brothers had a proper get-together. However, the phone was busy, and the call didn't go through. Xu Zhengyang thought to himself, "Businessmen are so busy; why is my phone never ringing?"
I rode my bicycle home to let them know I wouldn't be back for lunch, and then headed towards Futou Town.
A little while later, Zhou Qiang called, chuckling and joking, "You didn't even tell me you were treating me, did you? Zhijun just called and told me..."
Xu Zhengyang was both amused and exasperated: "I called you but the line was busy. Turns out, Zhong Zhijun was using this opportunity to curry favor with you."
After exchanging a few jokes, Zhou Qiang said he would come over in a bit and then hung up the phone.
The "Tianwaitian Hotel" is located in the south of Futou Town, right next to National Highway 107. It is the best hotel in Futou Town. Of course, it cannot compare to hotels in the city. If this kind of hotel were in the city, it would at best be considered mid-range.
After Xu Zhengyang rode his bicycle to the hotel entrance, he leaned it against the hotel wall, thinking about buying a new bicycle—no, a motorcycle—to ride around with. This bicycle was really old and worn out, not presentable at all! Just as he was pondering this, a male waiter wearing a red shirt and black pants called out at the door, "Hey, don't lean your bicycle there, what are you doing?"
"Let's eat!" Xu Zhengyang waved with a smile and said, "My bicycle rack is empty, so I'll have to find a wall to lean against..."
The waiter didn't underestimate Xu Zhengyang. Hearing him say that, he laughed and said, "Brother, move to the very edge. You're too conspicuous right under the main window!"
"Well, you're right." Xu Zhengyang nodded with a smile, parked his bicycle against the northernmost corner of the wall, and then walked towards the door.
It was probably not yet noon, and the restaurant wasn't busy. The waiter stood leisurely at the entrance, chatting with a smile, "How many of you?"
"The three of you, um, those two will be here in a bit." Xu Zhengyang replied and walked towards the door.
Suddenly, he felt an incredibly comfortable stream flowing through his mind. This time, the comfortable feeling was not fleeting like before, but rather like a pool of clear water, gently rippling and filling his mind. Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
His hand trembled, and Xu Zhengyang hurriedly turned around with his back to the hotel door, raising his right hand; the recorder was already in his hand.
It turned out that Cao Gangchuan's mother and Zhang Hao's mother were kneeling and worshipping in the newly built earth god temple, carrying baskets. The offering table was already filled with bowls of meat and fruit, several thick incense sticks were inserted into the incense burner, and thick red candles were lit on the candlesticks...
Mmm, that feels good! That feels good!
Xu Zhengyang felt increasingly comfortable; the feeling was simply wonderful.
The image on the local record suddenly disappeared. Before Xu Zhengyang could even be surprised, a flash of red light appeared on the record, revealing several lines of clear vermilion text on its smooth, white surface:
Xu Zhengyang
Zodiac sign: Pig
People from Shuanghe Village, Huaxiang Township
Twenty-one years old
Position: Clerk under the City God of the Fu River
He is in charge of all affairs within Cixi County and inspects the land duties of each township.
...
Xu Zhengyang was stunned: "Promoted, promoted, promoted... to an official position?"
Looking up at the sky, the sunlight was blinding. Xu Zhengyang suddenly thought of a childhood song: "The sun shines brightly, the flowers smile at me, the little birds say good morning... From now on, I'll laugh every day..."
—Volume One, Earth God (Completed)
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 35: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road
It was still early, and the restaurant on the first floor of the Tianwaitian Hotel was rather quiet. Several young and pretty waitresses sat around a round table in the corner, laughing and joking. Two male waiters seemed to want to join in, but before they could say a few words, they were shooed aside by a woman who looked like the hotel manager.
Xu Zhengyang sat at a four-seater table by the window, sipping his tea slowly. Every now and then, he would look out the window and see the scorching sun casting a blinding light, with cars and pedestrians hurrying along the highway.
I took out my phone and checked the time: 10:30. Hmm, it's still early...
I thought about calling Zhong Zhijun and Zhou Qiang to urge them on, but then I decided against it. We're no longer the seventeen or eighteen-year-olds we were back then, all idle and carefree, thinking only of ourselves. We're in our twenties now! We've all grown up, and our mindsets have matured considerably. Without realizing it, each of us has taken on more responsibility and pressure.
Xu Zhengyang took out the clean, white jade book and held it in his hands, smiling as he reread the information on it. He wasn't worried about being seen at all; after all, no one knew what this thing was, and he figured that even if someone did see it, they would just treat it as an ordinary toy.
On the surface, Xu Zhengyang appeared calm, but inside he was in turmoil, much like someone who had won a five million yuan lottery but deliberately kept calm for fear of being seen through.
Since becoming the de facto local earth god, Xu Zhengyang had often thought about how he should explain things when his future superior, the Chief Clerk, came to inspect the area. After all, he wasn't an expert; he held the title of earth god but didn't know how to fulfill it. Also, the previous earth god had passed away; would the Chief Clerk take his anger out on him...?
Whenever these doubts came to mind, Xu Zhengyang felt a little uneasy. After all, gods are different from humans. Who knows what kind of temperament gods have, what their likes and dislikes are, or what their character is like? If he didn't have these worries, no one could guarantee that Xu Zhengyang, who was used to living a poor life, wouldn't actually sell this piece of jade for money.
Now that I have been promoted to the position of Gongcao, am I not my own boss?
No, no, I'm not the local earth god anymore, I'm the Grand Clerk! Yes, I'm in charge of all the local earth gods in the county, which means that within Cixian County, I, Xu Zhengyang, can boss around and order around every single one of them… Damn it, that earth god in Xinzhuang Township isn't very diligent. Last time I went to find him, he wasn't there! Even more irresponsible than when I was the earth god. It's like running a shop; how can you not be there to tend to your stall?
Although this was the second time he had browsed it, Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but squint his eyes into two crescents and grin from ear to ear as he looked at the permissions displayed on the Jadeite Local Records. From now on, this territory of Cixian is mine! While I can't immediately judge life and death, I have the right to record everyone's merits and demerits, which I can then report to my superior, the judge, for a final decision… Hmm, who knows, maybe I'll be promoted to judge myself someday!
What does a judge do? Xu Zhengyang asked the local record, but nothing was displayed.
Xu Zhengyang wasn't upset about this; he was in a good mood today! Not only because of Cao Gangchuan and Zhang Hao's affairs, but also because he had been promoted, and moreover... he now possessed an absolutely terrifying ability—to send messages in dreams!
In other words, as long as Xu Zhengyang, this clerk, is within the territory of Cixian County, he can enter everyone's dreams to flatter, tease, ridicule, frighten, intimidate, coerce, bribe, and leak information...
Don't underestimate the power of dreams. It may seem that the ability to act and speak only in people's dreams has no real deterrent effect. But think about it carefully: how terrifying is the psychological impact of nightmares, especially repeated nightmares? Obviously, no one wants to have nightmares every day, have the same nightmare every day, and dream of the same person, the same arrogant and domineering figure, running rampant in front of them.
I believe that if someone were to be so foolish as to get involved with Xu Zhengyang and experiment on him, they would go insane and break down within half a month.
This is exactly the same as letting ghosts scare people.