Xu Zhengyang waited with a smile, full of anticipation. If he could really summon all the local deities of the county, that would be wonderful. Leaving aside whether they were honest and upright in their duties, or whether they had fulfilled their responsibilities, those were secondary. The important thing was to have them help find any unclaimed treasures in each township… I wanted to sell them for money! I needed a lot of money, the more the better.
Why are you so greedy? Why are you in such a hurry for so much money? Do you really need a proper and reasonable reason?
Okay, fine.
Although Xu Zhengyang now had a little money, the thought of his trip to Beijing still made him feel incredibly frustrated. Damn it, there's always someone better. Look at Ouyang Ying, a little girl, driving a BMW, and Huang Chen, who's only a few years older than him, driving an SUV. Xu Zhengyang didn't know how much they were worth, but he figured they were at least several hundred thousand.
In other words, all his assets combined are, at best, just enough for someone else to buy a car for fun.
Why is that brat Huang Chen so arrogant? Ouyang Ying isn't any less attractive than my sister; she's a beautiful young woman, so why isn't she harassed or bullied? And why does she dare to so arrogantly challenge people like Huang Chen? And that Yu Xuan, whom I've never met but talked to on the phone, speaks with such arrogance…
Ultimately, it all comes down to them being rich! Very rich!
That's how society is these days. If you have money, you're the boss. Everyone has to look up at you and think twice before messing with you.
So, to completely resolve the mess in Beijing and allow my sister to study there without being bullied, the first thing I need is money! Even if it means throwing away all the money I have, putting on a show, and pretending to be rich, I have to make it look real so that those rich kids will think twice before doing anything bad!
Of course, given the current situation, even if they spent all their savings, it would be difficult to intimidate those people in the capital.
Therefore, Xu Zhengyang needs a lot of money. Although there are many ways to make money, it seems there's no way to get rich overnight and quickly escape poverty, except for buying lottery tickets. Time is of the essence! Fortunately, there's still a lot of hope. Xu Zhengyang is now a high-ranking official, in charge of the entire county. How big is Cixian County? It has nine towns and ten townships under its jurisdiction! In just one Huaxiang area, he found two gold bars and two pottery jars worth hundreds of thousands... Now that it's a whole county, how many treasures can he find?
Xu Zhengyang thought bitterly: Damn it, I desperately need money right now. If any local deity in any town doesn't find me a few treasures, humph, give me your local records to use and sell... one of them is worth 1.8 million!
"No, no, that's too much, too despicable." Xu Zhengyang shook his head repeatedly. "We men can't do such a wicked thing."
Thinking about something unethical, Xu Zhengyang suddenly had a really bad and unethical idea... This kind of jade from the local area could be used to make a lot of money!
Just as he was chuckling to himself and cursing himself for coming up with such a despicable and shameless idea, the slowly flashing light on the county record disappeared, and the screen flickered to reveal a line of text: "Contact has been lost. All the local land gods in the county are not in their respective territories. This must be reported to the City God immediately. It is truly rare for a county to be without any land gods!"
Damn it! They're all gone! Xu Zhengyang's eyes widened in fury, his anger blazing. These damned local deities, have they gone on a trip, spending public funds to enjoy life? How dare they be so negligent! Do they think the Chief Clerk won't be coming to inspect for a while, so they're skipping work?
Humans may tolerate this, but gods will not, and I, the great one, will certainly not tolerate it!
I desperately need money right now, how can I have time to wander around every town and village looking for treasure? Ten thousand years is too long, I only need to seize the day!
Suddenly, Xu Zhengyang's eyes darkened. Could it be... that they're all dead?
"Um, I can't even contact the local earth god. I need to report this to the city god. Where do I report this?" Xu Zhengyang asked, frowning.
The county record flashed by: The report has been submitted, but there has been no response from the City God's office yet.
"To hell with it!" Xu Zhengyang slammed his fist on the table. "A bad soldier is a bad soldier, and a bad general makes a bad army. With a city god like this who doesn't do his job properly, won't everyone below just quit?"
"Can you contact any of the other officials? Oh, and the judge too!"
The light in the county record flickered slowly, and after a while, it faded away, displaying: Contact failed.
Xu Zhengyang completely lost his temper, pacing around the room cursing and snarling like a vicious mad dog, ready to gnaw on anything at any moment... Isn't this just a waste of time? If all the gods were so irresponsible, standing around doing nothing, wouldn't the world be in chaos?
Wait, something's not right. Things are definitely getting a bit messy.
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head, wondering what was wrong. He couldn't quite figure it out for a moment, but he felt like he had realized something, though he couldn't quite grasp that fleeting thought.
Just as he was frowning, worried and angry, the local record on the table flashed with light again. Xu Zhengyang went over to take a look and saw a line of vermilion characters: "Given that the position of local land deity is vacant throughout the county, the official in charge may act as the local land deity, be in charge of the household registration of all people, animals and spirits in the county, and be aware of all matters, big and small..."
Xu Zhengyang was taken aback, then asked, "Wouldn't that keep me incredibly busy? How am I supposed to go out? There are hundreds of thousands of people in the county. If someone goes to burn incense and kowtow, you just pop out there, damn it..."
The jade county records a shimmering light: if an order is needed, it will be prompted in one's mind.
"You mean, I've given you an order, and you'll stop causing trouble? Just tell me in my head?"
A: Yes.
"That won't do either. My mind is always cluttered with a bunch of trivial things. Isn't that annoying? How am I supposed to do anything else?"
A: The duties of the Gongcao deity are to uphold the righteousness of Heaven and assist the living beings of the earth.
"I quit!" Xu Zhengyang roared.
Yu Shi County's record flashed, ignoring Xu Zhengyang's impulse.
Xu Zhengyang sighed and said in a conciliatory tone, "Okay, you'll have to go through a lot of trouble. Don't tell me about trivial matters, and don't mention those pointless and nonsensical petitions. If there's something important, like a major injustice or a wrongful conviction, then you can let me know, okay? Also, just accept whatever people offer sacrifices to, burn incense for, or petition for. Why do I have to feel good about it? Feeling good isn't a bad thing, but if I keep feeling good all the time, it'll kill me."
A flash of light appeared on the county register, and the reply was: "The clerk is required."
Xu Zhengyang clapped his hands and said seriously, "I'm ordering you now to do exactly as I say from now on! You'll be in charge of all the trivial matters!"
A: Yes, for now. However, at the end of each month, the official in charge of the records must review each item.
"Just pick the important ones. I don't have time to look at them one by one," Xu Zhengyang said, glaring. Only now did he realize that this thing was just an assistant to him, the god, that is, a subordinate who had to listen to him.
A: For now.
"That's more like it!" Xu Zhengyang's face broke into a smug smile. "Remember, only tell me useful things. Oh, by the way, what exactly are you?"
A: County record.
Xu Zhengyang said, half-laughing and half-crying, "That's not what I meant. I wanted to ask, what dynasty are you from? How come your local administrative divisions and counties are planned the same as modern ones?"
A: It is a divine artifact of the Heavenly Court, which records the changes in the world.
"Wow, impressive, impressive!" Xu Zhengyang gave a thumbs up, then said disdainfully, "Since you know everything and have recorded it yourself, why the hell do you have to spout all this fancy stuff? It's hard for me to understand. From now on, use Mandarin, understand? Can you speak it?"
A: Yes.
"What?"
A: No problem!
Xu Zhengyang's face lit up with joy. He couldn't help but pick up the jade tablet and kiss it, exclaiming, "My darling, my precious darling!"
Lying on the bed with the county record in his arms, Xu Zhengyang was happily basking in the breeze for a while. Suddenly, he thought of making money, so he quickly picked up the county record again and asked seriously, "I'm too lazy to go treasure hunting. I'm short of money right now. Tell me, where can I find any cultural relics or antiques?"
A: Money is a worldly thing...
"Enough with the nonsense!"
A: The county cultural relics preservation office, the third floor of the home of He Xingbang, chairman of Cizhou Longxing Group...
"Stop, stop, stop..." Xu Zhengyang interrupted the message slowly appearing on the Yushi County Records in a fit of rage, glaring and shouting, "You want me to rob someone? Damn it, I'm asking where there are any unclaimed things buried underground..."
The light on the jade county record began to flicker slowly, as if searching for information.
After a while...
"Alright, that's enough. Remember everything. Tell me when I ask you later." Xu Zhengyang retracted the county register into his body, thinking smugly, "Buddy, oh no, young master, oh no, this official... is about to make a fortune!"
I want to buy a car, a motorcycle, a sedan... a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW!
Damn, no way! The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows. Suddenly becoming rich and buying a motorcycle is fine, rebuilding a house and building a mansion is fine, but suddenly buying a Mercedes or BMW... suspicious people will inevitably investigate! If they are really investigated, where did the huge amount of money come from?
Its origins are unclear; it's something that can't be brought to light!
this……
This is a big problem! We need to be careful, very careful, and plan ahead!
Xu Zhengyang squinted his eyes, overwhelmed with a mixture of joy and worry. The effects of the alcohol were rising, and he drifted off to sleep.
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 39: Cheap Motorcycles
People are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion!
The next morning, Xu Zhengyang got up early, washed up, and then put on the most presentable clothes he had worn when he went to Beijing. He stuffed his wallet and phone into his pocket and strode out of the bedroom.
Seeing that her son was dressed well today, Yuan Suqin asked with a puzzled look, "Zhengyang, where are you going? It's been so many days since you went out to get Xiao Mi'er?"
"Mom, from now on, I won't be trading millet anymore. Let's do big business and make money!" Xu Zhengyang chuckled and said, "Today I'm going to town to buy a motorcycle..."
"Oh, okay, go ahead and buy it. If someone tries to arrange a blind date for me in a few days, it'll be embarrassing to ride a beat-up bicycle." Yuan Suqin hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. She figured the family had plenty of money now, more than they could spend, and it was her son's money. He was all grown up now, so she let him spend it however he wanted.
Xu Neng lifted the curtain and walked in, saying, "Nonsense, what's the use of buying a motorcycle? You have to spend money to go anywhere, and it burns gas!"
“You’ve been walking and cycling for over twenty years, saving a lot on gas money, but what have you gained?” Yuan Suqin immediately fired.
Xu Neng was speechless, and shook his head and sighed helplessly.
Xu Zhengyang quickly said, "Dad, don't be angry. I bought the motorcycle for convenience, thinking I could do some business."
"Oh." Xu Neng nodded, whether he had figured it out or was being suppressed by his wife.
"Then I'm leaving!" Xu Zhengyang quickly walked out.
"Hey, you need to eat breakfast first!" Yuan Suqin hurriedly called out as she chased after them.
"No need!"
Xu Zhengyang walked out without turning his head, his steps light and quick.
It's about six or seven miles to Futou Town, and Xu Zhengyang plans to walk there. After all, he's going to buy a motorcycle, and once he buys it, he'll have to ride it back. If he rides a bicycle there, it won't be convenient to come back. Although the bicycle is so old that it's probably only worth a dozen yuan as scrap metal, Xu Zhengyang can't bear to throw it away... After all, this old bicycle has helped me earn a lot of money.
The morning sun rises slowly, its red glow resembling the adorable smiling face of a child.
A gentle breeze caressed my face, the Fu River flowed babbling, willows swayed gracefully on both banks, lush and verdant, with occasional wildflowers dotting the landscape; frogs croaked, their cheeks puffed out, in the grass and rice paddies along the riverbank…
Walking along the winding, flat riverbank, admiring the unique rural scenery and feeling the cool, damp air, Xu Zhengyang's mood improved, and he couldn't help but hum an old song: We walk on the main road, full of vigor and high spirits...
After buying the motorcycle, I'll buy my sister a cell phone, the best one!
I need to get Dad a new bicycle. Hmm, he can't ride a motorcycle, and even if he did, he wouldn't want to. I need to buy Mom a gold necklace, a pair of gold earrings, and a gold bracelet. She's never worn jewelry in her life... Xu Zhengyang hummed a song, making plans in his mind. It's time to renovate the old house.
Suddenly seized by curiosity, Xu Zhengyang walked to the riverbank, squatted down, and looked at the big-bellied frog in front of the grass on the riverbank below. He called softly, "Hey, come here!"
The big-bellied frog stared at Xu Zhengyang for a while, and then actually hopped up on him in a few leaps.
Xu Zhengyang stretched out his right hand, and the frog leaped into his palm, puffing out its cheeks and croaking twice at him.
"I'm going to eat you up, aren't you afraid?" Xu Zhengyang laughed.
The frog ignored him.
"Sigh..." Xu Zhengyang released the frog into the grass, wiped his hands with a handful of grass leaves, got up and walked along the riverbank towards Futou Town, muttering to himself, "Heavens, why be so benevolent? I really enjoy eating frog legs..."
For some inexplicable reason, Xu Zhengyang felt a little melancholy.
Is it better to be a human or a god?
Putting aside this strange thought that suddenly appeared, Xu Zhengyang lit a cigarette and strode towards Futou Town in the morning sun.
National Highway 107 runs through Futou Town, and the supposedly infamous "Motorcycle City" of Futou Town is located right next to it, bordered by the Futou Town Traffic Police Brigade to the south and the Futou Town branch of the Agricultural Bank of China to the north. The reason it's considered an inaccurate name is simply because it sounds impressive; in reality, it has no more than fifteen shops selling motorcycles, and also deals in bicycles, electric bikes, various diesel and gasoline tricycles, and even children's vehicles…
When Xu Zhengyang arrived at the motorcycle city, most of the shops were not yet open, only two were open.
"Hey buddy, looking to buy a motorcycle?" A stylishly dressed woman in her thirties greeted him warmly as she tidied up her belongings. "Come on in, have a look. We have all kinds, I guarantee you'll find one you like."
Xu Zhengyang walked in with a simple smile.
Xu Zhengyang didn't really have a concrete understanding of motorcycles; he just considered them a means of transportation, something convenient and fast. A couple of years ago, his poor buddies learned to ride motorcycles entirely thanks to Zhou Qiang's old Jincheng 100cc motorcycle, which they struggled with quite a bit. That old wreck is probably long gone by now.