At half-past seven the next morning, Wan Yunting woke up on time and called Huang Jingshan. After washing up and tidying themselves, they went out. Coincidentally, Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao also came out on time. After greeting each other, they went downstairs together.
Once everyone had gathered, they went to eat breakfast. After Chen Minxue arrived in town, he picked up Wan Yunting and the others and headed directly to Yuqiao Village.
Today, they were scheduled to visit three villages: Yuqiao Village, Yunzai Village, and Xiayuan Village, so it would be a bit tiring at noon.
It was more than ten kilometers to Yuqiao Village. After driving for half an hour, they arrived at the village clinic. They followed the procedure and began to inquire in detail about the clinic's situation, and had a long conversation with the village doctor. It wasn't until noon that Wan Yunting and the others left.
However, it was already lunchtime. Chen Minxue suggested, "Yuqiao Village is close to Qujie Town, so let's have lunch in town and then go to Yunzai Village."
"Okay."
Wan Yunting had no objections. He and Gu Luotang and the others got into the car. Chen Minxue drove them to Qujie Town.
Spotting a nice restaurant, Wan Yunting and Chen Minxue led Gu Luotang and the others into the restaurant. They chose a table that could seat more than a dozen people, ordered some dishes, and began to eat.
"Old Chen, bring two more bottles of Luzhou Laojiao and a plate of mixed offal and pig trotters to the private room."
Two men walked out of the restaurant's only small private room and said to the owner.
"Alright."
The owner had his wife deliver two bottles of Luzhou Laojiao into the room and instructed the kitchen to prepare the dishes.
"Those people really know how to eat."
A young man accompanying Chen Riyuan, the town mayor of Qujie Town, turned his head to look at the people in the private room and said, "Mayor, they've already had six bottles of Luzhou Laojiao, and they've eaten half a sheep."
Chen Riyuan raised an eyebrow and said to the restaurant owner, "Old Lin, calculate how much this meal cost."
"Certainly."
Old Lin took the bill and a calculator and operated it with a clatter, then said with a smile, "Mayor Chen, your meal cost 3278 yuan. I'll round it down, so just give me 3200."
"What, over three thousand?"
The young man accompanying the mayor, who was also a cadre from the Qujie Township government, was stunned when he heard the meal cost so much.
Old Lin said, "You spent over a thousand yuan on drinks alone, and with all the various dishes served, it's bound to be over three thousand yuan."
"Put it on my tab for now."
Chen Riyuan waved his hand helplessly. Restaurant owner Old Lin was naturally accommodating, knowing they would settle the bill at the end of the month.
Just then, Wan Yunting and the others, who were eating nearby, overheard this and turned their heads to look at Chen Riyuan and the others. Chen Minxue recognized him and said, "He should be Chen Riyuan, the mayor of Qujie Town."
"Oh."
Wan Yunting glanced at Chen Riyuan, recalling that the support work in the townships of Xuxian County, which was being undertaken by Weng Dehai and his team, included Qujie Town. He guessed that the people they were talking about were likely Weng Dehai's group.
"Mayor, this is money from our township government."
The young man named Chen Xiaolong couldn't help but complain, "Ever since they came to Qujie Town, we've been covering all their expenses for meals. Each meal costs two or three thousand yuan. Now, just their dining bills alone have exceeded twelve thousand yuan. If they stay a few more days, our finances will be depleted!"
"Oh, I know."
Chen Riyuan was bothered by the accounts Chen Xiaolong calculated and said, "But they are here to support our township hospitals and village clinics."
"Hmph."
However, Chen Xiaolong scoffed dismissively and said, "They say it's support work, but what have they actually done? Nothing at all. They still need us to guide them every day, just visiting village clinics and going through the motions. Oh, this is support work? Then they have it too easy."
"To put it bluntly!"
Immediately, Chen Xiaolong leaned closer to Chen Riyuan and whispered, "Even if they allocate funds for our township's rural medical support work, will that money actually reach our township? It's likely to be eaten up by people above before it even gets here!"
"Tsk, what are you saying?"
As soon as he said that, Chen Riyuan suddenly turned his head and glared fiercely at Chen Xiaolong. This kid really dared to say anything.
Meanwhile, Wan Yunting, who was eating nearby, heard Chen Xiaolong's words, though they were spoken softly, and couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
"Mayor, I'm telling the truth. We won't get anything, and just by accompanying these people, we'll be completely drained," Chen Xiaolong said, pointing to the private room, complaining.
Chen Riyuan frowned. He knew the situation clearly and understood that the so-called support work these people were doing was just a formality.
He heard that their leader, Weng Dehai, was staying in a five-star hotel in the county town, enjoying himself. And these people, when they came to Qujie Town, required the best conditions for both food and lodging. This made Chen Riyuan very unhappy.
Just then, the private room door opened, and Li Xingfa walked out, his face flushed red from drinking. He shouted to Chen Riyuan, "Old Chen, bring two more bottles of wine. Oh, and that white cut goose is good, get half a bird, no, a whole one."
Seeing that they wanted more wine, Chen Riyuan's face darkened. However, he still forced a smile to hide his inner displeasure and nodded, saying, "Okay, Team Leader Li, I'll have someone bring you the wine."
"Quickly, don't dawdle."
Li Xingfa, now drunk, couldn't perceive Chen Riyuan's unhappy expression. After shouting, he was about to turn and go back into the private room to continue drinking, but then he saw Wan Yunting and the others sitting together eating lunch in the restaurant hall!
Suddenly, Li Xingfa squinted his blurry eyes. After a closer look, he confirmed it was Wan Yunting and his group. He then staggered over, mocking with a smile, "Well, well, isn't this Vice Chairman Wan Yunting of the Lingnan Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine..."
Chen Riyuan and Chen Xiaolong, standing at the restaurant's front desk, were stunned for a moment, then looked at Wan Yunting and his group. They had also heard earlier about the Lingnan Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine coming to the countryside to carry out support work.
Moreover, they heard that the association members were practical and had visited and conducted detailed work at the hospital in Qianshan Town and the clinics in those villages.
"Heh, why have you come to Qujie Town?"
Li Xingfa, fueled by alcohol, staggered in front of Wan Yunting and sneered with a mouth full of alcohol, "What, are you here to see if our work has met your standards?"
Wan Yunting put down his chopsticks, turned his head, and glanced at Li Xingfa, who had come to mock him. He fanned his nose with his hand and said with a smile, "What a strong smell of alcohol!"
Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Huang Jingshan, and Lu Xinjue on the side also stared at Li Xingfa. This was their work standard!
"Tch."
Li Xingfa waved his hand disdainfully and sneered, "Wan Yunting, no matter what you do, your Lingnan Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a traitor!"
*Slap!*
Huang Jingshan immediately slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Li Xingfa and yelling, "Who are you calling a traitor?"
"You..."
As a result, Li Xingfa, under the influence of alcohol, pointed at Huang Jingshan, then at Gu Luotang, sweeping his finger across everyone, and finally stopped on Wan Yunting's head. His eyes widened, and he shouted, "You are traitors who have betrayed our Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine."
The commotion also caused others in the private room to come out. Seeing Wan Yunting and the others, they were also surprised to meet them there.
Chen Riyuan and Chen Xiaolong, standing at the restaurant's front desk, also looked confused by this scene.