Cultivation by Trial and Error
Chapter 98 - 98 98 The News

98: Chapter 98: The News 98: Chapter 98: The News At past five in the afternoon, Chen Hai’s pager went off.

It was a local phone number from Liuyuan County, and the caller was unmistakably Sun Jinzhong.

After returning the call, they agreed to meet at a small restaurant near Liuyuan No.1 Middle School, and in just a few minutes, Sun Jinzhong showed up in front of Chen Hai’s eyes.

It seemed he had been gathering information and finally ended up investigating the school’s area.

Both had been busy since noon and were rather hungry.

They ordered a couple of dishes and a bottle of beer, chatting while they ate.

“Cousin, you mentioned coming to check out the school gate, how’s the situation?

Are you confident about resolving it?”

Before the dishes arrived, Sun Jinzhong took the beer bottle, cracked it open with a ‘click’, and bit off the cap.

After filling a cup for Chen Hai, he poured one for himself too.

The beer, produced in the neighboring county and called Lizhou Beer, tasted average and a bit bitter.

However, in this sweltering heat, with temperatures reaching up to thirty or forty degrees in the afternoon, a cold beer made Chen Hai feel much cooler.

“I watched the main gate of Liuyuan No.1 High School all afternoon and didn’t notice anything unusual!”

“When it gets dark, I’ll take a closer look over there and see if I can discover anything!”

“How about you?

What’s the situation?

Is the twenty thousand yuan consultation fee for real?”

Chen Hai asked, while he picked up the beer bottle and refilled the already empty cup in front of him.

One for himself and one for Sun Jinzhong—just like that, the beer was gone!

“Cousin, since when did you start liking beer?

I thought you didn’t drink this stuff!”

Seeing this, Sun Jinzhong chuckled and waved at the restaurant owner to bring over two more bottles of beer.

“This stuff doesn’t taste good—it’s mainly because my mouth gets dry that I even had two cups.”

“It’s so hot today.

I was wandering around the entrance of No.1 High all afternoon under the sun; my throat is almost smoking!”

Chen Hai explained with a smile.

By now, he had acquired a habit of smoking, but he had never had much interest in drinking.

Sun Jinzhong continued to order more beer, which Chen Hai didn’t stop, since it had already been agreed that Sun Jinzhong would pay for the meal.

Chen Hai was a light drinker, but his cousin could drink like a fish.

He had boasted more than once in front of Chen Hai that he could drink a whole case of beer.

Just ordering two more bottles of beer, there was no way they’d waste it!

“Cousin, let me tell you, the twenty thousand yuan consultation fee is indeed real!”

“After confirming the news with my card buddy, I even went to No.1 High myself and found Director Tao, who is in charge of this matter.”

“He said that if we could take on this job and confirm that the school gate issue has indeed been successfully resolved, the consultation fee will definitely be given to us!”

“However, the fee is not twenty thousand, but ten thousand.”

“Additionally, when we talk about this matter with others, we should claim it was twenty thousand yuan, and the receipt he issued shows the same amount!”

“When I first approached Director Tao, he didn’t even want to deal with me.”

“I had to offer him cigarettes and play humble in front of him; your cousin here had to say all sorts of nice things to pry this information from Director Tao’s lips!”

When mentioning Director Tao, Sun Jinzhong clearly seemed annoyed.

He picked up his cup and gulped down the beer, drinking it all in one go.

Why was there only ten thousand yuan for the twenty thousand yuan consultation fee after they had managed to get the job done?

For the specific reason, Sun Jinzhong didn’t say, but anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence could guess why.

“Ten thousand is ten thousand, not any less!”

“However, whether I can resolve this issue or not, I still need to wait until tonight to see.”

Chen Hai sighed in response.

Given the circumstances, he could understand what his cousin Sun Jinzhong was talking about.

“Right!

You look into the situation tonight first, and if it can be resolved, we’ll take on this task.”

“Before formally starting, though, we’ll need to meet with Director Tao.”

“That person said that they wouldn’t just take my word for it and believe we have the capability to handle this.”

“Only in front of him, after proving our true abilities and gaining his approval, will he allow others to cooperate with us to handle this matter!”

Sun Jinzhong nodded slightly, paused, and continued speaking.

The requirement Director Tao had posed wasn’t excessive.

By doing this, he could also prevent those who are merely filling numbers from messing around at the front gate of No.1 High School.

The couple of small dishes they had ordered were soon served on the table.

Considering there was still work to do later in the evening.

Both Chen Hai and Sun Jinzhong didn’t drink much and only finished the two bottles of beer that were ordered later.

The meal lasted a little over an hour.

This season, the days were long and the nights began around six or seven o’clock.

Seeing that it was still early, under Sun Jinzhong’s lead, they found an outdoor billiard room nearby and played there for a while.

They did not reappear near the gate of No.1 High School until about nine o’clock.

In this era, the nights in small county towns were truly restless.

The area around No.1 High School in Liuyuan County, being quite remote especially near the gate close to the Yuan River, was more susceptible to harboring criminal activities.

While Chen Hai and Sun Jinzhong were on their way to the gate of No.1 High School, they saw a young couple being harassed by six or seven street hoodlums while walking by the river.

Chen Hai didn’t get involved in such matters.

The era being as it was, with unemployed youths everywhere, incidents like this were too common.

He was not a saint; he was just a somewhat capable Taoist, restoring peace and prosperity to society was not his duty.

As for Sun Jinzhong, he was even less likely to intervene.

When they had just passed by, it appeared that one of the ruffians had waved at him and greeted him.

“Do you know these guys?”

“I only know the one called Gou; he was my classmate in middle school.”

“Better stay away from them; it’s not good for you!”

“Don’t worry, cousin.

I know my limits.

If those guys ask me to help in a fight, I might go, but if they want me to join in on something illegal, I’d definitely refuse!”

…

In a secluded corner across from the gate of No.1 High School, the two cousins each found a brick to sit on.

Chen Hai looked displeased and lectured Sun Jinzhong for a bit.

Though he was the older cousin and Chen Hai the younger, Sun Jinzhong didn’t mind being lectured by Chen Hai, just giggling sheepishly.

“As long as you know your limits, that’s good.

I need to start working, you just watch from here.

Remember, do not touch me!”

After greeting Sun Jinzhong, Chen Hai sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, ready to let his Divine Soul leave his body.