"Please, go ahead." Chairman Tie, a portly man whose eyes vanished when he smiled, was currently preoccupied. The dical family has over a hundred mbers, he thought. They’ll surely vote for their clan leader. To be safe, I’ve also bribed a few others. This ti, let’s see what trouble Jing Shu can possibly stir up.
The person following Chairman Tie looked very familiar to Jing Shu. After Jing Shu had kicked Xiao Xiao off the official staff roster, her younger sister, Jiaojiao, had arrived. Isn’t this the sa Jiaojiao, who then suffered a few setbacks under my watch and beca much more docile? Jing Shu mused.
"You... are dood to lose," Jiaojiao mouthed silently. Jing Shu read her lips and, in response, made a throat-slitting gesture before ignoring Jiaojiao, who was clearly just there to watch the drama unfold.
Previously, Chairman Tie had casually made a promise, allowing Jing Shu to solve three complex cases with ease. How could genuinely difficult cases be resolved so easily? If Jing Shu actually becos a Vice Chairman, I’ll be the one forced to step down, he realized. The pre-determined quotas are definitely going to soone else. The regulations from above state there can only be four Vice Chairn, so an extra one ans I have to vacate my position.
Led by Jing Shu, a crowd followed her upstairs in the dicinal Materials Association building to her experintal field. Wang Danai winked at Jing Shu.
Zhou Bapi, afraid Jing Shu might speak impulsively, deliberately announced in a loud voice, "Next to Chairman Tie is Dean Zhang, the Dean of Wu City Tumor Hospital. He specializes in researching various cancers, is proficient in traditional Chinese dicine, holds dual bachelor’s degrees, and carries considerable authority. Today, he’s here to see what dicines Wu City can currently provide." He then surreptitiously gave Jing Shu a thumbs-up.
Jing Shu understood. Zhou Bapi ans Dean Zhang is a reliable person. He looks to be in his sixties or seventies, slightly overweight, with graying hair, much like the KFC Colonel. Ah, I’m suddenly craving KFC fries dipped in ketchup. The ketchup dispenser definitely has to be the Colonel’s mouth; only ketchup from there has true soul.
"This is Pharmacist Liu from Wu City’s traditional Chinese dicine preparations. He’s also here as a judge today," Zhou Bapi added, quietly shaking his head.
Jing Shu nodded. So this is the overly familiar man. He approached earlier, making a lot of small talk and constantly harping on the need to grow the most useful dicinal materials. Isn’t that just a veiled criticism of growing supposedly useless plants?
As soon as the door to the experintal field opened, the plants flourishing on the five-tiered racks were revealed. The tobacco plants, in particular, were emitting their unique, potent scent.
Pharmacist Liu frowned. "Jing Shu, is this whole room filled with tobacco? What’s the point of growing so much of this useless stuff? Are you planning to make expensive cigarettes to sell to the wealthy? That kind of behavior isn’t appropriate. I’ve heard so rich individuals pay high prices for the dicinal Materials Association’s tobacco, but I didn’t believe it. After all, this place is supposed to serve the people."
Chairman Tie smiled. "Pharmacist Liu, you must have misunderstood. Tobacco is also considered a type of dicinal material. Perhaps Jing Shu intends to use it for disinfection and reducing swelling."
Pharmacist Liu chuckled. "As an auxiliary dicine, a small amount is sufficient. Is there really a need for mass cultivation? Old Tie, you’re just too kind. At our level, how could we not see through such scheming?" His tone clearly implied that Jing Shu wasn’t up to par.
This act of playing good cop, bad cop was truly remarkable. It even made Dean Zhang, standing nearby, furrow his brow and glance at Jing Shu with suspicion.
Jing Shu smiled calmly and said little. Instead, she picked up one of the plants she was growing. "This is astragalus."
The group finally began their earnest discussion, passing the plants around for observation. They all highly approved of their quality. Even the old man, who was the pre-selected candidate for the position, stroked his long beard with an expression of utter admiration.
However, Jing Shu also noticed a little girl glaring at her resentfully, which confused her. I haven’t done anything to provoke this little girl, have I?
Jing Shu listened as Wang Danai whispered, "That’s Wang Daxian. He’s being assessed with you this ti. Do you see the little girl next to him? She’s Wang Xiaoxian, often called the young miss of the dicinal family. She ca with Jiaojiao last ti, wanting to compare skills with you. She’s known as a rare genius."
Jing Shu thought for a mont, then asked, "Is she the girl who cried and ran away because she was tempted by a al I was having?"
Wang Danai nodded vigorously. "That’s her."
Jing Shu pressed her forehead. No wonder the little girl is resentful. Life really is like a lodramatic soap opera. What would her grandfather think if he found out I made his granddaughter cry from food cravings? Would he beat ? Oh, perhaps this visit is their revenge. But wait, that’s not right. The old man actually smiled at !
Not only did he smile, but he also walked over, beaming. "Hey, kid, you’ve cultivated this astragalus really well!" He blinked vigorously, as if hinting at sothing.
"Go away, go away!" Zhou Bapi hurriedly shooed Wang Daxian away, terrified that he would interact with Jing Shu again.
Jing Shu was baffled.
"To be able to grow astragalus like this during the apocalypse, even better than before the apocalypse, is truly remarkable. If we can develop this on a larger scale in the future, you absolutely must get the points for it," Dean Zhang said, standing up to make a fair statent.
Everyone nodded in agreent. Those present were all involved in dicinal plant cultivation and pharmaceuticals. Dean Zhang was definitely the most capable doctor in Wu City and held a much higher status.
The assessnt requirents were as follows: first, a few judges would give scores. Then, after everyone had seen what both candidates had grown, all staff mbers would vote on whose plants were of greater value and practical use.
Dean Zhang then said, "The score for the astragalus is 10 points. No objections, right?"
Everyone shook their heads in agreent; 10 points was a perfect score.
"This Bodhi has been cultivated very well, but it’s a pity it’s not much use currently," Pharmacist Liu said, shaking his head. "I’ll give it 1 point. No objections, right?"
Dean Zhang remained silent, signifying his agreent. Jing Shu’s mouth curled up slightly. Very good. Who knew when the parasite outbreak would happen? By then, all of China would be searching for Bodhi Trees. I hope everyone can remain as calm then as they are now.
"Dried leeches are sowhat useful and can grudgingly be considered dicinal-grade. Let’s say 4 points."
"Honeysuckle is very useful and has been well cultivated. Let’s give it 8 points."
"I heard you obtained the gastrodia by making a bet. Curing the gastrodia is a credit to your skill, but since you didn’t grow it personally, it gets 5 points."
"As for the tobacco... give it 2 points."
Chairman Tie, smiling gleefully, showed the scoreboard to everyone. "Jing Shu’s score is 32 points."
Everyone then turned towards Wang Daxian’s station. Wang Daxian began to introduce what he had grown: Panax notoginseng, ginseng, and other valuable dicinal materials. These received unanimous praise from all judges, resulting in a frighteningly high final score of 47 points!
Chairman Tie, secretly delighted, looked at the cultivation results from both candidates and shouted, "Alright, let’s move on to the voting! Now, I would like both contenders to co on stage and say a few words."
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