mynovelonline Chapter 223 Another Big Shot Carries Cement
Chapter 223 Another Big Shot Carries Cement
Shen Wanshan rolled up his trouser legs and stepped into the soft, wet mud pit.
The mud squeezed between my toes, sticky and slippery.
For someone who wears handmade custom leather shoes all year round, this feel is extremely unfamiliar.
Not far away, Li Jianguo, a real estate tycoon in Changxiang City, was wielding a hoe and arguing with Zhang Pangzi, a chain restaurant giant, about the orientation of the pigsty.
"I said it should face south, so it gets good sunlight! Pigs grow fatter when they get plenty of sunshine!" Li Jianguo wiped the mud off his face and gestured with the foundation.
"Nonsense! In the restaurant industry, ventilation is key. You have to sit facing east and let the wind blow the stench away." Fatty Zhang, with his big belly, held a measuring tape in his hand and wouldn't budge an inch.
The two argued until their faces turned red.
Wang Minyu sat in a rocking chair at the foot of the wall, a stainless steel teacup in his hand steaming.
On a small stove nearby, medicine was simmering in an earthenware pot, making a bubbling sound.
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the Five Elements.
The spleen and stomach belong to the earth element.
Modern people spend their days walking on reinforced concrete, eating processed foods, and their minds are filled with data reports. Excessive thinking inevitably damages the spleen.
When the spleen is deficient, the production of qi and blood is insufficient, and the heart and spirit are not nourished.
Letting them walk barefoot into the mud and absorb the earth's energy is an extremely effective way to strengthen their constitution and nourish their vital energy.
Su Qing came out of the inner room with her laptop, plopped down on a small stool, and started typing.
"These patients' vital signs are returning to the healthy range." Su Qing looked at the line graph on the screen. "Shen Wanshan's cortisol level has dropped by 30 percent, and his sleep duration exceeded six hours last night."
Wang Minyu took a sip of tea and turned his gaze to Shen Wanshan in the mud pit.
Shen Wanshan is mixing mud.
He mixed the straw into the yellow mud and stomped on it repeatedly.
Initially, he tried to find some kind of pattern in the stomping, such as flipping the food over every three stomps.
But the mud wouldn't cooperate; the more he stepped on it, the stickier it became, until finally he couldn't even pull his legs out.
"Don't try to outsmart the mud," Wang Minyu shouted from a distance. "Mud doesn't follow formulas. Just use your brute force."
Shen Wanshan stopped what he was doing, looked up at Wang Minyu, his chest heaving violently.
He simply closed his eyes, stopped thinking about any steps, and stomped around in the mud as if venting his frustration.
He was covered in mud and water, and his coarse linen clothes clung to his body, making him very uncomfortable. But he didn't stop; he stomped faster and faster.
The system's starry sky panel lit up on Wang Minyu's retina.
A string of pale red dots floated out from above Shen Wanshan's head and merged into the progress bar in the center of the panel.
[Emotional personification progress: 3/10.]
This is pure fanaticism. It's the most primal human desire to release itself, free from the constraints of reason.
Pierre came over carrying a large iron basin filled with cooked sweet potatoes, rice bran, and chopped rotten vegetable leaves.
He stirred the contents of the bowl with a wooden spoon, his expression more serious than when preparing a Michelin three-star French meal.
"Boss, this Bordeaux-style mixed vegetable soup is ready." Pierre placed the iron bowl on the ground, wiped his hands, and said, "The ratio of carbohydrates to dietary fiber is the perfect golden ratio."
Wang Minyu glanced at the iron basin: "This is pig feed. We haven't bought any pigs yet."
"To prepare for the arrival of our future little life, I must start developing new dishes in advance," Pierre replied earnestly. "Even a pig has the right to enjoy the art of cooking."
Guan Shan walked over carrying a freshly forged shovel and planted it in the ground. "Brother Wang, those seven harvesters in the backyard have already divided up the mung beans and red beans. What are we going to do with them now?"
Those seven S organization agents, after being brainwashed by Wang Minyu through tedious labor, have now become free labor.
"Let them go and clear that barren mountain behind us," Wang Minyu instructed. "Give each of them a hoe, and make it a rule that they must shout 'I am a friend of nature' with every stroke of the hoe. Let's cure their cyberpsychosis."
Guan Shan pulled out his shovel and turned to relay the instructions.
Shen Wanshan finally managed to mix the mud in the pit.
He climbed out of the mud pit and went to the sink to wash his hands and feet.
The icy well water splashed on my skin, raising goosebumps.
He picked up a rough cloth towel draped nearby to dry his hands and feet, and walked over to Wang Minyu.
"I'm hungry," Shen Wanshan said. This was the first thing he said today.
At this time of day, he would normally eat a low-carb meal prepared by a nutritionist in his top-floor office. Now, his stomach is empty; he could eat a whole cow.
"We're having communal meals for lunch today. Cabbage and pork stew with vermicelli, served with cornbread buns," Wang Minyu said, pointing to the large iron pot set up in the center of the yard.
Fatty Zhang had somehow gotten close, staring at the large iron pot with drool in his eyes. "Dr. Wang, are your vermicelli authentic? It has to be sweet potato vermicelli; it won't fall apart even after long cooking, and it'll soak up all the meat juices..."
"You only get to eat if you work," Wang Minyu interrupted him. "The pigsty foundation isn't even finished yet. Whoever eats first gets fired."
Upon hearing this, several powerful figures who usually wielded considerable influence immediately grabbed their tools and rushed to the construction site without a word.
Li Jianguo was the fastest runner, grabbing the measuring tape that Zhang Pangzi had put down, cursing as he said, "Fatty, don't be lazy, you're in charge of moving those bricks over there!"
Su Qing watched the group's retreating figures and shook her head. "If the outside world knew that several bosses with a combined net worth of over 100 billion were scrambling to move bricks here for a few cornbread buns, the Changxiang City stock market would crash tomorrow."
Wang Minyu picked up the earthenware pot and poured the boiled medicine into a bowl.
The medicine was pitch black and had a strong bitter smell.
This is Coptis chinensis and donkey-hide gelatin soup, with the addition of Polygala tenuifolia and Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa.
It is specifically used to treat insomnia caused by excessive heart fire and yin deficiency.
These people overuse their brains for years, causing their heart fire to fail to descend and their kidney water to fail to ascend, resulting in an imbalance of water and fire.
"The stock market's performance is none of my business." Wang Minyu, carrying the bowl of medicine, walked towards the thatched hut. "I'm only concerned about their treatment fees for today. Fifty thousand yuan per person, not a penny less."
The next afternoon.
A black Mercedes-Maybach was parked in front of the wooden gate of the "primitive tribe".
Two people got out of the car.
The man walking in front was in his thirties, dressed in a sharp suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and with his hair neatly combed.
He is Zhao Kai, the executive vice president of Shen Wanshan's company.
Half a step behind was the company's chief lawyer, carrying a thick bag of documents.
Zhao Kai stood in front of the wooden door, his brows furrowed in a frown.
The wooden door was surrounded by overgrown wasteland, and the air was filled with the smell of fermenting pig manure.
"Is this the location?" Zhao Kai asked the lawyer.
"The last known location of Mr. Shen's private cell phone signal was this enclosed area in the backyard of 'Renxin Pharmacy'," the lawyer said, adjusting his glasses. "I have already reported this to the local police. If illegal detention is confirmed, we will take legal action."
Zhao Kai raised his hand and knocked on the door.
The force was great, and the wooden door made a dull thud.
The door wasn't locked, and it opened slightly ajar after he knocked.
The two went inside.
The sight that came into view made Zhao Kai stop in his tracks.
Several men dressed in coarse linen clothes, covered in mud, were shirtless and mixing cement under the sun.
One of the men, with gray hair and wearing a straw hat, was carrying a 50-pound bag of cement and walking shakily toward the cement mixer.
Zhao Kai stared intently, his breath catching in his throat.
That bricklayer carrying cement was actually Shen Wanshan!
"President Shen!" Zhao Kai rushed forward and stopped Shen Wanshan.
Shen Wanshan was blocked by people who suddenly rushed out, and had no choice but to throw the cement bag on the ground.
Dust billowed up, making Zhao Kai cough.
"Who are you?" Shen Wanshan wiped the sweat from his face and asked irritably.
Zhao Kai was stunned.
Shen Wanshan's condition has changed drastically.
The sharp, calculating, and domineering aura of the past is gone, replaced by an impatience from having one's work rhythm interrupted.
"President Shen, it's me, Zhao Kai! Something terrible has happened to the company!" Zhao Kai spoke urgently and rapidly. "The investors for the intelligent computing center project in the south of the city have suddenly demanded two supplementary clauses be added to the performance-based agreement, completely changing the underlying logic! We need you to return immediately to take charge, create a closed-loop business system, and empower the team!"
As Shen Wanshan listened to this string of internet slang, his ears rang.
Those words that once thrilled him now sound as harsh as a chainsaw cutting wood.
"What kind of ability are you giving? What kind of closed loop are you talking about?" Shen Wanshan picked up the towel hanging around his neck to wipe his sweat. "Can't you see I'm laying the foundation? If the foundation isn't solid, the pigsty will collapse. That's the most basic logic."
Zhao Kai was completely dumbfounded.
A pigsty? A foundation? A tech tycoon worth billions is studying the foundation of a pigsty here?
"Mr. Shen, are you possessed?" Zhao Kai turned to look around, his gaze settling on Wang Minyu, who was sitting in a rocking chair drinking tea. "Are you in charge here? This is illegal detention! Suspected intentional assault! Attorney Zhang, take photos as evidence!"
The lawyer took out his phone and snapped a few photos.
Wang Minyu didn't even lift his eyelids, and blew on the floating tea leaves in the teacup.
"Who detained him?" Wang Minyu asked slowly. "The door is wide open. He can leave whenever he wants."
Zhao Kai pointed at Shen Wanshan's coarse cloth clothes: "Then what is this? Mind control? A cult?"
Guan Shan walked over carrying an iron hammer and slammed it into the ground.
The hammer struck the bluestone slab, sending sparks flying.
Zhao Kai was so frightened that he took two steps back.
"Speak more politely." Guan Shan stared at him. "These are high-end custom-made uniforms from our Renxin Life Experience Camp. They're made of pure handmade linen, breathable and sweat-wicking."
"Mr. Shen, let's go!" Zhao Kai grabbed Shen Wanshan's arm. "I've already contacted the best neurosurgeons and psychologists. I'll arrange a full medical check-up for you as soon as we get back to the company."
Shen Wanshan forcefully shook off Zhao Kai's hand.
The force was so great that Zhao Kai staggered and almost fell.
The heavy physical labor of the past few days has led to a qualitative leap in Shen Wanshan's physical fitness.
Traditional Chinese medicine says that "movement generates yang," meaning that muscle movement mobilizes the circulation of qi and blood throughout the body, making the originally weak body stronger.
"I'm not going anywhere." Shen Wanshan picked up the cement bag from the ground and slung it over his shoulder again. "That smart computing center project, if the investors want to add terms, let them go. The company won't die without this money. This bag of cement I have now, if the proportions are slightly wrong, this wall will be ruined. Don't bother me."
After saying that, he walked towards the blender without looking back.
Zhao Kai stood there, staring incredulously at Shen Wanshan's retreating figure.
The world is in complete chaos.
"Fine, Attorney Zhang," Zhao Kai gritted his teeth. "Call the police. Notify the media. I'm going to expose this charlatan's place completely!"
"Just name whatever you want." Wang Minyu placed the teacup on the small wooden table and stood up.
He walked up to Zhao Kai and looked him up and down.
Zhao Kai felt uncomfortable under his gaze and subconsciously straightened his back.
"Your name is Zhao Kai, right?" Wang Minyu pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. "You drink three cups of Americano every morning. You haven't slept before 2 a.m. every night. Your left-sided migraines are becoming more and more frequent. For the past week, everything I eat tastes bitter, like chewing wax, and I can't swallow it."
Zhao Kai's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and the legal rhetoric he had prepared got stuck in his throat.
All of these symptoms apply.
He had an MRI scan done at a private hospital the day before yesterday, and the report is still locked in his desk drawer.
"Liver qi stagnation transforms into fire, disturbing the sensory orifices, and the spleen and stomach are extremely weak." Wang Minyu put the notebook back in his pocket. "This is also the early stage of cyber psychosis. Staring at reports and calculating every day keeps your brain nerves under high pressure and tension. The body's protective mechanism has been activated, cutting off your taste nerves."
"Nonsense!" Attorney Zhang interjected, shoving his phone at the other person. "Do you even have a medical license? This is fraud!"
Wang Minyu ignored the camera and looked past Zhao Kai toward Shen Wanshan, who was walking over.
Shen Wanshan wiped his hands clean with the dirty towel around his neck and strode forward.
He pulled a crumpled piece of brown paper from his pocket; it was the kind of paper used to wrap Chinese medicine, and there were a few lines of writing on it.
He patted the toilet paper on Zhao Kai's chest.
"Take a look at this." Shen Wanshan spoke calmly, without uttering a single unnecessary word.
Zhao Kai looked down, saw the handwriting on the paper, and his pupils contracted sharply.
This turned out to be a handwritten agreement to terminate nominee shareholding and a notice of dismissal of senior executives.
The handwriting was strong and powerful, the terms were clear and rigorous, and even the calculation of the compensation was accurate to two decimal places, with absolutely no logical loopholes.
"Mr. Shen, what's wrong?" Zhao Kai's voice trembled, and he almost dropped his briefcase.
"That intelligent computing center project, that secret agreement you made with the investors, do you really think I didn't know?" Shen Wanshan sneered. "I relied too much on data models before, and you used massive amounts of garbage data to deceive me. These past few days, I've been shoveling manure and carrying bricks here, clearing my mind, and I see things much more clearly now. The game of capital only has a few underlying logics. You've crossed the line."
Zhao Kai's legs went weak, and he leaned against the door of the Maybach.
He had always thought that Shen Wanshan had been brainwashed by a cult, but now he realized that, setting aside the red tape and the interference of electronic devices, this business tycoon's intuition and judgment were frighteningly sharp.
"Go back and complete the handover. Attorney Zhang too." Shen Wanshan turned around, waved his hand, and said, "You're blocking my way from building the pigsty."
The Maybach fled in disarray. Before the dust it kicked up had even settled, the starry sky panel in Wang Minyu's mind lit up.
[Collecting highly pure emotions: A sudden enlightenment that breaks through illusions.]
[Emotional personification progress: 4/10.]
Wang Minyu tapped the rim of his teacup with satisfaction. "President Shen, the treatment is very effective. Today's extra time fee is 100,000. Su Qing, put it on the tab."
"I'll add two hundred thousand." Shen Wanshan walked back to the mud pit. "Get me a better shovel; this one's chipped."