Chapter 269 Yielding
“Huo Renli, I am Jiang Zunyi. Who did you say is sick?”
An old, angry voice came from the other end of the phone.
“Uh, Executive Jiang, sorry, I didn’t know it was you. What did you want to instruct me by calling?”
Huo Renli changed his expression, smiled to apologize instantly, and took out his handkerchief to wipe off the cold sweat on his forehead, for he never expected the call of the old executive.
If Executive Jiang were only an executive, he, a doctorate graduate returning from overseas, would not treat him as someone important. After all, he would have a promising future no matter which hospital he joined.
But since he also knew the executive was the brother of the National Vice-Minister of Health, he had to put his tail between his legs and flattered him deliberately. If he offended the old executive, he would no place to stay at in the entire Celestial Empire.
“Instruct? I do not dare to instruct the ‘world-famous’ great man.”
Furious, Executive Jiang spoke sarcastically.
“Hehe, Executive Jiang, don’t be angry. I was not in a good mood, and I did not recognize your voice. Just ignore my fault, and don’t take my stinky mouth seriously.”
Huo Renli smiled drily twice, showed a flattery face, and apologized repetitively.
“Hey, it seems you know you have a stinky mouth. Huo Renli, aren’t you f*cking sick? How did that Ding Ning bother you? Why did you trouble him without a reason?”
Executive Jiang was furious, roaring, “Our hospital cannot keep a great Western god like you. Tomorrow, you should submit your resignation letter.”
Executive Jiang was amiable, but he started shouting. Huo Renli was shocked, saying with a pale face.
“Old executive, what on earth is wrong? I just retorted him on the internet. Should it be the reason to fire me?”
“Retorted? Hehe, Huo Renli, I think you’ve become stupid after staying overseas for too long. You don’t even have the most basic political acumen. Ding Ning’s thesis was published on a national periodical. Don’t you know what it means?”
“It means… It means the country supports traditional Chinese medicine.”
A bolt of lightning flashed across Huo Renli’s mind. He turned pale, lay on the chair without strength, and mumbled, “Over, over!”
“You also know it is over?”
As he found Huo hadn’t lived up to his expectations, Executive Jiang roared angrily, “I once thought a medical doctorate graduate like you must be an able man, and hiring you to work at our hospital can benefit the people of the Celestial Empire. You usually look haughty and like to speak sarcastically. That’s not a big problem, but I never thought you would dare to speak against traditional culture publicly on the internet. The Ministry of Health called me, but I did not take it seriously, wishing to have a chat with you tomorrow morning. However, now the National Security Bureau has found me, suspecting you are a spy our foreign opponent sent. They want to investigate you carefully. You wait for their investigation.”
“Old executive, you must save me. I am not a spy. Besides that, aren’t there other people resorting on the internet apart from me? Why did they only spot me?”
Huo Renli even lost his souls, was scared to cry, and begged in tears.
“You don’t know why? You sought the limelight most, acted most energetically, spoke most terribly, broke proper sense most, and others followed you to shout. Who else should have been spotted?”
Executive Jiang roared with remained anger.
“I, I was wrong. What should I do now? Old executive, you should help me.”
Huo Renli trembled all over, begging with panic.
“Alas!”
Executive Jiang took a long sigh and said a little softly, “Anyway, you are still one of our staff, and I should vouch for you once shamelessly with my old face, and let the National Security Bureau withdraw its investigation of you. But you have to show your attitude, and then I can defend you more easily. Otherwise, no one can save you.”
“Okay, old executive, I agree. I will do as you say. As long as the National Security Bureau doesn’t arrest me, I can do whatever you ask me to do.”
Huo Renli was surprisingly happy, all his chief physician’s reserved air was gone, and he replied instantly.
“First, formally apologize to Ding Ning on the internet. Be sincere. Second, don’t use the foreign style! Be prudent. The Celestial Empire is a country of free speech, but you have to hold your tongue on a few sensitive topics. Third, change your idea. Don’t think you are better than others on everything as an overseas returnee. Remember, this is the Celestial Empire, not a Western country. Always remember you are a man of the Celestial Empire. Don’t forget your origin. Can you do that?”
Executive Jiang spoke seriously.
“Yes, I can; I apologize to Ding Ning now.”
At this moment, Huo Renli couldn’t care about losing face. Thinking about an institution like the National Security Bureau, he would have those brutal scenes that spies were interrogated in some movies in his mind. They made him shudder.
He was not actually a spy, but he had done too many bad things in his life. If tortured by the National Security Bureau, he was likely to even reveal the bed-wetting fact when he was young.
“Then, do it quickly, and try to get Ding Ning’s forgiveness and get rid of the negative influence. If this is done, I can help you more easily by using my relationships. I hope you don’t disappoint me.”
Executive Jiang spoke sincerely.
“Thank you, thank you, old executive, I won’t disappoint you.”
Huo Renli felt hope after desperation, extending his great gratitude.
After hanging up, he did not dare to postpone and announced a statement immediately. He said he drank too much and talked nonsense, traditional Chinese medicine was the treasure of the Celestial Empire and the precious gem left by the ancestors. Being a man of the Celestial Empire, he should not forget the blessing of the ancestors anytime. He was bound to promote traditional Chinese medicine and made all his efforts to expand the traditional culture of the Celestial Empire.
He also formally apologized to Ding Ning and all the compatriots of the Celestial Empire, begging Ding Ning’s forgiveness.
The situation changed so dramatically that everyone was confused, especially the western medicine professionals, who sent him messages with an @, asking if he was drunk or feverish, and why he talked nonsense?
A few others who knew him called him directly, asking what was going on and if there were any dark secrets.
Huo Renli did not dare to utter a word and righteously said he was drunk and had been loving his motherland and traditional Chinese medicine. Or, he would have been living overseas. Why did he return to the country? It was because he finished his studies and returned to make contributions to his motherland.
Those who did not know him were nearly moved by him, but those who knew him pursed their lips silently against him. “Make contributions to the country? In your friend circle on the internet, everyone knew you bedded a gang head’s woman, could not make a living there, and escaped back to the motherland. A cheater!”
Helplessly, they worked with all their strength but could not overturn Huo Renli’s words. Finally, they had to give up.
Huo Renli wished to talk about his suffering, but he did not dare because he did not know if the National Security Bureau was watching him.
In a courtyard in Yan Jing, two men in their forties and fifties sat opposite each other, drinking. After hanging up, Jiang Zunyi smiled proudly to Minister Jiang, Jiang Kairong, who was picking up his ears to listen beside him. “Done!”
Minister Jiang laughed and gave him the thumbs up. “Brother, your solution is smart. You even used the great influence of the National Security Bureau. This time, thank you very much.”
“Alas, I had no other ways. Huo Renli was indeed professional in neurology, but he was haughty and thought he was only second to God. If you were not my brother as the deputy minister, he would also look down up me. I wanted to teach him a lesson a long time ago, but I haven’t found an opportunity. I was afraid he would leave if I did so.”
Executive Jiang shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said, “Nowadays, all the hospitals compete fiercely, and you cannot easily let talented people stay. I also need to thank you for giving me such an opportunity. I can let him stay and have also taught him a lesson.”
Minister Jiang frowned and sighed helplessly. “I saw his words online. Not only did Ding Ning himself feel gloomy, but I was also angry. I even wished to shoot such people. The internet is the product of social progress, bringing convenience to information transmission, advertising, commercial events, public opinion guidance, government acceptance of mass supervision, shopping, and so on. At the same time, it is also a double-edged sword. The internet violence coming with it also does so much harm to the people. If we allow such utterly irresponsible words to guide the public opinion, it will largely smear the image of our country. If he were not a doctor from your hospital, I would have decided to arrest him to teach him a lesson.”
Executive Jiang was shocked. “Is that so serious?”
“That is so serious. Think about it. Now the international society is so complicated. All the people know the destruction of the Third World War would bring to humans, and so every country is trying to hold themselves. Large-scale wars won’t happen easily, but battles in small areas have never stopped. Under such circumstances, cultural invasion and economic invasion have become the main invasion means. The harm of economic invasion is unnecessary for me to mention. Let’s talk about the cultural invasion, which, to some extent, is even more scaring than economic invasion.”
Minister Jiang felt depressed and said, “In ancient times, ancestors of our Celestial Empire already realized the scaring harm of cultural invasion. In our history, some really smart emperors had taken such measures, such as Zhaojun leaving her motherland to marry a Xiongnu leader, and Princess Wencheng marrying Songtsen Gampo of the Tubo Period. Through marriage with the ethnic minorities, advanced technologies such as farming, smelting, textile, construction, liquor making, pottery making, calendar, medicine, handicraft manufacturing, and others were spread. Thus, our Celestial Empire’s culture was spread, making the ethnic minorities learn the Han rituals. Finally, they were assimilated. But now, our great Celestial Empire bears the same invasion of the Western culture, but unfortunately, so many of our people haven’t seen it through. We have to say this is an extremely big irony and sadness.”
Executive Jiang agreed deeply and said, “I am a Western medicine doctor, but I am also deeply attached to traditional medicine. Seeing the decline of traditional Chinese medicine, I also feel the pain, but I cannot say anything more. After all, Western medicine came in with ferocious waves and has been approved by most of our citizens. People don’t care about traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine. In their eyes, they will approve whatever medicine that can get rid of their diseases and they don’t have to suffer. We have to admit that Western medicine is now deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and has occupied more than half of the entire medical sector. It is a good thing for the country to support traditional Chinese medicine, but it is still not that easy to change our people’s ideas. The recovery of traditional Chinese medicine still has a long way to go.
“The recovery of traditional medicine is just one aspect, and we shall not forget calligraphy, seal cutting, Celestial Empire knots, Jing Opera masks, shadow play, martial arts, peach blossom fans, cloisonne, jade carving, tea, etc. There are so many things to discover. Spreading the culture of our Celestial Empire worldwide is also a new measure of our government. After undergoing long, chaotic warring periods and entering the time of peace, if the Celestial Empire wants to rise at high speed and get approved by the international society, it will need to have its own featured culture. If we have the determination and work hard all the time, I believe our Celestial Empire will stand on the peak of the world again sooner or later.”
Minister Jiang spoke sonorously.