After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

When Ye Cheng received the notification that someone was looking for him, he was on the east slope with a few young men splitting stones.

He handed the hammer to Ye Zhu, wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, and walked down the gravel slope.

A slightly worn 212 Jeep was parked in front of the shed. The door was open, and a middle-aged man in a gray jacket was standing next to the car smoking. A young man was with him, carrying two net bags containing canned goods and malted milk powder.

Ye Cheng walked up to him and looked him up and down.

"You were looking for me?"

The middle-aged man stubbed out his cigarette and held out his hand.

"Boss Ye, my surname is Zhou, and I work at the Fangzhuang Quarry. I've heard a lot about you and have always wanted to pay you a visit."

Ye Cheng didn't reach out; he simply wiped the stone powder off his hands on his trouser leg.

"I don't know you. What do you want?"

Zhou Defa smiled, not minding at all, and withdrew his hand.

"I heard that Mr. Ye's business has recently run into some difficulties. The settlement funds have been frozen, and the workers' wages cannot be paid."

Ye Cheng's expression darkened.

How did you know about this?

"Those in this line of work are well-informed." Zhou Defa pointed to the jeep next to him. "Boss Ye, shall we find a place to sit down and chat for a bit? I didn't come empty-handed."

He told the young man to put the two nets on the stone platform in the shed.

Ye Cheng glanced at it but didn't touch it.

"Say what you have to say here."

Zhou Defa stopped laughing, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed it over.

Ye Cheng waved his hand.

"I don't smoke."

Zhou Defa lit one for himself and took a puff.

"Mr. Ye, I won't beat around the bush. I'm in the stone business, and I've been doing it for over ten years. I've taken on projects in the city and county. I've seen samples of the granite in your yard, and the quality is quite good."

Ye Cheng did not respond.

Zhou Defa continued.

"I've also learned something about your supply of stones to the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital. It's related to the intervention center building, a project of the provincial construction company, a major project."

Ye Cheng's eyes turned cold.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Zhou Defa flicked his cigarette ash and lowered his voice by half.

"Mr. Ye, let me be frank with you. I've heard of your sister, Dr. Ye Zhen's, reputation in Beicheng; she's an extraordinary person. But as you know, there's a lot of talk about her outside right now."

Ye Cheng slowly clenched his fist at his side.

"What are you spreading?"

Zhou Defa sighed.

"Sigh, some people are saying that your sister abused her power to give the engineering stone supply contract to her own family. They're saying things like she took kickbacks and used connections. I won't comment on whether these words are nice or not, but they're spreading more and more widely, and that's the truth."

Ye Cheng's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his lips tightened.

"That's all nonsense. My stones were selected based on quality, and I have all the required inspection reports."

"I believe you." Zhou Defa nodded. "I've checked the quality of your stone. The hardness meets the standard, and the moisture content is acceptable. There's no problem. But whether you believe it or not, Boss Ye, is not important. What's important is whether those people outside believe it."

He stubbed out his cigarette and took a step forward.

"Think about it, why did the General Hospital freeze your settlement payment? It's because someone reported that there was a conflict of interest between you and your sister. The audit took three months, and during those three months, your name and your sister's name were linked together. The rumors outside grew stronger every day. The more you refused to pay and continued to send stones to the construction site, the more people suspected something was amiss, and that you and your sister were determined to get your hands on this lucrative business."

Ye Cheng's face paled for a moment.

Looking at his expression, Zhou Defa felt reassured and his tone became more sincere.

"Boss Ye, I'm not telling you this to cause trouble. I genuinely believe that what you're doing is not good for your sister."

Ye Cheng's voice became hoarse.

"What do you mean?"

Zhou Defa sat down on the stone platform in the material shed and patted the spot next to him.

Ye Cheng didn't sit down; he stood there and looked at him.

Zhou Defa didn't press the matter and continued talking to himself.

"Boss Ye, have you considered what would happen if you withdrew voluntarily?"

Ye Cheng frowned.

"Quit?"

"Yes, you voluntarily terminated the contract with the provincial construction company, giving up this supply contract. Once you backed out, the reason for the audit no longer exists, and the freeze order is naturally lifted. Those rumors outside have no basis and naturally dissipate. Your sister's reputation is preserved, and the intervention center building can be built by another supplier without any delays."

Ye Cheng stared at him.

"You make it sound so easy. If I back out, who will provide the stones?"

Zhou Defa shrugged.

"Well, my factory is closer to Beicheng, so my shipping costs are lower than yours, and my production capacity is sufficient. I'm not here to steal your business, Boss Ye; I'm here to give you some advice."

He stood up and dusted off his pants.

"Think about it, how many people has your sister saved in Beicheng, how many great things has she done? Her future can't be ruined by a few truckloads of stones. As her brother, you can't just stand by and watch her be talked about behind her back, can you?"

Ye Cheng stood at the entrance of the feed shed without saying a word.

Seeing that he remained silent, Zhou Defa added another sentence.

"Boss Ye, I won't rush you. Go back and think it over carefully, and contact me anytime you've made up your mind."

He took a business card out of his pocket and handed it over.

Ye Cheng did not answer.

Zhou Defa placed the business card on the stone platform and patted the two net bags.

"Keep these things for the workers to nourish themselves. I'm leaving now."

He got the young man into the jeep, started the engine, and drove off along the dirt road.

The dust that was kicked up lingered in the air for a while before settling down.

Ye Cheng stood alone in front of the material shed, watching the car disappear around the bend in the mountain road, his expression changing layer by layer.

Ma Zhigang jogged over from the other side of the bridge.

"Brother Cheng, who is it? We've been chatting for ages."

Ye Cheng did not turn around.

"A stone seller."

Ma Zhigang glanced at the canned goods and malted milk powder on the table, then looked at Ye Cheng's expression.

"Brother Cheng, are you alright?"

Ye Cheng bent down, picked up the hammer from the ground, and slung it over his shoulder.

"It's alright. Get back to work."

He took two steps, then stopped and turned to look at the business card on the table.

A gust of wind blew, lifting the corner of the business card before it fell back down.

Ye Cheng stood there for a few seconds, then turned and walked towards the east slope.

Ma Zhigang squatted at the entrance of the material shed, picked up the business card, and flipped through it.

Fangzhuang Quarry, Zhou Defa.

He frowned, put the business card in his pocket, and quickly followed Ye Cheng.

"Brother Cheng, is that guy trying to steal our business?"

Ye Cheng walked silently, his head down.

Ma Zhigang asked another question.

"Brother Cheng?"

Ye Cheng paused for a moment.

He said, "It's better for Zhenzhen if I step aside."

Ma Zhigang opened his mouth.

"He's talking nonsense."

Ye Cheng didn't say anything and continued walking up the slope.

The hammer handle bumped against his shoulder, so he switched shoulders to carry it.

He heard Ye Zhu calling his name from Dongpo.

"Brother Cheng, this rock is too hard, we can't split it."

Ye Cheng quickened his pace.

"They're here."

He walked up to the rock, swung the sledgehammer, and smashed it down, cracking the rock.

He struck again with the hammer, and the crack widened.

With the third hammer blow, the stone broke in two, the cross-section as clean as if it had been cut with a knife.

Ye Zhu cheered from the side.

"Brother Cheng, how come you're so strong today?"

Ye Cheng slammed the hammer on the ground, took a couple of breaths, and looked up at the hazy sky over the other side of the mountain.

He ignored Ye Zhu's words, bent down, moved the broken stones to the side and stacked them neatly, then picked up the hammer and aimed it at the next stone.

In the direction of the material shed, Ma Zhigang stood on the bridgehead, reaching into his pocket to feel the business card, then into another pocket to feel the slip of paper with Gu Zheng's phone number written on it.