Chapter 627: Chapter 598: Unintended Consequences
Fu Guomin instructed Fan Lidada to take the initiative. Reluctantly, Fan Lidada had no choice but to brace himself and go. He chose the Jiangdu Cultural and Tourism Bureau. First, because it’s a brother city within the province, and second, among the seven cities visiting, their tourism revenue was believed to be the closest to Jiangdu’s—at least so they thought, when in reality, Jiangdu’s tourism revenue was more than double theirs.
Upon hearing that Dongzhou wanted to sign a cooperative agreement with them, Qi Hongyan immediately smiled and said, "There’s no need for that. Our two cities are too close, both being brother cities within the same province. We should unite against external competition."
Although her words were polite, the underlying implication was a refusal. Such cooperation requires matched partners, and since both sides were not on the same level of development, what benefits would they gain from collaborating with you?
Fan Lidada hit a brick wall, but he couldn’t ignore the task assigned by his superior. After all, both he and Xu Chunliang were handpicked to attend the meeting. Xu Chunliang performed exceptionally well, highlighting Fan Lidada’s shortcomings. He even got into trouble during a restroom break and was ultimately bailed out by Xu Chunliang.
Fan Lidada decided to look for a less challenging target—the Jizhou Cultural and Tourism Bureau. Previously, he had contacted their Director Jiao Wenju several times regarding the Weishan Lake National Tourism Resort, and since they were both working on the same project with Weishan Lake as a common theme, signing a cooperative agreement seemed a natural course of action.
He found Jiao Wenju with a wine glass in hand, noticing that he was already trying to get close to the Chang’an Cultural and Tourism Bureau. Fan Lidada could only wait patiently until it was his turn. After a couple of drinks with Jiao Wenju, he proposed the idea of signing a cooperative agreement.
Jiao Wenju shook his head, telling Fan Lidada that Jizhou sought cooperative partners who complemented them. In this regard, Dongzhou held no advantage, as Jizhou possessed everything Dongzhou had, while Dongzhou lacked what Jizhou had.
Fan Lidada always knew Dongzhou’s tourism presence was weak, but he never imagined it was this weak. Relationships between cities are much like interpersonal relationships; people tend to ignore the poor on the roadside, while the wealthy in remote areas can still attract relatives.
Within a short period, Fan Lidada truly experienced the fickleness of human relationships. Crestfallen, he returned to the table, and without waiting for Fu Guomin to ask, he got up to use the restroom again, unable to hold it any longer.
During this business trip, Fu Guomin realized Fan Lidada’s capabilities were lacking; besides drinking, he seemed inept at anything else. Xu Chunliang was outstanding in contrast, underscoring the idea that you really can’t compare people.
Fu Guomin contemplated that Dongzhou’s cultural tourism still had a long way to go. Returning from this trip, they must do something substantial.
At that moment, a leader from the Zhongyuan Province Cultural and Tourism Bureau approached, looking for Xing Wenhua for a drink. Accompanying him was Shi Yongqiang, the principal of the Shaolin Martial Arts School, who actively sought out Xu Chunliang.
Shi Yongqiang had witnessed Xu Chunliang’s performance from the stage today and, as an expert, could immediately tell that Xu Chunliang’s martial skills surpassed those of several so-called masters.
Being a secular disciple, Shi Yongqiang wasn’t bound by strict monastic rules, so he drank a couple of glasses with Xu Chunliang and said, "In the past, I heard that Dongzhou’s martial arts circle is full of hidden talents, and today I finally got to see it for myself."
Xu Chunliang smiled, "I can’t represent Dongzhou’s martial arts circle, at most just Dongzhou’s cultural tourism."
Shi Yongqiang replied, "Culture and sports are inseparable; we usually have the most contact with the provincial cultural and tourism bureau."
Xu Chunliang thought to himself that the ticket revenue from just the Shaolin Temple alone exceeded that of all of Dongzhou’s city-wide ticket sales.
At this point, the principal of the Wudang Taoist College, Li Xueyi, also arrived. He wasn’t here for Dongzhou’s tourism but was impressed by Xu Chunliang’s performance today, which spurred the idea of forming a connection.
They are all key industries for local tourism; upon their arrival, the local cultural and tourism bureau leaders also came. Shi Yongqiang actively suggested enhancing connections with Dongzhou’s martial arts circle. The Zhongzhou City Cultural and Tourism Bureau Director, listening nearby, immediately said, "Our two cities’ cultural and tourism sectors can collaborate too. How about signing a cooperative agreement?"
Fu Guomin was overjoyed; Zhongzhou was the provincial capital of Zhongyuan Province and ranked half a tier higher than them. How could he possibly disagree? Once Zhongzhou expressed interest, the Yunyang Cultural and Tourism Bureau also wanted to sign an agreement, proposing that several martial arts hometowns sign a cooperative agreement to promote cultural and tourism development through martial arts exchanges.
As the saying goes, "the flowers one intentionally plants do not blossom, but the willows inadvertently planted produce shade."
Initially, Dongzhou’s cultural and tourism bureau was disdained by even its provincial brother city, but in the end, thanks to Xu Chunliang’s displayed skills, the scenario changed, and they signed a cultural and tourism cooperative agreement with seven cities renowned for martial arts.
Xing Wenhua was also pleased with Dongzhou’s cultural and tourism achievements, considering he also contributed to today’s performance.
Upon hearing that Dongzhou’s cultural and tourism bureau signed with seven cooperative partners, Nanjiang Cultural and Tourism Bureau Director Yang Jianwu commented sourly, "It’s not a cultural tourism partnership; it’s clearly a martial tourism partnership."
Xing Wenhua replied, "Xiaoyang, that’s not right. As long as it can revitalize local culture and tourism, does it matter whether they connect through culture or martial arts?"
Through this meeting, he discovered a lack of unity among the provincial cultural and tourism units, especially a clear discrimination against cities north of the river. This is a very negative trend. Xing Wenhua decided to address this upon his return, aiming to enhance internal unity and dismantle regional barriers. Only this way could they promote the entire Pinghai’s cultural and tourism development.
Fan Lidada’s frequent urination symptoms became increasingly severe, visiting the restroom six times during the banquet and suffering greatly. Considering the next day’s plans to observe local cultural and tourism conditions—a collective outing, essentially—Fan Lidada asked Fu Guomin for leave, intending to visit a local hospital as he couldn’t endure the discomfort any longer.
Upon hearing about his condition, Fu Guomin couldn’t help but remind him, why not consult Xu Chunliang? Xu Chunliang was a descendant of Huichun Hall, possessing family-taught knowledge and quite a few effective remedies.
The reason Fu Guomin dared to recommend him was due to his personal experience; Xu Chunliang’s medical skills were truly impressive, having cured his endocrine disorder.
Fan Lidada, with a tentative mindset, knocked on Xu Chunliang’s door that night.
Xiaomeng was watching TV, and Xu Chunliang was in the bathroom taking a shower.
In the presence of Xiaomeng, Fan Lidada couldn’t say much. This guy was a bit of a blabbermouth, and if he found out, everyone at the tourism bureau might know soon enough. Fan Lidada really didn’t know how Fu Guomin could use him as a driver, planning to remind him that a leader’s driver must keep things confidential.
After Xu Chunliang came out, Fan Lidada suggested going for a walk.
Xu Chunliang originally didn’t plan to go out, but he didn’t want to refuse Fan Lidada’s offer, so after they went out, Fan Lidada changed his mind: "How about we chat in my room?"
Xu Chunliang noticed his hesitation and smiled, "Brother Fan, just say what you have to say."
Fan Lidada, considering this involved his privacy, awkwardly said, "Let’s talk in the room."
Xu Chunliang followed him into the room. Fan Lidada closed the door and went to the bathroom first, before finally revealing his embarrassing problem to Xu Chunliang.
Xu Chunliang said, "How long has this been going on?"
Fan Lidada said, "It only started during this conference. I guess it’s either acclimatization issues or a kidney problem."
Xu Chunliang thought it might not be an acclimatization issue, and took Fan Lidada’s pulse first. His pulse was floating at the heart, normal elsewhere, sinking at the heart and floating at the intestines, indicating a deficiency of intestinal qi.
Xu Chunliang said, "This isn’t related to the kidneys; it’s due to a decline in small intestine function. The small intestine, located below the stomach, separates clear from turbid. Water gets absorbed here, and waste expelled. A malfunction in this separation leads to urination issues, resulting in frequent urination and pain."
Fan Lidada, hearing this clear explanation, gained some confidence in Xu Chunliang’s medical skills and asked, "Do you think this condition can be cured?"
Xu Chunliang said, "It will be fine with a few doses of traditional Chinese medicine. I’ll have my grandfather write you a prescription later."
Fan Lidada quickly thanked him, but soon couldn’t hold it any longer and went to the bathroom again.
Seeing that he had gone to the bathroom twice within this short period, Xu Chunliang could understand his suffering. Over the past few days, Fan Lidada’s eyes had dark circles from sleeplessness, and, combined with having been beaten up before, he was clearly in a bad state.
After coming out, Fan Lidada said with a bitter face, "Brother, taking medicine is too slow. I haven’t been able to sleep these days, and the frequent urination is getting worse. I can’t get anything done. Is there a quicker solution?"
Xu Chunliang said, "There is another way: acupuncture."
Fan Lidada said, "Great! Can you give me acupuncture?"
Xu Chunliang said, "I know acupuncture, but I don’t have a medical license. Are you sure you want me to do it?"
Fan Lidada said, "We’re brothers; there should be no hesitation. I completely trust you. Just go ahead, and I won’t blame you no matter what happens."
Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "You don’t need to be afraid. I assure you, once I start, it will surely be cured. But I have one condition: you must keep this a secret. You can’t tell anyone that I treated you."
Fan Lidada nodded repeatedly. As long as his frequent urination could be cured, he would surely keep his mouth shut. Moreover, since this condition involved personal privacy, he wished to keep it confidential.
Generally, the acupuncture treatment for frequent urination involves local point selection and distant point selection.
Although Fan Lidada’s symptoms were severe, the condition itself wasn’t serious. Xu Chunliang decided to use local point selection to alleviate his symptoms first.
For local point selection, he focused on the lower abdomen and the lumbar-sacral area.
The lower abdomen typically uses points like Zhongji, Shuidao, Guanyuan, and Qi Sea, transmitting the needle sensation to the urethra to relieve urinary tract irritation.
For the lumbar-sacral area, he chose points like Baliao, Shenshu, Dachangshu, and Xiaochangshu. In modern traditional Chinese medicine, these areas are often stimulated with electroacupuncture, which uses microcurrent waves. Xu Chunliang used his inner strength for stimulation, which was gentler and more effective than electric waves.
