004. Veteran Driver Zhang Zhi

Lin Shan was right.

At this moment, in a private room at the Lidu Club in Qiantang City, Zhang Zhi was holding a young woman in his arms. Zhang Zhi’s appearance was unmistakable: a prominent beer belly resembling a woman in the late stages of pregnancy, a face covered in fat, and tiny, yellow-bean-sized eyes. Because he always wore a smile, the squinting made his eyes look even smaller.

“Hey, A Shan, what’s up?” Zhang Zhi called out.

Lin Shan replied, “Old Zhang, I have two very powerful items I want you to take a look at. I’m thinking of selling them.”

Zhang Zhi’s hands wandered restlessly, drawing many disapproving glances, including a reprimand from the girl: “Brother, stop touching and sing for a while.”

Zhang Zhi chuckled and asked Lin Shan, “What kind of powerful stuff could you possibly have?”

Lin Shan remained cautious and said in a low voice, “It’s inconvenient to talk over the phone. Can you come to my place?”

Usually, when asking for a favor, one would take the initiative to visit. But Lin Shan’s items were like hot potatoes—too risky to carry around. So he had to ask Zhang Zhi to come over.

Hearing the seriousness in Lin Shan’s tone, the teasing look on Zhang Zhi’s face vanished instantly. He lowered his voice, “Alright... I’ve got some engagements now, but I can come to your place around one or two. Is that convenient? Your tigress of a wife isn’t too fond of me, you know.”

Lin Shan felt a pang in his heart but said, “It’s fine, very convenient. Just come over.”

Zhang Zhi agreed and hung up.

Lin Shan then took two tiger penises out of his inventory and placed them in the refrigerator's cold storage, waiting for the time to pass.

Until around two in the morning, just as Lin Shan was about to drift off, his phone rang. He answered, and Zhang Zhi’s voice came through: “A Shan, I’m here. Open the door.”

Lin Shan responded with a hum and got up to open the door.

A strong smell of alcohol hit him. Zhang Zhi peeked inside and asked, “Has your tigress gone to sleep?”

Zhang Wan had never liked Zhang Zhi, considering him a bad influence and strongly disapproved of their association. Lin Shan shook his head, “No, she moved out. We’re getting a divorce.”

Zhang Zhi opened his mouth in surprise, a look of pity on his face. “That’s really big news... A Shan, are you sure about this?”

Even though Zhang Zhi and Zhang Wan never got along, he wasn’t exactly happy to hear this news.

Lin Shan pulled Zhang Zhi inside, saying, “She and I are done for good. We’ll talk about her later. First, help me check something.”

Zhang Zhi nodded and teased, “Why so secretive? What kind of big deal are you dealing with?”

They went over to the refrigerator. Lin Shan opened the cold storage compartment, revealing two tiger penises lying on ice, fresh blood still dripping.

Zhang Zhi’s expression changed drastically, showing agility that belied his bulky frame. He slammed the cold storage shut, then looked around carefully, his drunkenness vanished.

He exhaled sharply and asked quietly, “Is anyone else home?”

Lin Shan replied, “Everyone’s out. It’s just you and me.”

Hearing this, Zhang Zhi crouched down and gently reopened the cold storage, examining the tiger penises closely.

“Wow, these are incredibly fresh—like they were just taken from a live tiger. Where did you get them?”

Zhang Zhi was amazed.

He had seen such items before but mostly dried and preserved. This was the first time he had seen such fresh specimens.

Lin Shan said, “I can’t really say how I got them, but Old Zhang, the source is absolutely clean.”

Zhang Zhi smiled and patted Lin Shan’s shoulder. “A Shan, there’s no such thing as a clean source for these things. What I mean is, your channels have to be safe.”

Lin Shan felt reassured and said firmly, “Don’t worry. The channels are definitely safe.”

Zhang Zhi nodded, closed the cold storage, invited Lin Shan to sit, then lit a cigarette. After frowning and thinking for a moment, he said, “Based on current market prices, you can get around 1.5 million for these.”

Lin Shan’s heart leapt at the figure. “A little lower is okay. I want to sell them as soon as possible. You know my situation.”

Zhang Zhi’s face darkened slightly. “How’s your godfather doing?”

Zhang Zhi and Lin Shan had grown up together, and it was customary in their region to have godfathers. Lin Jiabao was Zhang Zhi’s godfather.

Zhang Zhi’s parents passed away after he finished middle school. Lin Jiabao took care of the funeral arrangements for both boys. For many years after, Zhang Zhi spent New Year’s Eve dinners at the Lin family.

But ever since Lin Shan married Zhang Wan, their families had grown apart due to Zhang Wan’s dislike of Zhang Zhi.

Recently, after Lin Jiabao’s accident, Zhang Zhi came uninvited, giving 200,000 yuan and frequently visiting afterward.

Lin Shan said, “He’s stable for now. After chemotherapy, we’ll observe him a bit longer. If all goes well, he can be discharged and just needs regular checkups.”

“Good.”

Zhang Zhi glanced at the fridge. “I’ll get two insulated boxes later to take these away. I’ll contact a buyer right away. I know an older brother who’s very interested in these.”

After a pause, Zhang Zhi finally asked, “What... what’s going on between you and Zhang Wan?”

Lin Shan had kept this bottled up, unwilling to trouble his family with it. He knew only Zhang Zhi could help shoulder this burden. Taking a bottle of Xifeng liquor from the cabinet, he poured half a glass and drank it in one gulp, then recounted everything that had happened over the past few days.

Zhang Zhi’s face turned ashen. Clenching his fists, he swore, “Damn that bitch, she’s gone too far. How dare she do such a heartless thing? If Heaven won’t punish her, I will. Let’s deal with her right now!”

Zhang Zhi was clearly furious, his eyes fierce enough to chill Lin Shan’s heart. Lin Shan thought to himself, “Old Zhang’s life experience really is extensive.”

Lin Shan restrained Zhang Zhi’s hand clutching his phone and shook his head. “Old Zhang, the priority is my dad. We handle things one at a time. I won’t let those two scoundrels go.”

Zhang Zhi nodded repeatedly, taking deep breaths. “Right, right. First, take care of your godfather.”

He grabbed the bottle, poured himself a drink, and comforted, “A Shan, don’t be too upset. It’s good to see the truth now. If you’d waited a few more years, you’d have lost even more.”

“Being single isn’t so bad. Marriage is a gamble—the stakes are your dowry, your house, your car. The best outcome is spending life together, but in today’s world, too many lose the bet. I’m never getting married. When I can’t take care of myself anymore, I’ll just donate my money to children in the mountains and say goodbye to this world.”

“You just need to tidy yourself up a bit. Finding a young girl won’t be hard.”

They chatted nonsense about everything under the sun. One bottle of white liquor went down quickly, and Lin Shan’s mood lifted considerably.

After all, they were both thirty now. They controlled themselves and didn’t drink more, each going to sleep on their own.