Chapter 124: Running for Township Head (3)

Chen Meng drove a brand-new off-road Jeep, bringing Huang Weiwei to Suxi Township at lightning speed. Also arriving with the car was Officer Zhou from the County Committee Propaganda Department.

I received the call and rushed to Guo Wei's office. They were talking and laughing. Seeing me, Guo Wei pointed to Chen Meng and introduced her, saying, "The great reporter Chen from the City Daily is here to interview our township. You must receive her seriously; there can't be any mistakes."

I nodded and bowed. Guo Wei obviously didn't know I already knew Chen Meng. After he finished introducing Chen Meng, he introduced me to her, saying, "Our township's Party committee member in charge of propaganda, Chen Feng. You two share the same surname, Chen; you can't write the character 'Chen' in two different ways, so five hundred years ago, you were one family. Reporter Chen, all matters regarding the interview will be coordinated by him. If there are any problems, you can come directly to me."

Chen Meng thanked him repeatedly, saying, "Five hundred years ago we were one family, and now five hundred years later, we are still one family."

Guo Wei paused upon hearing this and then beamed, "Indeed."

Chen Meng winked at me quietly and said with a smile, "Sorry to trouble you, Secretary Guo. This interview really does need Secretary Guo's strong support. Of course, if there are difficulties, I will definitely come to you, Secretary. As for this little cadre Chen, he'll just have to be our follower for a while."

Guo Wei also laughed and said, "I wonder what aspects you are mainly here to interview in our Suxi Township, Reporter Chen?"

Chen Meng curled her lips and said with a faint smile, "The leaders of the City Women's Federation asked me to come for an interview, so I should naturally report according to their requirements."

Guo Wei nodded repeatedly, looking at Huang Weiwei, his expression seeming somewhat disappointed. He knew very well that the reporter was invited by Huang Weiwei, but instead of interviewing Huang Qishan, she came to his Suxi Township—heaven knows why.

The officer from the County Committee Propaganda Department had urgent business and had to return first. He entrusted Guo Wei to take good care of Reporter Chen's life and work, saying that Secretary Guan and County Magistrate Liu both attached great importance to the interview activity. The City Daily was the mouthpiece of the Municipal Committee and the highest-level propaganda position in the city. They should be brave enough to accept questioning and inspection from public opinion and propaganda departments, dare to show their weak points, and not cover up their achievements.

The point of this statement was actually the last sentence: do not cover up achievements. It meant that if there were achievements, they should be publicized; if there were no achievements, they should be created and then publicized, and the results of the publicity should be infinitely expanded. It meant portraying the last place in Central Province to be electrified as a glorious achievement of the Party and government in the new era.

Once the propaganda officer left, Guo Wei pulled us all to go to Laoyingzui.

Two cars were parked side by side in the township government courtyard. Compared to Chen Meng's car, Guo Wei's car looked like a swan and an ugly duckling. Chen Meng's car was tall and mighty, its white body showing luxury and nobility. Guo Wei's small yellow car looked like a toad, its grass-green body appearing short and wretched.

Just as I was about to climb into Guo Wei's car, Chen Meng said that since there were only four of us, we might as well ride in her car. Guo Wei firmly refused, saying that although his car wasn't very good, it was a symbol of Suxi Township. He joked, "Let's just ride separately. Chen Feng will ride in Reporter Chen's car, and Weiwei will ride in mine. This will let our township cadres experience the comfort of a high-end car, and let you city leaders appreciate the style of our township's official car."

Huang Weiwei was still hesitating, but Chen Meng had already readily agreed. Ignoring them, she told me to get in the car, started it, and drove off.

Along the way, Chen Meng basically didn't speak. I stole a glance at her profile, which was as calm as marble. I wanted to open my mouth, but thought better of it and gave up.

The so-called "leadership route" Huang Weiwei mentioned on the phone, I figured, was to use Chen Meng's advantage in the *Daily* to write an article about me using the *Daily* as a platform. At the time, I thought, if the *Daily* came to the township for an interview, would Guo Wei give up this opportunity? Who didn't know that a report in the *Daily* could decide a person's political future? Guo Wei kept saying I would coordinate it, but he himself dropped all his work and took the lead; couldn't one see he cared a lot?

I also wondered if he saw Huang Weiwei come and wanted to use this opportunity to communicate well. Originally, they were together doing social education, and everyone knew Guo Wei was pursuing Huang Weiwei, either openly or secretly. Who knew that as soon as social education ended, it was the unremarkable Huang Qishan who entered the Minister's house, and later Huang Qishan suddenly parachuted into Chunshan County as the Youth League Committee Secretary. He then concluded that Huang Weiwei must be in a relationship with Huang Qishan, so he stopped looking for Huang Weiwei and cursed Huang Qishan's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

Suddenly one day, he was called to serve as the Suxi Township Party Committee Secretary, and he realized that Huang Weiwei hadn't forgotten him, and perhaps his previous thoughts were all illusions. He hated himself for his poor judgment, and the only thing he was glad about was that he hadn't made things public and clear.

After Guo Wei became Secretary, he returned to the city several times and looked for Huang Weiwei. He had been looking for an opportunity to confess to Huang Weiwei, but every time he saw her, he found her attitude was neither cold nor hot, and she didn't even give him a chance to confess, which made him hold a grudge in his heart. Sometimes he even wondered if Huang Qishan had confessed first?

Guo Wei wasn't old, but he had seen countless people. From his observation of Huang Qishan's actions, he could conclude that Huang Weiwei hadn't accepted either of them yet. This thought kept the fire of hope in Guo Wei's heart burning brightly.

When the car arrived at Laoyingzui, Chen Meng opened the door and jumped out. The mountain wind blew the scarf on her chest, making her look charming and graceful.

After waiting for a while, Guo Wei's car arrived. As soon as he got out, he sighed, "It really is a foreign car; even at full speed, I couldn't see its tail."

Chen Meng patted the car body and said, "This car is also borrowed. Except for the President's car, which is an imported car, we reporters usually go out in a Santana. This car belongs to a boss. Hearing that I was coming to Suxi Township for an interview, he specially lent it to me, saying the roads in Suxi Township are bad and a Santana would scrape the chassis."

Guo Wei pointed to the road behind him and said, "The outside world has demonized our Suxi Township. They think we are still living in a primitive society. Reporter Chen, look at this road; except for not being paved with asphalt, how is it worse than a concrete road?"

Chen Meng smiled, "An original ecological road."

After some small talk, Huang Weiwei said, "Secretary Guo, why did you bring us to this place? To blow in the north wind?"

Guo Wei said unhurriedly, "Weiwei, there is naturally a reason for me to bring you to this place." He pointed to the towering mountains in the distance and said, "A highway will be built here soon. Laoyingzui is the only place in Suxi Township that has a connection to the highway."

Seeing our confusion, he paused and said, "Building a road requires land acquisition, and land acquisition requires compensation. If the compensation money is converted into another form, perhaps there will be unexpected gains."

My heart stirred. Could Guo Wei's idea be the same as mine? My original plan was for the highway to have an opening at Laoyingzui and build a toll station. That way, cars from surrounding townships, and even neighboring counties, would have to pass through our Suxi Township to get on the highway. Once the transportation was developed, the economy would go up.

Guo Wei didn't continue. He pointed to the surrounding mountains and said, "If I move the township government here and let the passing cars see the Suxi Township sign, wouldn't Suxi Township become world-famous from then on?"

He was still thinking about moving the site and hadn't thought about the highway opening.

Chen Meng had no interest in his grand plan. She held a camera and looked around, finally stopping at a grave on the hillside. Looking at the paper streamers fluttering on the grave, she turned her head and asked me, "Does Suxi Township also worship graves during the New Year?"

I shook my head, my heart spasming. That was Zhao Deliang's grave. A man nicknamed "Big Bull" who could beat a tiger to death was now lying on the desolate, grassy mountain for almost a year. Life is like a dream, and life and death are unpredictable!

"Look at those streamers, they are still new." Chen Meng stared at them with interest and changed the camera lens to take a few pictures.

"A grave is a person, and a person is a story. Perhaps there are many wonderful stories in this grave." She sighed, put down the camera, took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and took a beautiful puff.

"He is a martyr," Guo Wei said. "A martyr who built this road."

"I've seen the TV news," Chen Meng said coldly. "Our *Daily* also had reporters interview him, but I feel he didn't write the true story."

Guo Wei smiled and said, "Is Reporter Chen interested?"

Chen Meng smiled faintly and said, "As a reporter, one has the nature of seeking the truth of events."

Guo Wei pointed to me and said, "Little Chen knows this best. If you ask him, he knows everything."

Chen Meng tilted her head and looked at me, "Really?"

I smiled awkwardly and said, "When this road was built, Secretary Guo hadn't taken office yet. I was the township government secretary at the time, in charge of the road construction at Laoyingzui."

Chen Meng's interest increased a lot, and she pursued me, "You have to tell me properly; perhaps the hero's image can be even greater."

I smiled noncommittally and glanced at Huang Weiwei. She had her back to us, looking at the deep mountains, saying nothing.

Guo Wei's phone rang. He opened it and said apologetically to me, "Chen Feng, I have to go to the county. You must take good care of Reporter Chen. Stay in the county tonight; the conditions in the township are not good."

He turned to Huang Weiwei and said, "Weiwei, let's go back to the county first. Reporter Chen is interviewing here, and we can't help. Let's get together tonight."

Huang Weiwei refused him, "I'll stay here and accompany Chen Meng."

Chen Meng didn't appreciate her kindness and waved her hand, "You go. It's cold here. Later, Chen Feng and I are going to the village to interview a few people. He is familiar with the situation here and can help."

Huang Weiwei bit her lip, opened Guo Wei's car door in a huff, and got in. I wanted to say a few words to her, but seeing she had no intention of speaking, I had to shut my mouth and watch them drive away.

After their car turned around the mountain and disappeared, Chen Meng giggled and said, "Chen Feng, you really know how to pretend."

I looked at her inexplicably. She said, "Just now when Guo Wei introduced us, why didn't you say we knew each other?"

I said, "Is it necessary?"

She smiled reservedly, "You stinky brat, I don't know what Weiwei saw in you that she insisted on me writing a report about you. Tell me, what's your purpose?"

I smiled bitterly, "Reporter Chen, don't talk nonsense. Huang Weiwei and I don't even count as colleagues. What could she see in me? At most, she thinks I've worked in Suxi Township for over four years and am worthy of her respect."

Chen Meng said aggressively, "There are as many cadres working in the countryside as there are hairs on an ox. Where are you different?"

I smiled and said, "Reporter Chen, perhaps if you have more contact with me, you will find that I have places that are different from others."

"Call me Chen Meng, or just call me Sister Meng. Always calling me Reporter this, Reporter that, it sounds awkward," she corrected me.

I said, "Aren't you a reporter?"

She said seriously, "In front of others, of course I am a reporter. But we are acquaintances, aren't we? It sounds better to call me by my name."

I couldn't dwell on this title anymore and said, "Should we go back to the township government first, or go to Laoyingzui Village to take a look?"

"Let's go to the village first."

She took the lead and stepped off the highway, walking toward the village, one step at a time. ===== CHAPTER 125 =====