Chapter 149

The three of us men sat in the Suxi Township cafeteria, each harboring ulterior motives and calculating against each other, all for the sake of that rare flower, Huang Weiwei.

Everyone knows that as long as you become the son-in-law of the Huang family, your official career will soar like a rocket.

Huang Weiwei is a beauty, but the beauty is not important; what is important is that she has a father who is the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department Minister! What's more fatal is that she hasn't flatly rejected any one of us.

Her ambiguity makes everyone feel that they have hope. In the face of an official career, no matter how arrogant a man is, he will put down his self-esteem and will do everything, using any means to achieve his goal.

Moreover, having Huang Weiwei is an eternal beautiful thing of having both the country and the beauty, having both fish and bear's paw.

Being an official is the highest ideal of Chinese men! A man can be without money, but he must have an official position. Official position and money are two twin brothers; if you have money, you can become a bigger official, and if you have an official position, you can make more money. If you have neither an official position nor money, you should honestly be a commoner, waiting for the wheels of fate to ruthlessly crush you, and finally turn into a cup of yellow earth, returning to dust.

What is an official? An official is power! Power is what men love most. When a man has power, he has money, beauties, and countless flattery; he has endless glory and wealth, and the spiritual satisfaction of bringing honor to his ancestors.

I boredly watched Guo Wei and Huang Qishan drinking. These two men were both holding a fire in their hearts, both wanting to let their own raging fire destroy the other. But they were both intellectuals; intellectuals have many schemes, disdain using their bodies to duel, and couldn't think of a better way, so they had to use alcohol to numb themselves and eliminate others.

Huang Qishan's ability to drink was not on the same level as Guo Wei's; this was something very clear back when we were doing social education. Therefore, when Guo Wei said he wanted to have a drink, his heart felt timid and his ankles cramped. But he couldn't show weakness to this man who was riding high in front of him—fighting with others is a joy! Although the level of drinking ability couldn't be brought to the table, for them, even a small failure could mean losing the beauty's heart.

A bottle of Yuntou Daqu soon hit the bottom. Huang Qishan swayed his body and shouted at me with a thick tongue, "Chen Feng, you're not enough of a brother."

I patted his back and said, "Brother Qishan, how do you say that?"

Huang Qishan stared and said, "You are not enough of a brother." He pointed at me and Guo Wei and said, "On your turf, right? Bullying me."

Guo Wei calmly poured the last drop of wine from the bottle into his cup, raised it, and shook it at Huang Qishan, saying, "Look at me, I've drunk four more cups than you."

Huang Qishan stared at Guo Wei with hazy eyes, then suddenly tilted his head, fell onto the table, and fell asleep.

I supported him, fearing he would fall to the ground, and shouted for Old Wang from the cafeteria to call a few township cadres to help. Guo Wei stood up and looked at Huang Qishan with contempt.

A few township cadres scrambled to carry Huang Qishan to the room specially used by the township government to receive VIPs, and asked me if there were any other instructions. After waving them away, I leaned against the head of another bed and pulled out a cigarette to light it.

The sleeping Huang Qishan muttered in his sleep, and I clearly heard him calling for Huang Weiwei.

My heart stirred, and I took out my phone and dialed Huang Weiwei's cell phone.

She was very excited on the phone, happily asking me why I thought of calling her, saying she was accompanying her aunt out on business.

I said calmly, "Huang Qishan is here with me; he's drunk."

She seemed to roll her eyes at me on the phone and said, "Why is he drunk? Does it have anything to do with me?"

I said, "It doesn't have anything to do with you; he was drinking with Guo Wei and got drunk."

"Why were the two of them drinking?"

I suddenly chuckled and said, "Isn't it because of you?"

"What does it have to do with me?"

"You know in your heart," I said. "Two men drinking, if it's not fighting for breath, it's fighting for their lives. Besides women, what else could make a man not even want his life?"

"Why didn't you fight?" Her voice sounded a bit disappointed.

"Fight with me? Neither of them is a match," I said, laughing and joking. I almost trampled on her will through the microphone, saying, "I won't drink for a woman."

She didn't speak, and her heavy breathing came through the microphone. After a long time, she almost shouted, "Chen Feng, why don't you go die!"

I hurriedly hung up the phone; provoking a woman is the most dangerous thing.

Her call came in, and I pressed it, only to hear her sobbing into the microphone. I didn't dare to make a sound, pressed the microphone tightly against my ear, and listened to her sobbing in a flustered state.

"Why don't you speak?" she asked me. "Was what you just said the truth?"

I said softly, "I was just joking."

"Is that how you joke?" She stopped sobbing and said, "Unrelated people drink for me, but the man who is related treats it as a joke."

I had no choice but to say, "Precisely because we are related, I feel there is absolutely no need to drink with unrelated people."

She clearly broke into a smile through her tears and said into the microphone, "My aunt is here; do you want to talk to her?"

Before I could speak, my aunt's scolding came through the microphone: "Little Feng, you heartless thing, why did you make Weiwei cry?"

I defended myself, "She likes to cry; what does it have to do with me?"

"You little rascal, women are meant to be loved, not teased. If you make her cry again, watch out, I won't spare you. Hanging up." My aunt hung up the phone without allowing any argument, leaving me staring blankly at the busy signal winding around me.

"Who are you talking to on the phone?" Huang Qishan propped himself up, the saliva flowing from the corner of his mouth making one feel a sense of comedy.

I was startled and said hurriedly, "You're awake?"

"I wasn't drunk at all." Huang Qishan leaned his body against the head of the bed, asked me for a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, coughing violently from the smoke.

"Still hiding it from me?" He looked at me with disdain and said, "I heard it all."

I said with a grin, "What did you hear?"

"You kid, you're brilliant!" He gave me a thumbs up and sighed, "Guo Wei is smart for a lifetime but foolish for a moment. He still treats me as an opponent. He didn't expect that you are the oriole."

I hurriedly said, "I'm not an oriole; at most, I'm a chicken. I can't fly to the top of the branch and can't become a phoenix."

Huang Qishan threw away the cigarette and said, "I just can't figure it out. You, Chen Feng, are almost full of all five poisons—smoking, drinking, and falling in love. How did Weiwei take a fancy to you?"

My face tightened, and I said, "Secretary Huang, food can be eaten indiscriminately, but words cannot be spoken indiscriminately."

He suddenly giggled and said, "Why are you nervous? Don't you know what kind of person I, Huang Qishan, am? Rest assured, I will absolutely not betray a friend. However," he exhorted me, "handle it properly."

I understood what he meant and had no choice but to smile at him gratefully. My smile must have been evil and despicable; I could feel it myself.

"Chen Feng, don't think you've hidden yourself well. Who in Chunshan County doesn't know you have an uncle who is the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee? Everyone just doesn't say it and pretends to be stupid. Some things are easier to handle if they aren't broken than if they are."

I looked at him, not understanding.

He smiled faintly and said, "I won't hide it from you. Coming to your township today was just to get an answer."

"What answer do you want?"

"I already have the answer." He got up to get out of bed, took two steps, but finally felt lightheaded, so he had to fall back onto the bed, helplessly patting his forehead and saying, "I really am drunk."

"Secretary Huang, you rest for a while; I'll go find someone to get you some cold water." I said, opened the door and went out. Standing in the corridor, I saw a large crowd gathered around Guo Wei's office, talking noisily.

Standing outside the crowd was Liu Hongyan, who was now dressed in a police uniform.

I walked over and saw clearly that the group of people was Zhao Dequan and the others. I was startled—could it be that they were making trouble for the land requisition funds again?

Zhao Dequan saw me and said with surprise, "Township Head Chen, you've made us look for you for a while."

I said indifferently, "Village Head Zhao, what are you doing again?"

Zhao Dequan's face turned red, and he waved his hand, saying, "This time it has nothing to do with me, Township Head Chen." He pointed at the circle of people and said, "Ask Officer Liu; this matter is troublesome."

Liu Hongyan saw my inquiring gaze, smiled faintly, and said, "The children born beyond the quota in Laoyingzui Village don't have household registrations. Now that the money is being distributed, those without household registrations can't get a share, so they've made a scene at the township government."

"What did Secretary Guo say?" I asked, preparing to go to Guo Wei's office.

"The door hasn't even been opened, so what could he say?" Someone among the villagers said indignantly, "Cadres are just good."

"Is there a policy for this?" I asked Liu Hongyan.

"Yes," she said, "but it needs approval from the County Bureau."

"Handle it according to policy," I said, preparing to leave.

"Township Head Chen, this matter can't be solved like this." Zhao Dequan pulled me and said, "If they don't get household registrations, I'm afraid other things won't be easy to handle."

This guy is using the land requisition matter to threaten me. I understand that if the household registration problem isn't solved well, the Laoyingzui land requisition will be a joke. Even if an immortal descends to earth, he still has to ask about the land; with just my township government, could I really lock them all in jail?

"Exactly," the villagers clamored, "If a child is born without a household registration, you government might as well expel the children to the United States."

His words caused a burst of laughter.

I laughed along and said, "Giving birth to children is to carry on the family line; even overseas Chinese recognize their ancestors and return to their roots. If you are willing to expel your children to the United States, your ancestors wouldn't be happy."

The others fell silent. I said, "The township government will definitely find a way to solve your problem. Everyone go back first; I will give you an answer within a week."

As a township head, I made such a promise, and the villagers naturally believed it deeply, scattering in a swarm.

Liu Hongyan followed them and was about to leave, so I called her and said, "Let's go to my office and chat."