Chapter 150: Xue Bing

Boss Qian and his expert team had vanished along with Yue Bai. There was no sign of them, no word, and even their phones remained out of service.

My heart grew restless. I couldn't fathom what game Boss Qian was playing; at times, I felt like digging three feet into the ground just to find him and land a few blows. Boss Qian's disappearance left me feeling isolated and helpless. If he were to truly part ways with me now, without the mineral water factory, all the problems at Laoyingzui would be laid bare.

Guo Wei's drunken talk made the core of his relocation plan clear to me: he actually intended to fund the construction of the new township government using the land acquisition compensation. This was no different from pulling chestnuts from the fire or snatching food from a tiger's mouth. The peasant brothers were the easiest to fool, yet the hardest to appease. This was my experience from over four years as a township official, and it held true everywhere. Guo Wei's plan was like a bomb, ready to detonate at any moment. The result of such an explosion wouldn't just be his own ruin; as the Township Head, I wouldn't be able to walk away unscathed either.

Only the mineral water factory could extinguish the fuse and defuse the bomb.

Boss Qian's disappearance left me feeling momentarily at a loss, with nothing to do. Every day, I would tuck my hands behind my back, go to the oil press factory, and chat with the old men, young men, and the wives and daughters who came to press oil.

Old Ning from the Land Office brought the red-line map of the Laoyingzui Village land acquisition for me to see, with Zhao Dequan trailing behind him, looking at me with eager eyes, repeating only one thing: "When will we get the money?"

"Get the hell out with your money," I cursed inwardly. "All you know is asking for money. Don't you know my finance office can't even scrape together a single cent!"

Zhao Dequan ignored my displeasure, abandoned Old Ning like a vengeful spirit, and followed right at my heels.

I was annoyed, but I couldn't lose my temper, so I coaxed him, "Village Chief Zhao, go back first. The money will come."

"Township Head Chen, give me a firm date." He looked at me pitifully.

"There is no firm date. It will come when it's time. Waiting here won't solve anything," I said, comforting him, "This land was acquired by the government; they won't welsh on your debt. Have you ever seen the government welsh on the common people?"

Zhao Dequan chuckled, rubbed his head, and said, "If this were a few decades ago, Township Head Chen, I'd believe you. But now... I don't dare to."

I scolded, "You have a pig's brain. No matter the dynasty or era, the land will always be in your Laoyingzui Village. Are you afraid the land will fly away?"

"The land won't fly away," he said with a silly grin, "I'm afraid the money will fly away."

"Fly away, your head!" I was exasperated. When you encounter a village official like this, even the greatest talent would be driven to distraction. "How could it fly?"

"Simple," Zhao Dequan held up a finger, "A single Director Hao from your office could wipe out my entire Laoyingzui Village. The common people don't fight with officials. I'm not fighting; I'm just here to ask for the money."

I had no choice but to take him to Pan Xiaoqin's small restaurant, order a plate of pig's head meat, a plate of peanuts, and a bottle of Yuntou Daqu, and sit face-to-face, ready to start drinking.

In war, you must know how to maneuver. When dealing with peasant brothers, the best method is to invite them for a drink. Once they've had a drink, those who eat will feel soft-mouthed, and they won't have the face to pester you anymore. Peasant brothers are particular; propriety, justice, integrity, and shame are their most basic moral bottom lines.

"I won't drink," Zhao Dequan looked at me with a grin, "Township Head Chen, once I drink this, I'll have to obediently roll back to Laoyingzui."

"No one is asking you to leave," I said, coaxing him, "Eating and drinking is human nature. You, Village Chief Zhao, came to the township government; it's only natural for me, a Township Head, to treat you to a drink."

"Don't harm me," he said, shifting his bottom, though his eyes remained fixed on the fragrant pig's head meat.

"Zhao Dequan, you're a village chief, yet your heart is like an old woman's, full of tricks," I teased him, "Will you die from eating and drinking?"

"I will die," he rolled his eyes cunningly, "If I don't get the money, the people of Laoyingzui will curse me to death or beat me to death."

I was helpless, so I had to lift my own glass, tilt my head back to down a shot of strong liquor, pick up a piece of pig's head meat, throw it into my mouth, and chew away with a smack, not even looking at him.

Zhao Dequan wasn't embarrassed at all. He watched me eat the meat very seriously, poured himself a glass of water, fished a handful of roasted soybeans from his pocket, and started chewing them with a crunch.

I remained calm, ignoring him and letting him chew his soybeans.

After three glasses, Zhao Dequan finally couldn't sit still anymore. He licked his face and asked me, "Township Head Chen, give me a firm date, and I'll roll away immediately."

"Whether you roll or not is none of my business," I said, "You don't trust the government, so what firm date can I give you?"

"Just give me any date, so I can go back and report," Zhao Dequan returned to his pitiful look.

"Drink and eat meat first," I said, "I won't let you die."

Zhao Dequan hesitated, looked at the glass in front of him a few times, and finally picked it up, tilted his neck, and poured it in.

I wanted to laugh. Zhao Dequan, you cunning old fox, can you really escape my hunting rifle? After nearly a bottle of liquor, Zhao Dequan's tongue grew thick. He actually leaned across the table, patted my shoulder, and said, "Township Head Chen, don't worry. I, Zhao Dequan, will risk my life to ensure that the township government's land acquisition doesn't have a single error. I'm a revolutionary cadre, after all."

I smiled and said, "Dequan, as long as you understand. As a cadre, your awareness should be higher than that of ordinary commoners."

The pig's head meat, peanuts, and a bottle of Yuntou Daqu all ended up in our stomachs. I stood up, preparing to send away the plague god. Watching Zhao Dequan walk away, swaying, I slumped onto the stool and looked at a colorful female dog outside the door, following a dark yellow male dog, wagging its tail to fawn over him. The two dogs nuzzled each other for a moment, then the male dog suddenly leaped up, mounted the female dog from behind, extended its long weapon, and began to make love in the public square.

I stared at the two dogs, my eyes stinging. Then, the cell phone at my waist rang.

The call was from Sister Xiao Mei, saying that a woman who called herself Xue Bing had gone to Secretary He's house.

I was startled, pressed the phone to my ear, and asked nervously, "Sister Xiao Mei, what is she doing there?"

Sister Xiao Mei said softly, "She didn't say. She said she was looking for Secretary He." She lowered her voice and whispered, "She said she was your wife."

"Is that so?" I deliberately feigned surprise, "She is a music teacher at our township middle school. Maybe she has something to discuss with my uncle."

"Your uncle went away on a business trip for a meeting. He's been gone for a few days," Sister Xiao Mei said, "I'm just asking you. If she really is your wife, then she's a relative. I must treat her well."

I said, "Treat her well, Sister Xiao Mei."

After hanging up, my heart was a tangled mess. Xue Bing going to Uncle He Zhi's house had no prior warning. She hadn't even revealed a single word to me, not even a hint or a gesture.

Xue Bing was ambitious; I understood that. She was the first college student among her relatives, the first to eat the state's grain, a teacher at a township middle school. In her family, all the glory was on her. She was once the pride, the example for others to learn from, the living example for the next generation of Suxi Township. Now, her cousin Xi Meizhu had been in the city for three years, and her cousin Jin Ling had also taken her child to work in the city. Although they were still peasants, they had at least washed their feet and come ashore. Being a peasant didn't stop them from enjoying the life of city dwellers. And she, although she ate the imperial grain, still lived among a group of peasants, living the life of a peasant.

I suddenly began to suspect: did Xue Bing fall in love with me in the first place because I had the status of a city dweller?

As soon as this thought emerged, I quickly denied it. Xue Bing couldn't be such a vulgar woman. Her shy, delicate smiles were lovely; a woman with such shyness wouldn't harbor anything dirty!

All our affection surfaced. Our love, which had been as clear as water, was now covered in a shadow after she went to my uncle's house. This shadow covered the sky and the sun in my heart, knotting into a heavy fist that pounded my heart, causing me to ache so much I could barely breathe.

Pan Xiaoqin saw my troubled expression and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

I truly had no one else to confide in, so I said, "Xue Bing went to my uncle's house."

"I know," Pan Xiaoqin wasn't surprised at all, "She wants to live in the city; she's been thinking about it until she's almost crazy."

"Is life in the city really that different?" I muttered to myself.

"It is different. High-class people live in the city, while we peasants should live in the countryside, smelling cow dung and horse manure every day. Even our flesh is dark and dull; how can we dare to compare with the oily, smooth, and delicate skin of city people?" Pan Xiaoqin's mouth was becoming increasingly sharp and biting, to the point where I felt as if a shrewd woman was standing before me, and I could no longer see the innocent, fresh little girl from Gude Village. ===== CHAPTER 151 =====