Chapter 164

Having laid out the plan for the Secretary and the County Magistrate, I knew that Deng Hanyu's days ahead wouldn't be easy.

At this critical juncture, Guan Peishan wouldn't let Deng Hanyu run wild. When he mentioned the Martyrs Cemetery to me, I understood that there was a hurdle lying in his heart. This hurdle might become his Waterloo, or it might be a great fire that would burn him to a crisp.

The Martyrs Cemetery was a piece of geomantic treasure land in Chunshan County, backed by mountains and facing water, with lush trees. The few soldiers who had been laid to rest there long ago now had grass growing on their graves. In the late seventies, the county specifically built a wall and established a management committee, which was a full-funding unit at the section level.

Discovering a treasure land requires vision!

After Guan Peishan became Secretary, he proposed several times at the Standing Committee meeting to abolish the management committee, arguing that since the whole country's economy was now one chessboard, having a dedicated unit to guard a few dead people was not worth the loss and did not conform to the needs of reform and development. Guan Peishan's proposal was echoed by some, but Liu Qimeng firmly disagreed. Chunshan County had only this one place to pay tribute to the martyrs; if the management committee were abolished, the next step would be grave leveling and development. By then, this place where the martyrs rested might become a residential building or a bustling shopping mall.

The two were deadlocked, which also led to resentment. The result was that the management committee institution was preserved, but it existed in name only.

Later, a boss from Guangdong opened a sauna at the county reception house. One day, drunk, he wandered there with a heavily made-up woman and his eyes lit up. Guangdong people believe in geomancy, and this piece of land looked like a treasure land for making money. So he tried every means to find Guan Peishan, sent a golden Buddha, and wanted to use this land for real estate. Guan Peishan knew that this proposal wouldn't pass the Standing Committee, so he accepted the golden Buddha with a smile but took no action. The boss knew clearly that a golden Buddha wasn't enough to get this land; it wasn't realistic. He then took advantage of Secretary Guan's mother's birthday to send a big red envelope of 100,000 yuan. Guan Peishan still accepted it with a smile, but still took no action.

The Guangdong boss was anxious. The money had been sent, but the matter hadn't been accomplished; he was restless. He simply visited late at night and reached an agreement with Guan Peishan: Secretary Guan would hold a 30% stake in dry shares.

Once there were shares, it became his own business! Guan Peishan knew that if this matter were taken to the Standing Committee for discussion, the outcome would definitely be bad. He simply bypassed Liu Qimeng, directly instructed the Land Bureau and the Planning Bureau to quietly handle the procedures. By the time Liu Qimeng discovered this, the foundation had already been laid, and a magnificent sales department had already opened for business at the county reception house.

Liu Qimeng was filled with resentment. He went to see it quietly once and found that the few martyrs' graves were still there, but next to them, machines were roaring and work was in full swing.

Later, Secretary He Zhi came to Chunshan County to inspect. During the banquet, he mentioned wanting to go to the Martyrs Cemetery. Liu Qimeng was happy to death, but Guan Peishan was cunning and finally prevented He Zhi from going. From then on, it became an unsolved case, hanging in mid-air.

Guan Peishan's mention of the Martyrs Cemetery reminded me of Zhu Shizhen.

Coming out of the County Committee compound, I called a three-wheeled motorcycle and went to the Martyrs Cemetery to find him.

Zhu Shizhen didn't expect me to come to see him, and he was so happy his eyes crinkled into slits. After laughing, he plopped down on a chair, pointed to a row of buildings outside the window, and said, "Little Brother, I just haven't figured it out. These people now, they can live well even as neighbors with ghosts."

I smiled and said, "Director Zhu, what era is this? You still care about that? Besides, we Communists are all materialists; we don't believe in idealism, so how would we know if there are ghosts or gods?"

Zhu Shizhen pointed to his own heart and said, "There are some here."

He pointed to the top of his head and said solemnly, "Three feet above one's head, there are gods!"

I laughed and asked, "You've been promoted, are you doing well?"

As soon as Zhu Shizhen heard this, his brows knitted in worry. He sighed and said, "Who doesn't know that the Martyrs Cemetery is a fire pit? Whoever jumps in dies first."

"But you jumped in."

"I had no choice. When the leader tells you to jump, do you dare not jump?"

"It's not necessarily a fire pit, is it?" I asked, puzzled.

"Just wait and see, see how your older brother dies," Zhu Shizhen pulled out a cigarette and threw one to me, saying, "When the time comes, I'll still have to ask Little Brother to help me provide proof."

I looked at the cigarette in my hand, the blue-boxed "Furong Wang," and smiled, "Director Zhu has upgraded his equipment now."

Zhu Shizhen smiled bitterly and said, "It was a gift. Others get benefits, what does it matter if I smoke a few cigarettes?"

He pointed again to the buildings outside and said, "That dead Cantonese doesn't care about me at all. To him, I'm not even worth dog shit as a management office director. He only knows that there is only one Guan Peishan in Chunshan County."

I didn't know what else he would say. At this sensitive moment, my best approach was to pretend I knew nothing and didn't want to know anything.

So I stood up to say goodbye, determined to leave.

Zhu Shizhen tried to persuade me to stay, but seeing my firm attitude, he had to see me out. Standing at the door of the low management office, looking at the row of buildings not far away, he felt empty inside, imagining which window of those buildings would reveal the lights of Guan Peishan's home.

Walking along the street for a while, I took out my phone and called Guo Wei to tell him I was going back to Hengyue City.

Guo Wei readily agreed and urged me to bring his greetings to my father.

After hanging up his call, I called Huang Qishan to say I was going to Hengyue City and wouldn't be eating together tonight.

Huang Qishan cursed on the phone, "You have so many problems. Running to Hengyue City every three days, aren't you afraid Guo Wei will talk about you?"

I smiled and said, "If you, Secretary Huang, don't talk about me, what could Secretary Guo possibly say?"

These words were extremely pleasing to Huang Qishan. He shouted, "Remember to call me when you get back, we must have a meal together. The brothers haven't gathered for a long time."

I promised him and boarded the bus.

My return to Hengyue City this time was like the Japanese devils entering the village quietly.

As soon as I got off the bus, I headed straight for the Municipal Committee family compound. I went to my cousin-in-law He Zhi's house; I had to add insurance for the investor Qian Youyu. In case Guan Peishan and Liu Qimeng couldn't handle it, I would ask my cousin-in-law He Zhi to step in directly.

When Sister Xiao Mei opened the door and saw it was me, her face blossomed into a smile. She grabbed my hand and said repeatedly, "You're back, you're back."

I looked at her hand and said, "Sister Xiao Mei, I didn't know you were so strong."

Sister Xiao Mei blushed, hurriedly let go of my hand, and turned to go into the house.

I plopped down on the sofa and asked, "Sister Xiao Mei, is my uncle home?"

"He went to the county, he'll be back tonight."

"Is my uncle's health okay?"

"He's doing great, he could kill a tiger." As soon as the words left her mouth, she probably felt it was inappropriate, so she hurriedly stopped and laughed sheepishly, "He's really doing well, he's healthy. A few days ago, the Municipal Committee organized a physical examination, and all his indicators were good."

She brought a physical examination report and handed it to me, saying coyly, "If Secretary He's health were bad, it would mean we nannies didn't do our job well. If we don't do well, we'll lose our jobs. You don't want your sister to lose her job, do you?"

I smiled and said, "Absolutely not. In this world, only my Sister Xiao Mei can serve the leader well. If it were someone else, I wouldn't even agree to it."

Sister Xiao Mei's face blossomed into a smile, and she twisted her body, saying, "Tell me, what do you want to eat? Sister will make it for you."

I looked at her flower-like smile and teased her, "Anything is fine. Looking at the beautiful Sister Xiao Mei, even drinking a cup of water will feel especially sweet."

"Smooth talker!" she laughed and scolded, "You can just drink water then."

I swept a glance at her round buttocks and upright chest, my eyes skimming over her slender waist and stopping on her smooth face, saying, "As long as you're willing, I'll drink the water."

Sister Xiao Mei clearly saw my ill-intentioned gaze. She suddenly became shy, turned to the side, and said, "How about I stew some chicken soup?"

I nodded with a smile, and she jumped away like a little deer; she didn't look like a woman who had given birth at all.

"You've had a hard journey, go take a shower first. By the time you're done, the chicken soup will be ready," Sister Xiao Mei shouted to me from the kitchen.

I said loudly, "What should I wash with? I won't wash."

She came out of the kitchen wearing an apron and said softly, "During the New Year, I bought a set of pajamas for my husband, but that dead farmer refused to wear them. They're still new, you wear them."

"Is that okay?" I said. "You bought them for your husband, how can I be embarrassed to wear them?"

"That farmer wouldn't know how to wear pajamas! Sister is giving them to you."

She turned and went into her room. A moment later, she came out holding a brand-new set of pajamas, with a brand-new towel on top. She pointed to the bathroom door and said, "Go wash in my bathroom. Secretary He's is upstairs, it's not convenient."

I had no choice but to take the clothes and push the door open. My head went "boom"—in front of me hung Sister Xiao Mei's colorful underwear, flaunting themselves at me. A faint, fragrant scent permeated the air, immediately enveloping me.

I stood there blankly for a while, then turned on the faucet and let the warm water flow over my body. Opening my eyes, I saw a pair of delicate triangular panties fluttering like a flag in front of me, and a bra, softly squeezed together. My heart stirred, and I reached out to touch the bra secretly, as if holding a warm, moist breast. My mind swayed, and I almost couldn't control myself.