Chapter 165

It is twelve o'clock at night, and my cousin-in-law has yet to return home. Xiao Chun'er is curled up lazily on the sofa, clutching a soft pillow, yawning incessantly.

I am watching a live broadcast of a football match on TV with great interest; the constantly shifting camera angles make me feel as if I am right there on the pitch. Occasionally, the camera cuts to the stands, revealing exotic foreign women of all kinds.

"I'm going to sleep first, is that alright?" Xiao Chun'er finally reaches her limit and asks me.

"Not waiting for my uncle?"

"I've waited before. Secretary Guan has scolded me a few times, telling me to rest on time and not to worry about him," Xiao Chun'er says weakly. She tugs at the hem of her shirt, puts down the legs she had curled up on the sofa, and steps onto the wool carpet, wanting to get up.

"Town Mayor Chen, you should rest in the guest room tonight." She points to a room next to hers and says, "Oh, a while back, your girlfriend slept here."

I shift my gaze from the TV and look at her in surprise, not understanding what she means.

"Teacher Xue, your girlfriend. Secretary Guan knows her; they had such a pleasant conversation," Xiao Chun'er says thoughtfully. "Secretary Guan rarely smiles, but that day, he was smiling the whole time."

I give an "oh" and turn my head back to the TV.

Xiao Chun'er doesn't leave after all; she leans over and asks me, "Hey, your girlfriend is really beautiful, and she's a teacher too. Tell me, how did you manage to get her?"

I interpret Xiao Chun'er's bluntness as her natural essence; otherwise, had someone else used such a tone and language, I would have scoffed at it.

"Your choice of words is inappropriate," I say, giving her a sidelong glance.

Xiao Chun'er blushes and says with a giggle, "I only finished middle school, so I can't say things nicely. Are you offended?"

I pretend to be annoyed and say, "Of course! What do you mean by 'manage to get her'?"

Xiao Chun'er bursts into laughter, her body shaking, and says, "That's just how we say it in our local dialect."

"You are now a nanny for the family of a Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee; how can you speak in local dialect? A nanny's quality reflects the cultivation of her employer," I say, lecturing her with a smug air.

Xiao Chun'er fidgets and says in a low voice, "You are absolutely right. Secretary Guan often tells me to study, too. Look, he even gave me a few books. I've read them, but I've returned most of the characters to my teacher—they recognize me, but I don't recognize them."

My anger turns to laughter, and I say, "That is the consequence of not reading. Look, a young, beautiful woman who doesn't read or know characters is like a hollow bamboo; no matter how tall and straight it grows, it cannot be made into furniture."

Teased by me, Xiao Chun'er's face turns red and then pale, and she turns away, ignoring me. I steal a glance and see a line of bright red bra peeking out between the buttons of her shirt, set against her smooth, snow-white skin like a red fox running across a snowy field.

Seeing she is angry, I change my tone and say, "Xiao Chun'er, I was just joking. Did you take it seriously? Besides, bamboo can be made into furniture. Things made of bamboo are handicrafts, and they are ten thousand times better than ordinary furniture."

Xiao Chun'er turns her face back and says softly, "What you said is also the truth. Secretary Guan said I should go to the TV university at night to study. He helped me sign up for a class, and I can even get a junior college diploma after I graduate."

"That's great, that's a wonderful thing," I say. "What era is this? An era where diplomas are everything. What is a diploma? It's a stepping stone. If a person wants to enter the hall, they must first knock on the door. Between knocking with a finger and knocking with a brick, which makes a bigger sound? Besides, Xiao Chun'er, you are young and beautiful; do you really want to be a nanny for the rest of your life?"

"I just want to be a nanny for the rest of my life and serve Secretary Guan. How wonderful that would be." Xiao Chun'er becomes dejected. "I heard that nannies like us, assigned by the Municipal Affairs Bureau, usually only have a three-year service term. After three years, I don't even know where I'll go to find a meal."

"That's why my uncle told you to study; he must have his own plans," I say, leaning back on the sofa and looking at the beautiful glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"But I really don't want to study." Xiao Chun'er is so anxious she is almost crying, and she says with infinite envy, "You are all so amazing, reading so many books. Teacher Xue even studied singing; she must sing just like the female stars on TV."

"You haven't heard her, how do you know?"

"I'm guessing." Xiao Chun'er turns her head and says mysteriously, "Otherwise, why would she ask Secretary Guan to transfer her job?"

"Transfer to what job?" I ask in surprise.

"You don't know?" She looks at me, shakes her head in disbelief, and says, "Impossible, right? I even thought you were the one who arranged it."

"My uncle agreed?"

"No." Xiao Chun'er says indignantly, "I just don't know what Secretary Guan is thinking. If he wanted to transfer Teacher Xue's job, it would just be a matter of a phone call. But he just won't agree, saying that he is a leader of the Municipal Committee and how can he take the lead in engaging in special privileges. He has the heart to let you two live apart as a married couple in the future."

I smile and do not answer.

"Living apart as a married couple is not a good thing." Her voice drops. "Sometimes you want to find someone to lean on, but you can't."

My heart, which had been hanging, finally settles. Xue Bing had come to find my uncle behind my back after all; I have to admire her courage and nerve. One must know that she had only met my cousin-in-law once, and they hadn't exchanged more than five sentences. This is the power of a woman; a woman can give up everything for what she wants, including her modesty and her body.

My mind suddenly flashes to the underwear of hers I saw when she was bathing, and my heart stirs. I tease her, "I'll lend you my shoulder to lean on now, Xiao Chun'er."

She looks at me, wanting to say something but stopping, and slowly leans her body over, saying, "Leaning on you, my heart doesn't feel secure."

She giggles, stands up, points at me, and says, "You are someone else's husband, why would I lean on you? I feel more secure leaning on my own bed. I'm going to sleep."

Having said that, she ignores me and goes straight to her room.

Past two in the morning, I am also drowsy when I suddenly hear the sound of a car parking outside. I quickly open the door and see my cousin-in-law, He Zhi, climbing out of the car, exhausted. He waves his hand to tell the driver and secretary to leave, and as soon as he lifts his eyes and sees me, a smile spreads across his face.

I quickly run down, support him, and call out, "Uncle, you're back."

My cousin-in-law says wearily, "You're here. Good! I've been receiving guests all day. There were leaders from the province, and several investment inspection groups from Hong Kong. Nowadays, everyone is working on the economy; Xiao Feng, you need to study more."

I nod busily, help him into the house, sit him down on the sofa, and brew a cup of tea to bring over.

"Is Xiao Chun'er asleep?" he asks me.

I nod, point to Xiao Chun'er's room, and say, "She waited until twelve o'clock before going to sleep."

"I told her long ago not to wait for me." My cousin-in-law says, rubbing his legs. "Why haven't you gone to rest?"

I say sincerely, "I was waiting for you."

"Don't wait for me." My cousin-in-law waves his hand and says, "You young people need your sleep. Sleeping more is good for your health. Don't wait until you're my age, when you want to sleep but can't."

Suddenly, he changes the subject and asks me, "Did Teacher Xue come to the house? Do you know?"

I shake my head and say, "I only just heard about it from Xiao Chun'er."

"Go back and tell her not to think that just because her uncle is a Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, he can cover the sky with one hand." My cousin-in-law is clearly a bit angry, his face dark as he says, "Young person, what's wrong with being in the countryside? If you have achievements, there will naturally be opportunities for promotion."

I quickly state my position: "Uncle, it has nothing to do with me. I didn't know she came."

"I know you didn't know." My cousin-in-law says, "Xiao Feng, I've heard some rumors lately; tell your uncle, are they true?"

I look at him earnestly and nod firmly.

"I heard that the daughter of Old Huang from the Organization Department is your girlfriend? Have you officially met them already?"

I am tongue-tied and dare not answer.

"What's going on? No wonder I saw Old Huang lately; the old guy said I was his in-law. Is this really happening?"

I stammer, "Uncle, what is your opinion?"

"I have no opinion. However, you need to handle some things well; for example, what will you do about Teacher Xue?"

I shake my head, not knowing how to answer.

"You, Xiao Feng, you must consider the consequences when doing things. You are not an ordinary citizen; you are a cadre, and you must pay attention to your influence. For a Communist cadre, personal conduct is very important. If you take one unsteady step, you will never have a day of success. Of course, I understand you; young people have high enthusiasm, and falling in love is a matter of course. You're not young anymore, are you almost thirty?"

I say, "Almost, just a little over a year away."

"It's time to get married. I think your mother and father are probably dying to hold a grandson." He laughs heartily, and the laughter wakes Xiao Chun'er. She rubs her eyes, opens the door, and comes out, saying softly, "Secretary He, would you like to drink some soup?"

My cousin-in-law waves his hand and says, "No, you go rest. I'll chat with Xiao Feng for a while."

Xiao Chun'er looks at me, smiles, and urges me, "Let Secretary He rest early."

After Xiao Chun'er enters her room, my cousin-in-law says, "Xiao Feng, how is your work going now?"

I say, "Not bad. It's going quite smoothly."

"Are there any difficulties? If there are, go find County Magistrate Liu Qimeng; he knows what to do." After saying this, my cousin-in-law closes his eyes in exhaustion.

I say, "Uncle, you go rest."

He nods, stands up, walks to the stairs, turns back, and says, "In a while, I'll go to Chunshan County, and when I do, I'll take a trip to Suxi Township."

My heart leaps with joy; my cousin-in-law's second visit to Suxi Township might be my spring.

The door upstairs closes. I look at the empty living room, and sleepiness presses down on me like a mountain. I walk to the guest room Xiao Chun'er prepared for me, and just as I am about to push the door open, the door to Xiao Chun'er's room next door opens. She looks at me with a smile and says softly, "Are you resting?"

I yawn and say, "I'm exhausted."

"Keep me company and talk for a while, alright?" she says coyly, tugging at the hem of her shirt.

"Talk about what?" I say. "Let's talk tomorrow, alright?"

"Hmph." Xiao Chun'er snorts and says, "And you said you'd lend me a shoulder to lean on. It's all fake."

Having said that, she turns and enters her room, closing the door tightly.

I stand dumbfounded outside the door, feeling a wave of disappointment.