Chapter 189

I came to Hengyue City with a mission, so I must complete it.

I am no longer a stranger to the home of my cousin-in-law, He Zhi. The road was smooth and unobstructed; the sentry at the gate went through the motions of checking my ID, was scolded by someone who looked like a squad leader, and then stood aside obediently without another word.

Passing by the building where Secretary Chen lives, I saw Chen Meng's car parked in the shade of the trees. Looking up through the screen of green leaves, the small building was quiet, as if one could hear the sound of flowers blooming. A sparrow hopped on a branch, its crisp chirping refreshing and delightful. Just as I was feeling extremely sentimental, the sparrow suddenly lifted its tail, and a grayish-white bird dropping landed on Chen Meng's car, splashing into a brilliant flower of evil.

I wanted to laugh, but in the end, I didn't make a sound. So I took a tissue from my pocket, carefully wiped away the bird dropping, and made "shooing" noises with my mouth, trying hard to drive the sparrow away from the branch.

The sparrow was unmoved, chirped at me a few times, and suddenly prepared to lift its tail again. I was startled, fearing it might drop a load on me, so I had to slink away.

It was a Sunday morning. After days of busyness, the city was as exhausted as an old ox in its twilight years. On this clear morning, many people were still searching for solace in their dreams. There were suddenly far fewer people on the street, and even the usually noisy sound of cars had quieted down significantly.

Hengyue City is an inland city, inheriting hundreds of years of leisure. It is like a scholar wearing a headscarf, pacing back and forth in a measured, unhurried manner. A section of the city wall on the north side is said to be a relic left over from the Ming Dynasty.

There is a mountain in the center of the city, and on the summit stands a temple where incense has burned for a thousand years. The temple enshrines the Holy Emperor Zhurong—an ancient god who discovered the miraculous uses of fire.

Whether people are strolling under the city walls or offering incense on the mountaintop, everyone walks leisurely, with a faint smile on their faces. It is as if sorrow has never existed in this city.

Although the men in this city are leisurely, they are all well-dressed. Proper attire is etiquette! This city once produced a philosophy that influenced an entire nation and remains a classic to this day. The women of this city are particularly fond of beauty. Every woman walking on the streets and alleys looks like a painting, whether landscape or Western-style. When they pass by you, your nose is filled with a faint fragrance; this fragrance makes your imagination run wild, making you slow your pace unconsciously to enjoy the sweetness that life provides.

Thirty years ago, I jumped into this world from my mother's womb, stepping onto the moist soil of the Jiangnan region, and from then on, I formed an inseparable bond with this land. This is a vast land, the land that gave birth to me and raised me, a land that makes one search for poetry in the misty rain of Jiangnan.

As soon as Xiao Mei opened the door, she saw me standing outside, admiring an oleander in the courtyard.

She came over happily, patted me on the shoulder, and greeted me with a smile: "You've come really early."

I smiled. Seeing the vegetable basket in her hand, I knew she was about to go grocery shopping, so I said, "I'll go with you."

Xiao Mei refused my request. She pointed inside the house and told me: "Secretary He didn't return until three o'clock last night. Secretary He's wife and child are coming back this afternoon, so I need to prepare some good dishes."

I asked in surprise: "My aunt is coming back?"

"Yes, and she's not leaving. She's staying in Hengyue City. I've already cleaned the house, just waiting for the masters to grace us with their presence," Xiao Mei said with a giggle. "Secretary He is very happy. Who knows how many twists and turns it took for his wife to be able to come to Hengyue City."

I don't know my aunt. This northern woman is said to be tall and stout, capable of drinking a good amount of liquor, never eats rice, and has spent her whole life with wheat-based foods.

"I'm going to buy some good flour to steam some steamed buns," Xiao Mei told me confidently. "Secretary He told me about this last month. I kept it in mind, and during this time, I've been asking masters of pastry-making for advice every day. Now, the steamed buns I make are even better than the ones sold outside."

I gave a thumbs up and praised: "That's a must. Who is my Xiao Mei? Not only are you beautiful, but you're also skillful."

Xiao Mei blushed at my praise, reached out to hit me, and chided: "No matter how skillful my hands are, they aren't as skillful as your mouth. It's like it's coated in honey; who knows how many women will be tricked to death by you."

I said very seriously: "Xiao Mei, you've wronged me. Have I ever tricked you?"

She suddenly became sentimental and murmured: "What worth do I have for you to trick? A faded flower, and a nanny at that." Then she smiled and said: "Teacher Xue, who came to the house last time, is she beautiful? Minister Huang's daughter, is she beautiful? Aren't they all people who love you?"

I quickly said sternly: "Xiao Mei, don't talk nonsense." I pointed to the house and said: "If my uncle finds out, I don't know how miserably I'll die. Right?"

She stuck out her tongue, made a face, and lowered her voice: "I heard these things from Secretary He himself. You might not know, but Minister Huang's daughter used to be extremely close with Secretary Chen's reporter daughter. I heard from their nanny that Secretary Chen's daughter almost committed suicide because Minister Huang's daughter was with you."

I was shocked and confused. With a trembling voice, I asked: "How could such a thing happen?"

"City people, they have so many tricks. In this world, there is only the harmony of yin and yang; how can a hen crow at dawn? I heard that although Secretary Chen's daughter is a woman, she has a very masculine air."

"You mean to say that Reporter Chen fell in love with Huang Weiwei?" Terror welled up in my heart.

"I don't know anything about love or whatever. We country folk, we just look at someone, if we like them, we like them, and if we like them, we stay together. If we don't, we wouldn't be together even if we were beaten to death. A woman likes a man, a man likes a woman, we find a matchmaker, go through the proper rites, and stay together for a lifetime until death." Xiao Mei turned back to open the door and greeted me: "You go in and sit, pour yourself some water. I'll go to the Affairs Bureau to get something and be right back."

She pointed to the tightly closed door upstairs and said: "Let your uncle rest a bit more, don't be loud."

I nodded quietly and sat on the sofa in the living room, waiting quietly for my cousin-in-law to come downstairs.

Xiao Mei left in a hurry. I looked around; everything was like a frozen world, quiet without a sound.

Suddenly remembering Guan Peishan's instructions, my heart felt inexplicably restless. So I closed my eyes and carefully recalled everything that had happened in the last few days.

No one in Chunshan County doesn't know about my relationship with Secretary He. If people were still half-doubting before, my father's funeral shattered all doubts. Just a cadre from the War of Liberation—what virtue or ability did he have to be buried in the Martyrs Cemetery after death? But my father is truly resting there, and all of this could only be accomplished by Secretary He Zhi!

My former leader held my hand at my father's memorial service and said with deep sincerity: "Xiao Chen, I knew you were a dragon, so I arranged for you to go do social education work. You must understand my painstaking efforts."

I could only smile bitterly. Damn it! If you had known earlier that I had an uncle who was a Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee, you wouldn't have dared to send me to Suxi Township even if you had three guts!

Huang Weiwei was an exception. The four of us went down to Chunshan County for social education. The other three were from the Municipal Committee organs; only I was from a public institution under the agricultural sector, with no proper standing. The only condition was that my academic qualifications met the requirements for social education cadre selection. It wasn't until the year the three-year social education program ended that I got to know them, and it was only then that I realized I was just a supporting character in the Chunshan County social education work.

When I first met them, Guo Wei was bold and decisive, taking on everything, and his chivalry made me admire him. I thought his care for Huang Weiwei was only natural; since ancient times, beauties have been paired with heroes—who else but him?

Huang Qishan's quietness once made me look down on him, especially since we graduated from the same place, his school being just a wall away from mine. It was only after I learned he was also pursuing Huang Weiwei that I looked at him with new eyes. Because he had courage, and this courage is the power that drives men to fear no danger. I admire people with courage!

And all of this seems to have played out the story of the crane and the clam fighting. I am not the fisherman, but I am the one who gained Huang Weiwei's love.

I suddenly discovered many of my own merits. Perhaps Huang Weiwei took a fancy to me not only because I was more steady compared to them, but perhaps also because I had never held the slightest fantasy about her, which instead stirred the conquest desire hidden in the bottom of a woman's heart. Perhaps, there was also the influence of my uncle, Secretary He Zhi.

This is a war between the four of us!

And besides us, the situation in Chunshan County is even more treacherous. Guan Peishan and Liu Qimeng—each is more shrewd and sophisticated than the other. In my eyes, they are a book, a book I cannot understand. All the flashing swords and shadows vanish at the flick of their fingers, yet every step is a crisis, making one impossible to guard against.

I am currently a chess piece held in their hands!

I cannot become their chess piece. I told myself. The mission of a chess piece is to charge into battle, and after death, no one will even look at it straight.

Guan Peishan has now placed me, this chess piece, on the front line. He wants to tell my uncle, He Zhi, that he can have me, this chess piece, smashed to pieces at any time! But he more shrewdly threw out Zhu Shizhen as the "chariot." He wants to protect the "general"!

He is gambling. Perhaps after Secretary He Zhi takes this "chariot," he will temporarily abandon his checkmate against him, giving him a chance to catch his breath, reorganize his troops, and finally end in a draw.

Thinking of this, I decided to hide the "chariot." I cannot let my uncle be deceived by him and lose his correct judgment.