Chapter 20: My Government, My Township

Suxi Township is the most isolated region in the Xiangnan area. To the south, it borders Chenzhou; to the west, it neighbors Yongzhou; to the east is the Jiangxi border; and to the north is the county seat, Chunshan. Every road in every direction is a dirt road with stone bridges. The furthest county seat is over 150 li away, and it's all mountain roads. Suxi Township was the last township in Chunshan County to have electricity. According to calculations by the power department, just setting up the power poles would basically exhaust the entire income of Suxi Township for three years.

The township government is located on a vast ridge, consisting of several buildings from the 1950s, with red bricks and red tiles, and sparse tree shadows. A high platform of about three to five *mu* was built facing a small stream in the middle of the ridge. On the side leaning against the mountain, a three-story red-brick building about 100 meters long was built, possessing a grandeur rarely seen in the mountains; this was the main building, and the administrative center of the township government was located here. To the left was the auditorium, which could seat a thousand people, with the teachings of the Great Mentor carved on the door and sides. The auditorium was in disrepair and showed signs of decay, with weeds growing in the gaps of the red tiles. To the right was the township government canteen, and above the canteen was the township finance office. Behind the canteen was a deep well about 30 meters deep, where one could see Lao Wang pulling water from the well, humming and puffing, every day.

Trees were planted on the high platform, all decades old, their shadows swaying and covering the sky. Under the trees, some simple Chinese roses were planted, surrounded by small flower beds made of red bricks.

My dormitory was behind the main building, a small two-story building with wooden floors that creaked when walked upon.

Half a *li* to the left of the township government was the township middle school, and half a *li* to the right was the village primary school.

There was a stone bridge over the small stream, and at the bridgehead was a supply and marketing cooperative that sold cheap cigarettes, matches, and soap. Its biggest business was kerosene and candles, with some fabric on the side, mainly in white and red. The cooperative also dealt in chemical fertilizers and urea. The person selling things was a woman in her fifties with a face full of wrinkles, but she liked to wear bright red and green, liked to twist her bucket-like waist when walking, and liked to use Mandarin endings when speaking, which the villagers found very shameful.

Someone told me that the old woman's husband used to be a director of the supply and marketing cooperative, and there was a good-looking female sales clerk in the cooperative. One night, the old woman's husband sneaked into the female sales clerk's bed. The old woman was furious, grabbed a kitchen knife, and chased him for half a ridge, resulting in the husband and the female sales clerk disappearing without a trace, and they had been missing ever since.

Next to the supply and marketing cooperative was a small hut, which was the township post office. An old postal worker, so old he could barely walk, would send and receive newspapers, magazines, and letters from the county seat every three days.

Such things were the entirety of Suxi Township: simple, plain, yet possessing the majesty of the government.

Below my dormitory was a small path that wound its way into the mountains. Opening the window, I could see the silent mountains and the people winding along the path.

There was no electricity in the mountains, so people went to bed early. I had been accustomed to this habit for a long time.

Going to bed early meant waking up early. Every day, just as the sky began to brighten, there would be whispering sounds on the path below my window. My villagers, either leading cows or carrying hoes, would speak softly about the weather and go about their day's work in a leisurely manner.

There were also students from the township middle school who commuted, carrying a jar of rice, getting up early to go to school.

The last to come were a group of chattering primary school students. They would pass by my window, playing and fighting, and some naughty boys would even pee at my window.

Whenever this happened, I would lean against the window, watching them with a smile, as happy as birds.

When the people on the path quieted down, I would wash my face and brush my teeth. Sometimes I would light the kerosene stove to cook a bowl of noodles for breakfast, but more often than not, I would go to the office on an empty stomach, waiting for the bell of the canteen for Lao Wang's lunch.

Days passed quietly like this, and my social education work had hardly begun. Secretary Liu Quan once told me that social education was a thing of the 1950s, and doing it now felt like returning to history. ===== CHAPTER 21 =====