Chapter 235: Demanding an Explanation

Sun Demao's construction site was in full swing, bustling with activity. In less than ten days, a vast, boundless expanse of open ground had spread out like a yellow cloth beneath Laoyingzui.

Having received the notice to resume work, the site felt as if it had been reborn from the ashes; everyone cherished the opportunity immensely.

Guo Wei devoted all his time to the site. He brought a quilt, asked Sun Demao for a shack, and officially set up his office at the new government site.

Half a mile away, Qian Youyu was sighing and groaning. He abandoned his construction team, took Yue Bai, and drove off in a flash back to Hengyue City. Halfway there, he called me, saying that if the water plant couldn't be built, the government would have to return his money, otherwise, he would go to the roof of the county government building and jump.

I said, "Boss Qian, you told me a story last time about the old man losing his horse. Do you remember it?"

Qian Youyu answered without a second thought, "Isn't it 'the old man losing his horse, who's to say it isn't a blessing'? Of course I remember."

I said, "Good, as long as you remember. Why talk about jumping off buildings now? If you jump and die, what will the people of Yuetang Village do? There's no conclusion yet. Look at Sun Demao—hasn't he found a way out? If you're going to jump, I'll jump with you."

Qian Youyu was moved by my words. With a sobbing tone over the phone, he said, "Town Mayor Chen, you know that by building this plant, I've offended many people. If I can't survive here, I won't be able to survive in Chunshan County either. If the plant isn't built, I'm at a dead end."

After a while, he added, "Old brother, I've also let you down, causing your job transfer to fall through."

I quickly said it was nothing. After hanging up, I thought about the matter of hiring a geological expert. I pondered for a long time and felt that experts in Hengyue City were basically hopeless; if they had any ability, wouldn't they have discovered the gold mine here already? I had to go to the provincial capital to find real experts.

Stopping the water plant was my decision; Guo Wei basically didn't care. Building the water plant didn't have much to do with him anyway, and since the relocation project he was passionate about had resumed, he was fully focused on his own affairs. I told him I was going to the provincial capital, and he agreed without a second thought, saying he would handle things in the town.

To find experts in the provincial capital, one needs connections; it's not just about having money. I had studied at university in the provincial capital for four years, but I had never had the slightest connection with the geology department. I remembered that Huang Qishan was also a graduate of the provincial capital, and his school had a geology major that was ranked nationally, so I called Huang Qishan and asked him to accompany me to the provincial capital right away.

Huang Qishan was still busy with the highway project. The land acquisition and demolition work were finished, but there were still some loose ends to deal with, so he couldn't get away to go with me.

I didn't want to tell Qian Youyu about this. I hesitated for a long time, running through everyone in my mind, but I really couldn't find anyone. Just as I was feeling troubled, a call came from Huang Weiwei.

This was the first time Huang Weiwei had called me since I returned last time. Her tone didn't seem as gentle as before, and she started by asking when I would finish the transfer procedures.

I told her clearly that I wasn't planning to transfer back, and before I could finish, she hung up with a click.

Huang Weiwei was definitely angry with me again. In fact, she didn't know that it wasn't that I didn't want to transfer back, but that I was not the master of my own fate!

In Hengyue City, we had once dreamed that after I transferred back, we would first buy a house and get married on New Year's Day. Her parents would give her a small car as a dowry—Huang Weiwei already had a car, so this dowry car was actually for me. I had to get my driver's license before the wedding so I could drive the wedding car myself!

Now that I couldn't transfer back, everything had become a bubble. Therefore, I was troubled, but at the same time, I felt fortunate, because I really wasn't prepared to be Huang Weiwei's husband. For a man, when he is about to get married, to not be sure if he loves the person he is marrying—this seems ridiculous. Since the flaw in my thinking still existed, not being able to transfer back became the best reason for not getting married.

My reason seemed to be accepted only by myself, because the day after the call, Huang Weiwei drove her car over, and there were two people in the car—surprisingly, He Jiaxiao and Chen Meng.

From the moment Chen Meng got out of the car, she didn't give me a good look, as if everything she saw was an eyesore. With the daughter of the Municipal Party Committee Secretary visiting, and being the chief reporter of the city newspaper, Chunshan County naturally didn't dare to be negligent. A deputy minister of the County Party Committee Propaganda Department followed closely behind her, unable to be shaken off. Upon learning that the young man accompanying the daughter was the son of the Deputy Municipal Party Secretary, the deputy minister stuttered even when speaking.

By the time I was called to the County Party Committee Propaganda Department, the sky had already darkened.

Chunshan County had changed a lot in recent years. Some of the old, low-rise houses had now become high-rises. Chunhua Main Street was thirty meters wide and connected five intersections, each of which was a roundabout decorated with flowers and silk-like patterns. In the center of each roundabout stood a tall streetlamp, and at night, the lights illuminated the county town brightly.

Under the leadership of Guan Peishan, the Chunshan County Party Committee relied on Guangdong bosses to open three free bus routes in the city, so I took a free bus to the County Party Committee Propaganda Department.

The deputy minister was sweating profusely. There were three "deities" sitting in his office, each with a huge background. Besides the daughter and son of the Municipal Party Secretary and Deputy Secretary, there was also the daughter of the Organization Department Minister who kept frowning. Any one of the people standing behind these three could make him, this deputy minister, penniless with a flick of a finger.

The deputy minister didn't know our relationship. He had been notified by the County Party Committee Office Director that a reporter from the city newspaper was coming and that he should come forward to receive them. Who knew that upon seeing them in person, he secretly cursed the County Party Committee Office Director in his heart: "Damn it! You brought three bombs for me!"

When He Jiaxiao saw me, he didn't even call me "brother," pretending not to know me, and stared white-eyed at the calendar hanging on the wall.

As soon as I entered the room, the deputy minister found an opportunity to slip out. As he left, he gave me a wink, and I blinked hard at him, but I didn't understand the meaning of his wink at all.

Chen Meng spoke first: "Chen Feng, are you being ungrateful?"

I looked at her, feeling bewildered, and went to talk to Huang Weiwei with a smile.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me!" Chen Meng was clearly unhappy with my attitude. She stepped closer to me and looked me straight in the eye: "The transfer order has arrived. Why haven't you processed the paperwork? How much longer do you plan to stay in Chunshan County?"

I said with infinite grievance, "It's not that I don't want to leave. The county won't let me go. Where can I go?"

"Who dares not let you go?" Chen Meng was aggressive.

I smiled bitterly and said, "There are organizational discipline constraints; I can't be an exception, can I?"

"Tell me, is it County Magistrate Liu? Or Secretary Guan?" As she spoke, she took out her phone to call these two people. I quickly stopped her and said insincerely, "Actually, I have some thoughts of my own."

"You don't know? For your job transfer, I even went to my dad. Aunt Chen, Weiwei's mother, personally ran to the Personnel Bureau and humbled herself to say nice things to others. Why don't you cherish it at all? You have to give me a reason today, otherwise, don't even think about getting by in Chunshan County." Chen Meng seemed to have issued an ultimatum.

Her words made a fire rise in my heart. I slapped the table and roared, "Chen Meng, you need to know the weight of your words!"

My outburst startled He Jiaxiao. He finally turned around, called out to me, and quietly pulled the hem of Chen Meng's clothes as she glared at me, smoothing things over: "Everyone, let's calm down."

The deputy minister pushed the door open, poked his head in to look, and after being glared at by Chen Meng, he quickly shrank back.

Huang Weiwei finally spoke: "Chen Feng, what exactly are your thoughts? My mother called you, and I called you too. You have to know that if you lose this opportunity, it will be very difficult in the future."

I smiled noncommittally and comforted her: "Weiwei, I have no thoughts. I am a cadre of Chunshan County, and I must abide by the cadre regulations. Besides, if I transfer away now, as someone without any achievements, relying on nepotism to get promoted—you tell me, is that Chen Feng's style of doing things?"

Huang Weiwei's face turned stiff. She lowered her head, twisting her fingers, and said softly, "Can't you lower your dignity a little for me?"

I shook my head and said firmly, "Weiwei, a man must stand tall and upright. You wouldn't want your husband to be pointed at behind his back, would you?"

Her face turned red, her expression a bit coy, and she scolded lightly, "Whose husband?"

Chen Meng had been stunned by my slap for a long time, and only now did she come to her senses. She took over Huang Weiwei's words: "I'm telling you, Weiwei, you're just stubborn. This Chen Feng, full of rustic air—I don't know what you see in him."

I smiled and said, "I am just a farmer. I've been a farmer in Chunshan County for six years already, so I'm not afraid of what you say."

"I can't be bothered to talk about you." Chen Meng curled her lips, pulled He Jiaxiao, and said, "Let's go for a walk and let this pair of star-crossed lovers talk."

As soon as Chen Meng and the others left, Huang Weiwei suddenly blinked, and a few tears fell. She was sobbing, which left me at a loss.

"You don't want to transfer away—are you still in love with Xue Bing?" she asked directly.

"No," I answered very firmly, though my heart suddenly ached. Her mentioning Xue Bing for no reason caught me off guard.

"You don't have to lie to me! I knew everything when I was here last time." She stopped crying, raised her tear-stained face to look at me, and said, "Chen Feng, can you give me an honest answer, please?"

I still shook my head. I couldn't hurt them! Any statement I made now would be subjected to the torture of my soul.

"I understand." She suddenly stood up: "We came at the wrong time. Did you think we came to demand an explanation?"

I nodded noncommittally. The arrival of Huang Weiwei and the others had indeed caught me off guard. I was just planning to return to Hengyue City and go to Central Province to find experts.

"If you are still in love with Xue Bing, I will leave immediately. If you still love me, come back to Hengyue City with me." She threw down these words, turned her back, and looked at the "Tranquility Leads to Far-reaching Goals" calligraphy hanging on the wall, waiting for my answer.

"Weiwei," I called out to her: "I need your help now."

She ignored me and continued to look at the calligraphy.

"Do you know? We dug up dog-head gold at our water plant site, and I suspect there is a gold mine here." I said earnestly: "If I can give them a gold mine before I leave, I will be able to leave with a clear conscience."

"What do you want me to do?" she finally asked gloomily.

"I want to go to the provincial capital to find geological experts," I said, grabbing her shoulders and saying with infinite affection: "I want you to go with me."

She stared at me in disbelief, and after a long time, she said, "What if there is no gold mine?"

"If there isn't, there isn't. I've done my best, and my conscience is clear. Once the water plant is built, I will return to Hengyue City. Even if I have to resign from my post, I will stay with you." Seeing her expression soften, I quickly resumed my cheeky demeanor.

"You must remember what you said." She laughed innocently, and as if suddenly remembering something, she told me: "I also helped Xue Bing arrange a transfer, letting her go to the Cultural Center. Do you think that's good?"

This sudden news left me completely at a loss. In my heart, I secretly blamed the woman in front of me. In this world, there are only women who exile their rivals to the ends of the earth; where is there a woman who puts her rival right under her nose? What a pure person she was; her heart was as pure as the blue sky, without a trace of impurity.

"You're really silly!" I reached out and hugged her waist. She slowly leaned in, her body gradually softening until, like a blooming peach blossom, she was brilliantly displaying her passion.

"Don't think about anything good." She gave a shy smile and reached out to twist my ear: "I'm telling you, Chen Feng, I put her under my nose so that I can watch her at all times!" ===== CHAPTER 236 =====