Chapter 246

County Magistrate Liu traveled light and followed me on foot to the County Committee Guesthouse, with Huang Weiwei following behind us, driving the car as slowly as a snail.

Two men walking in front, followed by a car driven by a beautiful woman—this in itself was a spectacle in Chunshan County.

County Magistrate Liu greeted people along the way. Judging by the attire of those who greeted him, they were all commoners. Although everyone had a humble smile when they saw him, each seemed to be smiling from the bottom of their hearts, without the slightest bit of affectation or pretense.

Liu Qimeng now had a good reputation, which was known to everyone in Chunshan County, young and old. Being an official who has no airs of an official, yet makes people admire and feel a sense of awe, is a technique that deeply understands the way of officialdom—he was an official who had mastered it to the extreme.

The higher the rank of an official, the less they have the airs of an official, yet the more they make people feel a biting cold wind blowing in their faces. The so-called "trembling with fear" is the feeling of dealing with high-ranking officials.

The lower the rank of an official, the more they show off everywhere that they are an official. When walking, they like to walk sideways; when speaking, they like to be loud, as if afraid others don't know they are an official. When encountering commoners, they are bossy and arrogant, acting as if they are the only ones in the world who matter; when encountering high-ranking officials, they nod and bow, servile and fawning, wishing they could crawl on the ground and bark like a dog just to win a smile from the leader.

Commoners recognize officials; it's an ancient rule. It's as if they feel uncomfortable all over if there's a lack of officials in their lives. If they can know an official, they feel a level higher than others on flat ground; if an official appears in their family, it's simply a wine bottle hanging on their lips—they take a sip when they want to drink, and even when they don't, they unscrew the cap, wishing they could release all the fragrance of the wine in the bottle in one breath.

County Magistrate Liu paced slowly, occasionally looking up at the high-rise buildings lining the street. Chunshan County had developed rapidly in recent years, and the streets had become much wider after several expansions. Following the example of Hengyue City, many French plane trees had been planted along the street, and the streetlights were all brand new, emitting a faint light, outlining the dreams of this remote small town in the dim twilight.

In the late autumn of Chunshan, one couldn't find a trace of summer; everywhere was decay and withering. This small town nestled in the mountains gradually lost its intimate warmth, replaced by high-rise buildings that bound people into a concrete jungle. People began to become strangers to one another, to the point where even greetings when meeting lost their former intimacy.

I turned back to look at Huang Weiwei following behind. She was on the phone, and seeing me turn, she gave me a sweet smile.

Huang Qishan had already prepared the banquet. This kid had been doing things in an orderly manner recently, showing meticulousness and smoothness in receiving guests and handling affairs.

The government office trains people! I remembered a sentence Guo Wei once said to me, and a wave of warmth filled my heart.

They were all young cadres who came out of government offices, with backgrounds, qualifications, and the connections I had once dreamed of. For Guo Wei, moving from the government office to the grassroots was a path that every ambitious young cadre must take; the tempering of grassroots work experience is a major magic weapon for promotion. As for Huang Qishan, moving from government office to government office, his path was invisibly limited in development; he could only walk steadily upward for his whole life, without big storms, but also without miracles.

Seeing County Magistrate Liu enter, Huang Qishan greeted him with a face full of smiles, took County Magistrate Liu's overcoat, and carefully hung it on the coat rack.

Qishan and County Magistrate Liu were now colleagues, and to us, they were superiors.

County Magistrate Liu did not decline Huang Qishan's actions and asked with a smile: "Qishan, you arranged all this, right?"

Huang Qishan smiled modestly and said: "I don't know if it suits your taste, County Magistrate."

"Me? I'm not picky. Except for airplanes, I eat everything that flies; except for trains, I eat everything that runs on the ground; except for ships, I eat everything that swims in the water. There's nothing I don't eat. Qishan, life is just a mouthful of rice and a mouthful of vegetables, it's that simple. Others have fine clothes and food, we have coarse tea and light meals; it doesn't mean they can live longer than us. Being a person isn't about how much wealth one creates for oneself, but how much wealth one contributes to society. Don't you think?"

As he spoke, County Magistrate Liu reached out to shake Professor Xu Siguan's hand and kindly expressed his welcome. Seeing Huang Weiwei standing beside me, he teased: "The husband sings and the wife follows, eh."

Huang Weiwei's face turned red instantly, and she said coyly: "Uncle Liu, why are you making fun of me?"

County Magistrate Liu didn't pick up on her words and turned to ask Huang Qishan: "Is there anyone else?"

Huang Qishan nodded humbly, his bright eyes wide open, his ears pricked up, for fear of missing a single word.

Huang Qishan's smoothness seemed to me to be a matter of course. This young man, who was originally ignorant of the ways of the world, gradually discovered a problem after several County Committee Standing Committee meetings: every time Huang Qishan proposed a plan, County Magistrate Liu was always the first to express support, even if they were the only two who did so.

Later, when Huang Qishan went to the city to attend the Municipal Youth League Congress, he specifically visited Minister Huang Shan and realized that he was actually a chess piece placed by County Magistrate Liu in the Chunshan County Standing Committee. From then on, whenever there was a proposal from County Magistrate Liu, it was always Huang Qishan who was the first to raise his hand during the vote.

Neither of them said it out loud, but they began to have a tacit understanding.

"County Magistrate, everyone says not to eat snake in winter, saying that snake meat is cold. Today I went to the township and saw an old farmer digging up a snake den. My god, there were over thirty snakes in one den, big and small, coiled up and motionless. I remembered going to Guangdong when I was in school; these Guangdong people love to eat snake in winter, they call it 'hot pot.' I was thinking, they say 'eating is in Guangdong,' would they eat things that can't be eaten? Since they dare to eat it, why can't we?" Huang Qishan said a long string of words like a tongue twister, ending with: "So I bought the biggest snake from the old farmer. This pot of soup is snake stew."

Only then did I notice a large bowl placed in the center of the table, steaming hot, as if it had just been taken off the stove, emitting a faint fragrance.

"Good stuff!" County Magistrate Liu was full of interest. He picked up a soup spoon, scooped a small mouthful, smelled it carefully under his nose, poured it into his mouth in one gulp, smacked his lips, and said: "Qishan, you understand me."

We all laughed together. Just as we were seated, Guo Wei burst in, dusty and travel-worn, shouting loudly: "You bastards, I've been fighting for the country in the cold wind, and you're hiding here having fun."

Seeing County Magistrate Liu sitting upright, he was so scared he immediately stopped, his face turning a gray-yellow.

County Magistrate Liu waved his hand magnanimously and said: "Secretary Guo, complaining, eh? Come over and sit. If you don't come, we wouldn't dare start the banquet."

Guo Wei was too nervous to take his seat, standing in the middle of the room twisting his hands, the color on his face changing from gray-yellow to red, then white.

Huang Qishan got up to pull him over, sat him down next to County Magistrate Liu, and pointed to the wine pot: "Great Secretary Guo, as a parent official of a region, you have no filter, no respect for elders, and you speak without investigation. I punish you to drink three cups first."

Guo Wei gave an awkward, bitter smile. Without a word, he picked up the wine pot, poured a full cup, and said: "Deserved, deserved." After finishing, he tilted his head and downed it, then poured a second cup. After drinking three cups in a row, the color on his face began to return to normal, and he said with a fawning smile: "I'm sorry, I didn't know County Magistrate Liu was here. I was just babbling. Qishan, why didn't you tell me?"

He blamed Huang Qishan, poured another cup of wine for County Magistrate Liu, poured one for himself, raised his glass, and said: "I'll drink first. County Magistrate, don't blame me; if you want to blame someone, blame Huang Qishan."

County Magistrate Liu also picked up his glass, signaling everyone to raise theirs. Professor Xu didn't drink, stating he would substitute tea for wine. As soon as Professor Xu spoke, Guo Wei realized there was a stranger sitting there, so he looked at me with an inquiring gaze. I nodded slightly and quietly made a gesture to him.

Guo Wei was the youngest Town Party Secretary in Chunshan County, Huang Qishan was the youngest County Youth League Committee Secretary in the Hengyue region, and I was the youngest deputy division-level Town Mayor in the Hengyue region. Three young faces were, in fact, the hope for the future development of Chunshan County.

After three rounds of drinks, County Magistrate Liu sighed and said: "When I was your age, I was still focused on studying works. How could there be such good policies as now? You can let go and do a big job. Don't have any worries; it's allowed to fail and try again. Your hearts should be bigger, your ideas should be more numerous, and your pace should be faster."

The three of us nodded in unison, like three little chicks under an old hen's wing, clever and obedient.

"This time, Town Mayor Chen's idea is not bad. No matter what is underground at Laoyingzui, figuring it out is better than burying it in your heart. Even if there is nothing, it's not like we lost anything. Checking it out is very good." County Magistrate Liu said this, raised his glass to Professor Xu, and said: "Professor Xu, I'll leave it to you. Tomorrow I will assign people from the County Mineral Bureau to follow you. If you have any instructions, just speak up. The development of our Chunshan County still needs the strong support of experts like you."

Professor Xu stood up modestly, touched his teacup to his, and said: "County Magistrate Liu, I am a person who does academics. I don't know how to beat around the bush. Seeing you, and seeing these subordinates of yours, I feel that your Chunshan County has great hope."

Huang Weiwei, sitting next to me, had been all smiles. As the only woman at the table, she couldn't get a word in at all.

Guo Wei suddenly seemed to remember something, gave me a wink, and signaled for me to go outside to talk. I pretended to go to the restroom and followed Guo Wei out one after the other. As soon as we were outside, Guo Wei said urgently: "I almost forgot. Teacher Xue from the middle school is still sitting in my car."

"Why did you bring her here?" I was shocked.

"It's not that I wanted to bring her; it's that your Huang Weiwei called her. Do you know what kind of trouble you're causing? What should we do now?" Guo Wei was so anxious that he twisted his hands unnaturally.

"You left her alone in the car? Won't she freeze?" I cursed in a rage: "Old Guo, damn you, what are you thinking?"

Guo Wei's face turned cold, and he looked aggrieved: "I'm the one being cursed at after doing a good deed. You're really something else."

I laughed: "What you did wasn't very decent."

"What's not decent about it? Your Huang Weiwei told me to bring her. If I don't, I offend her."

"So what if you offend her?"

"She's a woman. Better to offend a villain than a woman. Don't you understand this?"

"Bullshit!"

"Tell me, what should we do?" Guo Wei stared at me.

"Let it be!"