Chapter 345: Meeting Lin Xiaoxi at the Appreciation Banquet

Trading a bird gun for a cannon, I walked with a spring in my step.

I, the youngest Deputy County Magistrate in the history of Chunshan County, was in high spirits and full of ambition. From now on, I would no longer be alone when I went out; I had a secretary, Zhu Hua Yu, a driver, Yu Wei, and an office specifically for writing my speeches and organizing reports.

All day long, people kept coming to my office to congratulate me. Cadres from the County Party Committee and county government agencies came, all with an overbearing air, as if I, a Deputy County Magistrate pulled from the mud, was just a small person who had achieved success in their eyes. In the past, when I came to the county, I had to act according to their faces; now that I was a Deputy County Magistrate, they had to live by my breath.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. I smiled secretly and proudly, calmly accepting their insincere congratulations.

Cadres from the People's Congress and the CPPCC also came, mostly sending representatives. The People's Congress and the CPPCC were all a bunch of old men and women who couldn't bring themselves to come to my office personally to say a few painless words. Moreover, this group had stayed in Chunshan County for many years; they knew exactly where every latrine in Chunshan County was. As a young man without hair on his mouth, even if I was a Deputy County Magistrate, I might not be trusted with this job. Therefore, they didn't come, at most sending an Office Director or a secretary, all standing to say a few polite words before hurrying away. It seemed they all had important tasks, and if they weren't busy, the earth wouldn't rotate.

After the people from the People's Congress and the CPPCC left, the next were the people from the various bureaus.

The heads of the bureaus I managed all came, entering the door with full smiles, all wanting to extend both hands to shake mine tightly, and those with rich emotions even wanted to give it a shake.

I had already been able to handle such comings and goings in Suxi Town. Therefore, no matter who came, I always kept a smile on my face and spoke sincere words. This was what was called "respecting the wise and condescending to the lowly." It was as if I really didn't understand anything and needed their guidance, help, and care.

Everyone has vanity! My acting this way made my image in Chunshan County suddenly full. Everyone said the new Deputy County Magistrate was respectful to the wise, humble, and polite—a good person!

A day passed just like that, and I knew that on the second and third days, cadres from the various townships would come. Township cadres were practical; when they came, they would bring local specialties from their townships. I had had such experiences before. For example, during festivals, I would always go to the Secretary's or County Magistrate's house to visit. Suxi Town had a lot of tea oil, and every time I went, I would bring fifty catties of tea oil for the leaders.

If I was lucky, I would also bring mountain delicacies like wild boar or pheasant caught in the mountains, making the leaders smile and pat me on the shoulder, saying, "This little Chen is still a thoughtful person!"

This scene was about to happen to me. I wondered, if they brought local specialties, how should I handle it?

Before I could think of a satisfactory result, Zhu Hua Yu pushed the door open and told me that work was over. No one in the county government was working overtime today; everyone was rushing to the Huihuang Hotel to congratulate me.

I pushed the door open and came out, and sure enough, I saw the office building, which was usually brightly lit, almost completely dark.

After going downstairs, Yu Wei had already started the car, making it much warmer inside.

Zhu Hua Yu sat in the passenger seat, holding my briefcase in her arms, and turned to me, saying, "County Magistrate Chen, drink less tonight. There is a Standing Committee meeting tomorrow that you must attend."

I nodded, my eyes looking out the window. The streetlights had lit up one by one, illuminating the originally gray and dusty county town in a bizarre and colorful way.

In recent years, the county town had developed quite rapidly. The most obvious thing was that hair salons had opened on every street, with girls and wives sitting inside with bare thighs. Even in freezing weather, their attire was always like this. Sometimes I naively thought that the people of Chunshan County must be very keen on getting haircuts.

The County Party Committee building was only a few minutes' drive from the Huihuang Hotel; in fact, walking would be more convenient. But Zhu Hua Yu and Yu Wei were firmly against it, saying that I was a newly appointed Deputy County Magistrate and the car was my business card. If I didn't make a big splash, I would be looked down upon in the future. If I was looked down upon, they, as my people, would definitely lose face in the future.

At the entrance of the Huihuang Hotel lobby, there was a water board with a bright red piece of paper pasted on it, written with "Warmly congratulate Comrade Chen Feng on his promotion to Deputy County Magistrate of Chunshan County." Looking at the handwriting, I knew it was the handiwork of the County Government Director. That generation of people all wrote good calligraphy, which often made me envious.

As soon as the car stopped, the County Government Office Director greeted us, as if he had been sitting in some corner of the lobby, his eyes fixed on the entrance, waiting for the host of the evening.

Behind him stood the boss who ran the sauna at the Huihuang Hotel, with a mouthful of gold teeth and two eyes squinted into a slit. Seeing me, he bypassed the County Government Office Director and gripped my hand tightly with a pair of hands that were maintained very softly, speaking in "Guangdong-accented Mandarin": "Welcome, welcome, warmly welcome County Magistrate Chen."

I didn't have a very good impression of him. This Guangdong boss was someone introduced by Guan Peishan. First, he rented the County Party Committee Guesthouse to open a sauna, and later he took land for real estate development. This incident once affected the county martyrs' cemetery, caused Zhu Shizhen to lose his feet, and turned Guan Peishan from County Party Secretary into the head of the Economic Leading Group.

But I knew very well that this person definitely had a relationship with Guan Peishan that ordinary people couldn't understand. Offending him meant offending Guan Peishan. He might be a dog kept outside the door by Guan Peishan, or perhaps a wolf.

I smiled indifferently, naturally broke free from his hand, and walked straight into the banquet hall.

The whole hall was full of guests. Seeing me enter, everyone stood up in unison, clapping their hands, eyes on me, waiting for me to speak.

I waved my hand at the people in the hall, signaling them to sit down. The County Government Office Director led the way in front of me, taking me to sit at the center table near a small stage.

He bent down and asked softly in my ear, "County Magistrate Chen, would you like to say a few words?"

My eyes followed his hand, and I saw a microphone set up on the small stage. Behind the microphone stood a smiling woman, who looked slim and spirited under the illumination of the lights.

I looked closely and realized it was the announcer from the county TV station. I didn't know her name. Anyway, I often saw her broadcasting Chunshan County news on TV.

The County Government Office Director saw my expression and beckoned to the stage. The female announcer walked over gracefully and whispered, "Hello, County Magistrate Chen!"

As she spoke, she extended a hand for me to shake, so fair that I couldn't help but want to touch it.

The female announcer saw that I didn't extend my hand. Her hand stayed in mid-air for a long time, and just as she was about to withdraw it in embarrassment, I seized the opportunity to extend my hand, gripping her hand, which felt as soft as if it had no bones, and said, "Thank you!"

The female announcer smiled sweetly and said, "County Magistrate Chen, my name is Xiaoxi. Please give me more guidance!"

I gave an "oh," and a ripple of emotion couldn't help but rise in my heart. Her name was "Xiaoxi," what a beautiful name. Compared to Huang Weiwei, Chen Meng, and the others, it seemed to have more of a daughter's aura.

I let go of her hand and wanted to pull it back. But Xiaoxi held it secretly. I looked up at her, and she was watching me, her eyes full of smiles, as if they were a deep pool, making one have the desire to fall into them.

I used a little force, and she let go of my hand, but her little fingertip seemed to scratch my palm inadvertently. I looked at her again, only to find that her smile had disappeared, replaced by a soul-stirring look. My heart trembled, and I was suddenly distracted.

"Say a few words," the County Government Office Director invited me sincerely. "This can be considered your inauguration speech. In foreign countries, officials like to give speeches because only through speeches can others know what you want to do."

I laughed, "It seems you have studied foreign things very thoroughly."

Pan Xiaoqin saw us coming from afar. She tied an apron around her waist, and the pattern was colorful. It was clear that she had put together a few pieces of cloth herself. But because the stitches were fine and the color and size of the cloth were matched cleverly, it looked very cute.

Someone on the side heckled, "What hearsay? Who doesn't know your son is studying abroad? I'm afraid you're just picking up your son's leftovers."

The Director's face turned the color of a pig's liver, but he had an irrepressible sense of pride, shouting, "Tonight is the banquet hosted by County Magistrate Chen for everyone, so of course, we must invite the host to say a few words. Otherwise, can you even eat?"

There was a commotion in the hall, and everyone was shouting for me to say a few words.

I thought about it, then looked at Xiaoxi standing beside me, smelling the faint fragrance wafting from her body, and suddenly felt heroic. This man couldn't lose face in front of a woman. Moreover, there would be many such occasions in the future, so I would just treat it as practicing my courage!

I walked toward the stage, followed by Xiaoxi, who whispered, "County Magistrate Chen, slow down, I'll turn on the microphone for you."

Xiaoxi stood calmly in the middle of the stage, holding the microphone, her eyes scanning the audience, and then a series of oriole-like sounds floated out: "Distinguished leaders, distinguished friends. Tonight is the appreciation banquet for Deputy County Magistrate Chen Feng of Chunshan County. Let us first use warm applause to applaud Chunshan County for having the youngest Deputy County Magistrate in history."

She took the lead in applauding, her eyes glancing toward me, looking encouraging and grateful.

"County Magistrate Chen is a young and promising person, the guide for the common people of our Chunshan County, and also the powerful commander who will change our lives in Chunshan County in the future. With him, we see hope, we see the future."

Xiaoxi was about to continue, but I felt more and more uncomfortable the more I heard. If Guan Peishan and Liu Qimeng heard these words, wouldn't I be digging a pit for myself to jump into?

I coughed lightly, and Xiaoxi turned her head, immediately understanding my meaning. She smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, County Magistrate Chen, for bringing us a sumptuous dinner tonight, and thank you to all the leaders and friends who attended tonight's banquet. Now, let us invite County Magistrate Chen to say a few words."

Xiaoxi handed me the microphone, her little finger inadvertently brushing across the back of my hand again, making my heart jump a few times as if it had been electrocuted.

Holding the microphone, I cleared my throat and said, "My name is Chen Feng, and many of you here know me. I used to be the secretary of Suxi Township, and now I am the Party Committee Secretary of Suxi Town. Of course, thanks to your kindness, I am now the Deputy County Magistrate of Chunshan County. I am overwhelmed with fear."

I extended my palm and counted one by one, saying, "I have been in Chunshan County for six years, and after this year, it will be a full seven years. It's only one year short of the eight-year War of Resistance."

The crowd laughed, and I laughed along, saying, "Some people say I have achieved success. Today I want to say that we Communists cannot measure ourselves by our positions. As long as we are doing things for the Party and serving the people, we should devote all our strength to any position."

"I have been in Chunshan County for more than six years, and my feeling is that this is a passionate land. Here we have our most passionate people, here our martyrs rest in peace, and here is also the paradise where we realize our ideals."

"I would like to make a statement here: if I don't change the face of Chunshan County and lead our Chunshan people to live a happy life, I, Chen Feng, will never leave Chunshan County for the rest of my life."

After saying thank you, I walked off the stage. The whole hall was filled with thunderous applause.

I was so excited that I almost shed tears.

The County Government Office Director patted my back and whispered, "County Magistrate Chen, you spoke really well."

He pulled out a chair for me to sit, sat on my left, and left the chair on my right, telling me, "This chair is reserved for Miss Xiaoxi."

My heart stirred. Could this old fox, the County Government Office Director, have seen the little interaction between us? ===== CHAPTER 346 =====