Chapter 346: A Story of Romance

As soon as the first toast of the banquet went down, people started coming over to offer toasts.

Looking at the people coming to offer toasts, there was a clear order. The first wave was a group of people from the County Party Committee Office. The County Party Committee Office was the think tank for the County Party Secretary and the executor of work, representing the County Party Secretary and holding invisible power.

People from the County Party Committee Office generally looked down on people from other bureaus and committees. When I was still in the countryside, seeing them was like seeing the Secretary; I was terrified and didn't dare to speak loudly at all.

The County Party Committee Office Director didn't come, and a Deputy Director led the team. I didn't know this Deputy Director; it was said that he was the Director in charge of logistics.

The Deputy Director's surname was Xiao, and his name was Xiao Tianzuo. When the County Government Office Director whispered his name to me, I almost laughed out loud. This name was the same as a villain in the book "Generals of the Yang Family," which I had read obsessively when I was in junior high school, called "Xiao Tianzuo." However, this "Xiao" was not that "Xiao," but the pronunciation was the same.

Xiao Tianzuo looked like a scholar, with a pair of thick glasses on his nose and a somewhat gray complexion, clearly not doing well in the County Party Committee Office.

He was bald, with not a single hair in the middle of his forehead. He kept a few long strands of hair, deliberately combing them over to cover the shining bald spot. Although he didn't achieve his goal, it gave people infinite amusement.

"County Magistrate Chen, young and promising!" Xiao Tianzuo sighed. I could hear that it was a sigh from his heart, without any affectation.

I held my glass, touched it, and said, "Director Xiao, I'll have to ask for your care in the future."

Xiao Tianzuo smiled bitterly and said, "County Magistrate Chen, what are you saying? It should be you taking care of me. Why are you saying it backward? Aren't you trying to shame me?"

Just listening to his words, there was a strong scholarly air, and I couldn't help but like him from the bottom of my heart.

The hall was buzzing with noise, everyone was looking for people to drink with, as if this were a free dinner, and if they didn't enjoy themselves, they would be sorry for themselves.

"Let's chat properly another day," I said, sending off the group from the County Party Committee Office.

As soon as they left, the group from the Government Office came over. Tonight, all the heads of the Government Office were present, even a woman who had asked for leave to give birth at home had rushed over. They stood around me in a neat row, waiting for the Director to speak.

The County Party Committee Office Director had never introduced his name. He was a cadre who had been promoted from a Town Mayor, having worked in the countryside for thirty years and sitting in the position of County Government Office Director for eight years. He was about to retire to the second line after the New Year. The Director's surname was Wei, and his full name was Wei Yan. It was the exact same name as Wei Yan, who had a rebellious bone in the Three Kingdoms.

Wei Yan once told people that whether a person's name was good or bad directly affected their whole life. He used himself as an example, saying that if his name wasn't this, he would have gone to work at the Municipal Committee long ago. Because he had such a name, leaders felt uncomfortable as soon as they saw it. Which leader would want to have someone with a rebellious bone by their side?

Wei Yan often complained to people, saying how loyal he was, but no matter what he did, after he sat in the chair of the Government Office Director, his butt never moved an inch. He once asked Section Chief Guan for care, wanting to go down to a bureau to be a head, and later he asked Liu Qimeng, but all he got was silence.

By now, he had despaired of promotion. His age made it impossible for him to advance even half a step. Cadre discipline was very strict; if you didn't reach a certain rank by a certain age, you would be declared to return to your hometown, and your official career would end there.

The higher the official, the older the retirement age. For example, the central government stipulated what age people could go up and what age they had to come down. The oldest could serve until they were over eighty, longer than the average age of the citizens.

Wei Yan was the boss of the County Government Office. Although he was about to retire, he didn't want to hand over his work at all. One could see from his planning of tonight's banquet that he still didn't trust others and liked to do everything himself.

This group of people would have to deal with me every day from now on, and many of my tasks would be arranged and handled by them. Therefore, I was more enthusiastic toward them than toward the people from the County Party Committee Office.

The people from the Government Office seemed to perceive my attitude and bustled about, saying they wanted to toast me one by one.

There were more than twenty of them, big and small. Besides a few women, there were nearly twenty men. If they all drank like this, wouldn't it kill me?

I was hesitating when Xiaoxi, who was sitting beside me, stood up with a smile, holding a glass, and said, "If you want to drink, you have to follow the rules. County Magistrate Chen is a leader; can you guys come and do a wheel battle one by one?"

Xiaoxi was a beauty in Chunshan County, broadcasting news on Chunshan TV every night. There were few people in the county who didn't know her. She was a celebrity, and a famous beauty at that.

In the past, most people only heard her voice and saw her actions, but couldn't see her in person. Now that she was standing vividly in front of everyone, looking vibrant and fragrant, everyone stopped talking as soon as she opened her mouth, watching her with eager eyes, waiting for her to continue.

Xiaoxi didn't shirk, raising her glass and saying, "If we're talking about drinking, we have to set a rule. It won't do for each of you to drink one glass; each of you drinks three, and County Magistrate Chen will accompany you with one."

Everyone thought about it and felt it made sense. After all, I was the County Magistrate, and they had to respect me.

But I thought, even if they drank three and I drank one, with more than twenty people, I wouldn't be able to handle it either. Moreover, those gathered here tonight were not just these people from the County Party Committee and county government.

Xiaoxi seemed to see through my thoughts, smiled sweetly, and said, "There's another rule: a leader is always a leader, and a leader can ask someone to drink on their behalf, right?"

Everyone was stunned and immediately opposed it. Someone came up with an idea, saying that it was fine to ask someone to drink on their behalf, but the person drinking on their behalf had to drink all of it, and they couldn't switch people.

Xiaoxi agreed readily, leaned down, looked at me with a half-smile, and said, "Leader, who are you arranging to drink on your behalf?"

Now it was my turn to be stunned. I was confident I could handle these people one by one, but if they attacked in a group, I would only be defeated. Who could I find to drink on my behalf for something I couldn't handle myself?

My eyes searched for Zhu Hua Yu. She was my secretary, and she should come to save the day at this time.

A secretary couldn't sit at the same table as me; this was a conventional rule. I searched everywhere and finally saw Zhu Hua Yu at the next table, but she acted as if she didn't see me, lowering her head and fiddling with the chopsticks in her hand.

I knew that even if I called her, it would be nothing more than a gimmick, and it would just add one more defeated person.

Xiaoxi saw my appearance and knew I couldn't find anyone, while the people standing beside me started to lose patience, shouting, "Lin Xiaoxi, this idea was yours. If you can't find anyone, you have to do it yourself."

Xiaoxi kicked me lightly with her toe, still with a half-smile, and said, "Leader, say something; they are bullying me."

Everyone laughed and said, "Lin Xiaoxi, if you can't find anyone, even if the King of Heaven comes, you have to drink. Otherwise, we won't believe what you say on TV in the future."

Lin Xiaoxi was a news anchor. Although the news in Chunshan County was nothing more than trivial matters, like Zhang Village harvesting three or five more dou of grain, or Li Shop losing a cow, the Secretary and County Magistrate's figures were usually on the news every night. If everyone didn't believe what she said on TV, it would be equivalent to declaring the end of her anchor career.

I smoothed things over and said, "How about I invite everyone to drink another day? Xiaoxi is just a girl. Is it right for you to force someone like this?"

Someone said, "Oh, our County Magistrate Chen is showing pity for the fragrant and cherishing the jade. We didn't dare to force her; it was her own idea."

Lin Xiaoxi's face turned red, and she seemed to have made up her mind, standing up and holding her glass, saying, "Forget it, I'll drink."

Without waiting for everyone to react, she tilted her neck and drank the full glass of wine in one gulp, showing the bottom of the glass to them and saying, "See clearly now."

Everyone was stunned, their mouths agape, unable to make a sound. They had originally thought to scare this little girl, but they didn't expect her to actually dare to take the field.

There were a few young people in the Government Office who were looking for an opportunity to show themselves, and at this moment, they started to step forward, saying, "Xiaoxi, how about I help you?"

Lin Xiaoxi smiled contemptuously and said, "I don't need your help; just drink your own wine well. You guys come one by one."

Lin Xiaoxi was the person arranged by Wei Yan to host tonight's banquet. Fearing something would happen, he knocked on the table and scolded the group from the Government Office, saying, "You little thieves, I usually see you acting timidly, but today you're bullying a little girl, and your guts have all grown fat, and you're not even blushing?"

Everyone argued, "Director Wei, you're already an old ox, and you're still thinking about a mouthful of tender grass."

Everyone in the agency knew that Wei Yan was about to retire, but Wei Yan wouldn't give up, as if he still wanted to persist. Everyone tacitly agreed to do things according to his wishes; anyway, after the New Year, he would have to roll the fuck away. Therefore, no one took his words seriously. To put it bluntly, Wei Yan was just a dead tiger; when the time came, he had to leave, and with so many people waiting behind him, how could they allow him to occupy a latrine?

Wei Yan clearly heard the meaning in their words but couldn't get angry. This group of people looked refined on the surface, but if they wanted to fix someone, they were all ruthless. He was in office now, so they gave him some face; once he retired, he would be an old guy not as good as dog shit. At that time, if he wanted to beg them to do something, it would be harder than ascending to heaven, so it was better to play crazy and stupid and muddle through.

Lin Xiaoxi didn't appreciate Wei Yan's good intentions at all. She said calmly, "Don't worry, I said I would do it, and I will."

The crowd couldn't say anything, so they took turns drinking one by one without saying a word. After drinking three glasses, they all fled back to their seats, not daring to make a sound.

After more than twenty glasses of wine, Lin Xiaoxi was still the same as before, without the slightest sign of drunkenness. She accompanied them drink by drink, not eating vegetables or drinking soup.

Sweat was breaking out on the tip of my heart. This Lin Xiaoxi seemed to be able to drink a thousand glasses without getting drunk!

Just then, a waiter brought a bowl of hot soup. I scooped a bowl and placed it in front of her, saying softly, "Xiaoxi, drink some soup; you'll feel better."

Lin Xiaoxi still smiled sweetly and said, "I'm fine! Don't worry."

My hand was hanging under the table when I suddenly felt it being gripped by a small hand. Turning to look, I found Lin Xiaoxi was lowering her head, drinking the soup earnestly. And this hand under the table that was acting as if nothing had happened—who else could it be but her? ===== CHAPTER 347 =====