Chapter 569: No Turning Off the Phone Again

The New Year flowed away like water; I was still savoring the taste of the New Year, but it had already reached its end.

From the first day of the New Year, I began to be busy paying New Year's calls everywhere.

In the early morning of New Year's Eve, I sent out group text messages, sending New Year's greetings to all the phone numbers. Most of the messages sent out had replies, except for Chen Meng's, which was slow to come.

Texting New Year's greetings had become popular in recent years. But no matter how enthusiastic the language, it could never match the intimacy of meeting in person. Therefore, starting from the first day of the New Year, I followed my scheduled list and paid visits one by one.

The first stop was naturally Municipal Committee Secretary Chen. I drove the car, taking my son and wife straight to Secretary Chen's house.

Secretary Chen was very surprised by my visit, saying I was the first guest to visit their house this year. Aunt Mo insisted on keeping my family for a meal, saying that on such a New Year's day, not staying for a meal was disrespectful to the guests.

I accompanied Secretary Chen in casual conversation, but my heart was uneasy.

Chen Meng didn't reply to my text message; was she angry with me? Or was there another reason? My first stop at Secretary Chen's house was to see if she had returned to her parents' home.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Dian Dian's voice came from outside the door.

Aunt Mo was overjoyed to open the door, and as soon as it opened, I saw Chen Meng's family standing at the door.

She clearly hadn't expected my family to arrive at her father's house first, so the look of astonishment on her face didn't fade even after she sat down.

He Jiaxiao came over to shake my hand; in front of him, I was his elder.

With a few more people in the room, the originally cold atmosphere became warm in an instant.

Dian Dian kept running around the room, occasionally coming over to tease my son.

After Aunt Mo accompanied us for a while, she took the old nanny and started to get busy in the kitchen.

I called Dian Dian over, took a large red envelope from my body, and said, "Dian Dian, come, Uncle is giving you New Year's money."

Chen Meng glanced at the red envelope in my hand and asked in surprise, "Why so much?"

I smiled and said, "As an uncle, giving New Year's money to a nephew doesn't matter how much. It's the thought that counts."

Secretary Chen smiled kindly and said, "Little Chen said it well; the thought is better than anything."

Chen Meng looked at He Jiaxiao and said, "Niannian is good, Uncle is giving Niannian a red envelope for New Year's money!"

Hearing this, He Jiaxiao's expression became a bit awkward. He pulled Chen Meng to the side and whispered something, and then I saw a layer of clouds cover Chen Meng's face.

My cousin He Jiaxiao hadn't prepared a red envelope! The moment he showed the first trace of awkwardness, I had already understood.

I came to Secretary Chen's house prepared; I knew He Jiaxiao's family would definitely come. They all lived in the same courtyard, less than five minutes' walk apart. Even if He Jiaxiao didn't come on the first day of the New Year, Chen Meng would definitely take her son back to her parents' home to pay New Year's greetings.

Of course, coming to Secretary Chen's house wasn't just to see if Chen Meng was there; the key was that Secretary Chen was not only a colleague of my father-in-law but also the highest parent official in Hengyue City.

There was one more point I didn't want to think about in detail: although I was now on the list of provincial cadres, everything was an unknown until the official appointment. If I encountered an accident, Hengyue City was my base, my headquarters, so I wouldn't be left without a way out.

Moreover, not everyone had the opportunity to pay New Year's greetings at Secretary Chen's house. My family coming was the result of various intertwined relationships.

Huang Weiwei also saw the look on Chen Meng's face; she stuffed Niannian into her arms and said, "Mengmeng, look at my son, is he good?"

Chen Meng took the child, kissed Niannian on the face, and said, "Little girl, are you happy?"

Huang Weiwei beamed, hugging Chen Meng's waist, and said, "If you're happy, I'm happy."

Chen Meng looked at her strangely and said, "Why are you dragging me into this?"

Huang Weiwei smiled, "Because we are family!"

Huang Weiwei's few words washed away the awkwardness of He Jiaxiao not preparing a red envelope. A smile appeared on Chen Meng's face, and she pointed at He Jiaxiao, saying, "He Jiaxiao, don't blame me for scolding you on the first day of the New Year; when will you have a heart too!"

He Jiaxiao laughed, took the red envelope from Dian Dian's hand, and said, "Wife, I'm borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha; let's pass the red envelope to Niannian."

Chen Meng spat and said, "It's the New Year, what Buddha or not! We are people of the human world."

Secretary Chen watched the two siblings bickering and waved his hand, saying, "It's all fine, children's words are not taboo."

Secretary Chen's words made us all laugh. In Secretary Chen's eyes, He Jiaxiao was just a child who hadn't grown up, to the point that he simply said his words were not taboo. This sentence wasn't blaming He Jiaxiao but was filled with deep elder's care.

After chatting for a while, Secretary Chen stood up and took me to his study upstairs to talk.

I suppressed my pounding heart and followed him upstairs step by step.

Secretary Chen taking me into the study must have had something very important to tell me.

Sure enough, he let me sit on a hardwood chair, sat in a rattan chair himself, and asked me straight to the point, "Little Chen, the training in the province is over, what are your plans?"

I immediately stood up and said seriously, "Secretary Chen, I am your soldier; I obey the organization's arrangements."

He smiled with satisfaction, waved his hand to let me sit down, and said, "At home, there's no need to be so formal."

I smiled slightly, keeping the smile on my face from fading.

"Before the New Year, the province sent a request for opinions; for you cadres who have been trained, there is going to be a major coordination," he said, flipping through a book on his lap. "I am going to retire this year; if there are no other circumstances, when the Provincial CPPCC meets in March, I should be going to the Provincial CPPCC to find a chair to sit on."

I was secretly shocked; Secretary Chen had indeed reached the age to retire to the second line, but I hadn't expected it to come so quickly.

"I'm retiring, and the organization has arrangements. You are coming up, and the organization has arrangements for you too. However, I heard from Vice Provincial Governor Lin that you agreed to go to the Provincial Public Security Department to take a position?" Secretary Chen asked me calmly.

I lowered my eyes and said, "Secretary Chen, Vice Provincial Governor Lin cannot represent the organization; I obey the organization's arrangements."

Secretary Chen smiled faintly, tapped his finger on the book, and said, "Little Chen, you are young, but your experience is quite rich. Back then, when I read your report, it not only had literary talent but also great insight. You are a young man with thoughts and ambitions. Later, I asked Old Guan to understand your situation; Old Guan didn't tell me the truth!"

My heart moved; what did Guan Peishan say to Secretary Chen back then? From Secretary Chen's words, I could tell that there certainly wasn't much good said.

Sure enough, Secretary Chen said directly, "Old Guan, this person, still can't tolerate young people. If it weren't for Liu Qimeng from your Chunshan County coming to report your situation to me specifically, I'm afraid you wouldn't have had the hope or opportunity to come out of Suxi to take a position in the county. Of course, I also learned later that you are Old He's cousin-in-law; no matter how close this relationship is, as long as there is half a thread of family relationship, it is still a relative."

The more I heard, the more shocked I became, not daring to even breathe loudly. I had once thought about the path I had walked, and I had also thought about the complex relationships in between, but I hadn't expected that there was still a story about me here with Secretary Chen.

"Young man, not bad!" Secretary Chen praised me, "The road ahead is still very long; it's not easy to walk steadily."

After ending the conversation with Secretary Chen, besides learning about the past, I still knew nothing about the future. I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but Secretary Chen clearly didn't want to say more, waving his hand to let me go downstairs, and telling me he wouldn't accompany us for dinner, as he wanted to rest.

I went downstairs with disappointment. In the living room downstairs, Dian Dian had already made a mess of the hall. He Jiaxiao was following behind Dian Dian, busy and out of breath.

Chen Meng and Huang Weiwei were leaning on the sofa talking; my son Niannian was already asleep, lying in the small bed Dian Dian left at his grandmother's house.

Seeing me come down, they greeted me together, "Chen Feng, you're a provincial leader after all!"

I smiled and didn't say anything, walking to the kitchen and saying, "Aunt Mo, I'll come help you."

Aunt Mo smiled and pushed me out, saying, "No need, no need. A real man shouldn't do these things."

Chen Meng curled her lips and said, "It's the New Year, shouldn't you men contribute a little? In my opinion, all the housework during the New Year should be done by you men. Don't you think so, little girl?"

Huang Weiwei smiled, "My husband is very capable."

Chen Meng smiled and glared at her, "Who doesn't know your husband is capable? Are you showing off to me?"

Huang Weiwei waved her hands, "It's not showing off, it's a fact."

Chen Meng's eyebrows jumped, "Little girl, can I borrow your husband for a few words, no problem?"

Huang Weiwei waved her hand generously, "Go ahead, go ahead, talk about whatever you want."

Chen Meng paused and said to me, "Chen Feng, come with me."

She didn't move from her maiden room at her parents' home; although she was married to He Jiaxiao, she still came back to stay for a few days every month. In her maiden room, He Jiaxiao couldn't stay overnight, and without her permission, he couldn't step in even one step.

I hesitated at the door of her maiden room, looked back and saw the encouraging look from Huang Weiwei, and hardened my heart to follow her in.

Chen Meng's maiden room still kept the fragrance of a young girl; although Dian Dian was almost two years old, she was a woman who didn't even allow her son to enter her maiden room.

"Sit!" she pointed to the chair, signaling me.

I sat on the edge of the chair; with my wife, her husband, and our respective sons in the living room downstairs, I thought she wouldn't turn against me in such a situation.

"Why did you turn off your phone?" she stared at me aggressively.

"Out of battery," I smiled sheepishly.

"Nonsense!"

"Really not nonsense."

"Is that so?" she smiled coldly, looked at me with contempt, and said, "Do you know how long I sat in Su Ya's house waiting for your call?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't know, and besides, it's New Year's Eve, we should have a good mood to spend the New Year."

"Petty bourgeois!" she rolled her eyes at me with disdain and said, "People are broken and dead, and you still have the mood to spend the New Year? Don't you have any sense of justice? Compassion?"

I smiled and said, "Mengmeng, these things you're talking about aren't things you or I can manage. Instead of worrying about nothing, it's better to live our own lives well, and when we have the ability one day, we can just return justice and morality."

She snorted and said, "I hope you do what you say."

After she said this, she was about to go downstairs, and I followed her up. She brought me upstairs just to say these few words? I couldn't help but feel between laughter and tears. Women, this kind of animal, are emotional animals. Nothing can be kept in the heart for long; it must be released.

She stood at the door and stared at me, saying, "I've arranged Su Ya, but there are still many things that need you."

I spread my hands and said, "I'll do my best."

"Don't turn off your phone again!" she warned me, "If you turn off my phone again, I'll make you wish you were dead."

I slapped myself in the face and said, "Guaranteed to do so." ===== CHAPTER 570 =====