Chapter 450: Be careful, or I'll break your legs

Soon, Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu returned having changed into a pair of sneakers, and the group got into the car together. Su Xinghui naturally sat in the passenger seat, leaving the two ladies in the back.

Once inside, Su Xinghui noticed that although this was a Santana, the interior was no longer the standard Santana trim; it was more upscale, and the seats felt more comfortable.

When Wang Chenggang started the engine, Su Xinghui discovered that the engine and suspension system must have been replaced as well, as it had more horsepower and better shock absorption, making the ride much smoother.

In other words, this car was a high-end vehicle disguised in a Santana shell. This was obviously done to keep a low profile; although there weren't many Santanas around, they were still less conspicuous than Mercedes or BMWs. Since Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu only brought one guard, keeping a low profile was certainly for the best.

Su Xinghui accidentally glanced at the rearview mirror and saw a brick-sized mobile phone tossed casually on the back seat. That was nothing unusual, though; those phones only cost ten or twenty thousand yuan each these days.

Of course, although Su Xinghui noticed this, he didn't say anything. He directed Wang Chenggang to Taohua Village and got out of the car at the entrance of the village committee office.

The village secretary of Taohua Village was surnamed Cheng. Hearing that Lu Xiaoya was a reporter from the provincial newspaper here to conduct interviews, he very enthusiastically poured tea for them. Su Xinghui said, "Secretary Cheng, don't trouble yourself. Take us to see the village and the planting base instead."

Secretary Cheng led them around the village and conducted random interviews with the villagers. The villagers' lives were much better now than before, and seeing that a reporter had come to interview them, they naturally spoke nothing but praise for Su Xinghui, thanking him profusely in front of Lu Xiaoya and the others.

The words of these villagers moved Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu slightly. She had heard from Lu Xiaoya that Su Xinghui had only been in Meng Hu Ling for a year; how could he have already gained such prestige among the common people?

She could certainly see that every one of these commoners clearly knew Su Xinghui. If nothing else, that alone was no easy feat. It showed that Su Xinghui had been here countless times, not to mention how much these people cherished him.

Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu often heard Elder Yu tell stories about the revolutionary war era. Elder Yu always sighed that the relationship between cadres and the masses back then was like that of fish and water, but now, many such relationships had become adversarial.

She hadn't expected that in this small place, she would still be able to see a cadre so sincerely cherished by the common people.

Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu suddenly felt that her decision to come to Meng Hu Ling this time was not just a whim, and that the trip had been well worth it.

After conducting random interviews in the village, they went to the fruit and Chinese medicinal herb planting base. The fruit tree saplings had already grown to about half a meter, and in another year or two, they would form a forest. The medicinal herbs were also growing quite promisingly.

Lu Xiaoya took out the camera she had brought and snapped a few photos of the saplings and medicinal herbs, then asked the village cadres and the workers maintaining the forest some relevant questions.

Having lived in the city for a long time, Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu suddenly arrived in such a wild, mountainous place. Seeing such beautiful scenery, she felt very relaxed. She couldn't help but open her arms and take a long breath; the fragrance of the wild flowers in the mountains felt refreshing to her heart and spleen.

This appearance of Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu swept away her usual coldness, revealing the demeanor of a young girl.

Su Xinghui said, "If you had come here in March or April, the scenery would be even more beautiful. At that time, this entire mountain is covered in peach blossoms."

Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu imagined that scenery and asked, "Is that how Taohua Village got its name?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Yes, that is the origin of Taohua Village's name."

Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu said, "What a pity, I didn't get to see such beautiful scenery."

Su Xinghui said, "I did paint a picture in March or April of this year, depicting the peach blossoms of Taohua Village. If you'd like to see it, I can show it to you when we get back to the township government."

Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu said, "You can paint?"

Su Xinghui said, "A little bit."

Yu Sister Sister Ruoqiu nodded and said, "Alright, I'll take a look at your painting later."

Just as Su Xinghui and the others arrived at Taohua Village, Tian Xiaotao, who was on his way back to Jiangcheng, received a phone call. He was startled the moment he picked it up; it was from his father, Tian Chengzu.

Tian Chengzu rarely called Tian Xiaotao's mobile phone. Even if he had something to discuss, he would usually have his secretary call. That he had called Tian Xiaotao personally today was highly unusual.

Tian Xiaotao called out "Dad," and Tian Chengzu said in a stern tone, "Where are you now?"

Tian Xiaotao said, "I'm on my way back to Jiangcheng."

Tian Chengzu asked again, "Where have you been these past few days?"

Tian Xiaotao said, "I've been in Shangjun County."

Tian Chengzu said, "What were you doing running around over there for no reason?"

Tian Xiaotao said, "Just playing around."

Tian Chengzu said, "Just playing around?"

Tian Xiaotao fell silent. For his father to ask like this was truly highly unusual; he didn't know what his father had found out. ===== CHAPTER 452 =====