Chapter 804

Everyone sang happily all afternoon. Xu Xiaoguang said, "Xinghui, let's go, let's go eat."

Su Xinghui nodded, went out to settle the bill, and the group went to the Renmin Hotel. They got a private room, sat down, and ordered dishes. Xu Xiaoguang also ordered two bottles of 20-year-aged Pengwan Daqu liquor.

Xu Xiaoguang said, "Xinghui, this liquor from your Pengjiawan Winery is really good. Many people in the county are drinking it now."

Zhang Cheng said, "Wasn't the 20-year-aged Pengwan Daqu served at Xue Qin's wedding at noon? That liquor is truly fragrant. Chen Ping'an is quite generous; the market price for that liquor seems to be forty or fifty yuan a bottle."

Luo Xiaomei said, "Of course. Last year, their Power Bureau gave out ten or twenty thousand yuan in benefits alone, which is more than our salary for several years. His family has money, and since he married such a beautiful wife as Xue Qin, of course, he had to make the wedding grand."

Wu Yuansheng said, "That's right. The cigarettes at the banquet at noon were all Hongtashan; they were throwing several packs on each table. It was quite grand."

Wu Jun said, "This new packaging for Pengwan Daqu was designed by Xinghui."

Everyone said in surprise, "Is that true? Xinghui, no wonder the packaging is so beautiful now; it turns out you designed it."

Su Xinghui laughed, "What's the big deal? I've studied painting, and now I'm the town mayor of Pengjiawan. Isn't it normal for me to help them design packaging?"

Wu Yuansheng said, "You can't say that. The packaging is much more beautiful now; it looks much higher-end than the original. If you had gone earlier, I would have used Pengwan Daqu when I married Luo Xiaomei."

Su Xinghui said, "No problem. Won't you be using Pengwan Daqu at the banquet when your son turns one next year?"

Xu Xiaoguang said, "Xinghui, you helped them design the packaging, didn't you charge any design fees? Nowadays, in big cities, helping people with designs costs money, and the fees aren't low either."

Su Xinghui scolded him with a smile, "Xiaoguang, I think you're trying to harm me. As a town mayor, if I took design fees from a town enterprise, wouldn't that be handing a knife to someone else to stab me?"

Zhang Cheng nodded and said, "Xinghui is right. Although you're popular right now, a tall tree catches the wind. In this society, even if you've done nothing wrong, one anonymous report letter can get you investigated for months. As the saying goes, 'An eight-cent stamp can keep the Discipline Inspection Commission running for half a year.'"

Su Xinghui smiled bitterly, "Yes, I'm walking on thin ice, terrified of making any mistakes that others could use against me!"

Everyone nodded. They all felt that being a town mayor was truly not easy for Su Xinghui.

Lu Xiaoya was Lu Zhenghong's daughter, so she understood this principle very well. When Lu Zhenghong was mayor, he didn't know how many anonymous report letters had been written about him. Later, when he was sidelined, it was hard to say that those report letters hadn't played a role.

Lu Xiaoya couldn't help but look deeply at Su Xinghui. She also felt that Su Xinghui had it very tough.

The food and drinks were served. Everyone poured a glass of liquor, raised their glasses to Su Xinghui and Lu Xiaoya, and said, "Come, let's toast you two together. Wishing you a sweet love!"

Su Xinghui raised a glass of liquor, and Lu Xiaoya raised a glass of beverage. They thanked them together and drank it all in one gulp.

Luo Xiaomei said, "Su Xinghui, Lu Xiaoya, when do you plan to get married?"

In that era, generally, as long as people were dating, they were aiming for marriage. It wasn't like twenty years later, where many people dated for the sake of so-called enjoyment, playing house like children, and it was possible to change several girlfriends in a year. Therefore, Luo Xiaomei asked directly.

Lu Xiaoya looked at Su Xinghui, and Su Xinghui said, "It hasn't been decided yet. We should prioritize work. Anyway, Xiaoya and I are still young, so it won't be too late to wait a couple of years to get married."

Zhang Cheng said, "Xinghui, if you don't hurry up and get married, I'm going to beat you to it. Yao Feng and I are getting married on New Year's Day next year."

Su Xinghui said, "Alright, then I wish you an early son. By the way, why didn't you let Yao Feng come to dinner today?"

Zhang Cheng said, "She had something to do at her family's place today, so I didn't call her."

Lu Xiaoya poured herself a drink and said, "Zhang Cheng, come, I'll toast you. When you get married, I'll definitely come to Shangjun to attend. I wonder if you'll welcome me?"

Zhang Cheng was flattered. He hurriedly poured himself a glass of liquor, drank it with Lu Xiaoya, and said, "Welcome, welcome! How could I not welcome you? It's our honor that you can attend my wedding!"

Next, Lu Xiaoya took the initiative and toasted Su Xinghui's classmates one by one. Not only did she toast them, but the things she said were also very pleasing, making everyone very happy. They all felt close to Lu Xiaoya, which also gave Su Xinghui a lot of face.

Although Lu Xiaoya had a good personality, which Su Xinghui felt was very similar to a sunflower, she was, after all, the daughter of a high-level cadre. Growing up in such a family, her upbringing was strict, and she was no worse than anyone else in social graces. She was poised and completely like a young lady from a prominent family.

Seeing her like this, Su Xinghui nodded secretly and respected her even more. He knew that Lu Xiaoya was doing all this for his sake.

After the meal, Xu Xiaoguang wanted to drive Su Xinghui and Lu Xiaoya back, but Lu Xiaoya said she wanted to walk around outside with Su Xinghui. The group smiled, said goodbye to the two, and left first.

Su Xinghui said, "Xiaoya, where should we go for a stroll?"

Lu Xiaoya said, "Wherever you say is good, we'll go there."

Su Xinghui said, "There's a Zhong Ming Lake south of the county seat, and the environment is quite good. How about we go there for a walk?"

Lu Xiaoya nodded and said, "Alright."

The two walked toward the south together. Su Xinghui said, "Our Shangjun County has nothing else special, but it has many lakes. There are several lakes south of the county seat. When I was in middle school, I often went there to swim in the summer."

Lu Xiaoya said, "Did your parents let you swim?"

Su Xinghui said, "How could they? I always snuck off to swim. When swimming, I'd take off all my clothes, leaving only a pair of trunks. After swimming, I'd wear the trunks and wait for them to dry before putting on my clothes and pants to go home. When I got home, my mom would use her fingernails to scratch me, and if she saw white marks, she'd scold me."

Hearing Su Xinghui's words, Lu Xiaoya laughed until she was trembling: "The things you did back then are really interesting. We didn't dare to go swimming back then; we were even afraid just watching others swim."

Su Xinghui's voice suddenly deepened: "However, after high school, I never went there to swim again."

Lu Xiaoya asked curiously, "Why?"

Su Xinghui said, "The summer after I graduated from junior high, a classmate in my class drowned while swimming."

Lu Xiaoya exclaimed "Ah," and then fell silent. She could understand Su Xinghui's mood.

Su Xinghui said, "I later had a wish: when I had the ability, I would build a swimming pool in the county so that children could go to the swimming pool to swim."