Chapter 99

Now, if a policy is introduced that allows labor to be used to offset retained and pooled funds, I presume there will be many people willing to contribute labor, and their retained and pooled fund tasks will be much easier to complete.

With this, the investigation in Meng Hu Ling came to an end. Zhang Kaishan declined Chen Hongfu's invitation to stay for dinner and returned to the county seat.

Zhang Kaishan had made such a trip to Meng Hu Ling to investigate, and the water surface of Meng Hu Ling, which was not very calm to begin with, seemed to have had a big rock thrown into it, suddenly rippling again.

The one who stole the show this time was, of course, Su Xinghui. Many people knew about the stir Su Xinghui had created in Ye Zhugou before, but not many people knew exactly what had been accomplished, only a few people like Chen Hongfu, Dong Jianshu, and Li Maofa.

Today, everyone went to Ye Zhugou to take a look, and only then did they know what work Su Xinghui had done. Su Xinghui had both ideas and execution ability. In such a short time, he had already created such a great cause. It was no wonder County Magistrate Zhang wanted to praise him in public.

Su Xinghui stole the show, which made many people admire him, but of course, there were also many who were jealous of him. Others had stayed in Meng Hu Ling for several years without any achievements, so why was it that Su Xinghui could achieve such dazzling results as soon as he arrived?

If Su Xinghui were like others, mediocre and incompetent, naturally no one would be jealous of him. But now he was like a white crane standing in a flock of chickens, and those chickens, of course, couldn't stand the white crane.

However, Su Xinghui didn't care much. Yes, he now wanted to get rid of the aloofness of his past life, but this didn't mean he wanted to drift through the officialdom as a mediocre person. If he couldn't achieve a great cause, even if he were doing well in the officialdom, he would be nothing more than a bureaucrat.

Anyway, Chen Hongfu and Dong Jianshu still supported him, and that was enough.

In the following days, Su Xinghui still accompanied the professors every day to investigate each village. The professors' gains were getting bigger and bigger, and Su Xinghui's gains were also quite large. He had a clearer understanding of the overall situation of Meng Hu Ling.

These days, Su Xinghui would paint every night. What he was painting was, of course, the painting he promised to give to Lu Xiaoya, a portrait of Lu Xiaoya. He used the meticulous brushwork technique, which is a commonly used technique for painting figures in Chinese painting. After outlining Lu Xiaoya's silhouette, he filled in the colors with watercolors.

Su Xinghui's meticulous brushwork technique was, of course, a traditional technique in Chinese painting, but he also added some techniques from Western painting to his work, such as sketching, which made the Lu Xiaoya painted by Su Xinghui look lifelike.

This portrait of Lu Xiaoya showed her standing in a lush bamboo forest, reaching out to catch a butterfly resting on a bamboo leaf. Her figure was outlined gracefully, her face was peerlessly beautiful, and her expression was charming and moving. It was hard to say how touching it was.

Looking at the Lu Xiaoya he had painted, Su Xinghui couldn't help but be a little fascinated. This should be the perfect image of Lu Xiaoya in his impression.

On the evening of September 2nd, after finalizing the draft, Su Xinghui wrote a few lines in the blank space in the upper right corner: "A person in the bamboo forest, jade hands catching a butterfly, charming and pleasant, motion and stillness are always in harmony. For Little Sister Xiaoya to cherish, from your foolish brother Su Xinghui, painted in Meng Hu Ridge on the day of the Snake in the month of the Monkey in the year of the Monkey."

After writing, Su Xinghui solemnly stamped the name seal he had just carved after the signature, looked at it for a while, and then nodded with satisfaction.

Early the next morning, Su Xinghui went to the Party and Government Office to prepare to call Lu Xiaoya, but before he opened the door, he heard the phone ringing. He quickly opened the door and picked up the phone.

The voice on the phone was exactly Lu Xiaoya's: "Su Xinghui!"

"It's me! What a coincidence, I was just about to call you."

"Then I called at just the right time. You won't be able to find me if you call the old phone number now."

"Why?"

"You tell me first, what is it you're looking for me for?"

"The painting you asked me to do is finished. I want to ask if I should mail it to you or what?"

"Can't you just send it over to me?"

"Work in the township has been very busy lately. If I weren't busy, I would have sent it to you. How about waiting for your mother to bring it back next time she comes to collect the bamboo weaving?"

"My mother might not go to your place next time. Didn't she bring a deputy manager last time? She might let that deputy manager go to collect the bamboo weaving from now on."

"Then can you let that deputy manager bring it over?"

"What did you paint?"

"I painted a portrait for you."

Upon hearing that he had painted a portrait for her, Lu Xiaoya suddenly felt inexplicably shy. What would she look like under his brush?

Lu Xiaoya suddenly shook her head, not caring if Su Xinghui on the other end of the phone could see: "No, you can't let others bring it. How about you just mail it over?"

Lu Xiaoya had originally meant to wait for Su Xinghui to bring it to Jiangcheng when he wasn't so busy, but she wanted to see the painting as soon as possible, so she had no choice but to let Su Xinghui mail it to her.

Su Xinghui, of course, couldn't imagine that Lu Xiaoya's mind had turned countless thoughts in such a short time. He said to Lu Xiaoya, "Okay, I'll mail it to you by registered mail today."

Lu Xiaoya said, "By the way, my family has moved. I'll give you the new address."

Lu Xiaoya's family moved? This sudden news stunned Su Xinghui. Moving at this time, could it be that Lu Zhenghong's job had already been transferred?

In his past life, Su Xinghui had already forgotten the specific time Lu Zhenghong became the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee. He only remembered that it was roughly in the second half of this year, when the new Provincial Party Committee Secretary Gu Shanmin had been in office for more than half a year but less than a year. Calculating the time, it should be now.

Lu Xiaoya's voice came over the phone: "Su Xinghui, I'm going to give you the address. Are you listening?"

"I'm listening," Su Xinghui quickly replied, and then took a pen and paper to prepare to write down the address.

Sure enough, the address Lu Xiaoya gave him this time was exactly inside the Provincial Party Committee compound. Su Xinghui carefully wrote down the address, and Lu Xiaoya reported it again to confirm it was correct.

Lu Xiaoya also gave a phone number, telling Su Xinghui to call this number if he wanted to find her in the future. She also asked Su Xinghui to come to her house to play next time he went to Jiangcheng.

After Su Xinghui agreed, Lu Xiaoya was silent for a moment and then asked, "Su Xinghui, what are you busy with every day now? Are you still running to Ye Zhugou every day?"

"No, I'm running to various villages every day with several professors from the Agricultural University, investigating what kind of economy these villages are suitable for developing. The gains are huge."

Once he started talking about this work, Su Xinghui was beaming. He talked for a long time on the phone, and Lu Xiaoya was infected by his emotions on the phone, and her mood inexplicably improved.

After talking for a long time, Su Xinghui remembered to ask Lu Xiaoya, "Lu Xiaoya, have you started school now?"

Lu Xiaoya said, "I've already registered, and classes won't officially start for another two days."