Chapter 1

A narrow, sandy road, only 6 meters wide, wound like an old snake sleeping, spiraling almost to the sky. Ye Fan was now on the snake's waist. The dilapidated minibus 'putted' and roared, stirring up a cloud of dust and snakes, occasionally emitting a terrifying creaking sound, making all the passengers on the bus fear that the old vehicle would fall apart at any moment.

About ten minutes later, the minibus finally stopped steadily on the triangular square called a bus station in Linquan Town, amidst the devout prayers of over 30 people. This triangular square branched off into four roads. It was Ye Fan's first time in Linquan Town, and he stood at the crossroads, holding a travel bag, feeling a bit lost and absurd, as if he were choosing a life path, not knowing which way to go to the Linquan Town government.

Today was Ye Fan's first day reporting to Linquan Town in Yuyang County, and he didn't want to make a bad impression on the town leaders.

Originally, Ye Fan was from Guchuan County, Moxiang City, Nanfu Province. His parents were ordinary government employees.

Ye Fan was smart from a young age. At the age of 5, he played in his mother's class, and before he knew it, he was enrolled. He graduated from primary school at 9 and was admitted to the top 10 university in the country, Haijiang University, at 15. He just turned 19 and graduated. After a series of twists and turns, he passed the civil service exam for Moxiang City.

The initial notice said he would be assigned to Moxiang City, but later, for some reason, it was said that Yuyang County, the poorest county in the city, needed to report. It was because the county's economy was too backward, dragging the city's efforts to build the 'Moxiang Economic Zone.'

After multiple discussions and repeated deliberations by the county party committee, the root cause was identified: a lack of capable talent. Therefore, they requested that the city leaders assign some of the college graduates to Yuyang County to help, as very few of the graduates from Yuyang returned home.

At the time, there were many college graduates assigned to Moxiang City. Those with connections were well-informed and had already started visiting and giving gifts, using all sorts of methods to stay in Moxiang City.

For example, Ye Fan's classmate Zhang Jin, because of his connections, was directly assigned to work in the Moxiang District government office.

Ye Fan, on the other hand, had traveled during the summer and was not well-informed. His parents were just ordinary government employees. As a result, when he returned, he received the notice to report to Yuyang County's Linquan Town.

Since he was only 19, he felt young and thought it didn't matter where he went. Moreover, Yuyang County was not far from his hometown, Guchuan County, only a two-hour drive away. So he first reported to Yuyang County, got the introduction letter, and finally arrived in Linquan Town at 10 in the morning.

He looked up and saw a semi-circular bus station building with three floors and a hall in the middle, which seemed to be a waiting room. He walked in.

He glanced around and saw a middle-aged woman sitting behind a counter, which he guessed was the service desk. The counter was filled with cigarettes and snacks for children. He guessed that the ticket seller also made some extra money by selling cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks.

"Auntie! A pack of San Sha, please."

Ye Fan said. His father had somehow gotten a few packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, which he was supposed to bring and distribute to the new leaders and colleagues. Ye Fan usually smoked 5-yuan San Sha cigarettes.

He lit one and casually asked, "Auntie, which way is the town government?"

"Oh! Go straight ahead, turn at the S-shaped bend, and you'll see Linquan Bridge. From the bridge, you can see a crowd gathered in front of a building, which is the town government."

The fat auntie pointed with her finger.

"Strange! How does this auntie know there's a crowd in front of the town government? Is someone attacking the government?"

Ye Fan wondered curiously, shouldered his travel bag, and walked on. There were a dozen or so shops scattered along the street. After turning at the S-shaped bend, he indeed saw a stone arch bridge over a hundred meters long.

Ye Fan quickly reached the bridge and looked down. Sure enough, a crowd was gathered in front of a building about 70 to 80 meters long and six stories high, with a red-tiled exterior. They were all looking up at the roof, seemingly watching something. Ye Fan was also intrigued and stood on the bridge, looking up at the roof, but saw nothing unusual.

He then walked down a row of stone steps to the bridge and soon reached the crowd.

Wow! There were over a thousand people, like a gathering for a party, all crowded together, staring at the roof.

Ye Fan moved closer and looked up. He had almost forgotten about reporting. Following a man's finger, he finally noticed something peculiar.

He was startled to see a person hanging by the window on the fourth floor, with a floral belt-like object around the neck.

"Brother, who is he?" Ye Fan asked a young man in a floral shirt softly.

"The town mayor, he hanged himself with his tie. Damn! He must have been afraid of being caught for corruption," the young man spat out his cigarette and cursed.

"Ah! The town mayor!" Ye Fan almost dropped his jaw, exclaiming, but no one noticed him as everyone was focused on the hanging mayor.

"No, I heard he hanged himself over a love affair," a man nearby contradicted the young man.

"Who said that? It's a ghost," an old man said confidently.

"Ghost? Who believes in that these days?" the young man shook his head disbelievingly.

"You don't know. A relative of Mayor Wu lives next to me. Last night, Mayor Wu called his sister, saying he was feeling bad and needed a charm to ward off evil. His sister said she was busy and would bring it today. But before the charm arrived, he was already like this. He was only in his 30s, what a pity! This ghost is too scary."

The old man sighed and muttered.

Ye Fan listened with interest and found various versions of the story, including murder and love affairs.

"Why hasn't he been taken down? What's he hanging there for?" Ye Fan asked casually.

"Waiting for the police to investigate. It might be a murder," the young man said with a somewhat gleeful smile.

It was nearly 10:30 when Ye Fan remembered he was there to report. He hurriedly walked into the government building. After asking the gatekeeper, he went straight to the fourth floor, where he saw a corridor filled with people, probably from various government departments.

There were few people in the office, and they were whispering, seemingly surprised, but he couldn't hear clearly. After a few minutes, he found a sign for the Party and Government Office.

He quietly walked in and saw a young woman in her twenties, wearing a light red shirt, with a chest that looked like two large buns, bending over to copy some documents. She was facing Ye Fan, and through the deep cleavage, Ye Fan's gaze almost wandered, making him swallow hard. Seeing her about to look up, he quickly turned his eyes away.

"Miss, is this where I report?"

Ye Fan smiled and asked.

"Report? What are you reporting?" The woman was taken aback for a moment before remembering, "Oh! You're the college graduate assigned to our town, right?"

"Yes, my name is Ye Fan. This is my introduction letter."

Ye Fan handed over an introduction letter stamped with the county government seal.

"Wow, a graduate of Haijiang University."

The young woman scanned the letter and said admiringly, "I'm Su Jiazheng, an officer in the Party and Government Office of Linquan Town. As you can see, something big happened today. Our director is in the county, but Secretary Qin is here. I can take you to him, but you need to be careful in your response, or..."

Su Jiazheng kindly warned Ye Fan, who was deeply moved and followed her to the fifth floor. The town mayor's office was on the fourth floor, and the secretary's on the fifth, symbolizing the supreme leadership of the party.

Su Jiazheng gently knocked on Secretary Qin's office door.

"Who is it? Come in!"

A slightly hoarse voice came from inside.

"Secretary Qin, I'm Su from the Party and Government Office. A college graduate named Ye Fan came to report today, so I brought him here."

Su Jiazheng bowed slightly and said respectfully.

"Report? I'm busy today. Tell him to come back tomorrow. Isn't this just causing trouble?"

Secretary Qin said unhappily, and Su Jiazheng glanced at Ye Fan, who looked a bit uncomfortable. She regretted bringing Ye Fan, knowing that Secretary Qin, as the top leader of Linquan Town, would be in a bad mood after the mayor's incident.

"Ye Fan, find a place to rest for the night and come back tomorrow morning."

Su Jiazheng said softly.

"Okay, thank you."

Ye Fan was about to leave when Secretary Qin called out, "Su, bring him in."

"Oh, okay, Secretary Qin."

Su Jiazheng's frown eased, and she smiled at Ye Fan like a blooming wildflower, "Go in, Secretary Qin wants to see you."

"Thank you."

Ye Fan thanked her and gently pushed the door to the secretary's office. Meeting the top leader of Linquan Town for the first time, he felt a surge of excitement, his steps almost floating.

Though he had seen bigger officials like mayors and department heads in school, it didn't matter much then. This time, even though he was only meeting a small town secretary, he was his direct superior.

Qin Zhiming was around 40, a former military officer... Ye Fan had learned about him through some channels before coming.

Taking a deep breath to calm his trembling heart, Ye Fan first took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes and offered one to Secretary Qin.

Fortunately, Secretary Qin also smoked. He glanced at Ye Fan and took the cigarette without a word. Ye Fan respectfully lit it for him, and his mood stabilized.

"Secretary Qin, my name is Ye Fan, from Moxiang City..."

Ye Fan gave a brief report of his background and resume. Of course, he exaggerated a bit, emphasizing his strengths.

"Hmm, not bad, young man. Haijiang University is a prestigious university in our country. It's a rare opportunity for our town to have you. Since there's a lot going on today, I'll have Su take you to the guesthouse for the night. Come back tomorrow morning, and we'll discuss your specific duties then."

Qin Zhiming smiled faintly amidst the smoke.

After leaving, Ye Fan was led by Su Jiazheng to the town guesthouse.

"Su, are you bringing your boyfriend out to play?"

A teasing voice came from the guesthouse.

Paozi writes books, and if you enjoy reading, please add it to your bookshelf. A recommendation would be even better, thank you!

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