Chapter 29

"Duoduo, what did you say?"

Li Yifeng turned his head, looking at Yan Duoduo in disbelief, and asked in surprise.

Yan Duoduo blinked her big eyes and said with a smile, "Stupid big tiger, look how awesome Junran brother is. Grandpa said he's about to be in charge of feeding thousands of people."

Hearing this, Li Yifeng was stunned. After a while, he turned around and patted Xu Junran, who was also somewhat dazed, on the shoulder, shouting happily, "Good kid! I knew you would make it! You became the deputy secretary of the commune right after graduation. Hehe, now I can be proud when I go out!"

It turned out that was all he could think of.

Yuan Xiaoyue stood behind Xu Junran, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.

At the age of twenty-something, girls are often curious about the opposite sex. Someone like Xu Junran, who is highly educated and cultured, is hard to forget for Yuan Xiaoyue. Moreover, yesterday, when Xu Junran protected her in front of so many people (she thought it was a sign of affection), it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"Truly worthy of being a top student from Jinghua University, promoted to deputy section chief on the second day of work," Yuan Xiaoyue thought to herself.

Being in the government, Yuan Xiaoyue knew very well how wide the gap was between a regular official and a deputy section chief. Take Tu Wen Yong, for example. Since he resumed work in the county in 1976, he has been a section officer for more than six years, but he hasn't moved up at all. Ultimately, it's because Tu Wen Yong doesn't have a good mentor.

Talented people are common, but good mentors are rare.

There are many talented people in the government, but without a leader willing to promote you, even the most talented will be wasted.

Xu Junran's promotion on his second day of work truly amazed Yuan Xiaoyue.

Li Yifeng, however, didn't care about that. He squatted down and asked Yan Duoduo, "Duoduo, tell your brother, did your grandpa say where Junran brother is going to be the secretary?"

Yan Duoduo ignored him and instead hopped over to Yuan Xiaoyue, tilting her head innocently, "Sister, are you Junran brother's girlfriend?"

Yuan Xiaoyue was flustered, her beautiful face turning bright red, unsure of how to respond.

Xu Junran knew things were about to get bad when he heard Yan Duoduo's question. This girl was known for being mischievous, and who knows what she might do if she kept asking.

Coughing, Xu Junran forced a smile and said to Yan Duoduo, "Duoduo, tell your brother, what did grandpa say?"

Yan Duoduo giggled and said, "If you kiss me, I'll tell you."

Xu Junran was speechless. Fortunately, he was in his twenties, and Yan Duoduo was only ten, turning nine this year, so he didn't feel too awkward. Reluctantly, he leaned down and kissed the little girl's cheek, then asked, "How about it, can you tell me now?"

"Ah, Junran brother kissed me!" The little girl didn't answer immediately but instead covered her face, blushing, making Xu Junran and Li Yifeng's mouths twitch.

After playing for a while, Yan Duoduo finally said, "I heard grandpa say it should be Li Family Town Commune."

Xu Junran let out a long breath, confirming his suspicions.

From the moment Yan Duoduo mentioned he was going to be a secretary in a lower-level position, Xu Junran had been calculating and guessing. He was wondering how Yan Wangsong and Yang Weitian had decided to send him to Li Family Town. Did they have some plan?

Shaking his head, Xu Junran suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness. His position was still too low, and he could only adapt to the situation, not control it.

This feeling was hard to adjust to for someone used to giving orders.

"Hey, aren't you Cheng Bad Guy?"

Just then, Duoduo suddenly saw Cheng Hongfa trying to hide in the crowd and pointed at him, shouting.

Xu Junran was taken aback, only then noticing that the once arrogant Cheng Er'ye now looked like a defeated rooster, standing there dejectedly.

Next, Xu Junran watched in amazement as Yan Duoduo walked up to Cheng Hongfa, kicked him in the leg, and shouted, "Big bad guy! For bullying Junran brother, for bullying Junran brother, I'll tell grandpa when I get home!"

Cheng Hongfa's face turned green, and he quickly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, little miss, please don't tell the old secretary."

Xu Junran looked at this unbelievable scene, utterly confused.

Turning to Li Yifeng, who looked calm, Xu Junran asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Why is Cheng Hongfa so afraid of Duoduo?"

Li Yifeng chuckled, "When Cheng Hongda first came to our county, this guy used his brother's name to bully young girls. No one in the police dared to touch him. Duoduo saw him on the street and told her grandpa. You know how Grandpa Yan is; he chased Cheng Hongfa down two streets with a hunting rifle, scaring him so much he wet his pants. If Cheng Hongda hadn't personally begged, this guy would probably be in jail now. Since then, he's been like a mouse in front of Duoduo."

Xu Junran nodded, feeling heavy-hearted. The social order had deteriorated so much; no wonder the central government would launch a major crackdown next year.

Yan Duoduo had finished scolding Cheng Hongfa and walked over to Xu Junran with a smile, saying, "Junran brother, that bad guy said he won't dare to bother you again."

Seeing her raise her little face, looking for praise, Xu Junran couldn't help but laugh, ruffling her hair and pinching her chubby cheek, "Duoduo is so brave, go home now, it's getting late."

Li Yifeng nodded at Xu Junran and led Duoduo away.

Turning to Cheng Hongfa, who was still rubbing his leg, Xu Junran said coolly, "I don't care if your brother is the police chief or how powerful you are in Wude County. Yuan Xiaoyue is my friend, and I don't want you to bother her."

Cheng Hongfa was stunned, then his face turned fierce. I'm afraid of Duoduo, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of you, surnamed Xu.

Before he could speak, Xu Junran suddenly stepped closer, leaning in close to Cheng Hongfa's ear and continuing in a voice only the two of them could hear, "You can ignore my words, but I'm now the deputy secretary of the Li Family Town Commune, and I grew up in Li Family Town. With just a word from me, many people in Li Family Town would be willing to play with you, using guns and cannons. Do you know what a cannon hand is? It's a gun with half the barrel and half the stock removed, turning a long gun into a short cannon. Winter is coming, so be careful when you walk. It's cold, and everyone wears coats. You never know who might have a gun in their coat, and they might shoot you right away. It's hard to kill you, but it's easy to cripple you!"

Finishing, Xu Junran straightened up and patted Cheng Hongfa's shoulder, which had turned pale, "And don't forget, assaulting a regular county staff member and a deputy section chief of a commune are different crimes. The former is just a fight, but the latter is a direct challenge to the state authority!"

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