Chapter 1

Having stayed in the tiled-roof house of the rural middle school for several days, Ye Zetao could only shake his head. His arrival was not timely. On the second day after he reported, the township leaders went to the county for business and were involved in a car accident on the way back, and all the leaders in the car died.

There was no housing in the township, so he was temporarily arranged to stay in the middle school.

Wearing sneakers and a jacket, Ye Zetao walked toward the township government compound.

Although it was a large compound, it was actually just a two-story building with a few low, flat houses surrounding it inside.

The smell of cow and horse manure, characteristic of the countryside, wafted through the air. Villagers carrying hoes occasionally smiled at Ye Zetao, showing a sense of warmth.

Entering the party and government office, the desks and chairs inside were clearly old. Ye Zetao walked in.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and Ye Zetao squinted his eyes. The room was now clearly visible.

This time, the county recruited a large number of civil servants. Ye Zetao, a graduate of the provincial university, returned to the county to take the civil service exam and ultimately became a civil servant in Chunzhu Township with the top score.

There was no choice. Who could blame him for having no background? If it weren't for the county needing a top scorer like him as a shield, he might not have passed the civil service exam at all.

It was already quite good. For someone without a background, being able to step onto the red path was like burning high incense!

Fetching water, boiling water, sweeping the floor, wiping the table...

After finishing these tasks, the office began to get lively.

"Xiao Ye, my tea is already steeped, thank you!" The only beauty in the office, Fang Yimei, smiled at Ye Zetao.

"Xiao Ye, being young is great!" The party and government office director, Niu Changsheng, walked in with a smile.

"Haha, I woke up late!" The clerk, Jiang Guoping, said this without taking his tardiness seriously, picked up his teacup, and said, "It's so hot!"

Seeing everyone had gathered, Niu Changsheng's expression turned serious. "Everyone is here, let's talk about some matters!"

Ye Zetao quickly took out his notebook and pen, opened the notebook, and prepared to take notes.

Niu Changsheng glanced at his three subordinates, and only Ye Zetao was taking notes, which made Niu Changsheng look at him with satisfaction.

"This time, our township experienced an unprecedented major traffic accident, and the main leaders of the township are all gone. This is a huge loss for the entire township! The county party committee and government are very concerned about the work of Chunzhu Township. At this critical moment, I hope everyone can think and work together. Whoever screws up, the township will not tolerate it!"

Ye Zetao wrote in his notebook, "Whoever screws up," and circled the word "screws." He was thinking about the situation in the township after the accident. The township leadership had not yet been determined, and a batch of people would be moved. Niu Changsheng had a good chance of being promoted, and he was more concerned about it than anyone else.

Niu Changsheng talked about many things, mostly about who would be dealt with if they made mistakes. After a short meeting, Niu Changsheng hurriedly left the office.

As soon as Niu Changsheng left, Jiang Guoping stretched exaggeratedly and said, "Comrade Niu has finally left!"

He took a big sip of tea and looked at the two people in the office. "Comrade Niu is very anxious now. With several leaders dead in the township, he should be lobbying in the county. You don't have to sit here. Go wherever you want to play!"

"Jiang Guoping, you were scared to death when the director was here, and now you want to skip work. Be careful, I'll report you!" Fang Yimei said with a smile.

Jiang Guoping laughed. "Alright, alright, who doesn't know who? You have a background and will eventually be transferred back to the county. I have no hope, so I'll just muddle through. I'm leaving!"

After saying this, Jiang Guoping walked out.

The office suddenly became quiet. Fang Yimei said to Ye Zetao, "Don't listen to him. He is actively lobbying. If Director Niu gets promoted, Jiang Guoping wants to be the director. You have to be careful with him; he's not honest!"

Ye Zetao smiled slightly but did not respond. He held the materials about Chunzhu Township and read them carefully.

"You are really something. Jiang Guoping is very jealous of you. If he becomes the director, you'll have a hard time!" Fang Yimei said with a pout.

"Haha, I just started working in the township. It doesn't matter who gets promoted!" Ye Zetao was clear in his mind. Fang Yimei was not a simple person either. She was also thinking about becoming the director, as evidenced by her frequent calls to the county. She was trying to win his support now.

Seeing that Ye Zetao did not respond, Fang Yimei shook her head and said to Ye Zetao, "Mind your own business. I'm going to visit some neighbors!"

The office became even quieter. Ye Zetao took a sip of tea, stretched, and leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.

Chunzhu Township is very poor!

In the past few days, Ye Zetao had read all the materials about Chunzhu Township and made extensive notes. He had a comprehensive understanding of the township's situation. The more he understood, the more he felt that Chunzhu Township, deep in the mountains, was very poor.

Sighing, Ye Zetao wrote in his notebook again.

While Ye Zetao was deep in thought, he heard a knock on the door.

Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit and sneakers standing at the door, smiling at him.

Ye Zetao quickly stood up and said politely, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"

"Is the township not working today?" the man asked.

Ye Zetao smiled. "Everyone might have something to do and went out. What can I do for you?"

"I remember there is a place called Heimulin in the township, where my family's ancestral tomb is. I couldn't find it after searching for a while, so I came to ask."

Ye Zetao smiled. "The place you mentioned was called that before liberation. Now, Heimulin is called Jingba. I can take you there; it's hard for ordinary people to find it."

The middle-aged man's eyes lit up when he heard this. "I asked many people, and none of them knew. From your situation, you don't seem to be from this township. How do you know about that place?"

Ye Zetao smiled. "I have studied many things about this township."

As he spoke, Ye Zetao walked over.

The middle-aged man took out a cigarette and offered one to Ye Zetao. "What's your surname? I'm really troubling you!"

"My name is Ye Zetao, it's no trouble at all!"

The two walked out together. As they passed several office doors, Ye Zetao noticed that all the doors were wide open, but there was no one inside.

"Ha ha, I only saw you when I came in. It's really a coincidence!" the middle-aged man laughed.

Ye Zetao did not say anything bad about his colleagues and remained very composed.

The middle-aged man looked at Ye Zetao, who was walking beside him, and started a conversation. "I heard that some things happened in your township?"

"It's just a small matter, nothing serious," Ye Zetao said with a smile.

Seeing that Ye Zetao did not want to talk about the township leaders, the middle-aged man smiled. "I heard that this place was very poor before liberation. I didn't expect that after so many years, it hasn't changed much!"

The middle-aged man shook his head as he said this.

Leaving the township government, a man in his thirties walked over.

When Ye Zetao looked at him, the middle-aged man smiled. "I came in his car."

Ye Zetao did not think much of it, nodded to the man, and led the middle-aged man out of the township government.

Through the introduction, he learned that the middle-aged man's surname was Zheng and that he was from the provincial capital.

The middle-aged man with the surname Zheng was very interested in the township's affairs and often asked about the township's situation.

Talking about the township's situation, Ye Zetao nodded. "The township indeed needs a change. In fact, there are many areas for development in the township. The bamboo on the mountains is a resource, the fruits in the mountains are also good, and the scenery is beautiful. A large amount of mountain produce is also a source of income..."

As soon as the topic of the township's development came up, Ye Zetao talked about many things he had studied in the past few days.

"I didn't expect you to know so much about the township. It seems you have put in a lot of effort!" the middle-aged man with the surname Zheng said with a smile.

By the time they reached the place called Heimulin, Ye Zetao pointed to the mountain. "This is Heimulin!"

Listening to Ye Zetao talk about the development of Chunzhu Township, the middle-aged man looked at Ye Zetao with approval, thinking to himself, "I didn't expect this young man to think so much!"

Ye Zetao was also frustrated, as there was no one to talk to after being assigned here. Seeing that the middle-aged man had a commanding presence, he unconsciously shared his thoughts.

Arriving at Heimulin, the middle-aged man looked at the place now called Jingba and showed a look of excitement, quickly walking up the mountain.

Once there, the middle-aged man seemed to find his way and climbed up the mountain, saying, "Good, it's here!"

Soon, the three of them arrived at a solitary grave half-covered by weeds on the mountain.

The middle-aged man knelt down and cleared the weeds, revealing a stone tablet with barely legible characters.

After a careful look, the middle-aged man knelt down and said sadly, "Descendants have come to visit you! Father can't come, so I'm bowing for him!"

Seeing the middle-aged man's sad expression, Ye Zetao thought for a moment and said, "I'll borrow some tools to clean it up."

Saying this, Ye Zetao quickly ran to a nearby farmer's house.

Although he had been there for a short time, the locals were very familiar with Ye Zetao, and he quickly borrowed a hoe and a shovel.

By this time, the middle-aged man had recovered from his sadness and was kneeling, talking to the grave.

Seeing that Ye Zetao had brought the tools, the middle-aged man showed gratitude and stood up to take the hoe.

Ye Zetao smiled. "I have nothing to do anyway, let me help you."

He noticed that the middle-aged man was a bit overweight and thought it would be difficult for him to clear the weeds, so he offered to help.

The man in his thirties, who was not talkative, took the hoe and started clearing the weeds, while Ye Zetao used the shovel to add some soil to the grave.

After a long time, Ye Zetao and the younger man finally finished clearing the grave and added some soil to the top.

Looking at the newly cleaned grave, Ye Zetao said, "It has been a long time, it should be rebuilt."

The middle-aged man looked at the grave for a while and then at Ye Zetao. "I have many things to do. Can you help me find some people to build a fence around the grave and set up a new stone tablet?"

This request was a bit unreasonable. Ye Zetao was taken aback. After helping for so long, the man was asking him to help rebuild the grave!

However, Ye Zetao was a warm-hearted person. Thinking that the grave had been unvisited for many years and the man had many things to do, he smiled and nodded. "Sure, it's not a big deal. I can hire some local people to do it."

The middle-aged man, hearing Ye Zetao's full agreement, tightly held his hand and said, "Thank you, little brother!"

Ye Zetao smiled. "It's not a big deal."

After returning the tools, Ye Zetao accompanied the middle-aged man down the mountain and found a jeep parked there. The man with the surname Zheng got into the car, and the younger man started the engine.

The man with the surname Zheng gave Ye Zetao his phone number and asked him to remember another phone number. After doing this, the car quickly drove away.

Waving, Ye Zetao was taken aback. The man hadn't given him any money, and he would have to pay out of his own pocket!

Scratching his head, Ye Zetao smiled bitterly. What a mess!

---

**End of Page**