Chapter 79

In the campus of Matouying Primary School, the sound of students reading aloud echoed. From outside the classroom, one could see the students inside, some with their hands behind their backs, listening intently, while others held their textbooks, reciting the lessons in unison with their clear, young voices.

An Yiming led a group to handle official business, measuring the land and assessing the budget, truly preparing to build new schools in these rural areas.

Lu Zheng, on the other hand, found himself with nothing to do, becoming an idle person.

Zhao Pingfan originally wanted to accompany Lu Zheng, as he enjoyed listening to Lu Zheng's reform ideas, feeling a sense of regret for not meeting him sooner.

However, Secretary Zhang assigned the task of accompanying An Yiming to Zhao Pingfan, while he himself stayed close to the idle Lu Zheng.

Clearly, in Secretary Zhang's mind, building a few new schools was far less important than accompanying this deputy section-level official from the city, not to mention the rumors that this Mr. Lu had a close relationship with the county party secretary, Mr. Liu.

In the political arena, things often get distorted, and by the time they reach the ears of the lower ranks, they are already quite different.

Secretary Zhang arranged for Lu Zheng to attend a class at the commune's central primary school in the afternoon, the third period, to "inspect the results of the educational reform in Matouying."

The class Lu Zheng was to attend was a third-grade class taught by Mei Xiaofang, who was the homeroom teacher. Mei Xiaofang held multiple roles, teaching Chinese, mathematics, and music, though she was actually a substitute teacher and had little hope of being converted to a regular position in the next few years.

Secretary Zhang Mingsheng, the district principal Mr. He, and the school principal Mr. Guo accompanied Lu Zheng, sitting in the back of the classroom.

Mei Xiaofang did not have a very good impression of Lu Zheng, but she had to muster her spirits, hoping not to make any mistakes. After all, the three people behind her, besides Lu Zheng, had a significant impact on her work, and whether she could be converted to a regular position depended on their words, especially Mr. He and Secretary Zhang. If one of them spoke up, things would be easier.

Mei Xiaofang was teaching a Chinese class, and the lesson was the fable "Going South by Driving North."

In fact, the students had already learned this lesson, but when there were leaders in the class, they usually chose a lesson that had been covered before.

With a "big shot" listening in, the students were very nervous. Although the questions and the students who would answer them had been pre-arranged, with so many students, Mei Xiaofang sometimes forgot the original plan. After each question, all the students raised their hands, a rule Mei Xiaofang had set and a common practice in primary school classes.

So when Mei Xiaofang forgot who was supposed to answer, she usually called on the top students who were more reliable.

As a result, one student was called to answer four questions near the end of the class.

This was just a minor flaw, not a big deal, but the district principal Mr. He, who might have high standards for teachers, frowned and said, "The arrangement is too obvious! Isn't this just faking it?"

Hearing this in front of Lu Zheng, Principal Guo's face immediately turned dark.

Zhang Mingsheng gave Mr. He a surprised look, wondering if Mei Xiaofang had offended him somehow.

Principal Guo knew that Mr. He had once approached Mei Xiaofang to arrange a marriage for his nephew, but after meeting him, Mei Xiaofang had refused, which had left Mr. He very embarrassed.

But now, in front of the city's advisory committee leader, Mr. He's words made Principal Guo quite angry, though he couldn't say much since Mr. He was his nominal superior.

The bell rang, and Mei Xiaofang watched as the leaders, with dark faces, walked out the back door. Her heart sank, and she hurried out of the classroom. She saw Secretary Zhang and Principal He already in the car with the young official from the city, and Principal Guo waving goodbye.

Mei Xiaofang walked over and asked, "Uncle Guo, did I do something wrong in my class?"

Principal Guo looked at her, shook his head, and sighed, "We'll talk about it later." Then he turned and walked away.

Tears welled up in Mei Xiaofang's eyes. She felt so inadequate. With her current situation, how could she hope to be converted to a regular position? She ran back to the classroom and sobbed on the podium. The students, who had been about to run out to play, now sat quietly, worriedly looking at their beloved teacher.

Wiping her tears, Mei Xiaofang saw the concerned eyes and anxious faces of her students. Suddenly, she felt that nothing else mattered. Being with these lovely children was the happiest thing in the world.

...

Although Matouying was small, it had everything, including state-owned restaurants, hotels, and supply cooperatives.

At around six in the evening, Secretary Zhang Mingsheng arranged a banquet for the city leaders at the state-owned restaurant near the T-junction in the town center.

Lu Zheng had said he would wait for An Yiming, but the clerk sent by Zhang Mingsheng reported that An Yiming might not finish until eight or nine. Zhang Mingsheng then smiled and said, "Let's eat first. I'll arrange another meal for An Yiming."

Lu Zheng could only nod in agreement.

In the private room, the aroma of the dishes filled the air, and the table was laden with meat dishes. In fact, the first dish, a stew of three treasures, was not to Lu Zheng's liking. He did not enjoy these so-called nourishing ingredients.

Only Zhang Mingsheng and Mr. He accompanied Lu Zheng, making the conversation more relaxed.

Zhang Mingsheng had long known who Mr. Lu was—a powerful figure who could slam the table at a standing committee meeting and call the discipline inspection commission secretary "what kind of thing." Therefore, he spoke cautiously in front of Lu Zheng, careful not to anger him, as that would be counterproductive.

Zhang Mingsheng had not wanted Mr. He to be involved, preferring to chat privately with Lu Zheng. But after the class, Mr. He eagerly engaged in conversation with Mr. Lu, as if they had known each other for years, and even took the initiative to arrange the dinner. Zhang Mingsheng, helpless, had to say he had already made the arrangements.

Now, seeing Mr. He talking animatedly in front of Lu Zheng, discussing national and international affairs, Zhang Mingsheng just smiled and poured wine for the two, thinking, "Mr. He, you really don't know when to stop. Just because you know this is Mr. Lu from the city and works in the city advisory committee, which has a lot of contact with the education bureau, do you think you've struck gold?"

"Look how politely Mr. Lu is treating you now. Wait until he gets angry, and see how you'll deal with it."

Zhang Mingsheng was annoyed that Mr. He had ruined his plans and did not bother to warn him. Mr. Lu was a difficult person to deal with, someone who could turn on you in an instant.

Mr. He, with a scholarly air, enjoyed discussing world politics and spoke knowledgeably about the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Lu Zheng just smiled and listened, not saying much.

After a few rounds of drinks, as they were chatting warmly, footsteps were heard outside, and the curtain was pushed aside. Two women entered. One was a plump woman with a bulky figure and fish-like eyes, dressed like a typical rural woman, and with a loud voice. "Oh! Secretary Zhang is here too! This must be the young man from the city, looking so spirited!" Her voice was grating, hurting the ears.

Zhang Mingsheng was taken aback and asked, "Why are you here?" The woman was the head of the commune's women's federation, Zhu Daying, known for her crude manners and aggressive work style. She had forced many women to get sterilized in the county, making her extremely unpopular. The villagers in Matouying hated her so much that they called her "Pig Intestine" behind her back.

Zhang Mingsheng did not think much of her, but family planning was crucial, and someone had to play the bad cop. Despite repeated complaints to the commune and county, Zhu Daying had thrived in her position.

The other woman was Mei Xiaofang, the substitute teacher at the commune primary school. She looked somewhat nervous, unsure of where to put her hands and feet.

"Old He said to bring Xiao Mei to toast, to liven up the atmosphere," Zhu Daying replied bluntly to Zhang Mingsheng's question.

Mr. He's face turned a dark red, but it was hard to tell because he had already drunk quite a bit.

Mr. He and Zhu Daying were distantly related, but one was refined and the other crude. Although their families visited each other frequently, they rarely interacted. Today, he had asked her to do a small favor, but she had blurted it out. Mr. He was furious, thinking, "What a fool, not worth dealing with."

Zhang Mingsheng frowned but had to smooth things over, smiling and saying, "Since you're here, sit down. Comrades Daying and Xiaofang have worked hard today, so let's treat them."

Zhu Daying, a coarse person, did not notice the others' expressions and pulled Mei Xiaofang to sit down. She then smiled at Lu Zheng, "People from the city are different, so fair-skinned."

Zhang Mingsheng glared at her and said, "This is Mr. Lu."

Zhu Daying did not understand the situation. She might not even know the difference between a section-level and a county-level official, given her work in the rural areas and her focus on local matters.

So, although she called him "Mr. Lu" as Zhang Mingsheng did, she did not take it seriously. To her, he was just a young official from the city, not someone she needed to worry about. Zhang Mingsheng and Mr. He always made a big deal out of small things. Every time someone from the city came, they treated them with excessive politeness and respect.