Chapter 1

"Xiao Ye, come with us in our car back to Changjia." After receiving the trophy and certificate for the Jia'nan City 'Hedong Cup' Bridge Doubles Competition, Ye Ziran heard Ye Lao call him kindly.

Ye Ziran hurriedly smiled and thanked Ye Lao, "Thank you, Ye Lao, I don't want to trouble you."

"Get in the car, don't be so formal," Ye Lao's bridge partner, Zhang Hengliang, also said.

Zhang Hengliang was an officer of a certain field army stationed in Jia'nan City under the NJ Military Region. Every time Ye Ziran saw him, there were guards with him, which made him speculate about his rank.

Ye Ziran got into the military jeep with Zhang Liren.

All four of them had made it to the final after two rounds of elimination, and they had all broken through from the preliminary group in Changjia County. According to Ye Lao, this was a matter of fate.

"Xiao Ye, you two did well this time." After the car started, Ye Lao praised him.

"Ye Lao, it was just good luck for me and Zhang Liren. Today, we bid a bit too aggressively on three hands, but the cards were unexpectedly good, and we completed the contract. On another hand, a pair from your East-West team made a low-level mistake, failing a surefire 4 Spades contract, which gave us the highest score." Ye Ziran said, "Actually, with our level, if we were to compete in a team event, we wouldn't have a high ranking."

"Luck favors the prepared." Ye Lao said with a smile, then asked, "How long have you and Xiao Zhang been partners?"

"More than a year." Zhang Liren replied, "It's mostly Xiao Ye who leads the play."

Zhang Liren was a friend Ye Ziran had made after graduating and starting work. Despite the age difference of over ten years, they had no barriers. They were not only bridge partners but also worked well together.

"What do you two do in Changjia?" Zhang Hengliang interjected, though he had played bridge with them a few times, he didn't know much about their backgrounds.

"I work in the Party and Government Office of Mashixiang Township in Changjia County, and Zhang Liren is the chief of the township police station," Ye Ziran replied.

"Xiao Ye is the director of the Party and Government Office in Mashixiang Township, a good young man," Ye Lao said to Zhang Hengliang. In fact, they had also played against Ye Ziran and Zhang Liren in the preliminary round in Changjia and had a brief conversation, but Zhang Hengliang hadn't paid much attention.

"Oh? Xiao Ye looks quite young." Zhang Hengliang turned around from the front seat to look at Ye Ziran.

"Uncle Zhang, I've been working for two years. I graduated from the Computer Science Department of J University. When I graduated, I participated in the unified recruitment exam for grassroots reserve cadres in Jia'nan City. I was one of the ten grassroots reserve cadres recruited and was assigned to Changjia County. The County Party Committee Organization Department then assigned me to be the director of the Party and Government Office in Mashixiang Township." Seeing Zhang Hengliang's puzzled look, Ye Ziran explained in more detail.

Ye Ziran was a high-achieving student from the prestigious J University, having joined the Party in his third year and served as the president of the J University Student Union. In 1988, when he graduated, the department head had hoped he would stay at the university. However, after confessing his love to Yang Ying, whom he had secretly admired for over two years, he was rejected, which left him emotionally devastated. He didn't want to stay in the provincial capital. Coincidentally, the Jia'nan City Party Committee Organization Department was piloting a reform in grassroots cadre selection, openly recruiting from recent undergraduate graduates. Ye Ziran passed the qualification review and theoretical exam and was personally interviewed by a deputy division-level official from the Organization Department. The interview went very well, and he ranked first in the comprehensive assessment, entering the list of reserve cadres of the Jia'nan City Party Committee Organization Department and being directly placed in the third tier, receiving significant attention.

Hearing Ye Ziran's response, Zhang Hengliang said, "Oh." He thought, this was also a kind of opportunity. As a high-achieving student from the most prestigious university in the province, entering the cadre ranks through an open recruitment, his future should be promising. Of course, how far he could go would depend on his own abilities and luck.

"Xiao Ye, tell me, why did you choose a political career instead of using your computer science degree?" Ye Lao, although not in the top three today, had played a few hands very well and was in a good mood, asking questions casually.

"By chance," Ye Ziran replied, "I originally wanted to stay in the provincial capital, but I had some personal issues at the time and didn't want to stay. Just then, the Jia'nan City Party Committee Organization Department was openly recruiting reserve cadres from recent graduates, and I applied and was accepted."

"Oh?" Ye Lao was surprised by his response. In his experience, officials usually answered such questions in a tactful and dignified manner. Ye Ziran's straightforwardness was refreshing. "This Xiao Ye is quite interesting!" Ye Lao liked his frankness and asked with interest, "Did you have a girlfriend in college? Otherwise, how could you have experienced a breakup?"

"It wasn't really a relationship, more like a one-sided infatuation," Ye Ziran replied. He then recounted how he had been secretly in love with Yang Ying, a classmate at J University, for three years, a purely Platonic love. Just before graduation, he mustered the courage to confess, but was gently rejected.

The story was long, and Ye Ziran's recollection, in the hot summer weather, was a winding and lingering tale, like a bitter cup of coffee that left a lasting aftertaste, or like the graceful branches of a willow tree swaying in the wind, delicate yet stubborn, with a hint of defiance and unwillingness to give up.

Such pure, one-sided love stories are always poignant, evoking a sense of melancholy in the listener and a feeling of sympathy for the protagonist. Ye Lao, who already had a good impression of Ye Ziran, felt even more melancholy as he listened. The first time he met Ye Ziran, he felt an inexplicable fondness, as if he had encountered someone very close to him in life. Now, hearing him open up about his inner troubles, Ye Lao felt a deeper sense of closeness and saw him as a junior who trusted him unconditionally. His gaze towards Ye Ziran became even gentler.

Because they had a car, the trip from Jia'nan City back to Changjia County took only two hours. Most of the conversation on the way was between Ye Lao and Ye Ziran, and Zhang Hengliang occasionally turned around to join in.

After retiring, Ye Lao didn't like living in a big city and moved to Changjia, partly for the tranquility and partly for the natural environment. Living far from the city, only Uncle Cai accompanied him, taking care of his daily life, which made him feel a bit lonely. Seeing Ye Lao and Ye Ziran chatting so well, Zhang Hengliang felt a sense of relief.

"Xiao Ye, are you from Changjia?" Zhang Hengliang asked.

"No, I'm from Jinshan County in Guangbei City, about 200 kilometers away," Ye Ziran smiled and replied.

"That's not convenient for you to go home," Zhang Hengliang said.

"Yes, I live in the dormitory and only go home during National Day and Spring Festival. In 1990, China still had a six-day workweek with only one day off."

"Then, when you have free time, you should spend more time with Ye Lao. You don't have to play bridge; you can just chat. My unit is in Jia'nan, so I can only come to Changjia on Sundays," Zhang Hengliang added.

Ye Ziran happily replied, "Sure, Uncle Zhang, don't worry. I don't have any relatives in Changjia, so I'll come to Ye Lao's place after work and even get some free meals." He paused and added, "I feel a special connection with Ye Lao. Many times, before I finish a sentence, he already knows what I'm going to say."

Ye Lao smiled contentedly. He felt a special closeness to Ye Ziran, partly because of his youthful and sunny appearance, which reminded him of his younger self, especially his smile and eyes, which were very similar.

Zhang Liren joked, "Xiao Ye, you and Ye Lao share the same surname. Anyone who hears you two talk so well would think you're grandfather and grandson."

Ye Lao said, "Xiao Zhang, you seem straightforward, but you know how to flatter people."

Everyone laughed at this.

Amidst the laughter, Ye Lao asked Zhang Hengliang, "Is Nianyue on summer break? Why isn't she here in Changjia?"

Zhang Hengliang said, "She has mentioned a few times that she wants to come and stay with you for a while. She should be here in a few days."

Ye Lao was delighted, "Good, good. I haven't seen her in half a year. Nianyue must have become even more beautiful. Girls change a lot as they grow up."

Zhang Hengliang smiled, "This girl really misses you. She hasn't let you down."

The car ride was bumpy, but the scenery along the way was beautiful. Jia'nan City, located in southern Jiangnan, was rich in water and mountains, with green trees and clear water everywhere. It was a place of outstanding natural beauty and had produced many literary figures throughout history, including the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi of the Jin Dynasty, who lived here for a long time.

By the time they reached Changjia County, it was nearly dusk. The four of them got out of the car at Ye Lao's house, and Ye Ziran and Zhang Liren bid farewell to Ye Lao and Zhang Hengliang. Ye Lao wanted to invite Ye Ziran to stay for dinner, but Ye Ziran said he couldn't because he had to visit Secretary Tang's house. Secretary Tang's wife, Yu Jia, had called him in the morning, saying their computer was broken and asking Ye Ziran to come and fix it when he returned to Changjia. Hearing this, Ye Lao smiled and didn't insist, but asked him to come to his house every evening after work starting the next day. Ye Ziran agreed readily.

The two of them pushed their bicycles into Ye Lao's courtyard and rode off. As they parted, Zhang Liren asked, "Xiao Ye, do you really have something to do? Why don't you come to my place for dinner?"

"No, I really need to go to Secretary Tang's house. Go back, so your wife won't worry."

Zhang Liren said, "Alright, come over for dinner another day. Yang Hongmei wants to introduce you to a girl. She says she's a good match."

"No, no, thank your wife for me, but I'm not interested in dating right now." Ye Ziran raised his hands in surrender.

Though it had been over two years, Yang Ying had gradually faded from his mind, but he still believed that his future wife should be someone he found on his own. He resisted the idea of being introduced.