Chapter 194: The Wedding (Part 1)
The competition for positions was like a boulder thrown into a relatively calm pond. It splashed, rippled for a few moments, and then quickly settled back into stillness.
The cadres in the Organization Department were all shrewd people. Even when competing, they never made it overt; instead, they exerted pressure behind the scenes. Hou Weidong, having just arrived at the Organization Department and always preparing for a transfer to Shazhou, was tactful enough not to sign up for the competition for section chief or director positions. By avoiding conflict and holding a vote in his hand, his days in the department passed without incident.
However, in those past ten days, many significant events had occurred in Qinglin Town.
First, an accident happened at the study class. After staying there for over ten days, Lin Yong became increasingly irritable. Finally, his emotions spiraled out of control. He smashed his rice bowl and used a shard of broken porcelain to slash a shallow cut across the face of Chao Pangzi, who rarely showed his face. He nearly severed a major blood vessel in the neck.
Chao Jie, the former leading cadre who had been dismissed from his post, was already treating his duty shifts at the study class with half-hearted effort—working three days and slacking off for two. When Lin Yong smashed the bowl, Chao Jie happened to be asleep upstairs. After wiping the drool from his mouth, he strolled downstairs with his hands behind his back to watch people play cards. As soon as he reached the first floor, Lin Yong, bursting from his room, slashed at him from head to toe. Blood poured out immediately.
Lin Yong’s attack had no specific target; Chao Jie had simply come downstairs by a twist of fate. His injury was purely due to bad luck. However, fortune and misfortune are often separated by a thin line. Because he stayed behind to tend to his wound at the study class, he attracted the attention of county leaders. He was hailed as an advanced individual in the rectification of the foundation and featured in the County Party Committee’s bulletin.
Lin Yong, on the other hand, was immediately taken to the police station and subsequently placed under criminal detention.
One of Lin Yong’s cousins was a lawyer in Lingxi. Upon receiving a call from Lin Yong’s father, he rushed back from Lingxi. After understanding the entire situation, he did not defend Lin Yong for the assault. Instead, he directly sued the Qinglin Town township government for illegally restricting personal freedom. Although the study class was tacitly permitted by various levels of government, it was technically an illegal act. If the lawsuit proceeded, everyone involved would lose face. Ultimately, through negotiation, Lin Yong was released from the police station and then from the study class, and his cousin withdrew the lawsuit. The assault incident dissolved into nothingness through mutual compromise.
No sooner had the Lin Yong incident been resolved than Qinglin Town produced more news. The former head of the Agricultural Economy Station, Station Master Huang, was investigated by the Procuratorate for allegedly accepting large kickbacks. The new head of the Agricultural Economy Station, Bai Chuncheng, was placed under shuanggui (detention for investigation) by the Discipline Inspection Commission. Zhao Yongsheng, a perennial fixture in Qinglin Town, was suddenly transferred to serve as Deputy Director of the County Meteorological Bureau. Su Ming was appointed Party Secretary of Qinglin Town, and Liu Kun was named Acting Town Mayor.
Hearing that Liu Kun had become the Acting Town Mayor of Qinglin Town so easily, Hou Weidong was left speechless for a long time. Life was indeed a drama, and this play was more thrilling and unexpected than any staged performance.
Thinking of Minister Liu’s righteous demeanor, Hou Weidong sighed inwardly: “Liu Kun has achieved no significant merits in recent years, nor has he committed any obvious faults. It’s simply that having connections in the capital makes it easy to hold office. He has smoothly risen to become the administrative head of Qinglin Town.”
Compared to the turbulence in Qinglin Town, the work in the Comprehensive Cadre Section was trivial and dull. Hou Weidong went through the motions of his daily routine, devoid of creativity or passion. He felt as if he had no mind of his own, merely a gear in a massive machine, driven forward by inertia.
Life was uneventful.
On the evening of August 5th, Hou Weidong drove straight to Shazhou. According to the auspicious date calculated by Liu Guangfen, August 6th was the day to register their marriage.
Upon arriving at the New Moon Building apartment, he waited until six o’clock before Xiaojia’s mobile phone finally connected. She lowered her voice and said, “Husband, the Shazhou Garden Management Bureau has officially been established. They are holding a mobilization meeting to announce the leadership team. I have been transferred to the Garden Management Bureau to serve as Section Chief of the Planning and Finance Section.”
Hearing the joy in Xiaojia’s tone, Hou Weidong said, “Congratulations. You’ve finally achieved your wish. However, the Planning and Finance Section manages funds and assets, so it won’t be easy. Moreover, the Garden Management Bureau is a public institution. You will now be a cadre with a public institution establishment. In a way, you’ve returned to the starting point.”
“I’ve thought about this repeatedly,” Xiaojia replied. “The key personnel cultivated by the Construction Commission are all graduates from the School of Architecture. Even if I became the Office Director, it would be difficult to advance further. The Garden Management Bureau is a new agency, closely aligned with my major, making it easier to develop. More importantly, I dislike spending all day drinking and socializing with leaders.”
At this, Xiaojia’s tone suddenly softened. “Once we register our marriage, we need to consider having children. I want a job with more regular hours so I can take care of the kids later.”
Thinking of the marriage registration, Hou Weidong felt a sweet warmth in his heart. “Come back after the meeting. We’ll celebrate early.” He added, “We’ll eat at home tonight. I’ll cook.”
“Don’t be silly. The meeting will end soon. There are dumplings in the fridge that my mom brought over yesterday. Don’t worry about it; wait for me to come back and boil them.”
Xiaojia didn’t return from work until seven o’clock. Hearing the sound of the key turning in the lock, Hou Weidong hid behind the door. As Xiaojia cautiously poked her head in, he stepped out and lifted her into his arms.
“Gently! Oh, let me put my things down.” Xiaojia was squeezed breathless by Hou Weidong’s bear hug. She was carrying a handbag in each hand, swinging in the air.
Hou Weidong’s right hand skillfully slipped under the back of Xiaojia’s shirt. His palm touched her slender, warm back skin, evoking a sense of warmth from the depths of his heart. He kissed her earlobe and whispered, “It feels good to touch my own…”
“Why?” Hou Weidong’s hand slid toward her curved waist. “I can touch my wife however I want. Touching other women comes with a price.”
“Go away,” Xiaojia bit Hou Weidong’s shoulder and said, “Put me down. Look at the gifts I bought for your parents.”
Xiaojia’s gifts were two cashmere sweaters. She happily unfolded them, holding them up against Hou Weidong and herself. “These are the best cashmere sweaters from Inner Mongolia. They are soft and lightweight. Tomorrow we register our marriage, and when we return to Wu Hai, we must bring gifts. These clothes are perfect for the elderly.”
“Don’t move. You have a small mole on your face.”
On the left side of Xiaojia’s chin, there was a faint small mole, which added a touch of charm to her appearance. Hearing that she had a mole, Xiaojia dropped Hou Weidong and hurried to the bathroom to check herself in the mirror.
“I’ve had this mole before, but the color was very faint, almost invisible. I guess it grew darker recently.” Xiaojia stood in front of the mirror, looking worried. “I heard that when a mole turns black, it’s easy to get cancer. Am I going to get cancer?”
Hou Weidong followed Xiaojia into the bathroom and laughed. “What nonsense is going through your head? Tomorrow is our good day. Let’s first enjoy our intimacy.” Xiaojia’s face turned slightly red. “Who wants to enjoy intimacy with you?” Yet her eyes were glistening with affection.
—
By the time the two had settled down in bed, it was already half past seven. They lay flat on the bed, chatting for a while, when Xiaojia suddenly jumped up. “Oh no! Several colleagues from the unit are coming over to play mahjong. We’d better get up quickly.”
“Aren’t you usually playing mahjong at Minister Su’s house? How did the battlefield move to our home?”
Xiaojia dressed quickly. “The people coming to play at home are from the Construction Commission. Today, Sister Xie, who was assigned to the Garden Bureau with me, is coming. She was formerly the Chairman of the Labor Union at the Construction Commission and is now transferred to be the Deputy Director of the Garden Management Bureau. Her brother is a high-ranking official in the General Office of the Lingxi Provincial Party Committee.”
Living alone in Shazhou, Xiaojia was often pulled into mahjong games during her free time. Over time, she developed a liking for it. In the past two years, she had cultivated several regular mahjong circles. One was at Su Mingjun’s house, centered around Sister Zhao, where the players were mostly Sister Zhao’s friends. The other was at Xiaojia’s place, consisting of friends from the Construction Commission.
The two circles played separately. Xiaojia intentionally kept them from intersecting, given Su Mingjun’s special status and his value as a scarce resource.
The steaming dumplings were ready. The couple sat around the table, enjoying their sweet world of two.
Xiaojia’s hair was loose, her skin white as jade, tender as a flower.
Although Hou Weidong was thoroughly familiar with this face, he never grew tired of it. He suddenly asked, “Tomorrow we register our marriage. Bu Gao should stop his harassment, right?” He wasn’t sure of the effect of Zeng Xiangang’s beating of Bu Gao, so he asked Xiaojia indirectly.
Xiaojia rolled her eyes at him. “You’re petty. Why bring him up now?” She then laughed. “I haven’t seen him for a while. I saw him once when Director Liu celebrated his birthday. I don’t know who he offended, but he was beaten up at his doorstep and turned into a pig’s head. He hasn’t attended any of the Architectural Association’s activities.”
Hearing this result, Hou Weidong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself: “It truly lives up to the old saying: the arrogant become reckless. Bu Gao is just a paper tiger.”
They had just finished clearing the simple dishes when laughter erupted outside the door. Opening the door, a wave of chattering voices rushed in.
Xie Wanfen was the newly appointed Deputy Director of the Garden Management Bureau, a deputy division-level cadre. At around forty years old, she was the oldest among the four women, yet dressed the most vibrantly. She wore a bright red dress that was quite dazzling. She looked Hou Weidong up and down. “Wow, Hou Weidong. I’ve heard your name for a long time. Today I finally see the real thing. You’re really a handsome young man, a perfect match for Xiaojia.” She joked, “Xiaojia is the bureau flower of the Garden Management Bureau. You should feel a sense of crisis.”
Xiaojia said happily from the side, “We are going to register our marriage tomorrow.”
Upon hearing this news, the three women’s voices rose in pitch. After a burst of excited screams, Xie Wanfen said, “The Garden Management Bureau will be officially inaugurated the day after tomorrow. I suggest you two register your marriage then. The marriage day of our Planning and Finance Section Chief coincides with the inauguration of the Garden Management Bureau. It’s a double celebration. Everyone in the bureau will bless you two.”
After the small talk, the four women set up their battlefield in the guest room. The sound of “swish, swish” lasted until midnight. Fortunately, since they had to go through marriage procedures the next day, they wrapped up at half past twelve.
The next day, the marriage registration went smoothly. Following custom, Xiaojia bought some candy and distributed it to the staff handling the registration. Everyone was in high spirits.
Carrying a box of expensive saffron, Hou Weidong and his wife returned to Xiaojia’s parents’ home. They went upstairs. The door was slightly ajar. Zhang Yuanzheng and Chen Qingrong were sitting on the sofa. Neither spoke; both stared at the television, waiting for their daughter and son-in-law.