Chapter 261: Household Affairs (Part 2)

Deputy County Head Zeng Zhaoqiang had previously served as the Director of the Transportation Bureau. Highly appreciated by Zhu Yan, he was elected as a Deputy County Head the previous year. Because his relationship with Zhu Yan was direct, he did not need to relay messages through Hou Weidong. Instead, he called Zhu Yan directly to extend an invitation.

At the dinner table, Zeng Zhaoqiang briefly reported on the progress of transportation construction in Yiyang. He then began to toast Zhu Yan in turns. Since the entire leadership team of the Transportation Bureau was present, including Zeng Zhaoqiang as the former director, there were six people in total. It was clearly a situation of many against few.

Zhu Yan, experienced in drinking culture and the top leader in Yiyang, set the rules: "The first person to toast me drinks one cup, and I drink one cup. The second person toasts, I drink one cup, and they drink two. And so on. The sixth person to toast drinks six cups, while I still drink only one."

In the official circles of Yiyang, there was a strict order for toasting: "The basic principle is that higher-ranking officials toast first. If ranks are equal, such as both being Deputy Directors of the Transportation Bureau, the order follows the listing in the confidential phone directory. Those listed earlier take precedence."

Zhu Yan’s rule meant that Zeng Zhaoqiang, as the highest-ranking official, only needed to drink one cup. Zhu Bing would drink two, and the lowest-ranking bureau leader would have to drink six cups.

As a Deputy County Head, Zeng Zhaoqiang only had to drink one cup, so he naturally raised both hands in approval. The rule was thus established.

The lowest-ranking member of the Transportation Bureau leadership was Long Lin, a Party Group Member and Discipline Inspection Group Leader. Long Lin was a woman who usually did not drink much, but in such a situation, refusing was not an option. When it was her turn to toast, Zhu Yan smiled broadly and said, "Group Leader Long is a discipline inspection cadre. You must play a supervisory role in your work and strictly monitor life matters. Especially regarding Director Zhu, who is young and handsome, you must guard the gate of his activities outside of working hours."

Facing Zhu Yan’s good-natured teasing, Zeng Zhaoqiang chimed in from the side, "Group Leader Long, this is a task personally assigned by Secretary Zhu. You must do it well." He added, "Drink the six cups together. We transportation people are straightforward in our work, and we should be straightforward in drinking too. Drinking style reflects work style. How can we do our jobs well if we are overly cautious and hesitant?"

Long Lin was pushed to the brink. Looking at the full glass of liquor, she drained it in one gulp. Immediately after finishing, a flush of red spread across her face, and tears were forced from her eyes by the strong alcohol.

Long Lin had always been known for her poor drinking etiquette within the Transportation Bureau leadership. Director Zhu Bing had tried every trick to get her to drink, rarely succeeding. Seeing her tear up from the alcohol today, the other members of the bureau leadership, who often got drunk, felt immensely satisfied, all wearing expressions of schadenfreude.

This was the unique aspect of drinking culture. People always schemed to make others drink more. If people approached most matters with the same selfless attitude as they did drinking, society would surely be much more peaceful.

As the gathering dispersed, Deputy Director Chen of the Transportation Bureau quietly slipped an envelope into Hou Weidong’s hand, saying, "A small token of appreciation, please accept it."

After leaving the Transportation Hotel, Zhu Yan’s activities for the day were concluded. After seeing him home, Hou Weidong also felt quite exhausted and returned to his own residence. He opened the envelope and found two thousand yuan inside.

Since the Spring Festival, Hou Weidong had accompanied Zhu Yan to deliver a considerable amount of money. However, he had also collected many red envelopes on Zhu Yan’s behalf. He had received six red envelopes of over a thousand yuan each. Adding this large envelope of two thousand yuan, he had collected eight thousand yuan in total. Additionally, there was the leather jacket from the Construction Committee, and the Public Security Bureau had already arranged a meal, which certainly included a gift as well.

Hou Weidong threw the money onto the bedside table, thinking to himself, "This money comes too easily."

The Spring Festival was approaching rapidly. On the afternoon of February 6th, Hou Weidong officially went on leave. Since becoming Zhu Yan’s secretary, he had never had a moment of rest, working tirelessly for an entire year. Now, finally able to take a proper vacation, his mood was excellent. Moreover, Xiaojia was returning from Singapore that afternoon.

Driving his newly purchased Bluebird, he headed straight for Lingxi. The new car still needed breaking in, so he did not drive fast. Nevertheless, Hou Weidong arrived at Lingxi Airport punctually at five o’clock.

Looking at the modern airport and the occasional glimpse of beautiful women, Hou Weidong felt a wave of emotion. His most vivid memory of Lingxi was from when he was six years old:

He had lived in a township under Wuhai County with his father. When he was eight, the family was going to Lingxi. Hou Weidong had been excited for nearly a month. He could no longer remember why they were going to Lingxi. They woke up at six in the morning and boarded a bus from the township to Wuhai at seven. It took two slow hours to reach Wuhai County town. Since there were no direct buses from Wuhai to Lingxi, the family took a passenger bus to Shazhou, which took another three hours.

By the time they arrived in Shazhou, it was lunchtime. Without time to eat, they rushed to the bus station to buy tickets, only to get tickets for a four o’clock bus.

After eating, his mother, Liu Guangfen, took Hou Xiaoying and Hou Weidong to the Shazhou Zoo. There were only a few monkeys, a flock of birds whose names they couldn’t pronounce, and some turtles. However, these few animals opened their eyes to the world. For the two siblings, seeing monkeys jumping in trees was a rare and exciting experience.

When they finally arrived in Lingxi, countless stars were shining in the sky. Hou Xiaoying and Hou Weidong had long fallen asleep on the bus.

Although Hou Weidong was young at the time, this experience of Lingxi was deeply etched in his mind. Nearly twenty years later, society had undergone earth-shaking changes, and the Hou Weidong family had also experienced dramatic transformations with the times.

As an individual, Hou Weidong’s changes were significant:

First, he had been admitted to university. In the historical context of that time, university education was still considered elite education, and being able to attend university was an extraordinary achievement.

Second, he had married a girl from Shazhou. Hou Weidong had spent his childhood in the countryside of Wuhai and his youth in Wuhai County town. Marrying a girl from Shazhou was something to be proud of for a boy from a county town.

Third, he owned a car and a house. Setting aside the house, in the late 1980s and mid-1990s, private cars were still an unattainable dream for most families. Hou Weidong already had a private car. Driving from Yiyang to Lingxi took only four hours, accompanied by music. He could stop whenever he wanted, speed up or slow down, and use the restroom at any time. This was a huge upgrade compared to the sardine-can-like passenger buses of the past.

In the waiting hall, batches of passengers seemed to emerge endlessly from a monster’s mouth. Hou Weidong kept his eyes fixed on this large mouth, because Xiaojia would also be conjured out from there.

After waiting for over an hour, just as Hou Weidong was starting to feel sluggish, Xiaojia walked out of the waiting hall, wearing a trench coat and dragging her luggage, looking elegant. In that instant, Hou Weidong suddenly felt that Xiaojia seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

Taking her luggage, Xiaojia linked her arm through Hou Weidong’s, pressing her body close to his. She looked at him carefully for a moment and said, "Husband, why do I feel like your appearance has changed?" Hou Weidong touched his face and replied, "Still the same old me. One nose, two eyes. I haven’t turned into a monster, have I?" Although Hou Weidong tried to joke, the two remained somewhat polite and distant.

Looking at the new car, Xiaojia said, "We are such a large country, we’ve sent satellites into space, yet we can’t manufacture good cars. I read a short article saying that in 1995, a Japanese car company visited FAW. They were greatly surprised. First, they were surprised that our country had such large-scale car factories in the 1950s, capable of producing Jiefang trucks. Second, they were surprised that in the 1990s, FAW still operated on the scale and technology of the 1950s."

Hou Weidong placed the luggage in the trunk, and Xiaojia followed him. Then they both got into the car.

Closing the windows and turning on the air conditioning, Hou Weidong turned to look at Xiaojia and said, "Stop being a cynical youth. Let’s live our lives." As he spoke, he pulled Xiaojia close and kissed her mouth. Xiaojia made a muffled sound, and Hou Weidong’s dominant tongue entangled with hers.

The kiss lasted for several minutes. When they finally pulled apart, Xiaojia’s eyes were like water, full of tenderness. She said, "Let’s stay in Lingxi tonight."

Hou Weidong asked, "Tonight is New Year’s Eve. Aren’t we going home?"

"This New Year’s Eve, we’ll spend it alone. Tomorrow we’ll go to Wuhai County to celebrate at your home. On the third day of the lunar new year, we’ll return to Shazhou to celebrate at my home."

Hou Weidong thought about how Secretary Zhu would need to visit several leaders’ homes for New Year greetings after the festival, leaving little time to accompany Xiaojia. He apologized, "Secretary Zhu will start his activities from the sixth day of the lunar new year, and I’ll have to follow him."

Xiaojia did not mind this. She said, "You should do what you need to do. Don’t worry too much about me. I have enough understanding. It’s just that you’ve risen too quickly this year. There will definitely be many people who are jealous of you. You must be careful."

After that passionate kissing and discussing arrangements, the sense of unfamiliarity between Hou Weidong and Xiaojia completely disappeared. Xiaojia took a moment to touch up her makeup and said, "Husband, your breath smells strongly of smoke. Smoking is bad for your health. You should quit."

She reached out and pinched Hou Weidong. "If you don’t quit smoking, you’re not allowed to kiss me." Pinching his arm was Xiaojia’s signature move. Hou Weidong gasped in pain and said, "Wait until I’m driving, and don’t pinch me randomly."

They checked into the Jinxing Hotel. Xiaojia was pushed onto the bed by Hou Weidong. Hou Weidong buried his head in Xiaojia’s clothes, vigorously sucking on her breasts. Soon, her tender nipples hardened under the stimulation. Xiaojia was already intoxicated by the strong sensation. When Hou Weidong emerged from her clothes due to difficulty breathing, she said, "Don’t rush. I want to take a shower."

"We’ll shower together."

"No, I want to maintain some mystery."

Xiaojia carried a small bag to the bathroom with a mysterious look on her face. Hearing the sound of running water, Hou Weidong felt restless. He tried to enter several times but was refused by Xiaojia. After about ten minutes, Xiaojia came out wearing a bathrobe. She dodged Hou Weidong’s wolf-like lunge and said, "Go take a shower first. I’ll give you five minutes."

Hou Weidong, eager for results, only washed the key parts he was about to use. He came out in less than a minute. Xiaojia smiled and made a pinching gesture, forbidding Hou Weidong from approaching. She said, "Wait on the bed for me."

She selected a TV channel playing music, then stood by the bed and slowly took off her bathrobe. Hou Weidong’s eyes went wide: Xiaojia was wearing a fully transparent three-piece lingerie set.