CHAPTER 100: DEPUTY SECRETARY 098 GOES TO THE COUNTRYSIDE

"I heard that a leader from the city will be coming here for an inspection in a few days. We need to report this situation to the higher-ups. As far as I know, long-time street vendors have all been charged fees, but I’ve heard there’s no such regulation in the city." Tian Sangsang said thoughtfully.

"Of course there’s no such regulation in the city!" Coming to this little place made Zhao Chun realize how corrupt it was here. His expression turned slightly strange as he asked, "Which leader is it?"

Tian Sangsang shook her head. "I don’t know either. But I’m nervous. We have to investigate the leader’s character in advance. I don’t know if he’s one of those opportunistic ones or someone who’s diligent and honest..."

"Ahem!" Zhao Chun coughed twice, his neck blushing with urgency. "Tian Sangsang, your thoughts are problematic. Leaders are all there to serve the people. Don’t say such things outside in the future; it’s wrong."

Zhao Chun felt aggrieved, naturally on behalf of his family. According to Tian Sangsang’s way of thinking, it sounded like she believed none of the leaders were serving the people. Moreover, he felt that Tian Sangsang’s bravery was outrageous—she dared to say anything! If it were someone else, Zhao Chun would’ve long slapped or kicked them to shut them up. That would teach them some obedience, wouldn’t it?

But who was Tian Sangsang?

She was a woman who had once dislocated his arm, a woman who could lift him with both hands, a woman who had forced him to drink a whole bowl of vinegar, a woman who would smear chicken blood on a chair after killing the chicken...

So, he didn’t dare. He admitted that perhaps he was a coward.

Tian Sangsang looked at Zhao Chun’s little expression—his furrowed brows, his flushed face, his watery eyes—and couldn’t help feeling how pitiful he looked.

Alright, she had forgotten how simple and pure people of this era could be.

"Alright, alright, don’t feel aggrieved anymore. That’s not what I meant. What I meant is, we need to use discernment when dealing with people. For different people, we should adopt different strategies. Since we haven’t even met this leader, let’s wait until we see him to discuss further. Even if we don’t meet him, we should gather some good information first."

Zhao Chun mumbled an "Mm" weakly and nodded his head slightly.

Tian Sangsang held back the urge to pat his shoulder or ruffle his hair—why did it feel like she was talking to a little brother?

...

At the village elementary school, it was time for dismissal, and a surge of children of various ages spilled out of the classroom at once. This elementary school was only now having its final exams, much later than other places.

"Sis Ying!"

"Aunt Ying!"

A few older, more thoughtful children recognized Chen Ying and greeted her with warm smiles when they saw her.

"School’s over—don’t run, walk slowly," Chen Ying said cheerfully, carrying a basket as she walked toward the classroom.

Zhou Zheng stood behind the lectern, stacking test papers into a neat pile. When he saw Chen Ying at the doorway, he smiled faintly and lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Ying, you’re here."

Chen Ying quickly set her basket on the lectern and pulled out her handkerchief, offering it to him with concern. "Here, wipe your face. Brother Zhou, look at how busy you are."

She hadn’t seen Zhou Zheng in several days. Ever since the incident a while ago, and the matter involving Tian Tian, things had been quite awkward. Yet, now that she hadn’t seen him for a while, she did find herself missing him.

"The final exams—it’ll be leisure time after this busy stretch." Zhou Zheng accepted the handkerchief without hesitation and wiped his sweat. The conditions at this rural classroom were terrible: more than fifty students crammed into a small room, nearly filling it to capacity. He was determined to transfer back to the city—he couldn’t stand this impoverished countryside anymore.

Chen Ying automatically picked up the test papers and textbooks alongside him, carrying the basket in one hand as she followed him to the dormitory. As they walked, she said, "I brought you dinner. Eat it while it’s hot."

But when they reached the dormitory, Chen Ying’s body inexplicably froze for a moment. She glanced at Zhou Zheng, who gazed ahead with a calm demeanor, completely indifferent and seemingly unbothered. There wasn’t even a hint of unnaturalness. Chen Ying sighed in mild conflict.

It had been a while since Chen Ying last brought Zhou Zheng food. After so long, Zhou Zheng had truly missed the meals Chen Ying used to deliver. Because of this, he became increasingly certain that Chen Ying couldn’t live without him. See? Wasn’t she still eagerly bringing him food? After all, Chen Ying was a genuinely rural girl, a master at cooking meals. Even the village chief’s household meals were much better than those of ordinary families, and the dishes she brought were always quite abundant. Just like today: neatly packed white rice in an aluminum container, stir-fried eggplant, stir-fried cabbage with some fatty, oily meat chunks on top, and egg-drop scallion soup.

"Ying, didn’t I tell you not to bring me meals anymore? I can cook for myself." Zhou Zheng feigned some restraint.

All the teachers at the school cooked their own meals. The school was too small to have a cafeteria. Students who lived far away typically brought their own food to eat.

"What you call cooking isn’t cooking!" Chen Ying scolded slightly, remembering a lunch she once saw Zhou Zheng prepare: just throwing anything into a pot of water, mixing it all together, and boiling it.

"..." Zhou Zheng seemed to recall something, his face reddened slightly as he teased, "You’re right, I’m not as industrious as you, Ying. Have you eaten? Let’s eat together."

"No," Chen Ying shook her head. "I ate at home. This is for you. After a whole day of teaching, you must be starving. Go on, eat quickly."

Zhou Zheng felt that Chen Ying had changed. The old Chen Ying, when interacting with him, was always somewhat shy, exuding the maidenly charm of a younger woman. She wasn’t as carefree as she was now. But in his view, this change didn’t matter—so long as Chen Ying’s heart remained with him.

Zhou Zheng ate the white rice silently, taking bite after bite with chopsticks, without making any sound and with his lips pursed tight. Comparisons always sting. Her brother, for example, ate much more vividly: taking large bites of food, grabbing meat one minute and vegetables the next, and finishing everything swiftly.

This was the difference between city folk and rural folk.

Chen Ying silently observed Zhou Zheng, and as she looked at him, another face appeared in her mind. If it were Ye Jiang, how would he eat? Like her brother? Like Zhou Zheng? Neither!

Ye Jiang ate with the same elegance and calm as his entire persona. His posture was straight, his attitude composed, and no matter who tried to disturb him, he wouldn’t utter a single word. Aloof, untouchable.

Why did she always think of Ye Jiang when she was with Brother Zhou? Chen Ying gently shook her head, hesitating as she asked, "Brother Zhou, are you going back to the city for summer break?"

Zhou Zheng finished a sip of soup and replied, "I heard the city’s leadership might come for inspections. If they come to the school, I’ll have to stay here."

"Brother Zhou, you’re overthinking it—they won’t come to the school." Chen Ying chuckled lightly.

Zhou Zheng noticed the certainty in Chen Ying’s tone and, slightly intrigued, asked, "Ying, how do you know this so well?"

"Well, it’s my uncle-in-law." Chen Ying replied spiritedly before correcting herself. "My dad said outside I should call him Deputy Secretary. I heard it from my dad—the Deputy Secretary is coming to visit a few villages, planning to install electricity here, so we can use telephones in the future." Thinking about finally being able to use telephones made Chen Ying quite excited; the town already had people using them.

"Ying, you’re so easy to please. The city already has televisions and electric fans. When I make something of myself in the future, we’ll move to the city."

Chen Ying blushed shyly. "Just focus on doing well and teaching properly. We’ll make it to the city soon enough. Actually, it doesn’t really matter whether we live in the city or not..."

Indeed, just teach well and make some achievements—moving to the city shouldn’t be difficult at all. But how many years would that take? Besides, rural children were so dull; how could they ever achieve good academic results? Zhou Zheng thought bitterly to himself. So he’d have to take shortcuts. No problem—someone would always be willing to lend a hand!

Suppressing the excitement boiling in his heart, Zhou Zheng could barely finish his meal. His gaze turned fiery as he asked, "Ying, your... Deputy Secretary—is he organizing other activities besides this project?"

"Uh... singing. My dad said the villagers should sing—to have some fun together."

At that time, rural singing was seen positively, purely as a way to celebrate the nation and express local sentiments. It wasn’t like today’s karaoke craze with all the chaos. Back then, it wasn’t seen as scandalous behavior—it was considered acceptable.