Luo Tong's elder brother and sister-in-law weren't particularly greedy for the Nan Family's betrothal gifts or items like sewing machines, as their household wasn't lacking in such things. However, seeing their parents spend money to prepare a generous dowry for their younger sister naturally left them feeling uneasy.

As for the others, while they praised Yu Father and Yu Mother for their generosity to their faces, their envy and jealousy were unmistakable, especially during the meal.

Yu Second Uncle was the first to bring up the topic of work. "After Mingli and Luo Tong get engaged, shouldn't his job be relocated? Shouldn’t he be transferred to the county?"

"Second Uncle, I’ve only just started working at the town government and still need time to gain experience. It’s not too late for me to move to the county once I’ve improved," Mingli stated firmly. Besides, Secretary Ma still needed his assistance in town for the time being.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Madam Yu’s sister-in-law chimed in. "So you’re saying Luo Tong should just follow you to town and endure hardship? What about her job? You really don’t know how to care for her."

Nan's Father and Nan's Mother were quite open-minded. They didn’t insist on their son staying by their side and had even prepared for the possibility of Mingli becoming a live-in son-in-law. As long as the young couple was happy, distance wouldn’t change the fact that they were part of the Nan Family.

Zhong Yanyan smiled and said, "This matter can be discussed. It’s up to the young couple to decide where they want to live. We have no objections."

With the Nan Family’s stance clear, others had no grounds to nitpick. Yu Feng, satisfied with his in-laws’ attitude, naturally didn’t want to fall behind.

"A wife must follow her husband. If Luo Tong marries Mingli, shouldn’t she naturally live with him in town? There’s nothing to debate here. I’ve already arranged for her job—she can still work as a teacher in town."

Madam Yu had also come around to the idea. Since her son-in-law would eventually be promoted to the county, a temporary separation of a few years wasn’t a big deal. She shut down further objections by echoing Yu Feng’s words.

"How is working in town considered hardship? If not for Yu Feng’s promotion, our whole family would still be living there. Don’t start looking down on things just because you’ve had a taste of better days."

Some of the relatives present weren’t even as well-off as the Nan Family, yet they dared to criticize her son-in-law.

With both Yu Feng and Madam Yu standing up for Mingli, the others didn’t dare say more. One relative turned to Luo Tong’s elder brother and sister-in-law instead.

"The Nan Family doesn’t seem particularly well-off. How did your parents agree to marry Luo Tong into their household?"

"Who knows? I only heard his sister is quite formidable. My father seems eager to marry Luo Tong off to them."

People naturally seek better prospects, just as water flows downward. In Luo Tong’s elder brother’s opinion, since their father had just been promoted, he should have aimed higher for a more advantageous match to strengthen family ties.

But his father disagreed and hastily arranged the engagement, leaving him speechless.

After the meal, Yu Feng tried to persuade the Nan Family to stay overnight in the county, but Nan Jingyu declined.

"It’s the busy season now. Next time we visit, we’ll definitely impose on your hospitality."

"That sounds perfect!"

Mingli also bid farewell to Luo Tong. "I’ll come see you on my next day off and take you to the movies!"

Luo Tong blushed and nodded. She longed to see Mingli every day, but since they lived apart, he could only visit during his breaks.

The Nan Family had come to the county on a tractor borrowed by Mingli from the town government, and they returned the same way. The loud rumbling of the engine drowned out all conversation.

Once back in town, they returned the vehicle and prepared to go their separate ways.

Uncle Zhong was worried. He found Yu Family’s relatives difficult to get along with and feared his nephew might struggle with the pressure in the long run.

"Mingli, marrying the county magistrate’s daughter means you’ll inevitably face gossip. Are you prepared for that?"

At first, everything in a marriage seems perfect, but over time, rumors and criticism can wear a person down. What if Mingli couldn’t handle being called a freeloader?

In his opinion, marriage was a serious matter, and mismatched social status had always been a recipe for trouble.

"Uncle, I’ve made up my mind. Let people talk—I don’t care. Besides, our Nan Family isn’t lacking. My sister and brother-in-law aren’t pushovers either."

Hearing this, Uncle Zhong didn’t press further, though he hadn’t enjoyed the engagement banquet much.

Meanwhile, Nan Sheng had been busy. She first targeted members of the Revolutionary Committee, removing those closely tied to Ou Yaosheng one by one.

Before she could finish, the entire committee was thrown into upheaval.

Half a month after Director Yi’s arrest, inspectors from the provincial and municipal levels launched investigations into county Revolutionary Committees. Before anyone could catch their breath, higher authorities ordered a restructuring of the committee’s powers.

The reign of the Revolutionary Committee had finally collapsed.

The root cause lay in Sichuan Province’s recent self-investigation, which exposed numerous corrupt elements. With so many bloody cases brought to light, how could the higher-ups ignore it?

Liu ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‍Song and Chen Tian were so anxious their lips were blistering, but Nan Sheng remained unfazed.

"Director, even if the higher-ups are just going through the motions and haven’t scrutinized our town, the fact is that Revolutionary Committees nationwide are being purged. What do we do now?"

Now, even their usual work in the villages wasn’t as effective as before.

"Meet force with force, meet water with earth!"

Deng Jun thought to himself, Not all of us have your unshakable composure.

As the Revolutionary Committee’s influence waned, the Red Guards also disbanded rapidly. Meanwhile, the Discipline Inspection Committee’s authority grew, gradually replacing the former Revolutionary Committee.

Some even whispered within the government that the Revolutionary Committee would soon be abolished, and its members expelled. This left Liu Song and the others sleepless with worry.

How had they suddenly become unemployed?

Even other government officials now looked at Revolutionary Committee members differently—some with glee, others with pity.

Secretary Cai, however, treated Nan Sheng the same as always, even teasing her about her calm demeanor.

Amid the tension, a call came from the city—directly to the Three Dangers Town Revolutionary Committee office!

"Hello, Comrade Nan Sheng. This is Jin Xuwu from the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee. I hope you remember me."

"Of course, Director Jin. Is there a task you’d like to assign?"

Jin Xuwu confirmed, "There is, but I’d prefer to discuss it in person. Could you come to the city?"

After hanging up, Nan Sheng already had an inkling about her new assignment.

The Revolutionary Committee’s downfall had come faster than she expected, but she didn’t regret hastening it. The organization had been rotten to the core.