Chapter 7 Chapter One

The train from Beijing stopped at Guling Station. The sleepy-eyed passengers looked at this remote small county town and simple station through the car window with the impression of the bustling Kyoto, with a trance on their faces.The span of space brought them a sense of being separated in time.The civilization here may be a century behind Beijing. A small number of ten or twenty people got off the bus, and a small number of seven or eight people got on the bus.The people who got off shivered in the cool breeze in the morning, woke up after dozing off all night, and looked around on the deserted platform.Either someone picks up, or no one picks up.Carrying travel bags, net bags, and large and small bags in twos and threes, they exited the station through the small crooked green fence gate.There is an ancient cypress outside the station gate, which is said to be from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. It is said that Mencius once sat under this old cypress tree, so it is also called "Liu Mengbai".There are a few small stalls selling melon seeds scattered below, and an oil pan is squeaking fried fritters.

Li Xiangnan, who had just come down from the ancient pagoda, was talking casually with a fat old man in a white apron who was frying dough sticks with his hands behind his back. He turned his head and glanced at the person who left the station first, and was stunned for a moment. is her.Although we haven't seen each other for more than ten years, although her dress is completely different from that of more than ten years ago, although age and weather have changed her demeanor, she is still her.Of all things in the world, nothing is more changeable than man, and nothing is more stable than man.

She was the first to walk out of the station, stood still, brushed her hair, glanced at the small stall here, politely shook her head at a child carrying a basket to solicit peanuts, and continued walking forward.She is still beautiful.The bright black eyes contained a touch of melancholy, and the slender figure showed soft curves, which made people think of words like "youth", "girl" and "love", and an age like twenty years old.However, she wore the serious attire that only middle-aged intellectual women would wear, with a plain white shirt, gray denim trousers, hair combed back, forehead without a single bang, and a look that sees through everything. Her indifference makes people feel that she is a mature woman who has a tortuous experience and cannot be approached casually.The age seems to be in the thirties.

She is twenty-eight years old, right? She, or rather Lin Hong, left at dawn.She did not see Li Xiangnan.It's been a month since she left the ancient tomb, and she still doesn't know that he came to the ancient tomb.How would she react if she saw him and knew that he was here to serve as the secretary of the county party committee?How would you feel when you were face to face with her? Looking at her going back, Li Xiangnan shook his head slightly.Everything is still unimaginable, and there are too many unknowns.But she came back after all, and her return was a big deal for him.Not only will she get entangled in her own feelings, she will also get entangled in political turmoil in the political situation facing her as the secretary of the county party committee.

Lin Hong, a language teacher at Chencun Middle School in Guling County, is one of the focal points of the current political conflicts in the county. "Hello, are you from Guling?" The hearty voice of a panting girl.Li Xiangnan turned his head.In front of me is a tall and capable girl.In his early twenties, with sporty hair.Her forehead was full of sweat and she was carrying two heavy travel bags with pockets on her shoulders. "Yes." Li Xiangnan replied with a slight smile.He found it very interesting. Could the secretary of the county party committee of Guling County not be from Guling?

"Then do me a favor," said the girl. "Can." "Help me lift one, you didn't see that I can't lift it anymore." She was a little crooked due to the weight she was carrying. "Okay." Li Xiangnan reached out and took the two travel bags. "Hey, just pick one up for me. If you pick up two, I'll be empty-handed. That's a shame." "Aren't you still carrying a pocket? If you hold it in your hand, you won't be empty-handed." "You have quite a sense of humor." The girl said crisply as she walked.Li Xiangnan smiled without saying a word. "Do you know what I mean by 'humor'?" The girl turned her head and looked at Li Xiangnan.

"Maybe you know something." Li Xiangnan found it very interesting. "The more you say you are humorous, the more humorous you are. Are you really from Guling?" "Can it be fake?" "Are you here on a business trip? Why do you look so unfamiliar?" "Do you know everyone in such a big county?" "What's bigger? Sesame is bigger. I know almost everyone in the county." "What if I'm from the countryside?" "No. People from Guling have the smell of Guling, you can feel it at a glance." "Do you have special abilities?"

"Possibly. Are you a new transfer?" "Let's put it that way." "What are you doing here, the farm machinery factory?" "How do you know I'm from the Agricultural Machinery Factory?" The girl glanced at Li Xiangnan again: "You are dark and thin, I think so." She said and smiled, and Li Xiangnan also smiled. "Then shouldn't I be the blacksmith shaking the briquettes?" "No, you look like an intellectual. If you don't have a lot of knowledge, you must at least have attended junior high school." The girl looked at the tall, thin and thin young man again, "belongs to that kind of working intellectual."

"Your eyes are quite sharp." Li Xiangnan said, "What else can you see?" "It can also be seen that you have a strong personality." "Really?" Li Xiangnan became more and more interested in this girl, she was not like the girls in small towns. "Are you a technician or a small cadre?" "Hmm...it's more accurate to say small cadres." "Then you're probably a little strongman." "You can see that too, why?" "Based on feelings and impressions." The girl turned her head and asked, "Have you heard of me?"

"No." "Then you must have just been transferred." "What's your name?" Li Xiangnan asked very interestedly, "A famous person in Guling County?" "Me?... My name is Xiaoli." "Where do your parents work?" "My parents?..." The girl smiled, "They're not in the ancient tomb." "Are you alone in the ancient tomb?" "My uncle is in the ancient tomb." "Where does your uncle work in Guling?" "County committee." "County Party Committee? What's his name?"

"He?" The girl smiled treacherously, "The surname is Gu." "Surname Gu? What's your name?" The girl smiled again: "Gu Rong." "You are Gu Xiaoli?" Li Xiangnan stopped suddenly. "Yes." The girl blinked happily. Li Xiangnan stared at her and nodded slightly: "This is a bit complicated." "What's the complication?" Li Xiangnan smiled humorously, but did not answer.The girl in front of me is the daughter of Gu Heng, the first secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.She herself is a nominal deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the county party committee.After graduating from university, I will come to Guling County, and I am determined to engage in literature to deepen my life. I have already published one or two novels in provincial publications.Her uncle, Gu Rong, is the deputy secretary of the county party committee and the county magistrate of Guling County.Between Gu Rong and Li Xiangnan, a political struggle affecting the whole county is unfolding.The daughter of a superior leader and the niece of a political opponent, the two-tier relationship is somewhat complicated. What role will the provincial party secretary's daughter play in this struggle in Guling County? Complex relationships must be treated with complex attitudes.He was determined to win her over, to conquer her.A girl, when she is in a special position, often affects many things. "Did you go to Beijing?" Li Xiangnan asked as he walked, "What did you gain?" "Expanding broadens the mind." "Beijing ideology is relatively active." "It's not like a place like our ancient tombs. It's closed, conservative, and rustic. I'm just a simple-minded person with rigid thinking." Xiaoli looked contemptuous, "From Beijing to here, listening to the accent of the people in Guling when you get off the train It's jarring." "Is that why you look down on Gu Ling?" "Chinese peasants are too ignorant. The cadres in the county are also peasants wearing cadre uniforms, conservative and narrow-minded." "What about your uncle?" Li Xiangnan asked. "Him? It's not much better." This is what she thinks of her uncle Gu Rong?Li Xiangnan looked at her with a smile: "Then why do you still come to Guling County?" "I have my purpose." "Don't you write novels?" "You've heard of it too? Then you're quite well informed." Xiao Li smiled, "I want to write about rural subjects. What's the point of writing about cities? Only a few hundred years of history in Shanghai? Thousands of years of history in rural China. To write influential works in the world, it is necessary to write about China's national culture and national personality for thousands of years." "Ambition is not small!" "Do you read literary publications?" "Look a little bit." "Are there any decent novels that reflect the countryside? When people in the city read it, they think it's quite rural, but when people who really live in the countryside read it, it doesn't taste right. You get off the bus from Guling and go to the county town street. As soon as I left, I looked at the Tushan Village Fort on both sides. As soon as the wind blew, I immediately smelled the smell of the countryside in the Yellow River Basin. Then I ran around the village, paid for a catty of liquor, and sat on the kang with the peasants. , drink a bowl of millet porridge, and you will know what the rural flavor is all about." What an ignorant girl!Li Xiangnan smiled generously in his heart and asked, "Do you often go to the countryside?" "Of course. Huh, those writers are always shouting to write about peasants. I don't think they have any real feelings for peasants, and even the language is wrong. It's not sour, and they pretend to be rustic, but in fact it all comes from their mouths smoking filter cigarettes. said it." "Your thinking is extreme enough." Li Xiangnan was quite interested. "I'm not extreme, look--" They walked on a dirt road leading from the railway station to the county seat, and the Chengguan Commune, Agricultural Machinery Repair Factory, Agriculture and Forestry Bureau, and Animal Husbandry Bureau were half-opened on both sides. At the gate, wooden signs with vaguely painted colors listlessly pulled the long faces that hadn't woken up yet.There are two big happy characters pasted on the gate of an earthen courtyard wall, which is a residence.There were festive people coming in and out of the gate, shouting here and there, steam rising from the yard, and five or six children were crackling and setting off firecrackers in the street. "What are you looking at, getting married?" "Yes. You can feel the character of Chinese peasants just by looking at it." "What character?" "A pair of big hands covered with dry skin, rough calluses and cracks, slowly rubbing a handful of loess with one hand, and happily holding a suona with the other." "What a metaphor!" Li Xiangnan couldn't help admiring the girl's artistic temperament, "What kind of personality is this?" "Hardworking and hardworking, festive and open-minded." "These are the eight words you summed up? The evaluation is very high." Li Xiangnan said, "This is completely contradictory to what you said just now that farmers are ignorant and conservative." "What kind of contradiction is there?" Xiaoli raised her face indifferently, and continued without explaining, "Chinese peasants are the most miserable, but they are used to it, and their character is the most stable and open-minded. Each of them Both are greater than Chaplin and more mature than Chaplin." "This evaluation is even higher." "When a girl in the countryside loses her love, she will cry for two nights at most. On the third day, she will still carry a hoe to the ground and sit at the door with a needle and thread. If someone dies in the family, she will cry all the time, but she still has to set up a banquet, sing opera, play the suona, and play Firecrackers. China calls weddings and funerals weddings and funerals, you see, they are so open-minded. They don’t whine and linger, they all treat tragedies with a comedy attitude.” "Because they have suffered the most, their hearts have endurance." Li Xiangnan agreed, "For thousands of years, they have probably experienced the most tragedies, and they are like cattle, so they have also forged A comic attitude towards a tragic character. It's the open-minded and festive you just said. Isn't it?" "Hey, I can't see that you still have some thoughts." Xiaoli looked at Li Xiangnan with shining antelope-like eyes, and smiled excitedly, "Test you, see if the man and woman over there are together, What's their relationship?" On the road, farmers in twos and threes went to the county town to go to the market. Some were riding bicycles carrying piglets whimpering softly, some were carrying vegetables on shoulder poles tremblingly, some were squeaking and pulling flat carts full of watermelons, and some were waving whips. donkey cart and carriage.In the sparse crowd, two young people walked one after the other.In front is a young man with parted hair, wearing a new polyester card that does not fit well, walking slowly with an uneasy expression; behind is a woman, who looks like a girl and a daughter-in-law, wearing a flowered gown, holding a basket and bowing her head.There are always more than ten steps between the two people, each walking in its own way, and no one looks at the other. "Are they related?" Li Xiangnan asked. "You're not even sure about that?" Li Xiangnan shook his head. "They must be together all the way, and they must be engaged but not married." "Can you tell?" Li Xiangnan asked in surprise. "If you don't believe me, go ask." Li Xiangnan nodded, walked side by side with the young man, and asked, "Which village are you from?" "Sunbao's." The young man replied. "Go to the county seat? What are you doing?" The young man blushed, he hesitated for a moment, then glanced back at the woman, "Go and take a picture." "Photography?" "Just got engaged." Li Xiangnan couldn't help but marvel at Xiaoli's judgment. "How did you find out?" He asked when he and Xiaoli came together again. "I can't say it, it's just the feeling at a glance." "This is the talent of an artist." Li Xiangnan said, "Come on, I'll test you too. Look at this tofu maker, what can you see?" A pair of tofu was parked under the steps of the house they passed by. Tiaozi, the old man who wiped his sweat with a towel was talking to the housewife who was standing at the door asking for the price. "What to exchange?" "Soybeans and black beans are fine, a catty for a catty and a half." "Do you want millet and corn?" "don't want." "What about buying it with money?" "Twenty-six a catty." "Should I change my career with food stamps?" "Okay, two catties of food stamps will be exchanged for one catty." "You wait." The woman turned and entered the door. "At first glance, this old tofu seller is a bachelor." Xiaoli said, "That sister-in-law must have grown up and is not around." "Can you see this?" Li Xiangnan was surprised again, "Okay, let's not talk about this, can you learn anything about agricultural production and economics from their conversation just now?" "You ask this?" Xiaoli looked at Li Xiangnan inexplicably, and shook her head, "I don't know." "Shall I tell you?" Lily nodded. "First, at the grain market, soybeans and black beans sell for three cents or four cents a catty, right?" Xiaoli turned her head and calculated. A catty of beans was exchanged for a catty and a half of tofu, and a catty of tofu sold for 20 cents. "Yes." She nodded. "Secondly, this old man's family has no shortage of rations. Other families in his village don't have a surplus of beans either." "Yes." "So this old man is not from the mountain, but from this Sichuan." "It can be seen at a glance." "Thirdly, food stamps now also play a role in the circulation of banknotes in some occasions, and they are one dime and three pounds. Fourth, this is combined with the proportion and price of food supply for urban residents in our county-you know the supply ratio and price. Bar?" "Know." "Combining this, we can calculate that at the Guling Grain Market, wheat is three cents a catty, corn is four cents a catty, sorghum is three cents a catty, and millet is three cents a catty." "Did you inquire about it?" "No, I figured it out." "How?" "This algorithm is a little complicated, I will explain it to you when I have time." "Then I'll go to the market to check." "No, you can ask this old tofu seller, he must know." Xiaoli walked up to the old man selling tofu and asked, "Master, which village are you from?" "I'm from Songzhuang." "Master, now go to the market to weigh some wheat, millet, and corn. Do you know the price?" "Wheat, 38 cents, better 39 cents, almost 367 cents. Corn 14 cents, and millet 30 cents. Are you just here from out of town?" "Yes." Li Xiangnan also came up, he took out a cigarette and handed it to the old man, the old man hurriedly gave way, thanked him repeatedly, and Li Xiangnan lit the fire for him. "Master, how many people are there in your family?" Li Xiangnan asked kindly. "I ate the whole family by myself, and I was single." The old man said with a smile while puffing out smoke. Li Xiangnan and Xiaoli looked at each other with smiles, both were amazed at each other's judgment. "Has the curved road in front of your Songzhuang School been repaired?" Li Xiangnan asked again. "It's been repaired, it's been repaired." The old man nodded repeatedly and said, "It has been broken for two years and no one has repaired it. When it rains, the cart will overturn. Secretary Li who came from the county two days ago gave instructions. The cadres of the commune brigade were all wiped off, so they were all afraid of losing their black hats, so it was repaired in only three days. Yesterday morning, they all took the cart." "A new county party secretary has been transferred from our county?" Xiaoli looked at Li Xiangnan and asked in surprise. "...It seems to be." Li Xiangnan smiled. "You still don't know?" The old tofu seller said, "This is Master Qingtian." "Qingtian? It's not good to call him that, it's going to kill him." Li Xiangnan said. "Everyone calls him Li Qingtian now—even the villages on the mountain call him that. The sea dog in our village, his wife was raped and hanged by the commune cadres, and he was labeled as a bad element. He has been wronged for more than ten years, and he will sue God. I can’t tell you, it’s not that Secretary Li just came here and just filed a lawsuit against him.” The sister-in-law who bought tofu came out of the courtyard with a bowl.Li Xiangnan sized her up, said goodbye to the old man, picked up the travel bag and walked forward with Xiaoli. "Why don't you ask about the situation of that sister-in-law's house?" Xiaoli asked. "I can completely trust your artistic intuition, so I don't need to test it." Li Xiangnan replied humorously. "Hey, industrial terminology has also come up." Xiaoli said, "You are a rational thinking brain." "Aren't we flattering each other?" Li Xiangnan laughed. Xiaoli was also infected by his laughter and laughed happily. "Hey, what about the newly transferred secretary of the county party committee?" "It's normal." Li Xiangnan said with a hint of humor. "Old or young?" "Still young. Thirty-one or twelve." "Are you married?" "What does it matter whether you are married or not?" "That's important in judging him." "I heard he's not married." "Thirty years old and still unmarried? That's either a withdrawn personality, a careerist, or an ambitious person." "So absolutely?" "Is he capable?" "Others say he may have a little." "The ancient tomb is in trouble." Xiaoli said to herself. "Why is it so troublesome?" Li Xiangnan asked. "If you don't understand the situation, don't ask." Li Xiangnan looked at Xiao Li again.The daughter of the provincial party secretary is very interesting, and her attitude towards Gu Rong is also quite intriguing. "Little Li." With a cry, a bicycle stopped in front of them. When the two looked up, it was Gu Rong. "Uncle, I'm waiting for you at the platform. I never see you coming. There are so many things that I can't take them." "Blame me, the jeep broke down temporarily, so I had to find a bicycle." Gu Rong's big face full of powerful wrinkles and a bit of a tiger's majesty was full of apologies from the elders.Seeing Li Xiangnan who was carrying a travel bag beside him, he was taken aback for a moment, and smiled unnaturally: "Xiangnan, why did you meet him?" "It's time for me to work hard." Li Xiangnan jokingly lifted the travel bag with both hands. "Come here, you will be rewarded for your merits, and you will be in charge of the lunch at noon. Ask Xiaoli to help with the cooking." Gu Rong reached out to take the travel bag and put it on the bicycle. "You know my uncle?" Xiaoli asked in surprise. "Of course." Li Xiangnan smiled humorously. "Did the journey from Beijing go well?" Gu Rong asked as the three of them walked together, pushing the car. "I ran into that Lin Hong, and we still sat face to face." Xiaoli said. "What is she going to Beijing for?" Gu Rong asked again, feeling a slip of the tongue, and glanced at Li Xiangnan. "Who knows about her, maybe she went to petition and sued you?" "Do you know Lin Hong?" Li Xiangnan asked Xiao Li. "Her? Huh, I've known her for a long time." Li Xiangnan looked at Xiao Li.Why is her emotion towards Lin Hong so harsh?Is it just because Lin Hong opposed her uncle Gu Rong? "What do you think of her?" Li Xiangnan asked calmly. "What can one think of her? Scumbag." Li Xiangnan was shocked by this vicious and harsh curse.Could this be the lively and lovely girl just now? "Forget it, let's not talk about this." Gu Rong changed the subject, "Have you seen your father?" "No, I didn't go to the province, I just came back." Xiaoli replied, and continued her emotions just now, "Uncle, let Lin Hong sue if she wants to. Don't care about anything. The key is that you take the ancient It is enough to stabilize the political situation in Lingling, the main thing is to keep the cadres in check and prevent opposition from forming within the county party committee.” "Okay, let's not talk about this. You do your literature and don't get involved in politics." Gu Rong quickly waved his hand to interrupt.The niece said these words in front of Li Xiangnan, which made him extremely embarrassed. Li Xiangnan looked at Xiao Li.This girl was far from being as simple as she had just imagined.Still quite powerful at a young age.It seems that the daughter of the secretary of the provincial party committee will be a role that cannot be underestimated in the whole situation of Guling. "Uncle, is the new secretary of the county party committee here? How is his relationship with you? Are you on good terms? You must win over him now." "Xiao Li, what nonsense are you talking about? Don't you know?" Gu Rong leaned back and laughed, and quickly interrupted her advice.He pointed to Li Xiangnan and was about to introduce him, but was interrupted by Xiaoli's new topic. "Uncle, what kind of meeting is this?" Xiaoli asked, pointing her hand. Fast forward to the county seat.On the side of the road is the county guest house, and there is an endless stream of people coming in and out at the gate.Beside them, a group of peasants with wet feet were surrounding a rural cadre and said, "We came thirty miles before dawn for this purpose. We must take our opinions with you. Sure." The door of the guest house There were several piles of such crowds outside, all chattering and clamoring, rushing into the street in a chaotic manner. "Isn't that written on the wall?" Gu Rong pointed coldly.Large slogans were posted on the walls on both sides of the gate of the guest house: "Warmly welcome the representatives of all units in the county to participate in the conference of suggestions and suggestions!" "How long has it been open?" Xiaoli asked. "Three days, today is the last day." Gu Rong replied. "Why is it called the Conference of Suggestions and Suggestions? Is there such a name?" "Is this a bad name?" Li Xiangnan asked. "What's your opinion?" "Let's give advice to the county committee." Li Xiangnan replied with a smile. Xiao Li looked at Gu Rong suspiciously. "To put it bluntly, it is to give me advice." Gu Rong said coldly. Xiaoli was stunned: "This is like a rectification meeting." "What's the point?" Gu Rong said angrily. "Tackling you? Was this done by the new county party secretary?" Xiaoli said. At this time, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked over. It was Zhuang Wenyi, director of the county science and technology committee. "Xiao Li is back?" He saw Xiao Li. "I'm back." Lily replied. "Secretary Li, here are the materials you want." Zhuang Wenyi handed a roll of materials to Li Xiangnan. "Okay." Li Xiangnan nodded and accepted. Xiao Li was startled and looked at Li Xiangnan. "Is the summary meeting on time?" Zhuang Wenyi asked. "Should it be open at nine o'clock?" Li Xiangnan turned around and asked Gu Rong. "Yes." Gu Rong replied with a cold expression. "Then I'm leaving. I'm participating in a group discussion." Zhuang Wenyi hurried away. "Are you the newly transferred secretary of the county party committee?" Xiao Li looked at Li Xiangnan and asked. "Probably so." Li Xiangnan answered humorously. He is 1.78 meters tall, with a dark and thin face, piercing eyes, beards, and a lightly washed dark-gray Querang clothes, with trousers rolled up to the calf, and a pair of old sandals on his bare feet. The new young secretary of the county party committee stood in front of Xiaoli calmly and smiling.