Chapter Forty-Seven: The Village Assistant

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The news that Secretary Huang, the Party Secretary of the town committee, had personally come looking for Sha Le’er spread quickly through Taosha Village. It was like a large stone thrown into a calm pond, sending ripples everywhere. Not only had Secretary Huang come, but even the secretary from the county committee had arrived. As for what level a county secretary was, the villagers didn't know, nor did they need to; what mattered was that someone from the county had come, and that alone was extraordinary.

“Our village is finally going to produce an important figure.”

“That rascal Le’er, you could tell since he was little he’d amount to something. Look at him now—he’s really made it.”

“Even people from the county are coming to see him? Not even Secretary Tao has ever been treated like this.”

And so, Le’er’s prestige among the villagers soared overnight; people even looked at him differently now. Of course, there were those who envied him, but none dared voice it openly. Even Shengyuan, the usually overbearing father of Qiangsha, changed his demeanor when he saw Le’er, grinning from ear to ear and calling him “nephew” at every opportunity, as affectionate as he could possibly be.

“Le’er, you should come to my house one day. I’ll have your auntie cook a few dishes, and you can have a simple meal with us, a couple bowls of rice wine—just a friendly get-together.”

“Sounds good,” Le’er replied with a friendly laugh. “But Second Uncle, you’d better prepare some good dishes, and I’ll bring the wine.”

Yet inwardly, he felt nothing but contempt for the old man. In the past, Shengyuan always looked down his nose at him, barely responding to his greetings. Now he was suddenly so warm—Le’er couldn’t be bothered to care.

But no one was happier than his Great Uncle. He specially held a banquet for Le’er, inviting the most respected elders from the upper village. Everyone beamed with pride and sang Le’er’s praises. Le’er could hardly fend off the toasts, but in front of his Great Uncle, he had no choice but to endure, ending up with a belly full of wine and a head spinning with dizziness.

Still, he knew full well how much he was worth and what all this was really about. It was all thanks to Teacher Feng, though he couldn’t fathom why Teacher Feng was so good to him. By the time he got home, night had fallen. The carpenters and bamboo weavers had left, and only Luo Yinxing was not in the courtyard keeping an eye on the house for him.

“Le’er, you drank so much, are you drunk?”

“I’m just happy… This little bit of wine isn’t enough to get me drunk.”

“Not drunk? You can barely speak clearly.” Luo Yinxing smiled teasingly. “You’re famous now—the matchmakers will probably wear down your doorstep.”

“Why do you care?” Le’er shook his head, feeling a bit queasy from the wine. “What’s it got to do with you?”

Luo Yinxing pinched him irritably, then helped him to the bamboo bed before leaving quietly, a trace of loneliness in her step. Even stranger things followed: three days later, Secretary Tao himself came to tell him that Secretary Huang wanted to see him and asked him to go to the town. When Le’er asked what for, Secretary Tao only shook his head.

“It’s definitely a good thing. Just go.”

Shuangqiao Town was less than ten miles away. There was a paved road, but no transport. Still, to Le’er, those ten miles were nothing—a blink of an eye. He wanted to bring a gift for Secretary Huang, but his family had nothing decent left. The eels and yellow eels had all been fed to the snakes, and he hadn’t caught any turtles.

He had to go empty-handed.

An hour later, he arrived in Shuangqiao Town. Though he wasn’t wearing a suit, his outfit was considered rather upscale for the area. Entering the town, he didn’t head straight for Secretary Huang, but first stopped by a barber shop for a haircut, wiped the dust and mud off his leather shoes, strolled through the market but found nothing worth buying, and finally made his way to the town government.

The government compound was at the west end of Shuangqiao Town. Le’er had never been inside, but he knew where the main entrance was. As he entered, he saw a security room by the gate and an old man watching him.

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“Hello, sir.”

Le’er greeted him with a broad smile, but the old man kept a stern face. Though Le’er was neatly dressed and presentable, the old man had been the gatekeeper here for decades and could tell at a glance that Le’er was no official, so he paid him no mind.

“Who are you looking for?”

“I’m here to see Secretary Huang,” Le’er replied coolly, sensing the old man’s snobbishness. “Secretary Huang asked me to come.”

“Secretary Huang?” The old man’s face changed instantly, his wrinkles bunching up in a smile. “Are you Secretary Huang’s relative?”

Le’er shook his head. Though still young, he was all too familiar with the fickleness of human nature, so he simply smiled again.

“Secretary Huang said it was urgent and called me to come right away,” Le’er lied smoothly. “Sir, where’s Secretary Huang’s office?”

“Over there… Oh, isn’t that Secretary Chen? You can just talk to her.”

A striking young woman, about twenty-five or twenty-six, was coming down from the upstairs and heading toward another building. With her long flowing hair, prominent bust, and curvy figure, Le’er barely had time to admire her as he hurried over.

“Hello, Secretary Chen.”

The beautiful woman paused for a split second at the sight of Le’er’s handsome features, then narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

“My name is Sha Le’er, from Taosha Village. Secretary Huang called and asked me to come see him.”

Le’er smiled gently, showing no trace of lecherous intent in front of the beauty. Secretary Chen was indeed lovely, but compared to Li Ying, she paled in comparison. No matter how beautiful a woman he encountered, he always compared her to Li Ying, and so far, none had measured up.

“Oh… so you’re Sha Le’er. Quite the good-looking fellow.” Secretary Chen’s smile grew warmer. “I know, I was the one who made the call. Come with me.”

Good looks did make things easier. As the beautiful secretary led the way, she swayed her alluring figure and chatted with him as they climbed to the third floor. She opened the door.

“Secretary Huang, Sha Le’er is here.”

Secretary Chen’s voice carried a special charm that Sha Le’er found a little hard to bear, as if something was brushing against his heart. Secretary Huang was busy writing at his desk; seeing Le’er, he looked up with a broad, affectionate smile.

“Sha Le’er, come in! You’re looking sharp today.”

“One must clean the mud off before coming to see Secretary Huang, otherwise it wouldn’t do to dirty the government office floor.”

“Haha… you really know how to talk, don’t you?” Secretary Huang looked at him with great satisfaction. “Xiao Chen, go ahead and get back to your work. I have some matters to discuss with Le’er.”

Hearing Secretary Huang drop the formal “Sha” and call him just “Le’er” with such familiarity, the beautiful secretary flashed a bewitching smile before slipping out. Le’er couldn’t help but notice the suggestive sway of her hips as she left. Secretary Huang, watching her seductive figure, had a flicker of desire in his eyes.

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“Damn, what a tease,” Secretary Huang muttered, not bothering to hide it from Sha Le’er, and then got up to personally make Le’er a cup of tea, much to Le’er’s surprise.

“Do you know why I called you here?” Secretary Huang lit a cigarette. Le’er only smiled and shook his head. Secretary Huang exhaled a cloud of smoke, still grinning. “Secretary Feng’s secretary, Xiao Luo, called me—that Xiao Luo you know, right? The one who came with me to see your snake farm the other day. He said I should look out for you.”

Sha Le’er was taken aback.

“If Xiao Luo dares to call me, it must be Secretary Feng’s instruction. Heh… Who would have thought Secretary Feng would take an interest in you, kid…” Secretary Huang’s plump face gleamed with satisfaction. “Looking out for you is easy enough. Why don’t you start as a village official? Of course, you can’t be Party Secretary, since you’re not a Party member, and the village chief is elected… But you can be the village assistant for now.”

Le’er had never heard of such a post in the village. Still, any official position was a good thing for him—it was always hard to get started.

“Heh… Normally, no such post exists, but this is a temporary arrangement. The other positions can’t be changed so easily, so you’ll fill in for now,” Secretary Huang said, clearly having thought it all through. “With my support, all you need is the title. If you want to get things done, what’s so hard about that? Don’t your secretary and village chief both take their cues from me?”

Sha Le’er understood at once: this meant that in the future, his authority as village assistant might well exceed that of the secretary and village chief. Not that he cared much about wielding power in the village, but with an official title, he’d have status and no one would dare look down on him anymore.

To become a village official, however minor, meant he was now a person of importance.

“Thank you, Secretary Huang.”

Le’er put on a simple, honest smile.

“You really know how to get things done… Work hard, and come to me if you need anything,” Secretary Huang said approvingly. “You’re already more capable than your village chief. Becoming village chief yourself someday isn’t out of the question. Just keep it up.”

“Secretary Huang, may I invite you to dinner?”

Secretary Huang’s eyes lit up as he studied Sha Le’er, then burst out laughing.

“Oh, you’re quite savvy for your age. All right, I’ve heard you made some money working out of town. I’ll accept your invitation, but don’t think you can take me to any little noodle shop. I intend to eat well at your expense.”

Speaking so affably, how could Sha Le’er not get the message? Still, at times like these, he acted all the more guileless, grinning foolishly with an air of trustworthiness.

A person personally recommended by the county Party Secretary deserved special care. Secretary Huang knew full well why Secretary Feng’s only daughter, Feng Shuya, had come to Taosha Village as a volunteer teacher. It seemed Feng Shuya had chosen Sha Le’er as her chess piece, so the boy was bound for greater things.

He was one of Secretary Feng’s people, promoted by Secretary Feng himself. Secretary Huang often joked that he was Secretary Feng’s loyal follower. If Secretary Feng wanted to use Sha Le’er, how could Secretary Huang not help him rise?

“Wherever you say, Secretary. I’m not familiar with the town’s restaurants.”

Secretary Huang burst out laughing, then picked up the phone to make a call.