Chapter 8 Walking Auntie's Route

  After a few days, Yu Fan also ran to several villages with San Gu Fu, and had a basic understanding of some situations and work-related things. He himself felt that he was gradually integrating into this life. Yu Fan couldn't help but feel a little amused, as if he had an unusually strong adaptability to this job, and he enjoyed the admiring glances from people much older than him when he went down to the village.

  After a few more days, Third Uncle did as he said and left Yu Fan to guard the countryside government office. Suddenly being alone in the empty countryside government compound made Yu Fan feel unadapted and bored. His current task was to watch over the only phone in the temporary worker's office, coordinating contact between different groups below. However, for several days straight, the phone in the office didn't ring at all, so Yu Fan had no choice but to go to the second floor of the countryside government formal staff office to chat with people. The people on the second floor also knew about Yu Fan and Secretary's relationship, so they were very polite to him. Coming and going, he became familiar with the people in the second-floor office, yet Yu Fan still hadn't gone to his own uncle's house - after all, he couldn't just barge in like that.

  Yu Fan walked down from the second floor, and earlier he had chatted with Wang Jie from the personnel department for half a day. Through his understanding of the past few days, Yu Fan found that although there were not many formal employees in the township government, they all had connections to get in. But Yu Fan's biggest discovery was Lao Dai, the old man in the transmission room, who surprisingly knew the details of every employee in the compound, even some temporary workers' affairs, he could say one two three, it made Yu Fan have to sigh that ginger is still spicy when it's old.

  Just as I was about to enter the delivery room, wanting to chat with Old Dai, I found Secretary Zhang's wife walking in from outside, seemingly just back from buying groceries, still holding a bucket of salad oil. My heart skipped a beat, this seemed like an opportunity, so I quickly turned around and ran over, smiling and saying: "Auntie, why did you buy so much food today?" Then I was about to take the salad oil and vegetables out of Secretary Zhang's wife's hands.

  Secretary Zhang's wife looked up and smiled: "It's Xiao Fan, ah, no need, no need, it's almost here." Yu Fan smiled and took everything over, smiling at Auntie: "Auntie, next time just call me for this kind of physical labor, anyway I'm staying in the big yard now, there's nothing to do all day." Secretary Zhang's wife smiled and looked at Yu Fan with a smile: "Xiao Fan is still sensible, unlike my family's wild girl, who doesn't even think about coming home after being on vacation."

  Mr. Zhang's family has only one daughter, named Zhang Jing, who is the same age as Yu Fan but a few months younger. She is currently studying in the capital city of Beijing. This was something that Yu Fan only found out about later.

  Upon hearing this, he also smiled and said: "Auntie, is Little Jing still in Beijing?"

  But Auntie's expression turned somewhat indignant as she replied: "Don't mention that wild girl! She doesn't even know how to come home once a year. Just yesterday, she called me saying she was going to come back, but this morning she told me she was going on a trip with some classmate or other. No sense of propriety whatsoever - what kind of young lady is that?"

  Yu Fan also smiled and comforted her, "Auntie, don't be angry. Nowadays university students are all like this, they want to achieve their own value in life while still in school. Besides, your niece got into Jingyun University, which is one of the best schools in our country! You should be proud!" Auntie heard this and smiled, "Little Fan, you're really good at talking, not like your cousin who only knows how to make me angry when she comes back. You're also a university student, and a boy at that, why can't your cousin be more obedient like you and let me worry less?"

  Yu Fan chuckled and said, "What university did I attend? What about my cousin Jing's university? Jingyun University is the top-notch one. How can I compare with Cousin Jing?" Auntie smiled and said, "What's top-notch or not, aren't they all universities?" Although she said so, her eyes were filled with an uncontrollable pride.

  Before long, they arrived at the third floor of the residential building. Auntie quickly took out the key and opened the door, and Yu Fan also put the salad oil and vegetables into the kitchen. Turning around to leave the kitchen, Auntie also took out a can of Coke from the refrigerator and handed it to Yu Fan, smiling and saying gratefully: "Today really thanks to Little Fan." Yu Fan took the Coke and politely said: "Auntie is being too kind, we're all family after all. In the future if there's any heavy physical work, Auntie just needs to call me and I'll take care of it. Lately I've been stuck in the office answering phones, so I'm pretty free." The conversation made Secretary Zhang's wife laugh out loud.

  Pointing to the photo on the wall, Yu Fan asked with a smile: "Auntie, is this Little Jing's cousin? I've never seen her before!" Auntie turned around and looked at the photo, saying: "It's not that you haven't seen her, since your cousin went to study in Beijing, I can barely see her a few times a year. Wait for a while, when she comes back, I'll definitely let you two meet, otherwise it would be embarrassing if you ran into each other on the street and didn't recognize each other!" Yu Fan also chuckled at this.

  Looking at Yu Fan's smiling face, Auntie also thought of her own daughter and sighed: "Xiao Fan, if you have anything in the future, just come straight to our house. Don't be polite with me, come home often, we're all family after all. Your aunt doesn't have a son, only your cousin is a girl. And your uncle is a civil servant, it's impossible for him to have a son this lifetime. I feel close to you when I see you, so just treat my place as your own home from now on." Yu Fan was also moved by her words and replied with emotion: "Auntie, don't worry, I'll definitely come often in the future."

  Yu Fan chatted with his aunt for a few more sentences, then laughed and said, "Auntie, if there's nothing else, I should get going to work." His aunt smiled and replied, "Silly child, what could possibly happen here? Hurry off to work, don't be late." After a pause, she seemed to remember something and smiled, "Why don't you come over for dinner after work, Yu Fan? Your uncle has a meeting in town today, and there's no one else at home. You can try my cooking." Yu Fan shook his head apologetically, "Sorry, Auntie. I have some things to take care of at home today, so I'll need to hurry back after work. Maybe another time? I promise to come over soon and taste your culinary skills." In reality, Yu Fan didn't have anything going on that day; he just felt embarrassed about always being given things or invited to eat, so he made up an excuse.

  Auntie smiled and said, "Alright then, when your cousin comes back, you must come over. I'll make some delicious food for you, and let the two of you siblings get to know each other well." Yu Fan hurriedly smiled and said, "I definitely will, I definitely will." After that, he also smiled as he opened the door and went downstairs.

  As he arrived at the office building in the front yard, the old man Dai in the delivery room smiled at him from afar and even gave him a thumbs up. This old man was really interesting, more understanding than ordinary people, Yu Fan couldn't help but think with a smile in his heart. Walking forward, Yu Fan smiled and said: "What are you laughing at, old man?" After getting familiar with this old man, Yu Fan also found that he was a weird person. If you call him "old master", he would not be happy, saying that it makes people feel old. However, when Yu Fan called him "old man", he felt comfortable with it, saying that it sounded intimate, and indeed, he was a weird person.

  Dai Lao Tou heard this and couldn't help but chuckle as he walked around Yu Fan, looking at him for a long time. Yu Fan felt uneasy under his gaze before Dai finally laughed and said: "Tsk tsk, I didn't expect you to have been here for only a few days and yet you've already become familiar with the people on the second floor, and today you've even hooked up with our secretary's wife. I think you're naturally cut out to be an official." Yu Fan couldn't help but laugh and scold him, saying: "What nonsense are you spouting, old man? She's my aunt!"

  "Come on, what's with the auntie stuff," said Old Dai nonchalantly. "The secretary's nephew isn't just you alone, and I haven't seen her smile at anyone else either. I think she's treating you like her own son. Eh, why don't you just acknowledge her as your godmother? That way, you'll be family." Yu Fan couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, pointing at Old Dai: "You old man, the more you talk, the more ridiculous you sound! We're already relatives, we're family!"

  Dai Lao Tou waved his hand and laughed, saying: "What are relatives? You don't understand that, do you? If you acknowledge her as your godmother, then that's a relative, that's family." Yu Fan couldn't help but shake his head silently. Auntie seemed to be really good to him, probably because she didn't have a son of her own. Rural people all valued boys over girls, so maybe acknowledging a godmother wasn't a bad idea after all. Thinking this way, he shook his head again and glared at Dai Lao Tou, who was still smiling and scolding him, saying: "I'm not going to chat nonsense with you old man anymore, I'll go wait in the office for my shift to end."

  Dai Lao Tou stopped him and said: "What phone call? That broken phone hasn't rung since it was installed. Come, come, let's go to the duty room and chat instead. In this big courtyard, I only have a good impression of you, kid. As an old man, I'm also bored staying alone. Today, I'll teach you a thing or two." After saying that, he pulled Yu Fan into the duty room without giving him a choice.

  Yu Fan shouted as he walked, "Hey, I still have a phone call in my office!" Old man Dai replied impatiently, "What's the point of that broken phone? Even if it rings, we can hear it here. It's not easy for me to get excited and chat with you, but you're not even willing to listen. If others want to listen, I won't say anything." Yu Fan couldn't help but laugh at this, thinking that a gatekeeper like Old man Dai wouldn't have anything interesting to say. He smiled and said, "I'm curious, Old man Dai, what can you possibly have to say today?" After finishing his sentence, he sat down in the chair of the reception room, looking at Old man Dai with interest.

  Dai Lao Tou looked at Yu Fan with a smug expression, pointing at him and scolding: "You little brat, back in the day when I was proud of myself, you didn't even know where you were! If it weren't for the fact that you're still somewhat pleasing to my eyes, I wouldn't be talking to you!" Yu Fan sat on his chair, smiling and nodding: "Alright, alright, look at me now, waiting for you to speak."

  Dai Lao Tou heard this and stared at Yu Fan with a glance, then picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of water. He lightly coughed and asked mysteriously: "Do you know what you need most right now?" Yu Fan was taken aback and couldn't help but ask: "What do I need most?" Dai Lao Tou glared at him and said: "You idiot, what you need most is someone to appreciate you. You're only 23 years old, but you're just a temporary worker in the rural government, without even a formal position. Even if you get converted to a regular employee in the future, without someone promoting you, you'll be stuck in this rural government forever. If you're lucky, you might become a deputy department head before retirement, and after retiring, with good luck, you can enjoy the treatment of a full department head in the town people's congress. But if you're unlucky, you might just retire in the countryside."

  Yu Fan had originally thought that Lao Dai was just talking nonsense, but at this moment, his words actually touched Yu Fan's heart. Although he wasn't particularly eager to be a civil servant, since he had already joined, he naturally wanted to do well. Who wouldn't want to get promoted and rich? If he just muddled along in the county government, and those friends from his dormitory found out later, wouldn't they laugh at him to death?

  Yu Fan seemed to be deep in thought, nodding his head slightly as if he had come to some realization. Old Master Dai also didn't say much, picking up his teacup and savoring it slowly, as if the tea in his cup was some top-grade good tea. Yu Fan also sank into contemplation for a long time before lifting his head, staring at Old Master Dai and asking: "So what should we do now?"