Chapter Ten: Dinner at the Secretary's Home

  As he watched the jeep drive into the residential building behind, Yu Fan finally let out a breath of relief, feeling as if his back had been drenched in sweat. The last time he visited Zhang Shuisheng's home, Yu Fan didn't feel anything, but this time, after starting work at the township government, it was his first face-to-face encounter with Zhang Shuisheng, and he felt a strong sense of official power bearing down on him. It turned out that the official power of a township secretary could be so overwhelming.

  Behind him, Dai Lao's soft laughter echoed, and Yu Fan turned around to look at him. Dai Lao teased, "How is it? Don't you feel a lot of pressure?" Yu Fan nodded involuntarily, and Dai Lao smiled, "If it doesn't concern you, you can naturally put it aside, but if it concerns yourself, you will inevitably be drawn into it." Yu Fan listened and seemed to understand. He had seen a story online before: an old monk pointed at the flagpole outside and asked a young monk, "Is the wind moving or is the flag moving?" The young monk said it was the wind, but the old monk shook his head. The young monk then said it was the flag, and the old monk shook his head again. The final answer was that the heart was moving. Yu Fan had thought this story was boring at the time - what's the relationship between the wind and the flag? Why bother to investigate who is moving. Now, however, he somewhat understood: if he hadn't been so concerned about being transferred, he wouldn't have felt such great pressure when facing Zhang Shui-sheng. In fact, this pressure wasn't given by Zhang Shui-sheng, but was his own self-imposed pressure.

  Looking at Yu Fan dazed, Old Man Dai stepped forward two steps and patted him on the back, laughing: "You little scoundrel, what's wrong with you? Won't you fall asleep standing up?" Yu Fan also came to his senses, smiling as he looked at Old Man Dai. But when he heard this, Old Man Dai laughed and scolded: "This bad habit of yours is really unbearable." Yu Fan was taken aback by the words, but Old Man Dai continued with a smile: "If you're dazed in front of your superiors, they'll think you're not careful enough and won't be able to use you for important tasks." Yu Fan's heart skipped a beat as he listened, realizing that this was indeed true.

  Looking at Yu Fan in front of him, Old Man Dai sighed and said: "What are you still dazing about? It's your first time going to the leader's house, do you think you can go empty-handed? Hurry up and prepare a gift!" Yu Fan, however, let out an "ah" sound, realizing he had indeed forgotten to prepare a gift. What should he buy anyway? Looking at Old Man Dai in front of him, Yu Fan smiled and asked: "Old Master Dai, please tell me what kind of gift I should prepare?" Old Man Dai shuddered upon hearing this and said: "I say, you little brat, every time you ask for something, your words are so disgusting!"

  Yu Fan snorted and said, "I'm being polite to you, Old Man Dai, isn't that good enough? I'm showing respect for the elderly and affection for the young. What's disgusting about that?" Old Man Dai nodded in approval, saying, "This is more like it, your way of speaking makes me feel at ease." Yu Fan couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, saying, "What kind of strange illness do you have? Fine, just tell me what you want to buy first." Old Man Dai looked puzzled and said, "How would I know what to buy if you're giving gifts?"

  Yu Fan listened but didn't follow the path: "Then you should give me some advice." Old man Dai thought for a moment and said: "I don't have any advice, but I know Secretary Zhang loves drinking tea, so just buy some tea leaves. Besides, you're a junior and new to the job, no one will care what you bought, it's just a matter of politeness." Yu Fan heard this and nodded in realization.

  In school, I heard that government officials give gifts to each other, and it's often tens of thousands. Where do I have so much money now? Before coming to work at the township government, my dad gave me 1,000 yuan. For more than half a month, I haven't used it much, and there are still over 900 left. After leaving the gate of the township government compound, Yu Fan strolled around the streets of the town. Before leaving, Yu Fan handed the office key to Old Dai, asking him to help answer the phone, although the phone in the office never rang, but what if something unexpected happened? Who knows when it will ring one day?

  The tea shop in the town, of course, cannot be compared to Donghu City, the provincial capital. Yu Fan spent half a day selecting a box of tea that cost over 200 yuan, which was already the best tea in the town. Although it was only over 200 yuan, it still made Yu Fan feel heartbroken for half a day. His current temporary worker's salary was only a few hundred yuan per month, and one box of tea was equivalent to almost half a month's salary. No wonder those officials had to embezzle and accept bribes; the money they spent on gifts each time was not something their salaries could bear.

  Back in the delivery room, Yu Fan put down the tea leaves on the table and smiled at Old Man Dai, "How's that? Old Man Dai, can you see that this gift is quite generous?" Old Man Dai picked up the tea leaves and looked at them for a long time before saying, "The packaging looks good, this box of things isn't cheap, right?" Yu Fan sighed and said, "Over 200 yuan! Now I understand why those officials want to embezzle. If they don't embezzle, just the money spent on gifts would be enough to starve themselves."

  Dai Lao Tou smiled and said, "Can you get things done without paying a price? Besides, with just this small gift, Zhang Bo Bo might not even take notice. You're just using your relationship to show some courtesy, some people can't even give gifts away. As long as the matter is settled, these two hundred plus yuan are well worth it. You little brat, you need to have a broader vision." Yu Fan smiled and said, "I understand this principle, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it back. Two hundred plus yuan may not be a lot, but it's almost half a month's salary."

  Dai Lao Tou chuckled and said, "I'm telling you, stinky kid, I've really helped you out this time. When are you going to buy a box of goodies to show some respect to old man Dai?" Yu Fan listened but didn't seem pleased, saying, "I'm telling you, Dai Lao Tou, I didn't take a single cent from the village government and sent away 2,000 big ones. But don't worry, as long as things work out, I'll definitely send an even better box to you, just wait patiently." After finishing speaking, Yu Fan picked up the tea leaves and headed outside, with Dai Lao Tou laughing behind him, saying, "You'd better keep your word, kid!" Yu Fan didn't look back, waving his hand at Dai Lao Tou, which made Dai Lao Tou laugh and scold from behind, "This stinky kid!"

  In the office, Yu Fan thought for half a day about what to say when he went to Zhang Shuisheng's house. He couldn't directly mention the promotion, after all. The more he thought, the more anxious he became. It seemed that being an official wasn't something everyone could do, and even giving gifts was a delicate matter. He should pay more attention to this aspect of things in the future.

  Finally waiting for the end of work, Yu Fan tidied up the office and locked the door to head towards the residential building behind. On the third floor, he knocked on the door, which was opened by his aunt. Upon seeing Yu Fan, his aunt smiled and said: "Ah, it's Little Fan! Come in quickly, I heard your uncle say you were coming over for dinner this morning, and my heart has been excited all day." Seeing that Yu Fan still had things in his hand, she couldn't help but scold him: "You child, what are you bringing to Auntie's house? You've only just started working a few days ago, how did you learn this habit so quickly? Take it back!"

  Yu Fan smiled and said, "Auntie, this is my first time coming home, I have to bring some gifts, otherwise my dad will say that I don't know how to behave. Besides, it's just a little tea leaves, not worth much money, you can take it." After finishing speaking, he stuffed it into his aunt's hands without giving her a choice.

  Auntie also shook her head and smiled: "You child, really can't do anything about you. From now on, don't buy things randomly, Auntie's house has too many things that are not used up yet. Hurry up and come in." After finishing speaking, she let Yu Fan enter the house. Yu Fan entered the house and saw no one inside, so he smiled and asked Auntie: "Auntie, is my uncle not at home?" Auntie smiled back at Yu Fan: "Your uncle has something to do in town, he'll be right back. You sit down for a bit first, there are drinks in the fridge you can take yourself. At Auntie's place it's just like your own home, don't be too polite. I still have dishes cooking in the kitchen, I'm going to go check if they're done."

  Yu Fan hastily said, "Auntie, let me help you with the cooking." But Auntie shook her head and laughed, saying, "You're our guest today, what's the logic in helping me cook?" Yu Fan smiled and said, "Auntie, don't underestimate me. When I was studying at East Lake University, I worked part-time in a restaurant kitchen and learned to cook pretty well."

  Auntie looked at Yu Fan with a smile and said, "I didn't know our little Fan could cook too. Nowadays, young people are not interested in kitchen affairs. Our wild girl never sets foot in the kitchen. You say a girl who can't cook, how can she get married in the future?" Yu Fan asked with a smile, "Auntie, when is Little Jing coming back?" Auntie smiled happily and said, "Soon, soon! This little girl called today and said she'll be back in two days. She said something about her trip being cancelled. I don't know what to do with these young people who change their minds every day, it's giving me a heart attack!"

  Yu Fan smiled and said, "It's good that she's back. Aren't you always looking forward to her return? Now your niece is finally coming back too. You should be happy." Auntie laughed and said, "This girl is back but still doesn't let me have a peaceful life. At home, she will argue with her father every day, saying he's not this or that, making the whole house chaotic." Yu Fan smiled and said, "No matter what, it's better for children to be by their parents' side." Then he smiled again and said, "Auntie, why don't you sit outside and rest? Today, just try my cooking, consider it my way of showing respect to your niece Jing."

  "Auntie said hastily, 'How can that be good? How can that be good?' Yu Fan just smiled and walked into the kitchen. This time, Yu Fan really didn't lie. During his university days, he actually did work part-time in a restaurant next to the school for a period of time. At that time, chasing girls at university was expensive, and one month's living expenses could be spent in less than ten days. The guys in his dormitory also came from not-so-well-off families, and their monthly expenses were even higher than his. They had no choice but to work part-time together. Yu Fan actually learned a few good dishes from the chefs at the restaurant."

  Watching Yu Fan busy in the kitchen, Auntie smiled and said: "I didn't expect that outside, Xiaofan is really capable. Whoever marries you will be blessed." Yu Fan also smiled and Auntie sighed: "Okay, today I'll enjoy Xiaofan's blessings too. Having cooked for this father-daughter pair for a lifetime, today I'll have a ready-made meal." Yu Fan said with a smile: "Auntie, go sit outside, the fumes in here are quite strong. These few dishes will be done soon." Auntie smiled and walked out.

  A few home-cooked dishes were no match for Yu Fan, and before long, they were almost ready. At this time, Zhang Shuisheng had also returned, seeing that it was his aunt who opened the door, he was taken aback and asked: "Has Xiao Fan arrived?" His aunt smiled and said: "He's been here for a while, now he's busy in the kitchen." Zhang Shuisheng laughed and scolded: "What are you doing? How could you let Xiao Fan cook?" His aunt glared at him and said: "How is that? I've cooked for you father and daughter for a lifetime, it's rare for Xiao Fan to be filial, can't I just have one ready-made meal?" Zhang Shuisheng was left speechless.