28: Chapter 28 Casual Reminiscences

"To tell you the truth, I still have a bit of influence in this Xinying area."

Li Dakang smiled slightly and said slowly, "Feng Shuhua, it's nothing major. I heard Cao Yong mention before that you are a righteous and quite reliable person, so I came to meet you this time to get to know each other. As for the future, there might truly be a time when I need to trouble you."

Hearing this, a look of confusion appeared on Feng Shuhua's face, as if he still hadn't figured out Li Dakang's intentions.

Seeing this, Cao Yong, who was on the side, hurriedly explained with a smile, "Feng Shuhua, it's like this. Young Master Li is currently the Township Head in Guantian Township under Anjiang County, and it's inevitable that he will encounter tricky problems at work, or times when he needs to coordinate relationships between various parties."

"When that time comes, if he needs your help, you mustn't refuse."

After hearing Cao Yong's words, Feng Shuhua suddenly realized, and hurriedly patted his chest in assurance, "Brother Cao, rest assured, as long as Young Master Li has use for me, it's just a matter of a single word! Anything I can do, I will absolutely not decline!"

Li Dakang raised his glass to indicate, "Then I will thank you in advance, Feng Shuhua."

It was already late at night when the banquet dispersed.

After seeing Li Dakang and Cao Yong off, Feng Shuhua stood at the entrance of the villa, looking at the receding taillights, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Just what is this Young Master Li's background?" he muttered to himself.

"To be able to make Cao Yong so respectful, he is definitely not simple..."

...

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the mottled outer walls of the Anjiang County Forestry Bureau dormitory, where Li Dakang stood in front of Secretary Sun Wei's house, carrying two bottles of wine and a bag of fruit.

The wall plaster of this old building, built in the seventies, had already peeled off a bit, and the aroma of stewed meat wafted through the corridor.

The door opened, and a middle-aged woman wearing thin-rimmed glasses came out to greet him. She was Secretary Sun Wei's wife, who was also a Chinese teacher at County No. 1 Middle School, carrying the scent of a mixture of chalk dust and bookishness.

"Township Head Li!"

She hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron, "Old Sun has been talking about you for a long time, why did you bring so many things?"

Li Dakang smiled and handed over the gifts, "Sister-in-law, don't be a stranger. I've long heard that you cook excellent dishes, so I came specially today to have a taste."

The rich fragrance of braised pork wafted out from the kitchen, and a blush appeared on Secretary Sun Wei's wife's face, "You sit down first, I'll just stir-fry two more dishes."

The living room was not big, but it was organized and tidy.

Educational books and a few photo albums were neatly arranged on the bookshelf. Secretary Sun Wei was taking a tin can out of the cabinet, and seeing Li Dakang come in, he blinked mysteriously, "Authentic Tieguanyin, brought over specially by an old classmate."

The tea soup was golden and translucent, and the aroma permeated the small living room.

Li Dakang took a small sip, the lingering sweet aftertaste in his throat long-lasting, "Good tea! Secretary Sun Wei has hidden such a treasure."

"Hey, I wouldn't dare drink it usually," Secretary Sun Wei said, rubbing his hands together.

"I was just waiting for a distinguished guest to visit."

The kitchen door opened, and Secretary Sun Wei's wife walked out carrying stir-fried pork with green peppers, "Dinner is served!"

The dining table was soon filled with home-cooked dishes: the braised carp was glistening with oil, the water spinach with garlic was emerald green and dripping with freshness, and the most eye-catching was the steaming pot of braised pork in the center, where the layered pork belly trembled and glistened with oil in the amber-colored sauce.

"Sister-in-law, this skill of yours is unmatched even by the chefs at the state-run restaurants."

Li Dakang picked up a piece of braised pork; the fatty but not greasy texture made his eyes light up.

Secretary Sun Wei poured Li Dakang some homemade bayberry wine, "Little brother, you've been running around down there these past few days, what have you gained?"

Under the lamplight, Li Dakang recounted his observations from his visits in detail.

When he spoke of the children in Daliushu Village going to school barefoot, Secretary Sun Wei's wife's eyes turned red; when he mentioned the left-behind elderly in Tantou Village farming for themselves, Secretary Sun Wei sighed heavily.

By the time the bayberry wine reached the bottom, the distance between the two had already drawn much closer.

...

The summer sunlight shone into the office through the old-fashioned wooden lattice windows; Li Dakang rubbed his sore eyes and inserted his fountain pen back into the ink bottle.

The notebook spread out on the table was filled with dense visit records; he got up and walked to the wall, his fingers moving slowly along the faded map.

The locations of the eleven villages in Guantian Township were already deeply familiar to him, but every time he looked at this map, he could discover new problems.

The chugging sound of a walking tractor came from outside the window; several villagers wearing straw hats were transporting rice to the grain station.

"Township Head, the statistical reports you wanted."

Zheng Shijun walked in carrying a stack of yellowed account books, beads of sweat still hanging on his forehead.

"The Finance Office just finished organizing them."

Li Dakang opened the top one, the paper making a crisp sound.

After paying back wages and clearing debts, the balance in the account was: 198,462 yuan, 3 jiao, and 7 fen.

This number made his brows furrow tightly; to maintain the operation of the Township Government, at least 120,000 had to be kept, and the available money was less than 80,000.

"Zheng Shijun, let me see the materials for Zhengjia Village again."

Zheng Shijun efficiently pulled a kraft paper file bag out of the filing cabinet.

Li Dakang took out the inspection report inside; the red-headed document from the Municipal Academy of Agricultural Sciences was particularly striking in the sunlight: "... The protein content of the brine tofu from Zhengjia Village is 15.7% higher than commercially available products, and it is rich in a variety of trace elements..."

Just at this moment, a burst of clamor suddenly came from outside the window.

Li Dakang leaned out to look; several villagers were arguing with a township cadre at the entrance of the courtyard.

The old man in the lead was leaning on a cane, his voice loud and clear: "... It was promised that the subsidies would be issued before the Qingming Festival, and it's already June now!"