Two days later, I was sitting in the office looking at the scenery out the window. It was a rare sunny day since the beginning of winter. The sparrows on the tree branches were resting on the dead branches, enjoying the warmth brought by the sun.
My leisure was broken by the vibration of the mobile phone on the desk. I glanced at it and saw Zhang Pingmin's name. My fingertips trembled slightly and I quickly pressed the answer button.
"Little brother, are you busy lately?" 놛's voice came from the receiver with a smile, and the ending tone was long. This seemingly casual greeting was like a precise codeword, which instantly allowed me to grasp the signal behind it - there might be a turning point in the meeting with Chen Hexu.
"No hurry, no hurry! Just tell me if you have any instructions!" I clenched the phone tightly, and my Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.
"If you are free, come sit with me." He paused, his laughter carrying a hint of intimacy between old friends, "We should have a couple of drinks, I missed you so much."
"Okay! I'll be there this afternoon!" The moment he hung up the phone, the sparrows by the window fluttered away, startling the golden sunlight that filled the trees.
I stared at the screen of my mobile phone, thinking about what souvenirs I should bring - the New Year is approaching, so it is natural to be polite when visiting this matchmaker.
As I was thinking about it, my phone vibrated again. This time the caller was Wang Yanshu. The moment the call was connected, her brief and unquestionable voice came: "Come to my office."
As soon as he finished speaking, a busy tone came from the receiver, and the lingering sound lingered in the silent office.
Walking through the sun-filled corridor, I slowly pushed open the wooden door of Wang Yanshu's office. Her short and crisp way of summoning had already become a routine - if she suddenly became polite one day, it would make me jump with fear.
I sat down in the guest chair opposite her, looking at her across the mahogany desk. She twirled the pen between her fingertips, looking me down like a scanner, and finally slammed a stack of documents on the desk in front of me and said, "Ask your secretary to fill it out." The edge of the paper scraped across the desk, making a harsh sound.
I raised my eyebrows and glanced at her, then reached out and picked up the file. There were a few large characters printed on the white printed paper - the provincial "Five-Year" medal recommendation form. The sunlight filtered through the louvered windows, casting mottled shadows between the horizontal lines of the table.
"Isn't this the job of the county youth league committee?" I waved the document. "Why should I trouble you?"
She snorted coldly and leaned back in the leather chair: "Don't forget, all the mass organizations in the county are under my control. We dare not hand it to you directly, so that I can be the setter."
"I can't bear such a heavy honor." I pushed the file back, "Let's leave it to a younger person who is more suitable."
"I thought so too." She suddenly leaned forward and tapped the document with her fingertips. "But the county youth league committee said that this was a quota issued by the provincial youth league committee, and it was given to you by name. They were afraid that they couldn't explain it clearly, so they threw the hot potato to me."
After saying that, she pushed the form in front of me again.
My fingertips tightened slightly as I held the recommendation form, and I looked up to meet her meaningful gaze: "Shouldn't this kind of honor be selected and recommended through layers of selection? How could it be directly 'airdropped'? And it was precisely targeted at me."
Wang Yanshu looked at me with a reproachful look: "Guan Hongjun, stop pretending to be ignorant in front of me."
In fact, before I asked, Chen Mengzhao's name was already surging in my heart. But I still put on a confused look and spread my hands: "Sister, I'm not smart, I'm afraid I'll misunderstand the leader's meaning. Please don't keep me in suspense."
"Still pretending?" She slammed the table so hard that the pen jumped up. "In the whole province, who else but her could have paved this road for you quietly?"
I immediately put on a flattering smile and leaned forward: "Sister, don't say that! Besides her, don't you also miss me?"
Wang Yanshu couldn't hold it back any longer. If she continued to hold it back, she would definitely get internal injuries. She laughed so hard that she fell backwards. She picked up the pen in front of her and threw it at me firmly: "Guan Hongjun, I'll make sure you don't behave properly with me for the rest of the day."
I pretended to feel pain, rubbed my bruised shoulder, pointed at the recommendation form and asked, "Sister, do I need to fill out this form?"
She suppressed her smile and looked serious: "This is a genuine provincial honor. With your political performance, you deserve it."
Then, she looked at me meaningfully: "Besides, how could you bear to let Xiao Shen down? I never thought that she would be so devoted to you."
I let out a long sigh and told him the whole story of Chen Hexu's meeting with Lin Xun and my planned trip to the provincial capital. After listening to this, Wang Yanshu leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment: "It's not surprising that Lao Shen was promoted to the chairman of the Provincial CPPCC. It's also a regular arrangement for the organization to transfer from the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee to the second line. But you must not take it lightly," she suddenly sat up straight and tapped the table with her index finger. "If you move your fingers, it's like crushing an ant to crush you, a division-level cadre!"
I nodded solemnly: "So I have to go to this meeting. I have to express my determination in person, otherwise I will always be in suspense."
"Are you and Xiao Shen really done with each other?" Her eyes were like torches, seeming to penetrate my expression.
"She only sent me a few text messages after National Day." I spread my hands. "Her wedding date is set for this month. How could I not know the limits?"
Wang Yanshu shook her head repeatedly, her eyes full of worry: "It's not that simple. If it's really a complete break, why would Old Shen want to see you? How can a provincial-level cadre have idle time? And this recommendation form," she pointed to the documents on the table, "If Xiao Shen really wants to cut off his relationship with you, why bother giving you this big gift?"
I think her analysis makes sense, but I still want to make my attitude clear: "Sister, you know, although Teacher Xu and I haven't talked about marriage yet, we have reached that stage. It's impossible for me to have two boats at the same time and be entangled with Shen Mengzhao."
She retorted, "Don't fool yourself. Feelings are the most unpredictable thing. I'm afraid that when you meet her, all your previous resolutions will become empty words. Can time and distance really separate unforgettable feelings?"
I couldn't answer her soul-searching question because I really had no answer in my heart.
With mixed feelings, I drove to the provincial capital by myself to attend this "showdown" appointment, which I didn't know whether it would bring light or hide hidden dangers.
I drove into the provincial capital before the evening rush hour. Avoiding the increasingly congested main roads, we turned into the small streets leading to the suburbs and arrived at Zhang Pingmin's unique villa in the suburbs.
As soon as the car stopped, Zhang Pingmin came out quickly from the door to greet him. 놛 was wearing a navy blue Tang suit, with the Hetian jade beads on her wrists making clear sounds. When she saw me taking out large and small packages of special products from the trunk of my car, she couldn't help but complain: "Little brother, I don't run a grocery store, why do you bring so many things?"
I held up the wooden box wrapped in oil paper. "Wild dried morels picked from the mountains are the most delicious when stewed in soup. You and Aunt Song should try some."
I turned around and told the driver: "Take it, otherwise it will seem strange." When the driver carried the things into the house, I suddenly patted my shoulder hard, squinted my eyes and looked at me: "The burden of the Standing Committee has not crushed you! You look more energetic than the last time I saw you!"
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