The three of us all looked toward the distant horizon.
It was about to snow and the weather was unusually gloomy. The buildings in the distance appeared and disappeared in the thin mist, as if covered by a mysterious veil.
I lit a cigarette and took a long puff.
Zhang Xiaodong said: "You have to learn how to smoke."
Wang Yanshu said: "If you are under great pressure, you will not learn this thing. If you learn this thing, it will undoubtedly be self-destruction."
I coughed twice from the smoke, then took another big pee.
Wang Yanshu shook his head helplessly.
Zhang Xiaodong turned his head and looked at me, lowering his voice and saying, "Secretary Liu and I have discussed privately that he wants to transfer you away from Tongxiang Town."
Before I could react, Wang Yanshu said indignantly: "His wife is still in the hospital, and they are going to continue to have sex with her. Is this still comradeship? I will definitely vote against it in the Standing Committee."
Zhang Xiaodong was somewhat disgusted by her overreaction and reminded her: "Director Wang, you are a member of the county committee, please be careful about the way you speak."
Then he turned to me and said, "Secretary Liu is considering the overall situation of Tongxiang Town, so I agree with Secretary Liu's idea. It will be inconvenient for you to work if you stay in Tongxiang. You will be seen everywhere, and with your temper, you might get angry one day, which will be very passive."
I nodded in agreement. Although I had imagined various possibilities, I had not found a way to coexist peacefully with Tian Zhenyu and Zhang Weiguo.
When he saw that I agreed to my proposal for a job transfer, he added, "You are still under disciplinary action, so in principle, you are not allowed to transfer. However, my idea is that you can keep your position as deputy mayor and start working in a new unit. After your disciplinary action is over, the Organization Department will issue a formal document to transfer you. As for where to go, I would like to hear your opinion."
I replied calmly, "I have no objection. I will obey the organization's arrangements. It doesn't matter where we go. I will never embarrass you."
Without waiting for Zhang Xiaodong to respond, Wang Yanshu said, "Is this still research? Go to the Economic Development Zone, that's the best place for Hongjun to display his expertise. I'm in need of an assistant like him who is energetic, thoughtful, and willing to work."
Zhang Xiaodong seemed to be inclined to this idea. He asked me, "Director Wang, do you want to go? If you want to go, I will say hello to the organization department."
I jokingly said, "Director Wang, aren't you always annoyed by a scoundrel like me? Aren't you afraid that I will cause trouble again?"
Wang Yanshu grinned and said, "I was just kidding you. You are always my good brother. If there is anything that makes me happy recently, you are the only one who is happy with me."
Zhang Xiaodong nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Wang Yanshu and said, "Director Wang, I would like to take this opportunity to criticize you."
Wang Yanshu put away his smile and said seriously, "Please give me your criticism and corrections, County Governor Zhang. I will accept them with an open mind and make corrections conscientiously."
Zhang Xiaodong said with a sullen face, "Guan Hongjun's bad habits are all caused by you. He has been working under you since he started working, and you indulged him and spoiled him, which resulted in him developing bad habits of being left-leaning, childish, free-spirited, and impulsive. If you two have time, you might as well read Lenin's book "Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder" to understand the principles in it and don't make similar mistakes again in the future."
I couldn't help but smile, looked at Zhang Xiaodong, and said sarcastically, "County Governor Zhang, when it comes to theory, you are an expert; when it comes to practice, you are a person who has learned by heart. I don't need to read books anymore, I can learn and make progress by following you."
Zhang Xiaodong couldn't help laughing, pointing at me and saying, "There are so many cadres in the county, I can't do anything to you. In the future, if Wang Yanshu can't control you, I will hit her on the butt with a stick."
Wang Yanshu's face turned red, and he said a little embarrassedly: "County Governor Zhang, you can just give me a lecture, but it would be ungentlemanly to spank me."
The three of us burst into laughter, and Zhang Xiaodong then joked, "Then I'll arrange for Xu Shaojia to fight. If he doesn't fight, I'll fight him again."
The empty rooftop was filled with our laughter, which did not quite match the gloomy weather.
I stood in front of the window holding Qingwan in my arms, looking at the snowflakes floating outside the window, lightly falling on the ground, melting in an instant, and becoming one with the earth.
Qingwan said softly: "This is the first snow of this year."
I asked, “Is it beautiful?”
She sighed slightly and said, "They are indeed beautiful, but their lives are so short."
My heart tightened, and I placed my lips on her forehead, trying to change the subject: "Can we go see our daughter secretly?"
She hesitated and said, "If the nurse finds out, she'll scold me again. She won't even let me get out of bed."
I said, "Who cares? If she finds out, she'll say I was the one who forced you. Anyway, I'm thick-skinned."
She giggled and nodded with delight.
So we tiptoed out of the ward and took the elevator to the floor where Xixi was.
Qingwan pressed herself against the glass window, searching inside with eyes full of desire and curiosity, and asked me anxiously, "Which one is it?"
I pointed inside and whispered, "The one on the far left."
She suddenly became excited and whispered happily: "I saw it, I saw our daughter!"
I quickly made a "huh" gesture, signaling her not to be so loud.
I will remember this scene for the rest of my life, because it was the first time our family of three was reunited.
Time passed quickly, and Qingwan was about to be discharged from the hospital.
Yang Ruining called me to her office. After this period of contact, her attitude towards me was no longer as cold as ice, and a smile would occasionally appear on her face.
I said, "Dr. Yang, you are really beautiful when you smile. Don't always be such an icy beauty."
She was surprised by what I said and her cheeks flushed instantly.
She said with a hint of resentment: "You are such a scoundrel, you are tempted by beauty."