On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Qian Mao knocked on Lu Jiang's office door.
"Please come in."
Qian Mao went in and placed the county gazetteer he had compiled on Lu Jiang's desk: "Secretary Lu, I have finished compiling this year's county gazetteer."
Lu Jiang looked at Qian Mao in surprise: "Is it all done?" You know, before he came, he couldn't remember the Shangzhi County Annals at all. He had to analyze the records from previous years bit by bit when he opened the annals, which gave Lu Jiang a headache. So he decided to organize this year's annals first, and Qian Mao was a suitable candidate.
He was a native of the area, and he had traveled to every town and village in the county throughout the year, making him the person who knew the county best.
He reached out and picked up the county gazetteer compiled by Qian Mao, flipped through it casually, and found that the book in his hand was all about agriculture. It detailed the planting time, growth, pests and diseases, and treatment methods for crops such as rice, soybeans, corn, and wheat, starting from spring plowing, as well as the autumn harvest time and the grain depot's grain collection time. The situation of each town was clear in detail.
He nodded to himself, put down the book in his hand, and picked up another one, which was the county annals of all the factories in the county. It recorded the purchase, sales, and inventory of each factory, as well as their sales characteristics and sales distribution.
This surprised Lu Jiang. After looking at several other county gazetteers, he put the gazetteer back on the table and said to Qian Mao, "Well done, easy to understand and well-organized."
Qian Mao smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Secretary Lu."
Lu smiled and said, "How did you come up with the idea of compiling this county gazetteer according to categories?"
Qian Mao said, "My younger sister taught me this. She said that organizing and classifying makes it easier and faster for people to find things. She helped me organize this county gazetteer, otherwise I wouldn't be able to submit it now."
Lu nodded and said, "Your sister is a woman of her own mind."
Qian Mao smiled and said, "Secretary Lu, you're not going home for the New Year this year, are you?" Seeing Lu Jiang nod, he continued, "My mother took my younger brother and sister-in-law to my second brother's place for the New Year this year and can't come back. It's just the three of us at home. If Secretary Lu doesn't mind, why don't you come to my house for the New Year?"
Although there weren't any fancy dishes, it still had the unique festive atmosphere of Northeast China. And my younger sister is a great cook; she inherited my mother's skills—I don't usually tell this to just anyone!
Lu Jiang originally wanted to go to Beian Village to visit his grandparents. His parents were celebrating the New Year, and he was invited, so he naturally had to accept. Otherwise, how could he have a reason to go to Beian Village, and he could also have a reason to visit the cowshed?
Lu Jiang's expression softened, losing its usual coldness, and he asked, "Isn't this too much trouble?"
Qian Mao smiled and said, "No, if my dad knew you were coming, he would definitely have my little sister stew a chicken for you."
Lu nodded and said, "If it's not too much trouble, I'll go and bother you!"
Qian Mao smiled and said, "Okay, Secretary, let's go together after get off work tomorrow."
Lu nodded and said, "I'll drive one of the county's cars tomorrow, you'll come with me!"
Qian Mao nodded in agreement and went out to get busy!
When Qian Mao got home that evening, he told Qian Sheng that Secretary Lu would be coming to their house for the Spring Festival this year. This immediately excited Qian Sheng, who said to Qian Mao, "What does Secretary Lu like to eat? Should we go buy some more? Oh, and tomorrow you can buy a chicken and have Duo Duo stew it!"
Qian Mao laughed and said, "Okay, it's no problem. Well, when Secretary Lu comes to our house, I'll sleep in your room tonight, and he can sleep in my room!"
Qian Sheng nodded: "Okay, you and Duoduo can tidy up your room later, so the Party Secretary doesn't think our house is dirty and messy!"
Qian Mao: You can just call me out by name! Besides, I clean my room every day, unlike you. When Mom's not home, your stinky socks are practically covered in grime, they're so shiny they could stand up on their own after drying. And you still have the nerve to criticize me?
Qian Sheng had no idea that his son was complaining about him. He was still immersed in the joy of the county party secretary coming to his home for the New Year. He found Qian Duoduo and asked her to show off her cooking skills so that the secretary could feel the warmth of their family.
Qian Duoduo looked at the simple and happy Qian Sheng and nodded. Originally, when Comrade Jin Jinxiu was not at home, she would smuggle some vegetables from the farm every time she cooked. These vegetables were much more nutritious and tasted better than the same vegetables outside. This was also the reason why the father and son of the Qian family thought Qian Duoduo's cooking was delicious.
Qian Duoduo was happy to coax the father and son to eat happily, and she was happy too. If only Comrade Jin Jinxiu wasn't so good at cooking after she came back!
The next day, when Qian Mao got off work, he got into Lu Jiang's car. He watched in amazement as Lu Jiang skillfully turned the steering wheel, his eyes shining!
Lu Jiang naturally noticed Qian Mao's expression and asked in a good mood, "Do you like driving?"
Qian Mao nodded: "I like him. There's no man I don't like!"
Lu said, "Next year, if you have time, I'll arrange for you to learn to drive and get a driver's license. Then, whenever we need to go out, you can drive me around!"
Qian Mao's eyes lit up: "Okay, Secretary, I will definitely study hard!"
Lu nodded.
They soon arrived at Beian Village. The children who were spinning tops outside saw the car and immediately ran over, forgetting even their spinning tops. Everyone was talking about the car.
When the car stopped in front of Qian Sheng's house, not only many children, but also many believers ran out to see who it was.
As Secretary Lu got out of the driver's seat, everyone was still discussing who the driver was. When Qian Mao also got out of the car, everyone was suddenly stunned. It turned out that Qian Mao had made some wealthy friends in the county who even drove cars!
Hearing the car, Qian Sheng came out and saw Lu Jiang following behind Qian Mao as they entered. He immediately smiled and said, "Secretary Lu, welcome, welcome!"
Lu nodded and said, "Captain Qian, hello. I apologize for disturbing you this time."
"No problem, no problem," Qian Sheng said immediately with a smile. The county party secretary wanted to spend the New Year at his home—what a meritorious thing that would be!
Lu looked around the courtyard and then at the cowshed, estimating the time in his mind. He said to Qian Mao, "I'm not only here to celebrate the New Year at your house, but also to express my condolences to the people in the cowshed on behalf of the county committee."
Qian Sheng's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He had just asked Qian Duoduo to deliver some supplies to the three households in the cowshed yesterday. What if the secretary found out something when he went there?
Just as he was racking his brains, Lu Jiang said, "Qian Mao, bring down what I bought."
He walked over to the things Qian Mao had brought down, picked out some and put them aside, saying, "These are my New Year's gifts from Captain Qian's house. I hope Captain Qian will accept them!"
Qian Sheng looked at Lu Jiang's things and thought to himself: If it weren't for what happened yesterday, I would definitely be laughing right now, but I really want to cry!
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