Chapter 54 Dongzi, hold on, I’m coming
Chang Nanxi and I said goodbye at the high-speed rail station and boarded separate trains. The high-speed rail passed through mountains and rivers. As we approached Wuxiang Station, I received a WeChat message from Dongzi:
"I'll wait for you at the exit."
After getting off the bus, Dongzi stood at the exit, looking around. I raised my hand: "Dongzi, here, here."
He ran over to help me carry my suitcase and said as we walked, "Let's talk at the cafe in front."
Seeing his panic-stricken look, I pretended to be nonchalant: "It's no big deal, let's go to the flower garden in front and talk about it."
This flower garden is planted with roses, which are in full bloom at this time. There are stone tables and chairs in the yard.
Dongzi took out a cigarette, gave me one, and smoked one himself. This action scared me because Dongzi never smoked.
He said anxiously, "I've encountered a big problem."
"There aren't that many big things in the world. After a good night's sleep, everything will be small. Let's talk slowly."
Dongzi put out the cigarette and told me the whole story.
Last week, he was assigned to a preparatory group for the "Shen Family Courtyard Tourism Development Seminar" and was responsible for reception work, including receiving experts and scholars and assisting a deputy director named Su in making on-site arrangements.
He had never done this kind of reception work before, and since his boss repeatedly stressed that reception was no small matter and details determined success or failure, he was extremely nervous.
On the day of registration, although there weren't many guests, they were all scholars and experts, so he couldn't neglect them. He was busy all over. He had to dispatch this person to the train station, that person to the high-speed rail station. He also had to inform the boss that so-and-so had arrived and asked him to join him for lunch.
When the last important expert arrived, he took out his phone to report to his superiors, but the phone had a problem and the screen went black.
In short, he was in a hurry and left the number one expert of the seminar waiting in the hall for twenty minutes with no one to pick him up.
Expert No. 1 couldn't help but say, I might have come to the wrong place.
The seminar lasted three days, and the first day was a field inspection. Expert No. 1 stood in the yard, took a quick look, and then left.
On the second day of the seminar, experts and scholars gave speeches. Some said it could be developed, while others said it had little value.
One person said there wasn't much room for development, while another said it could be protected. His view was to protect it first. In fifty years, there would be fewer houses like this in the country. Then they would have value—wasn't that nonsense? But from an expert's perspective, he had the truth.
Another feng shui expert, after arguing that the area could not be developed, added: "The feng shui of this place is extremely bad. There's a gap between the two mountains in front, and a draft blows directly into the courtyard gate." The host corrected him, saying: "There was no gap before, and it was only opened up when the highway was built."
Experts say: "That's even more difficult. Other projects can be modified, but highways are state-owned, so you can't change them." Of course, this is just my personal opinion based on the I Ching and Feng Shui. After all, our government doesn't make decisions based on Feng Shui.
Feng shui is certainly not a prerequisite for government decision-making. However, experts have suggested that feng shui is bad. This view, which cannot be included in documents or made public, has become the main premise. It's just that people are unwilling to speak out.
The last expert said: "Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles is like traveling thousands of miles. What we need is traveling thousands of miles." What's the development value of this kind of house? What's its selling point? A great man's former residence? A celebrity's mansion? A grand scale? A long history? ... None of that. And living in it is extremely unsafe.
In short, after much discussion, not only is it unworthy of development, but it should be demolished as soon as possible to restore safety to the people. Otherwise, the government will have to spend a fortune reinforcing it. If the buildings collapse and people are killed and injured, it won't be a question of whether to develop or not, but whether the government cares about the safety of the people or just leaves them to their own devices.
Experts and scholars are talking more and more, so...
I waved my hand, signaling him to stop, and said to Dongzi, "The final argument is completely unrecognizable. It cannot be developed and has no value."
Dongzi looked frustrated. "If the demonstration showed that the project could be developed, my mistake would be forgivable. But the demonstration showed no development value at all. This investment attraction failed, and the leaders blamed me for it all. I've now become the sinner of Wuxiang City."
Dongzi also felt guilty, trembling all over and started crying.
I advised, "Don't cry. I have to deal with you now, right?"
Dongzi cried even harder when she heard this.
I yelled, "Crying can solve the problem?"
He wiped away his tears and finished speaking in a halting manner.
After the guests left, the city's chief organizer of this event knocked on the table and said:
"With this level of reception, if a few civilians come, Zhang San will be dissatisfied and Li Si will be furious. If it is to receive important leaders, won't it be a mess? No matter who it is this time, we will punish them more severely to serve as a warning to others."
The final preliminary suggestion was to transfer Dongzi from the office and send her to the countryside to teach. At this point, Dongzi started crying again.
Seeing him in tears, I couldn't help but feel sad too.
I understand his feelings. He has no connections in this city. Once the formal discussion of how to punish someone like him is conducted, the decision will be passed unanimously.
Now, I am his only relative left in Wuxiang City.
He also knew that only if I pleaded with my master, there might be a chance of redemption.
I stood there in a daze, not saying anything for a long time.
In Dongzi's opinion, he had made a big mistake, and because of this mistake, the tourism development of Shenjiayuan was ruined. But the truth was that even if the reception work was perfect, this thing would still be ruined.
This is equivalent to the so-called four pillars of fortune tellers. When a person is born, the four pillars are already determined, and life and death, nobility and humbleness are already determined by fate.
I didn't dare tell him the truth, but suddenly burst into laughter.
This is called using strange medicine to treat strange diseases.
When he heard the long laugh, he stopped crying and looked at me in surprise.
I sneered, "Be a man, okay? Su Shi spent his entire life in exile. Wherever he went, he ate, drank, and had fun, reciting poems, painting, and even invented 'Dongpo Pork.' If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you have hanged yourself long ago? Just teach. You still have a job."
Dongzi said with a sad face: "I just got a girlfriend, but it's going to end soon."
"Just brag. There are plenty of unmarried female teachers in the countryside. Besides, if you can't find a female teacher, finding a village beauty is not bad either. Isn't there a song about this? There's a girl in the village named Xiaofang, with very long braids."
Dongzi complained, "You don't take my pain seriously."
I took out my cell phone: "Master, have you arrived home? Yes, okay, I'll come back to see you right away." When Dongzi heard this, he picked up my suitcase and ran all the way.
He raised his hand to stop a taxi.
I said, "No. 227, Youranju, Nanxing Road."
The taxi driver asked, "Are you going to see Master Hongyi?"
Normally, I would have struck up a conversation with the driver, asking him why he knew Master Hongyi. But now I wasn't in the mood.
The driver asked, "Am I wrong? Are you guys going there to have your fortune told? I just pulled someone over, and they were also doing it..."
I said with an unhappy look on my face, "Drive your car. Why don't you learn from the coastal areas? I took a taxi in Guangzhou and the driver only said two words. When I got in, he asked, 'Where are you going?' and when I got out, he said, 'Good going.'"
The taxi driver said quickly: "Okay, okay."
The car was as silent as a deep well.
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