Chapter Thirty-Six: Visiting the Party Secretary

Da Shewang

Taosha Village was comprised of two natural settlements, yet the positions of Party Secretary and Village Chief had always been held by Shangtao Village. Especially the Party Secretary’s seat—it had remained untouched for eighteen years, firmly in the hands of Tao Shiren.

Tao Shiren had two younger brothers. He was the eldest, the second was Tao Shiyi, who worked at the County Public Security Bureau, and the youngest was Tao Shirong, employed at the county government. Their family was the most powerful in Taosha Village, unmatched by any other. There were a couple of boisterous households like Sha Qiang’s in Taosha Village, but still, none could compare with theirs.

Their descendants were also beginning to make their mark. Tao Shiren’s eldest son, after leaving the army, joined the Public Security Bureau as well, and was said to have a promising future. As for the children of Tao Shiyi and Tao Shirong, there was even less to worry about—they had yet to enter society, but their prospects were doubtless bright.

Sha Le’er was no longer the person he used to be. Upon his return, his first thought was to pay a visit to Secretary Tao. Li Ying had taught him much, and what she emphasized most was the importance of cultivating good relationships if he wished to succeed. Secretary Tao was not only the village’s leader; through his family’s influence, he could introduce Sha Le’er to even more useful contacts.

He bought two bottles of wine and a carton of cigarettes, spending over two hundred yuan in total. Such gifts might be unremarkable elsewhere, but in the countryside, they were considered generous. There was no talk of bribery here—Shangtao and Xiashacun, separated by mountains and rivers, were bound by marriages and kinship ties, with endless connections. It was only proper to return from afar and bring gifts to pay respect to the elders.

“Uncle Secretary,” Sha Le’er greeted cheerfully as he entered Tao Shiren’s house.

“Oh, it’s Le’er! The wild child has come home, I see. Come, sit down,” the Secretary responded warmly.

“Yes, Uncle Secretary.” Sha Le’er placed his gifts on the table and sat on the long bench beside it. “Uncle, I know you smoke. I was an unfilial nephew before, never came to show my respect. I didn’t dare come see you empty-handed. Now that I’ve been outside a while and earned a bit of money, I finally have the nerve to come visit with some wine.”

“You wild child, what are you saying?” The Secretary’s eyes crinkled with a smile as he noticed the quality of the wine and cigarettes. “We’re not just neighbors but almost kin. Besides, your grandfather was the elder I respected most in this village. Not only was he a skilled farmer, he was also educated—a rare scholar in Taosha. If only your father had been more capable, your family wouldn’t have had such a hard time, and your grandfather might not have passed so early.”

At the mention of his grandfather, Sha Le’er’s eyes reddened.

“Don’t be sad, child. With a sensible grandson like you, your grandfather can rest easy in the afterlife.”

Sha Le’er had always had a good reputation in the village, mostly for his filial piety and respect for elders. People had always regarded him as an orphan, and the villagers, for all their simplicity, were not without kindness—even Secretary Tao was no exception.

“Is Secretary Tao at home?” came a sweet voice from outside, and soon a pretty, somewhat sophisticated young woman stepped in.

“Miss Feng, please, have a seat,” Secretary Tao greeted.

Miss Feng? Sha Le’er knew the teachers at their village school. Taosha Village’s primary school had only two grades and three teachers, all locals who had recently been made official staff. One was surnamed Sha, an uncle of his; the other two were surnamed Tao and Li, both from Shangtao. Teacher Tao was a local, while Teacher Li had married into the village.

“Secretary Tao, who is this?” Miss Feng asked graciously, glancing from Sha Le’er to the Secretary.

“Oh, let me introduce you,” Secretary Tao said with a smile. “Le’er, this is Miss Feng, a real graduate of a prestigious university, here to teach at our village school. And this is Sha Le’er, just back from working in Guangzhou.”

Miss Feng eyed Sha Le’er carefully. Thanks to Li Ying’s influence, he bore traces of urban youth—not like other returnees from migrant work, who often couldn’t shed their rustic ways even after years away. His clothing was of good quality too; at first, Miss Feng thought he was a student returning from studies in the city.

“Hello, my name is Feng Shuya. I teach at Taosha School.”

She extended her hand to him, poised and confident. In the past, Sha Le’er would have been at a loss, but under Li Ying’s tutelage, he had seen enough of the world. He shook her hand lightly, just as naturally.

“My name is Sha Le’er, just a laborer.”

He smiled slightly. Seeing his ease, Miss Feng was even more surprised. In her months in Taosha, she’d met many village youths, but few could shake hands so naturally with her.

“So you were working outside—why have you come back? It’s still a while before the New Year.”

Curiosity brightened Miss Feng’s tone as she began chatting with him, leaving Secretary Tao momentarily neglected. The Secretary, however, took no offense; instead, he went to the back to pour tea.

“I made the rounds outside and realized it’s not easy making money as a laborer. Making something of oneself is even harder. I thought it better to come back and do something of my own, instead of working for others.”

Li Ying had always encouraged him to start his own business. He’d never felt strongly about it before, but after Li Ying confessed to being Boss Hong’s mistress, he’d resolved to become a man like Boss Hong. When Miss Feng asked why he’d given up working outside, he answered without hesitation.

“That’s an interesting idea,” Miss Feng said, her eyes lighting up with interest. “So, what do you plan to do?”

“Raise snakes.”

He answered again without a second thought.

“Raise snakes?”

“Yes,” he replied confidently with a smile. “I worked in Foshan, learning to farm snakes. There’s a company there—Jiahao Company—that specializes in snake breeding and already has assets worth hundreds of millions.”

He began to share with Miss Feng the information Li Ying had told him.

“My goodness, I never realized snake farming was such a big industry,” Miss Feng exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. “With such high profits, it’s definitely worth developing.”

They chatted for a while longer, finding themselves quite in tune. Suddenly, Miss Feng’s phone rang. She glanced at it and stood up.

“Excuse me, someone’s looking for me. Secretary Tao, I won’t disturb you any longer. Sha Le’er, let’s talk more another time, shall we?”

She bid them a polite farewell. Sha Le’er walked her to the door, still puzzled by her keen interest in his snake-farming plans.

“She couldn’t be falling for me, could she?” he thought with a laugh. Of course, he didn’t really believe it—just teasing himself.

“Le’er, it seems Miss Feng gets along with you quite well,” Secretary Tao appeared by his side, his face wrinkling into a grin. “Do you know who she really is?”

“Isn’t she a teacher? What else could she be?” Sha Le’er asked, a little surprised.

“She’s no ordinary person—she comes from an impressive background,” the Secretary said mysteriously. “She’s the only daughter of our county party secretary. Don’t get any improper ideas about her.”

Sha Le’er was so shocked he couldn’t speak. “The county party secretary’s daughter, here at a school like ours?”

“Well, I don’t know either,” Secretary Tao patted his shoulder. “Some things are beyond us country folk to understand. She must have her reasons for coming to our little school. Come, have a drink with me.”

“Uncle Secretary, I’d rather not drink.”

“You rascal, bringing me so many gifts and refusing to drink? Then take them back with you.”

Left with no choice, Sha Le’er sat down at the table and joined the Secretary for a drink.