Chapter Thirteen Harmony and Compromise

  On Sunday night, more than 10 o'clock, Lu Zhong, Bai Erqiang and Bai Xiaoxue finally returned to Qinglong Guozhuang. Bai Erqiang didn't get lost, but was beaten up by a group of young people, his head was broken and he had to be bandaged at the hospital, with a white gauze wrapped around his head when he came back. The group of young people who beat him were not found either. On the way back, Bai Erqiang kept muttering to himself, "I won't go to the big city again, I won't go to the big city again". This made Lu Zhong want to laugh all the time, but in front of Bai Xiaoxue, he had to give his former father-in-law some face and could only hold back his laughter.

  Back home, Bai Xiaofeng quickly cooked porridge. Bai Erqiang lay on the kang in the east room, humming as if he was about to die.

  Lu Zhong returned to his Xiwu house. Since moving in, he had added a lot of things, including a sofa, coffee table and TV, all essentials.

  However, Qinglong has no TV station, and the signal is very poor due to the mountains blocking it. It can only vaguely receive programs from Guangning TV Station and CCTV relayed by Guangning TV Station. Moreover, there are still quite a few snowflakes.

  Today, possibly due to wind direction issues, there are snowflakes on TV and it's completely unwatchable.

  Lu Zhong had no choice but to take the video tape he had just exchanged with Wu Shan, flipped through it for a while, and saw that there was a TV series from Hong Kong called "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea". He put the first disc into the VCR. Now every time he goes to Wu Shan, he rents a bunch of tapes and brings them back, so he won't have nothing to watch in Qinglong.

  "Immortal mountains separate cloud seas, rosylight ridges connect jade belts, it is said that outside the world there are heavenly immortals..."

  Cantonese song intro melody floats up, familiar female voice, familiar tune, slightly ethereal...

  In his previous life, Lu Zhong had also watched this TV series. Now that he was watching it again, a strange feeling arose in his heart, a kind of inexplicable loneliness.

  Are people who have been reborn all lonely?

  Lu Zhong thought with self-deprecation.

  "Zhuangzi, the congee is ready, I also boiled two salted duck eggs for you." Bai Xiaoxue knocked on the door and lifted the curtain. At home, she was a bit bolder, unlike in Wushan where she was more restrained.

  "Come on in and eat, call your dad over too."

  "Okay." Bai Xiaofeng obediently responded and put down the door curtain.

  Then, she heard Bai Xiaoxue call out to her dad. Pots and pans clanged, and after a while, Bai Xiaoxue lifted the door curtain again and poked in her little head, saying: "My dad says he's sleeping and won't eat anymore."

  "Let's eat then, come on, let's eat together and watch a mythological drama, it's quite good." Lu Zhong pointed to the TV.

  Bai Xiaofeng responded with a sound, and soon brought in millet porridge, pickled vegetables, and salted duck eggs, placing them on the tea table. Two salted duck eggs were for Lu Zhong, while she ate radish pickles.

  Lu Zhong didn't realize the issue until a while later and asked, "Don't you eat salted duck eggs?" At this time, he was sitting face to face with Bai Xiaoxue drinking porridge, looking at the beautiful face of his ex-wife's little daughter, who had grown up to be a beauty. In his heart, there were different feelings, also some faint warmth.

  "Are you the one who boiled the salted duck eggs? Brother Zong, are my pickled duck eggs delicious?" Bai Xiaoxue looked at Lu Zong with some expectation.

  Lu Zhong smiled and nodded: "Of course it's delicious, you're actually a good cook, it's just that I've never praised you before." As he said this, Lu Zhong felt a slight bitterness in his heart.

  Bai Xiaofeng's slightly childish face lit up a bit as she said, "I was afraid you wouldn't like to eat it."

  Lu Zhong smiled and said: "How could that be?" As he spoke, he sent another salted duck egg to Bai Xiaoxue's face, saying: "You also eat one, I only need one."

  "Leave that for you then, eat it tomorrow." Bai Xiaoxue put the duck egg back on the plate and said: "The duck eggs were bought for you."

  Lu Zhong picked up that duck egg, smashed the empty shell and handed it to Bai Xiaoxue: "I'll make you eat it, I don't believe you can just have delicious salted vegetables."

  Bai Xiaofeng silently took it, under Lu Zhong's encouraging gaze, she finally used chopsticks to pick up a small piece, but didn't put it in her mouth, lowered her head and suddenly said: "Zhong-ge, do you know my mom?"

  Lu Zhong was taken aback, "How did you think of this?"

  Bai Xiaofeng lowered her head and said, "I guess you're spending money on me because my dad asked you to, so I can go to school and buy new clothes. You're being really nice to me. So, I'm guessing you're a friend of my mom's? People say that the man my mom is seeing now has made a lot of money outside, and since you're doing business and have a lot of money, do you know my mom too? Did she ask you to take care of me?"

  Lu Zheng was stunned, really couldn't think of why Bai Xiaoxue would have such a strange idea, but thinking about it, poor people's children are mature early on, and besides, Bai Xiaoxue is almost 15 years old, should be an age that understands things, taking care of her in every way, she can naturally see and feel it, and she will naturally think, this is why.

  Children all like to fantasize, especially when their mother ran away with someone else. In her careful thoughts, her mother still misses and loves her very much. She should be waiting for her mother to suddenly return, and the three of them can continue living happily as before. And she is the messenger entrusted by her mother, invited by her mother to save her from suffering. Is this both her little brain's fantasy and her expectation?

  She hoped so, and it was indeed the case.

  "I don't know your mother." Although he saw Bai Xiaofeng's face clearly dimming, Lu Zhong continued to speak ruthlessly: "Your mother may come back to see you in the future, but I will definitely not know your mother."

  "But, you're very much like a good friend of mine from before, an excellent doctor and a beautiful girl with her own ideas and charm... You, you look just like her..." As he spoke, his heart felt a slight pang.

  "Where is this sister now?" Bai Xiaoxue asked with some curiosity.

  "It's gone." Lu Zhong smiled and said: "So, sometimes I have a kind of illusion, thinking you are her, she is you."

  "How can I match up?" Bai Xiaoxue hung her head, feeling a bit discouraged, only thinking that the pressure was quite great. Why would Zuo Er think that she and a beautiful doctor sister were similar?

  "Alright, eat a few more salted duck eggs and you'll be prettier than her." Lu Zhong smiled, lowered his head, and slowly drank the congee.

  ……

  On New Year's Day in 1986, news of a young and vigorous leader from the Central Five, spending the holiday with troops garrisoned on the Xisha Islands, made headlines in major newspapers.

  After reading this news, Lu Zhong thought of Hu Zi and his former comrades who had been through life and death together. War is always a trauma to people, but time can heal everything. Maybe it's time to get together with old comrades again.

  After the New Year's Day, Ma Weiguo and others finally returned to Qinglong, bringing a thrilling news that both the provincial party committee and municipal party committee have agreed to conduct an assessment on the construction project of Qinglong Golf Course. In a few days, an assessment team from the province will come down.

  Ma Weiguo returned to Qinglong that afternoon and walked into Lu Zhong's office.

  At that time, Lu Zhong was discussing matters with Deputy County Magistrate Wang Nihang when Ma Weiguo arrived. Wang Nihang then made an excuse and left the county magistrate's office.

  Sitting on the sofa, Ma Weiguo took the water handed over by Lu Zhong and smiled: "I heard that you haven't put aside the road repair work during this period of time? Are the plans all out? And even invited experts from Beijing to measure and plan? This is very good! I said, as long as we are of one mind, there will be no difficulties that cannot be overcome. Qinglong will also develop better and better!"

  Lu Zhong smiled and said, "I think, whether Zhu Mingze invests or not, the road will still be built. I think it can start construction after the new year. If Zhu Mingze's funds are not in place, I'll first get some loans from the bank. If that doesn't work, I'll borrow some money from Changming."

  When Lu Zhong said this, Ma Weiguo's smile at the corner of his mouth gradually faded.

  After drinking a few mouthfuls of water, Ma Weiguo asked: "What about Pan Shi? What's going on with him?" Without waiting for Lu Zhong to answer, he said: "In any case, I still understand Pan Shi, he is a very capable cadre. Now is the key period of our Qinglong development, we need to unite and move forward together. We should prioritize saving capable cadres, and put the overall situation first. Lu Zhong, don't you think what I said is right?"

  Ma Weiguo said, his eyes gleaming, staring at Lu Zhong.

  Lu Zhong nodded slightly and said: "I highly agree with Secretary Wei's opinion."

  Ma Weiguo smiled with pleasure and said, "Alright then, Zhao Pingfan from Ma Touying, we'll discuss it at tomorrow's Standing Committee meeting and make a formal appointment next time. The cadres you recommend are trustworthy."

  Zhao Pingfan is now presiding over the daily work of the Mazhangying Township Party Committee, and there has been no clear statement about his position.

  Ma Weiguo actively proposed to promote Zhao Pingfan, which was because Lu Zhong made concessions in the matter of Quan Pan Shi.

  Despite this, Ma Weiguo showed a fairly broad mind, and Lu Zhong could feel that Ma Weiguo was intentionally easing the relationship between them. Apparently, in his heart, the smooth progress of the golf course project is above everything now, and the stability of the Qinglong class is also above everything. Ma Weiguo did not want the infighting within the team to cause unexpected accidents or even abortion of the golf course project, and the emergency stop by Municipal Party Secretary Duan Zhongyuan was a lesson from the past.

  However, the party secretary of Mahetou Township is now a hot potato. After the merger of Mahetou Township, at least six large teams from the original Mahetou Commune and Qingtun Commune demanded to continue with collective agricultural model. As the secretary of this township, whether doing well or poorly may lead to trouble, because it's not just an issue of governance ability, but in the future, if involved in internal party ideological struggles, a small township party secretary would likely end up being crushed.

  Perhaps after thinking about it, only Zhao Pingfan, who has been closely connected with these big troops and is not afraid to take responsibility, can do a good job as the party committee secretary.

  Ma Weiguo repeatedly emphasized in his speech that Zhao Pingfan was a cadre recommended by Lu Zhong, and the intention is also here. Later, if Zhao Pingfan has problems, you Lu Zhong will naturally be the first responsible person.