Chapter 30: Taking Sides Based on Feelings? (Votes)

  In the spacious office, Xiao Ri sat behind his desk, puffing on a cigarette, holding Tang Yi's "Further Warning of Bourgeois Liberalization - Reflections on Soviet Reforms". Xiao Ri's thick eyebrows were furrowed tightly, and after a while, he pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray, looked up at Tang Yi sitting motionlessly on the sofa.

  "Hey, what's going on in that head of yours? I see you've got several factories thriving, and even an old brain like mine has started to change its ways, accepting your reform ideas. What's this? You're singing a different tune again? And you still expect me to recommend this article of yours to the provincial party newspaper?" Xiao Ri was somewhat indignant, he really wanted to knock open Tang Yi's head and see if there was water inside.

  Tang Yi said with a smile, "Secretary Xiao, don't get angry. Reform is inevitable, but when it's time to apply the brakes, we must do so. I've said before that preventing bourgeois liberalization from spreading within the Party and promoting reform and opening up are not contradictory."

  Xiao Ri let out a snort, tossing Tang Yi's manuscript onto the desk and saying: "I think your draft is not just about slamming on the brakes, it's downright pouring cold water! Take a look, take a look, what are you even saying? What? That most of the Soviet elite have been influenced by bourgeois liberalization and may push for capitalist reforms in the Soviet Union to gain greater benefits? And that our party should reflect on this? Good grief! Do you know what you're talking about?"

  "Now pouring cold water and reflecting on warnings is better than really encountering big storms and then desperately seeking help!"

  Xiao Rizuo straightened his back, wanting to scold Tang Yi a few more times, but seeing Tang Yi's firm expression, he sighed and slowly leaned back in his chair, speaking in a softer tone: "Kid, when you're young, everyone wants to make a name for themselves. I was the same when I was young, but making a name for yourself also requires some sense of proportion. Do you know that this article of yours has been published in the provincial and municipal party newspapers? It will cause quite a stir! Not only you, but also the county party committee that recommended you will have to take considerable responsibility! Have you thought all this through?"

  Tang Yi fell silent for a moment, then looked up and said: "Secretary Xiao, if you really can't do it, then forget it. But I still reserve my opinion. The current party needs someone to pour cold water on it." He sighed inwardly, thinking that he had been too naive, not expecting the first step to be so difficult, let alone the subsequent actions. Even though he was aware of things beforehand, when it came to taking action, he still needed to rely on his brain, making careful plans and taking things one step at a time. He was still lacking in this aspect.

  However, Tang Yi didn't give up on these two words in his dictionary. He was thinking that if all else fails, he would use the power of his family, but he wasn't sure if Old Master would scold him like he did to Xiao Ri.

  "What? Are you backing down already?" Xiao Ri smiled and shook his head, looking at the article on the table. "Alright, let's add my name to it later, that way this thing can be considered something we came up with together, and has nothing to do with the county party committee. If there are any consequences, I'll take responsibility!"

  Tang Yi's head jerked up in surprise, and he saw a rare look of kindness on Xiao Ri's face. With a smile, Xiao Ri said: "You young people, when I see you, I think of my youth. Back then, I was just like you, muddle-headed and naive. My superiors would get headaches from me, but they also protected me. Now... now it's not like the past." Xiao Ri sighed. "Nowadays, interpersonal relationships are complex and complicated. If a young person says something wrong, they might end up with a broken head and bleeding. So, young people have become more and more cunning. Why? Because if they're not cunning, they'll be at a disadvantage! They won't be treated well! By the time they take on leadership roles, they've already turned into officials who only think about advancing their own interests. Serving the people? That's long gone from their minds!"

  Tang Yi nodded slightly, and Xiao Ri laughed again: "Alright, I won't complain to you anymore. It seems like I'm acting senile, haha."

  Tang Yi knew that Xiao Ri had co-signed with him to protect himself, and even after leaving the office door, he still felt warm in his heart. In fact, thinking carefully, although Xiao Ri is now very powerful, as the deepening reform progresses, he will inevitably lose to Cheng Jianjun, who follows the central spirit closely. However, if he really had to take sides, he would rather stand with Xiao Ri because it feels good and comfortable in his heart. Thinking of this, Tang Yi smiled self-deprecatingly, relying on feelings to take sides, he indeed wasn't suitable for being an official, but there was a hint of pride in his heart telling him that even if he went against the norm, so what if he took sides based on his feelings?

  ……

  Good news has arrived, the silver ear assorted canned goods of the canning factory have entered Huijia, the largest supermarket in Yanqing City. It is said that sales are not bad. Tang Yiliu and other town leaders came to visit the employees of the canning factory. Chen Fangyuan swept away the shame of the new Long March assault team with a bouquet of flowers, and smiled with a blooming flower on his face.

  When Li Dazhong and others were surrounded by workers entering the workshop, only Tang Yi and Chen Fangyuan were left behind. Chen Fangyuan approached Tang Yi with a face full of shame and said: "Secretary Tang, I have wronged you, my daughter has scolded me countless times, I, old Chen, owe you an apology." These days, Chen Fangyuan had not dared to see Tang Yi's face, every time she saw him, she would take a detour.

  Tang Yi didn't take that matter to heart, slightly shaking his head. He thought of something and smiled as he asked: "Old Chen, isn't your precious daughter going to the city to take the entrance exam for a specialized undergraduate program?"

  Chen Fangyuan's second concern was the future of her darling daughter, and she asked with some worry: "Secretary Tang, what do you think of her foundation? Does this exam have any hope?"

  Tang Yi smiled and said, "It's true that you're a bit stupid, but what's valuable is your persistence and hard work. As for this exam, I don't dare to guarantee anything for you. In that case, when the exam comes, I'll take her to the county bus station, which will save us from having to make two trips."

  Chen Fangyuan was naturally grateful, but what was strange was that the young secretary seemed to have a soft spot for his own foolishness, and even had some expectations. If he really took a liking to himself, then it would be great. In recent days, Chen Fangyuan had been deeply impressed by Tang Yi's business acumen, who had been in the trade for nearly ten years and had never seen anyone with such sharp eyesight as Secretary Tang. Occasionally, a few words from him would point out the key to the canned food factory's survival, and even if Secretary Tang couldn't be promoted to a high-ranking official, he could still make a fortune by focusing on helping Chen Fangyuan with the canned food factory.

  Time flies, and the two days passed in the blink of an eye. The July sun was scorching hot, and the Jeep without air conditioning felt like a steamer. Tang Yi and Chen Ke sat in the back row, Chen Ke wearing a light yellow dress today, with short green hair that reached her ears, looking pure and lively, refreshing and moving. Especially the small feet in the thick-soled sandals, painted with a light blue color, had a tempting charm that made people want to take a few bites.

  However, she was pouting with a small mouth and had been ignoring Tang Yi since getting on the car.

  "Hey, did you remember what I told you about the exam?!" Tang Yi tapped her forehead slightly angrily.

  "I'm a silly girl, I don't remember." Chen Ke raised her small head, staring fiercely at Tang Yi, stubbornly pushing against his finger like a defiant warrior, almost making Tang Yi laugh out loud. It turned out that it was because of this sentence, Old Chen also told everything to his daughter.

  Tang Yi smiled and said, "Ah, 'hun' isn't a derogatory term. In the Guangya Dictionary, it says that the surface of bamboo is called 'zhǎn', while the inside is called 'hùn'. The white part that can be peeled off by hand is called 'zhū fú yú'. Ancient people used 'hùn' to describe a girl's purity and loveliness, just like a blank sheet of paper. Who knew that nowadays, some forced and artificial scholars would link 'hùn' with stupidity? Tell me, can the gentle and subtle bamboo be compared to the ignorant and foolish insect?"

  Chen Ke bit her lip and snorted: "You think you're so smart! Forcing the argument!"

  Tang Yide smiled with satisfaction, thinking that this was what they called "using someone's own method against them". These words were all learned from you, weren't they? Back then, wasn't it you who scolded me for being stupid and then coaxed me like this? At the time, I was still young and was delighted by your coaxing. You said that when you bullied younger kids, weren't you being mischievous?

  Arriving at the county bus station, Chen Ke got off the bus with a huff, slamming the door shut with a "bang". Tang Yi smiled wryly, was it necessary? Didn't she just say she was stupid? Did she have to sulk for several days?

  Tang Yilai wiped the sweat from his chest, said a word to driver Xiao Li, and got out of the car. The station was bustling with cars and people, the sound of car horns and vendors calling out filled the air. This was probably the most lively area in the county town.

  Tang Yi walked up to a small stall with an umbrella, ordered a bottle of iced soda water, and started drinking it with relishing gulps. Just as he was feeling refreshed, he suddenly heard a commotion from the crowd nearby, followed by someone shouting, "There's been a car accident!" The people around him swarmed towards the scene of the accident like a hive of bees, while Tang Yi shook his head, thinking that the Chinese people's habit of loving to watch excitement was deeply ingrained.

  A young man with a long hair tied back walked from the south, probably squeezed out of the scene, muttering to himself. He arrived at the tobacco stall and said to the boss: "Give me three packs of cigarettes, damn it, what are you all looking at? You'll all be killed one by one!" After taking the cigarettes, he sighed and said: "The little girl is really beautiful, what a pity. There's a saying that goes like this... Red beauty..."

  "Beauty is short-lived." The stall owner smiled and chimed in, while the long-haired young man rolled his eyes: "I know, do I need you to tell me? Damn it, look at those people, they're all gloating, poor me... seeing that little girl's yellow skirt stained with blood, piece by piece... my heart is aching..."

  Tang Yi's smile suddenly froze as he listened to the long-haired young man's jokes, and the soda bottle in his hand "clanged" and fell to the ground, shattering.

  Tang Yi grabbed the long-haired man's chest and shouted: "What did you say? You said the one who was hit was a beautiful girl in a yellow skirt?"

  Cháng máo dèng qǐ yǎn jing jiù xiǎng mà, dàn bù zhī zěn di, kàn dào Táng Yì nà sì hū fā hóng de shuāng yǎn, xīn li zhōng nà huǒ qì yí kè jiù xiè le, diǎn tóu dào: "Wǒ piàn nǐ gàn má? Nà xiǎo gū niáng kě piào liang lā!"

  Tang Yi felt a blank in his mind, suddenly shook off the long hair, and followed the crowd rushing to the scene of the incident, no, it can't be her, absolutely not!

  Godmother, godmother will never die!

  Until now, Tang Yi finally knew that even if Chen Ke was now muddle-headed, in her heart, she had the same position as his elegant and refined godmother who taught him how to grow up. When he heard that she might have been in a car accident, Tang Yi felt like the sky was falling apart, as if he would also collapse with her departure. Perhaps even the strongest person needs a pillar of support in the deepest, untouchable part of their heart. Chen Ke was undoubtedly the greatest pillar of support for Tang Yi since his rebirth, allowing him to quickly integrate into this world and feel like he truly existed.

  He dazedly squeezed into the crowd, his eyes blurry, muttering to himself: "Godmother, godmother, Chen Ke..." He roughly pushed away the people in front of him, causing others to turn their heads, some even scolding him, but he remained oblivious.

  A soft small hand suddenly inserted into his palm, pulling him forward in the crowd, and a clear voice with a hint of confusion whispered in his ear: "Secretary Tang, are you looking for me?"

  The voice was very low, but at this moment in Táng Yì's ears, it was like the music of the heavens, like the morning bell. He suddenly lifted his head, and Chén Kē's delicate and lovely face was right beside him, looking at him with a somewhat dazed expression.

  "Nothing happened to you? It's... really great!" Tang Yi let out a loud whoop, but his clear head quickly regained its usual calmness. He immediately released Chen Ke's hand and gave her forehead a hard tap: "Where did you run off to, causing everyone to worry?"

  Chen Ke smiled and said: "It's you who is overthinking!" Then, looking at Tang Yi's eye corners carefully, she asked: "You...you think I'm in trouble, did...did I cry?"

  "Go! You're so beautiful, I'm a soft-hearted person. Even if it's just a cat or dog that gets hit by someone, I'll still wipe away tears!" Tang Yi covertly wiped the corner of his eye.

  Chen Ke couldn't help but giggle, Tang Yi walked out of the crowd, she quietly followed behind him, her soft small hand slowly, slowly extending into Tang Yi's large hand that was behind his back.

  Tang Yi was shocked, his back suddenly drenched in cold sweat. What kind of words were these? Towards Chen Ke, deep down, he had respect and adoration for her. He even looked forward to the day when Chen Ke would transform into that stunning woman and once again hold him in her arms, gently caring for him. But emotional entanglement? With her? Tang Yi didn't dare think about it, especially since he now had Qi Jie. Even if he considered Qi Jie as his mistress, how could he humiliate his wife by making her the legitimate one?

  Pfft, what am I thinking? Both the first and second wives have come out! What a beast! Tang Yi silently scolded himself for being shameless, his heart aching as if he had been slapped twice. Unintentionally, he lightly broke free from Chen Ke's small hand and secretly glanced back, but was stunned for a moment. He wasn't an ignorant young man, although Chen Ke quietly held his hand and followed behind him, her eyes showed affection, respect, and warmth, but not the kind of infatuation that girls often had.

  Perhaps in her eyes, he is a big brother worthy of admiration. Even if she thinks she likes him, it's actually an illusion. Tang Yi felt slightly relieved, but Chen Ke's words before entering the station made Tang Yi's heart skip a beat again. He saw her smile as bright as a flower and her voice as gentle as spring breeze: "Wait for me!" The white sweat on Tang Yi's back wet his collar again.