Morning.
Outside the provincial capital.
On the Long-distance Bus, once his anger flared up, Dong Xuebin instead calmed down. He stared out the window with narrowed eyes, saying nothing.
Ring, ring, ring.
His phone rang.
Dong Xuebin answered. "Hello."
"This is Jiang Fangfang." County Chief Jiang's voice came from the other end.
Dong Xuebin straightened slightly. "Hello, County Chief Jiang."
Jiang Fangfang retained her characteristically calm tone. "I heard you were back?"
Dong Xuebin gave a sound of acknowledgment. "I just got off the plane. I'm on the Long-distance Bus now. If things go smoothly, I should arrive after ten."
Jiang Fangfang said unhurriedly, "Why didn't you tell me you didn't have a car? I only just found out myself. I was about to have Lao Wang drive over to pick you up. Wait for him."
"Please don't trouble yourself. I'm already on the bus."
"Mm, all right then. We'll talk when you get back."
"Okay. Thank you for your concern, County Chief Jiang."
Jiang Fangfang was probably at home. Faint firecracker sounds came through the phone, loud and noisy. That was hardly surprising; two families were holding weddings in the Family Compound today. It would have been strange if it were not lively.
They could barely hear each other, so after a few words, they hung up.
But just as Dong Xuebin put away his phone, the two men in front of him, who had been drunkenly bragging the whole time, turned around to look at him with strange expressions.
"A call from the County Chief?"
"County Chief Jiang means Jiang Fangfang?"
"Heh, this guy sure knows how to brag."
"Yeah, and he puts on quite a convincing act."
"If the County Chief would call him, would he still need to take a Long-distance Bus?"
The two of them