As Li Long left Director Qian's home, Sister Guan kept urging him to visit whenever he had time, not to bring so many gifts, and simply to treat them as relatives.
Since Director Qian and Sister Guan both had to work that afternoon, lunch did not last long. After Li Long left, Sister Guan carried the things from the dining table into the kitchen. As she washed up, she said to Director Qian outside:
"If you hadn't told me Xiao Long came from the countryside, I really wouldn't have guessed. He speaks Mandarin well, he isn't crude, and he has good table manners. What a likable young man!"
"Xiao Long is different from other people." Director Qian nodded. "He isn't greedy. He's modest and keeps a low profile, knows how to weigh the pros and cons, and has plenty of skills. Put someone like him anywhere, and given the right opportunity, he'll make something of himself."
"It still feels like a shame that he isn't in the system." Sister Guan dried her hands after washing up and came out. "If he were one of our younger relatives, I'd find a way to get him into a work unit.
"With the way things are now, his operations are so big that he's making himself a target. If someone really went after him, all these years of effort might come to nothing."
"Fenghua, you don't see this as clearly as Xiao Long does. I heard from Xiang Qian that their county's supply and marketing system intends to nominate Li Long as a People's Congress Representative. Think about it. It's precisely because his operations are so large, and because he's helped so many people earn money and improve their lives, that he's being nominated now.
"If you say he stumbled into all this