Ye Yaodong listened to the jumble of chatter around him and stood there a while longer. Nothing happened for ages, and he felt he was wasting time. Just as he was about to leave, he saw heads bobbing ahead, accompanied by a commotion from the crowd.
"They're coming, they're coming! They're out..."
The villagers packed three deep outside instantly erupted, as though some high-ranking official had arrived. Everyone stood on tiptoe and craned their necks, trying to get a proper look.
The crowd automatically parted to make a path. Ye Yaodong could clearly see the smiles plastered across the village committee members' faces, and his cousin's wife was smiling obligingly as she escorted the visitors out.
It looked as though nothing unpleasant had happened. Had they enjoyed their talk?
"All right, all right, no need to see us any farther. We'll look into things some more and visit again..."
Secretary Chen also said with a smile, "Selecting Ten-Thousand-Yuan Households is an important matter. Naturally, we need to get a clear understanding. Don't be anxious. Once the county has looked into everything, there'll definitely be a commendation ceremony..."
His eldest cousin's wife nodded vigorously, beaming. "Yes, yes, of course... It's my fault, too. I'm just a village woman, and I don't know much about my husband's affairs outside. I only know he's made quite a lot doing business. He should be back in a few days. I'll come tell you then, Secretary..."
The group smiled and nodded before heading out...
Ye Yaodong rubbed his chin. From the look of things, his cousin's wife hadn't been able to answer any of their questions, so these county officials couldn't settle on anything directly. They would probably have to look into his background and make another visit after his cousin returned.
As for what