Chapter 34

Chapter 35: Fixing Light Bulbs Together

August brought not only the release of admission results at schools of all levels, but also news of widespread flooding across the country. This disaster had not broken out suddenly, nor had it come without warning. It had come all the same.

Life in Xiahai City, which was not among the worst-hit areas, continued as usual. Most television news coverage consisted of moving reports about troops and local soldiers and civilians fighting floods and conducting rescue operations.

Su Can knew that even if he could foresee this natural disaster, he could not change it-or at least, he could not change it in the short term. After all, the heavens could not take all the blame. Human destruction of forests and vegetation, and the erosion and damage accumulated over years, were also contributing factors.

Still, the floods undoubtedly dealt a staggering blow to those officials at the national Ministry of Water Resources who had mistakenly predicted that there would be no major flooding within three years.

Flood control and rescue efforts became the nation's biggest priority that August.

Meanwhile, led by his mother and accompanied by his eldest uncle, Su Can arrived at the City First Middle School office building. Although it was the holidays, school administrators were not like teachers; they continued working during breaks, albeit on flexible schedules.

During this crucial admissions period, however, the administrative building was experiencing a peak in activity.

When Su Can and the others arrived, his eldest uncle, Zeng Qu anming, looked around and found quite a few familiar faces. Young Wang, a fourth-grade procurator from the Municipal Procuratorate with whom he had dealt before, was there with his younger female cousin. Lu Dahai, an investor in the Jianshe Street Commercial Plaza, had brought his daughter. There was also Old Zhang, deputy director of the municipal Bureau of Industry and Commerce. More surprisingly, his rival Xiao Fei, director of the Municipal Bidding Office, was among them, along with quite a few others. They probably had not expected such a coincidence either, all gathering at the same time on the same day. It was awkward enough already. They appeared to be chatting and trading boasts, but there was little real warmth between them.

Well, what a coincidence today had turned out to be. Now Zeng Qu anming, notorious for his foul temper, had arrived too.

Presumably, these people were all there to smooth the way for their children or relatives to attend No. 1 High School, and naturally, some were making introductions for others. Their official positions generally did not give them sweeping power; otherwise, why would they come in person to see the Director of Education over something they could settle with a phone call?

The Director of Education, Tian Feng, was a slightly balding, fifty-year-old man with somewhat protruding eyes behind a pair of glasses. His eyes habitually rolled around in their sockets, giving the impression that a certain slipperiness had helped him become Director of Education.

Recently, Tian Feng's sense of his own importance had grown somewhat inflated. With the start of term at No. 1 High School approaching, all manner of people had come knocking, all over admission for their children or relatives. These officials' children generally had low scores; some were even outrageously far below the cutoff. A shortfall of fewer than fifty points could be bridged with a hefty payment, but more than fifty points, or even a hundred, was absurd. In principle, No. 1 High School would not accept them. But every principle had some flexibility, especially when everyone coming to him was a prominent figure in the city.

After receiving so many visitors, from senior municipal Party officials to ordinary government clerks, Tian Feng had developed quite an imposing air. In particular, after he signed an admission recommendation for a nephew of the deputy municipal Party secretary, the man had clapped him on the shoulder and praised him warmly, even hosting him for a private meal and drinks.

With even the municipal Party secretary on such firm friendly terms with him, socializing at the same table, how could Tian Feng not feel proud?

As a result, he remained perfectly composed even before officials of every rank, sometimes even lapsing into arrogance. Xiao Fei, director of the Municipal Planning Office, had just resolved the problem of his daughter Xiao Yunyun falling ten points short. With Tian Feng's signed slip in hand, even the hefty fee had been waived. Remembering Zeng Qu anming outside, a thought struck him, and he said darkly to Tian Feng, "I see Zeng Qu anming has come knocking too. If you can avoid helping him, do. That man has no future. He's offended plenty of people in the city. Getting too close to him isn't a good thing."

Xiao Fei left it at that. When he stepped outside and looked at Zeng Qu anming, he actually smiled for once, though there was a teasing edge to it.

Su Can entered the Director of Education's office with his mother, Zeng Ke, and his eldest uncle, Zeng Qu anming. Tian Feng greeted the three with narrowed eyes. Xiao Fei's position in the Bidding Office was nothing remarkable in itself. He could speak to Tian Feng that way because Tian Feng's son-in-law was working on a road-paving project in a township near Xiahai City, which required processing through Xiao Fei's office. The two had thus grown close, and this time, Xiao Fei's daughter Xiao Yunyun had secured admission without his having to spend an extra cent.

Of course, Tian Feng could not act entirely as Xiao Fei wished. Zeng Qu anming was still director of the Municipal Planning Office, after all, and refusing to show him any respect would be foolish. But his manner naturally became somewhat more arrogant, and he let a little displeasure show. Everyone said Zeng Qu anming was a stern-faced terror who knew nothing of the ways of officialdom and dared openly berate even his superiors when dissatisfied. Tian Feng wanted to take this stern-faced terror down a peg too.

Besides, if he made a show of creating difficulties for Zeng Qu anming before quietly letting things through in the end, perhaps this man whom everyone feared would even feel a little grateful to him.

"Oh, 645 points. But he didn't list us as his choice..." Looking at Su Can's case, Tian Feng was initially startled. This boy had excellent grades. No. 1 High School could hardly ask for more than to recruit a top student like him. Frankly, the school preference form was just a piece of paper. If his school insisted on admitting Su Can, Third Middle School could do nothing about it. It could hardly argue against freedom of personal choice.

Of course, Tian Feng showed none of this. He merely frowned. "Oh dear, this is rather difficult. Why didn't he list us as his choice?" Then he rose, went to the water dispenser, filled a cup for his tea, and only then strolled back to his desk.

Yet no further words came from Zeng Qu anming.

When had Zeng Qu anming ever put up with such treatment? Wherever he went, people spoke courteously to him. Never mind that the man had not made him tea; there were chairs right beside them, yet he had not even invited them to sit. He had been indifferent from the outset, even reading the newspaper when they entered. He certainly had leisure to spare.

"Just report this to your Principal Sun. What school wouldn't take a student with these grades? He's more than qualified for No. 1 High School. You won't take a student like Su Can, but all those people outside with abysmal scores can get in? What's the meaning of that!" His eldest uncle Zeng Qu anming's official air certainly emerged, but he had not considered that he was the one asking a favor, not the other way around. Apart from matters involving Su Can, he had probably never taken the initiative to ask anyone to do something for him like this.

Tian Feng immediately grew angry. I was waiting for you to soften up before continuing, yet you glare at me and start shouting with that stubborn temper of yours. What he hated most was people bringing up Principal Sun. Principal Sun had originally been his colleague at No. 1 High School and was even younger than him. Yet after twenty years, Tian Feng had only managed to secure the title of Director of Education after leaving frontline teaching, while Principal Sun had climbed over his shoulders to become principal in those same twenty years.

Naturally, he could not tell anyone about this pent-up resentment. Outwardly, he still acted as though he and Principal Sun were old friends and brothers of twenty years, but inwardly, he grew increasingly angry. Whenever he saw Principal Sun speak at major meetings, jealousy gnawed at him.

Hadn't Zeng Qu anming's words just hit his sore spot? Besides, this eldest uncle's position as Planning Office director really meant little to him. Even the municipal Party secretary had shared tea and meals with him. Who did Zeng Qu anming think he was?

That made him erupt. As soon as the two exchanged words, sparks flew, and neither would yield. With eldest uncle Zeng Qu anming's foul temper and harsh way of speaking added to the mix, even Su Can's mother, Zeng Ke, did not know what to do.

Veins bulged on Tian Feng's forehead. Behind his thick glasses, his wide, protruding eyes, together with those knotted veins, made him look all the more ferocious.

"What? What!? What exactly do you want!?" At the height of his outburst, Tian Feng slapped the desk. As his voice rose, it took on a somewhat womanlike shrillness. "You want me to bend the rules for personal favors? Is that it!"

His voice echoed down the corridor outside. The officials' children waiting nearby looked even more embarrassed. Isn't that exactly what we came for? Surely we didn't bring our whole families here to fix light bulbs. What's wrong with Tian Feng?

Then came a string of sweeping accusations from Tian Feng. "I'm telling you, so what if you're a government official? Does being a government official mean you can make me go against the school's wishes? Violate its rules and regulations, huh? I refuse to believe you can!" At that moment, Tian Feng was thinking that Xiao Fei stood on his side, and he had made up his mind to oppose Zeng Qu anming no matter what.

His eldest uncle and Tian Feng argued in the dean's office until both were seething. In the end, fearing the matter would escalate, his mother persuaded his eldest uncle to leave, and the whole affair ended on bad terms. Seeing what had happened, the people outside also left one after another, planning to return another day. After all, Tian Feng's accusations had left them somewhat unable to save face as well.

Not long after Su Can's family left, Tian Feng was still jabbing a finger toward the office door, venting in a shrill shout. "He'll never set foot in No. 1 High School! What of it? I refuse to believe otherwise! Let's see what tricks you can pull, Zeng Qu anming! A mere Planning Office director-who the hell do you think you are!"