"Section Chief Xiong is a leader from the county Education Bureau. Naturally, he's entitled to express his views when he comes to inspect our Xibao Middle School." Qi Yuan's calves were still trembling from pedaling his bicycle up the mountain, but he looked rather pleased with himself. Casting a sideways glance at Yang Rui, he said, "You're just an ignorant schoolboy. Wait and see what Principal Zhao has to say. Someone go fetch Principal Zhao. Tell him Section Chief Xiong is here. He'll know who that is."
Everyone looked at Yang Rui. No one obeyed Qi Yuan.
Losing face, Qi Yuan snapped, "Are you all deaf or what? Get moving. You, the big fellow, go."
He meant Cao Baoming. The first month or so of training had produced the most noticeable results, and Cao Baoming was a size bigger than when Yang Rui had first met him. Standing below the dais, he was more conspicuous than a string of firecrackers as tall as a man.
Cao Baoming played dumb, keeping his head down and refusing to look at Qi Yuan.
"Big fellow! The tallest one, in blue! Did you hear me?" Qi Yuan was the school's only full-time politics teacher and could not remember the names of every student in every class, so he called out descriptions of their clothing instead.
Cao Baoming still said nothing. Ever since going down the mountain with Yang Rui to deal with the piracy incident, his horizons had broadened, and he had grown bolder. He paid Qi Yuan no mind whatsoever.
Qi Yuan was beside himself with rage.
How had this school become so unfamiliar? Why was everyone so cold?
Watching the corner of his mouth twitch, Yang Rui showed no fear of drawing his anger and casually asked, "Where's Section Chief Xiong?"
"Behind me," Qi Yuan all but shouted. The road up the mountain was so steep that cycling all the way up could practically leave a man coughing up his lungs. This cousin of his father's had nearly refused to continue.
Yang Rui had hit precisely the sore spot, and fury blazed in Qi Yuan's chest.
His uncle was his benefactor. Ever since being promoted to head of the Infrastructure Section, he had helped Qi Yuan secure cadre status and then a job transfer. Now Qi Yuan was counting on his uncle to transfer him to the county seat and complete his three-step plan in life.
If a student had not tipped him off at noon that Xibao Middle School was holding an awards ceremony after classes that afternoon, Qi Yuan would not have had to rush so desperately and wear his uncle out. What would he do if his uncle fell ill from exhaustion, or grew angry over it?
At that thought, Qi Yuan could not help saying, "When the principal gets here, I'll ask him to take disciplinary action against you. Stay right where you are."
"Why would the principal listen to you?" Yang Rui signaled for the loudspeakers to be turned up, letting the Athletes' March fill the smiling scene, then jumped off the dais and questioned Qi Yuan face-to-face.
The students stood on the sports ground, whispering among themselves, unaware of what was happening.
Qi Yuan snorted twice and gave Yang Rui another sidelong glance, his face plainly saying he could not be bothered to talk to him.
Liu Shan came forward worriedly, caught Yang Rui, and whispered, "I know a little about this. I heard the teachers talking when I was delivering newspapers."
"What's going on?" Yang Rui genuinely cared about the answer. As the saying went, one rank higher could crush a man, and that was especially true in 1982. If he ran into someone truly powerful, when the time came to surrender his knees, surrendering his backside would not even be an option. Huo Laosi was a vivid example. Had he happened upon someone even more ruthless, it would not have been surprising if he had been shot even after kneeling in submission.
Tugging at Yang Rui's sleeve, Liu Shan moved aside and stood less than a meter from him. She whispered, "The principal wants to dig two more wells for the school and put in an open drainage channel, so we won't run short of water in summer and the sports ground won't flood when it rains. The teachers said they can only dig the wells and build the channel if Qi Yuan's uncle signs off on it. That's why the principal hasn't done anything about Qi Yuan coming late and leaving early this year."
Yang Rui believed her immediately. Comrade Zhao Dannian was no pedant. He had his own calculations about what should be done and how to do it. He would certainly have no qualms about using a teacher's connections to persuade the head of the Infrastructure Section to sign and stamp an approval.
One look at Xibao Middle School's buildings made that clear. It had two rows of teachers' dormitories, a cafeteria, a Sports Room, and a full complement of other facilities. By township middle school standards, it was very well equipped, nearly matching the schools in the county seat in terms of infrastructure. Without some special knack for obtaining funds, Principal Zhao Dannian could never have built on this scale.
"So the principal will definitely side with Qi Yuan to get the head of the Infrastructure Section to sign?" Yang Rui summed up the key point.
"Yes," Liu Shan said gravely, then urged him, "Why don't you go back for now? I've met that Section Chief Xiong too. He's very fierce."
"Do you know what connections Section Chief Xiong has?" To keep others from overhearing, Yang Rui leaned closer and closer.
With him speaking beside her ear, both of Liu Shan's earlobes reddened. She stole a glance at Yang Rui's sharply defined profile and could not speak for a moment.
"Thanks. I'll ask someone else." Assuming she knew nothing about that, Yang Rui smiled and went back.
Liu Shan leaned against the mound of earth forming the dais, her thoughts unknown.
Some of the teachers who had been watching from the dormitory area had already sent word to the principal's office, but the principal had still not appeared.
"What does Section Chief Xiong want?" With no one else to ask, Yang Rui could only ask Qi Yuan.
"That's none of your business," Qi Yuan said disdainfully.
Yang Rui rubbed his chin, considered for a moment, and asked, "Does he want the canned food? Or has something else caught his eye?"
If he had rushed over so urgently, it could only be for the money and the canned food.
The Rui Study Group had accumulated over a thousand yuan, while the several hundred cans sent by the Xibao Meat Processing Plant were worth another thousand or more. Taken together, the right to distribute them was worth a considerable sum.
People in those days did not dare engage in blatant graft and corruption, but playing some truly ugly tricks was quite common. Recalling the various stories of bullying he knew, Yang Rui shook his head and headed straight for the teachers' dormitory area.
He first had to find out what sort of man this Section Chief Xiong was.
Thinking Yang Rui had backed down, Qi Yuan spat contemptuously, then jumped onto the dais himself and gave it a couple of slaps. "Everyone wait here. A leader from the Education Bureau is coming to inspect the school. Look lively, and no leaving. Teachers, take attendance for your classes."
With that, he picked up his bicycle and went outside the school to meet his uncle.
A quarter of an hour later, Section Chief Xiong arrived at Xibao Middle School's gate, wiping sweat from his head.
"Next time I come, I must find a motorcycle." Section Chief Xiong looked down at his leather shoes. They were filthy beyond recognition, and the climb had drained his strength.
Qi Yuan chuckled and said cautiously, "I saw that the county Education Bureau has a jeep..."
"That's for the bureau director." Having wiped his face clean, Section Chief Xiong wiped his neck and muttered, "A private businessman offered to lend me a motorcycle the other day. I turned him down. Thinking about it now... ah, I still wouldn't dare take it."
"Why wouldn't you dare?" Qi Yuan did not understand. If anyone gave him a motorcycle, he would ride straight back to his hometown to show it off. A motorcycle cost four or five thousand yuan these days, and a good one cost over ten thousand. Never mind the little he could save in a year-even a full year's wages, without spending anything on food or drink, would not buy an ordinary motorcycle.
Section Chief Xiong was nearly twenty years older than Qi Yuan, the son of his great-aunt, and had only been promoted in recent years. He now said earnestly, "Private businessmen these days have all sorts of shady connections. You never know when one might get into trouble. When they give you a motorcycle, they want an entire building in return. How could I dare accept? And it wouldn't be enough anyway... If I had the nerve to sign something like that, it would have to be a Japanese motorcycle at the very least."
Qi Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then joined his uncle in loud laughter.
By the time they had finished laughing, the sports ground was in view.
Then they saw Yang Rui coming straight toward them.
"Where's the principal?" Qi Yuan demanded at once.
"I didn't see him. I came to meet Section Chief Xiong." Yang Rui walked up to Section Chief Xiong with exceptional composure and brazenly looked him up and down.
He was a typical grassroots official: a drinker's red nose, a beer belly, and a double chin. He could not quite be called fat yet, but years of revolutionary banquets had already wrecked his body. Aside from his misshapen figure, little about Section Chief Xiong could leave a favorable impression. He lacked a high-ranking official's gaze and presence, as well as the composure and cool arrogance of someone from a major government office. All he had was a petty grassroots functionary's suspicion, and the anger of authority, ready to erupt at any moment.
"I'm Yang Rui. I control the distribution of the Rui Study Group's funds and the canned food sent by the Xibao Meat Processing Plant." Unwilling to touch his greasy hand, Yang Rui simply stood there and bluntly asserted his authority.
Section Chief Xiong stopped, ignored Yang Rui, and asked Qi Yuan, "This is him?"
"Yes." Qi Yuan had barely noticed Yang Rui before, but now disliked him intensely. He had also spoken to his uncle about Yang Rui, and he did indeed intend to seize the right to distribute the resources.
Several hundred cans of food were a rare resource. Even if he could not take them all, taking a portion would be very useful. A few gifts here and there might settle the important matter of his transfer. The Rui Study Group was an even steadier source of income, and naturally, he would take as much as he could.
There was nothing novel about this. Even places specifically earmarked by the province could be seized through trickery or force. It all depended on how powerful the person earmarking them was, and how tough the designated recipient was.
Qi Yuan knew some stories about Yang Rui. He had also heard that Yang Rui's father was a township Party secretary, and that he had taken down a gang of county thugs. So what?
He had a work unit behind him, and Section Chief Xiong was an official. A township Party secretary had no authority over the county Education Bureau.
Both men therefore felt perfectly at ease and carried on talking between themselves.
Qi Yuan even apologized to Section Chief Xiong for the principal's absence.
Principal Zhao had accompanied Section Chief Xiong on both his previous visits. Glancing at Yang Rui, whether intentionally or otherwise, he folded his handkerchief and smiled. "That Old Zhao calls me every day asking me to come, and when I finally do, he isn't even here..."
"The principal may be afraid you and I will clash, leaving him in an awkward position between us," Yang Rui interrupted with a smile.
Qi Yuan frowned. "What awkward position..."
"There may be some things Section Chief Xiong doesn't know. I'd like to brief you." Yang Rui used the formal phrases of officialdom, but his tone was as hard as stone. "Teacher Qi is new here, after all. He doesn't know the situation at Xibao Middle School, and he doesn't know much about me either."
"Your father is a township Party secretary. I've heard it so often my ears have calluses. Who doesn't know?" Qi Yuan had come from the countryside and had once been a commune member. Yet after leaving the commune, he looked back and felt that a commune Party secretary was nothing special. Once the position became township Party secretary, it was weaker still.
Before communes were converted into townships, all means of production and subsistence had been concentrated in the commune Party secretary's hands. The land belonged to the commune, as did the cattle and horses, the shovels and sickles, the harvested grain, the pigs they raised, and the eggs that were laid. The commune Party secretary controlled everything in the commune, managing both the fields and the members' grain rations.
Back then, Qi Yuan had regarded the commune Party secretary as a god.
But when he went from peasant and commune member to cadre, he suddenly realized, I'm free.
However powerful the commune Party secretary used to be, he has no authority over me anymore.
With that realization, he had sneered when the other teachers mentioned Yang Rui's background.
Just a country bumpkin.
Section Chief Xiong was equally dismissive. "There's no need to introduce your family. I'm here to inspect your school's work."
"I think I should introduce them. Otherwise, if things go wrong, cleaning up afterward will be even more troublesome." Yang Rui blocked his path. The scholarships were an important part of his preparations, and he could not offer them up to this greedy creature.
At that moment, over a hundred jars of canned food and more than a thousand yuan in cash were piled on the dais. They were meant to motivate the students, not stimulate greed.
Section Chief Xiong looked down at the arm barring his chest and said with extreme displeasure, "Go ahead, then. I'm listening."
"Qi Yuan said my father is a township Party secretary. I don't know whether he mentioned which township?" Yang Rui opened with another question.
Section Chief Xiong raised his eyelids. "Go on."
"Xizhaizi Township. Right next door." Yang Rui pointed.
Section Chief Xiong gave a noncommittal grunt. His expression revealed no change, but his mind raced as he tried to recall the name of Xizhaizi Township's Party secretary.
Naturally, there had to be a reason for such a solemn introduction.
Because Xi County was close to both the prefectural seat and the provincial capital, its countryside was relatively prosperous and populous. It had over a dozen townships and towns, and he needed a moment to remember the name.
But once he remembered that Yang Rui's surname was Yang, the name "Yang Feng" was on the tip of his tongue.
"That man..." Section Chief Xiong frowned too. In truth, he was not very familiar with Xi County's official circles. A factory elsewhere had recruited him in the 1960s, and he had worked there for nearly twenty years. His promotion to cadre, transfer, and entry into officialdom had all come after reform and opening up. He had been in Xi County for less than two years and had yet to untangle the local power networks.
He and Yang Feng belonged to different chains of command and had never dealt directly with each other, but he had heard some unverified stories. So he said, "Secretary Yang of Xizhaizi Township, yes, I know of him. We've met, but we're not close..."
"He generally doesn't like going to the bureau to get things done. Says it's crowded and chaotic. Uncle Luo understands that too. They both like fishing and chatting..."
"Luo? Which Luo?" Section Chief Xiong understood what Yang Rui meant and frantically tried to recall a leader surnamed Luo at the county Education Bureau. Unable to think of one, he mentally ran through the list of important leaders at the municipal bureau.
Watching his expression, Qi Yuan suddenly felt that something was wrong.
Yang Rui waited a long time before saying, "Uncle Luo and my dad were classmates. He used to be at the Education Bureau too, but he was transferred elsewhere."
Section Chief Xiong first felt a shock, then relief, followed immediately by fury. Transferred? If he's been transferred, why are you being so mysterious, as though... as though... as though the deputy county head now in charge of culture, education, and health wasn't surnamed Luo...
The deputy county head in charge of education was far more powerful than the Education Bureau director. The latter was merely a leader of the county Education Bureau, while the former was a county leader. As for Section Chief Xiong, his title of section chief was actually somewhat inflated. Only when he visited schools below him was he called a leader...
"Young Yang..." Section Chief Xiong suddenly drew a deep breath, and even his smile turned warm.
Qi Yuan, however, found nothing warm about his uncle's smile. Terrified, he wanted to curse. You've got a connection in the county government. Couldn't you make it less complicated?
Before you continue