Even a mighty dragon bows to the local snake

The saying "Even a mighty dragon bows to the local snake" found its most fitting illustration in places like Xi County.

In a county town or township, the Party committee officials were locals, the government officials were locals, and the public security, procuratorate, and court officials were all locals too. If ties through marriage happened to be thrown into the mix, breaking through that tangled web of relationships took far too much effort.

When faced with such a solid bloc, the best solution was to overturn the table. But few mighty dragons could do that, and they might well have other things to occupy them. Whether the results would repay the effort was another question anyone overturning the table had to consider.

A place like Shanghai was naturally worth overturning the table for, so the Green Gang came and went, ultimately failing to build an enduring power base. But in a place like Xi County, never mind a mere Section Chief Xiong-even a department-level prefectural commissioner, putting his official career on the line, might not succeed. Why go to such lengths?

Of course, things abroad were hardly any better. In the famous Little Rock Crisis, nine Black students sought admission to Little Rock Central High School. The court ruled in their favor, and most people across the country thought it was the right thing to do. Yet the governor dared to deploy the National Guard to blockade the school and bar the Black students from entering. When the courts intervened, the governor withdrew the National Guard and let white mobs run rampant. In the end, Eisenhower had to deploy the Army 101st Airborne Division to occupy Little Rock before the nine students could complete their registration under the protection of bayonets.

At the time, the United States had all but mustered the entire nation's strength, drawing on every resource from the president to ordinary citizens, before it finally overturned the table in Little Rock. The cost was staggering. The direct expense of deploying the troops alone reached four million dollars, forty times China's total foreign exchange reserves at the time.

But to claim that this action truly subdued the local snakes in Arkansas was nothing but a joke. The governor of Arkansas, who upheld the region's entrenched racial views, won reelection repeatedly in the years that followed, each time by a landslide. He exercised power for far longer than Eisenhower, even though Arkansas had previously been firmly opposed to governors serving three consecutive terms.

The Yang father and son had held the top post in Xizhaizi Township for more than thirty years. Within Xi County, they were the most deeply rooted local snakes, and the closer one got to Xizhaizi Township, the stronger their influence became.

Having maintained their grip on power for so many years, the Yang Family naturally could not have been a collection of saints. The former Yang Rui might have been timid, but constant exposure had taught him a few things. He simply disliked them and had been unwilling to understand them.

The reborn Yang Rui had no such scruples, much less any obsession with moral purity.

Anyone obsessed with cleanliness could not study biology. What had those frogs, rabbits, and white mice ever done wrong? Dumb and adorable, they were killed by clumsy students. The unlucky ones did not die on the first attempt and had screaming female students finish them off with whatever personal belongings were at hand. The even unluckier ones were subjected to live dissection, doused in chemicals, and put through death by a thousand cuts.

After doing things like that, one gained an entirely new understanding of "the backward get beaten."

Yang Rui had been trying all along to understand himself and this entirely new world.

He had no choice. If he wanted nothing more than a peaceful life, he could find a comfortable government office, do some undemanding work, and buy a few stamps or the like. He would have no worries for the rest of his life. But if he wanted to build a real enterprise, whether inside or outside the system, he had to understand both himself and society thoroughly.

Huo Laosi was a classic example of someone who understood neither himself nor society.

Yang Rui neither wanted to be pushed around nor wanted to relinquish the power already in his hands.

The unfortunate Section Chief Xiong had walked straight into his grasp.

In that friendly tone of his, Yang Rui seemed to have found something of a touchstone.

Subsection-level officials were about the most commonly encountered officials in the county. Those below them had pitifully little power, while those above them were few and far between.

If one had to draw a comparison, officials like Section Chief Xiong resembled the yamen runners of old: bullies toward the weak and cowards before the strong.

Yang Rui narrowed his eyes, looking more as though he were assessing just how tough Section Chief Xiong really was.

"Young Yang, don't take it to heart. Nothing involving a school is a small matter. Our superiors care deeply, and so do we. We all just want you students to be able to study properly..." Section Chief Xiong laughed it off, hoping to let the matter drop.

"If the well can't meet demand, and the open drainage ditch is inconvenient, that's bound to affect our studies, isn't it?" Yang Rui said calmly.

Section Chief Xiong opened his mouth. Several seconds passed before realization struck him. Damn it, am I being extorted?

"Section Chief Xiong, I still have things to do here. Why don't you head back first? I'll visit Uncle Luo in a couple of days, and we can talk about these things then." Yang Rui followed up with another threat, without the slightest hesitation.

Section Chief Xiong froze. This really is extortion.

Qi Yuan was even more astonished. Students these days are far too arrogant.

Yang Rui nodded and turned to resume his awards ceremony, only to have someone catch his sleeve.

"Young Yang, you don't need to worry about the well. However poor we are, education mustn't suffer, right? As head of the Infrastructure Section, I'm really just an errand boy. I do whatever my superiors tell me. I work myself half to death and can't make a single decision. Still, once I get back, I'll make a recommendation to the bureau director. I guarantee we'll make a special exception for Xibao Middle School and approve the well." Section Chief Xiong had finally thought it through. Although he could not yet tell whether Yang Rui was speaking the truth, no one was asking him to dig the well with his bare hands right this instant. He could go back and wait for news. Once the existence of "Uncle Luo" was confirmed-or, better yet, Uncle Luo called-it would not be too late to dig.

Qi Yuan grew anxious. The well could be dug later, but once the canned food and money were handed out, there would be no getting them back.

He hurriedly said, "Uncle..."

"During working hours, you can call me Old Xiong or Section Chief Xiong. Don't call me Uncle." Section Chief Xiong glared at him, then glanced at Yang Rui, afraid he might spread stories after going back. An uncle and nephew coming to the school together would not sound good if people heard about it.

Before Qi Yuan could react, Yang Rui chuckled. "It's all right. When I was little, there was no one to look after me, so I often went out with my dad too. He handled his business, and I watched from the sidelines. You two may be relatives, but it's quite rare to be able to work together. You understand each other better, right?"

The more Section Chief Xiong listened, the worse it sounded. If someone heard that version of events, even if it did not become evidence of wrongdoing, it would still land him in serious trouble. He could not help pleading, "Young Yang, I actually had other work to do today. I made a special trip because your school's affairs are important. Don't go telling people about this and putting your Uncle Xiong in a difficult position."

"Of course not. I'll be sure to explain things for you when the time comes." Yang Rui wore an expression that said he was only trying to help.

Section Chief Xiong felt like begging him for mercy.

Qi Yuan was not a complete fool. After listening to their exchange, he fell silent too.

A family capable of raising a child like Yang Rui certainly could not be a bunch of peasants. He had better wait and see.

Just as uncle and nephew were both at a loss, Yang Rui suddenly rubbed his head. "I just remembered. You only mentioned the well, not the open drainage ditch."

"The ditch... building a drainage ditch is a little troublesome. Your location is rather unusual..."

"Mud underfoot in summer and ice in winter. The sports ground drains badly, so it doesn't get much use in either season. As you said yourself, our location is rather unusual. If you don't fix the drainage ditch, we won't even have anywhere to exercise."

"Well..." Section Chief Xiong did not want to agree. He might be head of the Infrastructure Section, but the section did not print money. With so many expenditure items every year, if he sent everything to Xibao Middle School, how was he supposed to skim any money? How was he supposed to keep the principals under his thumb?

Yang Rui silently cursed him for refusing to yield until disaster stared him in the face. He coughed and said, "Since you aren't planning to build the drainage ditch, Section Chief Xiong, what did you bring your nephew to our school for? Oh, right. I heard Teacher Qi has been wanting a transfer. Are you here to arrange that for him?"

"I... just came to look at the well."

"What's there to look at? Wherever the well-drilling people say there's water, that's where you drill. You just found an excuse to skip work and visit your nephew, didn't you?"

"It has nothing whatsoever to do with him!" Yang Rui's verbal attacks were driving Section Chief Xiong mad.

People said pillow talk was hard to withstand, but the truth was that no kind of whispered influence was easy to endure.

Smiling, Yang Rui offered him a way out. "If it has nothing to do with Teacher Qi, then it must have something to do with the drainage ditch?"

Section Chief Xiong was now absolutely certain. I really am being extorted.

"Yes, I wanted to inspect the open drainage ditch too." Section Chief Xiong had no choice but to concede.

"Then take a look at the toilets while you're at it. The dry latrines are filthy and smelly. It would be best to install a flushing system. Cleaner and more convenient."

"All right, I'll take a look." Section Chief Xiong hung his head, looking like a polar bear after the glaciers had melted.

He had now made up his mind to wait for a call from "Uncle Shao."

Only then did Yang Rui put away his smile in satisfaction.

This time, he had not been bluffing. With the Yang Family's resources, knowing a deputy county head in charge of science, education, culture, and health was nothing remarkable.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back." Section Chief Xiong drooped his head, no longer intending to concern himself with Qi Yuan's affairs.

Yang Rui smiled, showing his pointed teeth, and waved Section Chief Xiong off before fixing his gaze on Qi Yuan.

"I... I'll head back too." Qi Yuan turned and ran toward the dormitories.

Yang Rui curled his lip in disdain and called after his retreating figure from a distance, "We're conducting evaluations soon. Keep that in mind."

Qi Yuan did not understand, but silently took note.

Turning back, Yang Rui continued handing out the awards.

Without exception, the top twenty-five students in each year received a white envelope containing ten yuan, a can of food, and a certificate of merit.

The certificates were both an honor and an endorsement of the prizes, an idea Huang Ren had come up with on the spot.

Yang Rui had readily accepted the suggestion and had them prepared.

Once the 125 cans had been handed out, the sports ground was full of students holding them and swallowing their saliva.

Yet even in that atmosphere, not a single student opened a can for a taste.

Even the cheapest canned fruit cost seventy or eighty fen. Other than taking it home, ordinary students would not decide what to do with it on their own.

The commendations and prize-giving lasted a quarter of an hour.

Just when everyone thought everything had gone smoothly and was getting ready to leave.

Yang Rui picked up the microphone again. "Please stay a moment. We still need everyone to fill out a form. Huang Ren, hand out the questionnaires."

What he called the questionnaires were, in fact, the Teacher Evaluation Forms.

With his eyes closed, Huang Ren delivered stack after stack of Teacher Evaluation Forms into everyone's hands.

As the students received them, they gradually lost interest in talking.