Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 432 Promising Youth
When Zhu, the public security officer, brought several leaders over, Secretary Yang naturally couldn't let them eat leftovers, so he had someone set up another table in the small canteen of the Intermediate People's Court.

Since these men had all served in the military, he invited Xiao Liewen to accompany them, while the others stayed outside to keep the prospective college students company.

The leaders from the provincial department were very polite, never mentioning the investigation of Chen Fan. At the dinner table, they only chatted with Secretary Yang and Captain Xiao, praising them highly.

There are many things to boast about in Lujiawan now: a bumper harvest in agriculture, considerable profits from the sideline businesses run by the team, and the well-known writer Chen Fan... Compared to the vast majority of ordinary production teams across the country, these are all topics worth bragging about for three days straight.

During the conversation, the leader tried to probe Xiao Liewen's background, but Xiao was a worldly man. No matter how much he praised him, he wouldn't go into details about his time in the army, not even mentioning his unit number or the names of his old leaders. At most, he would talk about some well-known battles, as if he had been there at the time.

The leader didn't pay much attention. When he returned, he could go to the armed forces minister of Gufeng County to find out the situation. ... Within his authority, he could know what he needed to know, and there was no need to dig deeper now.

If Xiao Liewen's file is outside his authority, then asking about it would be pointless and would only cause trouble. Why bother?

However, he also obtained some other information related to Chen Fan from Xiao Liewen and Secretary Yang.

They learn quickly, are conscientious and responsible, and rarely consider personal gain or loss.

The other information obtained was similar to what he heard from Zhu Ming. After they were corroborated, a more three-dimensional image of Chen Fan emerged.

He is highly talented and learns everything quickly. He has the drive, responsibility and ambition of a young person. He has a limited understanding of rural life and social customs. He is clearly someone who does not have much social experience. However, he can definitely be considered a promising young person who is close to the masses, hardworking and simple, selfless in his work, and willing to take responsibility!

This image is very consistent with the portrait that Zhu Ming deduced.

After they finished eating, the leader and Zhu Ming took out their food coupons, meat coupons, and meal allowances and handed them to Secretary Yang.

Secretary Yang exchanged a few polite words and then accepted the gift.

This is simply the rule for cadres going to the countryside; there's nothing they can't accept.

Back when Anquan was a tax official, he had to pay for his meals in Lujiawan.

On the contrary, he resigned and then stayed there, never paying for food once. He claimed that he was working to pay off his debts, but he spent his days hanging out with Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang. This angered Secretary Yang, who said that he was neglecting his duties and corrupting the team's promising young people.

When Secretary Yang and Captain Xiao accompanied several leaders from the provincial department out, the crowd outside had already dispersed, and Captain Zhang and Ye Shubao were nowhere to be seen. Only Chen Fan, Zhang Wenliang, and An Quan were still sitting on the bench chatting idly.

An Quan reeked of alcohol, his face redder than a monkey's bottom, and he shouted, "I just don't understand, Chen Fan, all you do all day is row a boat to fish in the river or ride a horse to walk the dog, wandering around the village and harming the animals."

And you, Zhang Wenliang, are in charge of the militia company, the transportation brigade, and the breeding farm—all important units of the production team. What do you do? You either go fishing and hunting with Chen Fan or pester him to cook you delicious food.

What do you call this? You call it neglecting your proper duties!
Old Yang, of all people, says I'm the one who corrupted you all. How did I corrupt you? I just follow you around, trying to scrape by. Do you think it's easy for me? So who's corrupting whom here?

Upon hearing this, the leader from the provincial department couldn't help but look suspicious, glancing at Chen Fan and then at Zhu Ming.

Is he either fishing, riding horses, or walking his dog?

He was referring to Chen Fan, a hardworking, honest, selfless, and responsible young man.

Secretary Yang's face was dark at this moment... not because he had revealed his identity in front of the leaders, but because he didn't even know what these leaders were there for.

The main reason is that I feel so embarrassed. Just now, people were praising Chen Fan to the skies, and now you're calling him a lazy bum who eats and does nothing. No wonder I'm angry.

He immediately ran two steps to help, and kicked someone in the butt.

Anquan jumped up in a flash, yelling, "Who kicked my butt?"

When he turned around, his expression quickly changed. "Hey, hello Secretary Yang."

Secretary Yang said with a dark face, "I don't deserve that title, just call me Old Yang."

Anquan blinked, pursed her lips, and moved closer to him. "Look at you, why are you still angry? There are outsiders here."

Secretary Yang glared at him, gritted his teeth, and whispered, "You still know there are outsiders here? They were praising Xiao Chen to the skies just now, and well, before he even left the house, you've already sold him out completely."

Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang, standing next to him, had their faces flushed red... not from drinking too much, but mainly from trying not to laugh.

As for image?

Chen Fan didn't care at all. He didn't want to be a celebrity or a leader, so why would he need a persona? He would just do whatever made him feel good!
Anquan's lips moved, as if he wanted to argue, but then he heard Secretary Yang cough and say loudly, "The three of you tidy up the office. We'll be having a meeting later."

As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them quickly disappeared.

The provincial department leaders originally wanted to take the opportunity to chat with Chen Fan, but now they couldn't bring themselves to do so.

but……

He watched Chen Fan's retreating figure, a smile appearing on his lips.

Chen Fan, whom he had heard about from Zhu Ming, Xiao Liewen, and Secretary Yang, had some shortcomings, such as being impulsive, but he always felt that he was too superficial and unrealistic, like a protagonist in a movie.

This farce actually made his psychological portrayal of Chen Fan clearer.

They're not overwhelmed by life's pressures, otherwise how many young people don't enjoy having fun?
Fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and walking dogs—that's what young people should be like.

Only then did his suspicions about Chen Fan diminish to a minimum, and he planned to focus his efforts on investigating clues about the missing persons after arriving at the Yunhu Public Security Bureau. ...

Secretary Yang and Xiao Liewen saw the leaders off to their car, watched the jeep drive away, and then turned back to their office.

Inside the room, Chen Fan was lying on the table, talking to a myna bird, "Meeting time, meeting time."

The myna bird stared intently at him, saying, "Meeting! Meeting!"

Chen Fan nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, that's it. Go ahead."

The myna blinked, spread its wings, and flew out of the window.

Seeing this, Secretary Yang forgot to get angry and looked out the window, asking, "What's going on here?"

Chen Fan pointed outside, "Didn't you say you were going to have a meeting? I asked Xiao Ba to inform Captain Zhang and Captain Ye. They're both resting at Captain Zhang's house."

Secretary Yang was dumbfounded.

Xiao Liewen couldn't help but quicken his pace and ask, "Where did you find this myna bird?"

He touched his head and clicked his tongue in amazement, "I know mynahs can talk, but I've never seen one talk as clearly as this one."

Chen Fan immediately pointed to Anquan, who was trying to shrink his head, "Didn't Brother An say that I ride horses and hunt every day? This myna was caught a couple of days ago, and I've been training it these past two days."

Along with the bird, a raccoon cat less than a year old was also captured and named Ba Liang. Chen Fan planned to train it for two months before sending it to Jiang Tiantian.

His main purpose was actually to catch cats, and this myna bird was an unexpected bonus.

Everyone says that mynahs can talk, and he wanted to see if he could train one to be a messenger, which would definitely save him a lot of trouble in the future.

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Secretary Yang immediately snapped out of his daze, returned to his seat with a stern face, took out his pipe to refill it with tobacco, and said coldly, "Are you all very free?"

Zhang Wenliang immediately looked up. "I'm not free, I'm very busy. But the most important task recently is digging the dike. I've organized the people, and all that's left is for the materials to arrive."

Minor repairs can be done using local materials; there are plenty of small earthen mounds in Lujiawan, enough to repair the dike for several years. But major repairs are not feasible.

This requires the use of a large amount of stone, and in some places even steel and cement, and of course, soil is also indispensable.

However, the stone, steel bars, and cement have not yet arrived, so some work cannot be carried out.

Secretary Yang took a puff of his cigarette and said, "It's winter now, and the river is shallow. If large ships have too much draft, they won't be able to get in. The shipping company plans to use smaller boats to transport the materials over. If all goes well, they should arrive in the next couple of days."

Xiao Liewen lit his pipe and looked at Zhang Wenliang, saying, "Although it's been snowing these past few days, some things can be done ahead of time. Besides, the snow has stopped for two days now, so can we start digging? Can we prepare the logistical supplies? Not having the materials is not an excuse for laziness!"

Zhang Wenliang knew very well that now was not the time to explain, so he immediately nodded honestly and admitted his mistake, saying that he would organize people to start work as soon as the meeting was over.

Of course, he didn't forget to give Anquan a resentful look.

It's all this guy's fault!
He blinked safely, calmly drank his tea and smoked, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Chen Fan glanced around, and seeing that Secretary Yang was looking at him, he immediately asked in a serious tone, "Uncle Yang, is today's meeting about discussing the breaching of the dike?"

Secretary Yang gave him a half-smile and said softly, "Well, besides this, there are a few other things."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Don't rush, let's talk about it together when Lao Zhang and Lao Ye arrive."

Anquan and Zhang Wenliang exchanged a glance, both able to see the embarrassment in each other's eyes.

The "culprit" got away scot-free, while his two lackeys were scolded. Where can we find justice in this?
Upon seeing their expressions, Xiao Liewen immediately snorted, "You're still not convinced, are you?"

The two immediately shook their heads, "No, no."

Xiao Liewen said sternly, "Not yet? Do you think I'm blind?"

He pointed at Chen Fan and said, "What does Xiao Chen do for a living? He's a veterinarian, a broadcaster, and even his teaching job is a voluntary part-time job. Has there been any problem with his work? He's done every job perfectly."
Look at you all again…

He snorted again and turned away, saying, "I can't even bear to look."

The two of them lowered their heads as they were scolded.

Two seconds later, Anquan suddenly looked up and said, puzzled, "That's not right. Xiao Chen finished his work, but Sanhuzi didn't finish his. What does it have to do with me?"

Xiao Liewen's face stiffened, and he turned his gaze to Secretary Yang.

Yeah, what's it to him?

Secretary Yang's eyes darted around, and noticing that the corner of his mouth wasn't even clean, a brilliant idea struck him. He said, "Didn't you say you'd work to pay off your debts? Well, your job is to assist Sanhuzi. If he doesn't finish his work, it's the same as you not finishing yours. Let's see what you have to say for yourself now!"

Security was stunned. This is possible?
(End of this chapter)