Colorful years

As Teacher Guoliang hurriedly packed his things, he shouted loudly at Zhang Cong, who was sitting at his desk in a daze.

Startled by Mr. Guoliang's call, Zhang Cong snapped out of his daze. He scratched his head sheepishly, then quickly stood up and replied, "Okay, Mr. Guoliang, don't worry, I'll go report to Teacher Li right away." With that, Zhang Cong tidied up the documents and stationery on his desk and walked briskly out of the office.

The County Party Committee Office is nestled in a tree-lined courtyard; it's a detached two-story building, standing quietly to the east of the main building. A short walk along a secluded path from the main building will take only a few minutes to reach this building.

Zhang Cong walked briskly across the courtyard and soon arrived at the entrance of the county party committee office. He pushed open the door and entered the secretary's office on the first floor. Inside the spacious and bright office, there were neatly arranged desks, chairs, and filing cabinets. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

At that moment, Teacher Li was sitting at her desk, bent over and engrossed in writing materials.

In the summer of 1980, Teacher Li transferred from her position as the director of teaching affairs at the Second Middle School to work in the county party committee office. As the secretary to a member of the county party committee standing committee, her daily work involved drafting various reports, speeches, and all sorts of important documents.

This job is demanding and requires great responsibility, but Mr. Li always completes every task diligently and meticulously. Whenever there is an emergency, he will not hesitate to work overtime, even through the night.

Just as Teacher Li was concentrating on writing, she suddenly heard Zhang Cong's respectful and affectionate call: "Teacher Li!"

Hearing this, he slowly put down the pen he was holding, looked up, and smiled kindly. He waved to Zhang Cong, gesturing for him to sit down opposite him.

After Zhang Cong was seated, Teacher Li asked with concern, "Have you completed all the registration and onboarding procedures?"

Zhang Cong nodded quickly and replied, "It's all taken care of. I even had a chat with Teacher Man about our future work."

Teacher Li nodded slightly to show her satisfaction, and then asked, "How does it feel to start working in the government office?"

Unable to hide his excitement, Zhang Cong replied, "I'm quite excited. To be honest, I never thought I'd have such an opportunity."

Looking at the energetic young man in front of him, Teacher Li said earnestly, "My child, you must understand that for students like us who come from poor backgrounds, it is not an easy thing to change our destiny through hard work and study."

Therefore, you must cherish this rare opportunity, be down-to-earth, work hard, strive to make a name for yourself, and truly become a successful person.

"Rest assured, my esteemed teacher! I will do my utmost to strive for excellence and will never let you down!" The young man assured his highly respected teacher with a firm gaze and a resounding tone.

My teacher nodded slightly and earnestly instructed me: "My child, as the ancients said, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a great river is formed from countless small streams.' This tells us that only through persistent hard work and steady progress, step by step, can we finally reach the other side of success! Remember, never be impatient or eager for quick results."

Zhang Cong scratched his head: "Teacher Li, Teacher Man said he just went to the market and bought some fresh meat. He plans to come to your house tonight for a treat."

Upon hearing this, Teacher Li quickly raised her hand to look at her watch and found that the hour hand was already pointing to five o'clock in the afternoon.

I went home a little early to prepare a welcome dinner for Zhang Cong.

Thinking of this, he quickly replied, "Okay, I'll go ask my boss for leave and then hurry home to cook." After saying that, he hurriedly walked towards the office across the street.

Upon entering the office, Teacher Li went straight to the leader who was working at his desk and said softly, "Director Liu, my student came to visit me today, so I would like to ask you for a short leave to go back and make some arrangements."

Director Liu looked up, a kind smile on his face, and replied, "No problem, go ahead and get busy. Be sure to treat your proud student well."

In fact, Director Liu knew this student named Zhang Cong very well, after all, Teacher Li often talked about this outstanding student of his in front of him.

And he knew very well that Teacher Li's proudest students were only two in his entire life. One of them was Zhang Ying, who, upon graduation last year, successfully entered the county party committee office thanks to Teacher Li's strong recommendation. Now he has become an outstanding staff member in the county party committee's research team.

The other person was Zhang Cong, who, along with Man Guoliang, was also strongly recommended and was eventually assigned to the county propaganda department.

After Teacher Li slowly walked out of Director Liu's office, she immediately headed towards the research team.

As luck would have it, Zhang Ying was busy in her office at that moment. Teacher Li greeted her with a broad smile, "Zhang Ying, I have great news! Zhang Cong officially reported for duty and completed his onboarding procedures today. Why don't you come over to my house for dinner tonight? Let's celebrate!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ying quickly put down her work, looked up, and happily replied, "No problem, Teacher Li! I'll definitely be there on time after get off work."