Shen ng was in no hurry. She waited for Li Chuan to think it through. Her position was in charge of the economy of Ning County, not an easy task. The transfer order that Secretary Tang handed over could bind her to Ning County, dedicating her life for the well-being of the local people, but as a consultant, it would be different—she would still be a free agent. If the officials of Ning County needed her help, so things would be more accommodating to her, instead of being commands.
The five-year term she proposed was actually quite manageable. By then it would be the early 1980s, and whether the market economy system arrived or the university system stabilized, economic matters would be firmly in her grasp.
In the eyes of the county governnt leaders, having control of the economy in one person’s hands is a terrifying prospect. They wanted to tie her down with a position; if she beca uncooperative, they could suppress her. Or, in ti, so individuals with ulterior motives might leverage her to build their own power base. That is what Shen ng feared; she had no desire to be a stepping stone for others.
Li Chuan pondered for a long while before shaking his head, "Xiao ng, what you’re suggesting is unprecedented. In my opinion, you should still accept the transfer order, do good work for the people. After so ti, I can arrange a courtyard for you, so that you can bring the kids to the county for work and school. The conditions are far better than in the rural areas."
"Uncle Li, I know you an well, but I really have too much on my plate, and my energy is limited. Xiao Kai is still young, and when Zhenping cos back, I plan to have two or three more children with him. It’s lively with more children at ho. Now that my job with the bus company is over, I should take a good rest at ho, take care of my health, and spend ti with the kids. Zhenping and my salaries are enough to support the children and our ho. That director position, I’m afraid I might not do well, so let’s just forget about it!"
This was an indirect refusal. Li Chuan frowned, but then thought it over—people do have the right to refuse. This transfer order had never been discussed with Shen ng, who was not a governnt employee but a regular worker, albeit now the director of the Head Flower Factory, she was still a free individual.
But she was indeed very capable. Over the past few months, she had negotiated several major deals for Ning County, and was currently in talks for an expansion project for the food processing factory. They planned to allocate a People’s Commune specifically for fruit tree cultivation, promising future revenues.
It was not that they hadn’t considered asking others to negotiate, but those they sent were either too arrogant or lacked the shrewdness and flexibility needed. Only when Shen ng stepped in did the nearly botched deals get secured.
Among them was the fact that many were good at talking big on paper, but when it ca to actually getting important things done, no one was willing to take responsibility.
Otherwise, he would not have convened with the county leaders to decide to appoint Shen ng as Secretary General of the Revolutionary Committee and Director of the Research Office.
Shen ng didn’t consider the unresolved matter a big deal. Qi Mingyue and Aunt Chang had prepared the al and were urging everyone to eat quickly before the kids got too full on snacks.
Sure enough, as soon as Bao Guo saw everyone sitting down to eat and slled the delicious food, he started waving his little hands, making sounds to express his desire to eat as well.
Qi Mingyue took a small bowl for him, containing a mix of millet and rice, topped with a bit of minced at and stead egg. Before the spoon even reached him, his little mouth was already wide open.
The children, including Mingyang, couldn’t help but laugh.
After finishing the al and sitting for a while, Shen ng took her children and left.
Qi Mingyue put Bao Guo to sleep, then brought a cup of hot tea to Li Chuan’s study.
"How are things? I noticed you were preoccupied while eating. Couldn’t reach an agreent with Xiao ng?"
"This Shen ng is too shrewd, quite unlike the countryside won I’ve heard about before. She doesn’t want to be constrained by the County Governnt, and aims to be a free consultant instead. This seriously puts in a tough spot."
"Old Li, don’t take it the wrong way, but I felt it was inappropriate from the start when you all had this idea. Xiao ng has also worked hard for Ning County, putting in money, effort, and ideas. We’ve all been getting along without issues, and it’s all for making Ning County a better place. Now that you’re up for promotion, and the old folks at the county have benefited from it, although Shen ng got a raise, if you really think about it, didn’t she deserve it? In all this ti, what significant contribution hasn’t she made? You expect the horse to gallop but don’t want to let it graze. How is that possible? I think you should just agree to her demands."
"Woman’s perspective."
Li Chuan said this and made Qi Mingyue so furious she practically fell backward. How could this be just a woman’s perspective? She was a director too, how could he talk to her like that!
"Li Chuan, don’t forget that Shen ng is not like you bunch of n, she’s a woman. The fact that she has made it this far is incredible already. She’s been neglecting her ho and family daily to work—was it for money, fa, or personal gain? After such a long while, has she ever made any demands? All the benefits have gone to you guys; she’s the one who’s been through the hardship. Nobody would be happy about this, and she has children too. She can’t just risk her life for nothing. Most importantly, will Lu Zhenping agree? Is Lu Zhenping easy to deal with? He’s about to retire from active duty soon, and with his connections and achievents, the position of the chief of the Provincial City Police Station is almost a sure thing. If he later moves Shen ng and the children to the Provincial City, your regrets will be useless. And let tell you, there are people in the Provincial City who are interested in poaching Shen ng. You better think it through!"
After saying her piece, Qi Mingyue turned and left the study, slamming the door shut behind her. The loud sound startled Bao Guo, who was asleep, into wailing loudly. Li Chuan clicked his tongue twice and called out, "Hurry up and soothe Bao Guo, bring his soul back, don’t scare the child."
"Mind your own business!"
Li Chuan was rebuffed with that remark and, feeling embarrassed, touched his nose.
Shen ng wandered around the county town with the children for a while longer, buying so trinkets for them, before taking them ho.
She was confident that Li Chuan would agree to her demands because, after all, she wasn’t asking for power or money; she was actually easing their burden, which was very conscientious of her.
Today’s conversation wasn’t long, but it was ntally exhausting. The ride back on the bumpy ox cart made her uncomfortable, and she crawled into bed and fell asleep not long after. Worried, Ming Fang stayed by her side.
The other three children took care of themselves, drawing water to wash clothes and sweep the floor.
Shen ng didn’t wake up until the evening. Before she even stepped out of her room, she saw Yong Qiang and Yong Li crying and running over, wailing even louder upon seeing her.
"Elder aunt, my dad is going to beat my mom to death, wuu wuu, my mom has already taken a bad beating."
"Wuu wuu wuu, elder aunt, please save my mom, save my mom, wuu wuu wuu, my dad is too awful. Just too awful."
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