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墨書 Inktalez
No matter how well any relative or friend is doing, one should never feel jealous; it brings no benefit and can easily harm relationships.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Hu Ruoyun's family gathered again at her grandmother and grandfather's home, along with Second Aunt and her younger aunt.
After the events of the past six months, Zhang Yang's younger aunt had become much more reserved. Upon arriving at her maternal family's home, she set down the large bags of New Year gifts, tied on an apron, and joined her sisters-in-law and older sisters in the kitchen, busying herself without uttering any trivial nonsense.
When it came time to distribute the red envelopes, her attitude was particularly enthusiastic. She handed each of Chunsheng and Chuncao a brand new "Steelworker" five-yuan note from the third series of Renminbi, saying, "Take these! San Gu has made up for the last two years!" This delighted her little nephew and niece immensely.
This year, during the harvest of wheat and autumn crops, Sister-in-law drove a tractor loaded with all necessary equipment. Second Brother-in-law and Brother-in-law Three also rushed over. Compared to previous years, they worked harder but saved a lot of effort. Additionally, Sister-in-law repaid part of the debts owed to each family, especially those owed to her father-in-law. Hu Ruoyun's aunt-in-law finally felt a weight lifted off her shoulders... With a clear mind and no worries, her perspective broadened, allowing her to celebrate the New Year with joy.
This time, the entire family gathered together in an atmosphere of unprecedented harmony and happiness. The men drank two bottles of baijiu, and even Hu Ruoyun's grandfather had a bit too much.
As they were leaving, Hu Ruoyun's mother Zhao Meirong quietly slipped a hundred yuan bill into her mother's waistband. Although her grandmother insisted on refusing it, Zhao Meirong said, "Just take it! Buy whatever you want to eat with your father; don’t hold back. Chunsheng and Chuncao are here; buy them whatever they need... Our family's situation has improved!"
Is there truly such a thing as unfilial children? Perhaps there are some, but we have reason to believe that in this era, most so-called "unfilial" behavior is driven by life's necessities.
In the Records of the Grand Historian: "When granaries are full, people know etiquette; when clothing and food are sufficient, people know honor and disgrace." Doesn’t that convey a similar meaning?
As the tractor drove off into the distance, Hu Ruoyun could still see her grandmother testing her eyesight with her sleeve; this time it was definitely not out of sadness.
Theoretically speaking, after the Spring Festival, Hu Ruoyun would turn sixteen years old—seventeen by rural standards.
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Hu Ruoyun’s fifth-grade homeroom teacher Shao Jianguo came to visit. Teacher Shao was there to propose a marriage.
According to him, the girl was Zhang Meina, daughter of the Party Secretary from Pingbei Township’s Zhangjiazai village. She was the same age as Hu Ruoyun—attractive and tall—and currently studying at Annan County Experimental High School in the same grade as Hu Ruoyun.
He even took out a group photo from the 1990 graduating class of Pingbei Township Middle School and pointed to a tall girl in bright clothes with short hair in the back row saying, “Qihua Ge and Qihua Sao, look at this girl—her name is Zhang Meina.”
Teacher Shao also mentioned that Zhang's family had a son named Zhang Ling who graduated from Jiangbei University and stayed in the provincial capital; he was now deputy director at a street office in South District.
Teacher Shao shared Hu Ruoyun's situation briefly with Zhang’s Party Secretary while emphasizing his "exceptional talent," omitting details about his average height or looks or their family's ordinary circumstances.
Since Teacher Shao and Zhang’s Party Secretary were classmates from years ago—there’s a saying that "classmates are like family"—it was clear that there was no ill intent in this introduction. They agreed that both families could get to know each other better.
Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua expressed some concerns: “But our family conditions can’t compare…”
Teacher Shao reassured them confidently: “That doesn’t matter! My classmate said it’s mainly about how the children are doing. With our Hu Ruoyun around, things will definitely turn out well. For now, let’s just gather some information so you have an idea.”
"The main thing people care about is still the person, Hu Ruoyun."
Who doesn't have a sense of vanity?
Being able to form a family connection with the village cadre means that the Hu Family's reputation is changing. Moreover, there is also an older brother working in the Provincial Capital. Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua had no reason to refuse, so they immediately agreed and even wanted Hu Ruoyun to dress up and take a photo at the Township photography studio for Shao Jianguo.
Shao Jianguo said, "No need to take a new one; the latest issue of Story Collection has a photo of Hu Ruoyun. I've already shown it to them."
Since Hu Ruoyun's Humanity's Forbidden Island began serialization in Story Collection, it has received a good response. Many readers wrote to the Editorial Department wanting to know more about the author. The editor wrote a letter to Hu Ruoyun discussing the situation and specifically included a "creative" suggestion regarding photos. Thus, a photo of Hu Ruoyun "lost in thought" was born.
In the photo, Hu Ruoyun sits under a grape trellis with a stone table in front of her. On the table are a cup of tea and a pen lying across a stack of manuscript paper. Holding a book, Hu Ruoyun gazes deeply, lost in thought...
A lot of effort went into this photo; Shaoying changed the scenery and outfits countless times and even invited a hairstylist from Township who supposedly studied in Jiangcheng to style her hair: it was parted down the middle, styled with mousse, and she wore a white shirt, vest, and small blazer. If you didn't look at her face, she could easily be mistaken for one of the Four Heavenly Kings!
After the photo was developed, even Hu Ruoyun felt that she looked quite "stylish" in it.
Later on, this photo was enlarged and framed by Shaoying's photography studio and the hairstylist's salon called "Looking Back," showcasing it as their model.
In reality, whether from her family background or her own conditions, Hu Ruoyun felt inferior but deeply longed for recognition.
On the sixteenth day of the first month in 1992 according to the Lunar Calendar, schools reopened.
Hu Ruoyun returned to school; life continued as usual. Her studies were still mediocre but hadn’t significantly declined.
Playing basketball with Mao Jie, he didn’t seem very happy.
Hu Ruoyun asked him, "What's bothering you?"
Mao Jie pulled her to a corner of the court and sat down. "My dad looks worried every day, making our whole family unhappy..."
It turned out that Gaoqiao Town's two projects—the 'White Project' and 'Modern Commercial Street Development'—had one failed and one aborted, causing a negative impact in the county. Mao Weiguo was appointed under pressure but had no new development ideas in such a short time.
Last year's ranking saw Gaoqiao Town drop seven places! Mayor Mao was under tremendous pressure.
During this time, county leaders continuously pointed out that Gaoqiao Town's economy was developing slowly! "The governing ability of the team needs improvement!"
Such evaluations made Mayor Mao restless.
In January, the county Business Bureau announced its investment attraction tasks for the year: an overall target of 80 million yuan for the county, with Gaoqiao Town allocated 3 million!
This only added to Mayor Mao’s worries.
Mayor Mao's mood also affected his entire family's emotions.
Whether for Mao Jie or Sister Mona, as someone who had been through similar experiences, Hu Ruoyun wanted to help Mayor Mao!
He desperately tried to think about what achievements Annan County had made in terms of "foresight," hoping to "borrow" or "adapt" them for Gaoqiao Town and Mayor Mao. Of course, there were no "golden fingers" here; such matters could not be rushed.
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