Chapter 28: First Encounter with Tang Wanrou

  On the fourth day of the first month, Xu Shaojie got up early and went out for a walk as usual. The air in the countryside was very good in the morning, but there was fog on winter mornings, so Xu Shaojie didn't dare to go far. Every household had fed their watchdogs, and if he wasn't careful, he might get bitten by a dog, which would be unlucky. Liu Xiaomei's sister-in-law was very careful and asked her eldest son to accompany Xu Shaojie, making sure nothing happened. Rural people thought that university students were stars in the sky, and Xu Shaojie was a student from a famous university, so it went without saying.

  On the third day of the first month, Liu Xiaomei's father took out the cigarettes brought by Xu Yijie and Xu Shaojie. Because Liu Xiaomei had returned home, there were many guests in the house, so she quickly stopped him. Only then did the family know that this Ashima cigarette cost 50 yuan per pack and 5 yuan per box. Liu Xiaomei's sister-in-law was relatively smart and hurriedly put away all the gifts they brought back, understanding that what they brought were good things, but rural people didn't know, so it would be a waste if they didn't appreciate them.

  Now, a family has long recognized Xu Yijie, under such conditions, Liu Xiaomei has fallen into the pit of good fortune.

  When Xujiaojie came back, there were guests in the main room. Xujiaojie saw that Liu Xiaomei's elder brother was holding a pack of Ashima cigarettes, and his sister-in-law was on one side, while Liu Xiaomei's father was accompanying them. Xu Yijie had not gotten up yet.

  "Here comes, here comes."

  As soon as Xu Shaojie came in, the whole family breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, Liu Xiaomei came out of the room.

  "Shao Jie, this is Liu Secretary from our village, he has come specifically to see you."

  Xu Shaojie went forward and shook hands with Village Secretary Liu, feeling that Secretary Liu's hand was not so rough.

  "Hello Secretary Liu, I'm also a party member, joined in freshman year, and you're still my leader."

  "Oh no, I don't dare say that. You're a university student and will work in the city in the future, eating at public expense. I'm a rural person, our identities are different."

  Xu Shaojie didn't say a word, pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his body, handed one to Secretary Liu, and also lit one for Liu Xiaomei's father and older brother. Secretary Liu obviously knew this brand of cigarette, carefully accepted it, and held it in his hand.

  "Hehe, I won't be polite then. Let's just call you Shao Jie. Today, I came to invite you, Yi Jie, and Xiao Mei's family to come over to my place for dinner. I have a niece who is also in college, she arrived home yesterday and heard that you guys were here, she said she must meet you all. Shao Jie, I heard from Xiao Mei that everyone listens to you, so don't think about not going, okay?"

  "Obedience is better than sacrifice, we will definitely go."

  "Alright, alright, I'll go back and make good preparations at home."

  At this moment, Xu Yijie also got up. Xu Shaojie hurriedly called over Xu Yijie and took the car key to send off Secretary Liu. Secretary Liu repeatedly declined, but Xu Shaojie saw that he really wanted to take a ride in the small car.

  The village road is not bad, although it's all dirt roads, but since there are no cars, small vehicles can still pass through. The terrain in the village is flat, so even if you press against the fields next to it, nobody will say anything. Xu Shaojie sent Liu Secretary to his destination and didn't get out of the car. He faintly saw a white shadow flash by.

  The first time visiting someone's home, it is necessary to bring gifts. In the trunk of the car, there were several packs of cigarettes and a few bottles of good wine, which Zhang Shaocai had casually thrown in as spares for any occasion. Now they came in handy. After discussing with each other, Xu Shaojie and Xu Yijie took out two packs of Aesma cigarettes and two bottles of wine, and packed them into bags. Such gifts were rarely seen in rural areas.

  Two people told Liu Xiaomei's family that they didn't need to prepare gifts anymore, as everything was already prepared. Xu Shaojie noticed that Liu Xiaomei's sister-in-law let out a sigh of relief and secretly smiled. Women wouldn't go out, there were still guests coming home, and meals needed to be cooked. So several big men, plus Liu Xiaomei and a few small children, went directly to Secretary Liu's house. In the countryside, visiting was usually done in one day. Xu Shaojie drove, while Xu Yijie and a few kids walked.

  When Xujiaojie arrived at Secretary Liu's home, Xuyijie and others had been sitting for a while, warming themselves by the fire in the main room. The conditions in Secretary Liu's home were slightly better, the table in the main room was spotless, and the chairs everyone sat on were also clean. Secretary Liu came forward to greet him, hastily offering Xujiaojie a cigarette, which was a brand he had never seen before.

  "Wanyu, all the guests have arrived, hurry up and come out to greet them."

  A girl wearing a white sweater appeared in front of everyone, Xu Shaojie felt his eyes were a little dizzy. Since breaking up with Zheng Yuxin, Xu Shaojie had locked his heart tightly. He thought that college students' romance was unrealistic and had no material basis, relying on romantic cognition, it would be difficult to have a good result in the end.

  The girl was extremely beautiful, with fair skin, big eyes, double eyelids, and a small dimple at the corner of her mouth. Her long hair fluttered as she appeared in front of everyone, and then she looked directly at Xu Shaojie. The girl seemed very confident, stretching out her hand to Xu Shaojie.

  "Hello, I'm Tang Wanyu, a freshman at Xishan Public Security Specialized College."

  "Hello, I'm Xu Shaojie, a sophomore majoring in Chinese at Xilin University."

  "I know you're still a party member, I've heard that you joined the party in your freshman year."

  Tang Wanrou seemed a bit confident, and when she shook hands with Xu Shaojie, she used some force. Xu Shaojie felt that Tang Wanrou's hand was very soft, and he found it strange. Such a beautiful girl, why would she choose to enter the Public Security Academy? Generally speaking, girls rarely enter this academy.

  "It's strange, few girls read public security professional books, my dad is a police officer, so I've admired the police since I was young, and my greatest wish is to be a people's police."

  "Congratulations, you've got what you wanted."

  Tang Wanrou's next words left Xu Shaojie stunned.

  "Xu Shaojie, we haven't eaten yet, let's go out for a walk, how about it? I just learned to drive and want to try driving, can you teach me, is there a problem?"

  Xu Yijie hastily stood up and handed the car key to Xu Shaojie.

  "Okay, I'm not very familiar with this either, you're a cop, I don't have a driver's license, don't arrest me!"

  "Hehe, I don't have one either, no need to be afraid, whoever wants to catch me, I have a student ID."

  Tang Wanrou's driving skills are quite average and can't be compared to Xu Shaojie. Xu Shaojie has practiced a lot, in the provincial city, he was already very skilled at driving early on, if not for thinking about being a student, getting a driver's license would have had a bad influence, so he got one earlier. Tang Wanrou obviously only tried it out in school, looking at Tang Wanrou's posture, Xu Shaojie is somewhat suspicious that Tang Wanrou treated the small car like a motorcycle.

  "Xu Shaojie, you'd better get your hands moving and teach me how to drive."

  "Tang Wanrou, didn't you say you could drive?"

  "Right, I can ride a motorcycle."

  Xu Shaojie was almost struck by lightning, this Tang Wanjou, her courage is not ordinary, thinking that driving a small car is fun, this is in the countryside, if it were in the county town, Xu Shaojie would have fainted long ago.

  "Come on, I'm a Party member, I'm not afraid of death, what are you afraid of when I drive?"

  Xu Shaojie really couldn't think of anything good to say, yeah, if you're not even afraid of death, what else would you be afraid of?

  "This is Tang Wanrou, motorcycles and scooters are still different, the clutch, brakes, and throttle of a scooter are all on the foot, and the hands only grasp the handlebars."

  "Even a kid knows that when I was in high school, I tried to drive and ended up crashing into a flowerbed. My dad wouldn't let me drive after that."

  "It's just a flower stand."

  Xu Shaojie couldn't help but mutter under his breath, no wonder Tang Wanrou was able to drive the car away.

  "Xu Shaojie, what are you talking about? Teaching me how to drive?"

  Tang Wanrou released her grip on the steering wheel, shaking Xu Shaojie who was sitting in the driver's seat. Xu Shaojie was so startled that his face changed color and he quickly grabbed the steering wheel. At this moment, if Tang Wanrou accidentally stepped on the accelerator, they would both be in trouble. Neither of them noticed as their lips touched lightly. As Xu Shaojie thought about grabbing the steering wheel, Tang Wanrou's face suddenly turned red.

  Xu Shaojie hastily turned off the ignition, thinking that there might be a storm.

  "This, Tang Wanrou, I didn't mean to, sorry."

  Xu Shaojie would be better off not saying this, but now that he has spoken out, he's really asking for trouble.

  "Hum, you're playing tricks on me, speak up, how are you planning to resolve this matter?"

  "I, I really didn't mean it, you say what to do and I'll do it, I'll listen to you."

  Tang Wanrou's face showed a sly smile, her face was no longer red.

  "This way, you accompany me today, teach me how to drive. I must get familiar with it. If I'm not familiar with it, you're not allowed to leave."

  Xu Shaojie felt heartache, but there was no way out. This car, which had been driven for over a year, was still in good condition, yet it would now suffer at the hands of Tang Wanrou, and he would have to assist on the side.

  When going back to eat, Xu Yijie discovered that Tang Wanrou was walking in front of her, relaxed and carefree. Xu Shaojie followed behind, sweating profusely and looking dejected. Xu Yijie had no idea that in order to teach Tang Wanrou how to drive, Xu Shaojie had tried every method, carefully considering each word. Since Xu Shaojie wasn't very familiar with the theory, he could only speak based on his own feelings. As Tang Wanrou was a girl, Xu Shaojie didn't dare make any physical contact and had to be extra careful. He couldn't believe that driving school instructors taught in such a way. What's more infuriating was that Tang Wanrou wasn't grateful, and whenever she slightly didn't understand something, she would scold Xu Shaojie, leaving him feeling embarrassed. In just two short hours of interaction, Xu Shaojie had felt the full force of Tang Wanrou's overbearing personality. No wonder she went to study at a public security vocational college.

  At dinner, Xu Shaojie's mind was preoccupied with leaving as soon as possible. Tang Wanrou had basically gotten used to driving and originally had a certain foundation. Staying with such a girl made Xu Shaojie unbearable. He recalled the definition men have for beautiful but temperamental girls: thorny roses.

  "Xu Shaojie, we still have a while before lunch this afternoon, let's go out and take a walk."

  Xu Yijie saw Xu Shaojie shrink his neck, and the expression on his face was very strange.

  "Xu Shaojie, I'll remember you. Next time when I go to Xilin for school, I'll often look for you. You have a car in Xilin City, and the license plate is from Xilin City too. Don't make me unable to find you."

  Xu Shaojie regretted it, why come to eat such a meal, asking for trouble.

  At noon, it was a simple meal, and in the afternoon, it was a formal banquet. Secretary Liu brought out white wine, which was a high-proof baijiu made from wheat. Xu Yijie and Xu Shaojie did not decline, following local customs. Xu Shaojie had an axe to grind but couldn't express his anger towards Tang Wanrou sitting across from him. So he kept offering Secretary Liu a toast, unfortunately, Secretary Liu was quite capable of drinking, and Xu Shaojie found himself no match for him. Xu Yijie just made a gesture, saying he would drive back afterwards.

  Xu Shaojie didn't know how he got back.

  On the fifth day of the first month, Xu Yijie and Xu Shaojie were going to leave early. Liu Xiaomei also followed them because she wanted to go with them to the provincial city. Xu Shaojie thought about leaving early, afraid of seeing Tang Wanjun. This girl's name sounds gentle, but in reality, it's far from that.

  When the car started, Xu Shaojie saw Tang Wanrou. The weather was very cold, and Tang Wanrou stood far away, waving at him with a gesture that blended in with nature, looking so beautiful. Xu Shaojie suddenly had a different feeling.

  After returning home, Han Qing'e continued to take care of Liu Xiaomei. The conditions in the county seat were much better, and Xu Shaojie felt that his experiences over the past few days had been somewhat unreal. The harsh conditions in the countryside made Xu Shaojie realize that being an official was not just about personal advancement and position, but also about caring for the people's livelihoods, which is the right thing to do.

  On the tenth day of the first month, Xu Yijie, Xu Shaojie and Liu Xiaomei left the county town to go to school. Xu Lan had already gone to class. Between relatives, the two brothers did not move around much, basically Xu Lan went.