Riding the wind of rebirth

"At least I made it back before the last batch of osmanthus blossoms faded. Osmanthus and the moon are the perfect match..."

"It smells really nice," Mai Xiaomiao said with a smile. "Why do osmanthus and the moon go so well together?"

Asking this question means it's time for class to start.

Soon, Mai Xiaomiao learned that there were Chang'e, Wu Gang, a toad, a rabbit, and an osmanthus tree on the moon, making it very lively.

This is just a story from the Han Chinese. In the Yi ethnic group, the story is a different one. The hero Axi shot down six of the seven suns and six of the seven moons. The remaining suns and moons were terrified and dared not come out again.

So the Yi people asked the Bimo (shaman) to invite them by offering delicious cakes and steamed buns on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. Only then did the sun and moon reappear in the sky, and this day later became the Yi people's festival—the Sun and Moon Festival.

Later, a girl named Zimo Lingza was skilled at weaving, and the flowers on her fabrics were so lifelike that they attracted butterflies and bees. The white clouds in the sky told the moon fairy about this.

The Moon Fairy then asked Mother Moon to build a rainbow bridge to bring Zimo Lingza to the heavens to teach the fairy how to weave. After learning for forty-nine days, the fairy still hadn't finished learning, so she felt very ashamed and wanted to give the Moon Palace to Zimo Lingza.

Zimo Lingza declined the fairy's offer, but was moved by her humility, and only agreed to become the daughter of Mother Moon.

Finally, Mother Moon agreed, and Zimo Lingza stayed in the Moon Palace, becoming the Moon's daughter.

“I’m so stupid.” Mai Xiaomiao leaned her head close to Zhou Zhi’s ear: “I can’t sing, I can’t play guitar, I can’t cook, and I can’t sew.”

“You’re saying there are plenty of people in the world who can do these things. But what you can do, there are very few people in the world who can do it.” Zhou Zhi gently kissed Mai Xiaomiao: “After all, even God can’t be too biased, can he?”

“Xinyi and Yexin are both so pretty.” Mai Xiaomiao fiddled with Zhou Zhi’s fingers. “And Tingting, I’ve noticed that the girls in your hometown all have such big eyes.”

"Perhaps it's because the ancient Shu people left behind more genes," Zhou Zhi said with a smile. "The ancient Shu people had a worship of protruding eyes; I wonder if that's the reason."

“Who’s talking about this?” Mai Xiaomiao raised Zhou Zhi’s hand and looked at the moon through Zhou Zhi’s fingers.

“Xiao Miao is also very pretty. Not only pretty, but also smart. You’re learning the guqin very quickly, aren’t you?” Zhou Zhi said with a smile. “Besides, their kind of beauty only makes people keep their distance, unlike our Xiao Miao’s beauty, which naturally brings a sense of approachability, making everyone like to get close to her. Hmm, I still prefer your kind.”

"You're just trying to make people happy." Mai Xiaomiao laughed.

"Let's go back and rest. It'll only be a few more days before we get dew in Liangshan."

The two got up very early the next day, mainly because they were scared by the crowds in the county town the day before and just wanted to get out of town as soon as possible.

Once we left Meigu County, we picked up speed and could already see a steady stream of villagers heading towards the county town.

Around noon, the Defender drove past the Agricultural Science Academy base again, and Tu Liangzhi stood at the intersection of the newly built town government building, waving to them.

As soon as the car stopped, Tu Liangzhi came over and opened the door: "You're finally back! Let me introduce you to the new cadres." "They've all arrived?" Zhou Zhi jumped out of the car: "The county is moving pretty fast."

"Hello, Uncle Tu!" Mai Xiaomiao jumped down from the other side and hugged Tu Liangzhi: "We rushed back to celebrate the New Year!"

"Hehehe... There are still two weeks until the New Year." Tu Liangzhi patted the girl on the back happily: "But what Xiao Miao said is right, we should start preparing in advance."

After saying that, he turned to Zhou Zhi and said, "Not everyone is here. The deputy secretary and the mayor are here, oh, and the treasurer is here too. The rest of the people are still preparing. Come on, let me introduce you."

This government building was originally built according to the layout of a township government, but as an absolute affirmation of the township's work over the past two years, the higher authorities decided to upgrade Lianhe Township to a joint town, and include the surrounding villages of Jiukou, Shamarada, and Wazu into the town's administrative plan.

Consequently, the main building of the township government was expanded by two floors, becoming a two-story building on both sides and a four-story building in the middle.

The secretary's meeting room on the fourth floor is spacious and bright, but it is not yet furnished. There are no curtains or anything, and the conference table is not yet in place. The current setup is more like a small classroom.

However, there was a map behind it, roughly an administrative map of Lianhe Township. Zhou Zhi noticed a winding road marked with black and white stripes next to Wazu Township: "Huh? There's actually a railway there?"

“There are three small stations there, Xinliang, Wazu, and Shamarada. The train will make three or four zigzags there. The villagers walk down the hillside, which is faster than the train. They can encounter the same train three or four times along the way.”

Zhou Zhi nodded. That place was quite famous, once a hotspot for train theft. Stealing from freight trains was rampant in that area, and there was even a major incident where a rocket gyroscope was stolen, causing a launch delay.

However, the situation only improved after the railway police launched a crackdown following that incident.

“This is Sha Luo, the town mayor who was transferred from Wazu Township,” Tu Liangzhi introduced to Zhou Zhi. “This is Liu Zhigang, the deputy secretary who came down from the county to help us.”

Shaluo is an Yi ethnic minority member with dark skin, but he has a rare square face, which is uncommon among Yi people. Standing next to Tu Liangzhi, they look like father and son. When Shaluo shook hands with Zhou Zhi, Zhou Zhi felt that Shaluo was strong and powerful: "Hello, Comrade Zhou. I've been here to learn these past few days. I'm amazed by the tremendous changes you've brought to Lianhe Town in the past two years!"

Liu Zhigang also came up and shook hands with Zhou Zhi: "Yes, Lianhe Township has flourished in the past two years and has a rich foundation. Secretary Tu said that it all started when a student parked his car at the entrance of the grain station and asked about the old Bimo of Lianhe Township. This is your true destiny with Lianhe Township!"

Both men were clearly quite skilled at speaking. Once everyone was seated at the simple desk, Tu Liangzhi said, "I'm usually so busy that I only have a general idea of ​​our township's assets. The finance department has been trying to figure it out for a week now, and they still haven't been able to get it all together. This is all thanks to your abilities, Zhouzi!"

"No, no." Zhou Zhi quickly waved his hand: "I usually just offer suggestions; everything is done together by everyone."

“However, I have a planning map of Lianhe Township on my computer,” Zhou Zhi said. “It would be more intuitive for everyone to take stock of the area by looking at the specific map.”

"Then quickly call Xiao Sun back," Tu Liangzhi said. "He's the only one who knows how to use a computer right now."

“He’s at the pig farm, I’ll go call him.” Sharo immediately stood up.

"Tell him to go directly to Hailai Ayi's restaurant. We'll give Zhouzi and Xiaomiao a welcome-back dinner first!" Tu Liangzhi said. (End of Chapter)