Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

In the morning, a Phoenix brand 26-inch bicycle sped along the street.

The temperature difference between day and night is large in Yuanxi. The morning wind is particularly cool, and it gets so cool that it seeps into your collar and straight down your neck.

Li Xiangqian sat on the back seat like a crab, his long legs raised, one hand holding onto the frame, the other holding a hard-boiled egg, trying to put it in his mouth.

"Slow down, slow down, why are you in such a hurry? I'm going to work, not to be reborn. My balls are practically falling apart."

Runye pedaled hard, staring straight ahead.

"Deliver it early so we can continue our conversation about the extramarital affair."

Li Xiangqian almost choked on half an egg yolk in his mouth.

"Just kidding! Let's talk about books, Anna Karenina."

"A book specifically about extramarital affairs?"

Runye didn't even turn her head.

"Then I'll borrow it and take a look too."

"you……"

Li Xiangqian opened his mouth, but realized that he couldn't respond to this topic no matter how he tried, so he simply stuffed the whole hard-boiled egg into his mouth and remained silent.

Upon arriving at the cultural center, Runye dropped him off and left.

Li Xiangqian suddenly remembered something and was about to speak when Runye's bicycle had already turned out of the cultural center's courtyard.

……

The cultural center was unusually quiet today.

Li Xiangqian went into the studio first, and only Lao Yang was sitting there.

He was still the same as always, head down copying materials. Except when he was drinking tea, half of his face was visible; the rest of the time, his head seemed to be glued to the table. Even without his face, he exuded an aura that made everyone feel like they owed him two hundred yuan. Old Yang alone could bring the atmosphere in the entire studio to freezing point.

Li Xiangqian glanced at it but didn't go in.

He turned and went to the business office.

The business office was empty except for Sister Sun. Du Zhengxian's office door was closed, and no one was inside. Du Lili was nowhere to be seen either. Xiao Zhao was also absent.

Are you all late?

Is it finally time to implement the cultural center's usual operating hours?

Just as Li Xiangqian felt a sense of relief, Sister Sun suddenly looked up and saw Li Xiangqian acting suspiciously, touching and looking around furtively.

"Comrade Xiangqian, what are you still doing here?" Sister Sun asked in surprise.

"Where should I be?"

"You didn't know? The people from the Huangyuan Poetry Society arrived last night and are staying at the county guesthouse. Lili said there are a lot of people from Huangyuan this time, even Jia Bing, the editor-in-chief of Huangyuan Literature and Art, came. There are also quite a few people from Yuanxi, and Old Yang's son went too."

"After saying all that, what's next?"

"Oh dear, Director Du went to accompany Comrade Huang Yuan early this morning, and Lili went too. This discussion was originally scheduled to be held at our cultural center, but there were too many people and not enough seats, so it was moved to the auditorium of the county revolutionary committee. Xiao Zhao went there early this morning to help with the setup."

"Didn't we agree on tonight? Why the time has been changed again?"

"The time hasn't changed. But the comrades from Huangyuan have come all this way; they want to visit and have a meal. Director Du is hosting a lunch for the comrades from Huangyuan at the Revolutionary Committee's canteen. If you go now, you'll definitely make it in time."

Li Xiangqian glanced at the clock on the wall.

9:15.

Why rush over there? To move chairs or tables? Or just to mooch a carb-heavy meal?

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard the sound of a bicycle braking sharply outside.

The tire screeched as it scraped against the ground in the yard.

"Li Xiangqian!"

Du Lili's voice was so loud that the dust on the ceiling of the cave dwelling fell down in a flurry.

……

Li Xiangqian sat on the back of Du Lili's bicycle, the wind blowing from both sides, turning his hair into a handsome bird's nest shape.

The county revolutionary committee and the cultural center were not far apart, only a ten-minute walk apart, and Du Lili pedaled very fast.

"Do all women from Yuanxi ride bikes this fast?"

"Editor-in-Chief Jia of Huangyuan Literature and Art also came. Director Feng arranged for Director Ma and my father to receive them together. This was a grand occasion, with all the well-known cultural workers in Huangyuan coming. It can be said that... it can be said that a gathering of heroes."

Du Lili was a little out of breath.

"What 'gathering of heroes'? Let's have a meeting, radish!"

Du Lili turned around and glared at him before riding her bike directly into the compound of the county revolutionary committee.

The county revolutionary committee's compound was much more impressive than the cultural center. It was a two-story brick building with a small cement square in front of it, where the only three jeeps and two Jiefang brand trucks in the former Xixian County were parked. An old man from the gatehouse stood at the entrance, and when he saw Du Lili riding in on her bicycle, he nodded but didn't stop her.

"The meeting venue has been changed to the auditorium of the County Revolutionary Committee. Go and help Xiao Zhao set up the venue first."

"I hate the auditorium."

"Go quickly."

"And what about you?"

"I am a member of the Huangyuan Poetry Society, so I have to go and accompany them."

As Du Lili spoke, she quickly set up the car.

"Is it too late to join your poetry club now?"

"Hurry, go!"

Du Lili roared, and Li Xiangqian felt as if the top of his head was about to fall off.

"Go away, don't be in such a hurry to eat me."

Li Xiangqian dashed off towards the auditorium.

The auditorium of the county revolutionary committee is on the second floor to the left. Go up the stairs, turn through a corridor with slogans, and push open two wooden doors.

It's called an auditorium, but it's really just a large conference room. It was used for a performance when Miao Kai inspected the area a few days ago.

The auditorium was a mess. Several workers were dismantling the performance stage that Miao Kai had erected during his inspection, carrying away the timber piece by piece. The golden wheat wave backdrop that Xiao Zhao had painted a few days ago was still standing behind it, now covered with a new red banner.

"Symposium on Poetry Creation and Literature Direction in Huangyuan Area"

Under the banner is Teacher Zhao. Teacher Zhao is standing on a wobbly wooden stool, craning his neck to write and draw in the blank space of the backdrop.

What a vibrant, bustling, and chaotic scene!

I don't want to go in just by looking at it.

Li Xiangqian stood at the door for two seconds, then lifted his leg to leave.

"Brother-in-law?"

Suddenly, a head popped out from under a row of tables in the auditorium, with two braids swinging back and forth on its head.

Li Xiangqian stopped in his tracks.

not good.

Li Xiangqian pretended not to hear and walked quickly outside, silently chanting, "You didn't see me, you didn't see me, you didn't see me."

"Brother-in-law!"

Tian Xiaoxia rushed over like a gust of wind and grabbed Li Xiangqian, who had only taken a few steps.

"Brother-in-law, you're here too!"

You're quick-witted and agile; I hope you can swim just as fast!

Li Xiangqian silently complained to himself.

"Oh, Xiaoxia. What are you doing here?"

Li Xiangqian immediately put on an expression as if he had just noticed her.

"I'm here to attend the literary discussion of the Huangyuan Poetry Society."

"You arrived quite early."

"Come and lend a hand. Brother-in-law, you're here quite early too."

"Hmm, I came over to see if there's anything I can help with."

Li Xiangqian put his hands in his pockets and looked into the auditorium.

Yes, yes!

Without saying a word, Tian Xiaoxia grabbed Li Xiangqian's arm and pulled him into the auditorium, then pointed to a pile of messy tables and chairs.

"These all need to be rearranged. Sister Lili said that this is a discussion, a symposium, so we can't arrange them in rows like a large meeting. We need to arrange them in a square circle."

After saying that, she turned around and shouted at a young man who was carrying a table with his head down.

"Yang Sen! This is my brother-in-law, Li Xiangqian."

The young man called Yang Sen straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He was in his early twenties, with a habitually furrowed brow and a downturned mouth. He smiled at Li Xiangqian as a greeting.

He's a spitting image of the second Old Yang.

"Old Yang's son from the creative team?"

Li Xiangqian asked.

Tian Xiaoxia nodded.

"He also studied at Huangyuan Teachers College. I think his father was in the creative group of your cultural center."

"His dad and I are colleagues, so does he have to call me 'uncle'?"

Tian Xiaoxia laughed: "Haha, you can't act like an old man." After saying that, she put her hands on her hips and looked around the auditorium.

"Brother-in-law, you and Yang Sen move these tables to both sides, leaving the middle empty, so we can arrange them in a square for us to sit around. I'll go find a broom and sweep the floor again."

"..."

So he's already in command?