Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

In the corridor outside the conference room, the light bulbs were replaced with the highest wattage bulbs, illuminating the entire corridor brightly.

Du Zhengxian nervously rubbed his hands, craning his neck to peek into the conference room every now and then. The door was ajar, and bursts of hearty laughter, mixed with a strong Yuanxi accent, could be heard from inside. Then he turned around to carefully inspect the exhibits on both sides of the corridor.

Old Gao's revolutionary stories in Yuanxi were compiled into text and illustrations, which were framed and filled both sides of the corridor.

Du Zhengxian then called Xiao Zhao over.

There's dust on the glass. Let's fill a basin with water and wipe it again.

Just as Xiao Zhao was carrying the basin away, Du Zhengxian called out to Li Xiangqian again.

"This painting is crooked. Straighten it."

Just after Li Xiangqian finished helping, Du Zhengxian called for Lao Yang again.

"Check the written materials again. Are there any typos?"

The staff at the cultural center have been working non-stop since morning, making countless trips back and forth. Li Xiangqian complained in a low voice, but Du Zhengxian pretended not to hear.

After a long while, the conference room door suddenly opened a crack.

Seeing this, Du Zhengxian quickly tugged at the corner of his clothes, rehearsed his smile, and was about to go to greet him.

But the door was only slightly ajar, not fully open, and only two people came out.

It was Gao Fengge and Qi Wenyuan.

The two men stepped out and stood in the corridor. Gao Fengge took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out two, and handed one to Qi Wenyuan. They lit them, and the smoke slowly dissipated under the corridor lights.

"Comrade Wenyuan."

Gao Fengge exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice not loud.

"You just saw it too. Old Gao is very concerned about the development of Yuanxi. Especially those dozen or so old revolutionary comrades, they are our revolutionary predecessors from Huangyuan, living medals. To be honest, my eyes welled up with tears just now. The older generation had it so tough."

Qi Wenyuan nodded.

"Old Gao never forgets the development of his hometown and the old comrades who followed him through thick and thin. This is touching and admirable."

Gao Fengge took another drag of his cigarette and spoke after a moment of contemplation.

"Comrade Wenyuan, I brought you here so that you can make good use of your strengths. I am in charge of propaganda work in Huangyuan area, and this inspection by Elder Gao is a rare opportunity. Our cultural propaganda must make its voice heard."

Upon hearing this, Qi Wenyuan straightened his back instantly.

"Secretary Gao, rest assured. After returning to Huangyuan, I will combine your inspection experience with the revolutionary history of Yuanxi and publish a long poem in Huangyuan Literature and Art."

Gao Fengge nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. We need to think more about the text and consider it more carefully. I'll call Yanhe and ask them to consider publishing it exclusively."

Upon hearing this, Qi Wenyuan's eyes lit up immediately.

"Yanhe." That's a provincial-level publication. He published a poem in "Yanhe" last year. If he can have a long poem published exclusively in this issue, it will be a major boost to his status in the literary circles of Huangyuan and even the entire province.

"Secretary Gao, rest assured. I will carefully polish the manuscript."

The two walked and talked as they strolled slowly down the corridor.

Qi Wenyuan suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure in the corridor.

"Du Lili?"

Du Lili was adjusting the position of a picture frame when she heard the sound and turned around. When she saw Qi Wenyuan, she immediately smiled broadly.

"President Qi!"

She strolled over.

Qi Wenyuan's gaze was suddenly drawn to the exhibition materials on both sides.

"This is?"

"Oh, this is the work that the Higher Education Office assigned to our cultural center."

Du Lili led him to the side of the exhibition.

"Look, these are all stories of Old Gao's revolutionary activities in Yuanxi back then. Text and illustrations."

Qi Wenyuan glanced at it a few times and nodded.

"The cultural center is very thoughtful."

Gao Fengge also strolled over. As soon as Du Zhengxian saw Gao Fengge, he immediately greeted him with a big smile.

Gao Fengge walked back and forth along the corridor with his hands behind his back, looking at the exhibition and nodding repeatedly.

"Old Du, after being the director of the cultural center for so many years, he's finally had a breakthrough. Haha."

Du Zhengxian quickly smiled apologetically.

"Secretary Gao, you flatter me. It was all Director Ma who made the decisions."

Gao Fengge shook his head and continued to laugh.

"Hey, making the final decision is about screening; it takes good judgment. The real credit goes to the people who provide the suggested solutions."

Du Zhengxian was overjoyed. Just as he was about to say a few more humble words, Du Lili suddenly leaned closer.

"Dad, did you hear that? They're praising your good judgment. But the real credit goes to Li Xiangqian; he's the one who came up with the plan."

Du Zhengxian's smile froze instantly. The few words of modesty he was about to utter were swallowed back.

Gao Fengge's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Li Xiangqian?"

Du Lili nodded quickly.

"Yes, he's a new colleague at our cultural center."

She pointed to the corner. Li Xiangqian was slumped in a chair at the end of the corridor; from the direction Du Lili was pointing, only half of his back could be seen.

After Du Lili finished speaking, she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at Qi Wenyuan.

"President Qi, last time I heard Editor-in-Chief Jia say that the content of the literary symposium held by the Huangyuan Poetry Society in Yuanxi was supposed to be published in 'Huangyuan Literature and Art'? I just got the latest issue yesterday, why isn't it published there?"

Qi Wenyuan's face was grim; to be precise, it began the moment he heard Li Xiangqian's name.

"Editor-in-Chief Jia has his own ideas. I am not an editor of Huangyuan Literature and Art either. You can ask Editor-in-Chief Jia for details."

His tone was indifferent, and Qi Wenyuan tried his best not to show any emotion.

After he finished speaking, he leaned close to Gao Fengge's ear and whispered a few words.

Gao Fengge still wore his usual smile, but his brows furrowed slightly.

After listening, Gao Fengge didn't say anything. He simply turned to Du Zhengxian and exchanged a few pleasantries.

"Old Du, Old Ma is in charge of propaganda work in Yuanxi County, and you're the director of the cultural center. You'd better help him keep an eye on things."

Du Zhengxian quickly nodded with a smile. But in his heart, he was wondering what those words meant. He had been managing this place for eight years, through two different county leaders in charge of propaganda. How much longer was he supposed to be in charge?

Gao Fengge waved goodbye to Du Zhengxian with a smile, and then returned to the conference room with Qi Wenyuan.

5:30 p.m.

The meeting room door finally opened.

Surrounded by more than a dozen elderly people, Old Gao emerged. After nearly two hours of conversation, the atmosphere had become much less tense than at the beginning. A group of elderly people surrounded Old Gao, speaking with a thick Yuanxi accent, talking and laughing. Some tugged at Old Gao's sleeve, while others gestured animatedly to indicate something.

The local and county leaders who were supposed to be accompanying them all lagged behind at the very back.

It seemed quite relaxing.

Miao Kai smiled and spoke quietly with Feng Shikuan beside him. Feng Shikuan wore a relieved smile. The two-hour meeting was more like a tea party than a discussion.

During this time, although Mr. Gao asked some of the elderly people about their current lives, they answered as instructed. Nothing went wrong.

As soon as Mr. Gao led a group of elderly people into the corridor, they were immediately attracted by the exhibitions on both sides.

They then moved a few steps toward the exhibition materials, stopped, and the entire group instantly adjusted their direction, turning to look at the exhibition materials on both sides.

Du Zhengxian was so excited he didn't know what to do with his hands. "We've been waiting for you, sir!"

Xiao Zhao, Lao Yang, Li Xiangqian, and Du Lili all stood solemnly behind Du Zhengxian.