Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

The compound of the County Revolutionary Committee.

Du Zhengxian rode his bike here by himself today.

It could probably be called turning oneself in.

He propped his Phoenix brand bicycle against the east wall of the courtyard, turning the lock twice and then twice more. Du Zhengxian, with a stern face, his hands in his blue cloth pockets, walked towards the office building with his head down.

The old man in the gatehouse, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, grinned when he saw Du Zhengxian.

"Director Du, you're here again."

Du Zhengxian didn't hear it.

The office building's staircase was terrazzo, its edges polished to a shine. Du Zhengxian climbed the stairs step by step, his footsteps echoing in the corridor. The third office on the left on the second floor was Feng Shikuan's, right next to the conference room. The door was ajar, and the smell of smoke seeped through the crack.

Du Zhengxian stood at the door for two seconds, straightened his collar, and knocked.

"Enter."

It was Feng Shih-kuan's voice.

Du Zhengxian pushed open the door and went in.

The office was filled with smoke. Feng Shikuan was nestled in the sofa by the window, one hand resting on the armrest, the other holding a cigarette. Opposite him sat Ma Guoxiong, his burly frame squeezing the sofa into a slight deformity, and the ashtray on the coffee table was piled high with cigarette butts.

"Old Du, have a seat."

Feng Shih-kuan gestured to the side with his lip.

There was a few seconds of silence in the room.

Ma Guoxiong spoke first.

He took the cigarette butt out of his mouth and shoved it into the ashtray twice.

"Old Du."

Ma Guoxiong's tone was filled with helplessness and frustration.

"How did you come up with that great idea of ​​showcasing Old Gao's revolutionary story?"

Upon hearing this, Du Zhengxian's heart skipped a beat.

"Director Ma...didn't I say that yesterday? It's the collective wisdom of the cultural center."

Feng Shih-kuan raised his eyelids slightly, his eyes clearly bloodshot.

"Secretary Miao called me again last night."

His voice deepened.

"The cultural center was severely criticized for acting without authorization and for taking unauthorized credit."

Du Zhengxian looked distressed and glanced at Ma Guoxiong beside him.

"Director Feng... our cultural center's plan has been approved. Director Ma even praised it back then."

Upon hearing this, Ma Guoxiong immediately turned his face away and stared blankly at the old poplar tree outside the window.

Feng Shih-kuan sighed.

"Don't look at him. Comrade Ma Guoxiong has already been criticized."

He paused.

"Now the leaders of the prefectural committee want our Yuanxi County Revolutionary Committee to make a profound self-criticism regarding the issue of receiving Elder Gao, and to impose specific punishments on the relevant personnel."

After Feng Shih-kuan finished speaking, he looked at Du Cheng-hsien.

"Old Du, this is going to be a tough hurdle."

Du Zhengxian's lips moved slightly.

"Director Feng, our cultural center is also wronged. We meant well. Old Gao had no objections after reading it."

The more he spoke, the softer his voice became, and the less confident he seemed.

Feng Shih-kuan waved his hand.

"Don't complain. Who would have thought that Old Gao, who was enjoying the exhibition, would suddenly become concerned about the living conditions of older comrades?"

After saying that, he leaned back on the sofa and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"It's understandable that Secretary Miao has a temper. Being reprimanded by Elder Gao for three whole days would make anyone uncomfortable."

The room fell silent for a while.

Feng Shih-kuan's gaze became somewhat distant.

"This incident is also a test and a lesson for our past work. We have indeed not done enough in caring for the elderly revolutionary comrades in the county."

After Feng Shih-kuan finished speaking, he sat up straight again.

"However, the urgent task right now is to come up with a solution."

Du Zhengxian was extremely distressed.

"I'm the head of the cultural center... so the only option is to deal with me."

Du Zhengxian's tone clearly conveyed helplessness and dissatisfaction.

Feng Shih-kuan glanced at Du Zheng-xian, then stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, took out a new one, and handed it to Du Zheng-xian.

"Old Du, I called you here to discuss a solution."

He looked at Du Zhengxian.

"You're a veteran at the cultural center. You've been the director for eight years, longer than I've been here in Yuanxi."

Du Zhengxian was stunned for a moment.

That was a way of giving someone a way out.

"My suggestion is to shift the responsibility downwards. Put the burden at the very bottom. Don't involve too many people. Just enough to give the prefectural committee an explanation."

After Feng Shih-kuan finished speaking, he put his hands on his stomach and curled up back on the sofa, looking at Du Cheng-hsien.

Three faces flashed through Du Zhengxian's mind instantly.

Li Xiangqian. Xiao Zhao. Lao Yang.

The culprit was naturally Li Xiangqian; it was he who came up with that wicked idea. But behind Li Xiangqian stood Li Dengyun.

Rumors were already circulating that Feng Shikuan was to be transferred to the Huangyuan Prefectural Committee. With Feng Shikuan gone, the future leader of Yuanxi County would either be Tian Fujun or Li Dengyun. One of these two was Li Xiangqian's wife's second father, and the other was Li Xiangqian's biological father. If he were to push Li Xiangqian out, would he still have any hope of advancement in the future?

That can only be either Xiao Zhao or Lao Yang.

One is young, the other is old. One is an art officer, the other a senior curator. Both are diligent and conscientious in their work, nothing to be desired. It would be hard to refuse either one.

Du Zhengxian pondered for a moment, finding it difficult to make a decision.

"Director Feng."

Du Zhengxian pondered for a long time before speaking.

"The county cultural center only has a few guns. They're just there to carry out the work. If you drag any one of them out, they'll all seem innocent."

He bit his lip.

"Is there... any other way?"

Feng Shih-kuan spread his hands out and placed them on the armrests.

"Old Du, I'm trying to help you."

Feng Shih-kuan's voice wasn't loud, but the pressure he exerted was immense.

"If you can't bear to part with it, then you'll just have to take the blame yourself."

Du Zhengxian's face turned pale.

Of course, he didn't want to take the position. He was still hoping to improve his career and move up a rank from the county cultural center.

Feng Shih-kuan looked at him, sighed, and spoke.

"Old Du, go back and think it over. Give the county an answer as soon as possible."

Du Zhengxian reluctantly got up, said goodbye to Feng Shikuan and Ma Guoxiong, and left the office with a heavy heart.

……

Cultural Center.

After Du Zhengxian was summoned to the county revolutionary committee for the third time, the people at the cultural center had no time to gossip.

In the reading room, Old Wu sat there holding an enamel mug, flipping through newspapers.

In the office, Sister Sun was writing something in a ledger, her pen moving lightly across the paper. Next to her desk was Du Lili's desk, where Du Lili was flipping through "Huangyuan Literature" while jotting something down in a notebook.

In the studio, Xiao Zhao and Lao Yang sat solemnly at their desks.

Li Xiangqian leaned back in his chair and dozed off.

The cultural center is quiet today.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the sound of bicycle brakes was heard at the gate of the courtyard.

The entire cultural center paused for a moment.

Everyone perked up their ears.

The footsteps at the door were slow. They paused for a moment, and then the door to Du Zhengxian's office opened slightly.

An hour later.

Sister Sun appeared at the door of the studio.

"Meeting."