Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

Feng Shih-kuan stood there blankly for a long time, listening to the busy tone on the microphone.

What does Miao Kai mean?

"Where does the problem originate?"

"Du Zhengxian was just the one who made the final decision."

"We cannot focus on the big picture and ignore the small details."

He understood the last sentence. The prefectural committee was about to hold a standing committee meeting regarding personnel arrangements. If he didn't handle this matter well, it might affect his career advancement.

A layer of cold sweat seeped out from Feng Shih-kuan's back.

Miao Kai's last words were both a warning and a threat.

Feng Shikuan paced back and forth, deciding to make a call to the prefectural committee's secretariat. He dialed the number of Bai Yuan, Miao Kai's secretary.

The call was answered quickly.

"Secretary Bai, this is Feng Shih-kuan."

"Director Feng."

Bai Yuan's voice was young and polite.

Feng Shih-kuan was extremely anxious. After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

"Secretary Bai, I just finished a call with Secretary Miao, reporting on the summary and handling methods of the work handled by the Higher Office. Secretary Miao seemed a bit dissatisfied with the county cultural center's handling methods. I wanted to ask if something went wrong?"

Bai Yuan remained silent for a moment on the other end of the phone.

Feng Shikuan explained the specific handling method of the county cultural center again before Bai Yuancai spoke again.

"Director Feng, I don't know the specifics either. I only know that Secretary Gao went to Secretary Miao's office early this morning. I wasn't inside. I only vaguely heard the name of Director Li Dengyun coming from inside."

Feng Shih-kuan's brows furrowed sharply.

Li Dengyun?

How did this get involved with Li Dengyun?

He exchanged a few more polite words with Bai Yuan, thanked him, and then hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Feng Shih-kuan paced back and forth in his office. The weight on his heart grew heavier and heavier.

After thinking for a while, he walked back to the phone.

Crank the handle.

"Feed him. Give it to Secretary Gao Fengge's office in the local Party Committee."

The phone beeped a few times.

Gao Fengge's voice came over, first followed by a hearty laugh.

"Haha. Comrade Shih-kuan. Your call came at just the right time. I had just stepped out of my office when your call pulled me back."

Feng Shih-kuan quickly smiled apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, Secretary Gao. I'll call you after get off work."

"oops."

Gao Fengge smiled.

"I was just kidding. We're all revolutionary cadres. We're always on call 24/7. Revolutionary work doesn't have a time limit."

"Haha. Secretary Gao, you've worked hard."

"Comrade Shih-kuan called me at this hour, not just to say 'you've worked hard' or to offer his condolences, right?"

Feng Shih-kuan suppressed his smile.

"Secretary Gao, you flatter me. I have some questions and would like to consult you about them."

"What is it? Tell me."

Feng Shih-kuan recounted the contents of his phone call with Miao Kai in a reporting tone.

Gao Fengge pondered for a moment on the other end of the phone.

"Comrade Shikuan, don't worry. Secretary Miao still considers you a comrade."

Feng Shih-kuan held his breath.

Gao Fengge paused.

"However..."

coming.

Feng Shih-kuan pricked up his ears. That's how it is in officialdom; you can say a lot of correct but meaningless things at the beginning, but the truly important words are hidden after the "however."

"Comrade Shih-kuan, you're leading Yuanxi, so don't just focus on revolutionary production work. Politics is about personnel; pay more attention to personnel changes in the county."

Gao Fengge's voice was neither hurried nor slow.

"Did you know that Li Dengyun's son works at the county cultural center?"

Feng Shih-kuan's heart skipped a beat.

He suddenly remembered. Ma Guoxiong had indeed mentioned to him that Li Dengyun had transferred his son, who drove a truck, to the cultural center. He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time.

Now that Gao Fengge has revealed these words, combined with Bai Yuan's hints, Du Zhengxian's bitter face, and Miao Kai's "Where is the source of the problem?", Feng Shikuan seems to have grasped something.

Is Miao Kai really going to put the blame on Li Dengyun's son?

Surely not?

One was a local official, and the other was an ordinary employee at the county cultural center. The two were worlds apart.

Is Miao Kai trying to use beating up Li Dengyun's son as a way to put Li Dengyun in his place?

I had tried to sow discord between Miao Kai and Li Dengyun, but was that too much of a fuss?

This is unlike Miao Kai's usual style.

Feng Shih-kuan carefully considered his words.

"Secretary Gao, I am slow-witted. Please explain it more clearly."

Gao Fengge chuckled.

"If I remember correctly, Li Dengyun's son used to drive a truck, right?"

"Yes. I used to work in the county transportation department."

Feng Shih-kuan nodded. It was he who had used this incident to put Li Deng-yun in a bad light with Miao Kai back then.

"A hand that was gripping the steering wheel went to hold the penholder. Li Dengyun, as the father, must have put in a lot of effort, right?"

Feng Shih-kuan remained silent.

Why did Secretary Miao get so angry over such a small matter?

Gao Fengge's voice continued to come through.

"Of course. It's natural to love your child dearly. We're all fathers ourselves, so we understand."

He paused for a moment.

"But his son made some outrageous remarks at a literary discussion. Oh, that was the literary discussion organized by the Huangyuan Poetry Society in Yuanxi last time. His son was advocating money-related theories at the meeting. You know, Secretary Miao hates these kinds of unhealthy trends the most."

Feng Shih-kuan's pupils contracted slightly.

How come I didn't know about this?

"This matter was originally reported to me by comrades from the Huangyuan Poetry Society, so I suppressed it. After all, they are all veteran comrades, and perhaps they are so focused on their work that they have become a bit lax in disciplining their children. But this matter has already spread throughout the cultural circles of Huangyuan. I don't know how Secretary Miao found out about it."

Gao Fengge's tone remained unhurried and his smile remained the same.

"In addition to this inspection by Elder Gao, the exhibition at the county cultural center—you might not know this, but the idea for that exhibition was also from Li Dengyun's son."

Feng Shih-kuan's hand tightened suddenly.

Gao Fengge's voice continued.

"The two things just happened to coincide. Secretary Miao was furious this morning."

Feng Shih-kuan held the microphone, his face full of surprise.

He remembered Du Zhengxian's bitter face that afternoon.

He recalled Du Zhengxian's words: "The main responsibility lies with oneself."

He recalled Du Zhengxian's posture of "being at the mercy of the organization."

Du Zhengxian wasn't unwilling to push someone forward. He was afraid to. Because the person he wanted to push forward had Li Dengyun standing behind him.

But the cultural center has more than one employee.

That old Du!

"Thank you for your guidance, Secretary Gao."

Feng Shih-kuan noticed that his voice sounded a little dry.

"oops."

Gao Fengge chuckled.

"Comrade Shikuan, you are the backbone of Yuanxi County. You are the anchor that Secretary Miao placed in Yuanxi. You must keep a firm grip on revolutionary production work, and you must also understand and do a good job in all aspects of the work. When doing things, you must not only have depth, but also breadth."

"Secretary Gao's reprimand is correct. Shih-kuan will remember it."

"Haha. It's not really a lesson. I'm just a few years older than you and have more work experience."

Feng Shih-kuan thanked him repeatedly before hanging up the phone.

The office fell silent.

Feng Shih-kuan lit a cigarette and curled back up on the sofa. He took a deep drag.

Is someone trying to frame Li Dengyun?

Or is someone trying to harm Li Dengyun's son?

The leadership at the prefecture and county levels is about to undergo a reshuffle. At this critical juncture, many things that were previously hidden will quietly surface. No one is infallible.

Feng Shih-kuan stubbed out his cigarette, stood up again, and walked to the telephone.

He only realized the phone was getting warm when his hand touched the receiver.

He ignored all of that and started cranking the handle again.

"Feed him. Connect me to the county cultural center. Find Comrade Du Zhengxian."