A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

That evening, Fu Yan told Xu Wenshu about it as a joke.

"You said you agreed?" Xu Wenshu leaned against the headboard, laughing and patting the blanket.

"I didn't agree; they decided it themselves."

"Isn't it all the same?" Xu Wenshu laughed until tears almost came out. "Comrade Fu Yan, yellow vest and red armband, riding an electric scooter to patrol the streets, I think you'll soon be assimilated by those aunties. From now on, you'll follow them around the streets and alleys, mediating disputes, helping to find lost dogs..."

"That's enough, you're just making fun of me."

"I haven't finished talking yet," Xu Wenshu mimicked Aunt Wang's tone, "Xiao Fu! Grandpa Zhang from number three has thrown his trash in the wrong bin again! Go check it out!"

Fu Yan rolled over and hugged her, covering her mouth with one hand: "If you laugh again, you won't be able to get out of bed tonight."

Xu Wenshu pulled his hand away, still laughing. After laughing, she said seriously, "Actually, it's not bad. You're just idling around all day anyway. Going out and getting some exercise is better than lying at home."

"Are you saying you're disgusted with me?"

"I'm just worried about you," Xu Wenshu pinched his cheek. "If you lie down any longer, you'll be almost the same size as Mo Dou."

Fu Yan looked down at her still relatively firm belly—this woman is becoming increasingly ruthless in her words.

……

The next morning, Fu Yanzhen rode the electric scooter to the neighborhood committee.

It's called a neighborhood committee, but it's actually just two bungalows that have been connected together. There's a sign that says "Yindingqiao Community Residents Committee" hanging at the door, and a blackboard on the wall with the words "Welcome the Olympics, Promote Civility, and Establish New Customs" written in chalk. The handwriting is crooked and I don't know which old lady wrote it.

Fu Yan parked his electric scooter at the door and went inside.

There were four people sitting in the room—the three aunties from yesterday, plus a man in his fifties with his hair neatly combed and wearing gold-rimmed glasses; he looked quite energetic.

"Here he comes!" Aunt Wang was the first to stand up. "Director, this is the Fu Yan I told you about!"

The director stood up and extended his hand across the table: "Welcome, welcome! I'm Ma Jianguo, the director of the neighborhood committee. Xiao Fu, please have a seat!"

Fu Yan shook hands with Ma Jianguo and sat down on the small stool next to him.

Ma Jianguo adjusted his glasses, looked Fu Yan up and down, and then nodded: "Hmm, you look energetic, young man! Did you study abroad?"

"I'm a graduate student at Stanford University in the United States."

"Stanford!" Ma Jianguo's eyes lit up. "A top-tier school! I've seen it in the newspaper. Xiao Fu, your initiative in signing up shows you have high awareness! This Olympics is a top priority for our country. Although our community can't handle the big events, we must take care of the small things—sanitation, security, and language services—we can't neglect any of them!"

Fu Yan nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that the director's speech was quite insightful.

"I've reviewed your information," Ma Jianguo said, opening a notebook. "Your foreign language skills are excellent, that's your biggest advantage. Out of over 1,200 households in our community, you're the only one with a foreign language talent..."

Fu Yan thought to herself, "This is probably the only one you guys can fool into coming here."

"If you do well this time, I'll give you a letter of commendation!" Ma Jianguo patted his chest, "with the official seal of our community, a real one!"

Fu Yan smiled politely, thinking to himself that he didn't need any more letters of praise.

Ma Jianguo lowered his voice again and leaned closer: "Xiao Fu, where is your household registration?"

"It landed in that courtyard on Yandai Xiejie (Yandai Xiejie Street)."

"Oh?" Ma Jianguo thought for a moment, "I seem to remember... The people from the neighborhood office told me before that someone wanted to register their household here, and I was thinking it might be you."

Fu Yan didn't reply.

Ma Jianguo then said, "Xiao Fu, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart—you're young, educated, and have high moral character. If you make an outstanding contribution in this volunteer service, I can help you get it reported to higher authorities..."

He paused for a moment, then looked at Fu Yan meaningfully: "Who knows, I might even be able to join the organization."

Join an organization.

Fu Yan was stunned for a moment, then realized—Ma Jianguo was talking about joining the Party, right?

Strangely enough, Fu Yan, who had spent so many years both domestically and internationally in his previous life, never truly considered himself a pure nationalist. In the two years since his transmigration, he's increasingly felt that he is Fu Yan, not some outsider reborn in another body. As for joining the Party—something he had never even considered in his previous life—being mentioned by a neighborhood committee director at this moment actually stirred a slight warmth in his heart.

"Director Ma, I will do my best," Fu Yan said earnestly.

Ma Jianguo slapped the table excitedly: "Great! That's the spirit I've been looking for!"

Grandma Wang brought out a stack of things from the inner room—a bright yellow vest with the words "Olympic Volunteer" printed on it, and a red armband with the words "Security Patrol" printed on it.

"Come on, try them on!"

Fu Yan put on the yellow vest and red armbands and stood in front of the dressing mirror in the neighborhood committee office. The person in the mirror was wearing a white T-shirt and sweatpants, with a yellow vest over them and red armbands on his arms. He looked exactly like a traffic assistant.

Grandma Wang, standing nearby, clicked her tongue in admiration: "So spirited! So spirited!"

Ma Jianguo nodded in satisfaction: "Xiao Fu, starting today, you're a member of our Yindingqiao Community Olympic Volunteer Service Team! Your assigned area is the section from Yandaixie Street to Yindingqiao Bridge, the area with the most foreign tourists. Go ahead and help if you encounter any problems!"

Fu Yan nodded solemnly.

Then he rode his electric scooter, wearing a red armband and a yellow vest, along the north bank of Houhai Lake, and began his first day of patrolling the streets.

-

In June, the sun shone brightly on Houhai Lake, making the water glisten. Willow trees stretched their long branches, and occasionally a dragonfly would skim the surface. There were quite a few tourists on the shore: an elderly man pushing a stroller, tourists taking photos, and groups of two or three foreigners carrying backpacks, clutching maps and looking bewildered.

Fu Yan's first business deal came very quickly.

A blonde, blue-eyed girl stood on Yinding Bridge, looking at a map over and over, her brows furrowed in a deep frown. Fu Yan parked his electric scooter by the roadside and walked over.

"Need some help?"

The girl looked up, her eyes lighting up: "Oh! Yes! I'm looking for the Drum Tower, but this map is... confusing."

"The Drum Tower? Just go straight along this street, about a ten-minute walk, you'll see it. It's right next to the Bell Tower."

"Thank you so much! Are you a volunteer?"

"Yes." Fu Yan pointed to the yellow vest he was wearing.

"That's so cool! Go Beijing!"

"Go Beijing." Fu Yan smiled.

The first order was successfully completed.

Fu Yan didn't have a moment's rest for the rest of the morning.

Two elderly German men wanted to know where the nearest restroom was, and Fu Yan pointed them in the right direction; a French couple wanted to find an authentic Peking duck restaurant, and Fu Yan recommended Jiu Men Snacks; a Japanese tourist left his wallet in a taxi and was gesturing frantically, so Fu Yan helped him call the police and comforted him in Japanese—his Japanese wasn't great, but he could still say "Don't worry" and "Don't worry."

The funniest thing was that three young British guys wandered all the way from Sanlitun to Houhai and were completely lost. They asked Fu Yan how to get back to Sanlitun. Fu Yan drew them a route, and the three of them thanked him profusely. One of them even gave Fu Yan a high five and said he was "the best volunteer in Beijing".

Fu Yan felt that none of the many business deals he had conducted abroad in his life had given him the same sense of accomplishment as helping someone with directions today.