The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

Huang Feng'e came to the county town over the weekend. When she returned home, she didn't see Dong Xuexi.

Huang Feng'e put her bag on the sofa, pushed open the study door, and saw Dong Xuexi reading a book. She usually wanted to make a sarcastic remark to Dong Xuexi, but she swallowed the words back and asked softly, "Is there any food at home?"

Dong Xuexi put down his book and looked at Huang Feng'e: "I've been eating out these past two days, there's no food at home."

In the past, Huang Feng'e would have scolded Dong Xuexi for not being frugal and wasting money at this time.

Things are different now. Dong Xuexi got on the good side of Deputy Director Wang Zhikai and was transferred to the county town. He suppressed the urge to curse and said softly, "I'll go buy groceries and cook."

Huang Feng'e was furious. She had gotten up at six o'clock to catch the earliest bus to the county town, and now it was almost eleven o'clock. She hadn't even had a sip of water and still had to go buy groceries and cook. What use was a man to her?

She came up here mainly to thank Deputy Director Wang Zhikai, who had been a great help, and she felt she had to visit him to express her gratitude.

She held back her anger and didn't vent it on Dong Xuexi. When she returned from grocery shopping, the kitchen was a mess. Dong Xuexi only cooked noodles occasionally and never cleaned the kitchen.

Huang Feng'e could no longer hold back and shouted, "Dong Xuexi, come and see this kitchen for yourself! It's a mess, and you can't even tidy it up. All you do all day is read your lousy books. What's the use of reading them? Can they be eaten or used as money?"

Putting down the vegetables he was cooking, he started cleaning the kitchen. Dong, used to studying, pretended not to hear and continued reading.

Huang Feng'e spent more than ten minutes tidying up the kitchen and started cooking.

By the time the food was ready, it was already past noon.

Three dishes and one soup: one egg drop soup, one stir-fried vegetable dish, one fried potato dish, and one stir-fried pork dish.

Dong Xuexi smelled the aroma and felt hungry. He came out of the study and saw that Huang Feng'e hadn't served him any rice. He turned around and went to the kitchen to get a bowl and serve himself rice.

He sat down next to Huang Feng'e and started eating.

Huang Feng'e glanced at Dong Xuexi: "I thought you could read so much you wouldn't need to eat?"

Dong Xuexi slammed the bowl down on the table: "Did you come back just to argue with me?"

"Who wants to argue with you? I came from Huangchang Town at six o'clock, and even called you on the way. Didn't you know to buy some groceries and clean the kitchen? If you didn't want to cook, you could have waited for me to come back. But what did you do? You didn't do anything, just locked yourself in the study to read. I said a few words to you, and you got upset."

Dong Xuexi picked up his rice bowl and continued eating.

Huang Feng'e added, "This afternoon, let's go to the mall to buy some gifts. Later, you can call Deputy Director Wang Zhikai and we'll go to his house to thank him for his great help."

Dong Xuexi dismissed it, saying, "How much trouble could this be? For Wang Zhikai, it's just a matter of a word."

"Don't worry about whether it's just a matter of someone's words. Even if he hadn't said those words, I would still have been working at the Huangchang Town rural primary school for so many years, begging and pleading, but I still couldn't get transferred to the county seat."

Dong Xuexi, don't make a mistake. You're not the angry young man you were when you first graduated. You're almost forty, married, with a wife and children, and elderly parents to take care of. You don't have much time left.

If you can get in touch with Deputy Director Wang Zhikai, you should make the most of it. In the bureau, you need to learn how to get along with your superiors; when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

A single word from your boss is worth more than ten years of hard work.

Dong Xuexi ate three bowls of rice, finished all the dishes by himself, and even drank a bowl of soup before putting down his chopsticks.

Huang Feng'e looked at Dong Xuexi: "What are you sitting there for? Go wash the dishes. Do you want me to do it?"

Dong Xuexi reluctantly stood up and went to wash the dishes.

After washing the dishes, Huang Feng'e went into the kitchen to check and called out, "Dong Xuexi, what's wrong with you? Can't you be a little more serious about your work? You only know how to wash dishes, you don't even clean the kitchen."

Dong Xuexi sat on the sofa. "My hands are for writing, not for washing dishes. I must become a leader. Once I become a leader, Huang Feng'e will not dare to yell at me."

Huang Feng'e walked out of the kitchen, staring at Dong Xuexi with a deathly gaze: "What are you sitting there for? Go clean up the kitchen. You're so old, do something useful. Do I have to clean up your mess?"

Dong Xuexi stood up with a disgruntled expression and went to the kitchen to clean up: "If I were a leader, would you still dare to talk to me like that?"

Huang Feng'e sneered, "Wait until you become a leader. I don't think you'll ever have that kind of life."

Dong Xuexi cleaned up the kitchen, sat on the sofa, and lit a cigarette.

Huang Feng'e glared at Dong Xuexi: "How many times have I told you, don't smoke at home. If you want to smoke, go outside."

Dong Xuexi went to his study, closed the door, and smoked.

Huang Feng'e sat on the sofa, thinking about what gift to buy to thank Wang Zhikai. After thinking it over, she decided to buy some expensive cigarettes and alcohol; buying anything else wouldn't be appropriate.

He stood up and went to open the door to the study, but it was locked from the inside. He called out, "Dong Xuexi, open the door."

Dong Xuexi opened the door, and Huang Feng'e said irritably, "Why did you lock the door? It's just the two of us at home. Are you trying to hide from me?"

"Could I please have some peace and quiet to read for a while?"

"I told you not to listen to a word I said. I told you to call Deputy Director Wang Zhikai and go to the mall this afternoon to buy two bottles of good wine and some good cigarettes, and then go to his house for a visit."

"They don't need your little things."

"Whether he needs it or not is his business. If we don't send it, that's our business. Do you understand?"

Having no other option, Dong Xuexi took out his phone, found Wang Zhikai's number, and dialed it.

Wang Zhikai and Yang Xiong were eating out when their phone rang. They took it out and saw it was an unknown number, so they hung up immediately.

Dong Xuexi put down his phone: "Wang Zhikai is probably busy, hang up the phone."

Huang Feng'e said, "We'll call later."

More than ten minutes later, Huang Feng'e told Dong Xuexi to hit her again.

Wang Zhikai's phone rang again. He took it out and saw it was the same unknown number. Who was this? What did they want? He answered it.

Dong Xuexi quickly smiled and said, "Director Wang, it's me, Dong Xuexi."

"Oh, Old Dong, what's up?"

"Director Wang, are you home this afternoon? My wife came all the way from the village primary school in Huangcun Town to the county seat to thank you for transferring her here. You are a benefactor to our family, and she wants to thank you in person."

"Old Dong, don't be so polite. I have something to do this afternoon and won't be home."

Dong Xuexi guessed that Wang Zhikai didn't want anyone to know that he was close to him, so he quickly said, "Director Wang, are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to Xiaoyuan Renjia for a couple of drinks."

After thinking it over, Wang Zhikai decided it was time to let Dong Xuexi, this chess piece, take action.

"Okay, I'll be there at seven o'clock tonight."

"Thank you, Director Wang."

After hanging up the phone, Huang Feng'e said, "Why don't you invite him over for dinner? If he comes over, your relationship will progress further."

Dong Xuexi said in a deep voice, "What do you know? Wang Zhikai is being suppressed by Chen Shi. He doesn't want anyone to know that he's getting too close to me."

He wouldn't even go to his own house, so why would he come to our house for a meal?

He helped you transfer to the county seat, he definitely wants me to do things for him. There's no such thing as a free lunch. He doesn't need the small gifts you gave him; what he lacks is the power he once held.

Huang Feng'e only understood a little bit: Wang Zhikai and Chen Shi were not on good terms. She said with a worried look, "If Wang Zhikai asks you to do anything illegal or disorderly, you must not do it. At worst, I will not be transferred to the county town."

"Don't worry about this. I know what I'm doing."