The pushover offended a top-tier boss

Nanjing County.

It is the most remote county in Binzhou, and also the one with the worst economy.

Ye Zhenzhen pulled her suitcase and walked along the main street of the county town. Red lanterns hung on the shops on both sides of the street, and stalls selling New Year's goods lined up one after another. Candies, melon seeds, Spring Festival couplets, and the character "福" (good fortune) were displayed in a colorful array, making the New Year's atmosphere very strong.

Her home was in a dilapidated two-story building on an old street on the outskirts of the county town. Her grandparents used to live on the first floor, but they passed away a few years ago, and the house became empty. Her parents used to work in a cotton mill, but after retiring, they couldn't stay idle, so they opened a barbecue restaurant on the first floor.

Ye Zhenzhen pushed open the door on the first floor and called out, "Dad, Mom, I'm home!"

Ye's mother rushed out of the kitchen, startled to see her daughter, then beamed, "Oh dear, why are you back so early? Didn't they say government holidays wouldn't be until statutory holidays?"

Ye Zhenzhen dragged her suitcase in and changed her shoes: "I'm transferring back to school."

Father Ye peeked out from the inner room, holding a wrench in his hand, seemingly fixing something. He wore reading glasses, and most of his hair was gray, but he was in good spirits and had a loud voice: "My daughter's back? Perfect timing, I'll grill some skewers for you tonight!"

"Okay!" Ye Zhenzhen replied with a smile.

Ye's mother pulled her to sit on the sofa, bustling around pouring water and fetching fruit. Watching her mother's busy figure, Ye Zhenzhen felt a warm glow in her heart.

"Mom, stop busying yourself, I'm not a guest."

"You're much more valuable than the guests." Mother Ye walked over with a plate of sliced ​​apples and sat down next to her. "How's it going being the district party secretary's secretary, my daughter?"

Ye Zhenzhen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's fine."

"Your dad tells everyone he meets," Ye's mother said, glancing at Ye's father with a hint of reproach in her voice. "These past few days, he's been spreading the word throughout the whole street, saying that his daughter works at the district committee in the new district and sees high-ranking officials every day."

Ye Zhenzhen was both amused and exasperated: "I'm just on temporary assignment."

"That's the district committee, after all. Being seconded here shows you're outstanding," Mr. Ye said, walking out from the inner room and placing a wrench on the table. His tone was filled with undisguised pride. "Which kid on this street is as successful as you?"

Ye Zhenzhen didn't say anything more, smiled, and lowered her head to eat her apple.

His parents probably don't know yet.

I've already offended my boss...

I stayed at home for two days and had a very comfortable time.

She wakes up naturally every day, and a hot breakfast awaits her. Her mother makes wontons, her father steams buns, and the millet porridge is thick and creamy, served with a small dish of pickled vegetables—it's a million times better than any takeout in the city.

After breakfast, she would either relax on the sofa watching TV or stroll around the streets. The shopping malls in this small county town weren't big, but they had everything you needed. She bought two new outfits and a cup of milk tea.

The sun was shining brightly, and it felt warm and cozy on my skin.

The cost of living is low, the pace of life is slow, and the pressure of life is less. Sometimes she feels that it would be better to go back to her hometown to work. She could live at home, be taken care of by her parents, and even with a lower salary, it would be enough to get by. In the city, she is constantly bombarded by the stark contrast between the rich and the poor. People from the first ring road look down on those from the second ring road, the locals look down on outsiders, and the rich look down on the poor.

What good are master's and doctoral degrees if you and Meng Chen are from small towns? Even if we empty our savings, we can only afford a down payment for a house in one of the outer five districts.

As for villas like those in Yuyuan, I could never afford one in several lifetimes.

She finished the last sip of her milk tea, threw the cup into the trash can, and clapped her hands.

forget about it.

Anyway, we're on holiday now, so let's enjoy the New Year.

When Meng Chen called her, she was at home helping her mother prepare vegetables.

"Baby, my parents said they want to visit your uncle and aunt the day after tomorrow. Is that convenient for you?" Meng Chen's voice was a little nervous.

Ye Zhenzhen glanced at her mother, who was busy in the kitchen, and hesitated for a moment: "Let me ask my parents."

Upon hearing the news, Ye's mother hurriedly said, "That's convenient! Why are you asking questions? Hurry up and send them over!"

In the afternoon, Ye's mother took Ye Zhenzhen to the mall to buy clothes.

The mother and daughter shopped for more than two hours. Ye's mother tried on seven or eight clothes and finally chose a dark red cashmere sweater and a pair of black pants.

"Mom, isn't this a bit too much?" Ye Zhenzhen asked, carrying shopping bags as she followed behind.

"Why not use it? This is our in-laws' first formal visit; we can't let them think we're stingy."

Ye Zhenzhen didn't say anything more.

As she left the mall, she saw several people wearing red armbands inspecting shops one by one. A middle-aged man pointed at a sign outside a shop and said rudely, "You can't put that sign out here, bring it inside! And the cleanliness of this area, the fallen leaves haven't been swept away, it's not up to standard!"

The shop owner quickly came out with a smile and bent down to carry the signboard inside.

Ye Zhenzhen glanced at the group of people and asked her mother, "Mom, what's going on here?"

Mother Ye lowered her voice: "I heard that a high-ranking official is coming to inspect, and these past few days have been quite a hassle. They won't allow this or that, they won't even let us grill skewers outside anymore, we've been closed for several days."

"It's about creating a civilized city and a hygienic city," Ye's father chimed in from the side, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction. "These leaders only know how to create vanity projects."

"That's right," Ye's mother echoed.

Ye Zhenzhen didn't speak, but for some reason she thought of a certain person.

-

Having not seen their daughter for several months, Ye's parents missed her terribly and prepared a large table of dishes.

Ye Zhenzhen ate two bowls of rice and drank a bowl of soup, so full that she leaned back in her chair and didn't want to move.

I took a hot shower and snuggled in bed scrolling through my phone.

I fell asleep at 10:30.

I slept until I naturally woke up.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains. The sounds of my parents talking and the clatter of a spatula turning in a pan could be heard from downstairs.

Ye Zhenzhen turned over, pulled the blanket over her head, and slept for a while longer.

When she came downstairs, her parents had already changed their clothes.

"Zhenzhen, your uncle has broken his leg and is in the hospital. Let's go see him." Mother Ye was carrying a thermos containing stewed bone broth.

"Oh, right," Mr. Ye said, turning back at the door, "the neighborhood committee notified us that we need to keep the area in front of our houses clean and tidy, just in case a leader comes by during an inspection—"

"Okay, okay," Ye Zhenzhen waved her hand, "I'll go sweep in a bit."

"Also, remember to sort your trash! Don't get it mixed up and get fined!"

The door closed.

Ye Zhenzhen slumped on the sofa for a while, sighed, and got up to go to the yard to get a broom.

She stood at the doorway with a broom in hand, looking at the alley that had been swept three times, and couldn't help but curse, "What kind of dog of a leader is this? He makes so many people suffer every time he comes here."

A row of recycling bins, in red, blue, and green, had appeared at the entrance of the alley sometime during the day, neatly stacked there.

She stood in front of the trash can carrying a large bag of garbage, and took out her phone to start searching.

Banana peels – wet waste.

Batteries – hazardous waste.

Paper towels – dry waste.

She sorted the items as she went, and it took her ten minutes to finish.

Hmph, the leader is trash too.

A face suddenly popped into my head.

Slender eyebrows and eyes, a high nose bridge, and slightly pursed thin lips. Serious, aloof, and unapproachable.

She shook her head, trying to shake the head out of her mind.