Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

"We argued for years, and I was exhausted. We broke up peacefully, I got custody of the child, and she remarried."

Qi Tongwei nodded.

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Qi Tongwei suddenly spoke up: "Qingyuan, you've been with me for three years, I know you. I'll be frank with you."

Liao Qingyuan looked at him.

“I have someone here…” Qi Tongwei carefully chose his words, “the daughter of an elder, who has just returned to the country and is also looking for a suitable partner. I would like to arrange for you two to meet.”

Liao Qingyuan was stunned.

"Governor Qi, I..."

“I know you’re divorced and have children,” Qi Tongwei interrupted him. “I know all that. The people I’m introducing you to don’t care about those things.”

Liao Qingyuan remained silent for a long time.

"May I ask which elder it is?"

Qi Tongwei looked at him and said, slowly and deliberately, "You know him too, Secretary Gao Yuliang."

Liao Qingyuan's eyes widened slightly.

Gao Yuliang.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. A long-standing figure in the political arena of Handong.

When he was working as Qi Tongwei's secretary at Daokou, he often accompanied him on visits.

Liao Qingyuan opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Qi Tongwei looked at him and said softly, "Qingyuan, I'm not introducing you because you're my secretary. It's because I understand you and know what kind of person you are. Don't feel pressured. Just meet and chat. Whether it works out or not, it's all normal."

Liao Qingyuan remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he nodded.

"I will follow Governor Qi's arrangements."

---

The meeting is scheduled for three days from now.

It was the same teahouse, and Qi Tongwei was still the middleman. But this time, Qi Tongwei didn't say anything, only saying, "Just chat, don't think too much about it."

Liao Qingyuan arrived first. He was wearing a clean black windbreaker. He wasn't carrying any flowers or gifts.

When Gao Fangfang entered, he stood up and nodded: "Hello, I am Liao Qingyuan."

Gao Fangfang glanced at him, smiled, and said, "Gao Fangfang."

Qi Tongwei left after sitting for ten minutes, as usual.

The door closed, and the tea room fell silent.

Gao Fangfang sat down, and the two chatted briefly, naturally turning to their hobbies and interests.

Liao Qingyuan said he likes to read after get off work, and Gao Fangfang asked him what kind of books he reads.

Liao Qingyuan said, "The History of Ming Dynasty."

"You like the history of the Ming Dynasty?" Gao Fangfang asked with a hint of wariness.

Wu Huifen is a professor in the Department of History at Handong University, specializing in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and is well known to many.

Liao Qingyuan nodded: "Yes, I've read it several times, but I don't really understand it."

Gao Fangfang felt a little relieved. If someone dared to say something like that, they probably weren't just cramming for the last minute.

She asked, "Why do you like reading about the history of the Ming Dynasty?"

Liao Qingyuan thought for a moment: "When Governor Qi was in Daokou, he liked to read the history of the Ming Dynasty. He said that reading history can give people a sense of security."

With a hint of self-deprecation in her tone, she said, "At first, I was driven by a bit of utilitarian motives, a kind of top-down influence. But then I started reading, and the more I read, the more interesting it became."

Gao Fangfang was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "I can't get into the historical materials in my mother's study, but in my father's study, besides books on politics and law, the most numerous are about the history of the Ming Dynasty. I've watched him read them since I was little, and I've followed along. But I'm not as good as him; I'm just a half-baked reader. What about you?"

"I'm only a dabbler myself," Liao Qingyuan said. "Just treat it as a story."

"So what do you think of Zhang Juzheng?"

"He's capable, but too independent," Liao Qingyuan said. "If one person shoulders too much responsibility, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later."

Gao Fangfang's eyes lit up: "My dad said the same thing."

The two looked at each other and suddenly laughed.

Then they started talking about the history of the Ming Dynasty.

They talked about Zhang Juzheng, then Hai Rui, then Qi Jiguang, and finally the Wanli Emperor. Liao Qingyuan said Hai Rui was too stubborn, while Gao Fangfang said Hai Rui wasn't stubborn, he was foolish; Liao Qingyuan said Qi Jiguang was good at interpersonal relationships, while Gao Fangfang said Qi Jiguang wasn't good at interpersonal relationships, he just knew who he could offend and who he couldn't.

As they chatted, Gao Fangfang suddenly said, "Is what you're talking about something you learned in officialdom?"

Liao Qingyuan paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I suppose so," he said. "Some truths are written in books, but you can't understand them until you experience them yourself. Only then do you realize that what's written in books is true."

Gao Fangfang looked at him and suddenly found him to be a very interesting person.

She'd met too many people. Some made her want to sleep the moment they opened their mouths, while others made her want to argue. But this person in front of her made her feel very comfortable chatting with him.

"What else do you do in your spare time?" she asked.

"Running. Reading. I also take my daughter out to play on weekends," Liao Qingyuan said. "What about you?"

"I spend all my time in the lab," Gao Fangfang said. "I haven't settled on a job since I returned to China, so I'm currently staying in a friend's lab. Besides doing experiments, I mostly read books. You probably wouldn't be interested in the books I read."

How do you know I'm not interested?

Gao Fangfang was stunned for a moment.

Liao Qingyuan smiled and said, "I don't understand biology. But you can explain it to me. If you don't understand it, I'll just listen to it as a story."

Gao Fangfang looked at him and suddenly remembered the previous Zhou Zhengming.

When that person said, "I don't understand this area," there was a subtle sense of superiority in his tone—as if it was perfectly acceptable for him not to understand, because he was now "in charge."

But when this person said "I don't understand," his tone was very ordinary, as if he were saying "The weather is nice today."

They talked for two hours.

They talked about the history of the Ming Dynasty, the books they had read, and the paths they had walked. Liao Qingyuan talked about his years in Daokou, about the people and events at the grassroots level, and about the days when he would write reports until midnight and then go to the countryside for research the next morning. Gao Fangfang talked about her years in the United States, about stories from the laboratory, and about the feeling of spending the New Year alone.

They were talking about ordinary things, but the other person could understand everything they said.

Before leaving, Liao Qingyuan said, "I'll treat you to a meal next time. I know a small restaurant that serves Lincheng cuisine, and it's really authentic."

Gao Fangfang smiled and said, "Okay."

---

That evening, Gao Fangfang returned home, where Gao Yuliang and Wu Huifen were still waiting for her in the study.

"Fangfang, how did the chat go?" Wu Huifen put down her book and looked at her daughter.

Gao Fangfang changed into slippers, went into the study, and sat down opposite them.

"good."

What does "it's alright" mean?

Gao Fangfang thought for a moment and said, "It's just... we can keep talking."

Gao Yuliang raised an eyebrow and asked, "What did you talk about?"

"History of the Ming Dynasty."

The elderly couple were stunned for a moment.

"He's reading the History of the Ming Dynasty?" Gao Yuliang asked. "Really?"

Gao Yuliang knew his daughter's abilities; if he were to pretend, he wouldn't be able to fool her.

“It’s because Qi Tongwei reads it.” Gao Fangfang laughed. “I guess they all learned it from you, like father, like son.”

Gao Yuliang remained silent for a long time.

"Qi Tongwei..." he repeated softly, then stopped talking.

Gao Fangfang looked at her father and suddenly asked, "Dad, what do you think of him?"

“I had met him before in Luzhou, but not much,” Gao Yuliang said. “At the time, I just felt that he was a down-to-earth young man, but I couldn’t see much more. It’s up to you to decide. I won’t force you.”

Gao Fangfang nodded, knowing the significance of Liao Qingyuan to Gao Yuliang, or rather, the significance of Qi Tongwei behind him to Gao Yuliang.

I understand the deep love contained in my father's words, "Dad won't force you."

Gao Yuliang went back to his study, and Wu Huifen held her daughter's hand, asking her all sorts of questions.

After asking only a few questions, Gao Fangfang got annoyed and used the excuse of being too tired to go back to her room to rest.

Wu Huifen smiled happily as she watched her daughter's slightly disheveled figure disappear into the distance.

Chapter 172 The Breakthrough of the Food Court

Lüzhou.

Under normal administrative means, the demolition of the food court became a difficult tug-of-war.

It's still turn-based: attack, counter, counter, counter again, counter again, counter again...

After several meetings, both sides became heated.

Yi Xuexi expressed his dissatisfaction with Zhao Ruilong on multiple occasions, and even made harsh remarks such as "I don't believe that Luzhou is still under the control of the Communist Party."

And Zhao Ruilong's actions began.

-

In April, Luzhou is in the season for spring tea to hit the market.

Tea farmers in the mountains are so busy that they barely have time to rest. Picking, processing, and selling tea—the whole process can bring in more than half a year's worth of harvest.

Mao Ya has contracted a small tea factory in her hometown. Every year around this time, she has to travel back and forth between the tea factory and the city to collect tea, inspect tea, and negotiate prices, keeping her extremely busy.