Secretary Ma glared at me intensely. "I don't need anyone to tell me what to do. When I took over Liangshan County, some people here were still drinking milk. As long as I'm in Liangshan for one day, this place is mine to command. I've heard from comrades below that this little Hui Zi has serious problems with his conduct. I will report his situation truthfully to the provincial level later. The matter with Fengjia Village isn't over yet; specific penalties will be decided after we meet and discuss, but from now on, he is not to submit any more newspaper articles. He’ll be suspended with pay and sent to help out in the kitchen. Didn't Chairman Sun say they were short on hands there? He’ll get a hundred and eighty yuan living allowance each month. If he doesn't want to work, he can leave!"

By this point, I felt neither offended nor angry. I addressed the self-important Secretary Ma: "Fine, being a cook isn't so bad. It’s still serving the people. However, if one day I were to sit in your position, Secretary Ma, I can say without reservation that I would absolutely do a hundred, even a thousand times better than you!"

Secretary Ma's face flushed crimson like an eggplant. He snatched a bronze paperweight from the desk and hurled it at me. "Dare to challenge me! If I don't smash you dead, my surname isn't Ma! I've lived over forty years and never seen such a reckless fool as you. If I decide you shouldn't live, you won't see tomorrow!"

I was quite astonished. Was this the true face of a County Party Secretary? He seemed more like a triad boss to me. This Ma fellow, usually quiet, became more overbearing than the U.S. President when he got worked up. But did he even have the standing to challenge me?

The bronze paperweight flew toward me. I struck out with one palm, batting it away. With a heavy thud, it embedded itself into the concrete wall, startling the head of propaganda standing nearby into a shiver. Secretary Ma was equally stunned that a single palm strike could drive the bronze paperweight into the wall, leaving him speechless for a moment.

I said coldly to Secretary Ma, "It's not certain who will die! Secretary Ma, Liangshan County is not yours alone. Before you act, you better ask the common people of Liangshan first. Others may fear you, but I do not. Even if the Commissioner were standing here, I would dare speak to you this way. Even in the presence of the Premier and the Chairman, I would still dare say this to you!"

Secretary Ma’s fingers trembled with rage. "You... you... you! Fine! We'll see about this!"

"I'll wait for you!" With that, I walked out of Secretary Ma’s office without looking back. At worst, I’d quit. If Li Qi got angry, so be it. In any case, I didn't prefer literary debates; I much preferred a genuine contest of strength. If he disagreed, we would settle it with our fists.

Feeling somewhat stifled, I skipped lunch downstairs. I went up to the third floor to my dormitory, lay down, and slept until Ning Shixuan and Yun Yao came up with food for me.

"You've certainly made quite a name for yourself. I hear you nearly drove Secretary Ma mad before lunch. Hurry up and eat; you’ll need your strength for the road ahead," Ning Shixuan said, tossing the food onto my bed irritably.

"What road? The road to the Yellow Springs?" I asked while eating.

Ning Shixuan replied, "Of course, back to where you came from. You should return from whence you came. Your personality is completely unsuited for being a civil servant. You don't understand human relationships at all. You should just do as your superiors instruct. But look at you—not only did you ignore orders, but you infuriated Secretary Ma so much he nearly burned down his office. I'm warning you, if you go home early, you might save your life. If you stay in Liangshan any longer, I fear for your safety."

I almost spat out the food in my mouth. "What? Is Secretary Ma some kind of Liangshan triad boss? Is he going to kill me over an argument?"

Ning Shixuan scoffed. "Keep laughing. There will come a time when you can’t even cry out. Secretary Ma has been Secretary here for over a decade; he knows more people than you’ve eaten grains of rice. When he speaks, even Liang Kuan and Xie Lei have to listen. You enraged him like that today, and on top of that, you messed up Liangshan's five million poverty alleviation funds. If he doesn't kill you, he might as well change his surname. Even if you dropped your chopsticks right now and ran, I wouldn't guarantee you’d safely reach Shimen. We’ve been friends, and I’ve said what needs to be said. Know your own situation."

Yun Yao remained silent with a grave expression. She only spoke after I finished eating. "Brother Zhao, I know you are a genuinely good person, but some things cannot be shifted by our will alone. I heard from Sister Ning about the Fengjia Village matter. What you did was right. But in this environment, you must learn to protect yourself. If you lose your life, what good are ideals and righteousness?"

I put down my bowl and chopsticks. "Thank you, Yun Yao. But I am the kind of cockroach that can't be killed. Don't worry, Secretary Ma won't defeat me. Sooner or later, I will make him write a big character for 'submission' for me, and I will thoroughly investigate his conduct issues. I don't accept bribes and I don't visit women. This guy just accused me of having conduct problems—I’m going to investigate his conduct!"

"I know who reported and slandered you to Secretary Ma," Ning Shixuan stated.

"Who? I haven't offended anyone since I arrived here."

Ning Shixuan pointed toward the opposite door. "It was that guy. The more I look at him now, the less I like him. How could we have been friends with him before? Not only did he fail to speak up for you, but he fabricated stories about you and me, saying you spied on me while I was bathing and changing, and that you stole my underwear and kept it. Now many people in the government know about this. I interrogated them, and all these rumors originated from his mouth."

I nearly fell off the bed. "No way? Little Liu would say that about me? Although I might be slightly more handsome than him, he wouldn't fabricate something like that. People who talk like that won't have an anus when they have children in the future. If I had actually done it, fine, but the crucial point is I haven't even seen what your figure is like. Now to be so misunderstood—isn't that too unjust?"

Ning Shixuan slapped my head. "So you're saying even though you didn't do it, you wished you had? Filthy, shameless, lewd! Yun Yao, let's go, let's get away from this pervert."

Yun Yao smiled. "Brother Zhao is just joking. He’s a good person; I understand him. He would never do such things."

I was deeply moved. "Yun Yao, you truly understand me. We two siblings should sit down and have a good long talk sometime." I realized why Secretary Liu was slandering me: it was because I was too close to Ning Shixuan, and this fellow couldn't win Ning Shixuan's heart, so he started rumors about me. Hmph, I shouldn't have invited him to dinner last time. I won't even ask for the ten yuan back. Who told him to spread baseless lies behind my back? I haven't even demanded compensation for the damage to my reputation yet.

Bang, bang, bang—someone was knocking. Ning Shixuan rushed to open the door. "Chairman Sun? Why are you here?"

Chairman Sun of the Labor Union glanced at me. "I’m here because of him. Secretary Ma has issued an order: given the numerous reports from comrades regarding Comrade Zhao's conduct issues, from now on, he must move out of the third-floor staff dormitory."

Ning Shixuan exclaimed in shock, "Ah! Chairman Sun, it's understandable if others believe those rumors, but do you not believe us either? Furthermore, if Zhao Qian moves out of the staff dormitory, where will he sleep?"

Chairman Sun said, "Little Ning, some things are not for me to decide. Little Zhao must move out of the staff dormitory immediately; it's an order. I suggest he sleeps in the kitchen for the time being."

Ning Shixuan started to plead my case again, but I stopped her. "Stop talking, Little Ning. Going to work in the kitchen and sleeping in the kitchen is normal. I accept it. Pack up your bedding; even if it gets dirty, I'll wash it for you later. Let's go, Chairman Sun. From working in the reception room to the kitchen—overall, I've been promoted. I’ll treat you to a meal to celebrate later."

Under the astonished gazes of Ning Shixuan and Chairman Sun, I left the dormitory to report to the Fat Master in the back kitchen restaurant. Secretary Ma wanted to play games? Then we would play. In a couple of days, once those seven injured men have recovered a bit, I will immediately launch a triad offensive. I want to take control of Liangshan's underworld. Then we’ll see how Secretary Ma dares to stand against me.

The Fat Master heard about my ordeal and immediately set up a cot for me in the boiler room. Bananas, large guava—the boiler room constantly runs hot water, so the temperature inside is very high. However, the Fat Master later explained to me that the bed was just temporarily placed in the boiler room for show; after work at night, I could move it to the restaurant, which was spacious and cool.

Starting that afternoon, I officially took my post as the number two general handyman. To be honest, being able to work alongside Yun Yao made all the other men extremely envious. Moreover, Yun Yao was grateful to me, and since we were former classmates, we shared many topics of conversation as young people, so labor became a kind of enjoyment. I almost had to thank Secretary Ma—how did he know I liked being around beautiful women?

"Fatty! Fatty!" Near dusk, Chairman Sun from the Labor Union suddenly rushed into the kitchen. "Hurry up and prepare! Commissioner Zhou has again decided against staying at the hotel; he will be eating dinner with everyone in the restaurant shortly. Make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong."

I thought to myself, the Fatty won't mess things up. You should worry about me first. If I find someone pleasing to the eye, I'll say a few nice words; if I don't, who knows what might happen.