Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

In June 1992, summer came exceptionally early to Luzhou.

At around 5 a.m., the sky was already bright, and the scorching sun shone unhindered on the rugged dirt roads of Jinshan County, raising a cloud of gray dust.

A dilapidated long-distance bus, panting heavily, swayed and stopped at the only decent bus station in the county town—which was actually just an open space surrounded by a low wall and a simple shed.

Gu Mingyuan and Zhong Xiaoai got off the car with their simple luggage.

Compared to when he enrolled four years ago, Gu Mingyuan's luggage was still simple, but his brows showed less of a youthful naiveté and more of a mature composure.

Zhong Xiaoai wore an elegant floral shirt and dark trousers. Although she was tired from the journey, her face did not show much fatigue. Her eyes were full of anticipation for the new life and determination to walk side by side with her loved one.

Their first impression of Jinshan County could be summed up in one word—poor.

The low brick and tile houses are of varying heights, with a few two-story buildings standing out from the crowd.

The streets were made of rammed earth with some pebbles, and dust would fly up whenever a car passed by.

The air was filled with the smell of a mixture of animal manure and dry soil.

It was still early, but many farmers dressed in patched clothes were already squatting on the side of the street, guarding a little bit of their own vegetables or mountain products, waiting for customers with cloudy and numb eyes.

"It's even more... down-to-earth than I imagined," Zhong Xiaoai said softly, linking arms with Gu Mingyuan. Her tone was not one of complaint, but rather an objective statement.

Gu Mingyuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the scene before him, his heart unmoved.

He came from a poor county in Lincheng and had long understood the meaning of poverty.

He knew that this was the grassroots level he had chosen to settle down in and to change.

"Let's go, let's go to the county party committee office to report first, and then settle into our accommodations." Gu Mingyuan squeezed his wife's hand, his tone calm.

The county party committee and county government are located in a slightly old three-story office building with red brick exterior walls and some mottled green paint on the wooden windows.

A sign with white background and black lettering hung at the entrance; the lettering was fairly clear.

Compared to the surrounding buildings, this is the most impressive place in the county.

The county party committee office is located on the east side of the second floor.

Gu Mingyuan asked Zhong Xiaoai to sit on a bench in the corridor for a while, straightened the collar of his faded but clean shirt, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door with the sign for the director's office.

"Please come in," came the voice of a middle-aged man from inside.

Gu Mingyuan pushed open the door and entered.

The room was small, with a dark-colored desk by the window, behind which sat a man in his forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and with his hair neatly combed.

He was writing something at his desk when he heard the sound, so he looked up and sized up Gu Mingyuan.

"Hello, Director. I am Gu Mingyuan, the newly assigned employee, here to report for duty today." Gu Mingyuan bowed slightly and handed over his letter of introduction and registration materials with both hands.

The office director, Zhang Jianguo, took the materials, looked at them carefully, and gave a smile that was neither warm nor cold: "Oh, Gu Mingyuan, a top student in the Department of Political Science and Law at Handong University, I know him."

"Welcome to Jinshan County! Conditions here are tough, so please be prepared."

"I understand, Director. I'm here to work, and I'm not afraid of hardship," Gu Mingyuan said sincerely.

"Yes, it's good that the young man has this attitude." Zhang Jianguo nodded, got up, and led Gu Mingyuan out of the office to the large office outside.

This room is larger, with seven or eight desks, some occupied by people working diligently, and others empty.

"Everyone, stop what you're doing for a moment," Zhang Jianguo clapped his hands, his voice not loud.

"Let me introduce you. This is our new colleague, Gu Mingyuan, a top student from Handong University. He will be working in our county party committee office from now on."

Five or six pairs of eyes in the office fell on Gu Mingyuan simultaneously, some with curiosity and some with scrutiny.

Zhang Jianguo introduced them one by one: "This is Deputy Director Zhao Dahai, who is mainly responsible for written compilation and meeting affairs."

Zhao Dahai was a dark-skinned, thin, and wiry middle-aged man. He nodded to Gu Mingyuan as a greeting.

"This is Lao Qian, the chief editor of Qian Zhongshu's journal. He's the one who handles all the major documents for us."

Qian Shuzhong was about fifty years old, with gray hair and thick glasses. He looked up at Gu Mingyuan, but his expression was blank. He then lowered his head and continued reading the documents in his hand.

"This is Xiao Sun, Sun Heping, who is in charge of information reporting and confidential matters."

Sun Heping was a young man in his early twenties, who didn't look much older than Gu Mingyuan.

"This is Sister Liu, Liu Yuqin, who is in charge of receiving and dispatching and logistics."

Liu Yuqin, in her forties, smiled and looked very friendly: "Oh, what an energetic young man! Welcome, welcome!"

Two other staff members were also absent, but Zhang Jianguo didn't say much about it.

"Mingyuan, why don't you go with Sister Liu and familiarize yourself with the environment? For now, you can use the empty desk by the window."

"Director Zhao will arrange the specific tasks for you later," Zhang Jianguo said before returning to his office.

Liu Yuqin was a kind-hearted person. She led Gu Mingyuan to find his desk and then took him to get basic office supplies—a fountain pen, two bottles of ink, a stack of manuscript paper, and a thermos.

"Little Gu, don't be shy. If you have any questions or difficulties in life, just tell your older sister," Liu Yuqin said with a smile.

"The conditions here are just like this, not comparable to big cities, but you'll get used to it eventually."

"Thank you, Sister Liu," Gu Mingyuan said gratefully.

After settling the desk, Deputy Director Zhao Dahai walked over with a stack of documents: "Xiao Gu, you're a top student, your writing skills should be quite good."

"These are some recent work reports from the county and documents from higher authorities. Take a look and familiarize yourself with the situation."

"Also, there's a meeting at the county committee next Monday about summer flood prevention. Try to draft a preliminary notice, and ask Xiao Sun for the format."

"Okay, Director Zhao, I'll familiarize myself with it as soon as possible." Gu Mingyuan took the document; it was heavy. He knew this was the first step into his job.

At noon, Gu Mingyuan had a simple meal at the county party committee canteen.

The food in the canteen was rough, consisting of steamed buns and two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, with very little oil, but it was enough to fill you up.

He saw that County Party Secretary Yi Xuexi was also eating in the canteen, at a small round table at the back, talking quietly with County Head Li Dakang and Executive Deputy County Head Wang Dalu.

Yi Xuexi has a kind face, but there is a hint of worry between his brows.

Li Dakang, with his neatly parted hair and white shirt, stood ramrod straight even while eating, and spoke with powerful gestures, exuding a strong aura.

Wang Dalu, standing next to him, was tall and had a rather honest face, but his eyes revealed shrewdness. He listened most of the time, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

Gu Mingyuan noticed that the other cadres around him consciously avoided that table, and even when they passed by, they walked quietly.

In the afternoon, Gu Mingyuan carefully read the documents and learned the basic format of the county party committee meeting notice through Sun Heping. He then carefully drafted the flood prevention work meeting notice and handed it to Zhao Dahai before leaving get off work.

Zhao Dahai glanced at it briefly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. The notice was formatted correctly, well-organized, and the words were accurate; it didn't seem like it was written by a novice at all.

"Hmm, it's alright. I'll take another look, and if there are no problems, I'll report it." Zhao Dahai's tone softened a bit.

"Xiao Gu, have you handled official documents before?"