Official title: Refused to stay at the university, started his career in a rural town.

Three Cherokees rolled over the dirt road in Qingping, their bodies covered in mud splatters.

Zhao Dongsheng, the county's organization minister, was the first to get out of the car. His leather shoes were in the mud, but he didn't even frown.

Behind him was a young man in his early thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with his hair neatly combed and his gray Zhongshan suit pressed perfectly.

In the courtyard, Li Chang'an and Yang Fan stood at the front, while the township government officials lined up in a row.

Zhao Dongsheng shook hands with Li Chang'an and nodded to Yang Fan.

In the conference room, a row of enamel mugs were arranged.

Zhao Dongsheng pulled two official documents from his briefcase and cleared his throat.

"After deliberation by the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and approval by the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee, Comrade Li Chang'an was removed from his post as Secretary of the Party Committee of Qingping Township and transferred to serve as Secretary of the Party Committee of Anyang Town."

Li Chang'an stood up, bowed, and applause rang out in the conference room.

Zhao Dongsheng continued reading: "Wu Xiang, former deputy section chief of the Comprehensive Section of the Municipal Planning Commission, is appointed as the Party Secretary of Qingping Township."

The young man with the gold-rimmed glasses stood up and bowed slightly.

"Yang Fan is appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Mayor, and Acting Mayor of Qingping Township."

Yang Fan also stood up to acknowledge the gesture.

Zhao Dongsheng put the documents down and glanced at them.

"The county committee has taken notice of Qingping Township's achievements this year. Apple bagging has been promoted throughout the city, the Shanzhen brand has exceeded one million yuan in three months, and Hengtong's 60 million yuan investment has been implemented. As Secretary Wu said at the Standing Committee meeting, Qingping is now a model for Anyang County."

He paused.

"Comrade Wu Xiang came from the Municipal Planning Commission; he has a broad vision and many connections. Comrade Yang Fan is a meritorious official of Qingping; he is familiar with the situation and dares to think and act. The County Committee hopes that you will build a good team and raise the banner of Qingping even higher."

Another round of applause rang out.

After Zhao Dongsheng finished his announcement, it was the new secretary's turn to speak.

Wu Xiang stood up and adjusted his glasses.

"To be honest, I was a little apprehensive before coming to Qingping." He smiled.

"I'm used to sitting at my desk in the Municipal Planning Commission, and I'm a complete novice when it comes to grassroots work. Minister Zhao said I'm here to 'strengthen leadership,' but I feel like I'm here to be a student."

People in the meeting room exchanged glances.

"How much has Qingping accomplished this year? Apples, mountain delicacies, tea, Hengtong—each one is a solid achievement. These achievements were made by Secretary Ma and Mayor Li leading everyone. What right do I, a newcomer, have to point fingers?"

Wu Xiang's smile faded, and he spoke with a serious expression.

"I'm here to do three things. First, to ensure smooth policy coordination between the city and county, so as not to hinder Qingping's progress; second, to provide excellent service so everyone can focus on their work; and third, to act as a logistics manager, providing support and resources to those who are at the forefront!"

He paused.

"I hope our Qingping Township will get better and better!"

As the newly appointed township party secretary, Wu Xiang's speech was brief and low-key, which put everyone's anxieties at ease.

After all, if Qingping Township develops, everyone will be better off. If the top two leaders have a conflict, that would be troublesome.

Especially since neither of them is over 30 years old, it leaves everyone feeling uneasy.

After he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the conference room.

As Yang Fan stood up, a thought flashed through his mind—in the phone call Su Huaishan made yesterday, his senior, who was the deputy director of the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee, spoke very bluntly.

"Wu Xiang, Mayor Wu Chunlin's nephew."

"You know Wu Chunlin, right? He's a member of the Standing Committee of Ningzhou City and the Vice Mayor. He's known for his low profile; he never speaks more than three sentences and he's very low-key in his work."

"His nephew spent four years in the Municipal Planning Commission, and two years as a section chief without any promotion. This time he's been sent to Qingping, it's obvious he's just here to get some experience."

"However," the senior brother changed the subject.

"Mayor Wu has a unique characteristic—he never seeks credit. Although sending his nephew down here might seem like a way to enhance his resume, as long as you produce results, he won't hold you back; he might even lend you a hand!"

Yang Fan snapped out of his thoughts.

"To be honest, during my year or so in the village, I wasn't driven by hard work, but by necessity. The people had been poor for too long; they had no choice but to work."

The meeting room fell silent.

"The apple bagging was because Wang Dashan trusted me. The Shanzhen brand was brought in by Old Geng, who led people to transport the goods to Ningzhou truckload by truckload. The Hengtong 60 million yuan deal was approved by General Manager Zhao after reviewing the tea garden data. Without the people of Qingping and all the cadres present here, I couldn't have accomplished any of these things by myself."

He looked at Wu Xiang.

"With Secretary Wu here, Qingping has an extra pair of hands. When I don't have enough hands, I shamelessly ask Secretary Wu to lend me some."

Laughter erupted from below.

Wu Xiang smiled and shook his head.

Yang Fan stopped talking.

In short, I hope Qingping will get better and better.

The applause was even louder than before.

After the meeting, Yang Fan returned to his office.

I had just poured some water and was about to look through the financial data when there was a knock on the door.

Wu Xiang stood at the door, smiling at Yang Fan.

"Mayor Yang, is this a convenient time?"

Yang Fan quickly stood up.

"Secretary Wu, please come in."

Wu Xiang came in, sat down in a chair, and adjusted his glasses.

"When I said at the meeting earlier that I was here to be a student, I wasn't just being polite."

He looked at Yang Fan.

"What did Qingping accomplish this year? I went through all the materials before I came here. Apples went from selling for 30 cents to 1.2 yuan. Mountain delicacies went from being unsold to being in high demand. Hengtong went from inspection to signing the contract in less than two months. I've never seen these things in my four years at the Municipal Planning Commission."

Yang Fan did not respond.

Wu Xiang took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Yang Fan, and lit it.

"To be honest, after it was confirmed that I came to Qingping, many people were saying that I came here to pick fruit."

He put the jar down.

"I say, yes and no!"

Yang Fan looked at him.

"This fruit tree in Qingping was planted by Township Head Yang himself. I've certainly come at the right time. But then again—in places with development potential, who doesn't come to reap the rewards? Those who say this are just sour grapes."

Wu Xiang leaned back in his chair.

"Mayor Yang, I, Wu Xiang, spent four years at the Municipal Planning Commission. I didn't learn any other skills, but I did learn one thing—to recognize my own position."

He looked at Yang Fan.

"You know better than I how Qingping should develop. Just go for it. As long as it's for the development of Qingping, I, as the Party Secretary, will never disagree."

After taking a drag of his cigarette, Yang Fan said very seriously.

"Secretary Wu, what can I say besides fully cooperating?"

Wu Xiang smiled.

Yang Fan dusted off the cigarette ash.

"Qingping has a weak foundation, but it has already found its way. Next year, the tea gardens will start mass production, the framework for the mountain delicacies to go through major distribution channels has been established, and Hengtong's factory will be put into production in the spring. None of these things can be stopped."

"Keep going." Wu Xiang nodded. "Not only will we keep going, we'll speed it up."

Yang Fan paused, lowered his voice, and smiled slightly. "Secretary Wu, you just said to recognize your own position, and I have also recognized my position."

Wu Xiang looked at him.

"My role is to make the pie bigger so that everyone can have some fruit to eat."

Wu Xiang paused for a moment, then lit Yang Fan's cigarette and burst into laughter.

"Mayor Yang, you have such a sharp tongue!"

Yang Fan smiled too.

Wu Xiang stood up, extended his hand, and Yang Fan grasped it.

"Mayor Yang, don't worry. I understand that I'll be the first to benefit from the development!"

"Um."

"I hope Qingping gets better and better!"

Yang Fan gripped his hand tightly.

"I hope things will get better and better for us!"

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.

Wu Xiang let go of her hand, walked to the door, and then turned back.

"By the way, Mayor Yang, I'll ask Old Zhou from the canteen to cook a couple more dishes tonight. Let's rest a bit and have a chat."

"OK."

Wu Xiang is gone.

Yang Fan sat back down in his chair. He picked up the enamel mug and found that the water had gone cold, so he picked up the thermos and refilled it himself.

Wu Chunlin! The big winner!

That member of the original five-person group, if it weren't for the fact that there were things he needed to read, would probably have just kept his surname like Governor Liu.

But Yang Fan didn't see it that way. He thought this person lacked the ability to climb to such an important position controlling all the cadres in the province.

His nephew! Low-key, honest, and very shrewd.

Yang Fan didn't believe that Wu Chunlin hadn't given him any instructions before he came.

It's clear that they understand that forcibly seizing dominance will lead to an uncertain future; while cooperative development is mutually beneficial.

By taking the initiative to come to the second-in-command's office, adopting such a humble posture, and speaking to this extent—what else could Yang Fan say but to fully cooperate?

Yang Fan leaned back in his chair, and his senior brother's words flashed through his mind again—"Wu Chunlin never competes for credit."

It seems these two, uncle and nephew, are cut from the same cloth. In this officialdom, there are only those who pretend to be confused, not those who are truly confused.

Qingping's development path seems to be going very smoothly so far!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In a small private room at the guesthouse at night, sat the only two young people who could influence Qingping Township.

There were four dishes on the table—peanuts, smashed cucumber, stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, and a bowl of pickled fish in the middle.

The liquor was Handong Daqu, which Wu Xiang took out of his bag.

"It was a gift from a colleague at the Municipal Planning Commission. I haven't been able to bring myself to drink it." He unscrewed the cap and poured Yang Fan a cup. "Now I finally have a reason."

Yang Fan picked up the wine cup.

"Secretary Wu, I salute you."

"No, let's bump into each other."

The wine cups clinked together, and the two men tilted their heads back and drank it all in one gulp.

Wu Xiang smacked his lips, picked up his chopsticks, and took out a peanut.

"Mayor Yang, what I said at the meeting today was not just polite talk."

Wu Xiang put down his wine cup and adjusted his glasses.

"Let's be frank! Although I'm primarily responsible for Qingping's development, you're in charge of the actual implementation! I'll handle all the messy stuff from the city and county! You, just get to work!"

Yang Fan picked up the wine cup.

"Secretary Wu, I've taken that to heart."

"Just write it down."

The wine cups clinked together again.

The chirping of insects outside the window came in bursts. The lights from Hengtong's factory shone through the foot of the mountain, like a star that had fallen into a ravine.

Wu Xiang stood up.

"Alright, we have to go to the villages tomorrow, so I'm not drinking anymore."

Yang Fan also stood up.

As Wu Xiang reached the door, he turned around.

"Mayor Yang."

"Um."

"Only if Qingping is doing well can we both be well!"

Wu Xiang smiled, patted Yang Fan on the shoulder, and turned to leave.