Reborn in the 60s, I hunt to support my family and even seduce the village beauty.

Hou Jun cursed and looked around, then pulled Chang Kun a few steps toward the corner, lowering his voice even further.

"That bastard came today and is already taking over the work from Section Chief Zhang. Isn't he in a huge rush? Section Chief Zhang hasn't even left yet, and he can't wait any longer."

"What's wrong? It seems you have a lot of complaints about the new section chief?"

Hou Jun held the jar, tapping his fingers against the rim, his face showing an indescribable irritation.

"I heard the new section chief brought a few trusted confidants with him, and he's going to take over the work of Master, Uncle Zeng, and the rest of us. When Section Chief Zhang was in charge, our section was so much better. We had plenty of energy to work on and we felt at ease. Now look what's happened. The new broom sweeps clean, and the first thing he's done is target us."

Chang Kun recalled what the section chief had said yesterday: some people wanted to come here to "gild their resumes," to work here for a year or two, and to get promoted once they achieved good results.

Where do performance results come from? Of course, they come from climbing up by stepping on the shoulders of those below.

"Where is Master?" Chang Kun asked.

"He's in the office, hasn't said a word all morning." Hou Jun shook his head. "Everyone remembers how Section Chief Zhang treated us. Now that he's been replaced like this, who wouldn't feel good about it?"

Chang Kun finished his cigarette, stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, and clapped his hands: "Let's go in and take a look."

Hou Jun followed behind him, muttering to himself, each sentence filled with an indescribable sense of frustration.

The two entered the office one after the other.

Lei Guohong sat in his seat with a newspaper spread out in front of him, but his eyes were empty, and he was clearly not looking at it.

Old Zeng leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, it was hard to tell whether he was really asleep or just pretending.

Xiao Lü and Xiao Yu sat in the corner, whispering to each other. When Chang Kun came in, they both looked up at him, then looked down again.

The office was eerily quiet. Even Hou Jun, who was usually the most boisterous, was silent. He put his enamel mug on the table and sat down sullenly.

After waiting for a while, I heard Sister Wang's footsteps in the corridor as she knocked on each office door and called out to people.

"Meeting is starting. Everyone gather in the compound. The section chief has something to say."

The people in the office exchanged glances, but no one moved.

Monkey King held the enamel mug without even lifting his eyelids.

Lei Guohong folded the newspaper, placed it on the corner of the table, stood up, straightened his collar, and said, "Let's go, don't keep them waiting."

The group slowly stood up, moved closer to Chang Kun, and walked out together.

As I left the office, people began to emerge from the corridor, heading towards the compound in twos and threes, their steps slow and deliberate, as if they had planned it together.

A large crowd had already gathered in the courtyard. Sister Wu from the ticket booth stood on the steps, talking to someone next to her. Her voice wasn't loud, but her expression clearly showed that she wasn't happy.

Aunt Song in the office leaned against the wall, her hands tucked into her sleeves, her lips turned down, and she shook her head every now and then.

Xiao Rui, the radio station attendant, stood on the edge of the crowd, holding a notebook in her hand. She wasn't writing anything in the notebook, but rather listening intently to the conversations around her.

Chang Kun and the others walked to the edge of the crowd and stood there. Monkey Brother crossed his arms and looked grim.

Sister Wu spoke first, her voice low: "What kind of situation is this? The old section chief hasn't even left yet, and the new official has already taken office. Don't they even need to wait for anyone to hand over the duties?"

Aunt Song's tone was barbed: "What do you know? This is called seamless transition. They have connections; they can come whenever they want. Why would they need to wait for us?"

"I heard the new section chief was transferred from elsewhere and brought his own people with him. We old folks are probably going to have to step aside." Che Xiaorui also stepped forward to join in the fun.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people around him darkened.

Monkey King finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Fine, step aside if you want. It's not like we haven't done it before. I just can't stand this kind of blatant favoritism! Everyone knows how Section Chief Zhang treats us. We finally managed to improve the railway section, and now someone's already trying to steal the credit."

Xiao Yu didn't speak, but his face was ashen, his lips were pressed into a thin line, his hands were in his pockets, and his feet were grinding on the ground.

Sister Wu's voice rose even louder: "I heard that the guys the new section chief brought are all his people. Who knows where we'll be assigned? On the train? At the station? We're definitely not going to get any easy jobs."

Aunt Song snorted, "Damn it! Why should others reap the benefits of our hard work?"

Che Xiaorui closed the notebook, patted it, and sighed, "Forget it, what's the use of saying all this? They have connections, what can we do? Just do our work, obey orders, and don't make trouble for ourselves."

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, their voices low, but each word carried an indescribable sense of frustration and resentment.

Some people criticized the new section chief for his unseemly behavior, some felt sorry for Zhang Qingfeng, some were worried about their future job arrangements, and some simply stood there smoking, their expressions obscured by the swirling smoke.

Before the section chief arrived, more and more people gathered in the compound, and the discussions grew louder and louder, seemingly without end.

After a while, footsteps came from the office, and the murmurs among the crowd gradually subsided. The new section chief had arrived.

Leading the way was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a navy blue uniform. The fabric was crisp and neatly ironed, without a single wrinkle.

The top button of his collar was fastened tightly, and his hair was combed so slicked back that even a fly would slip on it.

His black leather shoes were polished so hard you could see your reflection in them, and they made a clattering sound as he walked, each step steady and deliberate, as if he were afraid no one would notice him.

Behind him were four or five people, all in uniform, each with their heads held high, their eyes scanning over the crowd as if they hadn't seen the people standing below at all.

Zhang Qingfeng followed at the very back, walking at a moderate pace with no particular expression on his face.

He was still wearing that old uniform, the cuffs were worn a little white, and his hat was on properly, just like usual.

Walking behind the new section chief and his entourage, he seemed a bit lonely, like an old chair that had been used for many years and had been moved to a corner. It didn't get in the way, but it wasn't important anymore.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear the wind rustling the flags.

The new section chief stood still, glanced at the crowd below, and gave a slight smile.

He took the folder from the person behind him, glanced at it, closed it again, handed it to the person next to him, cleared his throat, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Comrades, my name is Sima Bin, and from today onwards, I will serve as the section chief of our railway section."

The voice echoed through the courtyard, clear and articulate, as if reading from a script.

No one applauded, and no one spoke.

The scene was completely silent, and everyone below wore a stern face.