A Young Woman's Heart

Page 589

"We talked all night long," Gao Yuan said, yawning widely. "We didn't go to sleep until four o'clock."

"What did you talk about?" Wang Qianyu asked, resting her chin on her hand.

"Well, it's nothing much. We just talked about historical changes, then about human nature, then about the Big Bang, and then about whether humans were inherently good or evil." Lu Bolun coughed lightly.

"Damn it, this kid insisted on debating with me, otherwise we wouldn't have stayed up so late!" Gao Yuan complained. "If he had agreed with my point of view earlier, he would have been asleep long ago."

"Damn it, I absolutely will not agree with your crappy viewpoint. What do you mean by 'human nature is inherently evil'? You have such a low opinion of human nature!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Cha Li interrupted them with droopy eyelids: "What are you arguing about? At the beginning of life, people are naturally without nature."

"what?"

"Everyone is born as a blank sheet of paper, indifferent to good or evil. So-called good and evil are all caused by the environment after birth."

“Exactly. It’s like a pen and a piece of paper. What you write on it depends on the person. You can’t say that the writing or the pen is bad, can you?” Wang Jiale nodded vigorously in agreement.

However, the argument didn't end so easily, and the whole lunch was spent discussing it. Plus, since it was a Western-style meal, it felt more like afternoon tea.

However, it's quite interesting when everyone participates in the discussion and expresses their opinions.

In the end, no convincing result was reached, and everyone held onto their own views and refused to waver.

Moreover, there are always ways to refute it – after all, the ancients debated it for so many years and still didn't reach a conclusion.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone casually sat on the carpet by the window, gathering in a small group.

"Aren't you two finished arguing yet?" Mo Xueyao was getting a little bored. "Why don't we let Ye Wen and Teacher Qiu Yi tell their stories?"

"This is great!" Li Hongran immediately shouted.

On this point, the students reached a consensus, and they all looked at Qiu Yi and Ye Wen with eager eyes, wanting to hear about their past.

"Why don't you listen to Teacher Qianyu?" Wang Jiale muttered.

“My past? My past isn’t very interesting. Well… I was just born into a rich family and lived a rich life. Unlike Wenwen and Qiuyi, who have so many dramatic stories.”

"Full of ups and downs!!" Lu Chengyuan seized on the key point. "Tell me quickly, what were the ups and downs?"

"Don't listen to Qianyu's nonsense. We don't have any dramatic stories, but we do have quite a few interesting little anecdotes."

"Then tell us about it?" Mo Xueyao chimed in, playing the straight man.

"Ahem." Qiu Yi interrupted Ye Wen, "Actually, your Principal Mo's life story is truly legendary."

This is quite interesting too.

Moreover, it seems that Qiu Yi knows some inside information.

"Actually, Mo Kong, who is now the principal, is in a relationship with Su Yuqing from the medical affairs office!" Qiu Yi said smugly. "How about that, are you surprised?"

"Tch—" The students booed.

"Everyone already knows this!" Lu Chengyuan said with a look of disdain. "Teacher Qiu, don't think we're so out of touch, okay?"

"Okay, okay, you all knew that? That's incredible... Did you know that he and Su Yuqing are six or seven years apart in age?"

"It's obvious at a glance..." Cha Li looked at Qiu Yi helplessly, "Teacher Qiu, can you get to the point?"

"The key point... well... actually, Mo Kong used to be a war correspondent."

This was something no one knew, so the students all pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

"Ha... I actually heard about this from Wenwen. She should know more about it. You should ask her." Qiu Yi said with a dry laugh.

"Didn't I hear that from Xiao Qing?" Ye Wen tilted her head and thought for a moment. "He didn't become a war correspondent because he saw too many innocent people die in front of him, and he could only helplessly press the button to capture it all and turn it into photos."

"Speaking of which, does Awen know how the principal and Teacher Su met?" Wang Jiale raised her hand, her gossip spirit burning brightly.

"Well, it's simple. The Mo family and the Su family arranged a marriage to bring them closer together."

"How cliché! I thought it was about love."

"Pfft, it's a bit complicated to say, but anyway, they're together because of love."

"Let's talk about Awen and Teacher Qiu's story," Gao Yuan steered the conversation back on track. "It's more interesting to hear the people involved talk about their past experiences."

"You think that would make us both shy, right?" Ye Wen saw right through his intentions, but still began to tell the story of the past...

……

Chapter Fifty-Four: Officialdom

"Section Chief Yu, Section Chief Yu!" In a nearly empty teahouse in the suburbs of Hangzhou, a greasy-faced man bowed and scraped to Yu Liang.

This is a private room in the teahouse, quiet and serene, with vast tea fields outside the window. Most people would never find this place.

Only a few people come here to discuss important matters.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is just a wooden cabin in the mountains; a cup of tea here is quite expensive—a regular cup of Longjing tea costs 188 yuan, not to mention other teas.

Even the cheapest ordinary tea starts at 88 yuan.

"Hello." Yu Liang smiled kindly and extended his hand to shake hands with the other person. "This place has a nice environment, very suitable for enjoying tea."

"Haha, that's right, that's right, as long as Section Chief Yu likes it."

Yu Liang had already guessed some things, but he still pretended to know nothing and asked, "I wonder what brings you here?"

"Hehe, it's nothing serious, just inviting you to have some tea and chat."

Yu Liang picked up a cup of tea and took a small sip. The tea could be refilled at any time, and the dried fruits and snacks on the table were unlimited.

This kind of place is actually for discussing business, not for eating.

Moreover, compared to coffee shops, teahouses have a more classical charm, and some people like this style. Yu Liang happens to be one of those people.

The other party had clearly investigated a lot of his personal information, which is why they were able to cater to his preferences so accurately.

Yu Liang narrowed his eyes, his brain racing.

Once you enter officialdom, professional skills are no longer the absolute standard for measuring yourself. The greater your power, the more temptations you will encounter, and all sorts of intrigue and backstabbing are waiting for you in the shadows!

He is only a small section chief now. Just think about the bureau chiefs, department heads, and even higher-ranking officials. What kind of open and covert struggles are taking place in their officialdom?

"Okay." Yu Liang didn't say much, just smiled and nodded.

"Why did you order tea yourself? I already said I would order it. Hey, boss, two cups of Longjing tea, please!"

"No need for you to spend money, I've already ordered some myself, ordering more would be a waste," Yu Liang said with a smile.

"Oh, haha, sorry, sorry. I was supposed to treat you, but something came up on the way and I was delayed."

"It's nothing, I didn't wait long." Yu Liang said, looking out the window at the tea fields, a verdant expanse that was a sight to behold.

After the waiter served a cup of Longjing tea, the room became quiet again.

The greasy-faced man in front of him pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to Yu Liang: "Section Chief Yu, want a smoke?"

“Okay.” Yu Liang did not refuse. As soon as he took the cigarette, the other person eagerly took out a lighter and lit it for him.

"I've come here to make friends. I've heard a lot about Section Chief Yu before; he's very conscientious. I've prepared a gift for you, so please don't find it offensive." As he spoke, the man placed the paper bag he had brought into the teahouse on the table. The bag itself was plain, but inside was a beautifully packaged bottle of Moutai liquor and a small jewelry box.

"What does it mean?"

"It's a gift for meeting a friend."

"Making friends is fine, but gifts are unnecessary." Yu Liang smiled. "Friends aren't something you can buy with gifts. If I accepted them, it would make me seem materialistic."

"No, no, it's really just a small gift."

"Mr. Yang, just tell me what's wrong. I'll definitely help you if I can." Yu Liang acted as if he really considered him a friend.

"Well... it's really nothing serious." Mr. Yang insisted on placing his gift in the center. "Well, I'm in business, so I definitely want to make more money. That's why I want to buy more fish fry this year, and luckily my fish farm is big enough..."

“Each fish farm has a quota limit for fish fry,” Yu Liang said, exhaling a smoke ring. “Isn’t this year’s quota enough?”

"Hey, my fishpond has just been expanded, it's definitely not good to leave it empty, right, Section Chief Yu?" Boss Yang didn't continue speaking.

Conversations among officials are often brief and to the point, rarely going into too much detail.

“Okay, I’ll see if there are any extra quotas for you.” Yu Liang nodded and pushed the gift back. “You should take this back with you.”

"Oh, this is just a small gift. Here's the thing, I'd like to buy 100,000 fish fry."

"I don't remember your family's fish farm being more than 200 acres."

"Well, I can sell the extra fish fry to people who need them."

“Heh…” Yu Liang took a deep breath. “There will indeed be new fish fry quotas in the second half of the year, but 100,000 fish fry already account for nearly one-third of the total quota. This is one-third of the quota for the entire city, including the surrounding counties.”

Suddenly, Boss Yang stopped being so eager and looked at him with a half-smile.

Yu Liang was silent for a moment: "Does the bureau chief know about this?"

"Oh, it was the bureau chief who sent me to see you!"

If that's the case, then it's not a simple bribe.

Rather, the bureau chief was implying that he should take sides.

The bureaucratic system hides many unspoken rules.

Sometimes, corruption and bribery are beyond one's control.

If he refuses, he can indeed be an honest official, but he will be tripped up by his superiors or other people, or even framed.

If he chooses to accept this condition, it would be equivalent to the bureau chief having leverage over him.

But this would put his mind at ease, and he would certainly get a share of any benefits in the future.

He had only just become the head of the Planting Management Section of the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau when this happened.

Perhaps it was unavoidable.