21: Chapter 21 The work is tough.

August 20, Lüjiang City.

Xu Weidong stood at the entrance of the Municipal Party Committee office building and looked up.

Eight stories high, grey-white exterior walls, built in the 1990s.

The building wasn't new, but it was well-maintained; the aluminum window frames were polished bright, and the marble floor in the lobby could reflect a person's image.

The national emblem hung above the main entrance, emitting a solemn glow in the late summer morning light.

"Enter."

Xu Weidong pushed the door open. The office was small, about twenty square meters, with four desks facing each other in pairs.

A woman in her forties sat by the window, with short hair and gold-rimmed glasses, head down, reviewing documents.

The desk opposite her was empty, with a pothos plant on it, its leaves slightly yellowed.

Two young people, a man and a woman, sat near the door. They looked only a few years older than him and were typing away at their computers.

Seeing him enter, both looked up for a moment, then quickly lowered their heads.

"Hello, I am the newly reported talent selection recruit, Xu Weidong."

Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan by the window raised her head. Her gaze swept over him, from top to bottom, and then from bottom to top.

The gaze wasn't fierce, not even stern; it was just very calm, looking at him as if he were a piece of furniture.

Then she lowered her head and continued reviewing documents.

Xu Weidong stood in place.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The office was so quiet that the humming of the air conditioner could be heard. The two young colleagues stared at their computer screens, not daring to move their eyes.

"Section Chief Pei."

The male colleague next to him spoke cautiously: "This is Secretary Xu..."

"I heard."

She turned a page of the document, the tip of her pen rustling across the paper.

Xu Weidong didn't move. He stood there, back straight, eyes fixed on the nameplate on her desk.

Deputy Section Chief of the Comprehensive Section, Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan.

"Your seat."

Xu Weidong followed her gaze. In the corner, next to the printer, was a lonely little desk.

There was no computer on the desk, only an old-fashioned telephone and a box of dusty paperclips.

"From today on, you are responsible for mail distribution, photocopying, meeting minutes, and visitor registration."

"If there's anything you don't understand, ask Xiao Zhou."

She turned to the last page of the document, signed her name, and closed it.

From start to finish, she didn't look at Xu Weidong a second time.

"Understood."

He walked to the desk in the corner, put down his briefcase, and gently pulled out the chair.

No one spoke in the office; it was absurdly quiet.

For the entire morning, Xu Weidong did not receive any specific work.

He took the initiative to ask Xiao Zhou, the male colleague who had spoken earlier.

How to get to the mailroom, how to use the photocopier, whether there was a template for meeting minutes.

Xiao Zhou was very polite and told him one by one, but his eyes never dared to glance toward Section Chief Pei.

At 10:30, someone knocked on the door to deliver documents.

At 11:00, the phone rang three times. Xu Weidong answered, and the caller was looking for Section Chief Pei.

He handed the receiver to Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan. She took it, spoke for a minute, hung up, and didn't look at him.

At 11:40, people started moving in the corridor; it was time to get off work.

Xiao Zhou and the female colleague left one after another. When passing by Xu Weidong's desk, Xiao Zhou paused, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately just nodded and hurried away.

Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan was still reviewing documents. Xu Weidong sat by the printer, poured out the box of paperclips, and put them back into the box one by one.

The silver metal rings spun at his fingertips, refracting fine, bright light.

At 12:10, Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan stood up, picked up her bag, and walked past him.

Her heels were very high, tapping on the tile floor, du-du-du, like a rhythmic drumbeat.

The door opened, the door closed, and the footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away.

Xu Weidong put the last paperclip into the box, closed the lid, and put it back in its place.

Xu Weidong took his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and glanced at it; there were no unread messages.

He turned off the screen and put the phone back.

At 2:00 PM, Xu Weidong was sitting at the desk in the corner on time.

At 2:10 PM, Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan entered, carrying a cup of coffee.

She didn't look at him, walked straight to her seat, and opened her computer.

At 2:30 PM, she suddenly spoke.

"Xiao Zhou, the revised draft of the 'Report on the Industrial Economic Situation of the City' from last week needs to be delivered to the Secretary-General's desk before we get off work this afternoon."

Xiao Zhou quickly replied: "Understood, Section Chief Pei, I will verify the data again."

"You don't need to."

She turned to the corner: "The newcomer, you go."

"The report is on the shared drive, the filename with 'Final Draft'. Print three copies, bind them on the left, and use white coated paper for the cover."

"Send it to Secretary Section I on the fourth floor, find Section Chief Liu, and have him sign to confirm."

Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan paused, then said: "Any questions?"

"No."

Xu Weidong walked back to his seat and turned on the old computer that wasn't connected to the network.

He needed to copy the file using Xiao Zhou's computer first. Xiao Zhou passed the file to him, hesitating to speak.

Xu Weidong began to print, bind, and check the page numbers.

Cover, back cover, three staples on the left, evenly spaced.

At 4:20 PM, he stood at the door of Secretary Section I on the fourth floor with three reports.

Section Chief Liu was a fat man in his fifties, wearing reading glasses, looking at him from above the frames.

"Newcomer?"

"Yes, today is my first day reporting."

"From the Comprehensive Section?"

"Yes."

Section Chief Liu took the report, flipped through two pages, and signed it.

"That's it."

He handed the report back and lowered his head to continue reading his own documents.

Xu Weidong stood at the door and waited for two seconds. Section Chief Liu didn't look up again.

At the stairwell on the third floor, he heard people talking in low voices.

"...Section Chief Pei's nephew, third in the written test, second in the interview, the total score was 0.8 points off."

"0.8 points, don't you think it's unjust?"

"Her nephew applied for the Comprehensive Section too?"

"Exactly."

"Old Qin only has this one boy in the family, he's treasured very much, and his major is a match. Everyone thought it was a sure thing."

"But then a 'Cheng Yaojin' killed his way in halfway..."

"I remember Section Chief Pei's family conditions were bad when she was young; she was sent to someone else's house to be raised, and her household registration wasn't even under the Qin name..."

"Why else would you say Section Chief Pei is unlucky? The family she was transferred to had an incident a few years later."

"If it weren't for Section Chief Pei's younger brother giving up his own chance to go to school and taking the initiative to go out to work to earn money, maybe we wouldn't have the chance to see Section Chief Pei now."

"No wonder she dotes on that nephew so much..."

The voice lowered even further.

"I heard the one who was first in the written test returned from Yancheng, from Civil Engineering University, and took the talent selection exam directly as an undergraduate..."

The two people heard movement and immediately stopped talking.

When he walked past the corner, he only saw two backs hurrying away.

When the bell for getting off work rang, it started raining outside the window.

The summer rain in Lvjiang City came suddenly. Neither Xiao Zhou nor the female colleague brought an umbrella and stood at the door waiting for the rain to stop.

Xu Weidong tidied up his desk and stood up; he had an umbrella.

It was a black straight-handled umbrella that his father had stuffed into his suitcase when he sent him to the Tianzhou train station.

Xu Tianhua said that Lvjiang City had a lot of rain and it would come in handy.

Xu Weidong opened the umbrella and walked into the rain.

"Xiao Xu!"

Someone called him from behind, and he turned back.

Xiao Zhou poked half his body out from under the porch and waved at him.

Standing next to him was a man in his thirties, wearing a washed-out blue short-sleeved shirt, holding an unlit cigarette in his hand.

"This is Brother Chen, a veteran of our office, he has worked in the Comprehensive Section for eight years."

Brother Chen nodded at him.

"Didn't bring an umbrella?"

"I did, but it's not as big as yours."

Brother Chen raised the umbrella in his hand and said: "Can we squeeze in?"

Xu Weidong tilted the umbrella toward him, and the two walked into the rain side by side.

The rain was heavy, hitting the umbrella with a thumping sound.

Brother Chen put the cigarette in his mouth, didn't light it, just chewed on it like that.

They walked more than twenty meters and turned into a small alley.

There was a noodle shop on the roadside; the storefront wasn't big, and the light sign blurred into a warm yellow in the rain and mist.

Brother Chen smiled and said: "Eat a bowl of noodles?"

Xu Weidong glanced at his phone, 6:17 PM.

"Okay."

There were not many people in the noodle shop. The owner was an aunt in her fifties, lying behind the cashier counter watching a TV series.

Seeing them enter, she got up lazily and asked what they wanted to eat.

"Two bowls of shredded pork noodles, extra spicy for me."

The two sat down by the window, and the rain flowed down the glass.

Brother Chen finally lit the cigarette and took a deep puff.

"First day, how does it feel?"

Xu Weidong didn't speak. Brother Chen smiled.

"Section Chief Pei, that person, isn't targeting you."

"She has a nephew who studied administrative management. He graduated last year and studied at home for a year just to take the exam for our unit."

He put the cigarette back in his mouth, squinting his eyes to avoid the drifting smoke.

"Third in the written test, second in the interview, the total score was 0.8 points off."

"The one who was first in the exam is you."

Xu Weidong didn't answer immediately; the sound of rain outside the window was like a waterfall.

The owner brought up two bowls of noodles, steaming hot.

Brother Chen extinguished the cigarette, picked up his chopsticks, and buried his head in eating noodles.

Xu Weidong also picked up his chopsticks. He took two bites and put them down, saying: "Brother Chen, why are you telling me this?"

"Afraid you wouldn't understand."

With noodles in his mouth, his voice was a bit muffled.

"The Municipal Committee Office is not like other places; everything is set in stone."

"If you offend the leadership without knowing it, you will have a hard time in the future."

Brother Chen swallowed the mouthful of noodles and looked up.

"Section Chief Pei's nephew can still take the exam next year. She is angry, but she can't fire you."

"You know the reason, so just steer clear of her in the future, avoid trouble, and life will go on."

Brother Chen paused, then picked up his chopsticks again and said: "It's just a Deputy Section Chief, can she eat you?"

"No matter what, you passed the exam to get in."

Xu Weidong looked at him. This man was in his early thirties, and there were already some fine lines at the corners of his eyes.

The collar of his shirt was washed white, and the cuffs were frayed.

Eight years. He had stayed in one place for eight years, from his early twenties to his early thirties, and he was still a staff member without a position.

When he said it was just a Deputy Section Chief, his tone was very calm, as calm as saying it was raining today.

Xu Weidong lowered his head and continued to eat noodles.

"Brother Chen, thank you."

Brother Chen waved his hand and said: "Don't thank me, I just saw it was your first day and I was afraid you would be confused."

He shoveled the last mouthful of noodles into his mouth and pulled a tissue to wipe his mouth.

"Actually, the fact that you were able to pass the exam is your ability."

"First in the written test, first in the interview."

"With these results, no one can say anything."

"Section Chief Pei knows this in her heart, she just can't get over that hurdle."

Brother Chen stood up and took out some crumpled small change from his pocket.

"I'll treat you to this meal, maybe I'll have things to trouble you with in the future."

Xu Weidong also stood up and smiled: "Brother Chen, I just arrived, I don't understand anything."

"I will need to ask you for advice in the future."

Brother Chen looked at him, then smiled.

"Easy to say."

He opened his umbrella and walked into the rain.

Xu Weidong stood at the entrance of the noodle shop, watching the blue back gradually disappear into the rain curtain.

The owner turned up the volume of the TV series; the heroine was crying.

Xu Weidong stood under the eaves, clutching the black umbrella at his side. He remembered what his father had said.

"There is no malice without cause in this world."

"And there is no kindness without cause."

The next morning, Xu Weidong arrived at the office at 7:20.

Xu Weidong wiped the desk in the corner, straightened the paperclip box, and cleaned up the old sticky notes pressed under the phone.

He found the location of the water room, boiled two kettles of hot water, and poured them into the office thermos.

At 7:50, Xiao Zhou arrived. Seeing the hot water in the thermos, he was stunned for a moment.

"Secretary... Weidong, did you boil this?"

"Just a small task."

At 8:00 sharp, Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan entered.

She paused when she passed the thermos, didn't speak, walked to her seat, and opened her computer.

At 8:30, she spoke.

"Newcomer."

Xu Weidong stood up and said: "The 'Report on the Industrial Economic Situation of the City' from last week has been approved by the Secretary-General, and it needs data comparisons from various counties and districts."

"You go to the Statistics Bureau, and ask for the three data items: the added value of industries above designated size, fixed asset investment, and industrial electricity consumption for each county and district in the first half of this year."

She paused, then said: "Give it to me before work this afternoon."

Xu Weidong checked his watch. The Statistics Bureau was in the Municipal Government compound, a twenty-minute walk away.

It was 8:35 now, and he had two and a half hours.

"Understood."

Xu Weidong took his notebook and went out.

The corridor was very quiet. He walked quickly toward the stairs. Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into someone head-on.

It was Brother Chen. He had changed into a grey-blue short-sleeved shirt today, still a bit washed white, and the cuffs were still frayed.

He was holding a cup of soy milk and looking down at his phone.

"So early?"

Brother Chen looked up and said: "Statistics Bureau?"

Xu Weidong nodded and said: "Yes."

"Section Chief Pei asked you to go?"

"Yes."

Brother Chen didn't speak. He stepped aside to let Xu Weidong pass. As they brushed shoulders, he suddenly lowered his voice and said: "The Section Chief of the Comprehensive Section of the Statistics Bureau is surnamed Miao, female, and she doesn't get along with Section Chief Pei."

"When you go, don't say you are from the Comprehensive Section."

"Then what should I say?"

"Just say you are from the Secretary Section."

Xu Weidong stood at the stairwell, watching that back disappear at the end of the corridor.

The Statistics Bureau was in the East Annex of the Municipal Government compound, on the third floor.

Xu Weidong knocked on the door of the Comprehensive Section. Inside sat a woman in her forties.

Short hair, round face, eating melon seeds in front of the computer.

"Hello, I am from the Secretary Section of the Municipal Committee Office, here to ask for some data."

"Comprehensive Section? Did Old Pei send you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll give you the data."