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No matter which relative or friend is doing well, one should not feel jealous; it brings no benefit and can easily harm relationships.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Hu Ruoyun's family gathered once again at her grandmother and grandfather's home, along with Second Aunt and her younger aunt. After some events over the past six months, Zhang Yang's younger aunt had become much more reserved. Upon arriving at her maternal family's doorstep, she set down the large bags of New Year gifts, tied on an apron, and joined her sisters-in-law and older sisters in the kitchen, no longer spouting trivial nonsense.
When it came time to distribute the red envelopes, her enthusiasm was palpable as she handed out brand new "Steelworker" bills (the five-yuan denomination from the third series of Renminbi) to Chunsheng and Chuncao, saying, "Take these! I've made up for the last two years!" This delighted her little nephew and niece.
This year, with the harvest of wheat and autumn crops, Sister-in-law drove a tractor loaded with all the necessary equipment. Second Brother-in-law and Brother-in-law Three also came over, working harder than ever before but saving a lot of effort. Additionally, Sister-in-law had repaid part of the debts owed to each family, especially those owed to her father-in-law. Hu Ruoyun's aunt-in-law finally felt a weight lifted from her heart... With no distractions or worries, her perspective broadened, and this New Year was filled with smiles.
For the first time ever, the entire family gathered together in such harmony and joy. The men drank two bottles of baijiu, even Hu Ruoyun's grandfather had a bit too much.
As they were leaving, Hu Ruoyun's mother, Zhao Meirong, quietly tucked a hundred yuan into her mother's waist. Although Grandma wanted to refuse it, Zhao Meirong insisted, "Just take it! Buy whatever you want to eat with your father; don’t hold back. Buy whatever Chunsheng and Chuncao need... Now that our family is doing better economically!"
You might wonder if there are unfilial children? Perhaps there are some, but we have reason to believe that in this era, most "unfilial" behavior is driven by life's pressures. In the Records of the Grand Historian: "When granaries are full, one knows etiquette; when clothing and food are sufficient, one knows honor and disgrace," doesn't it convey a similar meaning?
As the tractor drove off into the distance, Hu Ruoyun could still see her grandmother testing her eyesight with her sleeve—but this time it was definitely not out of sadness.
Theoretically speaking, after the Spring Festival, Hu Ruoyun would be sixteen years old; according to rural customs, she would be considered seventeen.
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Hu Ruoyun's fifth-grade homeroom teacher Shao Jianguo came to visit. Teacher Shao was there to propose a match. He mentioned that the girl in question was Zhang Meina, the daughter of the Party Secretary from Zhangjiazai in Pingbei Township. She was the same age as Hu Ruoyun and had both looks and stature. Currently studying at Annan County Experimental High School, she was in the same grade as Hu Ruoyun.
He even pulled out a group photo from their middle school graduation class in 1990 and pointed to a tall girl in bright clothes with short hair in the back row saying, "Qihua Brother and Qihua Sister-in-law, look at this girl—her name is Zhang Meina."
Teacher Shao also mentioned that Zhang's family had a son named Zhang Ling who graduated from Jiangbei University and stayed in the provincial capital; he was now an assistant director at a neighborhood office in South District.
Teacher Shao briefly outlined Hu Ruoyun’s situation as well but emphasized his talent without delving too deeply into his average height or looks or their family's modest circumstances. Since he and Zhang's Party Secretary were classmates from years ago—it's often said that "classmates are like family"—there was no reason for him to harm his own daughter’s prospects by making such an introduction. They agreed that both families could get to know each other better.
Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua expressed some concerns: "Uncle, our family's situation can't compare to theirs..."
Teacher Shao reassured them confidently: "That’s not important! My classmate said it mainly depends on how the children are doing. With our Hu Ruoyun here, things will surely turn out well in the future; for now, it's just about getting acquainted so you can have an idea."
"The main thing people care about is still the person, Hu Ruoyun."
Who doesn't have a sense of vanity?
Being able to form a family connection with the village cadre means that the Hu Family's reputation is changing. Moreover, there is also an older brother working in the Provincial Capital. Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua had no reason to refuse, so they immediately agreed and even wanted Hu Ruoyun to dress up and take a photo at the Township photography studio for Shao Jianguo.
Shao Jianguo said, "No need to take a new one; the latest issue of Story Collection has a photo of Hu Ruoyun. I've already shown it to them."
Since Hu Ruoyun's Humanity's Forbidden Island began serialization in Story Collection, it has received a good response. Many readers wrote to the Editorial Department wanting to know more about the author. The editor wrote a letter to Hu Ruoyun discussing the situation and specifically included a "creative" suggestion regarding photos. Thus, a photo of Hu Ruoyun "lost in thought" was born.
In the photo, Hu Ruoyun sits under a grape trellis with a stone table in front of her. On the table are a cup of tea and a pen lying across a stack of manuscript paper. Holding a book, Hu Ruoyun gazes deeply, lost in thought...
A lot of effort went into this photo; Shaoying changed the scenery and outfits countless times and even invited a hairstylist from Township who supposedly studied in Jiangcheng to style her hair: it was parted down the middle, styled with mousse, and she wore a white shirt, vest, and small blazer. If you didn't look at her face, she could easily be mistaken for one of the Four Heavenly Kings!
After the photo was developed, even Hu Ruoyun felt that she looked quite "stylish" in it.
Later on, this photo was enlarged and framed by Shaoying's photography studio and the hairstylist's salon called "Looking Back," showcasing it as their model.
In reality, whether from her family background or her own conditions, Hu Ruoyun felt inferior but deeply longed for recognition.
On the sixteenth day of the first month in 1992 according to the Lunar Calendar, schools reopened.
Hu Ruoyun returned to school; life continued as usual. Her studies were still mediocre but hadn’t significantly declined.
Playing basketball with Mao Jie, he didn’t seem very happy.
Hu Ruoyun asked him, "What's bothering you?"
Mao Jie pulled her to a corner of the court and sat down. "My dad looks worried every day, making our whole family unhappy..."
It turned out that Gaoqiao Town's two projects—the 'White Project' and 'Modern Commercial Street Development'—had one failed and one aborted, causing a negative impact in the county. Mao Weiguo was appointed under pressure but had no new development ideas in such a short time.
Last year's ranking saw Gaoqiao Town drop seven places! Mayor Mao was under tremendous pressure.
During this time, county leaders continuously pointed out that Gaoqiao Town's economy was developing slowly! "The governing ability of the team needs improvement!"
Such evaluations made Mayor Mao restless.
In January, the county Business Bureau announced its investment attraction tasks for the year: an overall target of 80 million yuan for the county, with Gaoqiao Town allocated 3 million!
This only added to Mayor Mao’s worries.
Mayor Mao's mood also affected his entire family's emotions.
Whether for Mao Jie or Sister Mona, as someone who had been through similar experiences, Hu Ruoyun wanted to help Mayor Mao!
He desperately tried to think about what achievements Annan County had made in terms of "foresight," hoping to "borrow" or "adapt" them for Gaoqiao Town and Mayor Mao. Of course, there were no "golden fingers" here; such matters could not be rushed.
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