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Hu Ruoyun watched as six people squeezed into the Santana police car, which then started up and drove away. Turning to Jiang Qiuying and Zhang Meina, he said, "Let's go back to school."
Zhang Meina tugged at Jiang Qiuying's hand and whispered something in her ear. Jiang Qiuying laughed and pushed her away, saying, "Why make me the messenger? You can ask him yourself!"
Seeing Zhang Meina about to reach out again, Jiang Qiuying shook her hand and said, "Alright, I'll ask..." Then, covering her mouth while laughing, she turned to Hu Ruoyun and asked, "Could you introduce us to the people who helped you pay the bill?"
Hu Ruoyun glanced at the two girls in front of him and thought for a moment before replying, "The one around our age is my classmate Mao Jie. That girl is his sister, the one in police uniform is Mao Jie's uncle, and the other two are his dad and mom... I don't know the one in the suit."
Hu Ruoyun believed he had explained clearly, but Zhang Meina was clearly dissatisfied with his response. "What do his parents do?" she pressed.
Unable to dodge the question any longer, Hu Ruoyun replied honestly, "His dad is the Mayor of Gaoqiao Town, his mom is the Deputy Director of the Town Family Planning Office, his uncle is the head of the Gaoqiao Town Police Station, and his sister works at the Gaoqiao Town Post Office..."
Jiang Qiuying glanced at Zhang Meina and asked again, "You two are quite familiar? He even paid for us!"
Hu Ruoyun said, "I often play basketball with Mao Jie and have eaten at his house before. I also frequently go to the Post Office to send letters, so I know his family pretty well..."
To be honest, everyone has a sense of vanity and pride. While Hu Ruoyun spoke calmly, he felt quite pleased inside. It wasn't just about saving some money; it was significant that someone like him had someone so influential in Gaoqiao Town helping him out.
Why explain everything so clearly? Leaving a bit of mystery would make it more intriguing for others to guess!
Zhang Meina was also convinced that Hu Ruoyun's relationship with the mayor and police chief was more than just a casual acquaintance. How many people would proactively help someone pay their bill just because they knew them? At least she wouldn’t.
By the time they returned to school, it was already past eight in the evening. Hu Ruoyun was pondering how to get these two girls to the girls' dormitory (it wouldn't be convenient for him as a boy to take them), when he suddenly noticed that there were still lights on in the classroom. Upon entering, he saw Tong Caiying sitting there. When she spotted Hu Ruoyun and the others coming in, she put down her book and stood up confidently. "You're back? Come on, follow me!"
Hu Ruoyun felt warmth in his heart: she must have been worried about him coming back late and didn't want to directly take them to the girls' dormitory, so she waited for them in the classroom!
The night passed without further conversation.
The next morning, Hu Ruoyun invited Tong Caiying and Wang Bingbing to have breakfast together. The two girls waved goodbye with smiles as they sent Jiang Qiuying and Zhang Meina out of the dormitory area.
A week later, Hu Ruoyun received two letters simultaneously—one from Jiang Qiuying and another surprisingly from Zhang Meina.
In her letter, Jiang Qiuying teased him: "Your two female classmates really praised you: talented, good character, helpful... They even said you know martial arts! Zhang Meina mentioned that aside from your photo being quite misleading, everything else is fine... Keep up the good work!"
As for Zhang Meina's letter, it lacked much emotional color: her dad had told her about Hu Ruoyun based on what Uncle Shao had shared but also believed that "hearing about someone" and "seeing someone" were two different things. She should find out more through classmates.
Coincidentally enough, her classmate and dorm mate Jiang Qiuying happened to be a former classmate of Hu Ruoyun from middle school. When she asked Jiang Qiuying about him directly, she praised him highly but became somewhat vague when it came to discussing his looks...
So she decided to take advantage of the weekend to drag Jiang Qiuying along for an on-site "investigation" at Annan Eight Middle School.
Upon seeing him for the first time in person, she felt deeply disappointed! The real person looked nothing like the photo from Story Collection; there was too great a difference.
"Please forgive my straightforwardness," she said.
However, Jiang Qiuying confidently assured me that you were a wonderful classmate, just like what those two girls in your dormitory said that night... I suppose I believe it.
I understand a bit about your family's situation, and you probably know something about mine as well. Regardless of whether you agree or not, I believe that a true marriage should consider some degree of compatibility in social standing...
Moreover, I always feel there’s a certain mystery about you...
In the end, based on Jiang Qiuying and the evaluations from the other two girls in your class, I think at the very least we can be friends.
During this time, Mao Jie incessantly gossiped with Hu Ruoyun, demanding that Hu Ruoyun confess what was going on with those two beauties. This annoyed Hu Ruoyun to no end. Finally, he tossed Zhang Meina's letter to Mao Jie: "Aren't you curious? Here, go ahead and read it!"
Mao Jie frowned as he read through it, then returned the letter to Hu Ruoyun with a smirk, reassuring him, "There are plenty of fish in the sea; a man need not worry about having no wife... Come on, let's go play basketball."
Hu Ruoyun wanted to pay him back for dinner that night, but Mao Jie refused to accept it.
Growing impatient, Mao Jie said, "The bill was settled by my uncle. If you insist on giving it back, just hand it to him; I won't collect it."
Hu Ruoyun put the money back in his pocket: "If I don't eat for free, then I won't eat at all. If I do eat, I won't pay either."
The two of them then linked arms and headed towards the basketball court.
During these days, Hu Ruoyun had been contemplating some issues regarding rural agricultural development in the future he envisioned. In his impression, as traditional agriculture reached a certain level of development, various factors such as prices, markets, and yields limited farmers' income growth and constrained rural development.
Although special planting and breeding had gained some popularity—like the cultivation of porcupines, edible snails, and forest frogs—it seemed that none had managed to establish a sustainable industrial development. Apart from what was advertised, he hadn't seen anyone actually getting rich from raising these peculiar creatures.
Traditional farming had also faced challenges from epidemics and market fluctuations but had remained resilient over the years. The associated industrial chain continued to develop well.
Especially in poultry farming—be it chickens or ducks—there was enormous market potential both in cities and rural areas. Brands like Dayong, Yongda, and Huaying (for ducks) were among the top names nationwide.
Years later, two frozen food brands from Henan—Simian and Sanquan—would gain national acclaim. Both companies would require vast supplies of vegetables, which would drive related industrial chains.
It seemed that Sanquan Foods was established in 1992; this year marked its founding.
...
As these fragments formed a chain of thought, Hu Ruoyun decided to speak with Mayor Mao.
Another weekend came around. At noon after school, Hu Ruoyun told Mao Jie that he wanted to meet Mayor Mao.
Mao Jie thought Hu Ruoyun was bringing up the dinner payment again and immediately declined: "My dad is busy; he doesn't have time."
Hu Ruoyun punched him lightly: "Stop messing around; I'm serious! I want to discuss the future development of Gaoqiao Town with your dad!"
Mao Jie had a blind trust—or perhaps admiration—for Hu Ruoyun. Seeing his serious expression made him respond earnestly: "He went to a meeting in the county this morning and will be back for lunch. After school this afternoon, you can come home with me."
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