Today is the opening day of the Jiaolin County Cultural Festival.
Long before dawn, Dong Xuebing set his alarm early in the morning and groggily got up. He splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up, then took a refreshing shower. After that, he rummaged through his wardrobe, trying on different outfits. Ultimately, he chose a relatively formal suit and meticulously tied his tie, taking his time in front of the mirror to ensure he was satisfied with his appearance. Today was a very important, and his outfit had to be carefully chosen. At their level, officials often prioritized maturity and reliability in their appearance rather than just fashion or looks. The style, color, and design were secondary concerns.
Dong Xuebing went downstairs, where his driver, Xiao Wang, was already waiting downstairs and had brought breakfast for Dong Xuebing—a steamed bun and porridge, both still warm and packed in thermoses.
“Secretary, have some breakfast,” Xiao Wang offered.
“Thanks,” Dong Xuebing said, taking the container and opening the lid. “Oh, this isn’t store-bought, is it?”
The baozi was quite large and not overly white, clearly homemade.
Dong Xuebing took a bite of the baozi and nodded approvingly. “Mm, it’s good and fragrant. Thanks to your wife, Xiao Wang.”
It was just past five in the morning.
The car pulled up, and Dong Xuebing got out, telling Xiao Wang to go home and rest. He then walked into the park. He had arrived too early; many from the Jiaolin County’s commerce bureau and county staff hadn’t even arrived yet. Only a few scattered people were there, hanging banners for the cultural festival.
“Ah, Secretary Dong.”
“Good morning, Secretary.”
“Why are you here so early?”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and greeted Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Good morning, everyone. You’re all working hard. It’s only for these two days, so bear with it. Once this is over, I’ll personally thank all of you.” He knew everyone was exhausted from almost a half-month of non-stop work, with no break day or night. He could see it all.
A female staff member from the commerce bureau joked, “Is there a bonus, Secretary?”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “There is, and I guarantee it will be an unimaginable amount.”
Hearing that, everyone immediately smiled with joy and thanked Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing was very approachable, chatting casually with everyone. He had already established his authority, and everyone knew what kind of leader he was. They had a healthy respect for him, so there was no need to be overly harsh. A balance of both firmness and softness was still necessary.
At this moment, Meng Hanmei came out with a few others carrying large boxes. They were probably some promotional tools, inflatable ones.
“Secretary,” Meng Hanmei called from a distance.
Dong Xuebing looked over. “Director Meng, you’re here early too.”
“I just arrived not long ago,” Meng Hanmei smiled.
Dong Xuebing gestured towards the ticket window not far away, where about twenty people—men and women, old and young—were lined up. Some were sitting on stools smoking or chatting, seemingly not knowing what they were doing.
“What are they doing?” Dong Xuebing asked.
Meng Hanmei sighed. “They’re all the common folks from our county and other places. They’re lining up to buy tickets to the park after the festival starts.”
Dong Xuebing was taken aback. “So many people this early?”
Meng Hanmei nodded. “There are just too many big names this time.”
“But the concert doesn’t even start until 6 PM,” Dong Xuebing pointed out. “It’s only 6 AM now, still twelve hours to go.”
Meng Hanmei understood. “It’s because they’re afraid they won’t get in. Fans and followers from all over the country will likely swarm here to see the big stars. They’re all afraid of not getting a ticket and being unable to get in. Plus, didn’t you instruct yesterday that ticket sales would be restricted once the park reaches a certain capacity? Many people will likely not make it inside, so they’ve come early.”
Dong Xuebing sighed. “Our central park isn’t small; it can accommodate tens of thousands, so there is no problem with a few thousand to tens of thousands. Restricting ticket sales is just a precaution.”
Meng Hanmei added, “But we’re worried there might be more than that. Our cultural festival isn’t primarily about profit from ticket sales; they’re just ten yuan each. With so many big stars coming, paying ten yuan to stand and watch all these celebrities for free is worth it. So, there’s no shortage of people. We even brought in many county office and government staff today to help with crowd control, just in case. We can’t afford to hire so many security personnel, so we had to devise other solutions.”
Early in the morning, the air was still a bit cold.
Dong Xuebing saw a few elderly people shivering in line and felt pity. “Old Meng, let’s get a few chairs for those elderly folks.”
Meng Hanmei immediately replied, “Sure, I’ll arrange it.”
They hadn’t planned on having any chairs, so the few available were those the county’s staff used during their breaks. Upon Dong Xuebing’s suggestion, everyone willingly gave up their chairs for the elderly, bringing them over so they could sit down.
The elderly were puzzled. “What’s this?”
A staff member pointed to Dong Xuebing, “It’s our leader’s arrangement.”
The elderly were touched, and Dong Xuebing and Meng Hanmei were immediately thanked.
Dong Xuebing nodded at them and then said to Meng Hanmei, “Old Meng, leave this site to you and the county government staff. I’ll go inside and take a look.”
“Sure, I’ll contact you if anything comes up,” Meng Hanmei said, then hurried off to handle things.
Dong Xuebing walked inside. The sky was getting brighter, and more staff were arriving—county officials and vendors with rented stalls, all with the necessary permits. They didn’t need to wait for the park to open to get in. Some food stalls had to come early to prepare ingredients and even start cooking. The park was soon filled with the scent of frying food, making the atmosphere vibrant and festive. After wandering around the front of the cultural festival’s main venue, Dong Xuebing was quite satisfied. The main event of the Jiaolin County Cultural Festival was about to take place in the evening—at the main stage by the lake.
Before the main stage.
It was still the bustling figure of Director Sun, rushing back and forth, giving orders and instructions. He was the only professional, nearly pulling his hair out in stress.
“Director Sun, good morning.” Dong Xuebing greeted him with a smile.
Director Sun glanced at him, then turned to say a few things to the lighting crew before finally addressing Dong Xuebing, “I’m never taking on something again. It’s practically killing me.”
Dong Xuebing immediately handed him a cigarette. “You’ve worked hard, Director Sun. Here, have a smoke.”
Director Sun took it and lit up. “Well, it’s just about done. The stage should be fine. The music and equipment are all set. We’re just waiting for the performers to walk through once, and a few sequences in the program have been shuffled. The rest is unchanged.”
Dong Xuebing blinked. “All good then?”
“I didn’t say all good,” Director Sun corrected. “It’s just about okay. The lighting and equipment are all mid-to-low-tier stuff, not what we usually use, even for a small gala. But considering your county’s budget, it’s about as good as it gets. The hardware isn’t reliable, so we’ll have to find some points from other aspects. Luckily, you brought in several popular stars, which should still hold the stage.”
Director Sun paused, then looked at the program sheet in his hand. “You and the county mayor will give the opening speeches, and the concert will begin, right? I took a good look yesterday and still think there are too many singing performances. Even with the PLA dance and folk music, it still leans too much towards the music side, feeling monotonous. We need more diversity in performances, some variety.”
Dong Xuebing sighed. “It’s too late to find more performers now. Today, we might get a pair of comedians. That’s about it.”
“Comedians are good.” Director Sun said. “The more types, the better for the concert. If we could also get a magic show, it would add much more to the event.”
“Magic show?” Dong Xuebing was taken aback.
“Yeah.” Director Sun was very demanding, which showed his dedication to the job. If he was going to do it, he wanted to do it well.
Dong Xuebing hadn’t considered adding a magic show before, but seeing Director Sun’s enthusiasm, he felt slightly inspired. Hesitating momentarily, Dong Xuebing said, “I can do a magic trick if you think it’s good.”
“You?” Director Sun blinked in surprise. “You know magic?”
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Of course. What do you think? Where should I go on stage?”
“What kind of magic can you do?” Director Sun seemed skeptical.
Dong Xuebing confidently replied, “Anything you can describe, I can do it.” There was a self-assured tone in his voice.
Director Sun didn’t believe him and joked, “Come on, you’re just a leader. What do you know about magic? If you’re good, make my phone disappear.”
Dong Xuebing looked at him. “Where’s your phone?”
Director Sun pulled it out from his pocket. “Here it is.”
Dong Xuebing continued, “Let me see it again.”
Director Sun took a blink, then tried to pull it out again. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he quickly opened his pocket, staring at it in disbelief.
Dong Xuebing smiled, flipping his hand, and Director Sun’s phone appeared in his hand. “Is that magic enough for you?”