Luan Xiaoping sat down as well. “What’s this about a City party secretary?”
Dong Xuebing replied, “It’s not finalized yet, Mom. If our application gets approved, Jiaolin County will become Jiaolin City, and I’ll be the party secretary of the new city.”
Luan Xiaoping was stunned. “There’s such a good thing?”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “But the party secretary of a county-level city can’t compare with Uncle Yang’s or Huilan’s City positions. It’s a rank lower—Deputy Bureau Director level versus Bureau-Director level.”
Han Jing chuckled, “A level lower is still a City party secretary.”
With her son’s official rank getting higher and higher, Luan Xiaoping also felt proud. “That’s a great thing.”
“The application hasn’t yet been submitted, so nothing’s confirmed.” Dong Xuebing played it modestly for once.
Han Jing held Luan Xiaoping’s hand and said, “In-law, I believe our Xiaobing is blessed with great fortune. Just look at his career—every promotion has been smooth sailing. Especially this time, our original plan was to have him gain experience at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection for a few years. Then we’d help him get a Deputy Bureau Director post, maybe a deputy mayor without a place on the standing committee. But Xiaobing insisted on going to the grassroots level, even choosing the place himself, getting in touch with people, and going down alone. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be the right move. A deputy mayor of a prefecture-level city and a City party secretary of a county-level city might be the same rank, but their real authority is worlds apart. And more importantly, this move accelerated his trajectory by two or three years. That means extending his political career by a lot. He would never have caught this opportunity if he’d stayed at the Central Commission. And the place he picked—Jiaolin County—just happened to turn up an emperor’s tomb from the Han Dynasty right after he arrived, as if it were waiting for him. Is that a coincidence? That’s destiny.”
Luan Xiaoping sighed and patted her son’s hand. “Xiaobing had a tough childhood, so maybe Heaven is watching out for him now.”
It did sound mystical. In reality, Dong Xuebing knew about the tomb beforehand, and it would raise the county’s status. That’s why he went there. It wasn’t fate. In terms of actual luck or destiny, Dong Xuebing had barely experienced much of it throughout his life.
“Anyway, it’s a good thing he didn’t listen to us back then,” Han Jing said, looking at her watch. “Alright, I should head out now. Got something to take care of this morning.”
Luan Xiaoping tried to keep her, “Don’t go. Stay and have lunch with us.”
Han Jing stood up with a smile. “No, in-law, I need to attend an event this morning with Guobang.”
“Real business, then. Alright, I won’t keep you. Come by when you’re free,” said Luan Xiaoping.
When his mother-in-law left, Dong Xuebing smirked at Xie Huilan and said, “Remember the bet we made? It’s time to kneel and sing ‘Conquer’ for me.”
Xie Huilan smiled leisurely, “Getting smug before the appointment’s official?”
Dong Xuebing replied, “You won’t believe it until you see it, huh? Just wait. I’ll have it locked in within three months.”
Dong Xuebing was pretty confident. Although history had changed quite a bit due to his involvement—like the relationship between Zhang Dongfang and the City government, the early discovery of the tomb, the appearance of the tomb-raiding gang, the early discovery of the main burial chamber, and so on—these were all minor variations within a controlled direction. Some things in history can’t be altered no matter what. Jiaolin’s status upgrade was one of those. Maybe the timeline would shift, maybe the process would be different, but the result would remain the same.
Luan Xiaoping brought out a basket of vegetables and sat down to start picking them. “The weather’s so nice today, the sun’s not too harsh. You three should go out for a walk.”
Dong Xuebing blinked. “With the baby?”
Luan Xiaoping smiled, “Of course. You’ve got a stroller. Huilan, it’s in your room?”
“Yes, I’ll go get it,” said Xie Huilan.
Luan Xiaoping nodded. “Go ahead. Xiaobing’s leaving tonight, after all. You three barely get time together. Take the baby for a walk.”
Dong Xuebing said, “Then the four of us can go.”
Luan Xiaoping shook her head, “Not me. I’ve walked a lot the past few days—tired.”
“Alright, we’ll just stroll around the block. Be back before lunch,” Dong Xuebing said.
Xie Huilan had already rolled out the stroller, and Dong Xuebing gently placed the baby in it. The couple then left the courtyard together.
The air was fresh and the scenery stunning.
Little Dong Chong seemed to love the lake, staring with big, adorable eyes and giggling in the stroller.
Dong Xuebing and Xie Huilan walked on either side of the stroller. They both felt completely at ease by listening to the baby laugh and feeling the light breeze from the lake. Dong Xuebing had never strolled so leisurely with his wife and child before. It was a first.
“We need to do this more often,” Xie Huilan said with her eyes squinting against the sun.
Dong Xuebing nodded. “Absolutely. We’ve spent so much time apart. Once we get some free time, we must enjoy life a bit. I’ve come to realize—no matter how much you work, there’s always more to do. But you only get one wife and one child.”
Xie Huilan teased, “Just one? Didn’t you have several?”
Dong Xuebing broke into a sweat. “What do you mean by several?”
“Hehe.” Xie Huilan chuckled and didn’t press the joke further.
Dong Xuebing quickly changed the subject, “Let’s walk a bit further.”
Xie Huilan nodded, “Sure. Let’s walk around the lake.”
Just then, a few familiar faces appeared ahead. Xie Huilan didn’t recognize them, but Dong Xuebing did—neighbors from when he had stayed at the siheyuan (courtyard house). They had grown quite close, especially after he helped them with an illegal parking issue.
“Oh! Xiao Dong’s back!” they all exclaimed when they saw him.
“Aunt Liu, Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhou! Yep, just got back yesterday. Have you eaten?” Dong Xuebing greeted warmly.
“We just finished. Out here to stretch our legs. Oh? And who’s this?” They looked at Xie Huilan.
Dong Xuebing proudly introduced, “This is my wife, Xie Huilan. And this is my son, Dong Chong.”
“Aiya! What a gorgeous young lady! Oh my, Xiao Dong, you’re a real blessing!” Aunt Zhou praised repeatedly.
Aunt Liu and Aunt Zhang turned their attention to the baby in the stroller. “Oh, what a cute little guy! So handsome! Come on, smile at Grandma.”
“How old is he?” Aunt Zhou was equally delighted, going up to tease the baby.
Xie Huilan replied cheerfully, “Just over three months. What about your grandchild?”
“Oh, my grandson’s over a year now, but not nearly as good-looking as yours.”