Rebirth of Bloody Romance

Zhou Xiaobai was wearing a light blue home suit, with a graceful figure and steps as light as a swallow, as she slowly walked through the five courtyards of the quadrangle.

The red lanterns hanging in the corridor swayed gently with Zhou Xiaobai's light steps, like shy girls. The breeze blew, and the lanterns swayed slightly, as if they were consciously making way for this beautiful woman.

When Zhou Xiaobai stepped into the living room at the entrance, he saw the soft sunlight inside, emitting a faint halo, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere for the whole room.

At this time, Zhong Yuemin was sitting on chairs with Secretary Liu and Director Zhao of Jinqiu County, chatting idly.

"Secretary Liu, Director Zhao, I'm so sorry!" Zhou Xiaobai walked up to the three of them with graceful steps and spoke gently, with a hint of apology in his tone. "I have just taken over the work in this district recently, and I am busy like a top every day. Last time the two leaders came, I was unable to entertain them properly due to my busy work. I hope you can forgive me!"

Hearing Zhou Xiaobai's words, Secretary Liu and Director Zhao stood up and waved their hands. Secretary Liu smiled and said in a gentle voice, "District Head Zhou, what are you talking about? You are a person with a heavy responsibility, so it is inevitable that you are busy at work. We can fully understand."

Director Zhao at the side also echoed. "That's right, that's right, District Chief Zhou, if you want to say it's disturbing, then it's us who are disturbing you!"

Zhou Xiaobai smiled gently upon hearing this. Her smile was like the rising sun in the morning, warming people's hearts without being too dazzling.

Zhou Xiaobai stretched out her jade hand, made a gesture for someone to sit down, and said softly, "Secretary Liu, Director Zhao, I am embarrassed by your politeness. Come, come, come, everyone, stop standing, sit down and chat slowly."

As he spoke, Zhou Xiaobai took the lead and sat down on a chair. Seeing this, the other two also sat down.

At Zhou Xiaobai's signal, the three of them slowly sat around an exquisite round table.

At this moment, Zhong Yuemin sat leisurely on one side, quietly gazing at the warm and harmonious scene in front of him. The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously, and a faint smile spread gently in his heart like ripples.

Because Zhong Yuemin knew very well that although Zhou Xiaobai's current administrative level had not been substantially improved, as the mayor of Chaoyang District, Beijing, her status and influence were definitely not comparable to those of an ordinary county party secretary.

At this moment, Zhou Xiaobai keenly caught Zhong Yuemin's barely perceptible snickering expression. She frowned slightly, glared with her beautiful eyes, pretended to be angry, and urged in a tender voice, "Yuemin, why are you still standing there stupidly? Come over and make a pot of good tea for everyone!"

Hearing this, Zhong Yuemin responded quickly, a slightly teasing smile appeared on his face, and he responded, "Hey! Got it, my good wife."

Before he finished speaking, Zhong Yuemin stood up swiftly and walked briskly towards where the tea set was placed.

"District Head Zhou, you are so polite. There's really no need to bother you. Teacher Zhong has already enthusiastically made tea for us." Secretary Liu waved his hands quickly and said with a smile on his face, his tone full of gratitude.

At the same time, Director Zhao also quickly agreed, "Yes, District Chief Zhou, there's really no need to worry so much." As the two spoke, they smiled sincerely, and they were obviously sincerely happy about the warm hospitality of Zhou Xiaobai and Zhong Yuemin.

Zhou Xiaobai smiled and waved his hand gently. "Hey! Don't be so polite to us. My wife is much better at making tea than I am. Come, come, come, come and taste it."

Zhong Yuemin, who was sitting nearby, chuckled when he heard this, then quickly stood up and walked briskly to the kitchen to prepare tea.

Zhong Yuemin was busy with his work, muttering, "Secretary Liu, Director Zhao, please don't believe what my wife said just now. My little skill of making tea was actually forced by her to learn it."

Secretary Liu and Director Zhao looked at each other. They saw the couple communicating so naturally and intimately in front of them. Although they were anxious, they could only smile along.

Not long after, Zhong Yuemin came out of the kitchen with a few cups of steaming hot tea in his hands. He carefully handed the cups to Secretary Liu and Director Zhao in turn, his movements graceful and skillful.

Secretary Liu and Director Zhao quickly reached out to take the teacup, first putting it to their noses and taking a light sniff. In an instant, a fresh and elegant tea fragrance penetrated into their noses like a breeze, making people feel refreshed and relaxed.

"Wow, what a great tea!" Secretary Liu couldn't help but let out a heartfelt exclamation of admiration.

Director Zhao also nodded in agreement. "That's right, this tea smells fragrant and tastes great. Teacher Zhong, your tea-making skills are well-deserved!"

Zhong Yuemin smiled and said modestly, "No, no, I just thought about it casually."

Zhou Xiaobai glanced at him, with a hint of admiration in her eyes. She turned to Secretary Liu and Director Zhao and said seriously, "Secretary Liu, Director Zhao, let's get back to the point. Is there something important that brought you here this time?"

Secretary Liu and Director Zhao were obviously relieved to see that they had finally gotten to the point.

Secretary Liu took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "District Head Zhou, the department has not yet given any response to the important application submitted by our Jinqiu County. Teacher Zhong, we really have to rely on you this time. Do you have any new news?" His words revealed his deep expectations for Zhong Yuemin.

Zhong Yuemin felt the expectation and the sincerity of Secretary Liu and Director Zhao. But he did not answer immediately. Instead, he pretended to be silent, frowning as if he was thinking about something.

After a while, Zhong Yuemin finally spoke. "I have inquired for you, but this matter is indeed not simple and a bit tricky."

Hearing this, Secretary Liu couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew the plight of Jinqiu County very well, and he also knew that it was not easy to change the status quo.

Secretary Liu sighed deeply and said in a heavy tone, "Teacher Zhong, we all know how difficult this matter is, but I still implore you to put more thought into it! As a secretary, I sometimes feel that I am too weak. But there is nothing I can do, because this is a national-level poverty-stricken county. I hope you can understand the difficulties involved."

In 1985, the state stipulated that any county with a per capita income below 150 yuan would be designated as a poverty-stricken county.

However, as the years go by, unexpectedly, the number of poor counties has not decreased but has shown a gradual increasing trend.

What’s worse, there are strange phenomena such as “poverty-stricken counties are unwilling to get rid of the poverty label” and “counties are vying to become poverty-stricken counties”. Obviously, Jinqiu County is a typical example of such situations.

After hearing what Secretary Liu said, Zhong Yuemin was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but burst out laughing. He said jokingly, "Secretary Liu, if you said this in the past, it might be appropriate, but now our Jinqiu County is about to become a 10,000-yuan county! It's a bit inappropriate to say this now."

At this time, Secretary Liu and Director Zhao looked at each other, then sat there silently, with a slightly awkward expression on their faces. They seemed to not know how to respond to Zhong Yuemin's words for a moment, and the whole scene fell into a brief silence.

Zhou Xiaobai coughed lightly. The slight sound was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the awkward atmosphere in the air.

Zhou Xiaobai pursed his lips slightly, looked at Secretary Liu opposite him, and said softly, "Secretary Liu, you should also know that this is the capital. Things that may be easily solved in Jinqiu County will be much more complicated in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Liu nodded hurriedly, indicating that he agreed with what he said. He smiled bitterly and responded, "District Head Zhou, I know all these things. However, I still implore you and Teacher Zhong to take more care and help our Jinqiu County!"

Zhou Xiaobai couldn't help but smile when he saw this. "Secretary Liu, you can put your mind at ease. Although I am no longer working in Jinqiu County, it was my workplace after all. I am still concerned about all the affairs of Jinqiu County. However, it does take some time to properly handle the relevant matters."

As soon as he finished speaking, Secretary Liu unconsciously clenched his hands, leaned forward, and said hurriedly, "District Chief Zhou, I am so grateful for your help! In this case, let's go back and wait for your news."

"You've come here with great difficulty, so don't be in a hurry to leave. Just have a simple meal at home before leaving! I can also do my best to play the role of host." Zhou Xiaobai smiled and tried to keep them warmly.

Upon hearing this, Secretary Liu and Director Zhao looked at each other, with a hint of hesitation in their eyes.

After a moment, Secretary Liu smiled and waved his hand, politely declining, "Thank you for your kindness, District Chief Zhou! However, we are in a hurry to visit you this time, so we are sorry to bother you too much and disturb your and Teacher Zhong's rest."

Director Zhao on the side immediately echoed, "That's right, District Chief Zhou, you are too polite! We really don't need to trouble you to prepare meals for us."

Zhou Xiaobai thought for a moment and suggested, "How about this, let's have a hot pot together! We only need to prepare two or three side dishes, which is convenient and quick. Yuemin, what do you think of this idea?"

Zhong Yuemin, who had been standing by without saying anything, actually felt somewhat helpless. After all, he had originally wanted to end this social event as soon as possible so that he could relax and have a good rest.

However, facing his wife's proposal, he finally nodded and agreed. "Well... OK, it's really cold today. If we cook, it will probably get cold in a short while. Eating hot pot is a good choice."

Hearing that Zhong Yuemin also agreed with this idea, Secretary Liu quickly turned around and looked at him. "Teacher Zhong, do you think we will cause you too much trouble by doing this? I'm really sorry!"

Zhong Yuemin waved his hand with a smile. "Secretary Liu, you are so polite! Look, our District Chief Zhou has spoken personally, how dare I disobey? What's more, I have a special liking for hot pot!" After saying this, he blinked mischievously.

Zhou Xiaobai, who was standing by, couldn't help but glare at him when he heard this, and said angrily, "Alright, alright, you're the only one who knows how to talk nonsense! I'll go prepare the ingredients and seasonings, you just stay here and be quiet." After saying that, he turned and walked towards the kitchen.

At this moment, Zhong Yuemin suddenly seemed to remember something, and he slapped his forehead and shouted, "Oh my, wife, it's bad! Our gas tank is out of gas. Okay, I'll go get some gas."

As he spoke, Zhong Yuemin went to the kitchen, picked up the 15-kilogram gas tank, and strode out the door.

Nowadays, the price of gas cylinders has skyrocketed. It used to be just over two yuan a cylinder, but now it has risen to more than three yuan! Many families have chosen not to use liquefied gas because they cannot afford the soaring cost.

And it's not just liquefied gas, the prices of almost everything on the market are rising like a wild horse.

Even the most common tap water is still priced at 0.12 cents per ton, but other items are not so stable!

For example, the most common matches used to cost only two cents a box, but now the price has risen to three cents!

As Zhong Yuemin walked, he was wondering in his heart: If this continues, should I consider adjusting the rent of the house I own?

After all, costs have been increasing. If we still rent it out at the original price of 0.13 cents per square meter, wouldn’t we be losing money?

Well, we have to raise the rent to 20 cents, just follow the market. We can't let those tenants think we are easy to bully and treat us as suckers!

If I don’t raise the rent, those tenants might even call me an idiot behind my back!

Zhou Xiaobai and Chen Yijun were very skillful, and soon they had stewed the mutton and fish on the liquefied gas until they were fragrant. They carefully put the delicacies into the alcohol pot, and washed some fresh Chinese cabbage and coriander to prepare for the hot pot.

When everything was ready and the table was full of delicious food, Zhong Yuemin smiled and said to Secretary Liu and Director Zhao, "Two leaders, our hot pot is rather simple, so please bear with us."

Secretary Liu looked at the hot pot on the table with a satisfied smile on his face. "Teacher Zhong, what you said is wrong. This hot pot looks so appetizing, and the home-cooked taste is what people miss the most. Eating this in winter is simply wonderful!"

"Do you want to invite the guys in the car outside to come in and have some food together?" Zhong Yuemin remembered that there should be a driver in the car. Alas! Being a leader's driver is not that easy.