Chapter 54: Downfall (Part 2)

“Although Xiaohua was not very sensible, he did a decent job this time. Knowing I liked collecting calligraphy, paintings, and antiques, I haven’t spoiled him for nothing…”

Looking at the calligraphy, paintings, and antiques on the table and in the cabinet beside it, Dai Rongcheng’s face broke into a satisfied smile. Even though his formal education wasn’t high—he attended high school and college in night school and party school later—he had decades of experience in appreciating antiques, calligraphy, and paintings.

Before becoming a worker, Dai Rongcheng had two years of junior high school education. In those times, that made him a somewhat cultured person, and he was never content with his status as a worker.

When the leader’s big-character poster sparked a nationwide trend, Dai Rongcheng quickly rose to become the highest authority in this County Town, leveraging his advantages of being from a poor peasant family and his ruthlessness.

Since Dai Rongcheng always considered himself a cultured man, he used his position’s convenience to secretly keep some of the antiques, calligraphy, and paintings confiscated from homes. Over time, this cultivated a keen eye in him.

Moreover, driven by an innate cautiousness, Dai Rongcheng perfected the art of backstabbing. This hypocrisy paved the way for his future political career.

Especially when the chief architect of reform and opening up called for the rejuvenation of cadres, the then just over fifty-year-old Dai Rongcheng naturally became a figure of real power in this small County Town.

Of course, Dai Rongcheng paid a sufficient price: personally sending his own nephew to the execution ground.

Everything has two sides. Some leaders approved of Dai Rongcheng’s act of placing righteousness above family loyalty, while others grew suspicious of his character, since Dai Xiaojun’s crime didn’t really deserve death.

Furthermore, the events of those years still left some stains on his political career. After several years of futile effort, Dai Rongcheng realized he would most likely retire from his current position.

With no more motivation for political advancement and no hope for promotion in this term, Dai Rongcheng gradually shed his hypocritical mask.

Not only did he help Dai Xiaohua contract the scrap collection station in East City, but Dai Rongcheng even fabricated evidence for him, misleading the public security department. After all, his earlier act of “righteousness above family” had blinded many eyes.

For Dai Rongcheng, these were still minor matters. In recent years, using his authority over relevant departments, he secretly instructed his trusted followers to establish slush funds, siphoning off state allocations.

Although Mr. Dai dressed plainly and ate simply and frugally every day, in terms of personal wealth, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the richest man in the County Town.

Moreover, through his “charisma” (as he saw it), Dai Rongcheng won over the woman known as the “flower of the county committee,” making this old tree sprout new leaves and allowing him to rediscover the true meaning of life.

Of course, Dai Rongcheng didn’t consider promoting her from an ordinary clerk to deputy director of the office overseeing the archives room and other duties as an exchange. Providing “excellent service” to the leader was simply her most outstanding achievement.

In any dynasty, for anyone, maintaining integrity throughout one’s life is extremely difficult. But to fall from grace, one chance is enough.

Moreover, Dai Rongcheng’s nature wasn’t pure to begin with. The allure of a young woman’s body and the temptation of money made him deeply feel that the decades of caution and vigilance had finally paid off.

…

In the mid-1980s, televisions were found in only a few households, and air conditioners weren’t common yet. During summer evenings, city folks’ favorite pastime was gathering under streetlights by the roadside to play cards. This saved electricity at home and provided a cool way to pass the time.

Since the road near the county committee and government offices was relatively wide and its streetlights brighter than elsewhere, it naturally attracted many people cooling off in the evening, playing cards in small groups.

Most people didn’t have much money in their pockets; it was basically for fun. Losers would stick paper slips on their faces or balance bricks or slippers on their heads. Those who lost had fun, and those who won were happy too.

Around these card players, vendors with carts full of watermelons were selling them. If players got thirsty, they could spend a little money to buy a watermelon to share, eating until juice dripped from their mouths.

Thrifty housewives would even sweep up the watermelon seeds, collect them, take them home to wash, dry, and roast them. When guests visited, they wouldn’t need to spend money on melon seeds.

“Ye Tian, there are guards at the gate. How do we get in?”

On the road opposite the residential compound of the county committee, Feng Kuang and Ye Tian leaned against a utility pole, conversing in rural dialect.

Those familiar with Jiangnan knew its numerous dialects. Sometimes, the speech changed from one village to the next, so the two weren’t afraid others would understand their conversation.

Ye Tian glanced at the guards at the compound’s gatehouse and curled his lip. “Brother Fengzi, it’s not ‘we’ going in. It’s just me.”

“No way. What if… what if you get caught?”

Upon hearing Ye Tian’s words, Feng Kuang shook his head like a rattle-drum. He had brought Ye Tian out today under the pretext of meeting Wang Ying. If anything happened, he couldn’t explain it to Uncle Ye.

“Brother Fengzi, are you confused? I’m just a kid. I haven’t stolen or robbed anything. At most, I’m just lost. What could anyone do to me?”

Hearing this, Ye Tian laughed, his little face assuming an innocent look. Anyone who didn’t know him would surely think he was an honest, well-behaved child.

“That’s true. If I followed you in and got caught, that would be really hard to explain.”

Considering Ye Tian’s words, Feng Kuang realized it made sense. He immediately said, “Go quickly and come back quickly. I’ll watch people play cards here and wait for you…”

“Okay, Brother Fengzi, don’t worry.”

Ye Tian nodded. Just as he was about to head toward the compound, he suddenly saw an old man walking straight from the compound toward the watermelon seller. His eyes lit up.

The old man looked about seventy, his face full of deep wrinkles like furrows. However, the lower part of his face was full, indicating a Physiognomy of having many children and grandchildren, enjoying a peaceful old age.

More importantly, traces of nasolabial folds still remained by the old man’s mouth. Ye Tian could tell at a glance that he hadn’t been living in this compound for more than two weeks.

After the old man bought two watermelons and left the stall, Ye Tian caught up from behind. “Grandpa, let me help you carry one. My family lives inside too. How come I’ve never seen you before?”

Hearing Ye Tian’s words, the old man instinctively assumed Ye Tian was a child from the compound. He smiled and said, “I can carry them, thanks. Grandpa just moved here recently. I wouldn’t have come if not for seeing my grandson. Even eating a watermelon costs money here. Back in our countryside, you could just pick one from anyone’s field…”

Chatting, the two walked into the county committee residential compound. Firstly, the old man had just come from inside. Secondly, Ye Tian was talking and laughing with him and was just a child. Plus, it was dark and hard to see faces clearly. The security personnel at the gate simply let them pass.

Upon reaching the building where he lived, the old man called out to Ye Tian. “Child, come to my home and have a piece of watermelon?”

“No, thank you. Goodbye, Grandpa…”

“City children are so polite…”

The old man praised Ye Tian with a smile, then turned and entered his own door, completely unaware that this child had been in the city for even less time than he had.