With the promise of a chicken drumstick as a reward, little Siqi actively approached other children at daycare the next day. It’s hard to reject someone who takes the initiative, and by the end of the day, she had already made two friends, completing her goal ahead of schedule.
As for Sizhe, he had previewed the teacher’s lesson the night before, so today he could understand at least half of what was being taught—a decent improvement.
Meanwhile, Nan Sheng arrived at the town government office early in the morning and immediately wiped the smile off her face. She lacked any natural authority, so she relied on a stern expression to command respect.
"Good morning, Director Nan!"
"Good morning, Director Nan!"
Aside from the Party secretary, Nan Sheng held the highest position in the town government, so everyone greeted her with a smile. But when she reached her office, she found the door locked.
Interesting. They’d locked her out.
Nan Sheng casually grabbed a clerk nearby. "Get me a spare key. If there isn’t one, just replace the lock."
The clerk she’d pulled aside hurried to comply, but the spare key had been borrowed by Section Chief Yu the day before. She had no choice but to arrange for a locksmith, wasting nearly twenty minutes before Nan Sheng could finally enter her office.
"What’s your name? Who do you report to?"
Nan Sheng thought the young woman handled things efficiently.
"Director Nan, my name is Wen Min. I’m a newly assigned worker-peasant-soldier university graduate. Right now, I just run errands for the leadership."
Ah, so she didn’t have a direct supervisor yet. Nan Sheng nodded in understanding.
With no one else in the room, Wen Min helped tidy up, fetched office supplies, and even brought a water cup. By the time everything was done, Deng Jun and Liu Song finally arrived.
Technically, they weren’t late—unless you counted Nan Sheng’s unusually early arrival. There was an unspoken rule in government offices: clerks had to have everything ready before the leadership arrived.
"Good morning, Director Nan!"
"Good morning, Director Nan!"
Seeing others approach, Wen Min excused herself and left, while Nan Sheng sat at her desk, organizing her stationery.
One minute passed. Two minutes. Then ten. The two men stood awkwardly to the side.
They tried again. "Director Nan, do you have any tasks for us?"
Nan Sheng ignored them. Deng Jun, sharp-eyed, noticed that the director had written both their names in her brand-new work notebook.
Exchanging a glance with Liu Song, he quickly pulled out his own notebook from his briefcase.
"Director Nan, as you instructed yesterday, we’ve documented our recent work progress here for your review. Section Chief Yu received a tip about feudal superstition in Changli Village, so he took Chen Tian and the Red Guards there today."
Nan Sheng responded with a cold "Hmm," then casually added, "Remove one of the desks. It’s too crowded in here."
Deng Jun and Liu Song were visibly shocked. Removing a desk meant kicking someone out.
"Director Nan, is that really necessary?"
Nan Sheng shot Liu Song a look. "I don’t like being questioned. This is your first warning. Next time, your desk won’t stay either."
She didn’t have the authority to fire anyone, but she could choose who she worked with.
If they didn’t want to cooperate, they could join Wen Min in doing odd jobs outside. Some veterans acted like they were indispensable, testing the new leadership’s patience.
But before causing trouble, they should first ask themselves—did they even have the ability or leverage to do so?
Liu Song immediately shut his mouth. Working in the Revolutionary Committee was prestigious. If the director expelled them, their careers would be over—no other department would take them.
He muttered to Deng Jun, "Stop messing around with Yu Gan. This director is ruthless. Don’t bring trouble on yourself."
They’d been naive to believe Yu Gan’s nonsense.
What kind of decent person worked in the Revolutionary Committee? Men or women, they were all wolves in sheep’s clothing.
The situation in the office didn’t go unnoticed. The desk being carried out belonged to Chen Tian—since Yu Gan was a section chief, Deng Jun and Liu Song didn’t dare touch his.
Inside, Nan Sheng reviewed their work notes while gathering information.
"So, there are over a hundred people sent down to Sanwei Town?"
What she didn’t know was that this was all the doing of the former director, Ou Yaosheng, whose harsh management of "sent-down" individuals had earned him notoriety at the municipal level.
The most severe cases ended up here.
Deng Jun confirmed, "Yes, Director. These people were sent down from various provinces and cities, along with some locals convicted of crimes and sentenced to reform through labor. Currently, there are sixty-plus individuals undergoing reform, charged with feudal superstition, politically unreliable stances, or accusations of having landlord ancestry."
Petty crimes like theft or adultery weren’t even worth mentioning.
Nan Sheng opened a cabinet and pulled out previous records—messy and disorganized. She immediately assigned new tasks.
"These reports are too vague. Today, you and Liu Song will reorganize them. List every sent-down individual by village, noting their origin and reason for being sent down.
The same goes for the labor reform list—specify locations, reasons for sentencing, and start and end dates. Any questions?"
"None!"
Deng Jun and Liu Song divided the work and got to it. At one point, Liu Song noticed Nan Sheng’s empty cup and promptly refilled it for her.
What did they say about trees needing pruning to grow straight? Look how attentive Liu Song had become.
At ten in the morning, a clerk came to summon Nan Sheng. "Director Nan, the Party secretary requests your presence for a brief meeting regarding upcoming work arrangements."
"Understood. Inform the secretary that I’ll be there shortly after finalizing tasks here."
