Chapter Seventy-One: Becoming the Village Chief

Two years can bring many changes, both to life and to the people within it.

In these past two years, He Zhixing had gotten married. Of course, it was Yufang whose name appeared on the marriage certificate. The wedding was a grand affair, attended by the mayor and Zeng Li among others. In this time, his household had grown by two more: Su Mei and Jiang Ni. Jiang Ni had left the nunnery and now spent her days with the other women by He Zhixing’s side.

His son was already over a year old, and Suqing was expecting as well. Ling’er and Yan’er, understanding their mother’s relationship with the man they both adored as “Brother He,” came to accept it, and the three women shared He Zhixing together. Aunt Zhang, having practiced martial arts and benefitted from the rare herbs He Zhixing provided, grew even more youthful. When she stood beside her daughters, they looked more like sisters than mother and daughters. Naturally, seeing their mother grow ever more beautiful, Ling’er and Yan’er grew envious and pleaded with He Zhixing to teach them martial arts as well.

He Zhixing’s clothing company flourished, with numerous chain stores opening. He took in Hu Li and Hou Juan, who both became prized members of his inner circle. Hu Li was now expecting, and He Zhixing had bought houses for them in the provincial capital, entrusting them with the management of the local shops and the company’s business there—both women proved highly capable.

He Zhixing saw clearly the effort each of them put forth. As for the antique shop, he left it in the care of Madman Lai, who had found himself a lovely shop assistant to be his wife, though they were still in the throes of romance and hadn’t yet married.

His assets had steadily accumulated, and his net worth had long since exceeded several billion. During this period, He Zhixing opened several antique shops in the Dongguan Tang district and even made a special trip to Panjiayuan Market in Beijing to hunt for treasures. While he didn’t come across any priceless finds, he did acquire some promising contemporary paintings and a few imitation antique works. In a thriving city where most knew little about antiques and calligraphy, these pieces became highly sought after.

Each month, his shops sold tens of thousands worth of paintings and antiques. His own works—depicting monks and nuns in temple and Zen scenes, or beautiful landscapes and women—also sold briskly. His mastery with brush and oil had become extraordinary, blending Western oil painting techniques with traditional Chinese art to stunning effect.

Uncle Zeng Li had risen to Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, while Pan Donghai remained both Mayor and a standing committee member. Su Mei was assigned as the mayor of Wuzhen, prompting He Zhixing’s entire family to move to Zhang Village in Wuzhen and settle as residents. Aunt Zhang and her daughters moved in as well, helping to care for the child Yufang had borne. The toddler was now walking, and the whole family shared in their happiness.

In the village, the homes of He Zhixing’s family and Yufang’s uncle and aunt stood out as the most beautiful. The village itself was poor; most of the younger generation had left to find work elsewhere, leaving behind only the elderly and children or those adults whose education was lacking.

There was little choice—mountain villages had few sources of income. Decades after the reforms and opening up, the difference between prosperous coastal cities and impoverished mountain villages could not be starker. Deng Xiaoping’s theory of “letting some get rich first” had its pros and cons. The benefit was that coastal cities developed rapidly, boosting the country’s GDP; the downside was that, in the deep waters of reform, the remote villages saw little opportunity. With only a small plot of farmland and a patch of forest per family, there was no real path forward.

The saying proved true: the rich grew ever richer, counting every penny, while the poor grew poorer, toiling endlessly for nothing, with many young men unable to build houses or afford brides even after decades of hard work.

The government had countless support programs and provided much aid to remote villages, but from the central authorities to the distant mountains was a long journey. In these backwaters, information was blocked and the roads were long, with corrupt officials multiplying and policies rarely reaching their intended targets. For every policy from above, there were countless ways for those below to line their own pockets.

Cities were full of migrant workers, while back in the villages only the elderly, children, or those married adults with a meager, laborious income remained. Though He Family Village boasted beautiful scenery, there was no apparent way forward. Farming and animal husbandry proved unviable; rough mountain roads, poor infrastructure, and difficult terrain made large-scale projects impossible. Few in the villages could muster the tens or hundreds of thousands needed for investment—those who could had already built themselves a new house. The dilapidated old buildings dotting the remote mountains had become a “unique landscape” of bleakness and desolation; who could spare the money for a thankless undertaking?

On this day, while He Zhixing was resting at home, Su Mei drove the township’s government car to see him. Without preamble, she asked him to participate in the spring elections for village committee leaders, insisting that he stand as village chief to help her. In this impoverished, struggling mountain township, whether anything could be achieved depended entirely on He Zhixing.

With a single word from him, it might be possible to lift the village out of poverty—this was the conclusion Su Mei had reached after much deliberation since becoming mayor of Wuzhen. Only her own husband had the vision and ability to reverse the fortunes of this hopelessly poor township, to accomplish what previous mayors had found impossible, and to lead the people to prosperity—a long and arduous road.

Su Mei and he spoke at length. After some thought, He Zhixing agreed, saying, “I’ll do it, but only if I have special authority. I must be the one to assign all the talent from the five villages.”

Su Mei replied, “Don’t worry. You’re my husband. As long as it’s not illegal, everything else will be done as you say. How about I, as mayor’s wife, put myself under your command? As long as your proposals are feasible, I’ll support them.”

He Zhixing said, “Good.”

The two shook hands and parted happily. Su Mei had originally intended to leave immediately, with pressing government matters waiting for her, but after persuasion from Yufang and the other women, she made an exception and stayed for lunch before driving back to town.