Hanging up the phone, Tian Jing returned the mobile phone to her husband. "The children are all good children; they want to protect their family."
"You're not yet of retirement age, so continue to shine. Didn't you hear how happy Ranran's voice was? He's a second-generation official."
Li Zhengguo could only nod. His wife's heart was entirely with their children.
"Zhengguo."
"Little brother."
In the courtyard, Li Liguo and Chen Suozhu appeared, carrying farming tools.
Tian Jing made space for Li Liguo and Chen Suozhu, then took Xuanxuan to the east room.
Li Liguo sat nervously beside his younger brother. "Zhengguo, you, you've really become the county magistrate?"
Chen Suozhu also looked nervously at his elder cousin. He and his elder cousin were working in the fields behind the village. When they heard villagers say their second cousin had become the county magistrate, they didn't believe it and immediately returned with their farming tools.
Li Zhengguo nodded. "The city informed me this way. I'll know if I've officially taken the position when I go to the county tomorrow."
Li Liguo and Chen Suozhu were stunned for a moment, then they both laughed.
The mobile phone on the coffee table rang, and the landline by the sofa rang. Both were congratulatory calls for Li Zhengguo.
Li Liguo waved to Chen Suozhu, and the two men went to the kitchen to help.
Li's mother called her eldest son and son-in-law to invite the family back for a meal.
As Li Liguo and Chen Suozhu reached the main gate, Damai and Xiaomai returned with their families.
Dr. Yang was also part of Damai's entourage. He first congratulated Li's mother by the kitchen door, then went to the living room to congratulate Li Zhengguo.
"Zhengguo, congratulations. I didn't expect you, kid, to become the county magistrate right at your doorstep."
Zhou's father and mother were part of Xiaomai's entourage. The couple also loudly congratulated Li Zhengguo on his promotion.
Li Zhengguo stood up to greet them. "Dr. Yang, Brother Zhou, Sister-in-law Zhou, please come in and sit."
After the three were seated, Damai's family of three congratulated their uncle on his promotion.
Xiaomai's family of three also congratulated their uncle on his promotion.
Li Zhengguo waved his hand. "Don't make it so formal. It's just a family meal. I don't even know how long I can hold this position."
Damai and Xiaomai went to the kitchen to help.
Li's mother, seeing Xiaomai enter the kitchen, immediately forbade her. "Xiaomai, you don't need to do anything here. Go for a walk in the courtyard. Sitting in the office all day isn't good. You need to move around as much as possible, then you'll have an easier delivery."
It was evident that the shadow of Sister-in-law Niu not only permeated the Zhou family but also the Li family, and perhaps the entire village and surrounding villages.
For dinner, there were two tables: one for the men and one for the women with children.
Everyone's congratulatory words to County Magistrate Li were wishes for smooth work, as no one wanted County Magistrate Li to experience the same framing incident he had before.
The next morning, Li Zhengguo drove to the county government to report. Many more people came to the Li household to offer their congratulations.
Villagers and village cadres from Villages One and Two, Zhangshan Village, and Zhonghe Village.
Tian Jing received all the well-wishers, refused all gifts, and explained that it wasn't that she looked down on the gifts but because Comrade Li Zhengguo was under so much scrutiny. Accepting these common gifts would lead to criticism, much like his recent dismissal.
Hearing Tian Jing's honest words, the villagers hurriedly picked up their baskets and left, stating they had genuinely come only to offer their congratulations.
After seeing off wave after wave of well-wishers, Tian Jing pressed her throbbing temples. She was exhausted.
Being an official, the family members were the most hardworking and tired.
When Li Zhengguo entered the county government, he received high-level treatment.
He frankly refused the celebratory banquets from his colleagues, stating that he was meticulous in his work and disliked forming cliques or engaging in such social events; everyone should just focus on their work.
His colleagues were speechless.
No wonder County Magistrate Li was dismissed when he was the town magistrate; he was too inflexible.
Despite their internal grumbling, since County Magistrate Li preferred people who did practical work, they would focus on doing practical work.
In the morning, Li Zhengguo, introduced by his secretary, familiarized himself with the personnel and affairs of various departments.
He returned home for lunch, saw his tired wife, and upon hearing her words, he also put his hand to his forehead.
Officials at the county magistrate level and above using outsiders could best avoid the harassment of familiar local acquaintances.
For more than ten consecutive days, Tian Jing had been refusing countless acquaintances who came to her door seeking to forge connections.
One day, Shen Jianrong called Tian Jing to inform her that the 30th was Siji's hundred-day celebration. Tian Jing immediately packed her bags, preparing to 'escape.'
Li's mother had also had enough of people constantly coming to the house. When her younger son was the town magistrate, they could lock the door and refuse visitors. Now, the family members of the county magistrate had their every word and action representing County Magistrate Li.
"Tiantian, bring Xuanxuan, and let's go. We'll stay at Lili's place for a few days first."
Li Min and Ouyang Meihua, upon receiving the news, also hurriedly packed their bags. They were also county magistrate family members. They had been going to the siheyuan daily to boil water and make tea.
Li Liguo looked at his wife who was happily packing. "I'm going too."
Ouyang Meihua replied without looking up, "You're staying home to harvest the wheat."
"We can ask Sister-in-law Niu to help with the collection," Li Liguo said. Even when working in the fields, he was bothered by some villagers from other villages.
Ouyang Meihua paused. "Alright, since it's machine harvesting anyway, I'll go talk to Sister-in-law Niu."
The Chen family was the same. Chen Suozhu grabbed his wife's luggage bag and stuffed his own clothes inside. "Take Jinian and Jiyang along to see Siji."
Li Min stopped her husband's clothes. "Aren't you staying home to harvest the wheat?"
"I'll ask Sister-in-law Niu for help."
Li Min's hand paused. "You pack the luggage, I'll go find Sister-in-law Niu."
The sisters-in-law met at the entrance of the old Niu family residence, exchanged a look, understood each other's thoughts, then turned and pushed open the double doors of the Niu family home, one with each hand. "Sister-in-law Niu."
"Yes!" Sister-in-law Niu came out from the main hall. "Come in and sit."
Ouyang Meihua and Li Min entered the Niu family courtyard together and said in unison, "Sister-in-law Niu, we've come to ask you and Brother Niu to help us with harvesting and drying the wheat."
Sister-in-law Niu was surprised. "What? You're not harvesting wheat at home?"
Ouyang Meihua shook her head. "We're going to North Province with Captain Li to attend Siji's hundred-day celebration."
Li Min shook her head. "It's best to get away quickly."
This disagreement between the sisters-in-law made Ouyang Meihua glare at her sister-in-law.
Sister-in-law Niu chuckled. "Being a county magistrate's family isn't easy, is it?"
The day after she learned Li Zhengguo had become the county magistrate, she had planned to go to the siheyuan to offer congratulations. As she approached the village committee office, she saw villagers and local acquaintances coming and going from the siheyuan, so she didn't go in.
Then, she hadn't gone in for more than ten days. Today, intending to visit again, she encountered these two sisters-in-law.
"It's tiring!" Li Min complained. "Before, I could speak more freely. Even when my little brother was the town magistrate, I didn't have so many worries."
"But after my little brother was framed and then suddenly promoted, my heart has been unsettled, filled with fear and anxiety. Since the Yu family is holding Siji's hundred-day celebration, we'll go out and hide for a while."
Mentioning Siji's hundred-day celebration, Sister-in-law Niu thought of Xuanxuan. "Why didn't little Xuanxuan have a full moon and hundred-day celebration?"
Ouyang Meihua shook her head. "My mother-in-law said that babies of Xuanxuan's generation don't have them, fearing that villagers would still give ten thousand in gift money. The baby is young, unable to bear it, and it would attract envy."
Sister-in-law Niu chuckled. "That was in the past. In the future, if your family holds any celebrations, do you think the villagers will still give ten thousand in gift money?"
Li Min pouted. "If that's the case, then the villagers are too realistic."
Ouyang Meihua nudged her sister-in-law with her elbow, then asked Sister-in-law Niu to help arrange the harvesting schedule and drying of the wheat.
"Okay," Sister-in-law Niu nodded. "Leave it all to me. You can rest assured and go out."
In the afternoon, before work ended, County Magistrate Li, who had returned home for lunch, received a text message: 'County Magistrate Li, we've all gone to attend Siji's hundred-day banquet. You can eat out alone, cook for yourself, or go to Damai and Xiaomai's place for a meal.'
County Magistrate Li grumbled about his family's lack of camaraderie, leaving him alone. He could only buy a boxed lunch at noon and lingered until dark before returning home, avoiding those who came to his house to forge connections.
With the Li family collectively out visiting relatives, those who came to forge connections gradually stopped coming. Damai, who helped feed the chickens and rabbits, breathed a sigh of relief. Even when she went to the siheyuan to feed the chickens and rabbits, she had to avoid these people.