“There is something I am not clear.” Xu Taiping said in a heavy voice, “Logically speaking, Our University is a private University, and our headmaster must have been appointed by the board of directors, and his authority must be equal to that of Secretary, right!”
“Taiping, sometimes I think you are very smart, and sometimes I find you very stupid. The headmaster is indeed appointed by the board of directors; moreover even secretary is also appointed by the same board of directors. But do you really think that board of director are of the same faction? Secretary Lian and Headmaster Xu may look like the face of the top echelon of the university. However, there are even bigger factions; only these things are not something we can mingle ourselves with.” Wang Jincai shook his head to say.
“Secretary is also appointed by the directors of our University? How can it be possible?! How come he is not appointed by
Party Leadership group?” Xu Taiping asked in astonishment.
“How can it be not possible. Nowadays, everything is possible. When Our Secretary Lian was not a secretary yet, at that time he was a secretary of a Village!” Wang Jincai said.
“Oh, it really looks like my head is as useless as it can get.” Xu Taiping laughed to say, “ Since it is secretary Lian, who is inviting me on dinner, that I will surely go.”
“That’s good. Actually, I am a very open-minded person. Since you are newly appointed for this position and has been promoted by Headmaster Xu, that’s why Xu Boyuan has invited you to on a dinner tonight. I won’t stop you; only, I want you to remember, that for a long time I was planning to cultivate you to be my left hand and even Secretary Lian also very much care about you and wants you to choose the proper faction. Don’t disappoint us!” Wang Jincai vigorously patted Xu Taiping shoulder and said.
“I know how to do.” Xu Taiping smiled and nodded to say, “if there is nothing else, then I am going back first, Director Wang.”
“Good.” Wang Jincai Waved his hand. Xu Taiping stood up and left.
“Indeed, a crafty fellow. Even though he said so many pleasant to hear things, in the end, he didn’t take a stand. Nowadays, each youngster is better than on another one!” Wang Jincai started to rub his temple while feeling some headache.
In the evening, Xu Taiping was waiting for Xu Boyuan and his group inside the Security Guard Room.
Xu Boyuan had indeed invited many peoples, and roughly a dozen people had come together with him. Moreover, even Su Nianci was with him.
It was very rare that tonight Su Nianci was wearing a skin-tight short skirt, only, a thin skirt was sewn outside that short skirt, and it was covering her perfectly round thigh and her lower legs.
In the last few years, Jiang Yuan University rarely had ever appointed someone so beautiful as a teacher. The popularity of Su Nianci was really high, and apart from Xu Boyuan who was pursuing her, plenty of men wanted to have a close relationship with her. It was just that, Su Nianci never gave any of these men any opportunity. In the outsider’s eyes, she was someone, who ‘mind’s one’s own business and keep out of trouble’ kind of person. Well, in everyday life, even male teachers took care not to overdo while trying to close their distance.
A group finally gathered outside the Security Guard Room and then together they left for nearby Fulong Restaurant.
Fulong restaurant was something which was famous for seafood and it was located at the end of Hechi street. Since the distance from the university was not far and was about at most one kilometers, they all walked for several minutes to reach there.
This Fulong restaurant could be regarded as one of the high scale restaurants in whole China, and this place business was unusually good. Xu Taiping remembered that this seafood restaurant is under the protection of Zhou Xiaoyu and his group. Actually, these kind of restaurants, billiards rooms, internet cafes, KTV and so on things, had a significant stream of people in these type of area as compared to other and to prevent someone from creating trouble, they generally used to pay certain protection money. Some had to pay more, and some had to spend less, but the exact price depended on the quality of one’s business. If one’s business was not good, then one had to pay a bit less, but if the business quality was good, one had to pay more. As for this Fulong restaurant, every month’s protection money was around five thousand. Well for a restaurant of this scale, even a cook’s monthly wages were much more than this, however, in exchange for the safety of this place, according to the proprietor of this shop, it was a sum of money well spent.
Of course, Xu Taiping had never appeared before them, and Bao Ruifeng collected all the protection money from these big shops till now. As for those small peddlers, they were occasionally ripped off by Zhou Xiaoyu and his group. But now that Zhao Ruifeng was currying favor from Xu Taiping for some reasons, the protection money from all these big shops on Hechi Street was naturally going to go into the pocket of Xu Taiping.
Anyways, since Xu Taiping still had not come here personally to pay his respect to heaven, that’s why, although every proprietor on this street knew that their eldest child was changed, in the end, they didn’t know who their leader was.
That so-called pay respect to heaven was a particular jargon of this type of society. Whenever an old leader of an area was replaced by a new leader, that new leader would try to find an auspicious time to come here in person and show his face or invite some essential cooperative partner on a meal or something and then that person would offer sacrifice to heaven and earth, this things was commonly known as pay respect to heaven. This was done, on the one hand, to seek luck and on the other hand, to make one’s face recognized in the whole area, after all, new had replaced the old leader, then everyone should at least know what type of person their leader is.
Actually, protection money was emphatically not a good thing to receive just like that because if one had received protection money, then he had to handle matters, same as Xu Taiping, who had to ensure the safety of property and assets of the university in exchange of his monthly wages. If these stores who had given protection money came across someone who was creating disturbance in their area, then those who had received protection money had to settle these matters. Well, if one came across some easy to handle issues than it was naturally profitable, but when one came across some hard to deal things, that sometimes they even had to risk their lives and in case they were to receive an injury to become handicapped, that naturally was not worth the money.
That’s why it was being said “every business has its difficulty”, even if the work of receiving protection money, this was also like so. Well, one could also choose to not go out for their patron, but like that their name and fame would surely sweep the floor, moreover, at the same time some other prominent leader would replace him on that street. And since he had lost whole industries face, he would be considered as a public enemy of the entire industry.
“Did you hear? Thirteen people who were considered as the backbone of Wugui gang and every one of them is expelled. Moreover, some twenty members of this gangs are subjected to different types of punishments. Looks like our headmaster Xu is really determined this time!” A teacher laughed to say.
“They were like a malignant tumor of our university. If that type of persons is not expelled, then it would have been challenging to suppress common person’s anger. Even the matter of that jumping was also because of their harassments. Our Headmaster really loathe this type of people!” Xu Boyuan laughed to say.
“Yes yes yes, our headmaster has delighted everyone like this. I heard that because of this matter, even board of directors became very angry, after all, the matter of expelling thirteen students and punishing more than twenty students in one go, is scarce even if one is to search the whole history our university.” Someone said.
“We must believe in our headmaster. Under his guidance, our university will soon come back on its glorious track! Everyone come and toast, to celebrate the eradication of these malignant tumors as well as to celebrate the complete recovery of our big hero Xu Taiping!” Xu Boyuan held a wine cup and smiled to say.
One after another every teacher sitting there picked up a wine glass and looked at Xu Taiping to say some big hero or some acting heroically in a just cause and so on things. Anyway, these were very embarrassing and due to which the face of Xu Taiping became deep red from embarrassment as well somewhat excitement. On the one hand, he was saying about how he wouldn’t be able to live up to university’s expectations and on the other hand, he was expressing his thanks for this reception.
Inside the whole cabin, the atmosphere was perfect.
Contrary to expectations, Su Nianci didn’t say many things. Although, she was thinking highly of Xu Taiping for his conduct, due to some unknown reasons, from that night a week ago when she heard the sounds coming from Xu Taiping’s room, Su Nianci became embarrassed whenever she came face to face with Xu Taiping. This kind of awkwardness was emphatically not because of dislike or loathing, but it was same as if she had peeped on some sort of secret of Xu Taiping’s. It was very hard to describe, but it was a certain problem that only she could feel.
“Teacher Su, everyone is drinking with me, then how come you are sitting there like a statue? Or Do I drink this cup in your respect?” Xu Taiping walked toward Su Nianci and laughed to say.
“I don’t drink.” Su Nianci shook her head.
“That you drink other beverage!” Xu Taiping poured a cup of coconut milk for Su Nianci and said, “It is good if you drink this cup of milk, after all, milk really helps in supplementing, hahaha!”
“Can’t you put your mouth clean even for one day?” Su Nianci gave him a supercilious look. However, she still picked up that cup and bumped it with Xu Taiping’s cup.
“Do we do cross-armed drinking?” Xu Taiping asked while having a vulgar smile on his face.
[T/N:交杯酒: formal exchange of cups of wine between bride and groom as traditional wedding ceremony
]
“Cross-armed cup, cross-armed cup!” surrounding people one after another started to create a ruckus.
Xu Boyuan was shouting together with everyone, only, under the thick glasses of his spectacle, there was a vague trace of coldness.
“I am still unmarried, how can I drink cross-armed cup, I won’t drink!” Su Nianci shook her head.
“Still unmarried is good. I am single, and you are also single, that tonight, we do it in advance before the actual ceremony, what do you say? In any case, our dormitory is adjacent to each other, hahaha!” Xu Taiping laughed to say.
“You are really making me feel nauseated. I am not fond of someone like you this type, moreover, don’t you already have the young miss of Xia family? I remember that you two even disappeared together for one week!” Su Nianci said while joking.
‘Are you feeling jealous? Actually, there is nothing between us two!” Xu Taiping spread out his hands to say, “her relation is as pure with me as it is with yours.”
“Yeah right, also don’t know who it was on that night inside the dorm room…” After Su Nianci said this, she at once became aware that something was wrong and closed her mouth.
“Dormitory inside what?” Xu Taiping smiled to ask.
“You already know that matter you have oneself done, drinking or not drinking?” Su Nianci again bumped her wine cup with Xu Taiping’s cup.
“Drink, Officer Su…., no, if big beautiful woman Su is herself asking me for a drink, then how can I not drink. Only, I still think that we two should do a nuptial cup.” Xu Taiping smiled to say.
Su Nianci pupil slightly shrank and then she looked at Xu Taiping, and after a long time, she stood up to say, “ come, if you want to drink cross-armed cup then we will do a cross-armed cup, nobody is afraid of it.”
“Hahaha, good.” Xu Taiping happily stretched his hand forward.
Su Nianci took a deep breath and then she also stretched her hand forward. Two hands interlocked and then two people approached each other and soon they both simultaneous touched a glass of wine and a glass of milk on their lips.
“When we were coming here, someone was following us throughout the journey. Be careful; they might be the people of Wugui gang.” Xu Taiping whispered.
Su Nianci pupil slightly shrank, and she unobtrusively nodded. Soon she put down her wine cup and picked up her handbag to say, “I am going to the toilet for a bit.”
“Teacher Su, I have only touched your hand for a bit, and you need to go to the toilet? Are you so sensitive?” Xu Taiping asked.
Su Nianci turned her head to stare at Xu Taiping and soon left that private room.
“There is something I am not clear.” Xu Taiping said in a heavy voice, “Logically speaking, Our University is a private University, and our headmaster must have been appointed by the board of directors, and his authority must be equal to that of Secretary, right!”
“Taiping, sometimes I think you are very smart, and sometimes I find you very stupid. The headmaster is indeed appointed by the board of directors; moreover even secretary is also appointed by the same board of directors. But do you really think that board of director are of the same faction? Secretary Lian and Headmaster Xu may look like the face of the top echelon of the university. However, there are even bigger factions; only these things are not something we can mingle ourselves with.” Wang Jincai shook his head to say.
“Secretary is also appointed by the directors of our University? How can it be possible?! How come he is not appointed by
Party Leadership group?” Xu Taiping asked in astonishment.
“How can it be not possible. Nowadays, everything is possible. When Our Secretary Lian was not a secretary yet, at that time he was a secretary of a Village!” Wang Jincai said.
“Oh, it really looks like my head is as useless as it can get.” Xu Taiping laughed to say, “ Since it is secretary Lian, who is inviting me on dinner, that I will surely go.”
“That’s good. Actually, I am a very open-minded person. Since you are newly appointed for this position and has been promoted by Headmaster Xu, that’s why Xu Boyuan has invited you to on a dinner tonight. I won’t stop you; only, I want you to remember, that for a long time I was planning to cultivate you to be my left hand and even Secretary Lian also very much care about you and wants you to choose the proper faction. Don’t disappoint us!” Wang Jincai vigorously patted Xu Taiping shoulder and said.
“I know how to do.” Xu Taiping smiled and nodded to say, “if there is nothing else, then I am going back first, Director Wang.”
“Good.” Wang Jincai Waved his hand. Xu Taiping stood up and left.
“Indeed, a crafty fellow. Even though he said so many pleasant to hear things, in the end, he didn’t take a stand. Nowadays, each youngster is better than on another one!” Wang Jincai started to rub his temple while feeling some headache.
In the evening, Xu Taiping was waiting for Xu Boyuan and his group inside the Security Guard Room.
Xu Boyuan had indeed invited many peoples, and roughly a dozen people had come together with him. Moreover, even Su Nianci was with him.
It was very rare that tonight Su Nianci was wearing a skin-tight short skirt, only, a thin skirt was sewn outside that short skirt, and it was covering her perfectly round thigh and her lower legs.
In the last few years, Jiang Yuan University rarely had ever appointed someone so beautiful as a teacher. The popularity of Su Nianci was really high, and apart from Xu Boyuan who was pursuing her, plenty of men wanted to have a close relationship with her. It was just that, Su Nianci never gave any of these men any opportunity. In the outsider’s eyes, she was someone, who ‘mind’s one’s own business and keep out of trouble’ kind of person. Well, in everyday life, even male teachers took care not to overdo while trying to close their distance.
A group finally gathered outside the Security Guard Room and then together they left for nearby Fulong Restaurant.
Fulong restaurant was something which was famous for seafood and it was located at the end of Hechi street. Since the distance from the university was not far and was about at most one kilometers, they all walked for several minutes to reach there.
This Fulong restaurant could be regarded as one of the high scale restaurants in whole China, and this place business was unusually good. Xu Taiping remembered that this seafood restaurant is under the protection of Zhou Xiaoyu and his group. Actually, these kind of restaurants, billiards rooms, internet cafes, KTV and so on things, had a significant stream of people in these type of area as compared to other and to prevent someone from creating trouble, they generally used to pay certain protection money. Some had to pay more, and some had to spend less, but the exact price depended on the quality of one’s business. If one’s business was not good, then one had to pay a bit less, but if the business quality was good, one had to pay more. As for this Fulong restaurant, every month’s protection money was around five thousand. Well for a restaurant of this scale, even a cook’s monthly wages were much more than this, however, in exchange for the safety of this place, according to the proprietor of this shop, it was a sum of money well spent.
Of course, Xu Taiping had never appeared before them, and Bao Ruifeng collected all the protection money from these big shops till now. As for those small peddlers, they were occasionally ripped off by Zhou Xiaoyu and his group. But now that Zhao Ruifeng was currying favor from Xu Taiping for some reasons, the protection money from all these big shops on Hechi Street was naturally going to go into the pocket of Xu Taiping.
Anyways, since Xu Taiping still had not come here personally to pay his respect to heaven, that’s why, although every proprietor on this street knew that their eldest child was changed, in the end, they didn’t know who their leader was.
That so-called pay respect to heaven was a particular jargon of this type of society. Whenever an old leader of an area was replaced by a new leader, that new leader would try to find an auspicious time to come here in person and show his face or invite some essential cooperative partner on a meal or something and then that person would offer sacrifice to heaven and earth, this things was commonly known as pay respect to heaven. This was done, on the one hand, to seek luck and on the other hand, to make one’s face recognized in the whole area, after all, new had replaced the old leader, then everyone should at least know what type of person their leader is.
Actually, protection money was emphatically not a good thing to receive just like that because if one had received protection money, then he had to handle matters, same as Xu Taiping, who had to ensure the safety of property and assets of the university in exchange of his monthly wages. If these stores who had given protection money came across someone who was creating disturbance in their area, then those who had received protection money had to settle these matters. Well, if one came across some easy to handle issues than it was naturally profitable, but when one came across some hard to deal things, that sometimes they even had to risk their lives and in case they were to receive an injury to become handicapped, that naturally was not worth the money.
That’s why it was being said “every business has its difficulty”, even if the work of receiving protection money, this was also like so. Well, one could also choose to not go out for their patron, but like that their name and fame would surely sweep the floor, moreover, at the same time some other prominent leader would replace him on that street. And since he had lost whole industries face, he would be considered as a public enemy of the entire industry.
“Did you hear? Thirteen people who were considered as the backbone of Wugui gang and every one of them is expelled. Moreover, some twenty members of this gangs are subjected to different types of punishments. Looks like our headmaster Xu is really determined this time!” A teacher laughed to say.
“They were like a malignant tumor of our university. If that type of persons is not expelled, then it would have been challenging to suppress common person’s anger. Even the matter of that jumping was also because of their harassments. Our Headmaster really loathe this type of people!” Xu Boyuan laughed to say.
“Yes yes yes, our headmaster has delighted everyone like this. I heard that because of this matter, even board of directors became very angry, after all, the matter of expelling thirteen students and punishing more than twenty students in one go, is scarce even if one is to search the whole history our university.” Someone said.
“We must believe in our headmaster. Under his guidance, our university will soon come back on its glorious track! Everyone come and toast, to celebrate the eradication of these malignant tumors as well as to celebrate the complete recovery of our big hero Xu Taiping!” Xu Boyuan held a wine cup and smiled to say.
One after another every teacher sitting there picked up a wine glass and looked at Xu Taiping to say some big hero or some acting heroically in a just cause and so on things. Anyway, these were very embarrassing and due to which the face of Xu Taiping became deep red from embarrassment as well somewhat excitement. On the one hand, he was saying about how he wouldn’t be able to live up to university’s expectations and on the other hand, he was expressing his thanks for this reception.
Inside the whole cabin, the atmosphere was perfect.
Contrary to expectations, Su Nianci didn’t say many things. Although, she was thinking highly of Xu Taiping for his conduct, due to some unknown reasons, from that night a week ago when she heard the sounds coming from Xu Taiping’s room, Su Nianci became embarrassed whenever she came face to face with Xu Taiping. This kind of awkwardness was emphatically not because of dislike or loathing, but it was same as if she had peeped on some sort of secret of Xu Taiping’s. It was very hard to describe, but it was a certain problem that only she could feel.
“Teacher Su, everyone is drinking with me, then how come you are sitting there like a statue? Or Do I drink this cup in your respect?” Xu Taiping walked toward Su Nianci and laughed to say.
“I don’t drink.” Su Nianci shook her head.
“That you drink other beverage!” Xu Taiping poured a cup of coconut milk for Su Nianci and said, “It is good if you drink this cup of milk, after all, milk really helps in supplementing, hahaha!”
“Can’t you put your mouth clean even for one day?” Su Nianci gave him a supercilious look. However, she still picked up that cup and bumped it with Xu Taiping’s cup.
“Do we do cross-armed drinking?” Xu Taiping asked while having a vulgar smile on his face.
[T/N:交杯酒: formal exchange of cups of wine between bride and groom as traditional wedding ceremony
]
“Cross-armed cup, cross-armed cup!” surrounding people one after another started to create a ruckus.
Xu Boyuan was shouting together with everyone, only, under the thick glasses of his spectacle, there was a vague trace of coldness.
“I am still unmarried, how can I drink cross-armed cup, I won’t drink!” Su Nianci shook her head.
“Still unmarried is good. I am single, and you are also single, that tonight, we do it in advance before the actual ceremony, what do you say? In any case, our dormitory is adjacent to each other, hahaha!” Xu Taiping laughed to say.
“You are really making me feel nauseated. I am not fond of someone like you this type, moreover, don’t you already have the young miss of Xia family? I remember that you two even disappeared together for one week!” Su Nianci said while joking.
‘Are you feeling jealous? Actually, there is nothing between us two!” Xu Taiping spread out his hands to say, “her relation is as pure with me as it is with yours.”
“Yeah right, also don’t know who it was on that night inside the dorm room…” After Su Nianci said this, she at once became aware that something was wrong and closed her mouth.
“Dormitory inside what?” Xu Taiping smiled to ask.
“You already know that matter you have oneself done, drinking or not drinking?” Su Nianci again bumped her wine cup with Xu Taiping’s cup.
“Drink, Officer Su…., no, if big beautiful woman Su is herself asking me for a drink, then how can I not drink. Only, I still think that we two should do a nuptial cup.” Xu Taiping smiled to say.
Su Nianci pupil slightly shrank and then she looked at Xu Taiping, and after a long time, she stood up to say, “ come, if you want to drink cross-armed cup then we will do a cross-armed cup, nobody is afraid of it.”
“Hahaha, good.” Xu Taiping happily stretched his hand forward.
Su Nianci took a deep breath and then she also stretched her hand forward. Two hands interlocked and then two people approached each other and soon they both simultaneous touched a glass of wine and a glass of milk on their lips.
“When we were coming here, someone was following us throughout the journey. Be careful; they might be the people of Wugui gang.” Xu Taiping whispered.
Su Nianci pupil slightly shrank, and she unobtrusively nodded. Soon she put down her wine cup and picked up her handbag to say, “I am going to the toilet for a bit.”
“Teacher Su, I have only touched your hand for a bit, and you need to go to the toilet? Are you so sensitive?” Xu Taiping asked.
Su Nianci turned her head to stare at Xu Taiping and soon left that private room.
