Chapter 4: Your Gossip
After that night, Liang Youyun stayed at Mengla County People’s Hospital for two days.
She was discharged on Monday morning. Her foot had mostly healed; although it still felt slightly sore, she could walk without relying on crutches. Instead of going home, she headed straight to her workplace—the Manle Village Committee.
Manle Village lies only about eight or nine kilometers from Mengla County town, a drive of just over ten minutes.
Yu Xiang drove her small Corolla to pick up Liang Youyun and head back to the village.
Along the way, she complained about how the media reporters who had come from Jinghong that day had exaggerated the severity of the incident. Clearly, the village had done everything possible with its available manpower and resources, and the outcome had been positive. Yet they were still criticized for destroying the ecosystem in the name of developing tourism, blamed for the disasters triggered by the heavy rainstorm. They even alleged that the village head and the party secretary had colluded with the tourism company to line their own pockets.
“Nonsense!”
The more Liang Youyun heard, the angrier she became. She cursed, “What we’re developing is eco-tourism, aligned with the national vision of harmony between humanity and nature. Don’t those in the media understand that development is key to solving environmental problems? Without development and without funds, where would the resources for ecological protection come from? Ecological conservation must be built upon a certain economic foundation! Besides, where exactly have we damaged the ecosystem? Which of their eyes saw us indiscriminately cutting down trees or dumping sewage into the Nanla River? I think these media outlets have ulterior motives!”
“Oh, Secretary Liang, my dear sister, how could we possibly articulate such reasoning? If Village Head Yan Wenkan had your way with words, he wouldn’t have nearly gotten into a fight! This weekend, he rushed to the county and city offices, pulling every string he could, exhausting himself to no avail!” Yuxiang said.
Youyun remained unconsoled: “Why haven’t the media reported on how we rescued those people? What a positive story it is—simple folk with kind hearts, always ready to help! I’ll contact several media outlets today to highlight this incident properly. Meanwhile, please update the village website as well.”
“It’s already been updated,” Yuxiang replied confidently. Then, suddenly recalling something about the rescue, she turned to Youyun and asked, “Sister, may I indulge in some gossip?”
“Isn’t that just your daily routine?”
“Your gossip.”
“What gossip? I’m incorruptible and upright, the good secretary of Manle Village.”
Yu Xiang laughed aloud. Although Liang Youyun was her direct superior, and although this position as village party secretary was only temporary and not an official rank—since grassroots organizations based on villagers’ self-governance often rely on personal relationships—she had to admit that during the two years since Liang’s arrival, she had indeed accomplished many tangible achievements, absolutely qualifying as an excellent cadre.
“Do you still remember the man who carried you back?”
Youyun nodded. “I remember. I’ve been thinking about him a lot these past two days, even though I don’t know his name or what he looks like! And…” She recalled the misunderstanding she’d had with him at the bottom of the pit and found it somewhat embarrassing to bring up. “Never mind. Everyone has their foolish moments!”
Yuxiang, however, didn’t take the bait. Gazing with bright, dewy eyes brimming with deep amusement, she said, “He’s so handsome that just thinking about his face makes me thirsty!”
Youyun asked casually, “That handsome? Does he have thick eyebrows and big eyes, or is he more of a delicate beauty? Or perhaps he’s your type—fair-skinned, good-looking, with lean muscles?”
“Hmm… I can’t quite put it into words. He just has this very masculine vibe. He’s a bit aloof and doesn’t talk much, but when he does speak, he hits the nail right on the head.”
Youyun scoffed, “Looks like you two had quite a long chat that night.”
Recalling that night, he indeed spoke few words, yet each one was crucial. His movements were agile and his reactions swift, as if he had undergone special training.
“Oh, we didn’t chat much; everything we talked about concerned you.”
Yuxiang sighed: “You were feverish and unconscious. He instructed me to have you take some medication for palpitations once your fever subsided, saying your heartbeat was racing. He even asked whether you were under significant work pressure, suspecting excessive exhaustion.”
Yuxiang chuckled softly: “Even when he left, he turned back twice behind the ambulance, looking rather reluctant to part. Oh my, Secretary Liang, could it be that your spring is finally arriving?”
If she weren’t driving, Youyun would have rapped her on the head; this girl’s been hopelessly smitten for ages, and every time she gets that way, she drops the ball when it matters most.
“So, Miss Yuxiang, in the end, you didn’t even ask for his name? You didn’t tell the reporters he was the hero who saved everyone? And you didn’t even find out how he was getting back—whether he was driving or staying at one of the village homestays?”
Overwhelmed by so many questions at once, Yuxiang realized she had been lost in a fantasy, forgetting to address reality. “I… I was busy taking care of you back then… Besides, you never asked either.”
“Yes, I was at fault too. Thank you for your kindness, my dear little Bu Shao!” Youyun said with a forced smile, gently patting her head. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun, and her pinkish-purple tube skirt looked truly beautiful.
“I suspect he’s a tourist from the Nanla River RV campsite; he doesn’t seem like a local, yet there’s this feeling that he knows our area quite well. He must have been staying here for some time!”
Youyun didn’t respond further. Who he was, where he came from, or where he was going didn’t matter. What mattered was why this man cared so much about her.
There could be only one explanation: while he was carrying her on his back, she must have said something she shouldn’t have. Those unconscious murmurs in her sleep had revealed her vulnerability, allowing him to empathize with her plight.
The village committee building is a two-story structure resembling a Dai-style bamboo house. Unlike traditional stilted bamboo dwellings, it looks more like a small Western-style house, constructed with bricks and tiles.
Banna is abundant in bamboo; the earliest stilt houses were constructed almost entirely from it. Modern stilt houses, while preserving their original form, incorporate many new materials such as timber and Burmese tiles. Some, like the village committee building, are contemporary structures clad in white ceramic tiles, featuring a distinctive pyramidal roof with multiple layered eaves. Covered with deep blue-green tiles and edged with gleaming golden decorative ridge tiles, the top three tiers of the roof and eaves are crowned with ceramic mythical guardians: the elephant-trunked phoenix, a noble celestial bird.
Ceramic mythical creatures are commonplace among the Dai people in Banna. Besides the elephant-trunked phoenix, the peacock is the most prevalent, followed by lions, elephants, and qilin.
In Mengla County and Jinghong City, high-rise residential buildings typically feature this Dai-style multi-eaved pyramidal roof design atop their structures, adorned with these mythical guardians to bless and protect the inhabitants.
The village committee boasts a spacious courtyard. Its perimeter walls serve as display boards and public notice areas, bearing the slogan: “Build a beautiful homeland, safeguard ethnic unity, and protect our sacred territory.”
Opposite the main building stands a large stage for performances, covered by a blue canopy to shield against rain. To the right of the main building, in front of a window, rises a three-tiered red-brick platform bearing a flagpole from which the national flag flies.
This is where Liang Youyun works.
Both the Village Committee and the Party Branch operate here. Besides the village head and the Party secretary, there are directors and committee members overseeing different areas. Together with Xiao Sun, a college graduate appointed as a village official who arrived last year, the cadre team totals twelve.
Manle Village is small, with a population of fewer than 600, mostly of Dai ethnicity. The permanent residents are predominantly middle-aged and elderly. Young people either pass entrance exams to settle in cities—such as Mengla County, Jinghong Prefecture, or Kunming, the provincial capital—or head to Thailand in search of work.
Plus, since every household here has several mu of farmland to tend to, there is often a shortage of hands, and many people end up juggling multiple roles.
Although Liang Youyun is the stationed village secretary, she basically does everything: promoting policies, receiving visiting superiors, negotiating with enterprises, organizing villagers’ activities, conducting safety inspections, live-streaming product sales…
At first, she felt irritated, but eventually she got the hang of it and even began to feel increasingly worthy of her role.
She had come to this place filled with helplessness and reluctance, longing every moment to return to Beijing and reclaim her self-respect; yet, just as she was about to leave, she discovered she had fully adapted to life here and found herself feeling somewhat reluctant to depart.
She had thought that everything she’d done over the past two years was to return with a flawless report for her superiors, paving the way for her promotion.
But lying in her hospital bed these past couple of days, she suddenly felt a pang of melancholy. What good would a promotion really do? Bring honor to her family? Become an admirable, powerful woman? Or find a well-off man to marry and have children with?
Perhaps yes, perhaps not.
One thing was certain, though: she definitely had to return to Beijing.
Two cars and three electric scooters were parked in the courtyard. Youyun immediately spotted the small red Polo with chipped paint and couldn’t help but press her hand to her forehead, knowing that Zhang He, the annoying troublemaker from the neighboring village, had arrived again—surely over last weekend’s rainforest rescue incident.
Sure enough, before she and Yuxiang could even step inside, Zhang He burst out of the door excitedly, scanning Youyun from head to toe with concerned eyes while incessantly chattering:
“Are you okay, darling? I was worried sick! I saw the news report—thank goodness you’re so lucky; you nearly didn’t make it back! Didn’t you know you shouldn’t enter the mountains during heavy rain? Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm, but this actually works in your favor. Everyone was found safely, and you’ve earned credit for it. When you return to work mid-year, all this will become leverage for promotion and a raise!”
“Aren’t you being annoying? Don’t block my way!”
Youyun pushed him aside and entered the building. “I think you’re just waiting for me to die!”
“How could I? I care about you so much!” Zhang He followed closely behind.
“Care about me? You show up only now? I’ve been lying in the hospital for two days, darling!”
Youyun mimicked his tone, “You only came because you saw our Manle Village getting criticized online, right? Do you take me for a fool?”
“How could I possibly worry about anything else with the Water Splashing Festival going on these past two days?”
Zhang He pounded his chest in frustration. Seeing that Youyun was ignoring him, he tugged at Yuxiang’s sleeve to explain, “Look, she doesn’t put on any airs around me at all. I say a few words, and she actually gets angry—angry that I arrived late! What does that tell you? She cares about me deep down. Please, put in a good word for me!”
Yuxiang knew that Zhang He was Liang Youyun’s original colleague and childhood friend from the workplace; their bond was so strong it transcended gender. She also knew that although he bore a name brimming with testosterone, inwardly he was soft and sentimental.
He had been serving as a stationed village cadre in neighboring Mannuan Village for four years. Unlike Liang Youyun, he was a native of Pu’er, Yunnan, biding his time for a bigger opportunity to advance his career at the provincial level.
Yuxiang had no choice but to plead for mercy: “Director Zhang, please let me go; I need to finish writing my article. If you truly care about Secretary Liang, then…” Suddenly inspired, she leaned close to Zhang He’s ear and whispered, “Then address what urgently concerns the secretary—help her find her real savior!”
“Her savior? Who is it?”
“A handsome guy who carried Secretary Liang back!”
“There’s such a thing?… Do you have any photos?”
Yuxiang showed him her phone, displaying a press release from a small media outlet accompanied by a photo. In the bustling background, a man was faintly visible, only his profile showing, wiping his face with a white towel while his gaze casually drifted toward the camera.
“It’s so blurry; how can you tell he’s handsome? Could he possibly be as handsome as me?”
“This was the only one I could find after so much effort. All the others were either of Secretary Liang or Village Head Wen Kan. With your extensive connections and familiarity throughout Mengla, have you ever seen him?”
“Comrade Yuxiang, are you getting addicted to this?” Youyun turned back, this time truly tapping Yuxiang on the head, albeit lightly, and chided, “I don’t think you’re worried about what worries the secretary; more likely, you’ve taken a liking to him yourself, haven’t you?”
Yuxiang chuckled with a grin. Dai girls are always straightforward: “Sister, I’ve seen so many handsome guys in the bars of Mengla, Jinghong, and even Kunming. They’re either too delicate or overly coquettish; even those with muscles lack real manliness. But I’ve never seen anyone like him—a true man!”
Having often accompanied Youyun, Yuxiang had picked up a bit of the Beijing accent.
“So this makes him a real man? There are plenty of tall, burly men like that up north—a bunch of big guys, mostly chauvinistic, ordering women around and never understanding what women actually need.” Youyun doused her with cold water; she herself had been burned more than once by so-called “real men.”
But Yuxiang didn’t take her words to heart at all. Clasping her hands over her chest, she continued fawning: “I have a sixth sense—he lives somewhere near us, and I will find him!”
“And what if you do find him? Do you plan to sleep with him?” This was clearly said in anger.
“If my mother agrees!” Yuxiang declared resolutely.
“…Alright.”
Youyun sighed, dropping the jest to ponder the follow-up expressions of gratitude and condolences. “It would be wonderful if we could find them,” she murmured. “We must at least present them with a silk banner.”
At this moment, Zhang He, who had been staring blankly at a photo on his phone, suddenly sprang up like a wind-up tin frog, slapping his thigh and exclaiming, “Holy cow! I actually know who he is!”