Added another chapter, thanks to the brothers for their support and cheering during the new book period. Also, I'd like to say that this new book will be on shelves soon, and when the time comes, I still hope everyone can support the genuine version.

  Shen Huai still didn't know that he had inexplicably gained a cheap "uncle", and this cheap "uncle" was also one of the legendary four young masters of Donghua.

  The morning's plan was disrupted, and he didn't want to go back to the swimming pool, so Shen Hua went to Xinhua Bookstore. He didn't see a Chinese-French dictionary, but fortunately found an English-French dictionary. Although there were over a dozen French books that would be more difficult to read, it was better than nothing.

  Back to Tongzi Building, Shen Hua knocked on Xiong Wenbin's door. Xiong Wenbin's lover, Bai Suimei, opened the door and Shen Hua handed her a "wild white strip" he had just bought from the street, saying: "Teacher Bai, what a coincidence! In recent years, it's been hard to find such a big wild white strip in Donghua City."

  Xiong Wenbin was reading a book in the house, walked over with his glasses on, and looked at the wild white pomfret handed over by Shen Hua. The scales were slightly yellowish, although it had been out of water for some time, but the fish tail still swung powerfully, and the fish body looked beautiful just by looking at it.

  Wild whitebait, these years in the early extinction of the Jiang River, fishing boats only by chance can catch some, to the market is very popular. A fish weighs a few hundred grams, and it may cost two or three hundred yuan to buy one.

  "I saw someone selling fish on the street of Xiaowei, if I didn't buy it, it would be a pity. After paying the money, I realized that I don't know how to cook fish at all. Let's just consider it today's food expenses, what do you think?" Shen Huai said with a smile.

  "I'm afraid even if I let you go home, it will end in disaster." Bai Su Mei feared Shen Huai would take advantage of Dai Ling, and immediately wanted to refuse.

  Shen Huai couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart, he couldn't explain to Bai Su Mei that he was only after her husband, and such an explanation would only make people more vigilant. Shen Huai just stood there, blocking the door for Bai Su Mei, not leaving, if even this small obstacle couldn't be overcome, what else could be done? He quietly stood there, smiling with a sycophantic face: "Teacher Bai, take a look, if I hadn't tasted your craftsmanship yesterday, I wouldn't have spent this money in vain. Otherwise, you can try, it's not like you can put the fish back in the river, right?"

  Bai Su Mei, although in her forties, still has a radiant complexion and an air of elegance around her eyes. Her daughters, Xiong Dai Ling and her sister, have inherited her beauty, which is why they look so lovely.

  "I can try," said Xiong Wenbin, who at this time took the initiative to stretch out his hand from inside the door and take over the fish, "but it's got to be handled properly, I'm afraid we won't make it for lunch..."

  "That night, then call Zhao Kechang over," Shen Huai said, "At noon, Teacher Bai just gave me a bowl of rice to eat."

  Watching her husband take the fish, Bai Su Mei was unwilling to say anything and closed the door, complaining: "Aren't you afraid that thieves will remember our family's things?"

  "There's something valuable at home," said Xiong Wenbin, "Put this fish in clear water and raise it first..."

  "What's wrong with you? You went out for a walk this morning and got your eyes blinded by something. This kid is eyeing your daughter, are you willing to let Dai Ling be deceived by him?" White Su Mei said irritably.

  "Where did you go?" Xiong Wenbin's old face was somewhat unbearable, saying, "Shen Huai's mind is not on Dai Ling, he has other thoughts, these you don't understand."

  "What's on his mind, he can still stare at you, can't he still expect you to give him an official position?" Bai Suimei said, "The two bottles of Maotai he gave yesterday and the fish today, it would be better to send them to anyone else's mouth than yours. You've been struggling to survive these years, what official position can you give him?"

  Xiong Wenbin was the director of the municipal steel plant in his early years. Although he was quite upright, people still came to his home with gifts one after another. Xiong Wenbin also knew that at this time, doing things could not cut off human feelings. As long as the interpersonal relationships did not violate principles, he would not refuse them too much. At that time, his home was also very lively.

  These two years, he was transferred to the policy research office as deputy director. Although still a deputy department-level cadre, his door has been thoroughly deserted. Donghua's economy is not good, but at the department level, although it can't be compared with the municipal leaders who live in villas, there are several who don't have big four-bedroom or three-bedroom houses? Only officials like Xiong Wenbin who have lost power, can't even live under the same roof as their daughters and sons-in-law.

  Although Bai Su Mei understood and tolerated her husband, she couldn't help but feel some resentment. At this time, this resentment mixed with her vigilance towards Shen Huai and her protective thoughts towards Dai Ling, and was vented on Xiong Wenbin.

  "You women comrades have your good points, but sometimes you are just unreasonable." Xiong Wenbin also didn't bother to placate his wife, and instead deliberately used a serious tone to lecture her.

  Bai Su Mei gave her husband a dirty look: "Still talking about women's liberation? I went out to buy vegetables this morning and heard that the city is adjusting personnel, they want to adjust you to the Women's Federation, then you can deal with women's liberation all day long. Remember, I've been with you for half my life, I didn't think about enjoying any blessings with you, raising your three kids with one hand wiping their butts and the other holding their dicks... now tighten up your pants..."

  "What are you talking about? Where did that come from?" Xiong Wenbin's face fell, "Are you really suggesting I go to the Women's Federation?" He pulled his wife's shoulder over and comforted her, "I heard some news this morning, Shen Huairen is not as simple as he seems on the surface. If I don't want to be kicked out to the Women's Federation or the Disabled Persons' Federation, my only hope may be placed in him..."

  "What's he got to offer? You actually expect him to give you an official position..." Bai Su Mei was extremely surprised, seeing her husband unhappy with the explanation, said, "Alright, alright, I won't interfere in your business, I'll cooperate with you. But no matter what, think about how I tricked this poor guy into marrying me back then, you can't just sell Dai Ling off..."

  "You were talking so well, and now you're spouting nonsense," Xiong Wenbin said with a mix of anger and amusement. "In this household, I only spoil you and the little one; would I be willing to give that up?"

  Bai Su Mei's old face turned red, and she cursed, "You're an old scoundrel."

  *****************

  Shen Hua had lunch at Xiong Wenbin's home, and in the afternoon read twenty or thirty pages of a book. Feeling that his French foundation was too poor to continue, he borrowed a bicycle and rode around the streets and alleys of Donghua for over an hour before returning to play chess with Xiong Wenbin.

  Before, Shen Huai was at the municipal steel factory. He was suppressed and couldn't turn over, so he knew very little about the upper-class relationships in Donghua City. He only knew some popular rumors about the four young masters of Donghua and the six big families of Zhou, Gu, Gao, Chen, Zhao, and Yu. However, the more specific and complicated connections between the upper-class powers, especially how they used their official-business relationships to get rich, were not well understood by him.

  Before that, Shen Huai looked down on everyone, treating the local tyrants of Donghua City who were not worth mentioning as country bumpkins, neither bothering to understand nor contact them.

  As a result, Shen Hua's understanding of the relationship network in Donghua was very shallow at this time.

  Tan Qiping is about to take office in Donghua, and if he doesn't clarify the complicated relationships between various factions, even with the power of being the municipal party secretary, any major actions will be difficult to take; Chen Mingde's experience in Donghua is a lesson.

  Tan Qiping entrusted this heavy responsibility to him, and Shen Huai wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the complex web of relationships among the local dignitaries in Donghua, so finding Xiong Wenbin was the most suitable choice.

  If Xiong Wenbin wasn't so principled, he would be a heavyweight figure in this circle.

  If Donghua's officialdom is normal, not pathological, with Xiong Wenbin's ability to operate the municipal steel plant and his achievements, it would be normal for him to become a county party secretary or directly deputy mayor at this time.

  Principle, principle... Shen Huai thought of this word and felt a bitter heart. If he hadn't been so insistent on principle and refused to collude with Gu Tong and others, how could he have been suppressed for so many years without being able to rise up?

  Get the hell out of here!

  Shen Huai cursed in his heart, but had to admit that even if he changed identities, there were some despicable things he still couldn't do. He didn't know if Lao Xiong's two or three years of sitting on the cold bench had changed his mind, but then again, everyone has their own limitations and it's not easy to break through them.

  Shen Hua returned to Tongzi Building and saw Zhao Dong and his fiancée had already arrived.

  One tail of a kilogram-heavy "wild white stripe" is not enough for everyone to stuff their teeth.

  Yi Xiang didn't like noisy gatherings, but this time he unexpectedly asked his wife to set up a banquet table and invite more people to join in the fun.

  Zhao Dong didn't have to go to work today, and after receiving a phone call, he came over with his fiancée Xiao Mingxia in the early afternoon. However, after arriving, he just sat down and chatted with Xiong Wenbin, sending his girlfriend into the kitchen to help out.

  Xiao Mingxia is a flower in the city's steel factory, and Shen Hua is naturally not unfamiliar with her. Zhao Dong, who has high self-esteem, dragged on for nearly 30 years without getting married, but when he saw Xiao Mingxia enter the factory, he made an effort to pursue her. Although the two have not yet gotten married, looking at Xiao Mingxia's plump chest and round buttocks, it is clear that they have already rolled around in bed together.

  After Shen Hua arrived, Xiong Wenbin took out the chessboard and said that his eldest daughter Xiong Danni, son-in-law Zhou Ming, and another former colleague Yang Haipeng from the municipal steel plant would all come over for dinner.

  Xiong Wenbin's son-in-law Zhou Ming also came from the Municipal Steel Plant; however, when Shen Hua was at the Municipal Steel Plant, he had a closer relationship with Yang Haipeng and Zhao Dong.

  As Xiong Wenbin was transferred and subsequently lost power, Shen Huai and Zhao Dong continued to stay in the municipal steel plant. Yang Haipeng had a fiery temper and couldn't stand that idle air. Two years ago, he took the initiative to go off duty and now runs a building materials store.

  Zhou Ming fell in love with Xiong Wenbin's eldest daughter, and Xiong Wenbin used his remaining power to transfer him from the municipal steel plant to the municipal planning commission. However, Zhou Ming was just an ordinary clerk at the municipal planning commission, and Xiong Wenbin couldn't help him anymore. He married Xiong Wenbin's eldest daughter, Xiong Danni, but didn't even get a suite of rooms.

  Yang Haipeng and Zhou Ming still have a meeting to attend before they arrive, while Shen Huai and Xiong Wenbin play chess and chat about the customs of Donghua.

  Xiong Wenbin was also very familiar with the various anecdotes of Donghua's upper-class relationship network, and he spoke fluently. However, Zhao Dong standing beside him found it strange: How did Old Xiong become a different person? These topics that were usually tedious to discuss, he had never seen him talk about them with such relish before?

  Shen Huai was also extremely familiar with Xiong Wenwu, and naturally knew that his reaction was different from usual. Many topics he deliberately led himself to talk about in depth, knowing in his heart: Old Bear had seen something.

  But on second thought, the news of Tan Qiping's arrival at Donghua University wouldn't have spread so quickly, and while there would be some rumors circulating about Chen Mingde's death, not many people would really understand the intricacies behind it, and those who did wouldn't be loose-lipped. It seems that Lao Xiong must have seen something fishy in another aspect.

  Xiong Wenbin's cleverness and sharpness are beyond doubt; but the attitude Xiong Wenbin showed made Shen Huai sigh inwardly: Old Xiong also can't help but bow his head to reality.