Volume Four: Glorious Years Chapter 151: Village Official Examination

The opening date for Binhai University's new semester was September fifteenth. With half a month left before then, Yang Tian did not remain idle; he signed up to participate in Binhai City's first open recruitment examination for village officials, selecting a very special urban district: the West District.

He had already made inquiries and learned that Bao Yuehong's family lived in the West District. He wanted to go there to observe the local customs of Bao Yuehong's hometown, as helping Bao Yuehong settle down in marriage was one of Yang Tian's new dreams. She was already nearly thirty years old, yet she remained single.

Moreover, Yang Tian had developed an inclination to step into the political arena. When he was younger and his social circle was small, he could navigate situations effortlessly. Now that he had grown up, and his family had embarked on a broader path, his subsequent journey of fulfilling dreams would become arduous without certain safeguards. Therefore, Yang Tian intended to temper himself and enhance his capabilities. His objective was simple: to prevent his family from being bullied and to ensure that his path of fulfilling dreams remained smooth and unobstructed.

The village official examination was conducted with great solemnity. The testing venues were set up in urban elementary schools or those in nearby towns. By the time Yang Tian arrived, the surroundings were already crowded with people preparing to enter the exam halls—some were middle-aged men with heavy beards, others were working youths, and the majority were graduating college students. Greenhorns like Yang Tian were rarely seen.

Yang Tian's assigned exam room was at Lishan Elementary School, specifically Examination Room 48. Just as he located the venue on the fifth classroom of the third floor's teaching building and was about to head up, a crisp voice suddenly called out from behind him: "Yang Tian?!"

Yang Tian turned around in surprise and saw, to his astonishment, that it was Zhang Xiaoshan, holding textbooks for the "Administrative Aptitude Test" and "Essays." Today, she had abandoned her alternative look and sported a neat, refined hairstyle. She wore a snowy white shirt, a silver-white ladylike skirt, golden high-heeled sandals, and transparent silk stockings.

Most importantly, she had actually put on a pair of small glasses, giving her an exceptionally charming aura!

"Zhang Xiaoshan? You came to take the village official exam?" Yang Tian asked in surprise. Even a homebody like her was taking the exam; it seemed village official positions were becoming increasingly popular.

"Yes, just drifting along isn't a solution. I want to find a stable job!" Zhang Xiaoshan smiled sweetly. She seemed to have finally emerged from the shadow of her breakup with Zhao Shilei.

"Right, being a village official is pretty good—fewer responsibilities and a stable income!" Yang Tian nodded. He did not fully understand this young girl before him and could not tell whether she was suited for officialdom. Generally speaking, women who could thrive in official circles were those with meticulous minds and decisive actions.

"True. Well, I'm heading into the exam room now. You should cheer up too; who knows, maybe the two of us will end up assigned to the same village!" Zhang Xiaoshan glanced at the exquisite electronic watch on her wrist and then waved goodbye to Yang Tian.

Watching Zhang Xiaoshan's receding back, Yang Tian smiled and shook his head. If he really ended up as a village official in the same village as her, there would be a good show to watch. He figured his buddy Zhao Shilei would probably travel thousands of miles to visit him every single day.

The exam consisted precisely of the "Administrative Aptitude Test" and "Essays." Although Yang Tian had not prepared extensively, these tests could not stump him. Before his rebirth, he had repeatedly thrown himself into the waves of civil service and village official examinations; he had long since mastered these fundamentals.

Furthermore, he understood the most crucial element of village official recruitment: connections. Before his rebirth, he had realized a fundamental truth—when taking exams for village officials or civil servants, no matter how well you scored, if you had no one protecting you from above, you could forget about smoothly stepping into officialdom. The exam was merely a formality; the interview was the key.

This municipal village official recruitment was overseen by Vice Mayor Yuan Meishan. Yuan was a direct subordinate of Lang Ping and had shared drinks with Yang Tian on multiple occasions. After every drinking session, Yuan would wrap his arms around Yang Tian and start calling him brother. Anyone could see that Yuan Meishan favored Yang Tian precisely because he and Lang Ping were sworn brothers.

Moreover, Lang Ping was determined to groom Yang Tian to enter officialdom. If Yuan Meishan learned that Yang Tian had taken this exam, Yang Tian could choose to be assigned to whichever village he pleased.

The preliminary exam content was relatively simple, and Yang Tian felt completely relaxed when he walked out of the exam hall. He initially wanted to invite Zhang Xiaoshan for tea and even call out Zhao Shilei—after all, if they could not remain lovers, they could still be friends. However, once outside the exam hall, he could no longer find Zhang Xiaoshan anywhere.

***

The results of the village official examination were released quickly. Although Yang Tian's score was not exceptionally high, he successfully advanced to the secondary round. For the secondary round of village official recruitment, the focus was primarily on the interview. During this stage, many candidates would spend money and pull strings, whereas in Yang Tian's case, the connections came looking for him.

Lang Ping personally called him, asking why Yang Tian wanted to take the village official exam. If he wanted to walk this path, he could go directly to the municipal bureau office as a director's assistant, allowing him to climb the ranks rapidly after graduating college.

Yang Tian's reply was firm: he was still young and needed to grow; experience along this path had to be accumulated gradually. Those who tried to soar into the heavens in a single bound often fell hard and suffered painful drops.

Lang Ping felt helpless, but in the end, he gave his consent, telling Yang Tian to proceed however he wished and to call him directly if anything came up.

Clearly, Lang Ping had given instructions to Yuan Meishan, who paid extraordinary attention to Yang Tian's examination. Consequently, Yang Tian's interview went smoothly. Upon entering, several examiners wearing thick-rimned glasses treated him with the utmost respect, as if meeting their future father-in-law. After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, they awarded him a high score and sent him on his way.

This amused Yang Tian greatly. According to conventional logic, these individuals held the power to decide whether candidates could secure an official position, so they ought to carry the dignified authority of imperial scholars and interrogate candidates like criminals. Yet, they were exceptionally courteous to him, which made him deeply appreciate the benefits of power. An ancient saying went: "An official one rank higher crushes people," and it truly proved to be the case.

In fact, prior to Yang Tian's interview, Construction Bureau Director Zhang Siuguo and Public Security Bureau Director Kong Lei had both called Yang Tian to ask if he needed their help to pull strings.

Yang Tian knew those were just polite offers. If he really needed strings pulled, would he have needed to ask them? Nevertheless, it also highlighted a certain fact: both of their gazes were intentionally or unintentionally fixed upon him.

"What? You're going to be a village official? Then you aren't going to college?!" Upon hearing that Yang Tian had participated in the village official recruitment, Huang Biao immediately slapped his thigh, and his roaring voice prompted the sound of a door slamming shut in the next room.

"That's right, Xiaotian. You're still young; studying should be your priority! Besides, being a village official is nowhere near as good as doing business. Without someone backing you from above, you might just end up a village head for the rest of your life!" Yang Bao also advised him gently, while Huang Juan sat beside Yang Tian, looking at him with gentle eyes, seemingly ready to support whatever he chose to do.

Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu were busy watching a Korean drama. Their big brother was invincible; they had no worries that he would get into trouble just from tossing about!

"Dad, Uncle Huang, today's village officials are not the same as the ones in your eyes. Even if I become a village official now, I can still go to school just like before! The state has revamped the functions of grassroots organizations, aiming to enhance the quality of grassroots personnel so they can lead farmers out of poverty toward prosperity. They aren't like the old local tyrants anymore!" Yang Tian spoke of the national policies, though in his heart he understood that while the spring breeze of reform blew everywhere, the rural areas surrounding Binhai largely remained the same. This recruitment of village officials was simply the first step in Binhai's rural reform.

"Is that so? Doesn't that just mean living off the state's money for doing nothing?" Zhong Hehua muttered thoughtfully after a brief silence.

"You woman, stop running your mouth! What do you know? This is called starting everything from the grassroots. If you want to be a mayor, you have to be a good village head first. Xiaotian, Uncle Huang is right, aren't they?" Huang Biao glared at Zhong Hehua, then slapped his chest and laughed loudly.

"Actually, Aunt Huang is right too. If you don't do a good job as a village official, you are indeed living off the state for nothing, but if you do it well, you can provide meals for countless people!" Yang Tian knew full well that officialdom was complex, but to achieve results, one still had to act with down-to-earth diligence.

"Look at that, how promising our Xiaotian is. He'll definitely be a good official in the future!" Huang Biao patted Yang Tian's shoulder. Although Yang Tian was only eighteen, he was already taller than Huang Biao.

Yang Bao and his wife exchanged a knowing, contented smile. In their hearts, they naturally hoped Yang Tian would go higher and farther, preferring simply not to voice it constantly.

***

Although the recruitment results had not yet been officially announced, Lang Ping and the others had already begun celebrating for Yang Tian. Several senior municipal bureau executives secretly hosted a banquet for Yang Tian at the Golden Coast.

As Yang Tian wished, he was assigned to Stone Village as the village head—the second-in-command, while the top position was held by the village party secretary.

Within Stone Village lay a settlement called Xiaohong Village, which was Bao Yuehong's ancestral home.

"Come everyone, let's toast Mayor Yang!" Zhang Siuguo raised his glass in teasing fashion. Today, there were no outsiders in the Ziyun Pavilion of the Golden Coast; everyone present belonged to Lang Ping's inner circle, so they drank and ate casually in a very harmonious atmosphere.

"Alright, you big bosses of Binhai City, stop making fun of me. I just want to go and temper myself!" Yang Tian laughed and raised his glass. With these people backing him, he would certainly be able to let go and accomplish great things over there.

"A village is also an organization at the basic level, Yang Tian. I want you to remember this: if you want the people there to remember you and listen to you, you must let them see the tangible benefits you bring to them!" Lang Ping instructed softly.

"Understood, I will keep that in mind!" Yang Tian nodded. He felt that Lang Ping's words were correct, likely representing heartfelt wisdom summarized from many years in politics.

"Furthermore, let me secretly tell you: the person assigned to the same village as you to serve as the Women's Federation director is a young girl. This girl has some background, so don't offend her without reason!" Lang Ping paused for a moment before continuing his instructions.

"A girl? Her background is bigger than yours?" Yang Tian felt a momentary wave of disdain. Of course the Women's Federation director was a girl! However, judging by Lang Ping's expression, it seemed this director possessed powerful backing.

"There is simply no comparison!" Lang Ping did not elaborate further, merely waving his hand dismissively.

After a bout of heavy drinking, everyone dispersed. A few days later, the results of the village official recruitment were publicly announced, stating that all hired candidates were required to report to their respective units before September twentieth.

Yang Tian could easily have waited until Binhai University started before reporting to Stone Village, but he decided to go ahead of time, settle matters there, and then return to handle university registration.

Before his departure, Li Xiuying packed a large bundle for him, mostly containing changes of clothing. Even though Yang Tian had already told her he would not be living permanently in Stone Village, Li Xiuying insisted he take them just in case.

Huang Juan went to the Heavenly King Temple to seek a peace talisman for him, praying that he would remain safe throughout his journey. Yang Tian felt a shiver down his spine—Stone Village was barely over thirty miles away, was such a grand mobilization really necessary?