Chapter 56: Utterly Insipid

"Rather than making your parents happy, I care more about your happiness. You've got to keep me company all day tomorrow and the day after." Lu Hao flashed Fang Jing a mischievous look.

For nearly twenty days, he hadn't touched Fang Jing, and with his return to work in Fangshui Township next week, Lu Hao certainly didn't want to miss this opportunity.

"You're terrible, so bad." A blush crept onto Fang Jing's cheeks as she carried the bags upstairs alongside Lu Hao.

Hearing the commotion in the hallway, Jiang Lan apparently decided to take the initiative and opened the door, calling out, "Fang Jing, is that you and Lu Hao?"

"Mom, you've got ears like a bat," Fang Jing said with a smile.

"Perfect, now that Lu Hao's here, we can have dinner. I've prepared a lot of delicious food today," Jiang Lan said.

Compared to his last visit to the Fang household, Jiang Lan's attitude was noticeably warmer.

"Lu Hao, you should've just come as you are, why bother buying all these things?"

Upon entering, Jiang Lan handed them slippers to change into. Seeing the high-end items in Lu Hao's hands, she beamed from ear to ear, though she still remembered to offer some polite formalities.

"These are just tokens of respect for Uncle and Auntie, nothing special," Lu Hao replied as he handed them over to Jiang Lan.

Jiang Lan accepted them with a smile and walked into the study.

A large portion of their study served as a storage room, filled with fine tobacco, premium liquor, and health supplements. Jiang Lan placed Lu Hao's gifts on the shelf, an expression of satisfaction evident on her face.

"Since everyone's here, let's eat. Lu Hao, you can share a few drinks with me today," Fang Aiguo said, standing up from the living room sofa with a gentle smile.

Looking at his future father-in-law, Lu Hao noted that while the older man still maintained the dignity of an elder, his attitude was vastly superior to their previous meeting.

Lu Hao thought to himself that if Fang Aiguo and his wife's attitude changed so drastically just because he was promoted to deputy section chief, how would Fang Aiguo react if he ever became a deputy county-level official?

He saw right through the true nature of Fang Aiguo and Jiang Lan, but his long-standing relationship with Fang Jing allowed Lu Hao to let it go.

At the dinner table, Lu Hao poured drinks for everyone from the perspective of a junior.

He and Fang Aiguo each got a full glass, while Fang Jing and Jiang Lan received about a third of a glass.

The liquor was Mengzhilan, a distinctly high-end brand, and the rich aroma quickly drifted across the table.

"Let's have a toast first. Today's dinner is primarily to celebrate Lu Hao's promotion to deputy section chief. As far as I know, the personnel adjustments made by the county recently are all acting positions, but the official appointments will be issued soon enough, so there's no need to worry," Fang Aiguo said as he raised his glass.

"Lu Hao, you need to keep up the good work," Fang Jing added with a radiant smile.

Naturally, she had also learned about the personnel changes in Fangshui Township from Fang Aiguo. Although she desperately hoped Lu Hao would establish a good relationship with Li Haotian, the newly appointed party secretary, she chose not to bring it up on this occasion.

"Thank you, Uncle, Auntie, and Fang Jing," Lu Hao said, smiling as he clinked glasses with them.

After taking a sip of the liquor, the four of them began to eat.

Jiang Lan had prepared an exceptionally lavish spread today: sweet and sour fish, braised pork with dried bamboo shoots, spicy crawfish, braised native chicken from the bamboo grove, and more. It was clear she had put a lot of effort into the meal.

After a few rounds of drinks, Fang Aiguo looked at Lu Hao and said, "Lu Hao, you owe this promotion to deputy section chief largely to the extensive media coverage of your firefighting efforts. I heard it even caught the attention of the city leadership, which turned what was supposed to be a punishment into an award. But I have a question out of sheer curiosity."

"Uncle Fang, go ahead and ask whatever is on your mind," Lu Hao said, pausing for a moment before replying.

With the alcohol flushing his face, Fang Aiguo smiled broadly and said, "With so many trending news stories out there, why did the city television station suddenly report on your case, and so promptly too—arriving at the fire scene on the very same day? In no time at all, they made your firefighting feat the focal point of the internet. Lu Hao, don't take my directness the wrong way, but do you have some relative or friend working as a leader in the city television station or some municipal department?"

Hearing this, Fang Jing immediately frowned with displeasure and said, "Dad, how can you ask something like that? Lu Hao risked everything he had while fighting that fire, nearly losing his life in the process. Isn't it only natural that the city reported on him?"

Fang Aiguo smiled and explained, "Fang Jing, I'm not the only one curious about this; even the leaders of our county's Organization Department and Publicity Department are quite baffled, which is why I'm asking. If Lu Hao really has connections in the city, there's no need to keep it from us, right? It would only make it easier to utilize political connections in the future."

By the time Fang Aiguo reached this point, Lu Hao fully understood the real reason behind the invitation to dinner today: Fang Aiguo wanted to figure out if Lu Hao had powerful backers higher up.

If Lu Hao truly had connections in the municipal government, it could potentially aid Fang Aiguo's own future promotion.

Lu Hao couldn't help but find the meal a bit tasteless. Since Lin Xiyue had denied helping him with this incident, the only person Lu Hao could think of who might have assisted him was "Purple Robe."

However, the existence of "Purple Robe" was a secret to Lu Hao, and he certainly wasn't going to speak of it.

"Uncle Fang, our township party secretary Lin told me that when the city television crew came to interview at the fire scene, she was the one coordinating with them. The city station said they saw a video of me fighting the fire on Douyin, uploaded by a villager in Fangshui Township. They thought it was positive material and rushed over from the city. I suppose I was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse this time, which is how I managed to turn danger into safety," Lu Hao explained simply.

"Is that how it happened?" Fang Aiguo mused thoughtfully.

What Lu Hao said sounded reasonable enough; short videos on Douyin were indeed very popular nowadays, and it wasn't strange for the city television station to take notice.

Fang Aiguo and Jiang Lan exchanged glances. Pretending not to notice, Lu Hao raised his glass for another toast with Fang Aiguo. In any case, whatever Fang Aiguo and his wife chose to imagine was their own business.

Before the dinner came to an end, Fang Aiguo asked with a serious expression, "Lu Hao, you're currently the acting deputy township head. Has your new office been arranged yet? What responsibilities are you in charge of?"