Cold Salt

Cold Salt

Ma Xirong

Sichuan People’s Publishing House

January 2024

68.00 (CNY)

Set against the backdrop of “consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation and fully promoting rural revitalization，” this realistic work portrays the path of rural revitalization following the victory in poverty alleviation from the perspective of grassroots work. It reflects the challenges， reflections， and aspirations of grassroots cadres in the new era， focusing on their struggles with ideals， responsibilities， family， and relationships. The book reveals their journey of self-reconciliation， self-growth， and self-realization.

Ma Xirong

Ma Xirong is a member of the Sichuan Writers Association. She began her literary career in 2017， with works appearing in magazines such as Grassland and Young Writers. She has also published a collection of non-fiction literature titled A Tree in the Village.

Through the window of the conference room， a square beam of sunlight poured in， spreading out like a sea of salt， emitting a blazing light that made Luo Ming restless and uneasy. It felt as hot as the early autumn day like a year ago when his mother passed away.

The meeting on the rural revitalization assistance plan for Datian Village， held by the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism， was nearing its end， yet Luo Ming still hadn’t mustered the courage to speak. The conference room had fallen into a silent lull， with everyone， after a heat discussion， waiting for the host to give the final remarks before adjourning. Director Zhang scanned the room， cleared his throat， and was about to speak. Luo Ming knew that if he didn’t bring it up now， he wouldn’t have another chance. His heart raced， his face turned crimson， and his slender body curled up like a cooked shrimp as a white crane flitted through his mind.

“I would like to make a suggestion，”

Luo Ming said， taking a deep breath. His right hand， which held a pen， rose briefly before shrinking back shyly. As he lowered it， he touched his ear， and his voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

The room stirred with a ripple of movement， and all eyes turned toward this inexperienced young man. He shifted uneasily in his seat， his eyes fixed on Director Zhang’s resolute face. Although Luo Ming was in charge of the bureau’s office， he was actually just the deputy director， not a village-based cadre， so technically he had no right to speak. His main task at the meeting was to take minutes.

Director Zhang’s face remained expressionless， but he nodded slightly towards Luo Ming. “Go ahead，” he said. “I suggest including the ‘Three Reductions’ and ‘Three Healthy Conditions’ into the rural revitalization assistance plan，” Luo Ming proposed， his voice trembling. Silence fell over the room once more. “Let’s hear what everyone has to say，” Director Zhang said， glancing around before continuing to jot something down in his black notebook. “The ‘Three Reductions’ and ‘Three Healthy Conditions’ initiative is something the higher-ups are promoting， but they haven’t mandated it. I think we should hold off for now. There are still many important tasks in Datian Village， such as industrial development and infrastructure maintenance，” said Old Liu， a village-based cadre， whose words carried significant weight.

Luo Ming’s face turned as red as a glazed tile， and he muttered softly， “But it’s beneficial to the people’s health.”

Old Liu， annoyed by the interruption， responded， “There are many beneficial things， but if we try to do them all， even with two more people in the village， we’d be overwhelmed.”

Old Liu believed that implementing the “reducing salt， fat， and sugar” and “promoting healthy teeth， weight， and bones” measures was optional， lacking any precedent to follow， and would only increase the workload of the village assistance team without yielding significant results.

He was internally opposed. “But it really is good for people’s health，” Luo Ming insisted， his voice growing louder as he stretched his slender neck forward， squeezing out each word deliberately. Everyone knew that Old Liu had been leading the village team for six or seven years now since the early days of targeted poverty alleviation. He had stayed through several rotations because the unit couldn’t find a replacement， and the leaders had to persuade him to continue with the promise of finding someone to relieve him as soon as possible. Old Liu was close to retirement， his son worked in a southern city， and his wife had moved there a year ago to care for their grandchild. He was alone now and longed to join his family. If they were to add this so-called “salt， fat， and sugar reduction” initiative， he feared it would prolong his days in the village， so naturally， he was strongly opposed.

“Generations of villagers have ingrained habits. Do you think a slogan can change that? And who would be free enough to supervise three meals a day in every household? How would you even quantify it?” Old Liu argued.

“So if it’s difficult， we just quit it altogether?” Luo Ming retorted， his voice rising.

“Of course we’ll do it. You go ahead.”

“It’s not like I’ve never lived in the countryside. Am I supposed to be afraid?” Luo Ming’s voice shook with emotion.

“Good， then you go. I’m ready to go back，” Old Liu said， tossing his pen onto the conference table， where it clattered， rolled off， and hit the floor with a sharp crack， startling Luo Ming， who blinked rapidly.

The other attendees either remained silent or offered surface-level support， though their words were filled with opposition. Luo Ming felt uncertain. Old Liu was eager to return home， searching for a legitimate excuse to leave the village and return to the unit. As for who would take his place， well， he was not the leader， so he wouldn’t bother.

As the tension in the room escalated， Director Zhang sternly surveyed the room， cleared his throat， and prepared to give his closing remarks. Luo Ming was also ready to drop the argument， thinking it would prevent offending Old Liu and keep the meeting on schedule， which would please everyone. But the image of his mother lying still in bed after her death flashed vividly in his mind， stirring a deep sense of frustration， like a volcano ready to erupt. This surge of emotion brought with it a sudden burst of courage and determination that pushed aside his fears.

Having already angered those he needed to， Luo Ming realized there was no point in holding back any longer. Like preparing for the grueling college entrance exams， he decided to go all in. “I still suggest that we include this plan.”

Old Liu， who had thought he had already won， saw the flush on his chubby face start to fade， only for it to return when he heard Luo Ming’s stubborn insistence. His face turned crimson once again.

“It’s good for young people to have ideas， and we should support that. But I’m getting old and can’t keep up with the times. I’ll formally request to step down as a village cadre，” Old Liu said， his voice calm but masking the tidal wave of anger inside.

The room stirred once again， and the eyes of everyone in the room fell on Luo Ming like ice particles. His face burned with embarrassment， and after a brief pause， he pulled out a piece of paper from his notebook and began reading aloud with emotion.

“Dear leaders， I have a reason for proposing this plan. As you know， my mother passed away suddenly due to a brainstem hemorrhage. The greatest sorrow in life is when a child wishes to care for their parents but they are no longer there. If I don’t do something， I would feel like I’m letting her down. How common is this in the countryside? How often do we see this around us? How great is the pain such tragedies bring to loved ones? Therefore， I sincerely suggest implementing the ‘Three Reductions’ and ‘Three Healthy Conditions’ plan to give our fellow villagers a wake-up call and truly do something meaningful for them. I don’t intend to make things difficult for our village cadres， and I hope you can forgive me.”

The room fell silent， and even Old Liu lowered his head. The meeting concluded with the decision to incorporate Luo Ming’s proposed health initiative into the rural revitalization assistance plan， to be implemented gradually and systematically. After the meeting adjourned， Luo Ming quickly walked out of the conference room and headed straight to the restroom. He closed the door， pressed down hard on the faucet， and after holding his breath for a moment， let out a long sigh of relief amidst the sound of rushing water.