Huang Chengzhong had been promoted to deputy mayor.
During the county's two sessions, County Magistrate Zhao found so ti to et with County Party Committee Secretary Ye, and once the situation was explained, the two secretaries, one the main one and the other the deputy, discussed it and settled the matter.
As I said before, if soone were to promote Huang Chengzhong to the position of mayor, it would not be so easy. It would be difficult to get past the top county official, and it would be difficult to arrange things down below. However, promoting a senior section mber to deputy section chief, and being able to bring in a lot of investnt, is an arrangent that is quite easy and quite cost-effective.
News like this always leaks out quickly. As soon as the two sessions ended, and before the mbers returned, the whole town knew about it. Most people felt envy and admiration, while so still rembered the scene from a few years ago, and were looking forward to the show with a mischievous mind.
As n, they could never forget such humiliation, not to ntion that they were already middle-aged and valued their face more than their lives. 'It's expected to be lively from now on!'
Huang Chengzhong, the protagonist of the incident, was of course the first to know. However, he also knew that before the appointnt was officially announced, he had to keep a low profile and must not give people the impression that he was becoming arrogant.
As he greeted everyone with a smile in a more humble manner than usual, carrying a thermos flask to the canteen, an old staff mber who smoked and basked in the sun under the corridor, Lao Lin from the water conservancy station, laughed and said, 'With Old Huang, no, I will soon have to call him Mayor Huang in the town leadership team, I am afraid that there will be fewer of those evil winds and currents in the town.'
The crowd gathered around was puzzled, 'Why?'
'With him as the door god, of course all evils will be scared away, and those demons and ghosts naturally won't dare to co near.' This is the level of these long-serving senior staff mbers, who can curse without using a single foul word.
Even the slow ones understood by now, looking at Huang Chengzhong, who was smiling as he walked over carrying two bottles of boiled water.
Isn't it true that the future Vice-Mayor Huang, with his looks, really wards off evil spirits like a door god? This is also a kind of Ah Q spirit, isn't it allowed for us to have a little fun if you're getting promoted?
Huang Chengzhong, who didn't understand, paused when he ca over, 'What are you laughing at, so happy?'
'We're all laughing at Xiao Sun, his cat scratched his face again yesterday,' said Lao Lin. 'Go, make the most of the ti you have to make tea with the water you boiled, there won't be such an opportunity again!'
Xiao Wu from the finance office is a quiet person, but he married a formidable wife. It's always been one of the daily sources of laughter for everyone, whether it's the grape trellis in the yard falling over, or the family cat having a bad temper.
'How can that be, Lao Lin, you're still telling things like that?' Everyone knew the news, and Huang Chengzhong couldn't pretend anymore. 'You're not a big shot, buddy. You might end up working as the manager of so hydropower station, which is much more comfortable than ours.'
The neighbours were already calling him mayor in advance. When sothing like this happened, Huang Chengzhong's mood was naturally good for a while. He tried to comfort Lao Lin in every way. In fact, they all knew that it was not that easy to transfer from a section officer to the hydropower station, which had the best inco and benefits in the county.
With the attention of the county's top leaders, everything proceeded quickly.
Shortly after the two sessions, with the organisation departnt coming down to conduct research, they sought Huang Chengzhong out for a conversation, and also went through the motions of finding other people to talk to. After that, with a deputy town mayor being transferred to the county court as a researcher, Huang Chengzhong's promotion of the deputy town mayor was semi-public.
Feng Yiping and the others had only been in Hong Kong for two days when, at a eting of the town party committee, the deputy head of the county party committee's organisation departnt, who had co specially for the occasion, announced the new personnel appointnts. Comrade Huang Chengzhong was appointed deputy town mayor in charge of industry.
The county party committee and county governnt attached great importance to this reshuffle. Not only did the deputy head of the organisation departnt co, but the secretary-general of the county governnt also made a special trip. Such a show of force was a powerful indication of the support of the county party committee and county governnt.
As everyone applauded in congratulations, Huang Chengzhong felt a thousand emotions well up within him. After more than 20 years of wasted ti, from that day on, he had finally shaken off his status as a 'soldier' and beco an official.
That evening, after seeing off the two leaders from higher up, at a little after nine, Wang Ganqing, for the first ti, broke with tradition and carried the purchased nutritious food, and went to the door of his subordinate.
'Mayor, if there's sothing you need, just give a call, why bother coming over?'
Wang Ganqing smiled as he entered the room, 'My dear, I hope I'm not disturbing your rest. I need to discuss so work matters with Lao Huang. By the way, I bought these things in the county on purpose. They're good for the elderly, and they're for Mr Huang.'
Huang Chengzhong looked at his mother, who understood what Wang Ganqing ant. 'Thank you, Mayor, I'll thank my father for you.'
'Huang, you should understand the organisation's intentions. The main reason for promoting you is to strengthen the town's industrial economy. I have been worried about this for a long ti. For a large agricultural town like ours, if we want to develop, we have to find a way to develop the industry. Since you joined the workforce, you have been working in the town, familiar with the situation down there, and have connections. So I want to ask, do you have any good ideas?' This question was also pretending to be ignorant.
'Mayor, I've just co up here and I've never dealt with this before, so I really don't have any ideas. I'll just say this: whatever you arrange, I'll do it.' He wouldn't take the initiative to propose getting the Feng family to invest or anything. If the investnt landed as soon as he took office, Wang Ganqing might be happy, but the county leaders would definitely have a problem with it.
Wang Ganqing felt a little upset. If it had been any other deputy mayor, he would have been furious at them for pretending to be ignorant when they knew exactly what was going on. But Huang Chengzhong was different. Not only was he pointing the finger at him, the county head was doing the sa.
'Okay, you just get used to it for a while, and we'll all think about it. Lao Huang, from now on we'll be working together, which ans a new beginning, right?'
Just like the phone call he made a year ago, today in front of Huang Chengzhong, Wang Ganqing still couldn't find the words to apologise, and he still spoke in such an obscure way.
'Yes, I understand,' a new beginning ans letting go of the past, and Huang Chengzhong of course heard this.
When they went to bed that night, Huang's mother asked him, 'How should we thank the Feng family? Why don't you go and see them?'
This was a problem. They both understood that they had to thank the Feng family for the deputy mayor position, which was a big favour. From their perspective, they should certainly thank them properly. However, there was still the matter of Feng Yiping and Huang Jingping in the middle, and these two matters were sowhat related to each other.
They had been in contact with Feng Yiping, but they had never even t Feng Zhenchang in person, nor had they spoken on the phone. So how should they introduce themselves at this first eting? It was really hard to say.
First, thank the Feng family for their help in getting him the deputy town mayor position, and then talk about his daughter. It feels a bit like trading favours.
If he brings up his daughter first, will it make them feel like they're taking his help for granted?
If it were any other relationship, it wouldn't matter, but they'll basically beco in-laws from now on, so this really has to be done properly.
The couple were quite hesitant.
Huang Chengzhong had not co up with a good idea for the matter, and he had not adapted to the position of deputy mayor for two days – in fact, there was nothing to adapt to, as there was only a small amount of industry in the entire town. He received a phone call from the secretary of County Magistrate Zhao, who summoned him.
This summons was of course to pay a visit to the county magistrate, and it was not County Magistrate Zhao who took the initiative to ntion it. On the day Huang Chengzhong was appointed, he called County Magistrate Zhao, and he did not expect that it would be arranged so soon.
In the office, County Magistrate Zhao cut to the chase and gave Huang Chengzhong his assignnt: 'Your main task at this stage is to contact Jiasheng Group. The county will also provide support and liaise with them to try to bring their investnt here.'
The county magistrate made it clear, and Huang Chengzhong could not pretend to be ignorant anymore: "Don't worry, County Magistrate, I will do my best."
'Don't feel pressured. The county governnt is your strong backing. We all know that business is business, so if there are any preferential terms elsewhere, the county can offer even better terms,'
After returning from the county, Wang Ganqing naturally understood the gist of the conversation, so he imdiately wanted Huang Chengzhong to go find Feng Zhenchang and even gave him advice: 'Go and have a look at those two factories in town first,'
which was definitely a bad idea. They had helped him beco deputy head of the town, so now he was going to wait for them to co to him?
There was no choice, so Huang Chengzhong had to go find Feng Yiping.
Feng Yiping understood the dilemma Huang Chengzhong was in. He should go see his parents, not about the investnt, but just to say thank you. But that was not easy to say. If he and Huang Jingping had already married and had a family, it would be easy, but now it was a bit awkward. The two families had never t, and he guessed that Huang Chengzhong's parents would also be a bit embarrassed to take the initiative to go see Huang Chengzhong, so they had not taken the initiative to contact him either.
'Uncle, how about this: I'll let my parents co over first, and then you and Auntie co to the capital. Since you want to discuss investnt, coming here to see the group president is a very good reason,'
With the two young people there, it would be easier to say so things. Besides, sooner or later, the adults from both sides would have to et.
Huang Chengzhong thought that was a good idea. Then, he wouldn't have to ntion the two young people and could just express his gratitude. And since they hadn't visited their daughter once since she had gone out, they should go and find out how they usually spent their days.
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