Chapter 350: The Trip to Maoyun (Part 2)

Hou Weidong turned on the hotel television, which was broadcasting the midday news. Most of the programs featured footage of various meetings. He tuned into the Maoyun News channel and waited a few minutes. Amidst a burst of lively music, the colorful broadcast began, featuring a regional announcer sitting upright in front of the screen.

The announcer spoke standard Mandarin with decent pronunciation and had a presentable appearance, dressed in a suit. However, compared to anchors from CCTV or provincial stations, he still carried a distinct rustic air—a trait common to broadcasters in Yiyang, Shazhou, and Maoyun alike.

The first news segment featured Zhe Ming, the Secretary of the Prefectural Party Committee. With his hair slicked back in a large pompadour and wearing a jacket, he was surrounded by a crowd of entourage members as he inspected a highway. He was seen engaging in a friendly conversation with a stout man beside the road. Between two trees hung a banner reading: "Returning Entrepreneurs Donate to Build Roads to Prosperity." The second segment also featured Zhe Ming, this time sitting in a circle with laid-off workers, smiling warmly and appearing very approachable.

The third segment showed Li Jianlin, the Prefectural Commissioner. He was Zhou Ping’s husband. Looking to be in his early forties, he appeared energetic, using frequent hand gestures while speaking. Hou Weidong listened closely and noted that Li was presiding over an analysis meeting for the prefecture’s economic work.

The fourth segment showed footage of the Chairman of the People’s Congress attending a meeting.

Zhu Yan appeared in the fifth segment, attending a commendation conference.

After Zhu Yan’s segment, the rest of the news consisted of miscellaneous items. To Hou Weidong, these seemed trivial because they lacked the presence of key political figures. In the political art of Lingxi, only news featuring leaders held political value; it served as the barometer for the political landscape.

When the news ended, Hou Weidong thought to himself with a touch of self-mockery, "I am merely the Director of the Science and Technology Commission in Yiyang. Why should I care about the political winds in Maoyun? I’m just worrying about things that don’t concern me." But this self-deprecating thought passed quickly. The political structure of Maoyun was crucial to him. He was currently standing on the ten-meter diving board; if the water temperature was right, he intended to dive into the swimming pool that was Maoyun.

As he sat on the bed, casually flipping through channels, Zhu Yan’s secretary, Jiang Kun, called. When they met, Jiang Kun was struck by how young Hou Weidong looked. He wondered internally, "Hou Weidong is so young. Why did Secretary Zhu ask me to accompany him personally? Who is this person?" Despite his suspicions, his smile remained bright. "I am Jiang Kun, Secretary Zhu’s secretary. Secretary Zhu is very busy, so I will accompany Mr. Hou for lunch today."

Hou Weidong smiled. "Please don’t call me 'Mr.' My name is Hou Weidong. I am an old subordinate of Secretary Zhu." Because Jiang Kun was Zhu Yan’s current secretary, Hou Weidong naturally maintained a degree of caution toward him. He did not admit to being Zhu Yan’s former secretary, instead using the term "old subordinate." This phrase was rich in implication: it was truthful, yet it revealed nothing specific.

Lunch was arranged at the Maoyun Hotel. Hou Weidong and Jiang Kun chatted about various topics, finding they got along reasonably well.

After the meal, Hou Weidong said, "Secretary Jiang, you have many responsibilities. Please don’t bother with me."

Hearing this, Jiang Kun felt a sense of relief but replied, "How can that be? I will accompany you around the city this afternoon. Although Maoyun’s economic conditions are somewhat poor, the scenery is quite nice. There are several large temples outside the city, famous throughout Lingxi. The first incense of the year costs at least five hundred thousand yuan. Although we cannot burn the first incense now, it is still very efficacious." He laughed again. "This is not feudal superstition. It is purely for the development of Maoyun’s tourism industry."

Although Jiang Kun’s conversation was pleasant, they were not yet familiar with each other. Hou Weidong preferred to spend some time alone. He believed Jiang Kun felt the same way. "Secretary Jiang, thank you. I played mahjong all night last night, so I would like to take a good nap this afternoon. I wonder if Secretary Zhu has any arrangements for the evening?"

Jiang Kun replied, "I heard he is hosting business guests from Lingxi."

After Jiang Kun took his leave, Hou Weidong went to the lobby upstairs to find some copies of the Maoyun Daily. He read them carefully for a while. The overall layout was not much different from the television news; the front page was basically arranged according to the rank of the leaders. However, newspapers and radio broadcasts were ultimately superficial. They could only explain part of the picture. To understand the core issues, one had to make contact from multiple angles. Maoyun was a sensitive area that had triggered an earthquake in the officialdom, so Hou Weidong had to be cautious.

He drove around the city of Maoyun for several large loops and then went outside the city. Looking at the urban landscape, which was disproportionate to a prefecture-level city, and recalling the officialdom earthquake in Maoyun earlier in the year, he thought, "This is an economically backward prefecture-level city. Because of its economic backwardness, the officialdom has become the best path for elite personnel, making political struggles particularly sharp."

In plain terms, in more developed regions, people have more choices. Becoming an official is not the only path, nor even the best one. In the South, there is a saying: "If you don’t study hard, you will only become a cadre in the future."

But in economically backward places, life offers fewer choices, so everyone fights and competes within the officialdom.

Thinking of this, although Hou Weidong was also part of the officialdom, he felt a slight resistance toward Maoyun in his heart.

At five in the afternoon, Zhu Yan was hosting a dinner for Zhang Mushan, the CEO of Qingda Group from Lingxi. He called Hou Weidong, inviting him to join the meal.

When Hou Weidong arrived at the restaurant, he happened to meet Secretary Jiang Kun coming out of a room. Seeing Hou Weidong, Jiang Kun smiled. "Secretary Zhu has already arrived."

Earlier in the afternoon, Jiang Kun had learned the basic situation regarding Hou Weidong through contacts in the General Office of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee. Seeing that Hou Weidong was highly valued by Zhu Yan, he felt a bit uneasy. Then, noticing that Zhang Mushan, the CEO of Qingda Group, seemed familiar with Hou Weidong, a thought struck him. "The Development Zone is currently short of personnel. Could it be that Secretary Zhu wants Hou Weidong to take a position in the Development Zone?"

A few minutes later, Li Jianlin, the Prefectural Commissioner of Maoyun, walked over with a ruddy complexion. He nodded to Zhu Yan and then proactively shook hands with Zhang Mushan. "President Zhang, you are our honored guest. Now that you are in Maoyun, please put work aside for a moment and enjoy the mountains and rivers of Maoyun." He joked, "Although Maoyun’s economic development is lagging, there is one advantage: the surrounding environment is rarely destroyed. Several of our scenic areas meet the national 3A or 4A standards. President Zhang, you are busy with myriad affairs every day. Take this opportunity to relax. The Maoyun Prefecture will provide presidential-level service."

To the cadres of Maoyun, a CEO of Qingda Group’s caliber was a genuine God of Wealth. Enjoying VIP treatment with police escorts and security was a common practice across regions to attract investment. Zhang Mushan, having traveled extensively over the years, was well-versed in such matters and remained calm in the face of government enthusiasm. He casually replied, "I have long admired the scenery of Maoyun. I plan to take a look this time."

Seeing that Li Jianlin had stopped to drink tea, Zhu Yan introduced, "Commissioner Li, this is Hou Weidong, Director of the Science and Technology Commission in Yiyang."

Li Jianlin felt that the name Hou Weidong was familiar, but he couldn’t recall it immediately. However, the position of Director of the Science and Technology Commission in Yiyang did not arouse much interest in him. Out of respect for Zhu Yan, he shook hands with Hou Weidong, but his gaze remained almost entirely fixed on Zhang Mushan, the CEO of Qingda Group. He said, "President Zhang, after hearing the introduction this afternoon, do you have any interest in investing?"

The ongoing Southeast Asian financial crisis had severely impacted Qingda Group. The group was currently going through an exceptionally difficult time. The large number of loss-making enterprises acquired in the previous period had dragged down the entire group. Zhang Mushan dared not expand blindly. Furthermore, given Maoyun’s poor investment environment, he had no intention of investing in the region. He had only come to look around because Zhu Yan had invited him several times, and he could not refuse the face.

Zhang Mushan politely replied, "Thank you, leaders of Maoyun, for your trust. Qingda Group has also been impacted by the Southeast Asian financial crisis and needs some time to adjust. Regarding investment in Maoyun, I believe the board of directors will consider it seriously."

Li Jianlin said, "Qingda Group is undergoing industrial upgrading. I heard that the machinery manufacturing sector will be moving out of Lingxi. The Maoyun Prefecture is willing to provide preferential conditions to accommodate Qingda Group’s industrial restructuring."

Qingda Group’s machinery manufacturing sector had been gradually moving to the Yiyang New Management Committee since 1997 and had already begun production. Zhang Mushan replied, "Most machinery enterprises have prepared to move to the Yiyang New Management Committee. This was decided last year with Secretary Zhu and Director Hou. Today, I looked at the overall planning of the Maoyun Development Zone. To be frank, it is not as good as the Yiyang New Management Committee. Although the New Management Committee is a county-level development zone, its planning is scientific, and its investment is sufficient. After enterprises move in, there are no problems with either hardware or software."

Li Jianlin smiled at Zhu Yan. "Secretary Zhu, let’s find some time to go to Yiyang to learn from them and see the Yiyang New Management Committee."

Zhu Yan pointed at Hou Weidong and laughed. "Little Hou was previously the Director of the Yiyang New Management Committee. He has made indispensable contributions to the construction of the New Management Committee." This was the most direct praise he had given to his subordinate.

Li Jianlin suddenly remembered. "You are Zhang Xiaojia’s husband and the Director of the Yiyang New Management Committee. Ah, look at my memory. I just couldn’t recall it earlier."

Hou Weidong said, "I met Sister Zhou in Shanghai. Thank you, Sister Zhou, for your care for Xiaojia." Li Jianlin laughed heartily. "Zhou Ping is a bit scatterbrained. I think Xiaojia is quite meticulous. It’s not really about who takes care of whom."

Regarding the matter of Zhang Xiaojia studying with Zhou Ping, he had long mentioned it to Zhu Yan. Reporting matters to leaders in advance and laying the groundwork was a lesson he had learned since becoming a secretary. It demonstrated loyalty and appeared impartial.

Li Jianlin was in a good mood. He said to Zhu Yan, "The Maoyun Development Zone is in need of such talent. Secretary Zhu, Little Hou was once your secretary. Why is he serving as Director of the Science and Technology Commission? My suggestion is to transfer him to Maoyun to serve as an assistant to Old Liang, to seriously drive results in the Maoyun Development Zone."

Old Liang was the Deputy Prefectural Commissioner of Maoyun and also held the position of Director of the Development Zone. Serving as an assistant to Old Liang meant becoming the Deputy Director of the Development Zone, with an administrative rank of deputy division level.

Jiang Kun suddenly realized the truth. "No wonder Secretary Zhu has a special fondness for Hou Weidong. He was his former secretary." Looking at Hou Weidong, he felt his future was bright, yet he also felt waves of pressure approaching.