Chapter 361: The Process of Adjustment (Part 1)

Chapter 361: The Process of Adjustment (Part 1)

For three consecutive days, Hou Weidong had been locked in a battle of endurance at the dining tables of Yiyang. His internal organs felt as though they had been scrubbed clean by alcohol multiple times. Only after completing this ritual of farewell to Yiyang did he finally depart to report for duty at the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee.

Before leaving Yiyang, Hou Weidong had specially cut his hair short. Back in his dormitory at Shazhou College, he took a comfortable bath. Standing on the balcony, he listened to the faint piano music drifting from the music department and watched the lights on the lake swaying in the wind. Four years of study and six years of work in Yiyang—ten beautiful years of his life had passed there almost unnoticed. As he prepared to leave, a complex, indescribable emotion settled in his heart.

On November 6, Hou Weidong drove alone onto the highway.

He exited the highway at the Shazhou toll station, which was located in the Southern New District. The roads here were significantly wider than those in Yiyang, and the roadside trees were lush and leafy. Because the Southern New District was spacious with few people, the visibility was excellent, opening up one’s chest and mind. As he drove from the Southern New District into the West District, the commercial atmosphere grew thicker, and the number of pedestrians and vehicles increased noticeably. Judging by this district alone, Shazhou had a bit of the flavor of Lingxi.

During the afternoon rush hour, Hou Weidong drove to a corner about two hundred meters from the entrance of the Landscape Management Bureau. After picking up Xiaojia, the couple returned home to cook dinner together. After so many years, they had finally begun a normal family life, and the warmth between them was overwhelming.

The next day was his first official day of work. Xiaojia woke up at seven o’clock, cooked breakfast, and prepared a navy blue suit, tie, and leather shoes for Hou Weidong. The suit had been purchased in Shanghai; it was expensive and of excellent quality, yet understated. It belonged to the type of clothing favored by senior white-collar workers for its restrained elegance. Hou Weidong had always felt awkward wearing such high-end suits and had only worn it once during the Spring Festival. Today, however, he was reporting to the Municipal Party Committee Office. After hesitating for a moment, he abandoned his usual jacket and put on the suit.

At seven-thirty, Hou Weidong drove Xiaojia to the Landscape Management Bureau, parking again at the corner more than two hundred meters away.

Xiaojia reached out to adjust Hou Weidong’s tie. “You look really handsome, husband. You’ll definitely leave a good impression on the leaders.” She kissed his cheek before getting out of the car. Carrying her exquisite small handbag, she walked along the sidewalk at a moderate pace toward the Landscape Bureau. Just before reaching the gate, she met a female colleague, and the two entered the bureau chatting and laughing.

A short while later, Xiaojia pushed open the window on the second floor and waved to Hou Weidong.

Hou Weidong was just about to leave when an old man in his fifties approached. Holding a notebook that looked like a ticket book, he leaned his head out the car window. “Five yuan for parking.”

“I’m not parking,” Hou Weidong said. “I’m leaving immediately.”

The old man waved his hand impatiently. “If you’re not parking, then move quickly. This street is narrow and there are many cars. Don’t block the spot.”

The Landscape Bureau was located in the East District of Shazhou, a traditional old area. Built in the 1960s and 1970s, it had many shops and a vibrant population. However, the streets were narrow, and the infrastructure was dilapidated, quite similar to the old town of Yiyang.

Hou Weidong was very familiar with Secretary Chang Quan’s speeches. He thought to himself, “Secretary Chang Quan mentioned the renovation of the East District several times in his report two years ago. Yet, there have been no major actions so far. It seems the difficulty of demolition is too great.”

Having served as the director of the New Management Committee, Hou Weidong had some insights into urban construction. As he drove, he observed this city that was both strange and familiar.

It was familiar because he lived in the Crescent Building, making him a resident of this city. It was strange because he had never previously delved deeply into the fabric of Shazhou; he had only been a匆匆 passerby. This time, however, the situation was vastly different. Hou Weidong was like a seed that needed to weather the wind and rain on the soil of Shazhou, growing slowly.

Leaving the East District and passing an overpass, he entered the West District. The city roads changed from two lanes to six. The roadside trees were five or six meters tall. The West District was built in the late 1980s. In ten years, it had become the political, cultural, and economic center of Shazhou.

However, the West District was not the newest area. The newest district in Shazhou was the Southern New District, located at the highway exit. This was a new district vigorously developed by Shazhou since 1997. The goal of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee and Government was to build a new district comparable in development level to those in coastal cities.

The East District, West District, and Southern New District had become three district-level units at the full department level under Shazhou City. They were equal in rank to counties like Yiyang and Wuhai, but their positions were far more important.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee compound, Hou Weidong’s Bluebird car, although bearing a Shazhou license plate, had a common, unremarkable number and no pass. He parked the car in the parking lot opposite the committee and walked into the center of power in Shazhou.

He had originally thought he would need to present his transfer order. However, the security guard at the gate ignored him completely, showing no intention to stop him. The guard’s gaze was fixed tightly on a middle-aged man at the gate carrying an old-fashioned shoulder bag. The man looked timidly at the compound, hesitating whether to enter or not.

Walking up the stairs to the third floor, Hou Weidong seemed to recall the scene when he first entered the Yiyang County Party Committee and Government Building. Back then, he had gone to the Personnel Bureau to report, suffered a setback, and then met Ma Youcai, who was walking up the stairs downstairs. Six years had passed, and he was starting a new journey, beginning from scratch at the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee. The last time he reported to the Yiyang County Government, he had been naive. This time, however, he seemed to have found his direction.

Just as he reached the door to the second floor, Hou Weidong received a call from Yang Liu. “Director Hou, have you arrived?” Hou Weidong raised his hand to check his watch. It was exactly eight o’clock, half an hour before work began.

Yang Liu was wearing a black short coat and arm warmers. She led Hou Weidong to the Comprehensive Section office. “This is the Comprehensive Section office, but neither you nor Section Chief Yang work here. Secretary Chang Quan, Deputy Secretary Huang, and Deputy Secretary Zhu have offices arranged as inner and outer suites. The secretary is outside, and the leader is inside. Once Secretary Gao’s office is renovated, I will also move out.”

Seeing Yang Liu sweeping the floor, Hou Weidong joked, “According to the rule of seniority, you are the veteran and I am the rookie. I should be the one doing the cleaning.”

Yang Liu smiled. “In a couple of days, I’ll have to call you Section Chief Hou. How could I let you do the cleaning?” She looked outside and lowered her voice. “The secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary usually serves as the head of the Comprehensive Section. After working for a while, some can even become Deputy Directors of the Municipal Party Committee Office. If transferred out, they become county-level leaders.”

Insisting, Hou Weidong took the broom from Yang Liu. She didn’t stay idle; she took a rag and began wiping the desks. As she wiped, she introduced, “This desk belongs to Du Wei. His boss is Deputy Secretary Liu, who is currently studying in Singapore and won’t be back for another six months. He works here.”

Hou Weidong said, “Du Wei used to be in the Wuhai County Party Committee Office. We’ve met.”

Yang Liu lowered her voice again. “This desk belongs to Guo Yongguo. He is the old-timer in the Comprehensive Section, having worked here for several years. He complains the most.” She added, “Guo Yongguo is actually a smart person. But after staying in the Comprehensive Section for so long, seeing his colleagues advance while he remains a low-level clerk, he feels his future is bleak, so he often speaks out of turn.”

As if summoned by her words, Guo Yongguo walked in from outside just as Yang Liu finished speaking. Yang Liu was startled, but seeing that Guo Yongguo’s expression was normal, she relaxed.

After Yang Liu made the introductions, Guo Yongguo said with a half-smile, “A section chief is indeed different. You’ve just reported for duty and are already helping us low-level clerks with the cleaning.”

Hearing this, Hou Weidong thought, “This man speaks with a sour tone. He doesn’t seem to have much depth. No wonder he hasn’t progressed in the Comprehensive Section.” Seeing an ashtray on Guo Yongguo’s desk, Hou Weidong took out a pack of Yunyan cigarettes and offered one to Guo Yongguo. Hou Weidong usually didn’t smoke Yunyan, but today, starting work at the Municipal Party Committee Office, unsure of the depth of the waters, he had chosen a popular, safe brand.

Seeing that Hou Weidong’s attitude was neither soft nor hard, neither humble nor arrogant, Guo Yongguo couldn’t bring himself to voice his complaints. He sat and smoked for a while, then took a can of tea from his drawer and said to Hou Weidong, “This is Tieguanyin from Fujian. A buddy of mine gave it to me. It tastes good.”

Guo Yongguo usually kept this Tieguanyin in his drawer and never shared it with anyone. Yang Liu thought to herself, “Hou Weidong truly has the makings of an official. Neither Yang Teng nor Du Wei has ever enjoyed this Tieguanyin.”

By the time Du Wei arrived, the Comprehensive Section office was already clean. When Du Wei had worked in the Wuhai County Party Committee Office, Hou Weidong was already the Deputy Director of the Yiyang Party Committee Office in charge of work. Du Wei treated Hou Weidong with warmth mixed with respect.

At 9:30, Secretary-General Hong Ang came out of Secretary Chang Quan’s office. Returning to his own office, he called the Comprehensive Section. “Tell Hou Weidong to come to my office.”

Du Wei accompanied Hou Weidong to Hong Ang’s office. On the way, they encountered Deputy Secretary-General Zeng Yong. Zeng Yong was walking while thinking about something. He seemed not to notice the two people coming out of the Comprehensive Section. It was only after Du Wei respectfully greeted him that he stopped.

“Secretary-General Zeng, this is Hou Weidong. He’s reporting to the Comprehensive Section today.”

Zeng Yong raised his thick chin and extended his hand. “Welcome, Little Hou, to the Committee Office. We have gained another capable member.” His face was full of smiles, but his eyes were somewhat cold.

Hou Weidong said, “Secretary-General Zeng, I am your soldier from now on. Please criticize and guide me.” He felt that Zeng Yong’s hand was soft, his skin fine, and slightly damp.

Zeng Yong said, “You are the head of the Comprehensive Section, under the supervision of Secretary-General Hong.” He laughed again. “We are colleagues from now on, so no need for formalities. Let’s help each other. Ha, ha.”

Arriving at Hong Ang’s office, Du Wei whispered, “This is the Secretary-General’s office.”

Hou Weidong stood at the door, waited for three seconds, and then knocked. A steady voice came from inside: “Please come in.” Holding his transfer order in his hand, Hou Weidong walked in and introduced himself. “Secretary-General, hello. I am Hou Weidong, transferred from the Yiyang Science and Technology Commission. I am here to report for duty.”

Hong Ang hummed, did not look up, and continued writing on a document, leaving Hou Weidong standing aside. After four or five minutes, he finally looked up and said, “Hou Weidong, sit down.”