Chapter 378: The Other Side (Part 1)

Chapter 378: The Other Side (Part 1)

February 13th. With only three days remaining until the Spring Festival, most departments had wrapped up their annual work. The atmosphere was thick with socializing; officials were busy attending banquets, strengthening personal connections, and laying the groundwork for the coming year. Based on his experience, Hou Weidong knew that during this period, he would inevitably be accompanying Zhou Changquan on New Year visits.

Spring Festival greetings were an ancient tradition, a natural human impulse, and entirely reasonable—even legal. More importantly, they served as a crucial method for officials to curry favor with their superiors.

At eleven in the morning, Zhou Changquan instructed Hou Weidong, “Have Ma Bo inspect the vehicle. We’re heading to Maodong City. We must depart promptly at one o’clock. Notify the Secretary-General to contact General Manager Zheng at the Maodong Tobacco Factory first.”

Maodong was merely a mid-tier city in Lingxi Province, located at its easternmost edge, surrounded by连绵 mountains. Fortunately, the Maodong Tobacco Factory propped up half of the city’s fiscal revenue. There was a local saying in Maodong: “The factory director is more powerful than the mayor. If the factory catches a cold, Maodong sneezes.”

Shazhou’s conditions were quite similar to Maodong’s. The northern region was crisscrossed by mountain ranges, and the climate and soil were conducive to tobacco cultivation. Zhou Changquan had long intended to establish a branch factory in Shazhou. Earlier in the year, he had visited the factory but failed to meet its chairman, Liang Xiaopeng.

“Maodong Tobacco Factory again?” Hong Ang said with a wry smile.

Hou Weidong had heard something about the factory and replied, “Liang Xiaopeng is a standing committee member of the Lingxi Provincial CPPCC. I’ve heard he holds significant influence in Maodong.”

“The factory supports Maodong’s entire fiscal structure, so of course he’s arrogant. Money makes the master. When Secretary Changquan tried to meet him earlier this year, he was turned away. Rumor has it central leaders were inspecting. Let’s see if we have better luck today.”

After contacting Deputy General Manager Old Zheng, the latter replied, “Secretary-General, the chairman returned a week ago. After receiving Secretary Zhou’s call this morning, I briefed him. The chairman agreed to meet Secretary Zhou at five o’clock this afternoon.” Old Zheng was from Shazhou and had attended the New Year gathering the previous year, maintaining close ties with Shazhou’s leadership. He added with slight embarrassment, “The chairman has a packed schedule. The meeting will last only half an hour. At five-thirty, he must depart for the Lingxi Airport to fly to Beijing.”

Hong Ang hung up the phone and muttered a curse, “Damn it. Liang Xiaopeng acts more important than the Provincial Party Secretary. When Secretary Changquan reported to the Provincial Secretary in October, he was granted two hours. Liang Xiaopeng’s tail is wagging so high it’s touching the sky.”

In Hou Weidong’s mind, Zhou Changquan was a figure of status within Lingxi Province; everyone should show him some respect. He hadn’t expected Liang Xiaopeng to dictate the time and limit it to merely thirty minutes.

Zhou Changquan, however, remained unfazed. He said cheerfully, “As long as Liang Xiaopeng is willing to build a branch factory in Shazhou, thirty minutes is fine.”

During the lunch break, Hou Weidong specifically drove back to Xinyue Building. He retrieved a thick phone book from his cabinet and flipped through it until he found an old, faded number. It belonged to Chen Shu, his college roommate. Over the years, Hou Weidong had called him only twice. Due to his busy schedule, he hadn’t been in touch with Chen Shu for two years.

He obtained Chen Shu’s mobile number from his mother’s home. When he dialed, a calm voice answered, “Hello, this is Chen Shu.”

“This is Hou Weidong.”

Chen Shu’s tone immediately brightened. “Winter Melon! You actually remembered to call me. Still acting the big shot at the New Management Committee?” Upon hearing that Hou Weidong was now the full-time secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary, Chen Shu sighed, “You’re definitely the most capable among our dorm mates. And Baldy Jiang is undoubtedly the richest. I’ve never doubted that.”

“I’m just a lowly secretary. How can I compare to you, the imposing prosecutor of Lingxi Province?”

“Pfft. One word from the Municipal Party Secretary, and the Chief Prosecutor would run away in fear. I’ve seen it happen several times.”

After exchanging some pleasantries, Chen Shu learned that Hou Weidong’s group was visiting Liang Xiaopeng. “Liang Xiaopeng isn’t easy to deal with. My wife works in the President’s Office. If needed, I can help you gather some information.” Hou Weidong didn’t think much of it and replied casually, “Thanks.”

At one o’clock, the group departed on time.

As they entered Maodong territory, a light rain began to fall. Seeing Ma Bo slow down, Zhou Changquan said, “We need to arrive on time. Don’t slow down. Drive faster if you’re confident.”

Throughout the journey, Zhou Changquan’s Audi maintained a speed of one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. Driving against the drizzle, they overtook countless vehicles, arriving at the Maodong Tobacco Factory before five o’clock.

General Manager Zheng escorted Zhou Changquan and his party to the reception room. He apologized, “An urgent matter has arisen. The chairman has called an impromptu meeting. You may have to wait a while.” Zhou Changquan smiled, “No problem. I’ll wait here.”

Several photographs hung in the meeting room, depicting leaders from various central ministries inspecting the factory. In each photo stood a fair-skinned middle-aged man of average height, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, exuding an air of dignity and authority.

“That must be Liang Xiaopeng. Just looking at his eyes, you can see his arrogance,” Hong Ang remarked.

Zhou Changquan said, “He has the capital for it. The Maodong Tobacco Factory used to be a small operation. He turned it into Lingxi’s top tax contributor. That is true ability.”

They waited for over an hour. The sky gradually darkened. Through the glass windows, they could see the factory square. As the square lights turned on, rotating spotlights illuminated the massive central statue, making the flying horse shimmer like a pearl, vivid and striking.

Hong Ang checked his watch. “It’s seven o’clock. Why are they still in meeting? Not even sending someone to greet the guests. What is this?” As Secretary-General, he felt indignant seeing the Municipal Party Secretary being snubbed. He also wanted Zhou Changquan to feel his anger. Lingxi had an ancient tradition of “if the master is insulted, the servant dies.” Hong Ang felt this deeply.

Zhou Changquan remained composed. Standing by the window, he spoke gently, “Since we are here, let us make the best of it. Enjoying the factory’s night view is not bad. I think the square’s layout is quite good. We can draw inspiration from this for our newly built square. It needs a thematic concept, not just a large open space. It should reflect the theme of the Municipal Party Committee and Government leading the people to prosperity through hard work.”

Another hour passed with no news. Although Zhou Changquan still appeared calm, the smile had vanished from his face. He smoked silently. Hong Ang tried calling Old Zheng, but the phone was turned off. “He’s too arrogant. Liang Xiaopeng is giving us no face. If he provokes us, we’ll drive the Maodong Tobacco Factory out of Shazhou.”

Zhou Changquan tapped the table. “Secretary-General, calm down.” Hong Ang insisted, “I’ll contact the Maodong Municipal Party Committee. This is unacceptable. This is not how guests should be treated.” Zhou Changquan waved his hand. “Don’t let the Maodong Municipal Party Committee know about this for now.”

A short while later, Hou Weidong asked Zhou Changquan, “My college classmate works at the Maodong Procuratorate. His wife is in the factory’s President’s Office. May I contact her to ask about the situation?” After Zhou Changquan nodded, Hou Weidong dialed Chen Shu.

“Winter Melon, where are you? I’ll come pick you up. It’s been a long time since we last met. We need to have a good chat.”

Hou Weidong said, “We haven’t met Liang Xiaopeng yet. We’re waiting in the reception room.”

Chen Shu chuckled twice. “Liang Xiaopeng is difficult to approach. Not just Shazhou’s leaders, but even Maodong’s leaders have been turned away. My wife hasn’t come home either. I suspect something major is happening at the factory. You haven’t eaten, have you? I’ll contact my wife and have her get you something to eat.”

A few minutes later, a young woman entered. She wore a black suit, the standard attire for the factory’s office staff. She said politely, “I am Xiao Zhou from the President’s Office. Leaders, the chairman is holding an emergency meeting. Mobile phones are turned off in the conference room. The chairman was originally scheduled to go to Beijing, but he cannot make it now.” She added, “The meeting will likely continue for a while. Please go to the factory guesthouse for a simple meal.”

Zhou Changquan said, “Never mind. If the chairman can hold a meeting on an empty stomach, so can we.” He was worried that if they went to eat, the meeting might end, and they would miss Liang Xiaopeng again.

The woman glanced at Hou Weidong, refilled their water glasses, and left the meeting room. A short while later, she returned with some bread. “Leaders, please have some bread to tide you over.”

As she handed the bread to Hou Weidong, she smiled. “You are Hou Weidong. I am Xiao Zhou, Chen Shu’s wife. I’ve heard your name so many times my ears have calluses. This is our first meeting.”

Hong Ang asked, “Xiao Zhou, how much longer will the board meeting last?” Xiao Zhou replied, “It’s hard to say. I’ll keep watch outside. Once the meeting ends, I’ll report to the chairman immediately.”

The board meeting lasted until ten o’clock. Seeing Chairman Liang Xiaopeng walking out, Xiao Zhou approached him. “The Shazhou Municipal Party Secretary is still waiting in the meeting room.”

Liang Xiaopeng looked surprised. “I forgot about this. Have they been in the meeting room the whole time? Have they eaten?”

“No.”

Liang Xiaopeng paused thoughtfully. He recalled the name of the Shazhou Municipal Party Secretary and then said, “This Zhou Changquan is interesting. Xiao Zhou, arrange for some dishes to be sent to my office. I’ll have a private dinner with Zhou Changquan.” Xiao Zhou reminded him, “There are two other people with him.”

“I won’t meet the accompanying staff. Have Old Zheng accompany them.”

The factory’s small kitchen, knowing that Chairman Liang Xiaopeng was in a board meeting and hadn’t eaten dinner, had prepared all the dishes in advance. At his command, they immediately started cooking. Woks and pans clattered, creating a lively scene.

Liang Xiaopeng’s office was spacious, consisting of a reception room, an office, and a rest area. Several exquisite dishes were arranged in the reception room.

Liang Xiaopeng raised his glass. “Secretary Zhou, this is the first time I’ve encountered a department-level cadre like you.”