For Li Gang, this stroke of good fortune had come far too suddenly!
It took him a while to come to his senses. He looked at Li Yi and said, “Brother, something this big—won’t it be a hassle for you to pull off?”
“It’ll definitely be a hassle, but it’s no big deal. You just need to think some things through in advance!” Li Yi said.
“What kind of things?”
“You’re considered a leader now, but once you get to Beijing, you’ll most likely have to start from the bottom. You’ll have to start all over again!” Li Yi said.
“There are too many wolves and not enough meat. A small fry like me would just end up as a nobody!”
Li Gang then changed the subject and continued, “But I think it’s worth it. First, being in the capital brings me closer to you, Brother Wang, and Old Jiang (Jiang Longcheng). Second, it raises the ceiling for my future career prospects.”
He was just a bit outspoken, but he wasn’t stupid.
Staying in the county might let him be a leader, and in a few years, he might even scrape together a position as a bureau chief or deputy bureau chief. But the ceiling in a small county is just that high—reaching the rank of division-level official would be a stroke of incredible luck, and most people might never even make it to full section-level in their entire lives.
But the capital is different. Many organizations, despite their modest facades and small staff, hold very high ranks.
Take the Federation of Literary and Art Circles or the Writers’ Association, for example. Even the subordinate units under them are rife with department-level positions.
Although these positions carry little actual power, the rank itself is there, raising the career ceiling by more than one level.
And if there’s a chance to be assigned to a local post, the career path suddenly opens up.
Whether to stay here and lead a predictable, monotonous life, or to take a chance in Beijing and stake a claim to the future—Li Gang naturally chose the latter!
“Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll pull some strings for you. We’ll get transferred over together with Old Wang!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Great! Thanks, brother…”
“Don’t be so formal. Setting aside our friendship, during the past year or two while I was building my career in the capital, you often came to the village to help look after my parents. I’ve never forgotten that!”
Then, Li Yi changed the subject: “By the way, do you know anyone at the county livestock station? Could you help me secure a spot there for training?”
“I don’t really pay much attention to obscure places like the Animal Husbandry Station, but those kinds of units usually fall under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Bureau. As it happens, I’m on good terms with the director of the Agriculture Bureau, so arranging a spot like that shouldn’t be a problem!” Li Gang said.
“Then I’d really appreciate your help with this!”
“Alright, I’ll give Old Huang a call right now!”
With that, Li Gang picked up the receiver right in front of Li Yi and dialed a number.
The call connected shortly after, followed by the customary small talk between seasoned bureaucrats.
Afterward, Li Gang requested a spot for a veterinary training program at the Animal Husbandry Station. The other party simply asked for Xiaogouwa’s name and agreed on the spot.
After hanging up, Li Gang immediately said, “It’s all taken care of. Old Huang said he’d call the head of the livestock station himself, so just have him report directly to the office!”
“Alright!”
Then Li Yi added, “Come on, take me to the communications room—I need to make a few calls!”
“If you’re calling Old Wang, you can just use the phone in my office. But if it’s out of the province, you’ll have to go to the telecommunications room!” Li Gang said.
“Then let’s call Old Wang first!”
Before Li Yi could make a move, Li Gang had already dialed the internal police line.
“Ring… ring… ring…”
After a few rings, the call was answered, and Wang Anguo’s voice came through the receiver: “Hello, Municipal Bureau. Who’s this?”
“It’s me, Li Yi!”
“Hey, Brother Li Yi, are you back in the county?” Wang Anguo asked, sounding surprised and delighted.
“Yeah, I just got back yesterday. How’s it going over there? Are you ready?”
“I’ve already explained the situation to the bureau. The leadership is fully supportive. Now we’re just waiting for the transfer order from Beijing!” Wang Anguo replied.
“That’s good. I’ll give my father-in-law a nudge in a bit…”
Before he could finish, Wang Anguo hurriedly interjected, “No need to push it, no need to push it. We’re in no rush!”
“No problem. I’m going to talk to him about Gangzi anyway, so I’ll just bring it up in passing!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“What’s up with that kid Li Gang?” Wang Anguo asked curiously.
“Heh, now that the two of us are leaving, he’s feeling a bit lonely, so he wants to come along too. I agreed!”
“Hahaha, that’s great. I was just worried about not knowing a soul over there—now I’ll have some company!” Wang Anguo said with a laugh.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. You two should go together—you can look out for each other!” Li Yi said.
“That’s great. By the way, how long do you plan to stay in the village? Maybe we can go to Beijing together then!” Wang Anguo said.
“That depends. I haven’t decided how long I’ll stay yet. Besides, your transfer orders should come through soon—you might not be able to wait for me!” Li Yi said.
“Alright, we’ll discuss that when the time comes!”
“Alright…”
The two chatted for a while longer before ending the call.
Afterward, Li Yi followed Li Gang to the telecommunications room and used the long-distance phone there to call his father-in-law.
Jiang Shiying was preparing to leave Guangzhou. Upon hearing that Li Yi intended to have Li Gang transferred to Beijing as well, he immediately agreed.
He added that their transfer orders would be sent out soon, so they should get ready.
Afterward, Jiang Shiying updated Li Yi on the situation in Beijing over the past couple of days.
Although he himself had returned to his rural hometown to lie low, the impact of that document was still fermenting and had caused a huge stir among the top leadership.
After reviewing the document Li Yi had written and analyzing it in light of the current state of the domestic economy, Old Chen immediately felt that Li Yi’s grasp of the nation’s economy was remarkably accurate.
Furthermore, the economic disasters he had predicted could not be ignored, as some had already begun to show signs, while others had reached a critical stage.
In particular, massive investment, high deficits, and generous welfare programs had already severely disrupted the normal functioning of the national economy. Moreover, the government had begun printing money to address these issues, a move that would inevitably lead to soaring prices and currency devaluation.
In short, this document by banbanhaobang was substantive and served as a wake-up call for the nation’s economic operations.
Stunned, Elder Chen immediately reported the situation to several members of the Council of Elders.
Upon learning that these documents were written by Li Yi and had already received Old Chen’s endorsement, the other members of the Council of Elders could not help but take them seriously.
It must be noted that Old Chen had served as the chief administrator of economic development in the rear during the War of Resistance; his grasp of economic matters was far beyond that of an ordinary leader. Since he had endorsed it, no one else dared to ignore it.
Regarding this document, senior leadership had already convened three consecutive meetings within two days. Initially, they discussed whether the predictions in the document would come true; once that question was answered, they began discussing how to resolve the issues.
After all, this was a matter of livelihood for over a billion people across the nation—it could not be taken lightly.
So, even though Li Yiren wasn’t in the capital, the capital was abuzz with stories about him!
Of course, this matter has also sparked some negative reactions.
The document has indeed threatened the interests of certain individuals, including those in high positions. After all, Li Yi had explicitly mentioned an economic disaster; if such a catastrophe were to occur, it was unclear how many officials would lose their positions as a result.
Even if it didn’t happen, someone would still have to take responsibility if it caused negative repercussions.
Only after the news broke did Jiang Shiying realize just how wise Li Yi’s decision to leave the capital had been.
A storm was already brewing in the capital. Had he remained there, he would inevitably have found himself at its center, thrusting both himself and the entire Jiang family into the eye of the storm.
But for now, he was in the countryside with no phone, and it felt as though none of this had anything to do with him—how wonderful.
So Jiang Shiying advised him that if things were calm, he should stay in his hometown a while longer; it wouldn’t be too late to return once the situation had been resolved…
……….