Chapter 199: The Cement Factory (Part 3)
As he climbed the stairs, Hou Weidong saw Ren Lindu following closely behind Secretary Zhao. Ren’s expression was stern and serious, entirely lacking the humor, wit, and ease he usually displayed. Just as they were about to reach the top of the stairs, Ren Lindu quickly glanced back, waved briefly at Hou Weidong, and then disappeared around the corner.
Hou Weidong reacted instantly, realizing the situation. “Ren Lindu has been transferred to the County Party Committee. He’s now Secretary Zhao’s secretary.”
Entering the office, Hou Weidong found Guo Lan bent over, sweeping the floor. In a good mood, he smiled and said, “Section Chief Guo, put down the broom quickly. How can we let a leader do the sweeping?”
“Who is the leader here? You are the legitimate deputy section chief, equal in rank to Minister Xiao. I’m just a fake deputy section chief, not fit for public display.” Guo Lan looked up, brushing her bangs aside with her left hand. The gesture was distinctly feminine and carried a certain charm.
Hou Weidong blurted out, “Guo Lan, you would look very beautiful with long hair.”
Before joining the Organization Department, Guo Lan had always worn her hair long. Cutting it short had been her way of severing emotional ties—hair is easy to cut, but the knots deep within her heart were as unyielding as tempered steel. Hearing Hou Weidong suddenly mention long hair, her expression dimmed. “Long hair is inconvenient,” she said quietly.
After graduating from Shazhou College, Hou Weidong had once encountered a woman with long hair dressed in white at a small dance hall behind the campus. She had been filled with sorrow, leaving a deep impression on him. Walking through the streets and alleys of Yiyang, he often imagined scenes where a woman with flowing hair and snow-white clothes would unexpectedly meet him at a street corner, or where he might encounter a melancholy girl resembling a lilac in a narrow alley. However, fantasies are always beautiful, while reality is cruel. After that night of tenderness, Hou Weidong never found that long-haired woman again.
Guo Lan was a lady of refinement, her speech and demeanor elegant. She rarely joked with her office colleagues. After their brief exchange, she fell silent, lost in thought, and continued sweeping mechanically. An awkward atmosphere, like carbon dioxide in the air, slowly thickened.
Old詹 walked into the office. Seeing Deputy Section Chief Guo Lan sweeping, he accepted the situation calmly. He placed his briefcase on the desk and asked Hou Weidong, “Yesterday, Secretary Zhu urgently sent Liu Tao to find you. What major state affair was it?”
Zhu Yan was the Secretary of the Yiyang County Party Committee. To the cadres of Yiyang County, he was a figure of supreme authority. The fact that Hou Weidong had received an urgent summons from Zhu Yan greatly stimulated Old詹’s curiosity.
“Nothing special. Yesterday, the investment promotion team brought in a large group of bosses. One of them was an acquaintance of mine. He mentioned me to Secretary Zhu, so I went to meet him.”
Old詹 said, “Those who can attend the welcome banquet hosted by the County Party Committee and County Government are people of status. What kind of business does this old acquaintance of yours do?”
In Qinglin Town, Yang Feng had been the one most fond of prying into and spreading private matters. However, she was just an ordinary staff member in the Party and Government Office, working on the first floor, far from Hou Weidong. Thus, it was not easy for her to bother him. Now that he had moved to the Comprehensive Cadre Section of the County Organization Department, he had encountered another person similar to Yang Feng—Old詹. And this Old詹 always sat face-to-face with Hou Weidong during work hours, which made Hou Weidong’s head ache.
Old詹 did not hide his envy. “You kid, Secretary Zhu has taken a liking to you. You’re going to have a stroke of luck.” Back in the township days, there was a saying: “Follow the Organization Department, and you’ll advance every year.” Hou Weidong had deeply believed this. Although he had only been in the Organization Department for a short time, he had already discovered that the people there were full of complaints. Old詹 often muttered words that smelled of mold.
Guo Lan sat down at her computer and began typing briskly, her fingers moving with agility.
Old詹 lowered his voice. “Yesterday, I made a mistake on the report, and Guo Lan is still angry. This girl has such a stubborn temper.”
Guo Lan was indeed angry. Old詹 had been irresponsible in his work, filling out even simple reports in a way that made them unrecognizable, forcing her to redo everything late at night. She stared at the computer screen, but her ears were not idle. Hearing Old詹’s muttering, she thought to herself, “The competitive selection for posts is coming soon. I must hold back. I shouldn’t have criticized him yesterday. I cannot afford to offend anyone during this critical period.”
She checked the report she had redone one more time, pressed the print button, and leaned back in her chair, listening to the rustling sound of the dot-matrix printer. The noise was not elegant, but it carried the vitality and energy of work.
Once the reports were bound, Guo Lan personally took them to Minister Xiao’s office.
“Didn’t you say you’d bring them to me yesterday afternoon? Why the delay until now?”
“Minister Xiao, the statistical methods used today are slightly different from last year’s, so it took some time to fill out the forms. Please take a look.”
Xiao Bing glanced at the neat cover and the orderly printed pages, flipped to the first page, and said, “Have you checked the content of the tables?”
“I finished them last night and checked them again this morning.”
Xiao Bing did not examine them closely. He signed his name in the review column and said, “You are meticulous. The reports you’ve checked should be fine.”
Guo Lan hurriedly said, “Minister Xiao, please still take a look.”
Xiao Bing wrote swiftly, signing several pages. He handed the documents back to Guo Lan and said, “The department will soon begin the competitive selection for posts. What are your plans?”
Guo Lan had also wanted to report this matter to Xiao Bing. She sat opposite him, smiling calmly, and said, “I plan to compete for the position of Section Chief of the Comprehensive Cadre Section. Whether it is suitable or not, Minister Xiao, I hope you can give me some advice.”
According to the rules of the competitive selection, a vote from a leading cadre was worth two points, while a vote from a general cadre was worth one point. If all three department leaders voted for one person, that would equal six points, equivalent to the votes of six ordinary cadres.
Xiao Bing was the Executive Deputy Minister, and his opinion basically represented that of Minister Liu. He said steadily, “You have worked in the Comprehensive Cadre Section for three years. Your work achievements and abilities are evident to all. Competing for the position of Section Chief of the Comprehensive Cadre Section is very suitable. I personally will definitely support you. However, I suggest that you report your intentions to Minister Liu and Minister Yang to争取 their support.”
Back in the Comprehensive Section office, Old詹 stuck to Hou Weidong’s desk again. “Are you free tonight? Yang Na has invited you and me to dinner.”
“Is there something specific?”
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
Old詹 did not explain further, but Hou Weidong understood clearly in his heart. The competitive selection for mid-level cadres was imminent. Those with ambitions had already begun quietly canvassing for votes. Yang Na was the Deputy Director of the Office, and her target was likely the position of Section Chief of the Cadre Section.
Hou Weidong had only recently arrived at the County Organization Department and had not interacted deeply with these mid-level cadres. To him, it made little difference who took the position. He said, “If there is nothing special, let’s set it for tonight. I’m worried that the investment promotion team might ask me to accompany guests.”
After Guo Lan returned, the two stopped talking about this topic. Old詹, still resentful about being scolded by Guo Lan the previous day, sat back at his desk, picked up a copy of Half-Monthly Talk, and flipped through it loudly.
None of the three spoke. After about ten minutes, the phone on Guo Lan’s desk rang suddenly.
On the other end, Minister Liu’s voice was still vigorous. “Call Hou Weidong over here.”
Under Old詹’s persistent, tracking gaze, Hou Weidong walked out of the Comprehensive Cadre Section. Old詹’s eyes seemed to bend around corners, following Hou Weidong’s back all the way into Minister Liu’s office.
Minister Liu’s face was like a tiger’s, his eyebrows like blades. He made several phone calls before turning to Hou Weidong, who was sitting opposite him, and saying, “Secretary Zhu has assigned you a task. You must do everything possible to accompany Mr. Zhang Mushan, the boss of Qingda Company, properly. His movements and thoughts must be reported back to the County Party Committee and County Government in a timely manner. As for your work in the Organization Department, put it aside for now. Focus all your energy on this major task.”
He then made another call to Xiao Bing. “Come to my office.”
No sooner had he hung up than Xiao Bing appeared at the door with lightning speed. Seeing Hou Weidong sitting in front of Minister Liu’s desk, he paused for a moment, then asked, “Minister Liu, what’s the matter?”
Minister Liu waved his hand broadly. “For the time being, do not assign any work to Hou Weidong, and do not record his attendance. Let him focus on accompanying Mr. Zhang Mushan of Qingda Company. If a car is needed, you will arrange it.” He emphasized, “This is personally arranged by Secretary Zhu. We must create more convenient conditions for Hou Weidong.”
Leaving Minister Liu’s office, Hou Weidong, who had previously felt relaxed and casual, suddenly felt a wave of pressure. As he walked, he made a phone call to Li Jing.
“Chairman Li, this is Hou Weidong. Where is Zhang Mushan? Secretary Zhu of the County Party Committee has personally assigned me a task and arranged for the Organization Department to open all doors for me. If I fail to secure Zhang Mushan, I will be too ashamed to face the elders of Jiangdong.”
Li Jing laughed heartily on the phone. “You must handle this well. If Zhang Shan flies away, you might be sent to the cold palace by Secretary Zhu.”
Hou Weidong had always been cautious in his words and actions in front of Guo Lan. The slip of the tongue that morning had left them both feeling awkward. But in front of Li Jing, he was much more relaxed. He smiled and said, “Li Xun, you must take full responsibility for this. Because your disclosure of my cadre status to Boss Mushan is what caused this.”
Li Jing chided playfully, “Good intentions met with bad rewards. Boss Mushan did this all for your sake.” Hou Weidong laughed. “Alright, I’ll treat you to lunch today. Let’s go to Shangqinglin to eat tofu pudding set meal. It’s authentic farmhouse cuisine.”