Chapter 234: Leave (Part 1)
The sound of mahjong tiles clacking—hua, hua—soon echoed from the top-floor card room.
Zhu Yan was a local heavyweight. Lao Kong and Lao Fang were the heads of key departments. Huang Zidi served as a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and Secretary-General. All four held real power. This mahjong gathering had become a regular occurrence over the past two years, taking place every two or three months. It served as another form of political alignment and networking.
Hou Weidong, Lu Dongqiang from the Finance Bureau office, and Yang Teng, the secretary brought by Huang Zidi, stood behind the players, observing the game. Huang Zidi waved his hand dismissively. "You three standing there behind us look like door gods. It’s tiring for you, and it makes me uneasy too. Go find a place and play a game of Three-Person Dou."
Three-Person Dou was a local card game in Shazhou, played with a standard deck of poker. Because it was simple and easy to learn, it had quickly become popular across the region.
Lu Dongqiang, Hou Weidong, and Yang Teng moved to the adjacent room. Although this suite was not as spacious as the mahjong room where Lao Kong was playing, the decoration was decent. From the window, the view of the city outskirts was clear.
As the director of the Finance Bureau office, Lu Dongqiang oversaw the Finance and Tax Hotel. As the saying went, "a county official is not as powerful as the one managing the county’s affairs." The service staff was exceptionally attentive. After turning on the air conditioning, they brought in sliced fruit and asked, "Director Lu, would you like some Tieguanyin tea?"
Without the overshadowing presence of the stout Lao Kong, Lu Dongqiang straightened his back. He asked, "Secretary Hou, Secretary Yang, what would you like to drink?"
"Tieguanyin, please," Yang Teng replied.
Once the staff left, Lu Dongqiang introduced them. "I’m afraid you two don’t know each other yet. This is Yang Teng from the Municipal Party Committee Office. This is Hou Weidong, Secretary Zhu’s secretary from Yiyang County."
Secretaries, too, were ranked in tiers. A secretary to the Municipal Party Committee could not be compared to one serving a county committee. After a few years, a municipal secretary would typically reach the deputy division level; a transfer outward would make them a deputy county-level cadre. In contrast, a county secretary might rise only to the section or deputy section level, with external appointments limited to township or bureau deputy heads.
Furthermore, whose secretary one served mattered greatly. The personal secretary to a County Party Secretary was in a different league from other secretaries in the county government, enjoying the easiest path to promotion.
Yang Teng was a municipal secretary, which gave him an edge over Hou Weidong, a county secretary. However, Hou Weidong served as the personal secretary to the County Party Secretary, giving him an advantage over Yang Teng, who was a general staff member. Balancing these two factors, their actual influence was roughly equal. They shook hands politely.
Lu Dongqiang, as the host and the eldest among them, noticed the atmosphere was a bit stiff. "Secretary Yang, Dazhi arranged things very well this time."
"Director Jin was originally the deputy director of the Research Office in the Municipal Party Committee Office," Yang Teng said. "His transfer to head the Local Taxation Bureau is considered a step up."
"It’s more than just a step up. He now holds significant power," Lu Dongqiang sighed. "There is more promise in the large agencies. When I knew Dazhi, he had just transferred to the Municipal Party Committee Office, while I was already the deputy director of the Finance Bureau office. Nine years later, Dazhi became the head of the Local Taxation Bureau, while I merely dropped the 'deputy' from my title. Work hard, Brother Yang. You’ll make your mark in a few years."
Jin Dazhi, the former deputy director of the Research Office, often accompanied Huang Zidi to these card games. After his promotion, Yang Teng became Huang Zidi’s attendant. Lu Dongqiang had met Yang Teng several times, but this was their first time playing cards together.
This was also Lu Dongqiang’s first meeting with Hou Weidong, so he skipped excessive pleasantries. He tore open a pack of Little Bee playing cards and asked, "How high are we playing?"
Yang Teng remained silent.
Hou Weidong smiled. "You’re the eldest brother here, so you set the rules." Besides ten thousand yuan in public funds, he carried a bank card with fifty thousand yuan. Playing cards here was merely a way to pass time; he didn’t care much about winning or losing.
The Little Bee cards were slightly wider than standard decks. Lu Dongqiang’s hands were dexterous; the cards flowed through his fingers like water, dazzling to watch. "Both of you brothers serve high-ranking leaders. Playing small won’t be satisfying. Let’s play at this amount." He raised his right hand and spread out five fingers.
Yang Teng was an ordinary staff member in the Comprehensive Section of the Municipal Party Committee Office. Just a year ago, he had been a teacher. Because he frequently published articles in newspapers like the Shazhou Daily, Huang Zidi had noticed him and borrowed him to the Municipal Party Committee Office. He had only recently completed the formal transfer procedures. Financially, he was not well-off. Seeing Lu Dongqiang’s gesture, he was startled and hesitated. "Isn’t that too high?"
Lu Dongqiang laughed. "Is that considered high? Brother Dazhi usually plays at one hundred yuan per hand."
Yang Teng’s expression changed several times. He had only brought a little over five hundred yuan. If they played at fifty yuan per hand, a slight streak of bad luck would wipe him out. But refusing would lose face. He suggested, "How can I compare to Director Jin? Director Lu, let’s play smaller. Thirty yuan per hand."
Having served as an office director for many years, Lu Dongqiang was highly skilled at reading people. From Yang Teng’s demeanor, he guessed he hadn’t brought much money. He conceded, "Then let’s play thirty yuan per hand."
For Hou Weidong, whether it was thirty or fifty yuan per hand made no difference. With no psychological burden, his luck improved. After an hour, he had won over seven hundred yuan.
As the money in Yang Teng’s pocket dwindled, his anxiety grew. He dealt several bad hands in a row. When only one hundred yuan remained, sweat began to bead on his forehead. His pride was strong; running out of money would be a major embarrassment.
But the cards seemed to conspire against him. The more he wanted good hands, the worse they became. Before ten o’clock, Yang Teng had only ten yuan left. He had to accept reality. "Director Lu, I brought too little money today. My four pockets are equally heavy now. I surrender."
Hou Weidong naturally counted out one thousand yuan. "Here’s one thousand to help you recover. Luck fluctuates; it might turn in your favor any moment."
Seeing Hou Weidong’s generosity, Yang Teng looked at him gratefully. Without saying much, he took the money and placed it in front of him. As the saying goes, money gives people courage. With the extra thousand, Yang Teng’s luck slowly improved. After a few rounds, he had recovered over two hundred yuan. The sweat on his forehead finally stopped.
Lu Dongqiang thought to himself: This Hou Weidong is quite good. He has a steady temperament and knows how to handle people. Perhaps one day he will achieve great things.
At that moment, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair walked in. Lu Dongqiang glanced at him but ignored him, continuing to focus on the cards. The man approached, distributed cigarettes to everyone, and said with a smile, "Leaders, do you need a late-night snack? We have tangyuan, noodles, dumplings, wontons, lean meat porridge, fish porridge—everything is available."
Lu Dongqiang finally looked up. "This is Manager Cai from the Finance and Tax Hotel." He added, "The hotel’s dandan noodles are famous far and wide. I suggest Secretaries Yang and Hou try them."
"Old Cai, play two hands for me," Lu Dongqiang said, handing his cards to Manager Cai. He stood up to serve the leaders at the top-tier tea house, Juxian Pavilion.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Dongqiang would not let anyone else serve the leaders personally. A short while later, he returned with his head held high. "Old Cai, prepare two bowls of lean meat porridge, one bowl of wontons, one bowl of tangyuan, and some pickled mustard greens and braised beef. Send it up in half an hour."
Old Cai was also a sharp observer. Not long after he left, the service staff brought a lavish late-night meal to Lu Dongqiang’s group. It included not only dandan noodles and lean meat porridge but also a platter of braised meats.
While they were eating, Hou Weidong’s mobile phone rang. It was an unfamiliar landline number from Lingxi. He thought, Who is calling at this hour? Is it Li Jing?
"Weidong, you haven’t contacted me for so long. I had to call you myself." Li Jing’s voice came from over a hundred kilometers away in Lingxi, yet it was exceptionally clear, as if she were whispering in his ear. Hou Weidong could almost feel the warm flow of her voice gently tickling the fine hairs on his ears.
In front of Lu Dongqiang and the others, Hou Weidong could not speak freely. He gave a vague explanation. "I’ve been too busy lately."
Li Jing chuckled softly. "The year before last, I bought an apartment in Lingxi, but I didn’t renovate it. Since I visit Lingxi often now, I had it decorated. Currently, only you know this landline number. Remember it."
"I’ve remembered it."
Li Jing’s voice was languid. "I got home early tonight and couldn’t sleep alone in bed, so I thought of you. What are you doing?"
"Playing Three-Person Dou with the leaders."
Seeing Hou Weidong’s brief reply, Li Jing guessed he was in an inconvenient situation. "Go ahead and play. In four or five days, I’ll come to Yiyang. We’ll discuss things then."
After hanging up, Lu Dongqiang smiled. "Was that your wife checking up on you?"
Hou Weidong joked back, "An honest man like me doesn’t worry his wife. She generally doesn’t check up on me."
After finishing their late-night snack, Yang Teng’s luck changed dramatically. He played exceptionally well, and the pile of money in front of him grew thick. Lu Dongqiang had lost sixteen or seventeen hundred yuan in total, while Hou Weidong had a slight loss.
Just as Yang Teng was in high spirits, a service girl pushed the door open. "Director Lu, the leaders are finished."
Hou Weidong quickly took out his phone and called Lao Liu.
Lu Dongqiang looked sternly at the service girl. "How do you speak? Watch your mouth."
The girl realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself. "Director Lu, the leaders have finished playing."
Lu Dongqiang shook his head helplessly at Hou Weidong and Yang Teng. "It seems Old Cai needs to strengthen staff training. Serving leaders requires a higher standard."
The service girl was young and usually efficient. She had been transferred to the top floor two months ago, with a salary three hundred yuan higher than general service positions. Seeing Director Lu angry, tears welled up in her eyes.
Seeing the girl cry, Lu Dongqiang softened. "Never mind. Don’t cry. Just be more careful with your words and actions in the future. I won’t tell Manager Cai about this."
The three men stepped out and saw Huang Zidi, Zhu Yan, and others heading toward the elevator. Huang Zidi said as he walked, "It wasn’t satisfying enough today. Let’s play again another day." Lao Kong personally escorted Huang Zidi downstairs, and everyone shook hands in farewell.
Lao Fang, the Public Security Bureau chief, had not brought a driver and left in his own car. Huang Zidi’s driver was drinking tea on the ground floor; upon receiving a call, he drove the car up. Finally, only Zhu Yan remained, chatting casually with Lao Kong.
Hou Weidong thought to himself: I must pay attention to details in the future. I shouldn’t let the leaders wait. I could have arranged for Lao Liu to drink tea downstairs.