Chapter 241: Inspection (Part 2)
"Why are you calling at this hour? You scared me half to death."
Duan Ying had been hoping it was Hou Weidong on the line, but it turned out to be Wang Sha, a good friend from the Shazhou Daily. A sense of loss she couldn't quite hide settled in her heart.
Wang Sha was four years younger than Duan Ying, having just graduated from university and been assigned to the Shazhou Daily. Although only four years separated them, their personalities seemed to belong to different eras. Wang Sha had just returned from drinking beer and was still buzzing with excitement. She spoke in a casual, carefree tone, "Sister Ying, I was worried you’d be lonely at night, so I called specially to keep you company. Are you staying in the hotel alone? I remember you’ve been working in Yiyang for over two years. Don’t tell me you don’t have a boyfriend?"
Duan Ying laughed and scolded her, "You little girl, your head is filled with nothing but romance and love all day long. There are plenty of bad people in this society; be careful you don’t get sold by one and still count the money for them."
"I am the bad person. Who dares to buy me?"
After chatting for a while, when they finally hung up, Duan Ying’s sense of loss did not diminish; instead, it swelled even higher. The room was pitch black. She gently touched her own body, curling up and crossing her legs tightly, letting out a soft moan.
"Hou Weidong, you are too heartless."
Since leaving Zhu Yan, Hou Weidong had suppressed the urge to call Duan Ying several times. He had returned to Shazhou College as if fleeing, and only when the security door slammed shut did he finally cut off the thought of contacting Duan Ying.
He made a call to Xiaojia on the landline, watched some television, and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
The same night, different dreams, different lives.
The next morning, because he was heading to the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee, Hou Weidong specially put on a thin navy-blue suit. He wore a white shirt underneath, tied a tie, and polished his leather shoes until they shone.
When he arrived at the office, Ren Lindu was not there. Hou Weidong took off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and began cleaning the office. Neither he nor Ren Lindu was lazy. Whoever arrived first would do the cleaning. Since Ren Lindu was absent, he had likely gone out directly with Zhao Lin.
Just as he was finishing up, Ren Xiaowei walked over holding a clipboard. Her bell-like laughter could be heard from afar. As she approached, she smiled and said, "Section Chief Hou, there are a few matters I need to report to you."
Hou Weidong shook the rag in his hand and said, "Wait a moment, let me rinse this cloth."
Ren Xiaowei was a university graduate from 1995. In college, she had served as the Propaganda Minister of the Student Union, a well-known student leader. After graduation, she was selected by the Organization Department of the Lingxi Provincial Party Committee to work in Yiyang County, Shazhou City—what was known as a selected graduate. She had stayed in the township government for only half a year before being transferred to the County Party Committee Office, where she worked under Liu Tao in the Comprehensive Section. This time, with Liu Tao promoted to Deputy Director, Ren Xiaowei had been promoted to Deputy Section Chief.
Ren Xiaowei was of ordinary appearance, but her sunny demeanor and constant smile made her the famous "Smiling Girl" of the committee office, well-liked by everyone. By the time Hou Weidong returned with the rinsed cloth, she smiled and said, "I went to report to Standing Committee Member Ji. I suggested that Section Chief Hou move into the Comprehensive Section office, so that things are proper and above board." She teased, "The section is now full of beautiful women. Once you move in, it will be 'men and women working together, never tired.' That’s a golden rule. Plus, you won’t have to chase pretty leaders around to clean their desks anymore."
Hou Weidong had no interest in the specific operational work of the Comprehensive Section. He said, "I mainly follow Secretary Zhu. This position of Comprehensive Section Chief is just a title. The actual work is still handled by you. I think we should keep the office as it is. Don’t move anything. I suspect Standing Committee Member Ji thinks the same."
Having expressed her opinion, Ren Xiaowei dropped the subject of the office. She said, "Section Chief Hou, I’ll handle the small matters of the Comprehensive Section, but the big issues still need your handling. Don’t try to shirk responsibility." She opened her clipboard and said, "You must review these few items today." Although Hou Weidong didn’t want to deal with these trivialities, he was, after all, the nominal head of the Comprehensive Section. He said, "Section Chief Ren…"
The two discussed several matters regarding information reporting. Hou Weidong checked his watch and said, "Section Chief Ren, that’s all for today. I need to accompany Secretary Zhu to Shazhou at 9:15."
Only then did Ren Xiaowei leave with her clipboard, smiling cheerfully.
At 9:15, Old Liu started the car on time. Zhu Yan had gone to the barbershop downstairs early in the morning to trim his hair and shave his beard. He reviewed all the data for Yiyang County and glanced again at the Yiyang County Highway Development Outline proposed by the County Party Committee, feeling full of confidence.
At 10:20, the Audi arrived at the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee. Zhu Yan’s car bore a special pass. Such passes were issued only to leaders at the level of Municipal Party Committee members and above. As the Secretary of the Yiyang County Party Committee, Zhu Yan was also a member of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee, thus entitled to the pass. The guards at the entrance saw the green plate from a distance, stood at attention, saluted, and let the car pass without any inspection.
Hou Weidong, sitting in the front passenger seat, saw the guards’ salute and thought to himself, "In all of Shazhou, those who enjoy this kind of treatment are…"
"…too many."
In Hou Weidong’s impression, the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee was heavily guarded, and ordinary people could not enter. Even after becoming a cadre in the Yiyang County Party Committee, this impression remained. Now, entering the gates of the Municipal Party Committee in Zhu Yan’s car, although it felt like borrowing power from a tiger, it still made him feel good.
On the third floor, Zhu Yan familiarly made his way to Huang Zidi’s office. Hou Weidong stayed in the Municipal Party Committee Office. He had not been at the County Party Committee Office for long and was not familiar with the staff of the Municipal Party Committee Office. After a young staff member poured him a glass of water, he was left alone.
Hou Weidong didn’t know if Zhu Yan had met with the Municipal Party Secretary. He casually picked up a stack of Shazhou Daily newspapers from the table. This newspaper, which usually seemed dull, suddenly became interesting in this boring and somewhat awkward situation. After flipping through several issues, he saw Duan Ying’s name several times, twice even on the front page.
Thinking of the path Duan Ying had taken since graduation, Hou Weidong thought to himself, "Life’s encounters are truly unpredictable. If Duan Ying hadn’t gone to the Yiyang Daily, how would she have had the chance to enter the Shazhou Daily? Her life path would have been completely different."
Yang Teng, a secretary in the Municipal Party Committee Office, happened to come to the office to pick up documents. Seeing Hou Weidong sitting on the sofa reading newspapers, he proactively greeted him, "Hou Weidong, what are you doing here?"
That night at the Caishui Hotel, Yang Teng had little money and lost it all playing cards. Hou Weidong had generously lent him money, saving him from embarrassment and giving him a chance to win back his losses. Therefore, Yang Teng had a good impression of Hou Weidong.
"I’m waiting for Secretary Zhu."
Yang Teng handed Hou Weidong a cigarette and said, "Come to my office."
The two walked and talked. "Which leader is Secretary Zhu reporting to?"
"Secretary Zhou wants to hear the work report from Yiyang."
Yang Teng lowered his voice, "With the change of government in Shazhou this year, Secretary Zhu’s name is being mentioned frequently."
When they reached the office, Hou Weidong saw the nameplate on the desk and realized that Yang Teng was the Deputy Section Chief of the Information Section of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee Office.
There were three people in the Information Section office, each with a computer. While making tea for Hou Weidong, Yang Teng said, "Yesterday, our section did a half-year ranking. The adoption rate of information from the Yiyang County Party Committee Office is not very high."
He flipped through the manuscripts on the desk and said, "Yiyang ranks twenty-sixth, third among the four counties. Which department is responsible for this? You should study it carefully when you go back. The Key Information Reference published by our section is sent to every municipal-level leader."
Before leaving in the morning, Hou Weidong had just discussed the matter of reporting information with Ren Xiaowei, the Deputy Section Chief of the Comprehensive Section. He smiled and said, "Section Chief Yang, I’m ashamed. Currently, I am responsible for reporting information. The Yiyang County Party Committee Office does not have an Information Section; it is handled by the Comprehensive Section."
Yang Teng laughed, "You became the Section Chief of the Comprehensive Section? Where was Liu Tao transferred? Was he handling the information before?"
Hearing that Liu Tao had become a Deputy Director, a young man typing at his computer said, "If we talk about development, the comrades in the county party committee offices move the fastest. In the past few years, many section chiefs have been sent out to become officials."
Hou Weidong said, "That’s different. The most a comrade from a county party committee office can get when transferred out is a deputy position in a county bureau. When you come out, you become a deputy director of a municipal bureau or a county leader. The concept is different."
The young man said resentfully, "The Municipal Party Committee Office just has a good reputation. Now, every section has a few old secretaries stuck there. Who knows when we’ll get a chance to be sent out?"
Hou Weidong sat in the Information Section for nearly an hour before receiving a call from Zhu Yan. As he left the Information Section, he said to Yang Teng, "Secretary Zhu is out. I must take my leave. Come to Yiyang when you have time." Yang Teng checked his watch and said, "Secretary Zhou has many things to do. The fact that he could spare an hour to listen to Yiyang’s work report shows that Secretary Zhou approves of Yiyang’s work."
Hou Weidong met Zhu Yan in Huang Zidi’s office. Zhu Yan’s attitude was calm. He chatted casually with Standing Committee Member Huang for a few more sentences. Before preparing to leave, he said, "Standing Committee Member Huang, are you free today? I’ll arrange it. Let’s invite Old Kong and Old Fang out." Huang Zidi smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Not today. People from Lingxi Province are coming, and Secretary Changquan needs to attend the banquet."
When Zhu Yan walked out of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee building, he couldn’t help but do a few chest-expanding exercises. Looking at Hou Weidong, who was also dressed smartly, he said, "Xiao Hou, it’s good to be young. You look quite different in that suit."
Both Zhu Yan and Hou Weidong had chosen navy-blue suits for their trip to Shazhou to report to Comrade Zhou Changquan. Hou Weidong was younger and slightly taller. From a purely sartorial perspective, he certainly looked more dashing than Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan’s face was filled with unmistakable joy. Getting into the car, he ordered, "Secretary Changquan will inspect Yiyang on October 10th. We will hold a standing committee meeting tomorrow to discuss the reception plan."