Chapter 266: Arrangements (Part 2)

Zhu Yan always turned matters over in his mind repeatedly before taking action, but once a decision was made, he executed it with lightning speed. On April 7, the third day after their conversation, he convened a standing committee meeting. Shortly thereafter, the Organization Department issued a light, almost weighty transfer order. In an instant, Hou Weidong transformed from Deputy Director of the County Party Committee Office to the top leader—Director—of the newly established Management Committee.

Zhu Yan felt a genuine sense of reluctance at Hou Weidong’s departure. Hou Weidong handled affairs with precision and order; most valuable of all, despite his young age, he kept his mouth shut. Using him was not only reassuring but also a pleasure. Zhu Yan had already made up his mind: once he had firmly established his footing in the Shazhou Municipal Government, he would find a way to transfer Hou Weidong there.

Zhu Yan did not appoint a new director for the County Party Committee Office. How the personnel there would be adjusted was a matter for his successor to handle.

The office was temporarily managed by the veteran director, Zhuang Weiguo. Old Zhuang was a seasoned hand in the committee office. Although his eyesight was failing, it did not impair his judgment of the broader political landscape. He knew he was merely a transitional figure, so he conducted himself strictly within the rules, neither overstepping his authority nor seeking to achieve any remarkable feats during his interim tenure.

On April 8, Hou Weidong reported for duty at the new Management Committee, personally escorted by Old Liu from the Organization Department.

The arrival of the new director, Hou Weidong, was treated with the gravity of a major crisis by the Management Committee. The two deputy directors conferred and, on the afternoon of the 7th, mobilized all staff for a vigorous cleaning campaign.

Deputy Director Zhang Yuxiang remarked, "Old Liu from the Organization Department is coming tomorrow. Let’s just go to a decent place for lunch. We don’t want people saying the Management Committee is stingy."

Executive Deputy Director Zhang Jin, the Party Secretary of Wushan Town, a large town in the south, was in his forties. Strangely, he sported a small circle of a mustache, giving him the appearance of a figure from the Republic of China era. He said, "Forget it. You know Old Liu’s temperament. He prefers rural eateries, saying the food has more flavor."

Hearing Zhang Jin mention this, Zhang Yuxiang laughed. Zhang Jin looked at him, paused for a moment to compose himself, and then joined in the laughter.

There was a well-known anecdote about Old Liu’s dining habits. Born in the North but raised in the South, Old Liu had spent over a decade at the grassroots level. He usually wore a serious expression. When visiting townships, he invariably ate at the communal mess hall, firmly refusing to dine at outside restaurants. This habit made township and bureau cadres quite apprehensive of him.

Zhang Jin, however, was not intimidated. The two had been partners for many years, knowing each other’s roots and backgrounds thoroughly. No tricks could be hidden from the other. Knowing that Old Liu favored dishes with strong flavors, Zhang Jin had arranged for a car to go to a specialty restaurant in Yiyang. They brought back six or seven signature dishes served in earthen pots as large as washbasins and placed them in his own mess hall.

That meal, Old Liu had eaten heartily, praising the Management Committee’s mess hall for its excellent food. On one occasion, during a meeting, when someone casually mentioned that the county government cafeteria’s food was poor, Old Liu used the Management Committee’s cafeteria as an example, sharply criticizing the county government cafeteria.

The two men exchanged a knowing smile, naturally deciding to stick to their old method.

At ten o’clock, two cars pulled up in front of the Management Committee building. Both deputy directors and all mid-level cadres stood outside to welcome them. After getting out of the car, Hou Weidong habitually moved quickly, intending to open the door for Zhu Yan. But in an instant, he realized his mistake. He was no longer Zhu Yan’s secretary; he was now the top leader presiding over the Management Committee.

Zhang Jin shook hands with Old Liu and chatted for a while. Then, turning to Hou Weidong, he said warmly, "Now that Director Hou has arrived at the Management Committee, we finally have a backbone."

Hou Weidong was equally enthusiastic, shaking Zhang Jin’s hand and saying, "I hope both of you directors will support my work in the future."

Old Liu snorted softly under his breath. He knew Zhang Jin’s hidden grievance. When Zhang Jin had been appointed Executive Deputy Director, the Organization Department had proposed promoting him to full director twice. Zhu Yan had not agreed, merely saying to wait and see. In the end, the wait produced a surprise challenger—Hou Weidong, who had been parachuted in to become the top leader of the Management Committee.

Hou Weidong, however, had his own plans. Having followed Zhu Yan, he had participated in a vigorous pursuit and containment of Ma Youcai. Now that Zhu Yan had been promoted, Hou Weidong remained behind. The outcome of working under Ma Youcai was obvious even without much thought. Therefore, although the Management Committee was a good posting, it was not a place where Hou Weidong intended to stay long.

In Yiyang County, Hou Weidong was already a famous figure. Old Liu naturally did not need to waste words. After a brief formality in the conference room, the day’s official tasks were concluded. Everyone exchanged cigarettes and chatted casually.

At that moment, the sound of car brakes came from outside. Hou Weidong’s heart skipped a beat. He recognized the sound immediately—it was Zhu Yan’s Audi. Sure enough, a young man jogged in from outside, approached Zhang Jin, and whispered, "Secretary Zhu is here."

Everyone in the conference room extinguished their cigarettes and went out together to welcome Zhu Yan.

The fact that County Party Secretary Zhu Yan personally accompanied Hou Weidong to his new unit for reporting was clearly understood by Zhang Jin and the others at the Management Committee. The looks of admiration and awe in the eyes of the younger staff members toward Hou Weidong were quite evident.

In the afternoon, Hou Weidong did not go to work. He hid in his home at Shazhou College, slacking off. For a long time, his time had not belonged to himself but to Zhu Yan and the County Party Committee Office. Now that he was the top leader of the Management Committee, he finally had time that he could, to some extent,支配 (dispose of) himself.

With the air conditioner running, Hou Weidong, dressed in his pajamas, sat on the bed holding a cup of fragrant Yiyang Maojian tea, watching television. After two hours of TV, he gradually felt a sense of emptiness and lack of grounding. This lifestyle felt unreal to him.

Hardly able to wait until five o’clock, Hou Weidong could no longer sit idle. He laid out the prepared documents of the Management Committee in his study, lit a cigarette, and began to read them carefully. Previously, when reading materials at the County Party Committee Office, he always thought about how to… [text cuts off in original, implied: how to serve the leadership]. This time, the feeling of reading documents was completely different. The text recorded actual events. He recalled what he had heard and seen along the way to the Management Committee, cross-referencing it with the issues mentioned in the files.

The Management Committee reflected many problems. Hou Weidong sorted out his thoughts, identifying one main issue: lack of funds. "Without money, infrastructure cannot be improved. If infrastructure is poor, attracting investment becomes difficult. And if investment cannot be attracted, there will be even less money."

Thinking that the Finance Bureau Director was Gui Gang, Hou Weidong felt a toothache.

The next day, Hou Weidong got up promptly at seven o’clock. After washing up, he heated milk in the microwave. With milk and bread for breakfast, he finished eating at 7:15. Walking to the window, he remembered that the Management Committee’s car would not arrive until eight.

He sent an email to Xiaojia, read some news, and dawdled for a while before seeing the black Santana of the Management Committee. Hou Weidong stood behind the curtain, observing the car for a moment, before slowly walking down.

The Management Committee had only two cars. Originally, Zhang Yuxiang and Zhang Jin each had one. Now that Hou Weidong had arrived, Zhang Jin yielded the newer Santana to him, sharing a car with Zhang Yuxiang. Hou Weidong did not make a fuss about this; being overly polite would have seemed hypocritical.

After going downstairs, the driver eagerly bent over to open the front passenger door. Unexpectedly, Hou Weidong sat directly in the back seat.

Once in the car, he asked politely, "Master, what is your surname? I drank too much yesterday and didn’t remember." Liu Biao bent over again to close the door and said, "My name is Liu Biao."

Upon reaching the southern suburb, Hou Weidong instructed, "Master Liu, don’t go to the office yet. Take me around to see all the territory of the Management Committee."

The biggest characteristic of the southern suburb was its connection to the newly built highway exit. This was also the Management Committee’s greatest advantage. Hou Weidong stood beside the highway exit under construction, smoked a cigarette, and then returned to the car. He drove around the land that had already been requisitioned by the Management Committee. The land had indeed been taken, but the roads were still dirt tracks, not even gravel-surfaced. Dust flew along the way, and Hou Weidong bounced in the car like peas jumping in a pot.

Arriving at the Management Committee office, he went straight to the third floor. The first room on the third floor was the Management Committee’s office. Hou Weidong had not yet seen his own office and did not have the key, so he walked in. A young girl was registering documents.

Hou Weidong greeted her proactively, "Hello." The girl looked up at Hou Weidong, paid no attention, and continued registering documents. After finishing one file, she looked up and asked, "May I ask what you need?" Hou Weidong made a small joke, "I’m looking for my office. Can you tell me where it is?"

The girl was stunned, then suddenly remembered that the new director, Hou Weidong, was coming to work. "You are Director Hou."

Hou Weidong nodded.

The girl hurriedly stammered an apology, "Director Hou, I’m sorry. Let me get the key for you."

At that moment, a petite woman holding a teacup walked in. Seeing Hou Weidong, she immediately smiled, "Xiao Liu, Director Hou is here. Why haven’t you opened the office yet?"

Hou Weidong said in surprise, "Yang Liu, you are here too? Why didn’t I see you yesterday?" The woman who had walked in was Yang Liu, one of the first ten civil servants recruited through public exams in Yiyang County, and a former classmate of Hou Weidong in the Young Cadres Training Class.

Compared to Qin Xiaohong, Yang Liu was much more petite. At this time, she had cut her hair short, looking fresh and shrewd. She said, "I was transferred to the Management Committee at the end of last year. I am the Deputy Director of the Office. Yesterday, Xiao Liu and I went to the Women’s Federation for a meeting."

"We heard you were coming to be the top leader. Several of us public recruits had dinner together and were all happy for you. You are the pride of our public recruits."

Hou Weidong did not reject such compliments. He smiled and said, "When you had dinner together, why didn’t you invite me?" Yang Liu smiled, covering her mouth, "You are a busy man. We didn’t dare to waste your time." Hou Weidong thought for a moment. He had indeed been contacted for previous gatherings of public recruits, but unfortunately, he had business both times and could not attend. He said, "Next time you gather, you must invite me."

The Management Committee’s office was a rented house. Although the facilities were decent, the room was too narrow. A large desk took up one-third of the space.

Xiao Liu hurriedly brewed tea and placed it respectfully on the table. Yang Liu went out for a while and soon returned with a bag. She took out the items one by one. "This is the Management Committee’s contact list. This is the document on the original leadership division of labor, the work manual, and some documents issued this year."

Yang Liu had clearly prepared carefully. She had gathered as many of the items Hou Weidong needed as possible.

Hou Weidong was very satisfied with this. He asked, "You are the Deputy Director. Who is the Director? I didn’t see him yesterday."

"The Office Director is Yi Zhongtian. His wife fell ill, and he took leave to go to Lingxi for medical treatment."

Hearing the name Yi Zhongtian, Hou Weidong immediately associated it with Yi Zhongling. A sense of alertness arose in his heart. He sat in his chair, took a sip of hot tea, looked at his watch, and said to Yang Liu, who was standing by the desk, "Please ask the two Deputy Directors Zhang to come to the conference room at ten o’clock for a short meeting."