Chapter 274: Adaptation (Part 1)

April 14th marked the day Zhu Yan was to depart for Lingxi for his study program. The morning arrived earlier than usual for a workday. Old Liu arrived at Shazhou College to pick up Hou Weidong, and they drove off toward that familiar, unchanging gray gateway.

While waiting for the car, Old Liu suddenly remarked, "Director Hou, Secretary Zhu values you highly." This time, instead of bringing staff from his office, Zhu Yan had chosen to have Hou Weidong accompany him directly. Old Liu, who had served under Zhu Yan for several years, could clearly see the closeness of their relationship.

Hou Weidong smiled but offered no explanation.

The two men chatted intermittently, their eyes fixed on the thick gray pillars of the gate. After a while, the sound of footsteps echoed from upstairs. Hou Weidong stepped out of the car and waited by the entrance.

Dean Jiang, rarely seen in casual attire, was pulling a wheeled suitcase and following behind Zhu Yan. It was the first time in a year that Hou Weidong had seen Dean Jiang see Zhu Yan down the stairs. He greeted her and took the handbag from Zhu Yan’s hand. Seeing Dean Jiang come down, Old Liu quickly exited the vehicle to take the suitcase and place it in the trunk.

Zhu Yan stood by the car door, glancing back once before getting in.

Dean Jiang reached out to smooth the hem of his jacket. "Call me when you arrive in Lingxi," she said. Then she added, "You were drunk last night. Don’t drink like that in the future. You are not like Xiao Hou; he is young and can sleep it off. You will suffer for days, and it will damage your liver."

Zhu Yan’s hair was neatly combed, showing no signs of intoxication. He replied with a hint of apology, "The situation was different yesterday. All four major leadership groups were present; getting drunk was inevitable. During this year of study at the Party School, I have drunk less."

Dean Jiang said, "When you gather together, you drink even more."

The Audi drove smoothly along the streets of Yiyang. Familiar street scenes rushed past and were left behind. Zhu Yan had once been a literary youth in the 1980s. This scene reminded him of a poem he had read long ago: "I have lived in this city for many years, only to find it so strange now."

As the car left the city, the mountains covered in green refreshed his spirit. The slight melancholy in Zhu Yan’s heart was like a small spark in a rainstorm, extinguished in an instant.

"Hou Weidong, how is the progress on the pharmaceutical factory project?"

"Not much progress. I am still cultivating relationships with Gao Wang. Zhang Xiangyu took a few people to Guangdong for inspection. Courtesy demands reciprocity; visiting their factory might yield unexpected discoveries."

Zhu Yan was very satisfied with Hou Weidong’s sharpness. He said, "Yiyang is a relatively closed-off area with low national visibility. Attracting investment is not easy. You must proactively befriend entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are connected; catch one, and you keep a whole string."

"That is purely experience introduced by coastal regions. I have not personally seen a successful case yet. The New Management Committee is an excellent test field." He paused, as if thinking of something, and after a moment, he said, "Just focus on doing your work and mind your own business. I hope to see fruit within a year."

Hou Weidong said, "When I left the County Party Committee Office, you gave me twelve characters: 'Be honest in character, work solidly.' This is my working principle in the New Management Committee."

When Zhu Yan went to Shazhou to meet the Municipal Party Committee leaders, Hou Weidong stayed by his side. Although he did not know the content of the most critical conversations, he had pondered it for a long time and was convinced that Zhu Yan must have received some kind of promise. This thought was buried in his heart and never revealed to others.

"Xiao Hou has such insight at a young age. In this regard, Pingfan is not as good as you."

Pingfan was Zhu Yan’s former secretary, who later passed the entrance exam for a master’s degree at Peking University and was well-known in the Yiyang County Party Committee. However, this was the first time Zhu Yan had mentioned him in front of Hou Weidong.

Hou Weidong had read many materials written by Pingfan. Not to mention the content, just the beautiful handwriting alone made him feel inferior. So he humbly said, "Pingfan is a Peking University graduate student. I am far behind him."

"Do not be too modest. Compared to you, Pingfan has stronger academic knowledge, but he is not as socially adept. I am satisfied with both of you. It will be hard to find such suitable people in the future."

After arriving in Shazhou, Zhu Yan did not rush to report for duty. Old Liu drove the car directly into the school for the deaf and mute. The principal was not there, and the teachers merely greeted them without lingering.

Zhu Yan went directly to the art studio but did not see his daughter, Zhu Mei. An older deaf-mute student recognized Zhu Yan and signed a rapid series of gestures that dazzled the eye. Zhu Yan responded with a few signs, and the student smiled, nodding continuously.

"Let’s go. Zhu Mei is in the dormitory."

Zhu Mei clearly received special care at the school. Her dormitory was located in the teachers’ building. Although the room was small, it had basic facilities like a bathroom. When Zhu Yan entered, she was busy at the computer. Although Hou Weidong’s family had had a computer for a long time, he rarely used it, mostly just to check news, receive emails, or chat in chat rooms. Standing behind Zhu Mei, he could not figure out what she was doing.

Zhu Yan gently patted his daughter’s shoulder. Zhu Mei was startled, turned around, and seeing it was Zhu Yan, stood up happily. She gestured with her hands, then clicked the mouse a few times, bringing up a page with an animation.

On a picturesque grassy field, a little girl carried a basket, running and singing: "Dad, I am your daughter Meimei. Although I cannot hear you call my name, and I cannot speak, I am still your good daughter. I love you, dear Dad."

The sound came from the computer’s built-in speakers. Although somewhat childish and the melody not particularly beautiful, Zhu Yan felt as if struck by lightning. He stared blankly at the animation screen. After it played once, Zhu Mei played it again. It was only after the fifth time that Zhu Yan stopped the screen.

Zhu Mei quickly typed a string of words on the computer: "Dad, this is a song the teacher helped me compose. Is it nice?" She typed again: "Does Dad have an email address? Can I write to you every day now?"

Her smile was like a flower on the grassland, pure and sweet.

Hou Weidong felt very gratified. Buying the computer for Zhu Mei had been an impulse at the time. He had not expected it to bring such a significant change to her life. He felt surprise, and also a sense of pride.

After sitting at the school for over an hour, Old Liu slowly drove the car away from the campus, under Zhu Mei’s reluctant yet joyful gaze.

As the car drove away, Hou Weidong looked back unintentionally and saw that Zhu Yan’s face was covered in tears.

In Hou Weidong’s heart, Zhu Yan had always been so confident, strong, and wise. Seeing him lose composure today was quite shocking. He quickly turned his head, pretending to look at the scenery outside.

"Those without emotion are not necessarily true heroes; they have simply not reached the point of sorrow."

The tearful Zhu Yan was a particularly real man.

The car entered the Provincial Party School. Hou Weidong attended to Zhu Yan’s every need, and soon all the procedures were completed. During the registration, they met many young people, likely staff brought by leaders attending the study class. They all looked sharp and capable. Upon meeting, they nodded in greeting. When waiting in line, they exchanged a few words. Hou Weidong did not say he was the Deputy Director of the New Management Committee, but only that he was a secretary. Given his age, the others believed him.

This session of the training class for reserve department-level cadres had only twenty students, all of whom held real power. The Party School assigned each student a single room and provided items like desk lamps. The conditions were much better than those of the Young Cadres Training Class.

"Secretary Zhu, here are the meal tickets."

"Put them on the table."

Zhu Yan did not bother with the meal tickets. He sat under the desk lamp, casually flipping through the textbooks. Seeing many books on economics, he said, "Looking at the textbooks, you can see that our country is still centered on economic construction. This move is well-grasped. It seems the Central Committee’s determination has not changed. Deng Xiaoping grasped the root: development is the absolute principle. Without development, everything else is empty." He then added, "I have given you the platform of the New Management Committee. Whether you are a donkey or a horse, you will only know when you are put to the test."

Hou Weidong was thinking of something else. He said, "Secretary Zhu, the conditions at the Party School are acceptable, but they are a bit worse than outside hotels. I heard from a friend that there is a four-star hotel nearby. Do you need to rent a room on a long-term basis?"

Zhu Yan shook his head. "Do not worry unnecessarily. Once at the Party School, you must act like a student. I like this environment."

Since receiving the notice of study, many people had taken the opportunity to curry favor with Zhu Yan. Several had offered to book long-term rooms for him in five-star hotels, but he had declined them all.

Hou Weidong then took out a set of keys. "Secretary Zhu, Secretary Ji asked me to bring these car keys and fuel book. It is a black Nissan, one year old, so it is practically new. The condition is very good, and it is parked downstairs." Ji Haiyang had mentioned this to Zhu Yan. Considering that having no car was indeed inconvenient, Zhu Yan had agreed.

After 3:00 PM, all miscellaneous matters were settled. The newly purchased laptop could access the internet. Hou Weidong applied for an email address for Zhu Yan and sent a letter to Zhu Mei.

At the time of parting, Zhu Yan saw Hou Weidong to the door. His expression suddenly softened. He shook hands and said, "Thank you. I have not seen Zhu Mei this happy for many years."

"When I return to Shazhou, I will help Zhu Mei access the chat room. You and Zhu Mei can communicate there."

Zhu Yan sighed, "The internet has truly changed people’s lives. I never thought I could chat with Meimei in this way."

He changed the subject, saying, "Understand. Do not interfere."