Chapter 308: Where to Go From Here (Part 2)

Chapter 308: Where to Go From Here (Part 2)

After touring the exhibition hall, Bu Gao earnestly invited the members of the new Management Committee to dinner. Hou Weidong, after a polite initial refusal, readily accepted.

The dinner was held in the Chinese restaurant of the Shazhou Hotel. The food was merely average, but the ambiance was excellent. In a large hall decorated in a classical style, the senior executives of Bu Gao Company and the members of the new Management Committee sat around a massive round table. This was the hotel’s most expensive table, capable of seating twenty-five people. Those sitting opposite each other had to raise their voices to be heard.

Bu Gao raised a glass of red wine and said, “It is better to meet by chance than by invitation. It is my honor to have the leaders of the new Management Committee here today.”

Xiaoman sat beside Bu Gao with the grace of a lady from a distinguished family. The weather remained cold; although the room was air-conditioned, it was still chilly. She wore a high-necked sweater that accentuated her figure, though her complexion had a slight bluish tint, indicating she was cold.

The young men in the new Management Committee were undoubtedly drawn to Xiaoman. Their eyes quickly shifted from Bu Gao to her. The new Management Committee was considered one of the more open units in Yiyang, and there were beautiful women like Yang Liu within the organization. However, those women were amateurs compared to Xiaoman, a professional beauty.

Hou Weidong had previously endured more severe tests from women of similar caliber, so his resistance was stronger. His gaze did not linger on Xiaoman. After delivering his words of thanks, he began to battle a plate of braised rabbit heads on the table with the tenacious spirit of the women’s national volleyball team. Braised rabbit heads were usually considered too informal for such a setting, but the head chef at Shazhou Hotel had prepared them to be incredibly flavorful. It was an anomaly among the hotel’s dishes. He gnawed on two, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

Xiaojia, seeing her husband’s unrefined eating manners, secretly kicked him under the table. Hou Weidong ignored her and even enthusiastically served one to Deputy Director Zhang Jin.

After dinner, Bu Gao invited the new Management Committee members to sing karaoke. This time, Xiaoman’s professional skills left everyone thoroughly impressed. After enjoying her voice, which was as sweet as an oriole’s song, the large private room fell silent. The reason was simple: the others felt inferior and dared not take the stage to sing.

Hou Weidong and Xiaojia, acting as hosts, noticed the awkward silence. They proactively sang a song called “Heart Rain” to break the ice. Subsequently, Yang Liu also sang a song.

Zhang Jin, Zhang Xiangyu, Shen Yonghua, and others refused to sing no matter what. They simply drank alongside the singers. The foreign liquor, mixed with soft drinks, tasted very mild. Unaware of the price of the liquor, they drank continuously. Xiaojia knew the cost. Seeing a pile of foreign liquor bottles stacked in the corner, she took a moment to whisper to Hou Weidong, “This liquor is quite expensive. Drink less.”

Hou Weidong understood the situation and remained silent.

Bu Gao had sincerely invited his guests. With hundreds of millions of yuan invested in the new Management Committee, this amount was negligible. Seeing Zhang Jin and the others enjoying themselves, he encouraged the senior executives of Bu Gao Company to engage in drinking contests with the new Management Committee members. As a result, even more bottles of foreign liquor accumulated.

When the gathering ended, Bu Gao Company presented two bottles of Moutai to each member of the new Management Committee. The group then parted ways, slightly intoxicated.

By the time they returned to their home at Xinyue Tower, it was eleven o’clock.

“Husband, Bu Gao spent quite a bit today. I estimate he spent at least tens of thousands of yuan. That’s enough for an ordinary family in Shazhou to live on for more than a year.”

Hou Weidong said, “Current policy has a principle: do not put money in your own pocket. Eating and drinking are normal. Letting the subordinates gain some minor benefits makes it easier to direct them.”

Xiaojia tilted her head, looking at Hou Weidong. “Husband, you’ve changed a lot since graduating from school. In the past, you were also angry about these things. I remember when you reported to the Yiyang Personnel Bureau, you came back and fiercely criticized corrupt behavior.”

“Was I angry?” Hou Weidong had nearly run his legs off dealing with the reporting process back then. Although he still remembered the incident, his resentment had long since faded.

Xiaojia then posed a bigger question. “Bu Gao’s ideal is to make money. What are you working so hard for? For example, why didn’t you go home for the Spring Festival? Why did you follow Secretary Zhu around to pay New Year visits? Is it just to become an official? And if so, what is the purpose of being an official? What are your principles and ideals?”

“Principles and ideals? I haven’t thought about those words in a long time.”

Hou Weidong smoked a cigarette while pondering Xiaojia’s question. He thought to himself, “When I was in Qinglin, I constantly thought about transferring to the Qinglin Town Government. When I was Deputy Mayor of Qinglin Town, I often thought about transferring back to Shazhou. Now that I am the Director of the new Management Committee, and my income is not bad, what am I rushing around for?”

He smiled self-deprecatingly. “In middle school politics classes, the first chapter was about establishing a correct outlook on life and the world. Many high-level corrupt officials, when writing letters of repentance, always mention that their outlook on life and the world was distorted. It seems that outlook on life and the world are indeed important.”

“I, why don’t I have a correct outlook on life and the world? Then what is the point of all this busyness?”

Seeing that Hou Weidong was genuinely beginning to contemplate this major issue of right and wrong, Xiaojia laughed. “Husband, I was just asking casually. Don’t overthink it. In today’s society, who really talks about ideals and principles? Everyone is just moving along with inertia.”

Hou Weidong was still thinking about philosophical issues. Xiaojia had not expected her casual remark to cause her husband to fall into deep thought. Generally, people who are deep in thought do not chat well, and chatting is important to women. She proactively peeled a well-presented mandarin orange for Hou Weidong and said, “Husband, stop frowning. Eat a mandarin orange to sober up.”

Seeing Hou Weidong habitually reach for his teacup, Xiaojia immediately stopped him. “You can’t drink tea after drinking alcohol. I’ve told you so many times, and you still can’t remember.”

Hou Weidong had no choice but to take the mandarin orange. As he ate, he said, “It would be better if mandarin oranges were produced in summer. Winter is too cold, which affects the appetite.”

“Aren’t there summer oranges?”

“Summer oranges don’t taste good.”

Hou Weidong was still pondering matters in his mind, but his thoughts quickly shifted from metaphysical issues to practical problems. “Zhu Yan has left. What should I do?” Ideals and principles could be set aside for the moment, but immediate practical issues had to be addressed. No matter who became the County Party Secretary, the political landscape of Yiyang would change. As the favorite of the former County Party Secretary, his days would likely not be easy.

Although Zhu Yan was being promoted, he would become the Deputy Secretary of the Maoyun Prefecture Party Committee. Regarding matters in Yiyang, he could only offer friendly assistance, lacking the power to determine fate.

At least, before being transferred to Maoyun, he had to independently support the situation. Thinking of these difficulties, the distant and important issues of outlook on life and the world were naturally pushed to the back of his mind. Ideals could not overcome reality, and principles always yielded in the face of difficulties.

He said to Xiaojia, “I want to invite Minister Su and Sister Zhao to travel to Shanghai together. We’ll have fun for two days and then return to work.”

Xiaojia was somewhat surprised. “We paid New Year visits to them during the Spring Festival. Why invite the couple to Shanghai again?”

“Bu Gao spent money for projects in Yiyang. In fact, even if he hadn’t spent this money, the new Management Committee would have served him diligently. Bu Gao is the first to eat the crab. The new Management Committee will try to let him make money, so as to attract other investors.”

He analyzed, “But Bu Gao won’t think this way. This is a project worth hundreds of millions. He cannot simply rely on the self-discipline of the new Management Committee. He prefers to spend a little money to win the support of the new Management Committee. This is the shrewdest approach for a businessman.”

“My main purpose in inviting Su Mingjun to Shanghai is to further strengthen our relationship. Relationships are like forging iron; the more you hammer, the better. I have reached my current position mainly relying on Zhu Yan, but relying on just one person is dangerous. Even the ancients knew that a cunning rabbit has three burrows. I need to build more connections. This is a need for survival.”

Xiaojia understood Hou Weidong’s approach. She and Sister Zhao were long-time card-playing partners. Although it was late, she called her. Speaking directly, she said, “Sister Zhao, are you free these two days? Our two families want to go to Shanghai for two days. If we don’t go now, I might as well go back to school.”

They chatted and joked on the phone for a while before hanging up. Xiaojia said, “It’s settled. The flight is at seven o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”

Xiaojia had previously served as Deputy Director of the Construction Committee and was familiar with Sister Li at the flight agency. She immediately called Sister Li. Sister Li was also a night owl, currently engaged in a fierce mahjong battle. Upon hearing Xiaojia’s call, she readily took care of the arrangements.

Early the next morning, the Mitsubishi car of the Yiyang new Management Committee arrived in Shazhou. The two families had lunch in Lingxi and then rushed to the airport.

The trip to Shanghai was colorful. Xiaojia and Sister Zhao lingered in various large shopping malls. In terms of shopping skills, men could not compare with women. Hou Weidong and Su Mingjun felt their feet were heavy as lead, while the two women showed no signs of fatigue.

By the time they returned to Lingxi, their luggage consisted of two large bags, mostly filled with clothes for Sister Zhao and Su Tang’er. Although Su Mingjun was tired, seeing his wife and daughter happy made him happy. Back in Shazhou, he insisted on treating Hou Weidong to a meal at Shuilukong, located next to Xinyue Tower. Hou Weidong politely declined once before accepting.

After a few drinks, the two naturally turned the conversation to officialdom. This topic was the excitement point for officials.

“The County Party Secretary of Yiyang can grow. Zhu Yan has a good reputation, and his promotion is only a matter of time. I heard that the province is about to adjust a batch of prefectural leadership teams. If my judgment is correct, Zhu Yan should be able to move up. However, opportunities in Shazhou are not many. He will likely be assigned elsewhere. The biggest adjustments in the prefectural leadership teams are in Maoyun Prefecture and Wangling Prefecture. He will probably go to one of these two places.”

Su Mingjun was the Executive Deputy Director of the Organization Department of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee. He was well-informed and familiar with organizational work. Although he did not know Zhu Yan’s exact destination, he guessed correctly within a small margin of error.

Hou Weidong humbly sought advice. “I was previously Secretary Zhu’s secretary. After Secretary Zhu leaves, my days might not be easy.”

Su Mingjun said, “Ma Caicai and Zhu Yan were never on the same page. If Zhu Yan is really transferred, your situation is indeed somewhat awkward. However, it is not a big deal. If there are real problems, strive to transfer to Shazhou, although your position might be slightly reduced.”

As the Executive Deputy Director of the Organization Department, Su Mingjun was always careful with his words, ensuring they were watertight. Speaking to this extent was already quite generous.