Chapter 349: The Trip to Maoyun (Part 1)

Chapter 349: The Trip to Maoyun (Part 1)

*Author’s Note:* Apologies for the error in the previous chapter. Huang Zidi has already been promoted to Deputy Secretary. This correction is made thanks to the reader “Duty Room Resident” for pointing it out. Additionally, due to the fast pace required for online serialization, mistakes are inevitable. A thorough revision will be conducted after the book concludes to correct all errors, which will also facilitate publication. We appreciate your patience and understanding regarding these temporary inaccuracies.

It took Yang Liu only ten minutes to draft the briefing. She titled it “Strengthening Scientific and Technological Work, Implementing the Strategy of a Strong County through Science and Technology.” Throughout the text, she repeatedly used phrases such as “Secretary Huang believes,” “Secretary Huang points out,” “Secretary Huang requires,” and “Secretary Huang emphasizes.”

Huang Zidi reviewed the draft and said, “The topic selection is acceptable, and your writing skills are decent, but it is not an outstanding piece. It barely passes.”

Hearing this evaluation, Yang Liu felt a surge of nervousness.

Su Mingjun, being familiar with Huang Zidi, understood his implication immediately. He said, “Yang Liu, once you join the Municipal Party Committee office, you must study hard and strive to improve your capabilities.”

Yang Liu replied nervously, “I will certainly strengthen my studies, enhance my personal cultivation, and improve my overall quality.” These were standard phrases often found in mid-term and year-end summaries. Hearing her say them so seriously made Huang Zidi, Su Mingjun, and Hou Weidong laugh.

After the meal, Su Mingjun suggested, “Secretary Huang, it is still early. Shall we arrange some entertainment?”

It was well known in the Shazhou political circle that Huang Zidi enjoyed playing mahjong. However, while most people had heard of this habit, only a select few were qualified to sit at the table with him. Hearing Su Mingjun’s suggestion, Huang Zidi nodded and said, “Let’s go to the Finance Bureau. The environment there is better.”

Before they arrived, Hou Weidong had already instructed Yang Liu. He knew they would definitely play mahjong after dinner and that she did not need to participate. Seeing the subtle glance Hou Weidong gave her, Yang Liu took the opportunity to bid farewell to Huang Zidi and Su Mingjun.

At the Finance Hotel, Director Lao Kong was already waiting in the lobby downstairs. He was short and stout, yet carried an air of authority. A tall man sat respectfully beside him. As soon as Huang Zidi and the others appeared, Lao Kong bounced up like a rubber ball.

Seeing Lao Kong waiting downstairs, Hou Weidong felt a twinge of realization. He thought to himself, “Last time we played cards at the Finance Hotel, Huang Zidi was still the Secretary-General, and Director Kong waited for him in the Juxian Pavilion. Now that Huang Zidi has become Deputy Secretary, Director Kong waits in the main lobby. These people are truly pragmatic.”

Hou Weidong had previously visited the Finance Hotel with Zhu Yan, but Lao Kong had long forgotten him. Upon hearing that Hou Weidong was the Director of the Science and Technology Commission of Yiyang County, Lao Kong still shook his hand warmly. As the “God of Wealth” of Shazhou, Lao Kong did not consider a county-level commission director to be a significant figure. However, Hou Weidong’s demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant, and since he had arrived with Huang Zidi and Su Mingjun, Lao Kong treated him with increased respect.

Hou Weidong’s interaction with Huang Zidi served two purposes: to help Yang Liu with her matters and to build rapport with the upper echelons of Shazhou. His recent experiences had taught him a clear lesson: under the current system in Lingxi, officials are appointed, meaning they must be accountable to their superiors. Therefore, maintaining good relationships with superiors was paramount for career advancement.

Once settled in the Juxian Pavilion, Hou Weidong quietly followed Huang Zidi to the restroom while the others were distracted. Without hesitation, he slipped an envelope containing twenty thousand yuan into Huang Zidi’s hand, saying, “Thank you, Secretary Huang, for your care and guidance over the years.” He then quickly left the restroom.

Huang Zidi touched the envelope. Based on his experience, he estimated it contained around twenty thousand yuan. After a brief hesitation, he tucked the envelope into his trouser pocket, thinking, “Hou Weidong has truly learned many tricks from serving as Zhu Yan’s secretary. Even his method of giving gifts is identical.” Because Hou Weidong was Zhu Yan’s confidant and had accompanied Zhu Yan on many gift-giving occasions, Huang Zidi did not harbor excessive suspicion, trusting Zhu Yan’s judgment.

Back in the Juxian Pavilion, the mahjong game was underway, with a starting bet of one hundred yuan. Huang Zidi noticed that Hou Weidong played with ease, losing over four thousand yuan without even blinking. He thought to himself, “Although this man is young, he truly possesses the demeanor of a seasoned general.”

At twelve o’clock, the sound of mahjong tiles finally ceased on the top floor of the Finance Hotel. Hou Weidong had lost over five thousand yuan in the end. Su Mingjun broke even, while Lao Kong suffered a heavy defeat. Huang Zidi won sixteen thousand yuan.

Hou Weidong and Su Mingjun returned to the Xinyue Building together. As they walked from the car to the courtyard, chatting along the way, Su Mingjun asked, “Staying in the position of Science and Technology Commission Director is not very meaningful. You must make a decision soon: either go to the Municipal Party Committee or go to Maoyun. You are twenty-seven or twenty-eight now; in a flash, you will be thirty. If you have not achieved a deputy county-level position by your thirties, your future development will slow down.”

Hou Weidong smiled and said, “Brother Su, your expectations of me are too high. I would be satisfied just reaching the county level.”

Su Mingjun shook his head. “You have good conditions and started early. You should take advantage of your youth to push upward. If you seize the right opportunities, it is not just a deputy county-level position you can aim for; even a municipal-level cadre position is within reach. The key lies in your own mindset.”

After seeing Su Mingjun off, Hou Weidong pondered his own situation again. He tossed and turned in bed, suffering from insomnia.

The next day, after giving a few instructions to Deputy Director Zhou Yongtai, Hou Weidong drove straight to Maoyun Prefecture. He wanted to seek Zhu Yan’s advice.

The urban construction in Maoyun Prefecture was significantly worse than in Shazhou. Hou Weidong entered the city and searched for a long time but could not find a decent hotel. He muttered, “Maoyun is still a prefecture-level city. How can it not have a single star-rated hotel?” Since making money from the quarry, Hou Weidong always insisted on staying in the best hotels when traveling. The level of hotel construction in a region often reflected its economic status. If the economy was poor, there would be few star-rated hotels, as they required not only high construction costs but also customers who could afford them. Eventually, he checked into the Maoyun Hotel. Although it bore a three-star sign, it barely met the three-star standards.

Sitting on the ninth floor of the Maoyun Hotel, Hou Weidong looked out at the city’s construction. He had always thought Shazhou looked shabby when he first arrived in Lingxi, but now that he was in Maoyun, he felt that Shazhou was actually quite decent.

While Hou Weidong was admiring the view from the window, Zhu Yan was attending a Standing Committee meeting. Upon receiving Hou Weidong’s call, he said, “I am in a meeting. Find a place to stay first.” Hou Weidong quickly replied, “I am staying at the Maoyun Hotel, Secretary Zhu. I don’t have any urgent matters; I just came to see you.”

After hanging up, Zhu Yan continued to listen solemnly to the speech of Zhe Ming, the Party Secretary of the Prefecture. Zhe Ming was the former Prefect and one of the only three remaining members of the previous Maoyun leadership team. The Party organization had highly praised his firm struggle against corrupt elements. However, among the local cadres in Maoyun, there was another narrative: they believed Zhe Ming was ungrateful, having sent his former leaders and several colleagues to prison.

Prefect Li Jianlin stared at his notebook, seemingly reading, yet appearing lost in thought. Originally a cadre from Maoyun, he had been transferred to work in the province for a period. With the recent incidents in Maoyun, he was transferred back. As he put it, this was his third time entering Maoyun. He had gradually learned the inside story of the major cases in Maoyun. Although Zhe Ming’s actions complied with Party discipline and national laws, Li Jianlin remained wary of such “Hai Rui-style” figures.

He glanced at Zhu Yan with the corner of his eye, meeting Zhu Yan’s gaze, but quickly looked away.

Li Jianlin coughed and said, “Regarding urban construction, I would like to add a few words. Maoyun’s urban development has lagged behind in recent years. Compared to surrounding regions, the gap is not narrowing but widening. Therefore, we are at a disadvantage in attracting investment. We can’t even present decent exhibition photos.”

Zhu Yan remained silent with a serious expression. Since coming to Maoyun, he had quickly realized that Zhe Ming and Li Jianlin held vastly different views on urban construction. Zhe Ming, a native cadre, advocated for prioritizing the renovation of Maoyun’s continuous shantytowns.

These shantytowns were densely populated areas of workers from bankrupt enterprises. Due to years of lack of maintenance, residents had built makeshift toilets and kitchens outside their homes, forming large-scale shantytowns. Living conditions were poor, with sewage flowing everywhere and garbage strewn about, barely surpassing the standards of the 1960s and 1970s.

Zhe Ming’s intention was to concentrate efforts on renovating these shantytowns to do something tangible for the common people.

In contrast, Prefect Li Jianlin did not advocate for the urgent renovation of shantytowns. He wanted to focus on building a new city first. Once the new city was established, the government’s financial strength would inevitably increase. At that time, residential areas could be built in the new city, thereby solving the shantytown problem entirely.

Zhe Ming had once said to Zhu Yan, “Some places engage in vanity projects and face-saving projects for the sake of their own promotions. Where is the concern for the common people in their hearts?”

When Li Jianlin and Zhu Yan attended a meeting in the province together, the old boss of the Qingda Group treated them to dinner. Observing the rapidly changing urban landscape of Lingxi, Li Jianlin remarked with emotion, “For Maoyun to develop, we must start with urban construction. The city is an important asset. Those who do not know how to operate the city are like beggars holding a golden bowl, becoming poorer the more they beg. Many cadres in Maoyun are still stuck in the mindset of offering small favors and have a strong complex for being ‘clean officials.’ This is a major obstacle to Maoyun’s development.”

Zhu Yan, of course, understood what Li Jianlin meant. As the Deputy Secretary in charge of organization, his position was critical. He was naturally a target for both Zhe Ming and Li Jianlin to win over. Aware of this, Zhu Yan tried to keep a balanced hand, maintaining neutrality to navigate the situation with greater ease.

Zhe Ming was a leader with great endurance. The Standing Committee meeting lasted until 1:30 PM. After the meeting, Zhu Yan was blocked at the door by Political Commissar Qu of the Public Security Bureau. A恶性 (vicious) case had emerged involving the principal and deputy heads of a police station colluding to extort criminal suspects. Commissar Qu had come to report the progress of the case to the Deputy Secretary in charge of organization.

Zhu Yan first called Hou Weidong, then instructed his secretary, “I have a friend staying at the Maoyun Hotel. I have matters to attend to at noon. Please treat him to lunch and let him rest well in Maoyun.”

Since arriving in Maoyun, Zhu Yan had changed secretaries once. The new secretary, Jiang Kun, had just been transferred from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Upon receiving Hou Weidong’s phone number, Jiang Kun knew that this person must have a special relationship with Zhu Yan and dared not neglect him. After making the call, he headed straight for the Maoyun Hotel.