Chapter 355: Waiting (Part 1)

After the symposium, there was no further word from Secretary Changquan. Although the selection of a secretary was nominally a two-way choice, the reality was starkly different. There was only one Municipal Party Secretary, yet countless candidates vying for the position. Given that Secretary Changquan was a man of his word and held absolute authority, the initiative lay one hundred percent in his hands.

Since Hou Weidong had spoken at the Youth Forum, he had lost any opportunity to appear before Secretary Changquan. The situation felt like flying a kite: he had just launched it into the sky, only for the string to snap with a sharp twang. Where the kite would drift from there was entirely beyond his control.

Yang Liu was deeply concerned about the matter. She diligently reported on the dynamics within the Municipal Party Committee General Office every day. On the afternoon of October 30, she called Hou Weidong again.

"Director Hou, you need to stay vigilant," she warned. "There are many young people in the Municipal Committee compound engaging in behind-the-scenes maneuvering. They all have connections, whether overt or covert, and their competitiveness is fierce. You cannot afford to be complacent."

The General Office of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee housed numerous internal departments, including the General Duty Room, Comprehensive Section, Secretarial Section, Personnel Section, Information Section, Documentation Section, Confidentiality Section, Policy Research Office, Supervision Office, History and Local Chronicles Office, State Secrecy Bureau, Cryptography Administration, Petition Bureau, and the Reception Office for the Municipal Party Committee and Government. The young staff in these departments had been selected from various regions. While many were connected through personal networks, there were also hidden elites among them. Having served in the General Office for some time, they fully understood what it meant to become Secretary Changquan’s secretary. Like pigs rooting forward and chickens scratching backward, everyone was using every trick in the book to find their way in.

Directly in front of the General Office was a medium-sized square where tireless elderly women danced daily. One evening, as night fell, a particularly observant old woman suddenly exclaimed, "Has something happened in Shazhou? Look at all the people working overtime in the Municipal Committee building."

She counted the lit windows. Aside from the usual duty room, nearly twenty offices were illuminated.

"There must be something major going on," the observant woman declared. Having lived through the Cultural Revolution, although it had ended more than twenty years ago, a string of vigilance remained taut in her mind. Seeing the Municipal Committee working late into the night, she lost interest in dancing, picked up her bag, and headed home early.

"What a neurotic," scoffed the organizer of the square dance, a sharp-tongued woman from the neighborhood committee. She was displeased that the old woman had left early. Muttering toward the Municipal Committee building, she added, "They don’t work seriously during the day, so they come to work overtime at night, wasting the state’s electricity."

Yang Liu worked in the Comprehensive Section, a department well-connected to information flows. Because she was so dedicated to gathering intelligence for Hou Weidong, these minor details did not escape her notice.

Hearing Yang Liu’s advice, Hou Weidong replied with a sigh of frustration, "They have the advantage of proximity; I can only wait."

"Director Hou, why don’t you speak to Secretary Huang again?" Yang Liu suggested.

Hou Weidong joked, "Perhaps a pie will fall from the sky."

Three more days passed with no news. Secretary Changquan seemed to have forgotten the matter entirely. Hou Weidong went to see Huang Zidi again.

"Secretary Changquan has too much on his plate," Huang Zidi explained. "The Third Plenary Session of the 15th Central Committee has just concluded. He went to the Provincial Party School to study the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Agriculture and Rural Work. Since returning, he has been focused on how to implement these policies in Shazhou. He hasn’t mentioned selecting a secretary at all."

Huang Zidi was willing to help. If successful, he would have his own person close to Secretary Changquan, which would facilitate many matters. However, precisely because he was the Deputy Secretary, he could not be too active in recommending a secretary, or it might backfire. Knowing how to balance this degree was a mark of a leader’s skill.

Feeling extremely frustrated, Hou Weidong drove aimlessly around Shazhou. When he returned to the entrance of Xinyue Lane, the sidewalk slabs were being replaced. The driver was not paying attention, kicking up a lot of dirt onto the street. Urban management officers in black uniforms stopped dirty vehicles to issue fines. The drivers refused to comply, and both sides argued heatedly, pointing at the marks on the cars.

After driving around, the only thing that held Hou Weidong’s attention was the argument between the urban management officers and the drivers. Once the driver was subdued, Hou Weidong lost all interest. He called Xiaojia. Her attitude was pleasant.

"I’m sitting by Tianchi Lake," she said. "The scenery is truly beautiful. The lake is like a giant mirror."

Hou Weidong replied with a mix of annoyance and affection, "You’re having fun in Xinjiang, while your husband suffers in Shazhou."

By the picturesque Tianchi Lake, the view stretched endlessly. The sky was exceptionally pure blue, with fluffy white clouds floating and slowly shifting shapes in the breeze. Beneath the clouds rose mountains capped with snow peaks, stretching continuously. At the foot of the mountains stood golden forests, standing out distinctly.

"Husband, you should also put aside your mundane affairs and come here to experience nature. Your soul will be nurtured. Moving from the Construction Commission to the Landscape Bureau was truly a wise choice."

Judging from Xiaojia’s tone, Hou Weidong asked, "Are you alone?"

"Sister Zhou is still playing mahjong. We came to such a beautiful place as Tianchi, yet she spends all day playing mahjong and sleeping in. It’s boring." Although Xiaojia also enjoyed mahjong, she was captivated by the beautiful scenery at Tianchi. When Zhou Ping and the others set up their mahjong battlefield in the hotel, Xiaojia walked outside alone to appreciate the stunning views.

"If you weren’t my wife, I’d suspect you and Zhou Ping were lesbians."

Xiaojia spat playfully. "I maintain a good relationship with Sister Zhou for two reasons. First, she is genuinely a good person and a caring older sister. Second, by getting along with her, we will have one more person to look out for us after we transfer to Maoyun."

Seizing the opportunity, Hou Weidong said, "Secretary Changquan is selecting a secretary. Secretary Zhu suggested I compete for the position, and I am considering it."

Xiaojia was surprised. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If this can be achieved, it would naturally be a good thing. But what are the chances?"

"I visited Huang Zidi this morning. He agreed to help, but this is different from other matters. Secretary Changquan’s own opinion is the most important."

Upon hearing this, Xiaojia lost interest in sightseeing. "Our trip ends the day after tomorrow. We originally planned to take the train, but I won’t. I’ll book a flight immediately and return as soon as possible."

Hou Weidong chatted with Xiaojia for over twenty minutes until his phone grew warm before hanging up.

Meanwhile, Yang Liu sat in her office, making phone calls continuously. The latest issue of Decision Reference had just been printed. This was an internal document to be placed on Secretary Changquan’s desk, published monthly. Yang Liu had not been in the Comprehensive Section of the Municipal Party Committee General Office for long, and this was the first time she had seen this internal publication. She flipped through its contents and immediately formed a plan.

However, after calling Hou Weidong nearly ten times, his line was always busy. Just as she finally got through, Deputy Secretary-General Zeng Yong entered her office.

Hou Weidong saw it was Yang Liu’s call and smiled. "Yang Liu, what’s the new situation?"

But Yang Liu did not answer the question. Instead, she spoke in a formal, business-like tone, "Please submit the relevant materials tomorrow afternoon. I will wait for you in my office. Goodbye."

She hung up and stood up. "Hello, Secretary-General Zeng."

Zeng Yong appeared to be in his fifties. Due to long hours sitting in the office and lack of exercise, he had a very thick double chin. When he smiled, he resembled the Buddha of Maitreya. "It’s nothing, sit down," he said kindly. "Are you getting used to working in the Municipal Party Committee General Office?"

Yang Liu remained standing. "The colleagues in the section are very helpful. If I don’t understand something, I ask them."

Zeng Yong nodded with his thick chin. "The General Office serves the leadership directly. The work style must be rigorous. Know what you know, and admit what you don’t. Do not pretend to understand what you don’t. If you have any questions, you can ask me directly."

After Zeng Yong left, Yang Liu sat in her office, pondering his words. She felt confused and couldn’t quite grasp the meaning. She called Hou Weidong again.

"Director Hou, I’m sorry. It wasn’t convenient to speak earlier."

"I guessed as much, so I didn’t call back."

"I remember you once said that dealing with smart people is the easiest. I deeply agree now," she said. "Just now, I saw the internal publication Decision Reference printed by the General Office. Each issue is sent directly to Secretary Changquan’s desk. If we can find a way to get something published in this internal journal, it would definitely be beneficial."

"That’s too difficult," Hou Weidong replied. "I am currently at the County Science and Technology Commission. I have neither outstanding achievements nor major mistakes, so it’s hard to get into Decision Reference."

"The New Management Committee ranks first in the Shazhou Development Zone. That is your achievement."

"The New Management Committee has already done the work for others."

Yang Liu said indignantly, "Some people just pick up fallen peaches. Without Director Hou attracting so many enterprises, the New Management Committee wouldn’t be where it is today."

Although Hou Weidong did not adopt Yang Liu’s suggestion, it opened up his thinking. He recalled that Yang Teng, the Chief of the Information Section in the Municipal Party Committee General Office, had once mentioned that Secretary Changquan’s first thing every morning in the office was to read the People’s Daily, the Lingxi Daily, and the Shazhou Daily. This was an unshakable habit.

With an idea in mind, Hou Weidong immediately contacted Wang Hui from the Lingxi Daily. He then withdrew 50,000 yuan in cash from the bank. Upon arriving in Lingxi, he bought a new Nokia mobile phone at the postal hall outside the Jinxing Hotel.

At 5:30 PM, he waited for Wang Hui in the Chinese restaurant of the Jinxing Hotel.

Wang Hui entered the magnificent restaurant and asked, "Director Hou, what’s the matter that you rushed over from Yiyang in such a hurry?"

Hou Weidong handed Wang Hui a cigarette and smiled. "I have a good idea to share with you, Director Wang."

After a few pleasantries, Hou Weidong said, "Director Wang, I wouldn’t come if I didn’t have a purpose. I’d like to ask you to do another report. It is November 1998. The Asian financial crisis has had a profound impact on our country this year. The State Council has introduced a series of policies to stimulate domestic demand, aiming to promote domestic economic development. How the sixteen development zones in Lingxi have operated this year, what successful experiences they have gained, and what problems have arisen—this should be a very good topic."

This topic happened to be Wang Hui’s key focus for November. He secretly admired, Hou Weidong has good insight. If he did journalism, he would be excellent. Outwardly, however, he said, "You work at the County Science and Technology Commission. The New Management Committee seems to have little to do with you, doesn’t it?"