Chapter 368: Reception (Middle)

Shanghuan, an officialdom novel you cannot afford to miss.

Director Yi Zhongda of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department said to Hou Weidong, "When I went home for the Spring Festival, the village cadres spoke highly of Director Hou. They all gave him a thumbs-up."

His words were half true and half false. During that Spring Festival, he had stayed at home and shared meals with his cousins, Yi Zhongcheng and Yi Zhongling. The conversation occasionally turned to Hou Weidong. Yi Zhongcheng, having had a few drinks, became emotional and cursed Hou Weidong out in front of the other cousins. Yi Zhongda had remembered Hou Weidong at that moment. However, upon learning that Hou Weidong was now Zhou Changquan’s full-time secretary, Yi Zhongda’s suspicion of Yi Zhongcheng’s words grew to eighty percent.

Hou Weidong replied modestly, "At that time, during the demolition and relocation work, there were quite a few conflicts with the villagers of Sujiacun and several other villages. The village cadres provided significant support."

Yi Zhongda nodded. "I’ve heard about that matter. The New Management Committee handled it relatively well. The village organized several professional teams to work on projects within the New Management Committee. This is, in essence, a model of urbanization." He turned his gaze to Zhou Changquan and said, "Urban expansion and the interests of farmers are inherently contradictory. We must pay attention to this issue during the 'Three Speaks' campaign. Shazhou is a major economic city. If we can make breakthroughs in this area, it will drive development for the entire Lingxi Province. The Provincial Party Committee has high hopes for Shazhou."

Zhou Changquan nodded. "Deepening the education on party spirit and conduct, with the main content being 'Speak Learning, Speak Politics, Speak Righteousness,' ultimately aims to serve the people. The Shazhou Municipal Party Committee intends to use the 'Three Speaks' education as an opportunity to solve a batch of problems that hinder development and affect people's livelihoods. We are currently conducting a thorough investigation to identify specific issues. We will concentrate our efforts to resolve a batch of them."

That evening, the municipal leading cadres of Shazhou held a "Three Speaks" work meeting in the Municipal Party Committee conference room. The members of the Yi Supervision Group did not attend this meeting, as it was an internal work session.

The meeting had two agenda items. First, Comrade Zhao Dong, Director of the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department and Director of the Leading Group Office for the "Three Speaks" Campaign, reported on the preliminary work of the education campaign. Second, Zhou Changquan delivered a speech.

The draft for Zhou Changquan’s speech had been assigned to Hou Weidong at noon, with the requirement that the draft be ready by six o’clock. The topic was "Fully Recognize the Importance of the 'Three Speaks' Education," and the speech was prepared for a duration of half an hour.

Since the incident that had left him cold with sweat, Hou Weidong had spent every day carefully studying Zhou Changquan’s drafts. He had gained some insights into Zhou’s writing style, preferences, and the issues he focused on. After the "Three Speaks" campaign began, he put in considerable effort, meticulously collecting important speeches on the "Three Speaks" and speeches by leaders from other regions.

Due to his thorough preparation, Hou Weidong was not particularly nervous. He had seventeen speeches by major provincial leaders on "Three Speaks Education" at his disposal. He selected a speech delivered by the Provincial Party Secretary at a provincial agency, combined it with Zhou Changquan’s habitual line of thinking, and wrote a decent-looking article. After repeated revisions, he handed the speech draft to Zhou Changquan at the small guesthouse.

Zhou Changquan had a small building at the small guesthouse, where he usually rested or received important guests. After receiving the draft, he instructed, "Have the kitchen prepare a few dishes, keep them light. We’ll work overtime here today."

Hou Weidong stood on the ground floor, watching Zhou Changquan slowly walk up to the second floor with his glasses and the article. He felt quite anxious. This was the second time he had written a major article for Secretary Changquan. The first time, he had relied on Wang Hui’s help; this time, it depended entirely on his own skills. He waited anxiously, as if he were taking an interview.

Zhu Dajiang, the director of the small guesthouse, walked in. With a beaming smile, he offered Hou Weidong a cigarette and reported, "Tonight, we have arranged a local chicken soup. It’s an authentic free-range chicken caught from the countryside, slow-cooked in a clay pot. Absolutely authentic. We also have a braised carp, a cold dish of enoki mushrooms, and a stir-fried lettuce. These are all dishes Secretary Changquan likes."

Seeing that Hou Weidong did not respond, Zhu Dajiang continued, "There aren’t many dishes. Secretary Changquan has strict requirements. If we arrange too much meat and fish, he will criticize us. These dishes are light and suit Secretary Changquan’s taste."

Hou Weidong felt uncomfortable hearing Zhu Dajiang call him "Secretary Changquan" with such familiarity and ease. He thought to himself, "Those who call him Secretary Changquan are usually leading cadres of a comparable rank. Zhu Dajiang is elevating his own status by calling him that." Then he thought again, "Zhu Dajiang and I are both serving the leadership. Why should I be allowed to call him Secretary Changquan, but he shouldn’t?"

Zhu Dajiang was also observing this new secretary. Seeing that he spoke little and appeared steady, Zhu Dajiang felt that Hou Weidong was deep and thoughtful. He thought to himself, "This gentleman seems difficult to please. I’ll have to put in some effort to win him over." He said eagerly, "Secretary Hou, the Spring Festival is coming. The small guesthouse has prepared some New Year goods for all the leaders, including sausages and cured meat. They are all from designated grain-fed pigs, absolutely green and environmentally friendly. You don’t need to prepare anything at home."

At 6:40, Zhou Changquan had not yet come down from the second floor. Hou Weidong was anxious, unsure if his article would pass. Zhu Dajiang, unaware of the situation, stuck to Hou Weidong’s side, making small talk constantly, which annoyed Hou Weidong, but he could not show his irritation.

He pretended to take out a speech draft from half a year ago and read it carefully. Seeing this, Zhu Dajiang said, "Secretary Hou, you go ahead with your work. I’ll go check on the kitchen."

At 6:50, Hou Weidong was called up to the second floor.

Zhou Changquan took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and placed the draft on the table. There were many elegant running script annotations on it, indicating the changes he had made.

Seeing the draft covered in corrections, Hou Weidong’s heart tightened. He thought to himself, "If it doesn’t pass, it will be terrible." Zhou Changquan rubbed his face and said, "Xiao Hou, to write such a speech draft in half a day, you used…"

Hou Weidong then noticed that in the upper right corner of the draft, two characters were signed: "Usable."

Zhou Changquan paused for a moment and said, "Xiao Hou, I have high requirements for full-time secretaries. Carrying bags is something most people can do. You cannot stay at that level. You must understand politics. For example, under the current circumstances, what issues should you master and understand? Have you thought about it?"

Hou Weidong did not expect Secretary Changquan to suddenly bring up this issue. He shook his head honestly.

"In a large city like ours, things may seem calm on the surface, but there are undercurrents. As the full-time secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, you must have a keen political mind."

"Have you understood any important information from the 'Three Speaks' Office recently?"

"Do you know the views and requirements of the current supervision group?"

"Have you paid attention to the main activities of the municipal leaders during the 'Three Speaks' campaign?"

Hou Weidong indeed had not understood these situations. He said with a flush of embarrassment, "Secretary Zhou, I have not fully understood these matters, but I will definitely clarify them in the future."

Zhou Changquan said earnestly, "You must remember that real society is very complex. Class struggle can appear at all levels of society. As the Secretary of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee, I absolutely cannot let my guard down. The 'Three Speaks' education is a major issue concerning party conduct and government style. While doing this work well, we must also prevent people with ulterior motives from causing trouble. You are a full-time secretary. I do not want you to be a bag-carrying secretary, but a secretary with political sensitivity."

Zhou Changquan spoke solemnly, and Hou Weidong listened with a start. He thought to himself, "Could Secretary Changquan have heard something?"

Zhou Changquan then shifted the topic back to the draft. "The speech draft is still good. Print out the content I added. Speaking of politics, implementing it in Shazhou means speaking of unity. This is the focus of today’s speech." At this moment, Zhu Dajiang personally brought the food with the waiters. Hou Weidong had no time to eat. He took the draft and went to the computer room of the small guesthouse, which was equipped with a typing room, prepared specifically for Zhou Changquan.

Hou Weidong carefully read the draft and breathed a sigh of relief. The main content of the draft had not been modified. The modifications were concentrated in the section on "Speaking Politics." Zhou Changquan particularly emphasized that the overall situation in Shazhou was good. All of Shazhou should revolve around the work of the Municipal Party Committee, speak of the big picture, understand the general interest, and create a stable, united, and positive working environment.

"Is there someone who is not united?" Seeing this draft, Hou Weidong could not help but have some doubts.

That evening, at the conference venue, Zhou Changquan initially followed the draft, but soon he abandoned it and focused on talking about "Speaking Politics."

"Carrying out the current education campaign well is speaking politics."

"Maintaining stability and unity in Shazhou is speaking politics."

"All municipal leaders working around the Municipal Party Committee, focusing wholeheartedly on development, is speaking politics."

"During the 'Three Speaks' period, identifying problems must be based on seeking truth from facts. It must conform to the reality of Shazhou. We cannot be overly critical or draw unwarranted conclusions. We must make the Provincial Party Committee trust us and make the people of the whole city trust us."

"Whoever disrupts the stable and united political situation is the most politically insensitive."

Zhou Changquan spoke with extreme seriousness. The entire hall was silent.

Hou Weidong attended the meeting as a non-voting delegate. Looking at Zhou Changquan’s stern yet commanding expression, and the solemn expressions of the many municipal leaders, he thought to himself, "Could someone really be taking advantage of the 'Three Speaks' to challenge Secretary Changquan? It seems I need to contact Minister Su more actively. Otherwise, Secretary Changquan might think I am politically insensitive."

The meeting ended at ten o’clock. When he returned home, Xiaojia said, "The 'Three Speaks' is just a formality. Why do they have to take it so seriously?" Hou Weidong, thinking about what had happened at the meeting, said, "This is a matter of superstructure. It has no significance for us, but for senior leading cadres, it is a major issue."

The next day, Hou Weidong found time to call Su Mingjun. "Brother Su, the 'Three Speaks' Office has collected a lot of opinions. I want to come over to understand the situation."

Su Mingjun was the Executive Deputy Director of the Organization Department and also the Deputy Director of the "Three Speaks Leading Group Office," so he was in charge of this area. He hesitated and said, "These materials are very sensitive. In principle, they must be kept confidential and not leaked. I will make an exception only for a brother. Come over at noon." Su Mingjun’s mind was as clear as a mirror. Hou Weidong represented Zhou Changquan, so these materials naturally could not be kept secret from the Municipal Party Committee Secretary. However, he still spoke very diplomatically.