Chapter 380: The Year-End Rush (Part 1)

*Author’s Note:*

Brother Lazy Cloud commented: "Haha! I actually waited for an update. I’ve been drinking until now and just finished vomiting. Out of habit, I came up to check and saw the update. Hahaha! Is Xiao Qiao also drinking until midnight and going home to type?"

Xiao Qiao replied with embarrassment: "Yesterday was a New Year’s gathering for a subordinate public institution. I drank quite a bit. After going home and vomiting, I felt refreshed and started updating. I finished at 2:30 AM. The Spring Festival wine… hahaha."

***

In the Mayor’s Office, Liu Bing said to Meng Houshi, "Look at this situation. I might be the most ineffectual mayor in Shazhou’s history. The government wants to appoint a Deputy Secretary-General for the Municipal Government, yet I am powerless to do so."

Meng Houshi smoked several cigarettes in succession. He smiled bitterly and said, "Yang Senlin is the current County Party Secretary. The Standing Committee’s consideration has its own logic."

Liu Bing raised his voice. "What logic is that? This is simply covering the sky with one hand. Yang Senlin would only serve as Deputy Secretary-General; it doesn’t require approval from the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department. I don’t see what the difficulty is."

He continued, "I’m speaking frankly, Old Meng. You are getting on in years. Stepping down is a matter of the next one or two years. I have my eye on Yang Senlin. Bringing him to the Municipal Government is to let him familiarize himself with the work, so he can take over your position in the next step."

"I’m afraid Secretary Chang Quan won’t agree to this plan. He has already asked Minister Zhao to arrange the candidate for Deputy Secretary-General."

Meng Houshi had indeed harbored the intention of bringing Yang Senlin to the Municipal Government, but he had never expected Liu Bing to raise the issue so suddenly, disrupting his entire plan.

Liu Bing’s sudden proposal at the Standing Committee meeting was well-considered. He said, "You mentioned yesterday that this was the intention of Secretary-General Jiang of the Provincial Party Committee. I didn’t expect the matter to be so complex. Contact Secretary-General Jiang immediately. If he is free, we will rush to Lingxi. I want to explain to Secretary-General Jiang in person."

As he spoke, he took out the Provincial Party Committee’s official directory and handed it to Meng Houshi.

Meng Houshi thought to himself, What does Liu Bing mean by this? He did not take the directory. Instead, he took out his mobile phone and said, "I have the number saved in my phone."

Liu Bing stared at Meng Houshi, urging him to contact Secretary-General Jiang.

In Shazhou, Zhou Changquan was like a tall tree, with deep roots and lush leaves. Liu Bing was like a shrub, always under the canopy of the tall tree. He wanted to use external forces to compete with Zhou Changquan.

This time, if Zhou Changquan yielded to the pressure from Deputy Secretary-General Jiang of the Provincial Party Committee, Liu Bing would tear a hole in Zhou Changquan’s authority. If Zhou Changquan resisted Deputy Secretary-General Jiang, then Zhou Changquan would gain an enemy, while Liu Bing would gain an ally.

As the senior Secretary-General of the Municipal Government, Meng Houshi also had reservations about Zhou Changquan’s excessive grip on power. He roughly guessed Liu Bing’s intent. After a slight hesitation, he called Deputy Secretary-General Jiang on the spot.

Deputy Secretary-General Jiang replied readily, "I have a meeting at four o’clock. I am available anytime before that."

Hearing the definite answer, a faint smile appeared on Liu Bing’s face. He checked his watch and said, "Time is of the essence. We will depart at eleven o’clock sharp. We will treat Secretary-General Jiang to lunch in Lingxi."

Back in his office, Meng Houshi called Deputy Secretary-General Jiang again to explain the full context.

Deputy Secretary-General Jiang was a direct subordinate of Zhu Jianguo. He handled matters that Zhu Jianguo could not appear in personally. Two years ago, when Yang Senlin wanted to become the Party Secretary of Yiyang County, Zhu Jianguo believed Yang Senlin was not yet mature. He wanted to let him temper himself further, so he let go completely and watched his rise and fall with a smile.

This time, Zhu Jianguo intended for Yang Senlin to succeed Old Meng. Therefore, Deputy Secretary-General Jiang had to intervene proactively.

Meng Houshi said, "Mayor Liu is too impatient. He brought this up at the Standing Committee meeting today, which makes things more difficult."

Deputy Secretary-General Jiang said, "Now that the process is clear, Old Meng, how do you view this matter?"

Meng Houshi tried to be objective. "Mayor Liu should have a say in the selection of the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government. Comrade Chang Quan has many strengths, but he holds too tightly to personnel matters. Sometimes he should loosen his grip; otherwise, it is difficult for the government to carry out its work."

Deputy Secretary-General Jiang did not comment on this. Instead, he changed the subject. "Old Meng, you don’t need to stay in the city anymore. Secretary Zhu has a good relationship with Director Ning of the Provincial Talent Office. He has spoken with Director Ning. After the Spring Festival, you will move to the Provincial People’s Congress. At the very least, you will retire at the departmental level. There are many veteran comrades in the Provincial People’s Congress, and the benefits are quite good."

Meng Houshi had known about this for a long time. He smiled and said, "I originally wanted to retire completely. Secretary Jianguo persuaded me to go to the Provincial People’s Congress. It seems I have to work for a few more years."

At twelve noon, Liu Bing and Meng Houshi arrived in Lingxi. They found a seafood restaurant and waited for Deputy Secretary-General Jiang. Liu Bing specifically asked Meng Houshi to bring a Lingxi Department Store shopping card with ten thousand yuan inside, as a Spring Festival greeting gift.

Since it was noon, Jiang, Liu, and Meng only drank one bottle of red wine. As they parted, Liu Bing shook Deputy Secretary-General Jiang’s hand and said sincerely, "Yiyang County leads other counties in economic and social development. As County Party Secretary, Yang Senlin has made significant contributions. I want to give him more responsibility and have him serve as Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government."

He added, "I will return and express my views to Secretary Chang Quan again, striving to gain his agreement and understanding."

Deputy Secretary-General Jiang said, "Government work is complex and involves many specific matters. A Deputy Secretary-General must be appointed." With that, he stopped speaking abruptly and said, "That’s all for today. I wish Mayor Liu a happy Spring Festival."

After seeing off Deputy Secretary-General Jiang, Meng Houshi returned to Shazhou.

Liu Bing’s home was in Lingxi, so he went directly home.

Lying half-reclined on the bed, Liu Bing casually flipped through the confidential directory of the Provincial Government. The people listed in the confidential directory were all leading cadres with certain ranks. He knew most of them. Although he knew many people, true confidants were few. Among these few confidants, those who could be relied upon were as rare as dinosaurs.

His gaze stopped on the name of Zheng Yulou, Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee General Office. At the beginning of the year, Zheng Yulou had already become Secretary-General, but in the old notebook, he was still listed as Deputy Secretary-General.

This Zheng Yulou had a good relationship with Liu Bing, and they often interacted.

When Zheng Yulou received Liu Bing’s call, he said, "Old Liu, are you alone? Since you are alone, listen to my advice today. Don’t compete anymore. If you keep pushing, you’ll be treating me like an outsider."

Just then, Vice Governor Qin Lu walked to the office door. Zheng Yulou hurriedly said, "It’s settled then. Seven o’clock, the top-floor restaurant of Jinxing Hotel. We’ll contact each other then."

At six-thirty in the evening, Liu Bing specifically chose a thick navy-blue suit and arrived early at Jinxing Hotel. This hotel was one of the best in Lingxi. Leaders from various places who came to Lingxi often liked to stay here. Hou Weidong had stumbled upon this hotel by chance, and since then, he had basically stayed here whenever he came to Lingxi.

When he reached the top-floor restaurant, a young man came to greet him. "Hello, Mayor Liu. I am Xiao Zhang from the Provincial Party Committee General Office. The Secretary-General asked me to wait for you here. Please this way."

As they walked, he explained, "I am from Shazhou. I have seen Mayor Liu on TV. Last time Mayor Liu came to the Provincial Government for a meeting, I served your group."

Liu Bing politely said, "Will you return to Shazhou for the Spring Festival? If you do, contact me."

Xiao Zhang smiled gently. "How could I dare to disturb Mayor Liu?"

Entering the private room, Zheng Yulou smiled and shook hands. "I was just about to call you when Governor Qin came to see me. I hung up in a hurry. Today is a gathering of friends. We are all familiar with each other. Ding Yuan from the Organization Department, Old Jiang from the Finance Department, and Old Zhu from Maoyun City. You should all know them."

When Liu Bing worked in the provincial organs, he had the most contact with Zheng Yulou. Now that Zheng Yulou was the Secretary-General of the Provincial Government, Liu Bing said politely, "Making the Secretary-General wait for me is embarrassing."

Zheng Yulou laughed. "We had a symposium here this afternoon. It ended at five o’clock, so I came directly." He added, "Old Liu, now that you are Mayor, why are you being so polite? Among those present today, you and Old Zhu are the major local officials, and your words carry weight. In the eyes of outsiders, I am a leader, but in the provincial organs, I am just a cadre doing miscellaneous work."

Ding Yuan and Old Jiang arrived one after another.

At seven o’clock, Zhu Yan finally rushed over. Upon entering, he said, "I’m really sorry. I was delayed by some matters and kept everyone waiting. I will punish myself with three cups."

Seeing Liu Bing from Shazhou, Zhu Yan paused slightly, but his expression quickly returned to normal. He said enthusiastically, "Mayor Liu, you are an old leader. Tonight, borrowing the Secretary-General’s wine, I want to toast you a few extra times."

The purpose of today’s gathering was to congratulate Zheng Yulou on his promotion from Deputy Secretary-General to Secretary-General. Although the difference between the principal and deputy positions was only half a step, the difficulty of crossing it was no less than the national football team breaking out of Asia. Therefore, Ding Yuan from the Organization Department had clamored for Zheng Yulou to treat everyone.

Zheng Yulou had invited several people, and only today did he barely manage to gather these frequent friends.

After everyone was seated, Zhu Yan said, "A young friend from Shazhou will be coming over later. Everyone knows him. Hou Weidong."

For the past three years, Hou Weidong had met these leaders every Spring Festival. Zheng Yulou said, "Among those present today, Xiao Hou has the best alcohol tolerance. Last year, he drank at least two jin, and he was fine. Truly a vast capacity."

He joked with Zhu Yan, saying, "I am currently thinking about poaching from Zhou Changquan’s team and transferring Xiao Hou to the Provincial Government General Office. You didn’t bring him to Maoyun; that was a decision error. Such a master of the drinking table is a treasure anywhere."

A few days ago, Hou Weidong had known that Zhou Changquan would be holding a New Year’s gathering today. Zhou Changquan’s father had passed away, and his mother usually lived with Zhou Changquan’s second brother. Every Spring Festival, the four siblings would gather at the second brother’s house for the New Year. On this day, the driver and secretary were all sent home. Zhou Changquan would personally cook for his mother, fulfilling his filial piety.

Hou Weidong had originally wanted to take advantage of this rare time to go to Maoyun to pay New Year’s greetings to Zhu Yan. In the morning, he received a call from Zhu Yan asking him to come to Lingxi to celebrate with Zheng Yulou. Unexpectedly, some temporary matters arose, and Zhou Changquan did not return home until nearly six o’clock.

Driving on the highway, Hou Weidong arrived at Jinxing Hotel at seven-ten. Upon entering, he said, "Dear leaders, I am late. I will punish myself with three cups."

His words were exactly the same as Zhu Yan’s. Everyone found it amusing and laughed.