Chapter 738: Farewell, Wang Anguo!

Before they knew it, it was New Year’s Eve, and the New Year was just around the corner.

Li Yi got up bright and early. After filling all the water jars at home, he and Zhang Ziqiang each got into a car and set off.

Dongzi and the others were due back from Beijing today and would arrive in Ning City by noon.

However, public transportation from Ning City to the county seat was not very reliable; services were frequently suspended for various reasons—sometimes due to weather, and other times because the vehicles were so old and poorly maintained that they would break down on the road.

In short, getting between Ning City and Qingshan County really was a matter of luck.

To ensure these young men didn’t miss the chance to reunite with their families on New Year’s Eve, Li Yi decided to drive to Ning City himself to pick them up.

As the car drove through the village, watching every household busy cleaning their yards and pasting Spring Festival couplets—a scene of festive bustle—Li Yi felt quite moved.

The Lunar New Year these days is truly joyful and lively!

Unlike in later times, when life has become increasingly affluent yet always feels like something is missing.

Not only do adults not look forward to the New Year as much, but children don’t feel anything special about it either. Even the Spring Festival Gala, with its increasingly lavish stage lighting, seems to have lost its original charm.

How different it was now! Although poverty remained the dominant theme, everyone was filled with anticipation for the New Year.

Never mind New Year’s Eve—by the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the festive atmosphere was already so thick it felt impossible to shake off…

The car quickly drove out of the village and headed straight for the county seat.

Once they arrived in the county seat, Li Yi first stopped by the county bureau, then took Li Gang with him to visit Wang An’s home.

The group had originally planned to get together for a proper gathering, but due to their busy caseloads, the plans had been put on hold.

Since Li Yi would have to leave just a few days after the New Year, he decided to pay a visit to Wang Anguo’s home while he still had some time in the morning.

When Li Yi and Li Gang arrived at the Wang residence, they saw Wang Anguo and his wife, An Hong, hanging Spring Festival couplets.

Hearing a noise at the front gate, the couple immediately stopped and looked out.

Upon realizing it was Li Yi and Li Gang, the couple hurried out to greet them.

“Brother Li Yi, what brings you here today? Come on in and have a seat!” Wang Anguo said cheerfully.

“I’m on my way to the city, and since I was passing through the county, I thought I’d stop by for a visit!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Great, great…”

When he saw that Li Yi was actually carrying two shopping bags, Wang Anguo immediately said, “You’re welcome to come, but why bring anything?”

“Hehe, I brought back some imported liquor from Hong Kong. It’s not much—just two bottles each for you, Captain Li, and Old Liang to try!”

Then Li Yi added, “In this bag are two bottles of special-supply liquor I got from my father-in-law. They’re for your old man to try. Could you drop them off for me later?”

“Special-supply liquor? That’s the real deal. You can’t buy that stuff even if you have the money!” Wang Anguo said, looking astonished.

“Heh, I just got lucky thanks to my father-in-law!”

They chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the house.

Once inside, Wang Anguo gestured for everyone to take a seat while instructing An Hong to brew some tea for the group.

Once everyone was seated, Wang Anguo looked at Li Yi and said, “It’s been over half a year since we last saw each other, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other. How are things going for you at the Municipal Bureau?” Zhou Yang asked.

“Not bad. With the boss (Wang Anmin) backing me up at the Prefectural Committee, I’m doing pretty well as the head of the Criminal Investigation Division…”

Before he could finish, Li Gang chimed in from the side: “What do you mean ‘not bad’? You’re about to be promoted to deputy director. Can’t you be a little more honest?”

Hearing this, Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly, and he asked right away, “Are you getting promoted that soon?”

Li Yi recalled that it had been just over a year since Wang Anguo was transferred to the Municipal Bureau, and the fact that he’d been appointed as the Criminal Investigation Division Chief there was truly an exceptional promotion—a stroke of luck.

Logically speaking, it was highly unlikely he’d be promoted anytime soon—certainly not within the next three years.

Wang Anguo smiled and said, “I have you to thank for that!”

“What does that have to do with me?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Normally, in a situation like mine, a promotion wouldn’t be likely anytime soon. But this tomb-raiding case led to a series of major cases. Through our close cooperation with the Pingcheng police, we’ve cracked over twenty ancient tomb thefts, more than thirty cases of cultural relic trafficking, and four robbery-murders—all within a single week, arresting 86 suspects of various crimes!”

Wang Anguo continued, “This case has now been placed under the joint supervision of the Public Security Departments of both our Sai Bei Province and Jin Xi Province. As the lead investigators, we’ve received a commendation from the provincial authorities. Although our official awards haven’t been finalized yet, the city has already decided to appoint me as Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau—though my ranking is a bit low on the list!”

Li Gang smiled and said, “So what if it’s low on the list? Even if I’m ranked last, I’m still a deputy director!”

Li Yi glanced at Li Gang and immediately asked, “What about you? Has the county bureau made any moves regarding you?”

Li Gang grinned and replied, “They did. I got a half-rank promotion—I’m now a member of the bureau’s committee, but I’m still serving as the head of the Criminal Investigation Division!”

“Huh? You were the one who first apprehended the suspect, and that’s all you got—a half-rank promotion?” Li Yi asked in puzzlement.

“Half a rank is already pretty good!”

Li Gang continued, “There aren’t many opportunities to earn merit at the county bureau to begin with. Plus, there’s only one spot for each position, and so many people are waiting to climb the ranks, but there are only so many openings. I was able to get promoted to this committee member position only because an older colleague retired. Otherwise, no matter how much credit I earned, I’d have to wait my turn!”

“I see. I don’t really understand how that works!”

Li Yi continued, “But seeing that you’ve both been promoted makes me really happy!”

Wang Anguo smiled and said, “The fact that the two of us have made it this far is really all thanks to Brother Li Yi. If you didn’t have something to do today, I’d really want to keep you here for a proper drink!”

“We can talk about drinking another time. I came here today not only to see you and your wife, but also to discuss something with you!” Li Yi said.

“What is it?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “My company in Beijing is set to officially launch next year, and I’ll need your wife to go there and take charge, so I wanted to let you know in advance, Brother Wang.”

“Your wife mentioned this to me a few days ago. I have no objections. My father is looking after the kids right now, so if you need her, she should go!” Wang Anguo said.

“Alright, I’ll have my wife start working there first. If the opportunity arises, I’ll see if I can get you transferred there too, so you two can be together again!” Li Yi said.

Hearing this, Wang Anguo’s eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately replied with delight, “That’s wonderful! Thanks a lot, brother!”

Wang Anguo knew full well that this was an absolute golden opportunity for him. After all, once he got to the capital, the opportunities and the ceiling for personal advancement would be entirely different.

For example, in a county town, no matter how capable you are, reaching the county-level or department-level position is already quite an achievement; climbing any higher is practically impossible.

But look at the agencies in the capital—even organizations with little power, like the Federation of Literary and Art Circles or the Writers’ Association, are full of section-level positions. You could pick anyone at random and they’d be a section chief or deputy section chief.

More importantly, he knew just how much clout Li Yi had behind him. To put it simply, given the status of his father-in-law’s family alone, transferring him to the capital would be as easy as saying the word.

Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s only fair. Since my sister-in-law is helping me out, I can’t very well have the two of you living apart like this!”

“Brother Li Yi, I know getting a transfer to Beijing isn’t easy. It’s no big deal if it doesn’t work out!” Wang Anguo said.

“No problem. I know exactly what I’m doing!”

Li Yi then glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly 9:30. “Brother Wang, Team Leader Li, it’s getting late. I’ll head out now. Let’s get together again sometime!”

“Alright, I’ll walk you out!”

“Wait a minute—you and your wife should hurry up and put up those Spring Festival couplets. I see most households have already put theirs up!”

“Alright, alright…”

……….