Chapter 144: Meeting the Future Father-in-Law

Early in the morning, Ning Weidong yawned as he got up, reached out to touch the side, but the person was already gone.

Recalling last night, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

Although it wasn't the first time with Bai Fengyu, she had been exceptionally wild last night, as if some switch had been flipped.

The previous two times, Bai Fengyu had still been half-reluctant, maintaining a bit of reserve, but last night she let go and unlocked so many positions all at once.

Fortunately, Ning Weidong had a strong physique; otherwise, being worn down by this enchantress, he would have surrendered after just a few rounds.

……

Lying on the pillow, savoring the taste of last night for a moment, Ning Weidong licked his lips, thinking to himself that she really was a stunner.

Ning Weidong tilted his head to check the time; it was already past eight.

Ning Weidong turned over, not in a hurry to get up.

Going to the Zhao Family today was undoubtedly very important, more important than going to work on a normal day.

But it was still early, so there was no rush.

Ning Weidong rested his hands behind his head, pondering the situations he might encounter later at the Zhao Family.

The weather in mid-May had already warmed up, and Ning Weidong had switched to a thin quilt a couple of days ago; it was much more comfortable to have on, not as heavy on the body as the cotton quilt, so he couldn't help but lie there a while longer.

Nearly nine o'clock, Ning Weidong got up to wash and brush, taking the opportunity to tidy himself up.

Before getting off work last night, he had taken a bath at the unit's bathhouse and taken the chance to get a haircut and a shave.

Overnight, his stubble had sprouted a bit of black, but Ning Weidong didn't bother shaving again.

At this time, there were no electric shavers; they were all those types with blades and handles, and if you weren't careful, you could shave yourself until you bled.

Ning Weidong didn't want to go to his future father-in-law's house with a piece of paper stuck to his chin.

Once washed clean, he rubbed on a bit of vanishing cream, and seeing that the time was about right, he put on his clothes and went out.

Just as he stepped out, he saw Bai Fengqin washing clothes as usual on a Sunday morning.

Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing two sections of snow-white forearms; whether from sweat or laundry detergent water, her bangs were stuck to her face, and when she heard the movement of Ning Weidong coming out, she lifted her head, looking quite like a lotus flower emerging from clear water.

"Brother Weidong, going out?" Bai Fengqin called out crisply.

Last time, Ning Weidong helped her find someone to ask about filling out her college application, which made Bai Fengqin quite grateful.

Ning Weidong smiled and nodded.

Just at this moment, Bai Fengyu stepped out of their door with one foot and happened to bump into Ning Weidong.

Ning Weidong saw her leaning against the wall, her walking posture clearly abnormal, and knowing what it was about, he teased, "Sister, your leg hasn't fully recovered yet, you need to be careful when walking."

Bai Fengyu rolled her eyes at him, thinking to herself, you animal, don't you know why?

Bai Fengyu had woken up early this morning, and as soon as she stepped on the ground, she tasted the bitterness; last night she had only focused on catering to Ning Weidong.

Although she had experienced it before, she had always thought that there were only tired oxen, not broken fields.

But she hadn't expected that this animal Ning Weidong was simply not an ordinary person.

It still hadn't gone down yet; fortunately, she had the excuse of her leg not being fully recovered, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to go out and see people today.

Now this culprit Ning Weidong was still making fun of her, it was simply too bullying! Helplessly, she had no means to retaliate and could only glare fiercely.

Bai Fengqin, however, was unaware of the situation; when she turned her head and saw Bai Fengyu come out with a strange walking posture, she hurriedly said, "Sister, your leg hasn't fully recovered, the doctor said it's best to walk less; if there's anything, just call me."

Bai Fengyu's face turned red; she knew her own business, and the way she was now had nothing to do with a leg injury.

Ning Weidong chuckled, tied the gifts he brought to the back rack of his bicycle, and pushed the bike as he walked out.

"Sister, Fengqin, I'm leaving first." After saying goodbye, Ning Weidong pushed his bicycle and walked out.

Bai Fengyu and Bai Fengqin responded, and looking at the things on the back seat of the bicycle, it wasn't hard to guess what Ning Weidong was going to do.

The two sisters felt a sense of loss in their hearts simultaneously.

Although Bai Fengyu had long warned herself that her relationship with Ning Weidong could not see the light of day, she couldn't help but have some thoughts in the bottom of her heart.

Bai Fengqin's feelings were even more complex; watching Ning Weidong go out through the Moon Gate, she lowered her head and began to scrub the clothes vigorously.

……

Ning Weidong left the Dazayuan, got on his bike, and headed straight for the Zhao Family.

The Ministry Compound where the Zhao Family lived was outside Fuxingmen.

Ning Weidong had brought Zhao Ruyi back before, so he was quite familiar with the way.

The weather was nice today, neither cold nor hot, without a hint of wind.

Ning Weidong had left early and wasn't in a hurry, riding at a steady pace to avoid sweating and looking disheveled.

When he arrived outside the compound gate, he saw Zhao Ruyi from afar, standing under a tree at the entrance looking out.

Ning Weidong pedaled a few times faster, arrived in front of Zhao Ruyi, let out a squeak as he squeezed the brake, and said with a smile, "Tired of waiting? You look really beautiful today."

Zhao Ruyi had dressed up specially today and looked exceptionally beautiful.

Seeing Ning Weidong, she immediately showed a smiling face, and after registering at the gate, the two of them pushed their bicycles and walked inside at a leisurely pace.

Ning Weidong hadn't arrived late, and there was still plenty of time.

By the time they reached the door of Zhao Ruyi's home, it was exactly ten minutes before the appointed time.

Zhao Ruyi led the way, and Ning Weidong followed, carrying the gifts.

Once inside the room, Zhao Ruyi called out, "Dad, Weidong is here."

In the living room, Father Zhao was sitting on a rattan chair reading a newspaper.

His hair was completely jet-black, giving the impression of someone in the prime of life; hearing Zhao Ruyi's voice, he put down the newspaper and looked up.

It was Ning Weidong's first time seeing his future father-in-law; Zhao Ruyi and Zhao Lichun were both good-looking, which must have been inherited from Father Zhao, as his features were upright, handsome, and scholarly.

Seeing the two of them, a smile appeared on his face, and he stood up, saying, "Weidong is here~"

Ning Weidong hurriedly took two quick steps forward and bowed, saying, "Hello, Uncle Zhao..."

Zhao Ruyi, who was to the side, interjected, "Dad, this is the gift Weidong brought for you."

Father Zhao smiled and nodded, reaching out to shake hands with Ning Weidong.

Just then, Zhao Lichun came out of the bathroom; he and Ning Weidong could be considered acquaintances, so after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he sat down.

By comparison, because Mother Zhao had passed away and Zhao Ruyi's second sister, Zhao Yushui, had married far away, the atmosphere in the Zhao Family was noticeably somewhat cold and quiet.

Zhao Lichun was married, and his wife worked at the Foreign Affairs Department; she happened to be away on an overseas assignment and was not at home.

Afterward, they chatted about daily life, and Father Zhao did not show any intention of making things difficult for this prospective son-in-law.

When it came time for lunch, they didn't cook at home, but instead called the chef at the compound canteen to have the food prepared and brought over.

Four dishes and one soup, with both fish and meat; in this era, it was neither extravagant nor stingy. With the new son-in-law visiting, Father Zhao specially opened a bottle of fine wine he had been treasuring.

However, to Ning Weidong's surprise, after they had been drinking for a while and finished several dishes, Father Zhao suddenly asked, "Weidong, Ruyi's eldest brother has an opportunity right now..."

Upon hearing this, Ning Weidong couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, looking toward Zhao Lichun.

Logically, Father Zhao would certainly have had established arrangements for Zhao Lichun's job transfer, and there would be no need to deliberate or discuss it.

Bringing it up to ask Ning Weidong now clearly carried the intent of testing him.

The core of this issue was actually quite simple: it was a choice between two options—either continue to grind out seniority in the Ministry, or go down to the local level, to a county, and serve in a deputy position.

Ning Weidong thought for a moment, looked at Zhao Lichun, and asked, "This... I don't know specifically where this local posting is?"

Zhao Lichun said, "A county in the north of Handong Province..."

After hearing the specific location, Ning Weidong thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Zhao, Brother Lichun, if it were me, I would definitely go down to the local level for training. Grinding out seniority in the Ministry has no end; in the final analysis, one still has to go to the local level to strive for more practical work experience..."

Ning Weidong had real substance in his belly, and when encountering such an opportunity, he naturally had to shake some of it out.

Father Zhao was somewhat surprised; Ning Weidong was so young and from an ordinary family, without the benefit of being steeped in such matters, yet he hadn't expected him to see the official career path so thoroughly.

He couldn't help but become a bit interested: "Weidong, if you were put in Lichun's position now, how would you plan to handle things once you arrived in Handong Province to take up your post?"

Talking big and pointing out the direction of the country—many people could do that.

But when it came down to reality, to how to specifically carry out the work, some people would be dumbfounded.

Father Zhao wanted to weigh and measure exactly how much Ning Weidong was worth.

Ning Weidong was not stage-frightened, and he said with a smile, "If it were me, the first thing is positioning; I would be a deputy, so I must not overshadow the principal."

Father Zhao nodded and glanced at Zhao Lichun.

His eldest son was good at everything, but he was a bit too aggressive in his actions.

Of course, this was not an isolated case; almost all children from the compound with similar backgrounds had this flaw. Relying on their family's background, they were polite on the surface, but in reality, they were arrogant beyond measure—Heaven is number one, Earth is number two, their father is number three, and they are number four.

By comparison, Zhao Lichun was still relatively restrained.

But don't forget, this was Beijing.

Father Zhao could even foresee that once he arrived at the local level, even if Zhao Lichun was officially a deputy, he would likely be the one calling the shots in the county.

While this would certainly save a lot of trouble when getting things done and make it easier to achieve results.

It also had side effects, giving superiors the impression of being overly overbearing.

Especially since some leaders were very averse to this style, it was very likely that he would invisibly leave a stumbling block on his own path forward.

Therefore, when he heard Ning Weidong emphasize this point in his very first sentence, Father Zhao felt more appreciation on top of his surprise.

Ning Weidong continued, "Beyond doing one's own job well, based on local conditions, one should concentrate all resources to create a benchmark project..."

Father Zhao raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "A vanity project?"

Ning Weidong pursed his lips and said, "You could say that, but whether it is a vanity project or not, as long as it can bring tangible benefits to the masses and is beneficial to the local development, it is not necessarily a bad thing."

Father Zhao laughed heartily, then turned and asked, "Then from what aspect do you think this benchmark project should start?"

Ning Weidong understood that Father Zhao did not want him to gloss over it with broad generalizations.

He thought for a moment and said, "If it were me... I would develop township enterprises."

Father Zhao was slightly surprised: "Oh? Tell me specifically."

Ning Weidong said, "Uncle Zhao, Brother Lichun, this is how I think about it. With Brother Lichun's background and ability, it is not difficult to get a project done; the difficulty lies in how to reduce resistance and how to ensure there are no side effects later on."

At this point, both Father Zhao and Zhao Lichun nodded in agreement.

Ning Weidong continued, "Although the situation has changed now, there are still some things that do not have a clear definition, and we cannot easily cross the line."

Ning Weidong glanced at Zhao Lichun: "At the very least, we cannot be the first to charge into the fray. Those who do, even if they succeed, may have the merit of being the first to scale the wall, but it is more likely they will be crushed to pieces by the wheels of history."

"Dare not be the first in the world?" Father Zhao responded, but he did not show a particularly clear stance or inclination toward this view of Ning Weidong's.

Ning Weidong didn't mind and continued, "Based on the current situation, it is inevitable that our southeastern coastal regions will receive capital and technology transfers from the West, and this will also be the core driving force for our economic development in the coming decades."

Zhao Lichun's eyes lit up; clearly, Ning Weidong's viewpoint coincided with his own.

Ning Weidong said, "However, this process will certainly be a repetitive one. Our propaganda over the past few decades has given people many deep-rooted ideas, and wanting to break these ideas is not something that can be done overnight."

Father Zhao said, "Is this why you didn't advocate for directly receiving foreign investment, but instead suggested township enterprises?"

Ning Weidong stated clearly, "Yes, directly absorbing foreign investment would certainly have immediate results, but it is 1979 now; it is still too early, and there would be many hidden dangers."

Zhao Lichun frowned and said, "Too early? Then when do you think the timing will be appropriate?"

"At least ten years!" Ning Weidong clicked his tongue: "Perhaps even longer. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; many things cannot be rushed. Uncle Zhao, what do you think?"

Father Zhao laughed heartily: "You little comrade, you aren't very old, but your tone is quite bold."

Ning Weidong chuckled: "This is just talking among family~ I wouldn't dare speak recklessly outside."

Father Zhao praised him with a "Good."

Zhao Lichun, meanwhile, lowered his head and began to ponder.

In reality, his previous idea had been to directly introduce foreign investment; he had the resources and the background, so as long as he brought the money, his words would naturally carry weight.

It was just that hearing Ning Weidong's take, it was clearly a different path from his own.

Father Zhao added, "Tell me more, why township enterprises?"

Ning Weidong said, "First is the issue of ownership. Township enterprises are led by village collectives and production teams; in nature, they belong to collective enterprises, so there is no political risk. Second, the townships themselves have ready-made means of production; the brigade's buildings can be used directly as factory workshops. Third, the labor is almost free; in the initial stage of building the factory, one can utilize the slack farming season and count the labor toward work points..."

Ning Weidong rattled on, listing a series of benefits of township enterprises, leaving Zhao Lichun listening in a daze.

Ning Weidong had never truly considered these things before.

According to Ning Weidong, as long as the framework was set up, with his connections and background, and by striving for some resources, it would be completely effortless to establish a benchmark-scale enterprise.

And an enterprise of such scale would generate enough political achievements to support him in standing firm, or even advancing further.

More importantly, compared to directly introducing foreign capital, running a township enterprise carried absolutely no political risk.

Off to the side, although she had not interjected throughout the conversation, Zhao Ruyi could understand and see that her father was in a good mood and was very satisfied with Ning Weidong's performance.

Zhao Ruyi could not help but feel delighted.

When she went to the gate of the compound to pick up Ning Weidong just now, she had been nervous and anxious, sweating for him.

She had been terrified that her father would look down on Ning Weidong, but in any case, she had already set her heart on this man.

She had not expected that Ning Weidong's performance would be even better than the best outcome she had imagined.

He had even faintly overshadowed her eldest brother.

(End of chapter)