Chapter 4760: The Mayor's Meaning

Zhao De saw that the matter was handled and finally let out a long sigh of relief, immediately calling Wu Min to briefly explain the situation. Less than three minutes later, Zhao De saw a motorcade driving over from a distance.

After Wu Min welcomed Mayor Zhang and his party, she was called into the mayor's special car to chat while driving. Wu Min answered Mayor Zhang's questions while secretly feeling anxious, looking at her watch from time to time.

"Old Wu, do you have something on your mind?" Mayor Zhang sensitively noticed that Wu Min was somewhat absent-minded today.

"No," Wu Min hurriedly covered up and replied.

The two chatted for a while, and Wu Min's phone suddenly rang. She hurriedly put it to her ear to answer, said "Mm, mm" twice, and hung up. The expression on her face clearly became relaxed.

*This kid really has some ability! * Wu Min thought of Zhao De's confident appearance and secretly praised him in her heart.

"Eh, what is that on the ground?" Just at this moment, Mayor Zhang suddenly saw the white banner with black characters on the street.

"I guess it's some funeral couplet left behind during a funeral procession," Wu Min glanced at it and said nonchalantly, "I'll call the sanitation station immediately and have them clean it up."

"Right, Old Wu, the urban environment is also very important. It's like our face; if it's not clean, people will laugh," Mayor Zhang nodded and made an analogy.

With the arrival of Mayor Zhang and his party, the District Committee and District Government leaders, who were usually respectful in front of units and the masses, began to be very respectful in front of Mayor Zhang. In the morning, a brief meeting was held in the District Committee conference room. Mayor Zhang listened to the work report of the District Committee and District Government and couldn't find any flaws. He glanced at Kong Shenghui with dissatisfaction from the corner of his eye. Kong Shenghui also didn't expect that today's events would turn out like this. He had originally thought that the petitioning workers would intercept Mayor Zhang, allowing Mayor Zhang to take the opportunity to question and hold Zhao De accountable. But he didn't expect that before Mayor Zhang arrived, Zhao De would have solved the petitioning crowd so smoothly, which made Kong Shenghui feel a deep sense of frustration.

At noon, a grand banquet was held at the District Committee guesthouse to welcome Mayor Zhang to Chanba District for inspection. All nine standing committee members of the district attended, along with district leaders of the People's Congress and the CPPCC, and the directors of the two offices, filling three large tables. As acting district head, Zhao De was naturally indispensable. Wu Min's alcohol tolerance was poor, while Zhao De's alcohol tolerance was well-known by the workers. Any wine Wu Min couldn't drink was pushed to Zhao De. He toasted three tables of people in one breath, making Zhao De feel dizzy and almost unable to hold on.

Finding a free moment, Zhao De returned to his seat and hurriedly scooped up a bowl of sour soup to drink. Before he had finished half of it, he saw Mayor Zhang walking toward him with a glass of wine.

"Xiao Zhao, the urban construction work in the district is being handled quite well in your hands. Come, today is my first time coming down to inspect work, and I'd like to toast you too," Mayor Zhang said to Zhao De with a smile.

Zhao De hurriedly wiped his mouth, stood up, held his glass, and said modestly, "Mayor Zhang, you flatter me. This is all what I should do. Besides, you are the leader; how can you toast me?"

"Haha, Xiao Zhao, you are the pride of our Chanba District. Just now, Secretary Wu was still praising your work," Mayor Zhang held up his glass with a smile.

"This is all due to the wise leadership of Mayor Zhang and Secretary Wu," Zhao De said with a modest smile.

Zhang Dewang laughed loudly, and the two clinked glasses and finished the wine. Mayor Zhang sat down and suddenly changed the subject, asking Wu Min, "Old Wu, your People's Congress is about to be held, right?"

"Liu Deliang has been transferred to the Municipal CPPCC. Is the position of district head still vacant?" Mayor Zhang asked seemingly nonchalantly.

Wu Min glanced at Zhao De and nodded to Mayor Zhang with a smile, "Yes, but Comrade Zhao De has been serving as acting district head during this period, and the government work in the district is currently being handled by him."

Mayor Zhang nodded, looked at Xiao Zhao, and said with a smile, "Xiao Zhao is young and is doing a good job. Old Wu, are you going to elect a district head at your district's People's Congress this time?"

"Yes," Wu Min answered truthfully.

Mayor Zhang took a drag of his cigarette and asked with interest, "How many candidates are there now?"

"Xiao Zhao is currently the acting district head, so he is one. Old Kong is also considered one," Wu Min smiled, glanced at Kong Shenghui, and answered Mayor Zhang.

Mayor Zhang nodded and said thoughtfully, "Old Kong and Xiao Zhao are both quite good. Xiao Zhao is young and promising, with outstanding work ability; the urban construction work in the district is being handled quite well in his hands, but he is just a bit too young. Old Kong is an old comrade who has worked in the district for a long time and has rich work experience and a good understanding of the situation in the district. If you ask me, I think Old Kong is more suitable." Immediately, Mayor Zhang laughed and said, "But this is your district's business, and it's to be elected by your district's People's Congress. My words as mayor don't count."

Hearing Zhang Dewang's words, Zhao De could vaguely feel that he was speaking for Kong Shenghui, and he couldn't help but feel displeased, though he didn't show it at the banquet.

Wu Min smiled and said, "Mayor Zhang is right. Whether it's Old Kong or Xiao Zhao who gets elected, it depends on the election results at the People's Congress. I believe the representatives in the district will cast their votes from their own perspectives. The eyes of the masses are sharp, after all."

Zhang Dewang's purpose in coming down today was not to inspect work, and since what was supposed to happen didn't happen, he left early.

The next morning at work, Wu Min called Zhao De to her office and asked him how he had dispersed the petitioning people yesterday. Zhao De didn't hide anything and recounted the situation in detail.

After listening, Wu Min laughed loudly and said, "You kid have so many ghost ideas!"

Zhao De chuckled and tentatively asked her, "Sister Wu, what do you think Mayor Zhang meant by what he said yesterday?"

Hearing Zhao De's words, the smile on Wu Min's face faded, and she looked at him seriously, saying, "What do you mean? Didn't you understand?"

Zhao De shook his head, pretending to be confused, and said, "I haven't dealt with Mayor Zhang yet, so I don't understand what he means."

Wu Min said earnestly, "Mayor Zhang's meaning is that he wants Old Kong to be the district head, though he didn't say it so clearly. But don't worry, the Municipal People's Congress won't interfere this time, and Mayor Zhang hasn't put too much obvious pressure on the district, so he won't influence the election results."

Zhao De knew that Sister Wu was definitely determined to protect him and ensure he became district head. Now, their relationship, from the perspective of interests, could be metaphorically compared to that of a master and a servant in ancient times—they would prosper together and suffer together. At this critical juncture, Sister Wu would definitely try every means to withstand the pressure and ensure he became district head.

Wu Min and Zhao De joked a few times, and the smile on her face quickly disappeared, becoming calm. She sighed and said, "Although yesterday's matter was temporarily suppressed, the problem of the textile factory's poor efficiency and the workers' difficulties in living won't be solved in a day, and they will come to petition sooner or later. It's best to solve this matter before the People's Congress is held." ===== CHAPTER 4761 =====