Chapter 122: Lu Fan

On the Lantern Festival, Lu Yao had activities at school and returned early, going to Jingcheng with Zhou Tianhui.

Qinchuan Provincial Party Committee Secretary Chen Deming returned to his home in Jingcheng on official business. Seeing his wife staring blankly at a few photos, he asked: "What are you daydreaming about? Where is the food?"

His wife, Wang Rong, came back to her senses and said: "The chef asked for leave. Does a great Secretary like you have nowhere to eat? Old Chen, come over and take a look. See which girl our son likes? These are photos of all the girls at the event Xiaoxu attended at Tsinghua that day."

Chen Deming glared and said angrily: "Where did you get such great authority? Do you understand what privacy rights are?"

"I'm not using the photos for profit. This concerns Xiaoxu's lifelong event; can I not take it seriously? Come over and take a look. Do you want your son to be a bachelor for his whole life? He's over twenty; it's not easy for our son to take a fancy to a girl! Take a look, I feel it's this one."

Chen Deming was "forced" to take the photos. After just one glance, he said: "It's this one, no doubt about it!"

"Why?"

"No one knows a son better than his father!"

Wang Fang looked at it carefully again and said: "This girl looks really upright and even has a heroic spirit. No wonder Xiaoxu could be moved."

Chen Deming agreed internally. Appearance stems from the heart; a person's personality, thoughts, and actions can be expressed through facial features. From the photo, one can see that this girl is confident, optimistic, sunny, cheerful, radiant, and upward-looking!

Wang Fang suddenly said: "No, I have to find out about her situation and see what her background is."

Chen Deming was furious: "Wang Fang, don't go too far. Can you calm down? What authority do you have to investigate others? And background? I'm telling you, as long as my son likes her and the other party is willing, the Chen family has no prejudice against social status!"

"Old Chen, am I not doing this for your own good? I didn't say I disagreed! I'm just finding out about it!" After speaking, Wang Fang dialed the phone of Shi Xiaosen, Director of the Public Security Bureau's Public Order Administration.

In less than three seconds, Shi Xiaosen answered the phone and said enthusiastically: "Hello, Sister Wang, what are your orders?"

"Xiaosen, I have to trouble you again. I want to find out about a girl's situation."

Shi Xiaosen chuckled and said solemnly: "Leave it to me. Just send me the information you know."

An hour later, comrades from the Public Order Administration sent a file containing all of Lu Yao's information.

Wang Fang flipped through it with great interest. After a while, she said to Chen Deming: "Old Chen, this girl is from your Qinchuan Province. Her name is Lu Yao, an undergraduate at Tsinghua. She studies really well; she must be very smart."

"From Qinchuan? Which city?"

"Yingjiang City, Ningyang County. Sigh, this child's life is really bitter. She lost her parents when she was young. She has an older brother named Lu Fan who raised her. Hey, she's only twenty-something and is already a township secretary."

"Ningyang County?" Chen Deming thought of Wang Hongtao.

"Old Chen, do you think I should go find this girl?"

"Fate brings people together from a thousand miles away; without fate, they won't meet even when face to face. Marriage is destined by heaven, so stop meddling. Don't let it be counterproductive!"

"Sigh, the key is that your son is too wooden. He likes her but doesn't even dare to ask for her phone number. It's not easy to find a girl he likes; if I don't manage it, I guess there won't be any hope at all. What if Xiaoxu doesn't meet a girl he likes in the future?"

On February 16, 2013, at 8:00 AM, the Ningyang County Baishu Bay "Yitiaolong Wood" Timber Processing Professional Cooperative opened grandly! The name "Yitiaolong Wood" was a name Su Xiaoyi spent a high price to "invite."

The sound of saws and firecrackers rang out together! The scene was exceptionally lively, with fireworks and salute cannons going off continuously.

The leadership team of the Baishu Bay Township Government and all village-assigned cadres were present and sent their opening blessings: "Ambitious to create a great cause, high aspirations to write history; opening for business to welcome good news, every step is full of spring light!"

Agricultural Deputy County Chief Mi Xuwen, County Forestry Bureau Director Li Kejun, County Agriculture Bureau Director Shi Qiancheng, County Health Bureau Director Li Daqiang, and other leaders were invited to attend the opening ceremony.

Lu Fan invited Secretary Gao Yuanfei first, but was "politely" refused by Secretary Gao, who promised that he would definitely come to Baishu Bay for research once the "coffin shop's" output value reached 20 million.

At noon, Lu Fan treated the county leaders to hot and fragrant mutton at the township government kitchen, taking the opportunity to report on Baishu Bay's grand goals for this year again and seeking support from County Chief Mi, Director Li Kejun, and Director Shi Qiancheng, receiving some promises.

As for Director Li Daqiang, he was the Baishu Bay Township Party Committee Secretary when Lu Fan first started working. Inviting him this time naturally had a purpose. The Baishu Bay Health Center was a mere shell, lacking people, equipment, and funding. As an old secretary, shouldn't he support it a little?

Resources are limited, and the cake must be fought for. If you don't fight, you can only go hungry.

On the afternoon of February 18, Xu Zheng personally led a team, and the County Employment Bureau and County Credit Union formed a working group to come to Baishu Bay for on-site inspection of industrial development.

The God of Wealth had arrived; what else was there to say? They had to be entertained well, and the standard was to drink everyone under the table.

After a hearty battle, the entire township government leadership team went into action, drinking the Employment Bureau team into a mess. The combat effectiveness of township cadres was not something county-level cadres could compare with.

Why did township cadres have such high alcohol tolerance? Township work is relatively concentrated, and they have to entertain all kinds of people every day. The simplest way is to get familiar at the drinking table. Moreover, township cadres deal with the masses a lot, their personalities are rough, and their drinking style is relatively wild. Furthermore, staying in the township doesn't offer much entertainment, and they can't go home, so besides drinking, they just "visit neighbors." Therefore, they drink like their lives depend on it; they aren't afraid you won't drink well, they are only afraid you won't get drunk.

Starting the next day, Lu Fan accompanied Xu Zheng and the working group to enter villages and households. In every village, one could see villagers laying foundations, building greenhouses, and building sheep pens. On the dilapidated village roads, tricycles shuttled back and forth, carrying bricks and materials, making this poor and remote place full of vitality.

Xu Zheng sighed: "Secretary Lu, I come to Baishu Bay every year, but this year it really feels different. It will definitely have great prospects. Work hard and strive to become the next Wang Hongtao!"

"Director Xu, you flatter me too much. District Chief Hongtao's vision and ability are not something we can compare with. We can only take him as a goal and pursue it unswervingly."

The leaders grasped the direction, and Xu Zheng and Lu Fan just took a cursory look. The working group began to do specific work, collecting information on loan households and industrial construction.

Starting that day, the Employment Bureau and the County Credit Union began to handle interest-free loans for farmers, with township government cadres acting as guarantors.

Human hearts are made of flesh. If you pay for them, they will definitely feel it and be grateful. Many villagers were troubled by not being able to find guarantors; they never thought that township government cadres would take the initiative to guarantee for them. This was truly unprecedented!

Simple farmers don't say it, but they are very grateful in their hearts. If you do a little for them, they will remember it for a lifetime. They know that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.

The relationship between cadres and the masses in Baishu Bay was unprecedentedly harmonious. Through this loan, a "fish-and-water relationship" was established. Once the cadres arrived in the village, they absolutely couldn't leave; they had to eat a simple meal. This was the biggest harvest of this loan.

All work, in the final analysis, is serving the people wholeheartedly; how effective the cadres' work is, in the final analysis, depends on whether the common people buy it.

The enthusiasm of the common people also allowed the cadres of Baishu Bay to be baptized spiritually, giving the party members and cadres a brand-new mental outlook and a refreshed work style. Living cleanly and doing things cleanly became a common pursuit. Once the style changed, the results were immediately apparent. Cadres became more attentive to serving the people, and their level became higher.

Going to the grassroots, going to the front line, and going among the masses smoothed the channels for the masses' appeals, allowed policy spirit to be conveyed down, and allowed the feelings and opinions of the people to be conveyed up, presenting a gratifying situation where cadres and the masses are of one heart and struggle together.

By the end of February, 508 households in Baishu Bay had received interest-free loans from the Employment Bureau. The masses in the whole township were full of confidence and began to work hard. This matter caused a great sensation in the whole county, making Lu Fan famous.

After County Party Committee Secretary Gao Yuanfei learned about the situation, he gave a high evaluation of Baishu Bay's approach in a meeting and named and praised Lu Fan.

Propaganda Department Head Lu Qiaoyun immediately understood the Secretary's intention and quickly sent a communication group and TV station to Baishu Bay to collect materials, vigorously publicizing it throughout the county, and submitted the manuscript to the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department and the Municipal TV Station.

It is a rare thing for all cadres in a township to guarantee loans for the masses, so news about Baishu Bay appeared in the Yingjiang Daily and Yingjiang TV Station, and even attracted the attention of Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee Member and Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhou Xi, who took the initiative to call Ningyang County Party Committee Secretary Gao Yuanfei to ask about the specific situation and gave a high evaluation.

At the end of February, Yingjiang received a notice that Provincial Party Committee Secretary Chen Deming was coming to Yingjiang City for research for three days.

This was a major event in Yingjiang City's political life, and the whole city attached great importance to it, starting comprehensive environmental governance a few days in advance.

On March 1, Qinchuan Provincial Party Committee Secretary Chen Deming arrived in Yingjiang.

In the morning, Secretary Chen Deming and his party came to the Zhenbei District Industrial Park, accompanied by Municipal Party Committee Secretary Zhou Xi, Zhenbei District Chief Wang Hongtao, and others.

Secretary Chen Deming highly praised the gratifying development momentum of Zhenbei District. He emphasized that they must persist in it, solve the restrictive factors existing in the development of enterprises, vigorously develop red cultural tourism, strengthen the construction of rural grassroots organizations, and hope to see Zhenbei District's economic and social development create new brilliance.

The Provincial Party Committee Secretary's satisfaction excited the Municipal Party Committee and the Zhenbei District Committee. Many people believed that Wang Hongtao would surely soar into the sky, and his progress momentum would be unstoppable.

Coming to Yingjiang, one must go to Ningyang. County Party Committee Secretary Gao Yuanfei and County Chief Hu Chengwei had long been waiting in Zhouchuan Town, having made all preparations.

On the morning of March 2, after breakfast, Secretary Chen Deming headed to Ningyang, specifically requesting Zhenbei District Chief Wang Hongtao to accompany him.

On the way, Secretary Chen Deming was very talkative and kept asking questions. Wang Hongtao answered fluently, and even knew the situation in Zhouchuan like the back of his hand, showing extraordinary talent.

Secretary Chen was very satisfied with Wang Hongtao and stated that young cadres are in the prime of their lives, full of vigor and great potential. They should boost their energy, work hard, and forge ahead bravely. The Provincial Party Committee must persist in putting the cause first, selecting people based on the cause, breaking concepts such as seniority, balanced care, and perfectionism, and boldly selecting and using outstanding young cadres who dare to take responsibility, are willing to do things, and can do things. ===== CHAPTER 123 =====