Chapter 27

After Xu Zheng and Liu Jing arrived at the unit, Lu Fan's attitude was very warm, but his stance on the "eating empty rations" matter was very firm; he dared not fake anything.

This put Xu Zheng in a difficult position. He knew Secretary Guo, but Secretary Guo didn't know him, and he hadn't even spoken a few words to Organization Department Minister Li Jiaming. Moreover, going to plead with leaders for a spouse's "eating empty rations" was walking right into a trap; it would "deepen" the leaders' impression of him, which was extremely unfavorable for his future development. He knew this matter still had to be handled by Lu Fan.

Things obtained easily are often not cherished, and they might even think it's taken for granted. Lu Fan greeted them with a smile but refused to budge, constantly saying he was timid and didn't dare, leaving Xu Zheng helpless.

People are equal when they don't ask for favors, and water is level when it doesn't flow. Whoever asks for a favor must bow their head. Don't look at the fact that you are a deputy director in the county seat; a county official is not as effective as the one currently in charge.

The two of them just wore each other out until eleven o'clock at night, when Lu Fan finally relented and agreed to mediate for Liu Jing, but he couldn't guarantee the result, and he required Liu Jing to come to work.

Xu Zheng naturally agreed readily. At this critical juncture, the gun hits the bird that sticks its head out. As for the three months of wages, it wasn't worth mentioning; a deputy director in charge of business at the Human Resources Bureau wouldn't care about this small amount of money.

Both sides were happy, appearing to be on intimate terms.

The next day, Lu Fan looked at the offices of those few people; they were indeed an eyesore. Having been unoccupied for several years, they looked dilapidated.

At the suggestion of the staff, Lu Fan called Du Wenlong and asked him to find a carpenter and a painter to come to Baishu Bay to repair the offices, especially Li Yongji's room, which still had bloodstains. While he was at it, he had two guest rooms cleaned up for emergencies.

New person, new year, new atmosphere. Others might think this is a small, insignificant role, but for Lu Fan, this is a path to the sky. Even his ancestral grave is smoking with good fortune; he must be cautious and go all out, moving from here to a higher position to realize the ambitions in his heart.

Suddenly remembering the "material" that Secretary Li Daqiang wanted, this matter had to be handled properly, but he didn't know how to do it, so he called the accountant Wang Le, who was the most expert at this.

After hearing Lu Fan's instructions, Wang Le smiled and said, "Station Director, this is as simple as drinking cold water for us. There are at least a dozen sets of 'material' in the courtyard. If they aren't processed soon, they'll rot and can only be used as firewood. Just pick a good set and send it to Secretary Li."

Lu Fan asked in confusion, "Don't we need to go through any procedures?"

"Those are from people who couldn't pay the fines, so no procedures are needed."

"And what about those who paid the fines?"

"That depends on how much the Station Director wants to fine them. As long as the fine is paid, that set of material becomes usable."

"Find me the Forest Law and the enforcement documents. We must have a legal basis for what we do; don't get yourself trapped."

"Alright, Station Director, I'll go get them now."

The entire Yingjiang City practices earth burial, so coffins are a necessity for every household. Moreover, Ningyang people pay special attention to the material and craftsmanship of coffins, and the trend of keeping up with the Joneses is extremely serious, especially among the powerful and influential; not preparing two high-quality coffins for one's parents would make one lose face.

And although Baishu Bay is a poor and remote place, the cypress trees here are famously good.

Why was Li Yongji able to have several houses? And so many connections? The root was in the forest station; "material" was naturally not lacking. Lu Fan naturally knew of this advantage.

In the afternoon, Lu Fan called Secretary Li Daqiang and asked him to arrange for someone to pick up the material, setting the time for two or three in the middle of the night.

Secretary Li laughed heartily, "Little Fan, you're still the straightforward one, unlike old Li who was wishy-washy. Then we'll go pull it tonight, and I'll bring you two cartons of cigarettes."

Lu Fan hurriedly said, "Secretary Li, if you bring me things, I won't even open the gate!"

"Little Fan, I'll remember this favor. We have a long road ahead!"

That night, a tricycle drove into the forest station and hauled away several thick trees that had been placed in the center of the courtyard. The forest station staff turned a blind eye.

The next day, Du Wenlong brought the craftsmen to Baishu Bay Forest Station, and all five other brothers came, including Su Xiaoyi, who had fully recovered from his injuries, specifically to visit their big brother.

After the craftsmen finished looking at the offices and heard Lu Fan's requirements, they returned to the county seat to prepare materials, while the brothers stayed behind.

When they saw the forest station staff coming one by one to ask for instructions and report, the brothers were completely dumbfounded. What was going on?

When there was no one around, Du Wenlong was the first to be unable to hold back, asking hurriedly, "Brother Fan, what's going on? You seem to be a leader?"

Lu Fan laughed, "Our Station Director was hacked to death, and the county designated me to preside over the work?"

"Ah?" Exclamations rose and fell in the office; it was simply "shocking"!

Third brother Yang Minghao's eyes almost popped out, exclaiming, "The boss is a Station Director? My mother!"

Fourth brother Ceng Ming said with an incredulous face, "Brother Fan, is this true? You just started working? Can you be promoted so quickly? I'm crazy!"

Fifth brother Liu Jin Zhu shouted, "We've made it! We've made it! Brother Fan is awesome!"

Lu Fan hurriedly said, "Keep it down, watch the influence, don't get carried away."

Sixth brother Su Xiaoyi said with an envious face, "Brother Fan, you are the youngest leader in our Langcha Village; the brothers are proud of you!"

Only Du Wenlong didn't speak, but he smiled brighter than anyone else, and secretly made up his mind to listen to Brother Fan and, upon returning, seriously read that book, "Public Basic Knowledge."

Dinner was the highest standard of Baishu Bay: a large basin each of mutton, chicken, fish, and ribs, plus six stir-fried meat dishes. You can't have vegetarian dishes when entertaining brothers; there was plenty of wine and meat!

That night, Old Hou, Wang Le, Li Yifeng, and Wang Yulong accompanied the guests. Everyone drank happily, and it was lively and extraordinary, filled with laughter.

The next day, when the sun was high, Lu Fan woke up feeling dizzy. He washed his face to clear his head a bit, then went to the inn to eat with his brothers.

Now, Lu Fan was an honored guest in any restaurant in Baishu Bay, making his brothers feel honored by association. At the same time, they were envious of him being a cadre and yearned to enter the system.

After eating, Lu Fan had Wang Le find a taxi, and Li Yifeng also drove his car, and the group returned to the county seat.

On the way, Lu Fan closed his eyes to rest, calculating in his mind how to report the "eating empty rations" handling opinion to Director Guo, and he also had to visit several deputy directors. He was very anxious, afraid of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. If only someone could give him some pointers at this time.

In this era of trading cigarettes for cigarettes and wine for wine, a sense of security can only be given by oneself. Everything you want must be fought for by yourself. Instead of waiting for others to hold an umbrella for you, it's better to learn to be your own roof. Life is full of bitterness; only you can save yourself.

Arriving at the county seat, Lu Fan had his brothers wait, then headed straight for the County Forestry Bureau.

At the gate, the old gatekeeper wouldn't let the car in. Lu Fan didn't argue and told the driver to find a place to park.

After entering, Lu Fan cheerfully gave the old man a cigarette and introduced himself.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, "You are Lu Fan from Baishu Bay? Oh, no, it's Station Director Lu? Oh my, look at this, the flood washed away the Dragon King Temple; your car was blocked. Why don't you have the driver come again?"

"Old man, no need. It's my first time at the bureau, may I ask which floor Director Guo is on?"

"206, I saw him go to his office. While there's no one here now, you should go up quickly; you'll have to queue again in the afternoon."

"Thank you, old man! Let's exchange phone numbers; I might have to trouble you in the future."

"Alright, feel free to trouble me!"

Walking to 206, he knocked on the door, and a voice inside said, "Come in!"

Pushing the door open, Lu Fan said with a beaming smile, "Director, I'm here to wish you a Happy New Year!"

Guo Tongyu revealed a trace of a smile and said, "Sit down, don't worry about the New Year greetings yet, report the handling opinion first."

Sitting opposite the Director, Lu Fan took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and reported, "Director, after these few days of investigation, the three cadres of Baishu Bay Forest Station indeed have phenomena of missing posts and absenteeism, but they were all permitted by Station Director Li Yongji, and they have sick leave notes and medical records respectively. Moreover, they have realized their mistakes, have all started working seriously, and have voluntarily handed over three months of wages. I have brought them all; they haven't been entered into the accounts, and I'll leave them for the bureau to handle." After finishing, Lu Fan took out three envelopes and placed them next to the Director's documents.

Guo Tongyu looked at Lu Fan thoughtfully and said, "Are you making excuses for them?"

Lu Fan became nervous immediately, pretending to be calm, and said, "Director, this is how I consider it: to err is human. In fact, it's not terrible for people to make mistakes as long as they realize their mistakes and seriously correct them. The organization, based on the principle of 'learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the sickness to save the patient,' can pull them back in time, encourage and help them correct their mistakes, let them feel the organization's care, put down their ideological burdens, and strengthen supervision. They will certainly not make the same mistake again, and will regain their vitality and let go to act. If you kill them with one blow and leave them with no future, it might be counterproductive and lead them to a dead end, which would then cause trouble for the leaders."

"Moreover, Baishu Bay is a poor and remote place, and most people don't want to work there. If everyone is dealt with, only the three of us will be left at the forest station, and the work won't be able to be carried out."

"I ask the Director to consider this at your discretion and give them another chance. At the same time, I will strengthen supervision to ensure that similar mistakes will not be made again."

Looking at the three envelopes, Guo Tongyu said, "You young man, you really know how to think for others. You like taking on things so much? How will I explain this to the leaders? You know, Secretary Guo gave instructions to my face, and I have to go to the County Party Committee to report later."

Lu Fan didn't know how to answer and regretted helping them make excuses. He really had gotten carried away; how could he dare to promise such a big thing!

Unexpectedly, Guo Tongyu said again, "Forget it, use your brain more when doing things in the future. Tell those few that the disciplinary action is certain, otherwise, I can't explain it to the County Party Committee. If there's a next time, it will definitely be handled strictly and heavily!"

Seeing that there was a turning point, Lu Fan hurriedly said, "Director, rest assured, if a similar situation occurs again, you can hold me responsible!"

"Lu Fan, to tell you the truth, letting you temporarily preside over the work is an expedient measure. You must be able to handle the work of the forest station, otherwise, this acting position will be wiped out at any time. Moreover, it's not that easy to become a regular. If you have connections, I suggest you move around. Don't you know Secretary Guo?"

Lu Fan's heart tightened, and he said vaguely, "Thank you, Director, for your guidance. I will strive for it, but in any case, your support and help are indispensable. The New Year is almost here; this is a small token of my appreciation."

Looking at the envelope pressed under the documents, Guo Tongyu said, "We're all our own people, no need!"

Lu Fan immediately stood up and said, "You still have to go to the County Party Committee to report work in the afternoon, so I won't disturb you, Director. If you have any orders, just give a shout, and I'll be on standby at any time!" After finishing, he walked quickly out of the Director's office, his heart pounding wildly, his palms and back covered in sweat. It was his first time giving a gift, and it was truly life-threatening, but fortunately, he had put it down.

All things are difficult at the beginning; a good start is half the success.

"This young man!" Guo Tongyu had intended to give some instructions about the work of Baishu Bay Forest Station this year, as well as the year-end assessment results, but forget it, next time.

Touching the envelope, the sincerity was very sufficient; a thoughtful person indeed!

Next, Lu Fan visited Deputy Directors Gao Jiaxing, Zhang Xin, and Chen Hengkun. After introducing himself, he carefully offered his "token of appreciation."

What Lu Fan didn't expect was that they all declined slightly before putting the red envelopes directly into their drawers, as if they had expected it, their movements very practiced.

With red envelopes paving the way, everyone naturally chatted happily, all encouraging Lu Fan to work hard and strive to become a regular as soon as possible, indicating that they should keep in touch often in the future.

Coming out of Deputy Director Chen Hengkun's office, Lu Fan seemed to have adapted to giving gifts, his mindset very stable.

After seeing the leaders, the big stone in his heart was finally put down. He felt relaxed all over and could finally spend the New Year with peace of mind.

Now he could find a grain and oil shop to arrange the staff's benefits. The unwritten rule for all units in Ningyang is rice, flour, and oil. Not to mention the wealthy units; I heard they even issue laptops, so I dare not compare.

Finding an old shop, Lu Fan compared carefully, introduced himself, and ordered 10 portions of rice, flour, and oil.

The boss was skeptical; the "person in charge" who claimed to be from Baishu Bay Forest Station was too young. Lu Fan didn't explain and paid cash directly, asking him to issue an invoice. The boss's attitude changed immediately, becoming extremely enthusiastic.