Chapter 1026: Go Sit at the First Table!

The next morning, Tang Ye went to the Municipal Party Committee residential compound and met with Hong Ruilin.

Hong Ruilin's hair had turned whiter; in previous years he would occasionally dye it black, but now he no longer did.

His full head of silver hair paired with his transcendent temperament gave him quite the air of a hermit living apart from the world.

After Tang Ye arrived, he changed into an old jacket, dug soil in the vegetable patch, sowed seeds, watered them, and built a trellis for the luffa.

Hong Ruilin sat in a chair, drinking tea and playing chess with Gu Yong, watching Tang Ye sweating profusely with a look of great satisfaction.

Every time Tang Ye came over, he would make Tang Ye work in the fields, the goal being to let the young man stay grounded.

Young people's administrative ability was not weak, but they also had shortcomings.

Many young people had never suffered, and some cadres from the city had never even worked the land.

Tang Ye, however, had great awareness:

Wearing a shirt, jacket, and leather shoes, he was a politician dedicated to the welfare of the people;

Putting on a straw hat and changing into rubber-soled shoes, he became an ordinary person rooted in the soil.

After finishing the farm work, Tang Ye cooked a few dishes at noon.

The three of them chatted while eating.

Hong Ruilin looked at Tang Ye and asked, "You did well in Dayu County. Now that you have the label of a poverty-alleviation cadre, you will likely be responsible for poverty-alleviation work in Yechuan County as well. Do you have any ideas at the moment?"

Tang Ye smiled and said, "I have collected a lot of information on Yechuan County over the past few days and sorted out some projects. I plan to integrate and promote them through a new business model when the time comes.

I cultivated a Camellia Oil E-commerce Project in Dayu County, and the momentum is currently very good; the monthly sales have already exceeded the annual revenue of traditional channels.

I have thought about it, and E-commerce will be the mainstream of the future. If Yechuan County wants to achieve a breakthrough, it might be worth starting from this angle."

A flash of surprise crossed Hong Ruilin's eyes, then he nodded slightly: "The times are different; one must indeed grasp the trends to better adjust the industrial structure.

However, the subsequent development of E-commerce will inevitably face some problems. As far as I know, regulation is very difficult, there are a large number of counterfeit and shoddy goods on the market, and the issue of taxation after product sales has not yet been resolved."

Tang Ye thought to himself that Hong Ruilin was truly a veteran leader; even without having been exposed to the internet, he had grasped the core issues immediately.

"The contradiction between product quality and taxation does indeed exist.

The development of any industry has a process. In the 1990s, as the public's material needs increased, many merchants sacrificed quality for quantity to meet supply, but after more than a decade of standardized development, product quality issues have now significantly improved.

I believe that customer demand will eventually force merchants to improve product and service quality."

"As for the tax issue, it will certainly be gradually standardized later on. In the process of supporting emerging industries, we must provide sufficient tolerance and support. At the current stage, not collecting taxes can be seen as the Government encouraging industry development and providing tax-exemption policies to stimulate rapid growth."

Hong Ruilin's eyes lit up: "This line of thinking of yours is very good; you could write a thesis from this perspective."

Tang Ye immediately understood that Hong Ruilin was assigning him another study task.

"Alright, I will think it over carefully when I go back."

Tang Ye had long regarded Hong Ruilin as a mentor.

Whether it was his rich experience or his noble character, Hong Ruilin was worthy of his humble learning.

At the moment of parting, Hong Ruilin took a tin of tea from the cabinet and told Tang Ye to take it.

Tang Ye accepted it gladly.

After leaving the Hong Residence, Tang Ye went to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to meet up with Du Xi, then they went together to Yunhu Courtyard to pick up Xiao Qin and set off for Qiongjin.

Today was the sixtieth birthday of Chen Lan's mother, Xiao Fang. Although Xiao Fang had not yet recovered, Chen Lan still wanted to hold a lively celebration for her mother.

Chen Lan stood at the hotel entrance to welcome guests, wearing a simple outfit.

Although the outfit was simple, it was inlaid with a few exquisite dark floral patterns, fully displaying an understated beauty that matched her temperament perfectly.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto her face, her skin as lustrous as jade, and the small black mole below the corner of her eye did not ruin the overall aesthetic, but instead added a touch of lively and charming vitality.

Xiao Qin stepped out of the car, and Chen Lan's eyes lit up as she hurried forward to greet her: "Thank you for your trouble."

Xiao Qin looked Chen Lan up and down and exclaimed: "You look truly beautiful today."

Chen Lan smiled shyly: "Hurry inside and take a seat!"

Tang Ye and Du Xi were arranged at the third table, while Xiao Qin was at the second table, where the others were all from the younger generation of the Xiao Family.

Not long after Tang Ye sat down, Chen Lan's father, Chen Ming'an, leaned over and whispered: "Little Tang, go sit at the first table."

The first table was occupied by the elders or core members of the Xiao Family.

If Du Chengfeng had come, there would have been a seat for him.

Xiao Guangyi having Chen Ming'an invite Tang Ye to the first table was, in reality, a signal of respect for his third sister's family.

Tang Ye was poised and natural as he stood up and sat at the first table.

Xiao Guangyi was as serious as ever and asked expressionlessly: "When are you going to Yechuan County to take up your post?"

Tang Ye replied: "Next Tuesday; I plan to go early to familiarize myself with the situation."

Xiao Guangyi nodded slightly: "The situation in Yechuan County is relatively complex; a previous cadre met with an accident while in office. You must be careful and cautious after you go there. If there is anything you need help with, you can tell me directly."

Tang Ye could clearly feel Xiao Guangyi's approval of him and quickly replied: "Alright, thank you, Uncle."

The birthday banquet officially began.

Xiao Fang sat in a wheelchair, her eyes vacant.

As people came forward to toast her, she remained like a walking corpse, showing no reaction.

Halfway through the banquet, Xiao Fang suddenly grabbed Chen Lan's hand and asked: "Where is Mingcheng? Why don't I see Mingcheng?"

Chen Lan's eyes turned red instantly—in her mother's mind, she had never been able to accept the fact that she and Shen Mingcheng had divorced.

"Mom, Mingcheng is busy with work and couldn't come today."

Xiao Fang gave a soft "Mm": "Oh, Mingcheng is busy with work, so he didn't come. Being busy is a good thing, I know now."

Her second aunt, Xiao Fei, saw Xiao Fang's muddled state, shook her head helplessly, and sighed softly.

Thinking back, Xiao Fang used to be a shrewd and capable person, but now she had become so dazed and foolish, which was truly lamentable.

Her gaze fell on the first table, where Tang Ye was chatting and laughing with Xiao Guangyi, and the seat he had taken was the very one that had belonged to Shen Mingcheng.

Previously, Xiao Fei had thought that Xiao Qin's son-in-law was merely a flash in the pan and would not amount to much.

But now, Tang Ye is about to take office as Acting County Magistrate, already a Department-level Official, and a Department-level Official holding real power at that.

Tang Ye is only thirty-one years old; with such a speed of promotion, his future development will definitely be even more steady and solid than Shen Mingcheng's.

Of course, in Xiao Fei's understanding, whether it is Tang Ye or her brother-in-law Du Chengfeng, the reason they have been able to rise step by step these past few years is certainly inseparable from the secret support of her eldest brother, Xiao Guangyi.

It is just a pity that her son-in-law is useless, living a life of dissipation all day long; he is mud that cannot be plastered onto a wall.

At this banquet, Tang Ye truly experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

Back when he and Du Xi had just gotten married, the entire Xiao Family had no goodwill toward him.

Sure enough, as long as a person is outstanding enough, the "friends" around them will become more and more numerous.

Through close-range contact and observation, Xiao Guangyi felt that Tang Ye indeed had superior qualities.

He was well-spoken, witty and humorous, and possessed a strong natural affinity.

In fact, he had originally made plans to take the initiative to help Tang Ye arrange a competitive position once his inter-provincial exchange ended.

It was just unexpected that Tang Ye would end the exchange early.

It was somewhat caught off guard...