Chapter 659: Creating an Oasis in the Desert!

With a police car leading the way, Tang Ye arrived at the Du Residence in Yunhu Courtyard.

He had called his mother-in-law on the way, so Xiao Qin was already waiting at the entrance.

Seeing Tang Ye and Er Zi unloading a large amount of farm produce from the trunk, a smile appeared on Xiao Qin's face; she knew these were all tokens of appreciation from the villagers of Xiaoguo Village for Tang Ye.

"When your father was promoted to Deputy County Magistrate back then, the common people also rushed to the Township Government to see him off, bringing us many vegetables grown in the fields, as well as chickens, ducks, and geese raised at home," Xiao Qin said, which was her indirect way of praising Tang Ye for being a good official.

Tang Ye smiled and said, "The villagers of Xiaoguo Village are very simple and honest; they know clearly who is good to them."

After moving everything into the courtyard, Er Zi took the initiative to ask to leave.

Xiao Qin wanted to keep them for a meal, but Tang Ye knew Er Zi and the others would feel uncomfortable eating there, so he did not insist.

Tang Ye took out a carton of cigarettes and stuffed it into Er Zi's hand, saying with a smile, "Take this carton of cigarettes back and smoke them with your comrades."

Er Zi secretly thought that it was enough that he didn't show filial respect to Tang Ye, let alone take his superior's cigarettes, so he hurriedly declined, "County Magistrate Tang, I cannot accept this."

Tang Ye put on a stern face, "You must accept it; this is an order."

Er Zi had known Tang Ye for some time; in his heart, Wan Ming was his superior and mentor, while Tang Ye was on an even higher level. He was filled with awe and respect for Tang Ye, so he took the cigarettes.

Er Zi walked a few steps toward the car, then turned back, scratched his head, and said softly, "County Magistrate Tang, there is one thing I must thank you for. Huang Ling and I have officially started a relationship, and we plan to get married this National Day."

Tang Ye's eyes lit up, and he punched Er Zi in the chest, "You kid, not bad! Congratulations."

Er Zi blushed and gave an honest, simple laugh, "It's all thanks to your matchmaking, County Magistrate Tang. I would like to invite you to be our witness at the wedding."

Tang Ye smiled, "I've noted it down. As long as I have the time, I will definitely come back to congratulate you."

Er Zi understood Tang Ye's predicament; this trip would take two years, and Shaanzhou was a day's train ride away from Hanzhou. Moreover, Dayu County was such a remote place, so coming back once would be quite a hassle.

However, being able to get Tang Ye's promise already made Er Zi very excited.

……

Around nine in the evening, Du Chengfeng returned from a social engagement with no scent of alcohol on him. He beckoned to Tang Ye, and Tang Ye, understanding, followed Du Chengfeng into the study.

Tang Ye took the initiative to start brewing tea. Du Chengfeng took off his glasses, pressed his acupoints, and said softly, "I attended a Jin merchant symposium with Secretary Zhou today. The talks went well; we are preparing to build an entertainment project in the East District."

Tang Ye sighed, "Jin merchants have been very active in recent years and are also beginning to transform."

Jin merchants seized a wave of development dividends after Huaguo's reform and opening up, and because the national demand for energy increased, they made a fortune relying on rich mineral resources.

However, mining is, after all, a non-renewable resource, so they sensed the shift in the wind and began to actively seek transformation.

Du Chengfeng took a sip of tea and asked softly, "Do you have any thoughts on your trip to Dayu County?"

A look of helplessness appeared at the corners of Tang Ye's mouth, "My understanding of Dayu County is limited to what is on paper, but in recent years, quite a bit of negative news has been exposed about Dayu County. They built 11 plazas and parks, 26 municipal road projects, and 10 office buildings in violation of regulations. Almost half of the money was spent on grand urban development and construction, while less than 6% was spent on cultivating revenue sources and promoting industrial development."

Du Chengfeng thought to himself that Tang Ye had indeed looked into Dayu County before coming over, and said with a smile, "Now that you know the situation there, do you regret it a little?"

Tang Ye shook his head, "Actually, changing to a new place is always starting from scratch. As for the situation in Dayu County, everyone knows it clearly—it's a National-level Poverty-stricken County. But once political achievements are made, it's like creating an oasis in the desert; it's even more convincing."

Seeing that Tang Ye thought so clearly, a look of gratification appeared in Du Chengfeng's eyes, "Your awareness is good; you didn't disappoint me. Although Dayu County is full of difficulties, it is a huge opportunity. The difficulties there are clear for all to see; if you can still achieve results despite such hardship, you will be able to chew on even harder bones in the future."

Encouraged by Du Chengfeng, Tang Ye's spirits were lifted.

Everyone has a desire to "lie flat" in their heart.

Tang Ye is no exception, but he actually knows the principles of the state in appointing cadres. Although there are hidden rules many times, most of the time, one still has to look at the cadre's resume.

"The difficulties are objectively present, and I can understand the logic. I am willing to accept this challenge," Tang Ye said with a firm tone.

Du Chengfeng thought to himself that Tang Ye was too mature. Actually, he would have preferred to see Tang Ye complain; that would have made him feel a bit more comfortable.

Regarding the arrangement to go to Dayu County, Du Chengfeng knew who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes; the other party was definitely targeting him.

On this point, Du Chengfeng felt he had let Tang Ye down.

However, the path of an official career is just like this; the weak will complain endlessly when facing setbacks.

But the strong will become excited when encountering adversity.

Du Chengfeng's tone became much more relaxed, "Don't have too much of a burden, feeling that you must achieve something. Actually, I gave full consideration to letting you participate in this exchange program. Officially speaking, at most it's two years; if you work for another two years in Suiyuan, I would definitely have given you a satisfactory result. Your departure now disrupts the deployment. Privately, I don't want you and Du Xi to be separated. You are a young couple, and being separated in two different places makes me feel very uncomfortable."

This was the first time Tang Ye had touched upon his father-in-law's inner world, and he was incomparably moved, "Dad, a man must prioritize his career. I am a Party member, and the nature of my work dictates that I must obey the organization's arrangements. I will work hard and will not let you down. I believe Du Xi can also understand."

Du Chengfeng patted Tang Ye on the shoulder and nodded with satisfaction, "I believe in you; you will definitely be able to achieve results."

After the conversation with Du Chengfeng ended, Tang Ye and Du Xi returned to Xiyue Garden.

After showering, Du Xi and Tang Ye lay on the bed and cuddled for a while, then began to chat.

"Honey, you're going to Dayu County for two years this time. You'll suffer a lot, and I can't bear to let you go."

Tang Ye laughed in spite of himself, "Although my salary isn't much, I don't have to worry about having a place to live, there's a cafeteria for meals, and the office even has air conditioning. I'm much happier than many people."

Du Xi said very angrily, "So many people are participating in the exchange, why did they transfer you to the poorest and most bitter place?"

Tang Ye smiled and said, "I also want to complain, but I can only complain to you. I also want to ask, why?"

Tang Ye knew he must have been set up by someone.

But complaining is of no use in solving problems.

Even when facing Du Chengfeng, he did not have the slightest grievance.

At this moment, he opened his heart to Du Xi.

Because he trusted Du Xi and also needed to let Du Xi understand him by opening up his inner world.

Hearing this, Du Xi hugged Tang Ye even tighter.

Tang Ye stroked Du Xi's back and said in a firm tone, "After complaining, the work still has to be done. Don't worry, I won't let those people watch me make a fool of myself!"