Chapter 861

Zhou Ruohan fell silent briefly on her end, then said, "This matter really isn't easy to handle."

Translation: Zhou Ruohan fell silent for a moment on her end, then said, "This matter really isn't easy to handle."

She fell silent briefly on her end.

Zhou Ruohan fell silent briefly on her end, then said, "This matter really isn't easy to handle."

That's fine.

Su Yang's heart jolted; it seemed Fang Jingwen really did have some understanding of this matter, and he had indeed been careless before.

Translation: Su Yang's heart jolted; it seemed Fang Jingwen really did have some understanding of this matter, and he had indeed been careless before.

Heart jolted; it seemed she really did have some understanding; he had indeed been careless before.

We'll produce: Su Yang's heart jolted; it seemed Fang Jingwen really did have some understanding of this matter, and he had indeed been careless before.

He asked, "What's going on? Don't you have any connections in this area? If you don't, can't even Dad handle it? Given his current status, the Ministry of Transport's leaders should know him—why wouldn't they give him face?"

Translation: He asked, "What's going on? Don't you have any connections in this area? If you don't, can't even Dad handle it? Given his current status, the Ministry of Transport's leaders should know him—why wouldn't they give him face?"

He asked, "What's going on? Don't you have any connections in this area? If you don't, can't even Dad handle it? Given his current status, the Ministry of Transport's leaders should know him—why wouldn't they give him face?"

Given his current status, the Ministry of Transport's leaders should know him—why wouldn't they give him face?

Zhou Ruohan said, "Some things aren't as simple as you think. To most people, everyone here is a child of the great Jingcheng clans, so nothing seems impossible. Actually, it's not like that at all. If the upper‑class clan children really were united, weaving a tight network of relations, would the grassroots even have a chance? No, they wouldn't."

Translation: Zhou Ruohan said, "Some things aren't as simple as you think. To most people, everyone here is a child of the great Jingcheng clans, so nothing seems impossible. Actually, it's not like that at all. If the upper‑class clan children really were united, weaving a tight network of relations, would the grassroots even have a chance? No, they wouldn't."

child of the great Jingcheng clans, grassroots

Moreover, this is also not allowed by the higher ups.

Translation: "Moreover, this is also not allowed by the higher ups."

higher ups

Although Jingcheng's connections are extraordinary, there are still factional divisions. Dad may look promising and have the approval of higher leaders, but he's merely a governor—even though it's the province with the second‑largest economy, he's only a deputy chief.

Translation: "Although Jingcheng's connections are extraordinary, there are still factional divisions. Dad may look promising and have the approval of higher leaders, but he's merely a governor—even though it's the province with the second‑largest economy, he's only a deputy chief."

deputy chief

Even if he could someday advance further, even higher, that's still in the future. The Ministry of Transport's leaders definitely know Dad, and Mom knows them too—they greet each other when they meet—but whether they'll give him face is another matter.

Translation: "Even if he could someday advance further, even higher, that's still in the future. The Ministry of Transport's leaders definitely know Dad, and Mom knows them too—they greet each other when they meet—but whether they'll give him face is another matter."

they greet each other when they meet

Besides, at Dad's level there's no certainty; you can't just go begging for favors. Let me spell it out: do you know who the Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport is? It's Pang De, the maternal uncle of Jia Guolong.

Translation: "Besides, at Dad's level there's no certainty; you can't just go begging for favors. Let me spell it out: do you know who the Executive Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport is? It's Pang De, the maternal uncle of Jia Guolong."

maternal uncle

Moreover, it's rumored he'll likely take over as Minister of Transport in the second half of next year, so the current minister basically doesn't handle Transport affairs; all project approvals and daily work are overseen by Jia Guolong's maternal uncle, Pang De.

Translation: "Moreover, it's rumored he'll likely take over as Minister of Transport in the second half of next year, so the current minister basically doesn't handle Transport affairs; all project approvals and daily work are overseen by Jia Guolong's maternal uncle, Pang De."

the minister (the top leader)

This is also the convention of the ministry: before the top leader steps down, aside from important meetings and personnel adjustments, they do not participate in anything else.

My dad also teamed up with Secretary Jia; he is the top leader, having absolute authority in the province, but because their work philosophies differ somewhat—his being more traditional and relatively conservative—my dad is pushing through reforms with bold moves, vigorously building industrial parks and even introducing foreign enterprises.

Over the past six months or so, my dad has basically solidified his position, and he and Secretary Jia have begun to oppose each other. Do you think, in this situation, if I find someone to take you to the Ministry of Transport to pursue the project, it would be possible?

Even if I entrust someone else, they will investigate your background; as soon as they ask about the situation, I estimate the project will be shot down directly, and even if you return to the province, there will be no room for recovery. Do you understand now?

Su Yang kept shaking his head after listening: "I really oversimplified things. If I had known, I wouldn't have boasted about this. Building a highway is something whose merit lies not in the present but benefits future generations; at least it cannot be finished within two or three years, and I may not be able to stay there that long."

But it's too late to regret now; I've already said it, and you know full well what Zhang Jiangbo is like.

Zhou Ruohan says: "It's fine; we can look into it again after we go home for the New Year. If my dad really puts his reputation on the line to handle this, it's not impossible—it's just somewhat overkill."

Su Yang said: "That's absolutely out of the question; at my dad's level, unless it's a major matter, we cannot let him use personal connections. Besides, I am a man who stands tall and firm—I'll figure this out myself. By the way, when should we roughly set our wedding date? Who should we mainly invite then? What do I need to prepare?"

Zhou Ruohan said coquettishly: "You still remember this? I thought you'd forgotten; your mind is full of nothing but your work."

Su Yang hurriedly apologized: "This is a major life event—how could I dare forget? It's just that recent affairs have been too thorny and complicated, and I can't get distracted. Having just sorted out the county's affairs, I came to discuss this with you."

Zhou Ruohan said: "The date is roughly set for the sixth day of the first lunar month; I really don't know exactly who will be invited, and this matter seems not to be up to us."

However, according to my grandparents' opinion, we should keep it simple—probably around six tables. The venue is set at the Xijing Binguan; since senior leaders might attend, we can't yet decide who to invite.

But immediate family members will definitely come; also, if you have any particularly close friends, you can invite them, though this might need to be reported. The specifics will have to wait until you return and hear what your grandparents say.

Su Yang felt his scalp go numb as he said: "I originally thought we'd just find a hotel, or failing that, hold it in our courtyard—how did it become so elaborate?"

Zhou Ruohan said: "Is that elaborate? It's quite normal—you know some people hold theirs in the Great Hall of the People? Even if we wanted to keep it low-key and simple, holding it at home, the higher-ups wouldn't allow it. I can't explain all this in a sentence or two; the basic principle is that my dad now holds this position, so every big or small family matter will attract countless eyes."

All right, let's not talk about this; anyway, I don't expect you to make any preparations—just show up when the time comes. All the wedding preparations, including those other tedious matters, have dedicated people handling them.

Before that, if you're not busy, go back to your hometown and bring your parents over so they can get familiar with the environment early, and thereafter try to live in Jingcheng as much as possible. If you're busy with work, I'll make a special trip to fetch them; you needn't worry, as I'll have company when I go.

Su Yang was deeply moved; Zhou Ruohan is thoughtful, having considered things he hadn't. According to his plan, he would first go home before the New Year to see if his parents are willing to come; if not, he would wait until the wedding period to fetch them. But if Zhou Ruohan came to pick them up, his parents would definitely be delighted.

After hanging up, he intended to wash up and sleep. But just then, the landline on the desk rang; the call was from Chen Bo.

County Magistrate Su, you've been swamped with work; your phone's been engaged all evening. I have something to tell you: the outcome for County Magistrate Li has come down, and thereafter we'll have one more comrade on the standing committee.

Su Yang laughed and said: "Thank goodness, the Municipal Party Committee leaders have finally convened a standing committee meeting; before, they hadn't been meeting at all, and we couldn't bother them over this, not to mention we lack the standing to do so."

This is indeed a good thing; approaching the New Year, we need to convene another standing committee meeting to further study related matters, and at the same time settle Lao Mo's affair.

Chen Bo said: "Someone is even more proactive than us, having already proposed to hold a standing committee meeting tomorrow morning, and also having our Organization Department inspect Yao Daya, the Party Committee Secretary of Guantan Gou Zhen, with the intention of appointing him as Vice Chair of the People's Congress."

Su Yang couldn't help but laugh: "What a coincidence! In that case, you could totally treat Lao Mo as a differentiated candidate; to be honest, I'm really eager."