Chapter 901

Liu Chaoming looked up and just saw Su Yang finish his phone call, hurried over: "How is it? Any news? To be honest, I didn't sleep all night last night, and now I'm about to break down."

Su Yang said: "I had someone inquire, and it's still rather tricky. They said your qualifications are fine, but the competitors this time are all very strong; I'm not clear on the specifics."

I'm giving you the phone number of my childhood friend Comrade Sun Chengjun; he's now the chief of Lieshan County Public Security Bureau and has solid connections in Jingcheng. Your matter is being handled by him—just call him directly. You can discuss the details between yourselves; if I need to mediate, I'll do so.

Su Yang said, then gave Sun Chengjun's number to Liu Chaoming, lit a cigarette, sat on the field ridge nearby and started blowing smoke rings.

In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed; the days of working in this familiar field remain vivid. As a child, his biggest dream was to escape this land and make his way in the world.

In the countryside, with spring plowing and autumn harvest, aside from rainy and snowy seasons, one works year-round in the fields—truly facing the loess with back to the sky. Yet now, he has changed his fate through study; returning to this place, he still feels intimately close.

But he also knows that future visits may become fewer, and chances to repay the village that raised him are dwindling. If Liu Chaoming's matter can be settled this time, it is actually an opportunity to give back to his hometown.

About ten minutes later, Liu Chaoming finished his call. His entire demeanor was completely different from before; even though he hadn't slept all night, he now felt full of energy.

He stepped forward, clasped Su Yang's hand with both hands, and repeatedly thanked him: "I'm truly grateful! I didn't expect Director Sun's side to already have a lead; I thought it would take at least a month or two. I know my situation—compared to others, I truly have no advantage; seniority means little within the system."

But Director Sun said the Organization Department might consider resolving my vice-department-level benefits issue; this time they will nominate me as vice-chairman of the CPPCC, raising my rank first, and the position can be adjusted later.

This is genuine progress for me; I will naturally thank Director Sun, and I can't just give you empty words.

Of course, if I can do it, you certainly can too; and I know you're indifferent to fame and profit, never taking bribes. So let me say this: from now on, if County Magistrate Su has any assignment that just needs a word, I will absolutely go through fire and water.

Su Yang laughed and said: "Actually you don't need to thank me; you know how things work in the system—while pulling strings, visiting old leaders, and leveraging connections can help to some extent, the real effect comes from yourself."

If you hadn't worked hard to be a good county party secretary, the Cultivation Organization wouldn't have promoted you. After all, the Cultivation Organization has the Cultivation Organization's personnel principles; it couldn't blindly promote someone just because another person said hello or a word. If that were the case, things would have been a mess long ago—what hope would the common people have? I actually have something I need your help with right now.

You've seen the situation in our village—some people's lives are just about getting by, but many are still struggling on the subsistence line. Some families can't even afford school fees for their children, scraping together money, and some can't send their kids to school at all.

I originally thought I'd save up some wages to help them, but honestly, our monthly salary, if lived in the city or provincial capital, would at most support a family.

I'm talking about normal circumstances; we won't mention those who reach out for handouts. So I hope you can, within the limits of relevant policies, give them some care—at least ensure they can eat and afford school.

If a locality's children can't even go to school, that's tantamount to strangling their future—when even the kids have no future, what development is there to speak of?

Liu Chaoming nodded repeatedly, promising: "For me, this is really just a matter of moving my lips—especially for a county like ours, the annual civil affairs funds allocated from above, even if not a single village but concentrated in one township, could change that township's basic living conditions. From my position, where wouldn't such poverty-relief policies apply? Rest assured, I will definitely get this done."

Su Yang continued: "From now on, don't take the lead in bringing gifts to our house, and you don't need to come so often during holidays. Otherwise, look at my dad—he's been an honest, simple farmer all his life, and now his back is straighter than mine; if this goes wrong, in the end I might not have made a mistake, but he would have."

Liu Chaoming's face showed some embarrassment, but deep down he had another thought: if it weren't for his frequent visits and sincere gestures during this period, Su Yang wouldn't be able to help him now. At his level, making even a small move upward—let alone putting in this much effort—even if he put in ten or a hundred times more, might not yield results.

In the afternoon, Su Yang received another call from Zhou Ruohan, asking him to try to return tonight because tomorrow the family will come back for a reunion dinner.

As the prospective son-in-law of the Zhou family, Su Yang naturally had to join the meal; it seems Old Zhou also wanted to fully push Su Yang into the spotlight this time. So he could only have someone book a flight and take a car to the provincial capital. But Liu Chaoming insisted on driving him personally, with no alternative, so he had to ride in Liu Chaoming's special car all the way to the provincial airport.

When he landed in Jingcheng it was already 9 p. m.; just as he got off the plane and was about to take the shuttle bus, he received a call from Zhou Tong. Just like last time, Zhou Tong was driving the car with special plates, waiting for him in the private vehicle area beside the shuttle.

Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law over here!

Su Yang hurried over, about to give Zhou Tong a firm hug, but seeing Zhou Ruohan also seated in the car, he ignored Zhou Tong, opened the door and got in. Without even noticing Zhou Tong present, he gave Zhou Ruohan a deep embrace, and the two almost couldn't resist engaging in a tongue‑to‑tongue challenge right there.

Zhou Tong, while starting the car, complained: "I say, brother‑in‑law, can't you two treat me like a person? If you really can't, I'll wait aside for a while and give you thirty or fifty minutes."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhou Ruohan harshly criticized him: "What thirty or fifty minutes? You're looking down on someone? Drive seriously, hurry back—grandma and grandpa are still waiting for dinner."

Then Zhou Ruohan leaned intimately against Su Yang's body, even sniffing his scent.

Su Yang couldn't help but say: "I went home yesterday, ate and drank with the family, and even now I still smell of smoke—aren't you afraid you'll get the child smoky?"