Chapter 933: Olive Branch

Su Yang felt another wave of emotion inside him—no wonder Old Zhou could advance so quickly; it seemed he had seized heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony.

After more than ten minutes, they arrived in front of a courtyard house; the car stopped and Zhou Weiguo said, "We're here."

Su Yang followed him out of the car; just as they entered the gate, they saw a leader in casual home attire, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, walk over.

"Weiguo, you arrived so fast—I thought you'd dawdle a bit."

Zhou Weiguo strode forward, clasped the person's hand, and said, "Old leader, I've come to pay my New Year's respects—how could I delay? I wish I could fly straight over."

Su Yang felt his scalp tingle: I heard you used to detest brown-nosing and deliberate flattery—how come, when facing your old leader, you bend your waist?

But he merely thought it over; in fact, such behavior is quite normal within the system— not bending the waist would be wrong.

Secretary Chen's face was all smiles: "We don't do that here, and why have you become so soft‑waisted? You came with someone— is this your prospective son‑in‑law?"

As his words fell, Su Yang stepped forward quickly, bowed hastily, and said, "Secretary Chen, hello, I'm Su Yang, here to pay my New Year's respects."

Secretary Chen laughed while chiding: "Weiguo, I'm not talking about you—don't pass on your officialdom's etiquette to the young; they should have their own thoughts, not be spoiled by so‑called 'rules.' And you—what should I call you? Secretary Chen? If you insist on that title, with your rank you probably couldn't even enter my door."

Although Secretary Chen was full of reproach, his face broke into a grin; frankly, everyone enjoys brown‑nosing and fawning, and he is no exception.

Su Yang quickly seized the opportunity: "Uncle Chen, happy New Year—I've come to pay my respects."

Secretary Chen then said: "That's right—I and your father were comrades in the same trench back then; though we now work in different places, our friendship remains eternally lasting."

His remark was interesting—eternally lasting. Frankly speaking, if it were Zhou Weiguo half a year ago, without his successive trips to the capital to see senior leaders, their bond would not be "eternal," at most "evergreen."

Of course, human affairs have always been thus; many people pin their futures and hopes on their parents, even relatives, but in reality only when one is strong oneself does it become a firm principle, and others will then respect them more.

Old Zhou is now a rising political star; though he himself may not be certain of his next step, in Secretary Chen's presence he has probably already formed a basic judgment.

He said that, then invited Zhou Weiguo and Su Yang into the house; the furnishings remained the same old‑fashioned classical décor, understated yet meaningful, not luxurious. Of course, at such a status, outward things no longer matter.

Only Secretary Chen was at home; he rose, fetched the tea leaves, and prepared to brew tea. Su Yang said, "Uncle Chen, please sit; let me make the tea—otherwise I'd sit waiting for you to brew while I drink, which would be improper."

Secretary Chen laughed heartily: "Looks like you've met senior leaders—you're not nervous or frightened at all, which is good. Young people should be open‑minded. So I'll leave it to you." Then he turned to Zhou Weiguo and said, "Your son‑in‑law is not bad, only this title has spread somewhat alarmingly—'officialdom assassin.' Those who don't know the context will frown at first hearing."

Zhou Weiguo also laughed: "The institute's leaders gave him a few pointers on this matter—basically urging him to persist in doing what's right, uphold the bottom line, and dare to struggle against corrupt, corrupt, law‑breaking bad elements."

"Of course, this 'dare'—if it can be removed, it should be, after all he isn't a Discipline Inspection Commission member; meddling in other systems' affairs that he shouldn't is hard to justify."

Secretary Chen laughed heartily: "Actually, you don't need to make him deliberately correct it; I think there's no problem. Nowadays, our country's department heads often have their power infinitely expanded; same‑level Discipline Inspection Commission secretaries—who dares to manage them?"

"Thus we need someone like Su Yang, a young cadre, to straighten out these so‑called top leaders. On this point, I actually support the idea; some people are indeed out of line—not only do they not restrain themselves, they also indulge their clan's younger generation."

"These clan descendants, relying on their background, become even more reckless, so I insist we need a batch of young cadres like Su Yang to step forward and give them a lesson."

"So, Su Yang, are you willing to come work in Modu? Take the post of Deputy Secretary of the district Discipline Inspection Commission in Modu, and conduct a top‑to‑bottom rectification."

The sudden olive branch interrupted Su Yang's tea‑making motion—knowing that Modu's conditions are better than anywhere else nationwide, if he could really work here, it would actually benefit his growth more; after all, he has already worked in remote cities, accumulated relevant experience, and now needs to go to a prosperous city to gain more insight and exposure.

After a brief thought, he still said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen—I really want to go to a big city like Modu; with your support behind me, even if I work in the Discipline Inspection Commission, I won't be overly anxious."

"But my work in the county isn't finished yet; several projects are either starting or already underway, which are crucial for our county. If they turn into a mess, it will become a burden on county finances, and the county will have no chance to recover. I want to see them through from start to finish, completing these projects and giving an explanation to all the common people of the county."

Secretary Chen gazed at Su Yang for a long while before saying, "Not bad, not bad—you have seen things through, you have responsibility, you care about the people's welfare. Someone like you, if merely placed in the Discipline Inspection Commission, would indeed be somewhat underutilized; this time I was presumptuous—let's talk again when a suitable opportunity arises."

Zhou Weiguo from the side said, "Su Yang, you truly don't know the height of heaven and depth of earth—do you know how many people are scrambling to come to Modu for training? Such a fine opportunity lies before you, yet you don't even cherish it."

Secretary Chen said, "Enough, enough—stop trying to smooth things over. You don't understand me? Do you really think I care about face like those people? A junior refusing me is perfectly normal."

"If everyone acted according to our generation's experience and judgment, what prospects could there be? Moreover, the elders' experience isn't necessarily all correct; I genuinely feel that a young person like Su Yang, with his own inner core, better meets the needs of the nation's construction today."

This was his high praise for Su Yang.

Zhou Weiguo had actually been trying to smooth things over earlier, but didn't expect such high praise in return; he was delighted inside, yet kept a straight face and said, "You still haven't thanked Uncle Chen—you're such a blockhead."

Su Yang felt wronged inside: Did you two give me a chance to speak?

Secretary Chen waved his hand and said, "All right, stop making things difficult for the kid. What did you discuss with the leadership over there? What is the general direction for next year?"