Chapter 93

County Magistrate Liu Qimeng, a cadre who came from an economic background, started his lecture by discussing the economic development of Chunshan County.

Chunshan County has twenty-four townships. The most remote, Suxi Township, is nearly sixty kilometers from the county seat. The total county population is 310,000, with fewer than 50,000 registered as urban residents. There are currently eleven county-run enterprises. The largest, the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant, is located in Chengguan Town and has over two thousand employees, but it is currently in a state of semi-stoppage. The smallest, the County Hardware Factory, is located in Yanbi Village, Chengguan Town, with fifty employees, and has completely ceased production.

The summarized result was that of the eleven county enterprises, fewer than five were in normal production. The data was frightening, and no one dared to make a sound. Cadres from the County Township Enterprise Bureau were also attending this training; after hearing County Magistrate Liu's data, their faces turned pale and cold sweat streamed down.

A county's industry being basically in a state of semi-paralysis meant that the economic situation couldn't be worse.

County Magistrate Liu Qimeng raised his voice and cited several new examples, saying that some township enterprises were doing quite well now. Among them, the Cement Products Factory in Chengguan Town not only fully met the needs of the county's economic development but also sold some products to other counties, and even managed to get a share of the cement products industry in the city.

Upon hearing this, Huang Qishan turned his head to smile at me with self-satisfaction. Huang Qishan was in charge of township enterprises, and County Magistrate Liu's example happened to confirm his political achievements.

I didn't care. I was neither a main leader of the township nor a township cadre in charge of enterprises. I was just a secretary, and although I had now become a member of the Party Committee, I was still in charge of ideology. Economics seemed to have nothing to do with me.

"If thinking doesn't change, it directly affects economic development. Economy is the only condition for changing people's lives, and the lack of economy directly restricts social development," County Magistrate Liu said persuasively. "We cannot make revolution on an empty stomach. The era where class struggle was the key link is gone forever. Now is a great era, an era for you to show your skills. Only when you change the living conditions of the common people will you gain their support and love."

"As state cadres, you must always think about serving the people. How to serve? How to provide service? It's not something that can be explained in one sentence or one act; it requires long-term persistence and consistency. Only by keeping the common people in your hearts will you understand their hardships and find better ways to change and promote things."

County Magistrate Liu's lecture lasted for two and a half hours. Huang Qishan had drunk alcohol at noon and was so desperate to urinate that his face turned red, but he didn't dare to leave, so he had to squirm in his seat.

I found it funny and whispered to him, "Town Mayor Huang, you have an urgent need. Don't hold it, don't hold it, or you'll end up with prostatitis, and then you'll have let down the Party and the government."

Huang Qishan nodded painfully. After making a difficult decision, he quietly hunched over, slid his body down like a snake, and slipped out.

County Magistrate Liu saw his flustered back and suddenly realized his lecture had been too long, so he smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I got carried away with the lecture and made some comrades unable to hold it. How about this, let's give everyone twenty minutes to smoke and go to the restroom."

As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom erupted in joy, and several people immediately grabbed their pants and ran out as if their lives depended on it.

Principal Old Zhang had been standing outside the door. At this moment, he came in and invited County Magistrate Liu to his office for a cup of tea.

County Magistrate Liu didn't seem to want to leave. He said to the people surrounding him, "Everyone go and relieve yourselves."

I was just about to get up and go outside the classroom to smoke when County Magistrate Liu saw me and beckoned me over.

"Chen Feng? Propaganda Committee Member of the Suxi Township Party Committee?"

I nodded hurriedly and said, "County Magistrate Liu, you still remember me?"

Liu Qimeng laughed and said, "If I didn't even recognize my own soldiers, wouldn't that be a dereliction of duty?"

I smiled embarrassedly and said, "That's not what I meant."

County Magistrate Liu pointed to a chair and told me to sit. I didn't dare to sit and remained standing beside him. He didn't insist, but just asked me, "How is the situation with the electricity?"

I said, "It will be turned on on the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month. All preparations have been completed."

"And the road?"

I reported hurriedly, "The roadbed is all finished. Especially at Laoyingzui, we opened a road surface wide enough for three cars to drive side-by-side. Now we are just waiting for hardening. However, for a newly built road, we might need to wait for it to settle for a period of time before it's good to pave it with asphalt."

County Magistrate Liu nodded with satisfaction and said, "For Suxi Township's electricity and roads, we really have to thank your team of cadres." He suddenly turned to ask me, "Has the asphalt paving been implemented?"

I shook my head and said, "Not yet. The County Highway Bureau says there is no budget for this. We are still trying to find a way."

County Magistrate Liu pondered for a moment and said, "Don't be in a hurry about this. The key is to wait until the road surface is solid before paving. In doing anything, one must ensure stability."

Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and the trainees returned to the classroom one after another.

County Magistrate Liu began to lecture on the development trends of the market economy.

He first made a vivid metaphor, saying, "What is the market economy? The market economy is like a widow. A widow's door is prone to gossip; therefore, the current market economy is full of gossip."

His metaphor drew a burst of laughter, and the atmosphere instantly became relaxed. It was also my first time hearing someone compare the market economy to a widow. Such a metaphor, although vivid, was somewhat unrefined.

County Magistrate Liu had been to several cities in the south to inspect, and he particularly admired the development models of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. He said that during those days and nights in the south, he couldn't sleep a wink, constantly comparing them to Chunshan County. After comparing back and forth, he discovered that Chunshan County actually still had great potential. If others could turn a fishing village into an international metropolis, he had the idea of turning the mountain county into a Shangri-La.

County Magistrate Liu's lecture was more effective than a stimulant; the cadres were all eager to try, as if the dream of realizing Shangri-La was just around the corner. Everyone felt sacred again, and it seemed as if the changes in Chunshan County were inextricably linked to them.

The following lecture ended in less than an hour. Compared to the high-level training of Guan Peishan, it contained more practical content.

County Magistrate Liu had a meeting in the evening and had to leave after the lecture. The cadres crowded around the County Magistrate as he walked out, and people kept greeting him along the way.

I mingled among them and followed them toward the parking lot.

Huang Qishan emerged from the restroom with a look of relief. He had spent a full hour taking that leak. I was impressed beyond words; I had no idea what he had been doing hiding in the restroom.

He took a few steps to my side and asked in a low voice, "Is the lecture over?"

I nodded and said yes, we were now seeing County Magistrate Liu off.

Huang Qishan became anxious, saying there was still an important matter he hadn't reported, and if he missed this opportunity, he was afraid he wouldn't find a suitable time. He ran up regardless and whispered a few words to County Magistrate Liu.

County Magistrate Liu stopped, waved his hand to tell us not to see him off anymore. He and Huang Qishan stood far away and talked for a while. The secretary opened the car door, he climbed in, and drove away in a flash.

Afterward, I tried to ask Huang Qishan, "What did you report to County Magistrate Liu?"

He said nonchalantly, "Nothing much, just some small talk."

I didn't believe Huang Qishan's words at all. Since he didn't want to say, I couldn't force him. I pretended not to care and said, "County Magistrate Liu will probably be promoted to the city in the future, right?"

Huang Qishan stared into my eyes and said, "Where did you hear that news?"

I said, "I guessed."

He smiled and said, "I didn't expect Little Brother Chen to know the I Ching and divination."

I smiled faintly and said, "Town Mayor Huang, you flatter me. How could I know that? I was just guessing blindly."

He didn't say anything more. I suddenly realized that perhaps I had hit the nail on the head. Actually, whether County Magistrate Liu gets promoted or not has nothing to do with me. I am just a low-ranking member of the Township Party Committee, and there are thousands of people who grow old in this position. Perhaps I will be no exception!