Chapter 98: Dinner Party (1)

Organization Department Minister Huang Shan accompanied Secretary He to Chunshan County. Secretary Guan Peishan put down all the work in his hands and personally arranged Secretary He's itinerary. County Magistrate Liu Qimeng required all bureau agencies not to rest on Sunday and to welcome the inspection of Secretary He of the Municipal Party Committee at any time.

Secretary He spoke standard Mandarin. He had dark skin, a tall stature, and a beard covering his entire cheeks. Secretary He's eyes were not big, but they were shining with essence, making people feel terrified at any time.

He Zhi, who was from a military background, is currently the Executive Deputy Secretary of Hengyue City. He originally served as Deputy Secretary of the Zhangjiawan Municipal Party Committee in Hebei and was transferred to Hengyue City in 1997 to serve as Executive Deputy Secretary.

Hengyue City and Zhangjiawan City, one in the south and one in the north, are two cities that cannot be reached by eight poles. Deputy Secretary He Zhi basically came like an airdrop. According to organizational principles, the appointment of local government cadres basically does not leave the province. He Zhi could go from Zhangjiawan to Hengyue City, and there must be a particularly powerful force helping him. Although He Zhi's father was the former prefectural party committee secretary, if interpreted purely from the plot of falling leaves returning to the roots, it is fundamentally incomplete.

He Zhi brought his family to come. After half a year of enduring the life of a northerner, his wife took her son back to Zhangjiawan City. He Zhi's wife was a native of Zhangjiawan, and her father was the old municipal party committee secretary of Zhangjiawan. The living habits of Hengyue City made this northern woman completely desperate. Before leaving, she warned He Zhi, "Three years, only three years, must return to Zhangjiawan."

Since then, Deputy Secretary He Zhi, who was alone, lived in a house of over two hundred square meters, like a lonely wolf, sad and sorrowful.

He Zhi's decision to return to Hengyue City was both accidental and inevitable.

Hengyue City was the place where his father fought back then. When he passed away, he happened to be preparing for the war in the west and didn't see his old father for the last time. His mother passed away earlier. Once his father died, he had no roots in Hengyue City. By the time the war subsided, he was sent to a military academy to study for two years. Later, he got married, had children, and transferred to civilian work. A series of things kept him busy, completely cutting off his thought of returning to Hengyue City.

As people get older, the thought of home becomes stronger. Many nights he would sit on the balcony alone, looking at the distant mountains, thinking of his old father sleeping alone in the distant south. Maybe the grave was overgrown with weeds, maybe the night birds were crying sadly, he would shed tears silently, and the thought of returning home would emerge from the bottom of his heart.

He Zhi's roots are in Hengyue City, unlike me. My hometown is in the north, and my old father was a beggar. He followed He Zhi's father to join the army, from north to south, and finally took root in Hengyue City.

Many things are destined results. He Zhi went to Beijing for a meeting and visited his old chief. The old chief was a southerner and had been a comrade-in-arms and brother for many years with He Zhi's father, He Changgong, and had been through life and death together. The old chief basically watched He Zhi grow up. Back then, the He Changgong brothers entrusted their son to him, and the old chief had been paying attention to his growth. When He Zhi said he hadn't returned to his hometown for decades, the old chief almost burst into tears and waved his cane to hit him.

The old chief said, "In a person's life, one must be loyal, but even more filial."

He Zhi felt heartbroken. He had been loyal in the first half of his life, and he wanted to be filial in the second half, but "the son wants to be filial but the parents are gone"!

He Zhi proposed that he wanted to return to his hometown, even if he only served as an ordinary cadre.

The old chief was in tears, waving his cane and saying, "It's not your fault. Now that you go back and accompany the Changgong brothers, he will know underground."

The old chief had deep roots. In less than a month, a transfer order came down, and He Zhi was transferred to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Hengyue Municipal Party Committee.

Guo Wei drove me to the county in person and asked me several times on the way who asked me to go.

I actually didn't understand Huang Qishan's meaning either. He didn't reveal half a message on the phone. Guo Wei was very dissatisfied with my ambiguity, bit his cheeks, stared at the road, and stopped talking to me.

When the car arrived in Chunshan County, Huang Qishan was already waiting for me. Seeing Guo Wei, he came over to greet him and said, "Secretary Guo, driving in person?"

Guo Wei shook his head helplessly and said, "I have no choice. Chen Feng wants to come to the county, and no one knows how to drive. If I don't send him, who will? If I miss the good things of Secretary Huang, I can't afford this responsibility."

Huang Qishan laughed "hehe" and said, "What does it have to do with me? I'm also acting on orders. Secretary Guan instructed things, dare I not do them?"

"What is Secretary Guan looking for him for?" Guo Wei asked with great interest, opened the hood, and wanted Huang Qishan to find a bucket of water. The water in the water tank was insufficient and it was about to boil.

Huang Qishan laughed, "Secretary Guo, in such cold weather, your car is still boiling, the car condition is not very good."

Guo Wei ridiculed himself, "Don't look at my car as bad, running mountain roads, it's not something your county party committee agency car can compare to. Don't look down on me. In less than a year in Suxi Township, the car will definitely be better than your county party committee's."

The two of them were acquaintances, and they didn't talk too much around the corner. But because the two appeared in Chunshan at the same time and were rumored to have a relationship with Minister Huang Shan's daughter, Huang Weiwei, there was a rift in their hearts. But no matter how bad their own affairs were, after all, they were people from the same line, so they had to form an alliance in many cases. I was just a bystander, and I could see the subtlety between them. But I couldn't say it. Perhaps I would also enter their alliance in the future. Minister Huang Shan accompanied Secretary He Zhi to Chunshan County, which seemed to have released such a signal.

Just as they were talking, a deputy director of the County Public Security Bureau came over, followed by several policemen in plain clothes. Seeing us, they first came to greet Huang Qishan. Huang Qishan had been the Youth League Committee Secretary for almost a year and was rarely promoted to a member of the County Party Committee Standing Committee. The deputy director of the County Public Security Bureau was still a deputy section-level cadre to him and could not be mentioned in the same breath.

The deputy director didn't know me and Guo Wei, looked at our car, and consulted Huang Qishan's meaning.

Huang Qishan introduced our identities. At this time, his tone was a typical superior-subordinate relationship, as if I and Guo Wei were his subjects.

The deputy director apologized and explained that the County Party Committee had given instructions to absolutely ensure the safety of the chief, so he led the team to do security work, and it was not good to wear police uniforms to make a big splash, so they all came in plain clothes. During the chief's meal, all idle personnel and vehicles were not allowed to approach. During the chief's rest, the absolute quiet of the reception house must be ensured.

Guo Wei now understood the purpose of my coming, his face looked a bit unhappy, as if I had deliberately hidden something, he got into the car with a dark face, started the engine, and drove away. I called a few times behind the car. If Guo Wei went back first, how would I return to Suxi Township later?

Just as Guo Wei's car left the courtyard of the reception house, the police car of the County Public Security flashed its police lights and drove in, followed by a line of small cars, first Secretary Guan Peishan's car, followed by a car with Hengyue City license plates, and then County Magistrate Liu Qimeng's car. As soon as the car stopped, I saw Secretary Guan hurriedly open the car door, get out of the car, take small steps to the back car door, and respectfully open the door.

Executive Deputy Secretary He Zhi of Hengyue City got out of the car, squinted his eyes to look at the reception house, his eyes swept past me, paused slightly, and led the way into the reception house without changing his expression.

I didn't dare to follow, stood in place, and looked nervously at County Magistrate Liu Qimeng who got out of the car behind.

County Magistrate Liu saw me, waved for me to come over, I ran over all the way, he wiped a layer of fine sweat from his forehead and said, "You're here!"

I nodded and greeted him. County Magistrate Liu didn't have time to answer me and asked the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, "Where is Minister Huang's car?"

The deputy director hurriedly used the walkie-talkie to contact the police car that was suppressing the formation, and learned that Minister Huang had gone to Chengguan Town temporarily and was rushing over now, estimated to arrive in ten minutes.

I accompanied County Magistrate Liu to stand in the courtyard of the reception house and wait. Huang Qishan went in first. Today, all the youth demonstration posts he created were on duty. He was afraid of mistakes, was not at ease, and wanted to go to check and supervise in person.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and Minister Huang's car was not seen. County Magistrate Liu was already a bit impatient and looked at his watch from time to time.

The deputy director ran to one side and quietly asked the police car that was suppressing the formation, why hadn't he come back yet?

The walkie-talkie replied that Minister Huang's car had been taken to the Cement Products Factory by Town Mayor Deng.

County Magistrate Liu cursed, "What tricks is Deng Hanyu playing?" He was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, wanting to curse.

The secretary advised, "Minister Huang left from Chunshan County, and he founded the Cement Products Factory before he left. Coming back today, maybe he wants to take some time to see it, and he should be here soon."

County Magistrate Liu turned to ask me, "Little Chen, who is Secretary He to you?"

I didn't dare to answer. I had never seen Secretary He Zhi before. Could it be that he called me here?

County Magistrate Liu said, "I'm also strange. Secretary He instructed to leave a seat for him at the dinner table, and didn't tell us who it was. I didn't expect it to be you."

I looked aggrieved and said, "I came after receiving a call from Secretary Qishan, and I don't know what it is."

He said "oh," stopped talking, stared outside, and waited eagerly for Minister Huang Shan's car to come. ===== CHAPTER 99 =====