Chapter 35 "Promoting the Worthy Without Regard for Relatives"

  Back in Shanhe Township, Wu Zhonghe immediately convened a township party committee meeting to convey the instructions from the county party committee and Secretary Liao on the work of Shanhe Township. Lu Zhengdong also attended the meeting and made additional remarks.

  Wu Zhonghe did not mention adding supplementary members of the township party committee at the meeting.

  The two people had communicated about this matter before and fully understood Secretary Liao's intention to make things happen naturally. They did the work ahead of time, coordinated with several members of the party committee, and then brought it up for discussion at the party committee meeting, cutting through the complexity quickly to avoid causing some fluctuations.

  Lu Zhengdong came out of the conference room and had just sat down in his office when Luo Jinming walked in. Lu Zhengdong smiled and said:

  "Speak of the devil, Cao Cao is here. I was just about to look for you, didn't expect you to show up uninvited."

  "I'm just waiting for you leaders in the security room downstairs after the meeting..."

  "What's so urgent that you're looking so worried? Has something gone wrong with the factory expansion?"

  Luojinming shook his head:

  "The expansion is going smoothly, but the recruitment of factory workers is a big headache. We haven't even started formal recruitment yet, and all sorts of people are coming to our door. My relatives at home are lingering around every day, refusing to leave. The craft factory isn't even mine, how can I arrange for everyone to get in? Now my home is still crowded with people, I'm a person who can't even return home..."

  Lu Zhengdong smiled and said, "It's not his relatives at home who are worried, but the leaders of all sizes in the countryside. Now the handicraft factory is booming, and these people want to take advantage of this recruitment opportunity to introduce a relative into the company. Luo Jinming must be worried about this, and he couldn't help but smile:

  "I didn't tell you to set the recruitment standards too high, so that many people would give up, did I? And this time we're recruiting workers who need to have some carpentry skills... how can we still encounter difficulties?"

  Luojinming smiled wryly:

  "Even if we raise it a bit, there's no way to completely block it. Now the craft factory is famous outside, anyway, the profit is good, and some people think that taking one more person's salary doesn't matter? One or two people thinking this way isn't a big deal, but what if there are many? They're all local gods, I don't dare to offend them... Director Lu, you have to give me some advice..."

  Lu Zhengdong couldn't help but laugh, he wanted to tell Luo Jinming to let Lin Donghai enter the craft factory, Luo Jinming also asked him for advice. Lu Zhengdong hesitated for a moment, and what Luo Jinming said was still somewhat feasible, so he smiled and said:

  "I was going to say hello and come in personally, but you blocked me before I could even open my mouth."

  Luojinming hastily patted his chest and said:

  "Director Lu, what are you talking about? I'm just venting my grievances, but your business is my business. Your affairs are absolutely none of my concern."

  Lu Zhengdong smiled and said:

  "I didn't introduce him to come to the craft factory to eat idle meals, whatever hard work or tiring work in the factory, just let him do it..."

  Luojinming hastily waved his hand and said with a bitter smile:

  "Director Lu, don't bully me, Lao Luo, anymore. You're making me lose face..."

  Lu Zhengdong said with a straight face:

  "I'm telling you seriously, the better our relationship is, the stricter you should be with him, and grind his temper well."

  Luojinming saw that Lü Zhongdong was not joking and hastily asked:

  "Who is Lu Xiangzhang talking about? I've made arrangements ahead of time."

  "It's Lin Donghai, the only son of Lin Shuwan from Xaling Village. You're also aware of Lin Shuwan's situation - both parents are ill and their family is struggling financially. I know his sister works with my mother at the same factory. Normally, I'm not home often, so I don't take care of my mother much. Given this opportunity, I'd like to help out a bit."

  Lu Zhengdong didn't need to beat around the bush in front of Luo Jinming:

  "But Lin Shu's family has only this one son, Lin Donghai, who has been spoiled since childhood. Now he's 17 or 18 and still doesn't understand the situation at home. He's idle every day, causing trouble for others. You'd better discipline him well, if you can really change his ways, I'll treat you to a drink of Wuliangye."

  Luojinming let out a breath of relief upon hearing this, and nodded his head:

  "Director Lu, what kind of start is this? The back door is just to send a labor force to the handicraft factory. I hope there are more such back doors... Director Lu said so, and I understand now. I will definitely keep it in mind."

  "Lao Luo, others in the village have introduced some people to come in..."

  "Yang Liguo wants to arrange his aunt, Old Sun from the agricultural station wants to arrange his daughter... You also know that other positions suitable for women are all taken, one radish per pit, and they've been occupied long ago. Where can I go to arrange them? What's even more troublesome is that once this mouth is opened, it'll be a big hassle. Secretary Xiao's family has a younger daughter who graduated from high school and is also at home farming, definitely eyeing the position. The credit union's Director Zhang's daughter-in-law is also idle, and the local leadership doesn't have any females in their families... then there will be a whole string of them, and I'll become Hong Changqing..."

  Lu Zhengdong's eyebrows furrowed slightly at this:

  "What's more important is that keeping such a large group of idle people will make other workers in the factory look at us like this, everything will be out of order and can't be managed... Alright, I'll do Yang Liguo's job..."

  Luojinming hastily waved his hand and said:

  "No, no, no. I know Director Lu has always been good to me, Lao Luo. But I don't want Director Lu to take the blame for me. If someone needs to be offended, I'll do it myself. I'm just reporting to you now because I'm afraid that later on, someone will try to frame me, and then you can help me out by speaking up for me."

  Lu Zhengdong smiled:

  "Don't worry about taking the blame, our village is planning to set up another dried fruit factory, and after the Spring Festival, we'll start preparing for it. Let those women pick and choose fruits, that job isn't too tiring, they should be able to handle it, and it's also a good use of their skills."

  Luojinming was overjoyed:

  "Director Lu, it would be great if you could do that. Oh dear, Director Lu, I really don't know what to say, whatever difficulties and troubles come your way, you resolve them with ease."

  Luojinming's words are not meant to flatter Lude Dong, but rather a sincere expression. Now that Wang Liben is gone, the craft factory is booming, and he naturally wants to do well for as long as possible without offending the local leaders easily. However, he has been unable to think of a good solution until now, and Lude Dong has helped him solve this big problem...

  Lu Zhengdong left with a smile on his face, Lu Zhengdong sat for a while and then got up and entered Xiao Yongnian's office.

  "Director Xiao, are you available? I'd like to discuss some ideas about road repairs with you."

  The party committee had made a decision on road repair, Wu Zhonghe took the commander-in-chief, Wu Zhonghe let Xiao Yongnian also hang a deputy commander-in-chief to do a good job in unity, he was the director of the office in charge.

  Although repairing such rural roads may not be as profitable as it was in later generations, as the deputy commander-in-chief, it is still quite relaxing to coordinate and plan without having to do the physical work personally. Moreover, this is also a major achievement that will go down in history. Xiao Yongnian naturally had no objections to this arrangement.

  Lu Zhengdong briefly introduced the situation, and in fact, what is called a report is just to show respect. After finishing the report, Lu Zhengdong casually asked:

  "Secretary Xiao, your daughter Lan has graduated from high school, right? What is she doing now?"

  Xiao Yongnian's heart skipped a beat when Lu Zhengdong asked him:

  "She, reading books is just so-so, not like Zheng Dong, you who studied hard and got into university with one effort. Alas, she barely managed to get a high school diploma. After reading for a few days, she's already fed up, and even doing farm work at home is not reassuring. Her mother is worried just looking at her."

  Lu Zhengdong smiled and said:

  "Oh, there aren't many high school graduates in our village, and the village needs to develop. It's exactly people with culture like this that are needed. Secretary Xiao, next year the fruit leather factory will be launched, although its scale may not compare to the handicrafts factory, but its benefits won't necessarily be worse than the handicrafts factory either. Once it's launched, we'll urgently need talent. Your daughter Xiaolan has culture, can write and calculate, after the new year begins, I plan to have her participate in preparing for the fruit leather factory. Secretary Xiao, don't hide your family's talented people..."

  Xiao Yongnian smiled and said, "Although I'm the deputy secretary, I've been somewhat implicated in Wang Liben's affairs, so I'd rather keep a low profile for now. It's not convenient for me to take care of my daughter's matters, but since Lu Zhengdong brought it up, I'm secretly delighted, though I said..."

  "She's just a little girl, what kind of talent is that? Later on, you'll still need to help her a lot..."

  Xiao Yongnian stood up with a smile and sent Lu Zhengdong to the door...