Chapter 6 Site Inspection

  Recently, Deputy Secretary-General Ding Yuan has been very busy. The governor temporarily arranged for him to be in charge of the construction site. These buildings were all built by the provincial government because housing was tight, so the governor specially solved a large sum of money to build dormitories. Originally, it should have been the deputy secretary-general in charge of logistics who was responsible for the construction work, but for some reason, the governor and the executive vice-governor directly named him as the person in charge. Ding Yuan felt a bit helpless. Unclear division of labor is a major taboo in officialdom, fortunately, the deputy secretary-general in charge of logistics did not show much objection.

  Ding Yuan graduated from Xilin University and belonged to the old three batches. After being assigned to work in the provincial government, his career path was very smooth, and he became a deputy secretary-general at the age of 40, which is already a deputy department-level leader. Ding Yuan's ability is not to be doubted. Recently, there have been rumors that the provincial government has recommended Ding Yuan, who may go to the region to take up the post of commissioner or secretary of the prefectural Party committee. Therefore, Ding Yuan's work became more and more meticulous, and he became more and more cautious. Ding Yuan did not have a strong backing, nor did he have any background, and it was not easy for him to get to this point. The construction on the site was something that Ding Yuan cared about very much. Generally speaking, officials in charge of basic construction projects can be greatly pleased with gifts, which is the current convention. Ding Yuan had no intention of breaking this convention, but he himself resolutely did not take a single penny, and would not refuse cigarettes and wine, as long as it was not too excessive, so as not to arouse resentment among his subordinates, which would be counterproductive.

  The progress on the construction site has been very smooth, and Ding Yuan has visited several times. There are many construction teams on the site, and those contractors are all capable people. After contacting them, Ding Yuan feels that although these people have a low level of education, they have rich social experience. If they were in an official position, they would also be able to navigate it easily. Therefore, Ding Yuan will not underestimate these contractors. Because of Ding Yuan's friendly attitude, the contractors are not too nervous in front of him. All the projects are planned to be completed by October, and the main construction must be finished before winter. After considering this, Ding Yuan decides to go to the site to take a look, so that he can have a clear idea of the situation.

  Xu Shaojie accompanied Zhang Shaocai to the construction site, and after a few days, he finally understood that following Zhang Shaocai to supervise the work was actually a way of taking it easy. It was Zhang Shaocai's way of taking care of him. Xu Shaojie didn't know much about the construction industry, and it was impossible for him to become familiar with it in a short period.

  Xu Shaojie was very low-key and busy giving everyone cigarettes. He had only brought 30 yuan with him when he came out, but Yan Yuhuan had thoughtfully given him an advance of 300 yuan from the finance department, which saved Xu Shaojie from embarrassment.

  Regarding money, Xu Shaojie also had a significant change in his views. Everyone thinks that having more money is better, and there's a popular saying that "money isn't everything, but without it, you can't do anything." Many people have become rich through their own efforts, but there are still many poor people.

  After walking around the construction site for a few days, Xu Shaojie saw many workers wearing tattered clothes and smoking cheap cigarettes. They never spared any money to improve their lives outside of work. Xu Shaojie couldn't imagine what kind of life they had lived before.

  Xu Shaojie did some things during these days. Firstly, he organized Zhang Shaocai's office by categorizing all the files and hanging them on a wooden rod with clips. Secondly, he cleaned up the office and moved the kitchen out. Eating in the office was not a good choice, so he wiped down the tables and chairs and did some cleaning.

  Finally, he posted several architectural drawings on the wall, which made everything clear at a glance. Xu Shaojie carefully read all the files and slowly became familiar with the formal language used in official documents. As long as he looked carefully, there was actually content inside, mainly emphasizing engineering quality, progress, and safety.

  After reading many of these files, Xu Shaojie felt that they were not mysterious at all.

  Now entering the office, there is a fresh feeling, Zhang Shao Cai is somewhat unimpressed, doing work without so much fuss. Yan Yu Huan has a different view, details can witness quality. So Zhang Shao Cai does not object to Xu Shao Jie doing this, as for documents, Zhang Shao Cai never reads them, just do the engineering well and that's enough, these documents have no substantial meaning. When Xu Shao Jie suggests he take a look at these documents, Zhang Shao Cai smiles wryly, saying his cultural level is not high, some characters are not recognized, besides, he does not want to waste energy on this.

  That day, after inspecting the construction site, Xu Shaojie followed Zhang Shaocai back to the office. Xu Shaojie's living conditions had greatly improved, and he had moved out of the dormitory into a single-person room, although it was still a prefabricated house. The feeling was different, and he also ate with Zhang Shaocai, whose life had improved a lot, and occasionally drank some wine. At this time, Xu Shaojie still paid attention to maintaining good relations with Liu Fugui and Song Guangming. The two men already knew Xu Shaojie's identity as a university student and were surprised, but their attitude towards him had undergone a significant change, adding a hint of reverence to their warmth, thinking that Xu Shaojie should receive such treatment.

  When Ding Yuan entered Zhang Shao's office, he had a fresh feeling. He looked around carefully and found that he had been to many package heads' residences before. After entering, the first feeling was messy and disorderly, which was related to the cultural level. Ding Yuan didn't want to say much, as you couldn't expect a package head who hadn't even graduated from junior high school to hold files and count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. What concerned Ding Yuan was the progress of the project and its quality, which were reported by specialized personnel. He thought that going to the construction site and talking with these package heads was also a means of accelerating the project's progress and ensuring its quality, reflecting leadership level from a certain side. Many package heads saw him with an attitude of awe and reverence, making Ding Yuan feel somewhat self-satisfied but also uninterested. Common people always had a psychology of reverence when they saw officials, which was a tradition passed down for thousands of years.

  Zhang Shaozhai saw Ding Yuan enter, and hurriedly stood up to greet him. He, like the other contractors, had a somewhat excessive smile on his face, leaned forward, and extended both hands to shake hands with Ding Yuan. Xu Shaojie sat across from Zhang Shaozhai and saw his attitude, understanding that he was here to take charge, must be the leader in charge of the project.

  There were not many people following Ding Yuan, as he didn't like to make a big show. Xu Shaojie stood up and looked at Ding Yuan, who was wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, with his hair neatly combed, a crisp white short-sleeved shirt on top, and black pants below, giving off an air of quiet confidence. Behind Ding Yuan were only a few people accompanying him, all of whom had their eyes fixed on him, smiling.

  Ding Yuan and Zhang Shao Cai shook hands and began to speak.

  "Haha, your place is decorated nicely, clean and tidy, files are categorized, drawings are hung on the wall, everything is clear and transparent, and hygiene is also well taken care of."

  "Thank you Secretary-General Ting for your praise, these were all done by my brothers."

  At this moment, Ding Yuan noticed Xu Shaojie standing beside Zhang Shaocai. There were usually a few reliable people around the foreman to help with management work, which was no different from officialdom. Ding Yuan originally didn't pay much attention to it, and Xu Shaojie seemed too young, possibly the foreman's nephew or cousin. Only when he heard the foreman say so did Ding Yuan realize that Xu Shaojie had a temperament different from everyone else on the construction site.

  "Hello Secretary Ding, I'm Xu Shaojie, working with Zhang Ge."

  "Is all this arrangement done by you young man?"

  "Secretary Ding, I just followed Zhang's arrangement and set it up like this. Zhang has a lot of things to do every day and can't get around to doing these things, so I did them."

  "Oh, Little Xu, I've seen many places, but this is the only one that's decorated so neatly and tidily. So tell me, what are the benefits of decorating like this?"

  "Secretary Ding, I don't know how to say it clearly, but the office is clean and tidy now, which makes people feel good. When our brothers from the construction site come in and see this, they also understand the importance of cleanliness. In this way, in the process of doing things, we will unconsciously develop a good habit and make the construction site cleaner."

  Ding Yuan's interest has increased a bit, which is definitely not the intention of the foreman. Ding Yuan had been there several times before and remembered that the office was always in disarray. But after this young man named Xu Shaojie arrived, the office environment changed, and Xu Shaojie's responses were very proper, without boasting or exaggerating, and he didn't forget to give credit to the foreman. This kind of young person is not simple.

  "Little Xu, when did you arrive here? I haven't seen you before."

  Zhang Shao knew that Xu Shaojie was introverted and didn't like to show off, such an opportunity was rare, Zhang Shao would not miss it, recommending his own brother was equivalent to recommending himself.

  "Secretary Ding, this brother of mine is a university student, studying at Xilin University. He just started this year and to alleviate the burden on his family, he proactively came out to find work and earn money. At first, he did manual labor, but later I discovered that he was very different from others, so I asked him to help me manage the construction site's office setup and arrangements. All of these were his ideas, I'm just a roughneck, I don't understand these things. He also asks me to frequently review these documents, my cultural level is not high, but he helps explain them to me, and I've learned a lot too. This brother of mine is very capable, don't look down on him because he's young, he's much stronger than me, all the brothers at the construction site are very impressed."

  "Oh, is that so? Little Xu isn't simple, after all. A university student is a pride of heaven, and Xilin University is a famous national university. A freshman from a prestigious university like this, coming out to work as a laborer on a construction site... I've never seen anything like it before! Don't you feel humiliated, Little Xu?"

  "Secretary Ding, I don't feel resentful. My family's financial situation is not good, and my sister needs money to go to school, so I came out to work. I didn't feel like I was a genius, and in the future when I graduate from university, I will also need to earn money to support my family."

  "Haha, okay, I heard a lot of big truths today. Alright, let me test you. You've seen these files, and you haven't been to the construction site for long. Tell me, what's your impression?"

  "Secretary Ding, I'm not familiar with the construction industry. After reading these documents, I only know some superficial things and can't compare them to Zhang's. What I say is just amateurish talk, and I'm afraid you'll laugh at me."

  "Xiao Xu, humility is good, but everything is learned gradually, no one is born a genius. You've read these files, now I want to hear your opinion, speak boldly, this isn't the college entrance exam."

  "Secretary Ding, I think that the three aspects mentioned most in the document are project progress, project quality and safety production. These three aspects are originally contradictory. If the project progress is too fast, according to the law of development, the project quality may be affected, and safety may be neglected. Therefore, we cannot overemphasize project progress, but must follow the law of development. For example, for each floor, it takes 7-10 days for the concrete mortar to dry completely after pouring the roof. This point must be emphasized, otherwise the quality will be affected, and there will also be safety problems. The labor intensity of workers is high, if we pursue progress, we must work overtime, and workers are too tired, which can easily lead to safety problems. So, I think that we should still take a comprehensive approach.

  Secretary Ding, actually these principles were all taught to me by Zhang Ge, I followed Zhang Ge for several days and learned a lot."

  Ding Yuan smiled, a young man who knew nothing about the construction industry, a student who was about to enter a prestigious university. In just a few days, he could grasp all this knowledge. Throughout their conversation, he never forgot his boss. Ding Yuan thought that Xu Shaojie looked more and more pleasing to the eye.

  "Boss Zhang, you're not bad at all. You've taught Little Xu some key knowledge. From the way he talks, I can feel that you are very responsible for engineering construction, following the rules and not just rushing to meet deadlines. This attitude is great."

  Zhang Shaocai's eyes narrowed into a line, never had a leader praised him like this, and it was the deputy secretary-general of the municipal government, in charge of all engineering projects. Xu Shaojie, this brother is really good, always remembering to mention himself, letting Secretary Ding remember him, this is all about connections. If Secretary Ding can mention this matter on other occasions, it will be his own great wealth.

  Ding Yuan left when he and Xu Shaojie shook hands tightly, saying a shocking sentence that surprised everyone.

  "Xiao Xu, I also graduated from Xilin University. Xilin University is a well-known university nationwide. We are alumni and all the talents trained by Xilin University. I believe you will definitely become the pride of Xilin University. I'm looking forward to your good news. If there's any difficulty in the future, feel free to contact me directly."

  The deputy secretary said that it's not easy to say such things, and everyone present has their own thoughts. Of course, no one knows what Ding Yuan is thinking. Ding Yuan is certain that Xu Shaojie will definitely make a name for himself in the future, even a big one. Such young people need help, and Ding Yuan is willing to help Xu Shaojie, which is also helping himself to some extent. As long as Xu Shaojie has talent, he may find his own way in the future. Four years is actually not a long time, if Xu Shaojie doesn't have ability, then this sentence is equivalent to nothing being said.

  After Ding Yuan left, Zhang Shao was extremely happy and pulled Xu Shaojie to go to a restaurant. Today was too brilliant, all the credit for this went to Xu Shaojie. Zhang Shao believed that Ding Yuan would mention this matter because on the construction site, his own office was unique, while those of his colleagues were in disarray. It was precisely for this reason that Ding Yuan would make demands, and he himself would reap many benefits from being in the middle.

  Zhang Shaocai did not forget Liu Fugui and Song Guangming, it was they who brought Xu Shaojie to his own construction site. After this incident, Zhang Shaocai was convinced that he and Xu Shaojie were destined to be together, perhaps they were brothers in their previous life.

  ()