Chapter 37: Social Practice (2)

  Zhang Shao Cai bought a house in Huaiyang City. The housing policy has not been relaxed yet, and Zhang Shao Cai bought a private house. The location is quite good, it's a three-story small building, covering an area of over 200 square meters. The interior has been fully renovated, and it feels great when you enter. The first and second floors are used as offices, and the third floor is used as a residence. Zhang Shao Cai prepared a room for Xu Shao Jie, which had never been occupied before. At that time, Zhang Shao Cai knew that Xu Shao Jie would work in Huaiyang City. The houses allocated by the government are all single-person apartments with poor conditions, far inferior to this one.

  At noon, the two of them went to a small restaurant and had a hot pot. Each of them ate two bowls of rice and didn't drink any wine. In the afternoon, Xu Shaojie was going to the Huai'an Municipal Party Committee office, so he didn't want to drink wine in case it would have a bad influence.

  At rest, Xu Shaojie kept thinking about today's events, his own experiences were full of dramatic colors. However, Xu Shaojie knew that these were nothing out of the ordinary, and there was nothing remarkable about the majesty of power, which was reflected in all aspects. He carefully looked at the certificate issued by the Municipal Party Committee office, on which there were not many handwritten words, and many places were printed: Communist Party of China Huai'an Municipal Committee Office: Here is a student from Xilin University's Chinese Department, Xu Shaojie, who has come to your place to conduct social investigations, please contact him. Sincerely, Communist Party of China Huaiyang Municipal Committee Office, followed by the date, and the seal of the Municipal Party Committee office was clearly stamped on top of the date.

  When going to work, Xu Shaojie appeared on time at the Huai'an Municipal Party Committee Office. The Huai'an Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government are located in a large courtyard, which is far from comparable to the courtyard of the Huaiyang Municipal Party Committee. There is a flower bed in the yard, but nothing else can be seen.

  Xu Shaojie entered the hall and saw a few big characters hanging on the wall opposite him, "Serve the People", which can be seen in every county and city committee of Huaiyang City.

  "You are Xu Shaojie, nice to meet you. My name is Huang Guangming, Director of the General Affairs Department of the Municipal Party Committee Office. I've been waiting for you. A top university student, impressive! Welcome to our Huai'an city to conduct social research."

  Xu Shaojie entered the office, and just handed over the proof opened by the municipal party committee office. A middle-aged man stood up, quickly looked at the proof, and tightly grasped Xu Shaojie's hand. So much so that Xu Shaojie believed that Huang Guangming was not lying, and might have been waiting in the office early.

  "Thank you, Director Huang. I'm here to accept the arrangement. After the arrangements are made, I'll go down to investigate directly."

  "Alright, alright, let's talk about the investigation tomorrow. Since you're here today, I'll take you around to get familiar with the situation in Huai'an City. We'll have lunch together this afternoon, it's just some simple food, don't be polite, Xu Shaojie."

  Xu Shaojie felt a bit dizzy, he was not some kind of leader, yet he was arranged to have dinner, and the investigation hadn't even started, it was really quite something. However, Xu Shaojie wouldn't decline, as a guest follows the host's convenience, he was just a student, coming to Huai'an City for an investigation, everything would be done according to arrangement. Xu Shaojie understood even more clearly that such arrangements were made for Secretary Ding Yuan to see.

  Xu Shaojie was in the office and directly called Zhang Shaocai to tell him that he wouldn't be going back home for lunch, Zhang Shaocai seemed to have known it already and reminded Xu Shaojie to take a taxi back home after eating.

  Huang Guangming took Xu Shaojie to look around in several offices. Xu Shaojie was a bit unaccustomed, he came to do social research, and also investigated at the municipal party committee office, it's all about understanding the situation, no matter where the situation is understood, it's all the same. Xu Shaojie has always been somewhat perplexed, he had no actual work experience, so-called social research should establish what kind of focus, there was no plan in his mind. However, in the future, when working in administrative units, being able to understand some human relationships and worldly affairs is also not bad.

  After changing several offices, Huang Guangming took Xu Shaojie and said he was going to the city to take a look around. Xu Shaojie did not object.

  The cityscape of Huaiyang is still quite good, after all, it's a well-known prefecture-level city. In fact, Huaian City is the seat of the Huaiyang Municipal Committee and Government, which belongs to a county-level city directly under the jurisdiction of the Huaiyang Municipal Committee and Government. Xu Shaojie followed Huang Guangming to visit some places and felt that there were scenes of prosperity comparable to those in the provincial capital. The two of them sometimes walked, sometimes took taxis, and time passed unnoticed.

  "Xiao Xu, it's about time, let's go to the hotel."

  Xu Shaojie was somewhat surprised, the two of them could just find a random place to eat and it would be fine, the consumption in the hotel would be much higher, completely unnecessary waste, besides, he was still a student, the municipal government office treated him like this, he felt embarrassed.

  "Huang Kechang, let's just find a random place, hotels are too expensive."

  "Hehe, Little Xu, you're really practical. It's already been arranged, and not going would be a waste. Alright, don't think too much about it. Just eat when you should eat, and drink when you should drink."

  The taxi stopped in front of the hotel, and Xu Shaojie got out. A high-rise building appeared before his eyes, the main building of Huaiyang Hotel, which was said to be a landmark building in the city. It wasn't built for long, but now the city is developing rapidly, and more and more outsiders are coming to Huaiyang City. If the reception and logistics services can't keep up, it will have a negative impact on economic development.

  As they entered the elevator, Xu Shaojie had a lot of thoughts. It was his first time taking an elevator. In the county town, there were almost no elevators. The only place with an elevator was the hospital, but Xu Shaojie rarely went there and when he did, he took the stairs. Elevators were usually used by surgical patients. During his university days at Xilin University, he didn't often go out to play, and places with many elevators were mostly hotels, which Xu Shaojie wouldn't visit.

  Xu Shaojie adapted to these things very quickly and didn't show any abnormalities. Huang Guangming knew that Xu Shaojie was a university student from the provincial city and thought that he must have seen these things before. The restaurant was on the second and third floors, and Huang Guangming and Xu Shaojie quickly walked out of the elevator.

  In front of Room 305, a waitress in a red sweater stood up and saw Huang Guangming and Xu Shaojie coming over. Huang Guangming nodded to the waitress, who knew they were guests in room 305, so she quickly opened the door.

  Inside the private room, the air conditioner was on and several people were sitting inside, chatting and laughing. Xu Shaojie caught sight of the middle-aged man from the municipal party committee who had issued a certificate for him at once. Seeing Xu Shaojie come in, the middle-aged man quickly stood up.

  "Xu Shaojie, this morning I forgot to introduce myself. I am Qian Dazhi, the head of the Personnel Department of the Municipal Party Committee Office. This afternoon, I came specifically to have lunch with you and apologize for my mistake. Director Huang is accompanying you, and it seems that Little Xu has understood some things."

  Qian Dazhi's hands were not short of flesh, and Xu Shaojie felt slippery. Xu Shaojie quickly understood that Qian Dazhi had made a phone call to Huang Guangming and made arrangements on purpose, otherwise, Huang Guangming would not have been so enthusiastic in the afternoon.

  Huang Guangming then introduced the others one by one, all of whom were cadres from the Huai'an Municipal Party Committee Office.

  The dishes were served quickly, and the hotel's service was still relatively standardized. The waiter helped to lay out the napkins, and carefully placed each person's plates, bowls, chopsticks, and wine glasses in front of them.

  "Xiao Xu, we've met before and now we're familiar with each other. You're a prestigious university student, I'm really envious. Let's raise our first glass together to toast you. My cultural level isn't high, but in the future when there's an opportunity, I'll definitely learn from you more."

  Here, it is clear that Qian Dazhi is the main one. Xu Shaojie has already understood the level composition of Huaiyang City, which is a bit complicated. In rural areas, there are two-level institutions: district committees and district governments, under which are township party committees and township governments. The secretary and mayor of the district are at the deputy departmental level, while the deputy positions are at the deputy section level. Township secretaries and mayors do not have levels, let alone deputy positions. The levels of counties and cities are relatively clear: chief county, deputy county, chief section, and deputy section. The heads of departments in the four major offices actually do not have levels and should be called sections, but due to years of tradition, they have become accustomed to it. The levels of the municipal party committee have risen by one level: chief hall, deputy hall, chief county, deputy county, chief section, and deputy section. Qian Dazhi is a department head, so he is naturally at the chief section level. Huang Guangming, although also a department head, actually does not have a level.

  "Qian Kechang, you're too kind, from now on I will learn a lot from you."

  The wine glass was very small, with about three coins of wine in one cup. So next, everyone took turns toasting Xu Shaojie, and after a round, it wasn't a big deal. Xu Shaojie had drunk many times before, and the basic requirements at this wine table were all roughly the same. He took the wine bottle from the waiter's hand and returned a toast to everyone present, of course, one by one.

  "Xiao Xu, you're really something, not bad at all. Your capacity for liquor is impressive. You'll definitely go far in life. Just watching you drink, I can tell you're a bold and generous person. From now on, please take good care of us."

  Xu Shaojie hadn't had time to respond when Huang Guangming stood up.

  "Little Xu, you've come to our Huai'an city to conduct a social survey. It's rare for a student from a prestigious university like yours to come here and do research. Don't worry, I'll definitely cooperate with you and help you get the investigation done well."

  Xu Shaojie would not dare to make such a statement even if he was extremely arrogant, otherwise when he came to Huai'an City, it wouldn't be an investigation, the head of the comprehensive department of the municipal party committee office accompanied him, and he was here for inspection.

  "Director Qian, Director Huang, leaders, I am here to conduct a social survey in Huai'an City. Thank you for your warm hospitality. I haven't graduated yet and there are many things I don't understand. In the future, if there's an opportunity, please take care of me, leaders. I will definitely learn from all of you."

  Everyone's smile was very kind, but Xu Shaojie found that Qian Dazhi's face twitched involuntarily, and Huang Guangming's smile was more sincere and self-satisfied, revealing his true intention. He probably thought that Xu Shaojie was still a student, lacking social experience, and would have to learn a lot when he started working in the future.

  "Xiao Xu, you're too modest. As a university student, you're different from us. In the future, when you work in the provincial city and become a provincial leader, if you come to our place, be sure to look for us brothers. Don't look down on us."

  "Qian Kechang, you're joking. The job assignment is still a while away, I have no idea where I'll be assigned to. I don't dare think about being assigned to the provincial city, just being able to work in the county would be satisfying enough."

  Qian Dazhi burst out laughing, clearly not believing Xu Shaojie's words.

  This meal took a long time to eat, on the surface it seemed that Xu Shaojie was the center of attention, but in reality, Qian Dazhi was the central figure. It's no wonder, after all, Xu Shaojie is still a student and hasn't graduated yet, while Qian Dazhi is the head of the personnel department and a deputy director-level cadre. If he were in Huai'an City, he would be the head of a bureau, so there is still a big gap between their statuses.

  Qian Dazhi kept congratulating and praising Xu Shaojie, but his attitude was somewhat superficial. Huang Guangming and others didn't understand what was going on and could only follow along. Huang Guangming had received a call from Qian Dazhi and heard his repeated requests, so he personally accompanied Xu Shaojie to dinner and drinks. During this time, Qian Dazhi's attitude surprised Huang Guangming. Qian Dazhi had always been arrogant and looked down on others, so why was he being so enthusiastic towards a university student who hadn't even graduated yet? There were only two possibilities: either Xu Shaojie had an extraordinary background, or there was some connection between Xu Shaojie and Qian Dazhi. If Xu Shaojie's identity was special, it shouldn't be Qian Dazhi accompanying him, but at least the deputy director of the municipal office. To be honest, Qian Dazhi didn't have that qualification, and he wouldn't have had such an attitude. Huang Guangming confirmed the second possibility, and the scene in front of them made sense.

  Qian Dazhi had another idea, he thought that Xu Shaojie and Ding Yuanshuai must have a good relationship between them, although he didn't know what kind of relationship it was. However, from Ding Yuanshuai's attitude, one could see the clues. According to the relationship between Xu Shaojie and Ding Yuanshuai, when it came time for job assignments after graduation, Xu Shaojie would definitely stay in the provincial city and be assigned to a good unit. Therefore, Qian Dazhi couldn't afford to offend Xu Shaojie, at least he had to maintain a good relationship with him. Although the distance between them was quite far, who knows when he might need to ask for Xu Shaojie's help in the future? Moreover, if he did this, Xu Shaojie would have the opportunity to speak to Ding Yuanshuai about it, which would also be very beneficial to himself. However, as the saying goes, "it's better to be a local official than a distant relative", Xu Shaojie was still young and didn't need to go out of his way to build relationships, just maintaining a certain attitude was enough.

  Xu Shaojie was very calm, paying attention to the expressions of everyone eating, Qian Dazhi and Huang Guangming's expressions were different from others, it seemed that others were just accompanying them for dinner and drinks. Qian Dazhi appeared extremely enthusiastic on the surface, speaking endless good words, but his true attitude was insincere, revealing hypocrisy in between, a section-level cadre didn't need to lower himself so much, trying every means to please this university student who hadn't even graduated yet, even if there was a reason from Ding Yuan Secretary, it wouldn't be like this, besides, Ding Yuan was the municipal party secretary, casually arranging someone, it wouldn't be his turn as a section chief. As for Huang Guangming, he had the same observing intention as himself, indicating that Huang Guangming didn't know about the relationship between him and Secretary Ding Yuan, definitely looking at Qian Dazhi's face, otherwise the attitude would have been different long ago, due to this analysis, Xu Shaojie remained very humble, saying polite words many times, everyone became more casual with each other, starting to really drink.

  Qian Dazhi and Huang Guangming never expected that Xu Shaojie had such analytical and judgmental abilities. They just thought that Xu Shaojie still had some ability, and was different from some college students, at least he was very humble.

  After dinner, Xu Shaojie declined Huang Guangming's offer to send him back to his residence and took a taxi home by himself. Unbeknownst to Xu Shaojie, truly esteemed guests would have further arrangements after dinner, such as visiting a nightclub or getting a spa treatment. Currently, Xu Shaojie is not worthy of such treatment from Wang Daqi and others.