Chapter Seventy-One: Dialogue

  In the evening, the rain had lessened a lot, but there was still some drizzle.

  A black Audi slowly drove out of the municipal government building and headed to the No. 39 Binhe Road, a residential compound for municipal officials' families, under the drizzle.

  This Audi is the official vehicle of Zhou Qihong, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. Since Audi entered China in 1986, it quickly became the first choice for government procurement with its perfect displacement system, luxurious but not extravagant, stable and introverted image, as well as good quality.

  In recent years, with the strong investment of Feiyuan Company and the government's determination to develop, Xichang's reputation has been greatly enhanced. To meet the needs of external publicity and reception, after research by the municipal party committee and approval by the provincial party committee, Xichang City also purchased two Audi cars in early 1989, which were used as official vehicles for the municipal party secretary and mayor respectively.

  However, after Leng Yun took over as mayor, he still used the original Santana, and assigned the Audi to the Municipal Economic and Trade Bureau as a reception vehicle. Therefore, the Audi that frequently enters and exits the municipal party committee and government is only Zhou Qihong's No. 1 car.

  The car was running very smoothly, but Zhou Qihong, who was sitting in the back seat, had a worried look on his face.

  Zhou Qihong is now 56 years old, he is not a native of Xichang, originally a teacher in Dechang County, at the age of 30, he coincidentally met with a nobleman and was appreciated by the county magistrate of Dechang County, thus entering officialdom, which can be considered as rising to prominence through hard work, step by step from an ordinary office worker to the director of the county government office. Later, the county magistrate was transferred to Xichang County Party Committee Secretary and found opportunities to transfer him to Xichang as the Director of the County Party Committee Office. He was less than 40 years old that year.

  However, the good times did not last long. Less than a year later, this old leader passed away, and he suddenly became an orphan without a mother. Not only did he often become a bubble shadow, but he was also thrown into the party history office by the new county party secretary for seven or eight years. There is no way to do this, the county party committee office is such a core department, and the new leader must use people who are close to their hearts. Didn't Zhou Qihong kick out his predecessor in those days?

  It wasn't until Wang Peiyuan became the mayor that he re-entered people's field of vision. Everyone suddenly discovered that after thirty years, Zhou Qihong had stood up again overnight.

  Wang Peiyuan used him for three reasons: firstly, he valued his ability; secondly, he had no background; thirdly, the county party secretary who originally appreciated Zhou Qihong was Wang Peiyuan's paternal uncle, so he more or less counted as one of their own people.

  However, Zhou Qihong had always been in the organization and lacked experience in grassroots work. Therefore, Wang Peiyuan did not have the idea of letting him take a regular job, and Zhou Qihong himself also knew his own fatal weakness. Moreover, being able to climb back up from a place like the Party History Office, he was already very satisfied.

  He had experienced the taste of being abandoned and cold-shouldered after going down, and sometimes he was even trampled on by others. Wang Peiyuan let him step by step from deputy director to director of the municipal government office, then to vice mayor and finally to deputy secretary of the municipal party committee, which made him feel deeply moved.

  To be honest, it's purely accidental that Zhou Qihong became the secretary of the municipal party committee, and even he himself didn't expect it. Originally, he thought he would continue to serve as deputy secretary of the municipal party committee for a few more years, then move on to become chairman or vice-chairman of the People's Congress or the Political Consultative Conference, and retire in that way. If Fei Yang Company hadn't invested in Xichang, if Wang Peiyuan hadn't been transferred to Chengdu, and if that butterfly hadn't flapped its wings lightly, then Zhou Qihong would definitely have had nothing to do with this position of secretary of the municipal party committee.

  Actually, Zhou Qihong also understood that when Wang Peiyuan left, he pushed him out to be the secretary of the municipal party committee, not because he valued his ability to do things. On the one hand, he himself was insufficient in innovation and had a surplus in defense, and Wang Peiyuan did not want the development pattern of Xichang to undergo any changes or influences. Secondly, with his age advantage, he could help Leng Yunyi occupy this position first, and after a few years when he was about to retire, Leng Yunyi would naturally take over as the secretary of the municipal party committee. If they were to replace him with someone younger, it's not impossible for Leng Yunyi to rise to power in the future, but it would be much more troublesome.

  At first, Zhou Qihong also followed this approach and cooperated with Leng Yun's work. However, as time went on, the mentality of being in a superior position gradually became somewhat inflated. This is not surprising, as the municipal party secretary is nominally only in charge of internal affairs, but actually holds great power over personnel and finance, and is equivalent to the top leader of the city, similar to a fifth-rank official in ancient times, or a local emperor. Who would be willing to give up their full powers and become an empty shell as municipal party secretary?

  So his mind began to change a bit, and many times he liked to make some official remarks on Lingyun's work proposals, find some faults, and even make some obstacles. Although the effects were not great, he wanted to show his existence through this, and use actual actions to tell everyone that Zhou Qihong was the legitimate municipal party secretary.

  But the result of Mayor Hong Gang and Leng Yun's confrontation left him shocked and disheartened. He was reluctant to give up the power in his hands, but he was also worried that he would meet the same fate as Hong Gang. Hong Gang was still young and had at least a provincial department head position waiting for him in the provincial capital, what about himself? The consequence of failure could only be going to the People's Congress and the Political Consultative Conference to wait for retirement, once again enduring the cold eyes of others when he walked away. Every time he thought about this, his whole body would shudder, and his back would be covered in cold sweat.

  The municipal government building is not far from the municipal party committee's residential compound. On rainy days, there are fewer people and cars on the road, so I arrived in no time.

  It was the city party secretary's number one car, and the guard at the gate gave a very proper salute, raised the barrier, and the car quickly drove in.

  Watching the Audi car drive away, a slightly shorter guard said somewhat indignantly: "What's wrong with them? Not even a response, just because they're in a number one car they think they're superior."

  The tall guard next to him laughed and said, "You're daydreaming, others are municipal party secretaries, will they respond to a small security guard at the gate?"

  "What's the big deal?" A slightly shorter guard said with a smirk: "When Mayor Leng lived here before, every time he came in and out of the car, he would smile and greet us. Sometimes when he was not busy, he would even come down and chat with us, what a good person. Unlike this Secretary Zhou, who always has a straight face, as if everyone owes him money, and never even looks at us."

  "Go ahead and talk." The tall guard looked completely disbelieving: "Mayor Leng, such a big official, would still chat with you? What did you guys talk about?"

  "The mayor of Leng is talkative, for example, he asks us where we are from, how much our salary is now, how many people are in our family, how's life, whether the price of vegetables is expensive or not... and so on. There are many things like that. At that time you hadn't arrived yet, so you don't know. If you don't believe it, ask Da Niu and them..."

  As soon as Zhou Qihong entered the house, he heard his wife Hu Hui talking to someone inside. Listening carefully, it was their daughter Zhou Fang's voice.

  "Ah, Xiaofang is back! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Zhou Qihong changed his shoes and walked into the house. Zhou Qihong had only one daughter, Zhou Fang, who was 31 years old this year. She worked at Xichang Steel Factory with her husband Lu Jianming. Since the residential area of Xichang Steel Factory was about 7 or 8 kilometers away from the city center, except for weekends and holidays, she rarely came back.

  "Dad, you're back? The meal is ready, just go upstairs." Daughter Zhou Fang brought out a dish from the kitchen and placed it on the dinner table, then returned to the kitchen.

  "What's wrong with our daughter?" Looking at his daughter's eyes which were slightly red, as if she had been crying, Zhou Qihong asked Hu Hui in a low voice.

  She was tying a scarf around her waist, tidying up the dinner table and preparing bowls and chopsticks. Hu Hui turned her head to look at the kitchen and said in a low voice: "It's all because of work that things have gotten messy. The steel factory has been shut down for two months now, and you won't even show your face to help them adjust and arrange a good job. That's why the two of you had a fight, and one person ran back home."

  Upon hearing this, Zhou Qihong's good mood that had come with his daughter's arrival was completely gone. Perhaps it was because people of their generation were very aware, although they held high positions, he never gave his children any special treatment and never allowed them to flaunt their wealth outside, now that his daughter and son-in-law had encountered difficulties, it was inevitable that they would harbor resentment.

  The meal was eaten with a bad taste, and the atmosphere was very heavy. Although Hu Hui kept trying to steer the conversation towards her daughter's work, Zhou Qihong remained gloomy and unresponsive.

  After dinner, Zhou Qihong went into the study alone and sat at his desk to smoke a cigarette. He wasn't unwilling to take care of his daughter's affairs, but years of education and ideology made him unable to open his mouth. He always believed that the power he had now was given by the country and the government, and it was meant for him to serve the country and the people better, not to seek personal gain for his own family. As an old man, he didn't want to lose his integrity in his later years.

  What about the daughters then? Can they just watch their parents' business and life fall into difficulties? Now that we, the old couple, can still help them out a bit, what will happen to them if we pass away?

  Before long, the whole study was filled with smoke.

  In a daze, he seemed to have heard the doorbell ringing, but didn't pay much attention. Except for urgent matters, he generally wouldn't entertain colleagues at home to discuss work-related issues after returning home, which was well-known to all. Even if there were those who were unaware or tactless, Hu Hui would also refuse them at the door.

  Less than two minutes later, the door to the study was pushed open and Hu Hui walked in, immediately being overwhelmed by the strong smell of smoke. She coughed twice and complained, "You're smoking so much again, you old man, don't you want to live?" After speaking, she pushed open the window of the study, and a refreshing gust of air mixed with raindrops blew in, making the whole room feel much fresher.

  At this time, Hu Hui said to him: "Old man, Mayor Leng has arrived and is in the living room."

  "What? Mayor Leng, what brings him here?" Zhou Qihong was shocked upon hearing the words. It turned out that when Leng Yunyue lived nearby, he had visited their home before, but after moving away, he must have been busy and hadn't come to visit again. What was his purpose for coming this time?

  Doubts remained, but Zhou Qihong immediately stood up and walked out in big strides, saying: "What wind blew Mayor Leng here? Why didn't you call ahead of time, we could have had a couple of drinks."

  "Haha, I just wanted to have a couple of drinks with the secretary, that's why I came. " Leng Yunying stood up and extended his hands to shake hands with Zhou Qihong heavily, then took out a bottle of wine from the bag beside him and said with a smile: "The good wine sent by Feiyuan Company, 20-year-old Maotai, how dare I enjoy it alone? Here, come and have a couple of drinks with the secretary."

  Zhou Qihong's eyes lit up as soon as he heard, and he hastily took over the bottle, carefully examining it from all sides. "Twenty-year-old Maotai? That's definitely worth savoring," he said. "Old lady, go stir-fry a few more small dishes, today I'll have a good drink with Mayor Leng." He didn't have many hobbies, but when he had nothing to do, he liked to have a couple of drinks; his capacity wasn't great either. Twenty-year-old Maotai was the kind of fine wine he'd only heard about, and now that he could finally taste it, he couldn't help but feel eager and impatient.

  Fei Yuan Company often sends good things to Leng Yun Ai, and each time it is open and aboveboard. This is a well-known secret throughout the city. It's strange to say that Fei Yuan, as a big company, doesn't need to use these means to build relationships with the Xichang government, as other places can't even invite them. Moreover, Fei Yuan Company only sends things to Leng Yun Ai, even when he was just the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee, and neither the municipal party secretary nor the then-mayor Hong Gang had ever received such treatment.

  Besides, Leng Yun has never given Fei Yuan company extra preferential treatment or compromised national interests because of this. Every time he cooperated with Fei Yuan company, others couldn't negotiate a deal, but when he went, the conditions he negotiated often exceeded everyone's expectations. In such a situation, what else can people say? It can only be said that Fei Yuan company only recognizes him and has no choice.

  I heard that at the time, it was also Leng Yunying who contacted Fei Yuan Company, and there must be all sorts of unknown relationships. Never mind, as long as everyone benefits from it, it's fine. As for Fei Yuan Company giving good things to Leng Yunying, apart from a few people being envious, there's nothing much to say, who made themselves not capable of this?

  The two of them entered the study and chatted idly for a while before Hu Hui brought over some appetizers.

  Leng Yun opened the wine bottle, and a strong aroma of wine wafted out, filling the entire room with the scent. Leng Yun had just poured some for Zhou Qi Hong when he couldn't wait to take a sip, his face revealing an expression of savoring the flavor. After a while, he said: "Hmm, it's indeed worthy of being a twenty-year-old Maotai - smooth and soft, with a rich fragrance that leaves one reminiscing for a long time."

  "The secretary likes it and has a couple more cups, this wine doesn't get you drunk after drinking, as long as it's in moderation, it's good for the body."

  "I wanted to too, but I was afraid your sister-in-law would interfere and not let me drink. Hehe, if you hadn't come today and shared the experience with me, I wouldn't have had a chance to take two sips. This has been killing me for a while now."

  Neither of them can drink much, and when they do drink, it's always a slow and careful process, with more time spent talking.

  "Secretary, was that Xiaofang just now outside? I haven't seen her for a long time, is she okay?" asked Leng Yun without batting an eyelid.

  Zhou Qihong sighed and said, "What's good about this? The factory has been shut down for over two months. The couple is fighting at home, and now she's run back to her mother's house. Tell me, what's wrong with young people these days? They don't know how to work hard themselves, and as soon as they encounter a problem, they want the older generation to step in and help them find a better job. I'm just a municipal party secretary, not someone who can find jobs for them. What right do I have to do that?"

  Although the two men sometimes had different political views and were even entangled in struggles, Zhou Qihong still believed that Leng Yunfei was a kindred spirit who never used his power for personal gain or family interests. His wife, Li Huifen, also stayed at home to take care of their children and manage household chores. Therefore, he considered him a confidant, and the family's misunderstanding and grievances were poured out to Leng Yunfei with the help of wine.

  "Secretary, what you said makes sense. Nowadays, people's thoughts are different from ours." Leng Yunying took a sip of wine and said: "However, the steel factory has become like this, our government is also very responsible. Thousands of families' livelihoods are facing difficulties, it's because we haven't done our job well, and we owe them an apology."

  Zhou Qihong seemed to think of his own daughter's family situation, and even they, a family with basically no burdens, were so angry. As for those who had elderly parents and young children at home, he didn't know what to do, and sighed: "Yes, as officials, we should bring benefits to the people, but now that the steel factory is not doing well, as parents of Xichang, we really have no face to show them. How are your talks with Feiyuan Company going?"

  "This time I came to report some things to Secretary. "Leng Yunying hesitated and said: "The attitude of Feiyuan Company is very clear and affirmative, the steel mill can be acquired, but it must be acquired together with Xichang Mining Co., Ltd., the price is also very good, 330 million yuan for acquisition, otherwise give up acquisition..."

  "This price is actually quite good, but after all, it's not a bad asset..." Zhou Qihong also furrowed his brow and said with some helplessness. Although the country has introduced policies to encourage local reforms and development, when it comes to state-owned assets, it's still very sensitive, and if handled improperly, it would lead to the infamy of selling off national assets.

  "Yes, so I'm also very confused, can only come to find Secretary you to point out the way."

  "Haha, you're quite skilled at economics, don't rush me to make a decision." Zhou Qihong smiled and seemed satisfied with Leng Yunyi's attitude. He said: "If you have any good ideas, feel free to share them. As long as they are beneficial for solving the problem and benefiting the common people, I will definitely support them." Since the other party has shown sincerity, he should also show his stance.