Chapter 123: Deputy Director of the Municipal Party Committee Office

  The people's congress has ended, and Xu Shaojie suddenly became busy. Everyone knows that the municipal party committee is going to conduct its annual personnel adjustments. At this time, many unit leaders and county and city main leaders come to report their work to Secretary Ding Yuan, all of which require Xu Shaojie to make proper arrangements. Secretary Ding Yuan's time is limited, so Xu Shaojie must arrange it well.

  But more than a month has passed, and Xu Shaojie feels that the days have gone by for a long time. This is incomparable to when he was in Yudu District. At that time, Xu Shaojie had a large group of people at his disposal, and most of the time, he just needed to move his lips. Now, Xu Shaojie has to do everything personally, and the vast majority of things have to be done by himself. The difference between the two is obvious. Therefore, Xu Shaojie was very busy, and after going to work, he still didn't have the opportunity to return to the provincial city.

  Tang Wanrou often calls, and Xu Shaojie can almost feel her pouting. It's been a long time since they've seen each other, and anyone would be unbearable if put in their shoes. Xu Shaojie is now thinking about finding an opportunity to return to the provincial city for a trip. His vacation time is being adjusted slowly, starting with one and a half days off per week, sometimes just one day, but always changing. Since Ding Yuanshuai arrived in Huaiyang City, he hasn't had time to return to the provincial city either. Xu Shaojie feels that this is simply torture - being a leader means working too much, and with family members not by your side, isn't it creating opportunities for certain people? Of course, Xu Shaojie doesn't dare think that about Ding Yuanshuai.

  Ding Yuan is not only busy during the day, but also can't rest at night. Every day after work, he has to delay his return home, and there are still a steady stream of visitors until 11 o'clock at night before he can rest. Ding Yuan is clear that before the personnel adjustment plan is passed by the Standing Committee, both the office and home will be in this state. This personnel adjustment does not involve major leaders, and Ding Yuan had already discussed it with Lu Changzheng and Zhang Taizhong. Xu Shaojie took over as deputy director of the municipal party committee office, except for a few people who need to be adjusted proposed by Huang Haitao, the rest of the adjustments mainly involve individual counties and cities and municipal units.

  Ding Yuan didn't want to make major adjustments, and the timing wasn't ripe yet. Originally, he wasn't very concerned about this kind of deputy position adjustment. Zhou Kunsong, Lu Zhangzheng's secretary, was arranged to go to Huai'an City to take up the post of Municipal Committee Standing Committee member and Municipal Committee Secretary-General. This position is quite good, although it ranks lower in the Standing Committee, but the location is good, and it's not much different from working in the Huaiyang Municipal Committee office. Lu Zhangzheng was very satisfied with this arrangement, his secretary was well-placed, and the leader's face was also saved.

  Ding Yuan noticed Chen Mubiao, Chen Mubiao's father Chen Dengxiang had worked with Ding Yuan for a year, at that time serving as the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee, and was quite close to Huang Haitao. A year later, he was promoted to serve as a member of the standing committee of the Xilin Municipal Party Committee and secretary-general of the municipal party committee. Recently, Chen Dengxiang's chances of being promoted were very high, because Provincial Party Secretary Jiang Yuhui had always been very supportive of Chen Dengxiang. Chen Mubiao was recommended by Huang Haitao, who needed to research and promote cadres this time. Chen Mubiao served as the deputy director of the Xilin Municipal Yuanyuan District Committee Office, a regular section-level cadre. Huang Haitao suggested that Chen Mubiao serve as the deputy secretary of the Shalong County Party Committee, in charge of agriculture. This was a rare situation, and generally speaking, someone like Chen Mubiao would be satisfied with serving as a deputy county magistrate. Unexpectedly, he directly served as the deputy secretary of the county party committee. Ding Yuan couldn't oppose it, not to mention Huang Haitao, but also because Chen Dengxiang had been his colleague in the past and might get promoted. Such people were not to be offended. What made Ding Yuan angry was that Huang Haitao seized the opportunity to once again draw closer to Chen Dengxiang.

  Ding Yuan was clear that relationships were extremely important, and Huang Haitao, as a local cadre, had made great efforts to reach his current situation. Behind him, there must be extraordinary connections. To become the main leader of a prefecture-level city, one would have to be an object of attention from the provincial party committee and government leaders. Ding Yuan was unclear about Huang Haitao's background relationships - this was a top-secret matter for officials. The higher the leadership position, the less likely they were to reveal even a hint of their connections. Those officials who constantly boasted about having such-and-such relationships would never become great leaders or reach high positions.

  Ding Yuan worried that if Huang Haitao made contact with Jiang Yuhui and was appreciated by him, his own situation would become extremely difficult. Sometimes, the hard work you did at the bottom could be turned into nothing by a leader's single sentence, because those above were holding your hat in their hands.

  Ding Yuan couldn't stop such a situation from happening, Chen Mubao's promotion was a very bad omen, what would happen next, Ding Yuan didn't know. So, Ding Yuan didn't want to maintain the harmonious atmosphere for long, maybe if he continued like this, his position would change soon. As for Qian Dazhi's matter, Ding Yuan was very satisfied, finally doing a good job of paving the way for Xu Shaojie. In the future, when Xu Shaojie needed help, Qian Dazhi was not a bad choice. It had been a long time since he last returned to the provincial city, before the personnel adjustment, Ding Yuan thought about going back once, that lingering pain that had always irritated his nerves also needed to be verified upon his return.

  Xu Shaojie had just finished washing up and called Tang Wanjun. This time, he returned to the provincial city with Zhang Shaocai and Yan Yuhuan. Because Tang Wanjun was coming home to meet Han Qing'e. Han Qing'e knew that Xu Shaojie had a girlfriend after talking about it, and she was so excited that she almost didn't sleep all night, constantly asking Xu Shaojie about Tang Wanjun's situation. Xu Shaojie told her in detail about Tang Wanjun, and Han Qing'e felt a bit nervous. The other girl's father is the deputy director of the Provincial Public Security Department! Such a big leader, Tang Wanjun can be considered an official lady, I don't know if Xu Shaojie will suffer losses. As a mother, she always thinks about her children, Xu Shaojie knows his mother's worries and smiles to say it's nothing. In his heart, Xu Shaojie still has some pride, the deputy director of the Provincial Public Security Department is nothing, when he reaches that age, he will definitely not just sit in this position.

  When Xu Shaojie went to pick up Tang Wanrou, she couldn't help but rush into his arms. It had been over a month since they last saw each other, and Tang Wanrou had lost her appetite during that time. Today, she was dressed particularly beautifully in a light blue cashmere coat, which was the most fashionable clothing in the provincial city at the moment. Her face was also lightly made up, making her look like a beautiful doll.

  Tang Wanrou was far from calm like Xu Shaojie, and as she approached the house, she lost her usual composure, her tense body trembling slightly. She had met Zhang Shaocai, Yan Yuhuan, and Xu Yijie before, but today's main event was meeting Xu Shaojie's mother, Han Qing'e, who would become her own mother-in-law after marrying Xu Shaojie. The impression of their first meeting was extremely important, as the relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law had always been a headache that hadn't been solved for thousands of years.

  "Xiao Rou, don't be nervous, my mother is very kind."

  "Honey, don't leave me later, if I say something wrong, just hold my hand."

  "Xiao Rou, don't be so exaggerated, just say what you think."

  "Husband, don't say anymore, the more you talk, the more I'm scared, this is my first time after all."

  "Xiao Rou, what do you mean? Are you planning to meet a few more times? Alright, I've remembered it. Next time, let's also find an old man to meet, otherwise it won't be fair."

  "You dare, humph, I didn't mean it that way, I meant this is my first time experiencing such a situation."

  After entering the house, Tang Wanru quickly relaxed. Zhang Shaocai and Yan Yuhuan were both at home. Han Qing'e didn't have the scrutinizing gaze she had imagined. Tang Wanru wasn't clear about it, but ordinary family mothers were mostly like this, not like her own family, where they would always look at their daughter-in-law or son-in-law with a critical eye for the first time. This was probably the difference between an official's family and an ordinary family. Han Qing'e smiled warmly at Tang Wanru, who had a sweet mouth, calling her "Aunt". As for Zhang Shaocai, Yan Yuhuan, Xu Yijie, and Liu Xiaomei, Tang Wanru uniformly followed Xu Shaojie's lead in addressing them, just as she had done in Huaiyang City.

  Xu Shaojie could see from Han Qing'e's eyes that his mother was very satisfied with Tang Wanrou. She had been smiling all the time, and Tang Wanrou was very easy-going, without any of the spoiled air of an official's daughter. The first time she came to their home, she quickly followed Yan Yuhuan into the kitchen to help Liu Xiaomei cook, although it was impossible for her to really do anything. Liu Xiaomei had felt a bit inferior at first, feeling that the gap between herself and Tang Wanrou was too big. However, after being with Tang Wanrou for a while, she felt that Tang Wanrou was a very straightforward and generous girl, without any pretenses, and slowly became less tense.

  Because Xu Shaojie had to follow Ding Yuan Secretary to Huaiyang City in the afternoon, Tang Wanrou bid farewell after lunch. When Xu Shaojie sent Tang Wanrou off, she asked him about the allocated housing situation. Xu Shaojie truthfully told her that he was currently living in the municipal party committee dormitory. Tang Wanrou seemed very happy and repeatedly said that from now on, there would be a place to settle down whenever they had time. It turned out that Tang Wanrou knew that Xu Shaojie's previous residence was bought by Zhang Shaocai, and she always felt that it didn't belong to Xu Shaojie. Only the housing allocated by the unit truly belonged to oneself. Tang Wanrou did not have allocated housing in Xilin City Public Security Bureau, as unmarried women generally do not receive allocated housing.

  After Xu Shaojie returned home, Han Qing'e and Yan Yuhuan, even Liu Xiaomei, all educated Xu Shaojie, saying that Tang Wanyu was very good and Xu Shaojie must cherish her, treat her well, and not be temperamental. Xu Shaojie couldn't help but laugh and cry, wondering who was being temperamental. If Tang Wanyu hadn't been temperamental in front of him, Xu Shaojie would have felt blessed by the Buddha. However, through this meeting, Xu Shaojie knew that his lifelong event had been settled.

  Ding Yuan remained silent in the car, furrowing his brow. This was not the first time Xu Shaojie had seen him like this. Since Ding Yuan's return to the provincial city, he had been displaying some unpleasant behavior. Xu Shaojie didn't know the reason and it wasn't appropriate for him to ask. If it was a family matter, that would be a personal affair, and leaders wouldn't discuss such things. He mustn't be presumptuous and ask questions. If Ding Yuan thought it necessary, he would naturally speak up about it himself.

  The municipal party committee standing committee meeting was held on time, and it was about personnel adjustments. Such meetings, Xu Shaojie could not attend. According to the usual arrangement, the secretary's office meeting was first convened to determine the personnel adjustment issues. The discipline inspection commission secretary and organization department head attended the meeting as non-voting delegates. After the secretary's office meeting passed, it was basically settled. Among the 13 municipal party committee standing committee members, 7 participated in the secretary's office meeting, accounting for more than half. Moreover, other municipal party committee standing committee members also clearly defined their own responsibilities. Of course, if the person to be promoted had offended any of the municipal party committee standing committee members and encountered opposition, it would be difficult to promote them. They could only be temporarily put aside, but such situations were rare. Furthermore, if the municipal party secretary insisted, they could still be promoted.

  Xu Shaojie has been in the office, and this personnel adjustment is closely related to him. Xu Shaojie also knows some rumors that he will take over as the deputy director of the municipal party committee office, a step he has been waiting for nearly two years. This adjustment does not involve major leaders, so the attention from all parties is not high. At this moment, Xu Shaojie thinks that he has become the deputy director, and Qian Dazhi will soon become the secretary of Lu Changzheng, the vice secretary-general. Lu Changzheng is the executive vice secretary-general, and his secretary's position is also very important.

  In the afternoon, Xu Shaojie learned about the personnel adjustment plan. When the Organization Department brought over the documents for Ding Yuan Secretary to sign, Xu Shaojie saw his own name at the top of the list, appointed as Deputy Director of the Municipal Party Committee Office. He also saw Chen Mubiao's name, appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Salong County Party Committee. Suddenly, Xu Shaojie recalled his conversation with Chen Mubiao and felt a surge of emotions in his heart. He had not expected that Chen Mubiao would indeed come to Huaiyang City and become the Deputy Secretary of the Salong County Party Committee. This must have been arranged by Huang Haitao, as Salong County was Huang Haitao's hometown. In other words, Chen Mubiao had temporarily been marked with Huang Haitao's label. Chen Mubiao's father, Chen Dengxiang, who used to be the Deputy Secretary of the Huaiyang City Party Committee, had directly found Huang Haitao for his son's arrangement without finding Ding Yuan Secretary. Xu Shaojie felt the subtlety in this move. This was not a good thing, as Chen Dengxiang worked in the provincial capital and had good relations with the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee and government. With such an advantage, wouldn't Huang Haitao be able to challenge Ding Yuan Secretary even more in the future?

  The next day, a cadre adjustment meeting was held, and Xu Shaojie attended the meeting. He saw Chen Mubiao, and the two nodded and smiled at each other without saying a word.

  Back in the office, Qian Dazhi came up soon after, with an excited look on his face.

  "Director Xú, congratulations and thank you. Secretary Liao has spoken with me and from today on, I will be following Secretary Lù."

  "Qian Kechang, same to you, but don't thank me, this was all arranged by Secretary Ding, I'm not capable of that."

  "Director Xú, don't be polite, I understand everything from start to finish, rest assured, I know what to do."

  "Alright, I'll treat you this afternoon, congratulations on your job adjustment."

  "It's only right, it's only right, but I'm treating you to this meal, haha. You're now the deputy director of the municipal committee office, my superior from now on. In the future, please take care of me more at work, ah. I reckon that in the future, we'll be busy with work and won't have much free time left."

  Xu Shaojie knew that Qian Dazhi's words were true, from now on, the two of them would not be able to arrange their own time at will, everything was for serving the leaders. Secretary Ding Yuan and Director Lu Zhang were both very busy, it was really hard to find such an opportunity to gather together.

  The next day, the municipal party committee office held a meeting on the adjustment of personnel in the municipal party committee office. Xu Shaojie, as the deputy director of the municipal party committee office, attended the meeting. At this meeting, Huang Meng's position was adjusted to the administrative department, serving as the deputy department head, finally leaving the typing room and also being promoted to a deputy department-level cadre.

  After the meeting, the news spread quickly. Huang Meng specially came to Xu Shaojie's office, didn't say anything, and placed a black plastic bag under Xu Shaojie's desk. Before Xu Shaojie could decline, Huang Meng suddenly hugged Xu Shaojie and kissed his face, then turned around and left Xu Shaojie's office. Xu Shaojie stood there in a daze for a long time, unable to react.