dognovel Chapter 1485 The Wind Rises
Chapter 1485 The Wind Rises
Chapter 1485 The Wind Rises
"Your mother is coming to Gangcheng tomorrow."
Li Xuewu used just one sentence to pin the stick to the spot, demonstrating the power of those words.
Of course, Banggeng was also very filial, and turned around in a panic to ask, "How did you manage to bring her here!"
"Good job. Talk to me like that when your mom comes tomorrow, okay?"
Li Xuewu said with a wicked smile, "Captain Jia, don't be afraid, your mother isn't Huang Jun."
"My mother is Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao)—"
Bang Geng didn't have time to chat with him anymore, so she turned around and ran to her room to tidy up (destroy the evidence) while she still had time.
"I heard she lives on Tuanjie Road?"
Seeing the boy kick up and run back, Li Xuewu teased him, "Is this Tuanjie Road?"
"Uncle Wu, you won't have a good time even if I die!"
Banggeng suddenly ran back, leaned against the door, and threatened in a fierce but cowardly manner: "An aunt and two older sisters came to our house this month, and I remember them all."
"Oh, so what if you remember?"
Li Xuewu tilted his head, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Who says Auntie and Sister can't come to our house to rest?"
"You're going to say they were all staying in the guest rooms when they arrived, right?" Banggeng suddenly realized what he meant and looked at him speechlessly, asking, "You're going to say I didn't have a chance to go up to the second floor, so I didn't know and just made it up, right?"
"What kind of nonsense would you make up?" Li Xuewu said with a laugh, "They were staying in the guest rooms anyway."
"So you won't admit that you also stayed in the guest room, right?" Bang Geng was really angry. Why did Uncle Wu know his whereabouts so well, even though he knew that the women in the house were like a revolving door, he had no evidence.
I'm so annoyed, I should have gone up to the second floor.
"Of course I won't stay in the guest room."
Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't you remember where your mother stayed when she came here?"
"Fine, I accept my fate."
Banggeng, with an air of "I'm not afraid of boiling water," plopped down on a chair in the study.
Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Dating is a normal thing. Knowing that you need to find a partner means you're growing up. Isn't that a good thing?"
"But in her eyes I will always be a child."
Banggeng slumped in his chair and said wearily, "If she finds out I'm dating someone, she'll definitely dig up her ancestors for eight generations."
"What are you afraid of? She's only three years older than you, not three years older than your mother."
Li Xuewu picked up his teacup, took a sip of warm tea, and said, "Whose youth isn't romantic? Maybe your mother liked romance when she was your age too."
“You don’t understand, Uncle Wu, you’ll never understand my mother. She’s as stubborn as my grandfather’s old ox.”
Banggeng sighed deeply, raised his head and asked, "Uncle Wu, do you think I was wrong?"
"Hmm? Which matter are you talking about?" Li Xuewu turned around and asked while looking at his book.
“It’s just…” Bang Geng hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, “It’s about her marriage.”
"That depends on how you interpret it."
Li Xuewu picked up a pencil and made notes in the book, saying, "From your own perspective, of course you would want your mother to love only you forever."
"But I—" Bang Geng was eager to defend himself, wanting to say something, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say it.
Li Xuewu ignored him; what a fourteen-year-old boy didn't understand?
He knew all this when he was fourteen... Never mind, let bygones be bygones.
Sometimes it's not that we don't understand, it's that we don't want to understand.
Bang Geng is currently in a state where he understands but dares not admit it, and wants to explain himself.
Explain what?
As Lu Xun once said, explanation is just a cover-up, and a cover-up is the truth.
"I just feel—"
Bang Geng thought for a while before raising his head and saying, "I just feel that he is not a good person."
"Who isn't a good person?"
Li Xuewu turned and glanced at him, then asked, "Liu Guoyou?"
Banggeng remained silent, which was tantamount to admitting it.
"I can't judge him from your perspective," Li Xuewu said, looking at the book in his hand. "Judging him from my perspective wouldn't be of any use to you anyway."
"Do you think he's a good person?"
Banggeng raised his head, looked at the most important teacher in his life, and asked with a conflicted heart, "Or..."
"There is no good or bad in the adult world."
Li Xuewu turned to look at him and said, "Humans are inherently complex. Who can define good and bad except the law?"
"At least I don't have that right. What you consider good or bad is just a matter of self-interest."
He spoke frankly to Bang Geng, just like their usual way of getting along, without any pretense.
"A good person is someone you like who is kind to you, even if she is three years older than you."
Li Xuewu is good at persuasion; he can leave people speechless and heartbroken.
“Anyone who treats you badly or whom you don’t like is a bad person, even if they are willing to give you money.”
"I never took his money."
Bang Geng finally found a reason to refute it, and tried to emphasize: "Never."
"I mean he's willing."
Li Xuewu didn't intend to argue with him, and emphasized again, "Do you agree with this point?"
Bang Geng remained silent this time; he couldn't refute it because that's exactly what Liu Guoyou did.
Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, and Li Xuewu would never take a stand on Qin Huairu's family matters.
Banggeng asked him today, otherwise he wouldn't have brought this up; that kid talks too much.
"Anyway, I don't think he's a good person."
Banggeng's voice was a little low as he stubbornly argued, "That's what my grandma said too."
"Yes, your grandma is always right."
Li Xuewu nodded in agreement and said, "If that's the case, then what are you feeling guilty about?"
"I—" Bang Geng raised his head, wanting to answer, but didn't know where to begin.
Li Xuewu gave him plenty of time, reading the book while waiting for his answer.
Banggeng thought for a while before saying, "My mom is good to me."
"Isn't that just nonsense?"
Li Xuewu didn't expect him to say this, and couldn't help but laugh and say, "Don't talk nonsense. You've forgotten your mother now that you have a wife. Now you understand your mother's suffering."
"It's not like that."
Bang Geng's rebuttal was merely a habitual one, but after emphasizing it, he would fall silent.
What could he possibly say? Why would he stay up so late at night to chat with Uncle Wu about this? Isn't he just bored?
"Dude, based on your performance today, all I can say is that you haven't grown up yet."
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Li Xuewu turned to him and said, "You said Liu Guoyou was not a good person, but why didn't you tell your mother back then?"
"You said you made a mistake, is it because you felt the sweetness of love and then felt that you shouldn't have done it in the first place?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to ask, "Do you still think your mother interferes too much in your life and should enjoy her own love life without bothering you?"
-
"What's wrong? You look like a wilted eggplant."
As expected of a mother and son, Qin Huairu's description of her son was so accurate.
From the moment the mother and son met, Bang-geng had been in a distracted state.
Li Xuewu stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the cabinet, watching the excitement. Today was going to be quite a show.
Zhou Yamei returned with Qin Huairu. On the way, she learned the purpose of Qin Huairu's visit to Gangcheng, and her gaze towards Banggeng was filled with a different kind of feeling.
Is it okay to start dating at fourteen?
Nonsense, people of this age in the old society were already having children, so why couldn't they be dating?
"Didn't you go to work today?"
Zhou Yamei hung her coat on the hanger, glanced at Li Xuewu, and asked, "You're back early again?"
"I went to Gangfei this afternoon and came back at five o'clock."
Li Xuewu offered an explanation, then turned around and went to the tea cabinet to make himself a cup of hot tea.
"What about mine? You're just going to drink it yourself?"
When Qin Huairu walked into the living room, she glanced at him as she passed the tea cabinet, seemingly quite displeased.
Is this what she's unhappy about?
Of course not. Li Xuewu's abilities are outstanding, and he has never dissatisfied a woman. That's for sure.
"Want some? Make it yourself."
Li Xuewu slowly walked to the sofa with his teacup, sat down, and picked up the newspaper to read.
Zhou Yamei glanced at him and said to Qin Huairu with amusement, "Don't pay attention to him, he's just having intermittent craziness."
"It's alright, I'm just staying here temporarily. I really shouldn't have expected him to make me a cup of tea."
Qin Huairu replied deliberately, "He's a big leader."
"Did you hear that? That's called being sarcastic and unfriendly."
Li Xuewu ignored her and turned to Banggeng, emphasizing, "Look, you've learned another idiom."
Bang Geng is being silly; he's still thinking about how to hide the truth from his girlfriend.
Unfortunately, his mother seemed unaware of this matter and didn't ask him a single question.
What should we eat tonight?
Zhou Yamei didn't expect the two of them to have prepared a meal for them when they returned, so she asked casually before going to the kitchen.
To her surprise, the kitchen not only had meat and vegetables, but also canned goods that had already been opened.
"Wow! Is the sun rising in the west?"
Zhou Yamei turned around and asked the father and son in the living room, "Who is so kind as to prepare the dishes?"
Li Xuewu didn't want to answer this question because he hadn't prepared it, and Bang Geng didn't want to answer it either because he didn't want his mother to know that he had prepared it.
As I said before, it cannot be explained, concealed, or even admitted to being overly attentive.
Zhou Yamei knew that Li Xuewu would never eat canned food, given his laziness.
It's not that I'm afraid canned food is unhygienic, but rather that I find it troublesome.
"It must be my son."
Qin Huairu took off her jacket, revealing a bright red turtleneck sweater underneath. The headlights of the two cars made people dizzy.
Forget about whether it's sagging or not, just talk about whether the headlights are bright or not.
"You've gone astray—"
Li Xuewu looked up from the newspaper, avoiding the glaring light, and looked at Qin Huairu.
Qin Huairu chuckled, thinking, "I got a good deal, so I'm happy."
No one answered who bought the groceries. She said her son bought them, which offended Li Xuewu.
"Why did the 'stick pheasant' do so well today?"
Zhou Yamei has also gone astray, and this time she deliberately teased Bang Geng by asking, "Did you do something bad?"
"No!" Bang Geng reacted a bit to the situation and almost jumped up to refute it, but he regretted it as soon as he said it.
Fortunately, his mother didn't notice.
What Bang Geng didn't know was that his mother had seen the whole thing the moment he suddenly reacted.
Qin Huairu glanced at her son, but then fixed her gaze on Li Xuewu, even with a hint of dissatisfaction.
Li Xuewu grew impatient with the stare and asked with a smirk, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing, I just thought you were pretty."
Qin Huairu rolled her eyes and said, "I was just looking at you, why are you reacting so strongly? Are you feeling guilty?"
"Heh, only those who have done something wrong feel guilty."
"Uncle Wu, would you like some melon seeds?"
Li Xuewu only said one sentence before Banggeng rushed over to flatter him, trying to persuade Uncle Wu to stop talking about it, because if they continued on this topic, it would bring up his own affairs.
Banggeng felt a bit uneasy today; it seemed his mother knew about his past.
Li Xuewu understood his feelings, so he raised an eyebrow at Qin Huairu and said, "It's not like I'm dating someone, why are you glaring at me?"
"Uncle Wu, would you like some ice cream?"
Banggeng panicked; something was wrong. The conversation was getting deeper and deeper, like they were falling into an abyss from which there was no stopping them.
He dared not stay any longer, stood up, grabbed his gloves, and said hurriedly, "I'll go buy you ice cream."
"Do you often make my son buy you ice cream?" Just before Bang Geng left, Qin Huairu asked Li Xuewu another question.
Li Xuewu's reply nearly made Banggeng bang his head against the doorframe: "Have you ever seen me eat ice cream? I don't know which 'close older sister' he bought his ice cream for."
bang-
Banggeng practically rushed out of the house. He couldn't stay there any longer. Even though it had nothing to do with him, every word he spoke made it sound like it was his business. How could he stay in this house?
Oh, and ice cream!
Where should he go to buy ice cream at this time?
"Did you do it on purpose?"
Qin Huairu stared into Li Xuewu's eyes and said, "It's so cold outside, what if he gets cold?"
"But I didn't see you stopping me just now."
Li Xuewu put down his newspaper, looked at her, and said, "You're the mother, not the father."
These words were a reminder to Qin Huairu that Banggeng lived here, but he didn't have the habit of being both a father and a mother.
Qin Huairu felt a stomachache from his thrusts and rolled her eyes, saying, "He's gone astray."
You mean I taught him?
Li Xuewu glared at her and said, "Qin Huairu, you're making baseless accusations."
“You don’t even bother to ask around. Not just in our courtyard, but in our alley and our street, everyone knows I’ve always been a good kid. I used to blush when I saw girls. And you’re going to corrupt your son?”
He emphasized indignantly, "If you ask me, it's you, the mother, who's so irresponsible."
"Look at you, what's the rush—"
Qin Huairu raised an eyebrow and said, "So eager to cover it up? Which of us didn't slip away?"
Are you two children?
Zhou Yamei smiled at the two of them through the kitchen door and said, "We finally get to see each other, and you're still bickering?"
"She did this on purpose—"
Li Xuewu stood up with the newspaper in his hand and said as he walked toward the study, "He just wanted to get my attention."
"Hehe—" Qin Huairu chuckled, but once Li Xuewu went to the study, she lost interest.
Zhou Yamei was busy making dinner. When she saw her coming over to help, she glanced in the direction of the study and said softly, "Bang Geng will be back soon. Hurry up and say what you want to say."
Qin Huairu looked at her, couldn't help but sigh, and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
“Why are you saying all this?” Zhou Yamei said understandingly. “Bang Geng isn’t a bad kid. You should talk to him first so you can be mentally prepared for anything.”
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible and help you in a bit."
Qin Huairu responded and gratefully patted Zhou Yamei's arm.
Zhou Yamei smiled and said, "It's just dinner, it's not worth it for two people. Go and do your thing."
This is her home; if she doesn't take the initiative to speak up, Qin Huairu might not be able to make up her mind to talk to him.
Qin Huairu hesitated for a moment, even pausing at the door of the study before entering the room.
“This kid Banggeng…you have to give me some idea of what to do with him.”
-
I never managed to buy the ice cream from Banggeng; it came back freezing cold on a November winter night.
Zhou Yamei was certain he wouldn't go too far, and sure enough, he came into the house before dinner.
In perfect unison, none of the three asked about the ice cream, nor did they tease his girlfriend any further.
Compared to the attention he received before leaving home, the adults' indifference now made him feel even more pressured.
This meal truly taught Banggeng what it means to be utterly tasteless; four dishes, yet he couldn't taste any flavor at all.
After dinner, Li Xuewu went to his study to read as usual. Qin Huairu helped Zhou Yamei clear the table and wash the dishes. Banggeng sat on the sofa anxiously, waiting for his turn.
He was very self-aware; no matter how much he tried to deceive himself, he knew he couldn't hide it anymore.
Surprisingly, he didn't receive any questions from his mother until bedtime, so how could he possibly fall asleep?
"Uncle Wu—"
Just as he was hesitating about whether to go upstairs to confess to his mother, he saw Uncle Wu come out of the study and asked a question timidly.
Seeing his reaction, Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow but did not respond to his greeting.
"Um..." Bang Geng hesitated. It was really hard to ask this question. For some reason, he asked, "Uncle Wu, which room are you sleeping in tonight?"
This kid is really asking for trouble!
"What, you want to sleep with me?"
Li Xuewu curled his lip and said, "If you're so capable, come upstairs with me. You'll see once we're upstairs."
"I—" Bang Geng wanted to say something, but Uncle Wu had already stepped onto the stairs and headed to the second floor.
He knew he could only dodge the first day of the month, not the fifteenth. Now that Uncle Wu was there, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go up to the second floor.
This wasn't the first time he'd come up to the second floor. He'd sneaked up here before when Aunt Zhou and Uncle Wu weren't home, not for any other reason than to take a look.
That's how it is with teenagers; the more you forbid them from doing something, the more they want to try it.
On the second floor, the door to the guest room was open, and Zhou Yamei was chatting with Qin Huairu about Fu Zhidong's situation at school.
"Transferring schools will definitely have some impact on him. Fortunately, my mom is there to help take care of him, otherwise I wouldn't be able to rest easy running back and forth like this..."
As Zhou Yamei was speaking, she saw Banggeng appear at the door, so she stood up with a smile and said, "Alright, you two haven't seen each other for a long time, so I won't take up your precious time."
Time is precious, of course. Qin Huairu wanted to chat with her son, so she stayed up to wait for him.
Zhou Yamei's time is also very precious. She only comes back once or twice a month. In other words, that is, only once or twice a month. How could it not be precious?
When Li Xuewu was away on business or back in Beijing, he wouldn't be there more than once or twice a month, and Qin Huairu understood this hardship.
"Mom..." Banggeng called out with his head down after Aunt Zhou left.
Zhou Yamei proactively closed the door for them, then walked with a smile to the master bedroom, where her dinner had just begun.
In the master bedroom, Li Xuewu had just come out of the shower. When he saw her come in, he asked, "What did you talk about all night?"
"We weren't talking about you again—"
Zhou Yamei gave him a meaningful look, tidied her hair, and said, "What did you say to her?"
Fearing that Li Xuewu might not have understood her meaning, she added, "What are your plans for that kid Banggeng?"
"What do you mean, how should it be arranged?"
Li Xuewu walked to the bedside and sat down, unconcerned, and said, "Isn't that your student?"
"I am only responsible for teaching, not for employment."
Zhou Yamei tied her hair up and looked at him, saying, "You should try to understand the difficulties of being a mother. It must have taken a lot of determination for her to come to Gangcheng."
"Her decision wasn't made for me."
Li Xuewu said calmly, "Competing with her own son is just competing with herself."
"You know her situation perfectly well."
Zhou Yamei looked at Li Xuewu lying on the bed and said, "The more this happens, the more stubborn his personality becomes."
"That's why we make impulsive choices."
Li Xuewu astutely asked, "Has she regretted it?"
You mean...her marriage?
Zhou Yamei analyzed Qin Huairu from a psychological perspective, while Li Xuewu looked at the issue from the perspective of human nature.
She hadn't expected Li Xuewu to think that way, but in an instant she understood the meaning of his words.
"She chose this path herself, so of course she has to be responsible for it."
Li Xuewu casually placed the pistol on the bedside table and said calmly, "Even if I have to kneel, I have to see this through."
At this moment, Zhou Yamei knelt on the bed, looking at him speechlessly and said, "You don't give her any face at all? Seeing her like this, you don't even think about the past..."
"Don't talk nonsense—"
Looking at Zhou Yamei, who was about to "take action," Li Xuewu emphasized, "We are just ordinary neighbors."
"A normal neighborly relationship?" Zhou Yamei chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Would an ordinary neighbor entrust their child to you?"
She rubbed her hands together and asked, "So what about us? Are we just a typical landlord and tenant?"
Damn—hearing her say that, Li Xuewu couldn't help but think of someone—young Abin.
"Don't worry about the sticky stuff."
Li Xuewu closed his eyes slightly, enjoying the moment as he spoke: "You can't control it, and neither can I. This is the age when you should be experiencing life in society."
"You're going to let him experience everything?"
Zhou Yamei understood what he meant and raised an eyebrow, saying, "The price of this growth is too high."
She frowned slightly, looking concerned, and said, "Everything else is fine, but this guy... he's three years older than me. Can this relationship last?"
"Who told him to choose the most difficult path?"
Li Xuewu spoke indifferently, showing no concern what would happen to Bang Geng's life. He wasn't God and couldn't possibly manage such a wide-ranging situation.
"Many principles can be easily learned in school, but he insists on experiencing them through setbacks."
He raised his head and said through Zhou Yamei's throat, "Now he feels that being in the underworld is very easy, and the people around him speak nicely and reasonably."
"In fact, he was completely unaware that he had already thrown himself into the quagmire and was sinking deeper and deeper."
“Cough—” Zhou Yamei straightened up, glared at him, and then said, “Didn’t you want to use him? If you don’t keep an eye on him now so he doesn’t grow crooked, all this effort will be wasted if he can’t be used later. Don’t you think that’s a waste?”
“If he doesn’t go to school at this age, and if he’s not thrown into the mud to roll around, how will he know the immensity of the world?”
Li Xuewu said in a long voice, "It's just right. Struggling in this quagmire can also get rid of his violent temper and temper him down."
"When he is exhausted, he will look back and find that the road he came from was the smooth one."
"Is this the way out for children from single-parent families?"
Zhou Yamei suddenly stopped, looked at him, and said, "You can already predict his future?"
"Don't worry, Qin Huairu isn't you, and Zhidong isn't Bang Geng. He won't be this tired."
Li Xuewu knew what she was thinking and comforted her, saying, "With your careful guidance, he has no resentment and will not accumulate any hostility."
"But he lacks the qualities of strength and self-confidence."
Zhou Yamei crawled up to him, looked at him, and said, "This is something I can't give you."
“Strength and confidence aren’t qualities given to you by others.” Li Xuewu reached out and patted her face, asking, “Did others give you your current strength and confidence?”
"Is that what you said to her?"
Zhou Yamei looked into his eyes and said, "Qin Huairu came to Gangcheng because she was afraid that Banggeng would go astray, but you deliberately kicked him into the ditch."
"Did I kick it?" Li Xuewu opened his eyes and looked at her, emphasizing, "He jumped in by himself."
"And then?" Zhou Yamei reached out and pressed his hand down, asking, "Wait until he's exhausted from the mire of society before you reappear and become his guiding light?"
"Otherwise what?" Li Xuewu patted her bottom and asked, "Can you tame this stubborn little donkey?"
"I don't have your skills."
Zhou Yamei sat down, took a slight breath, and said, "You've seen through people's hearts."
"It's just a bit cold."
She was completely open with Li Xuewu, even sharing her innermost thoughts.
Li Xuewu bluntly stated, "People are different. You saw her behavior when we met last night; she was clearly coming with emotions."
"No matter how much I say or how much I try to persuade her, she won't listen. She's already convinced that it's because I didn't keep an eye on her son that things have turned out this way."
He reached out to support Zhou Yamei and said, "She just didn't dare to throw a tantrum at me, so she vented her frustrations through a few jokes."
"And then, what did you say to her in the study?" Zhou Yamei asked haltingly, holding his arm. "She was even more confused than when she went in."
“She thinks her son goes to university here,” Li Xuewu said sarcastically. “I was just stating some facts.”
"You're a real fishing expert."
Zhou Yamei looked at him and said in a tone of sympathy, "You haven't studied psychology, yet you can understand people's hearts and manipulate them at will."
Li Xuewu suddenly stopped wiping the car headlights, and twitched the corner of his mouth. Was he allowed to wipe them or not?
After confessing to his mother, Bang Geng walked out of the room feeling relieved. He had been worried all day, but he never expected that his mother would understand him and even encourage him.
In my excitement, I glanced into another guest room as I passed by, only to find it empty.
While he was thinking about his future ambitions, he actually dared to guess which room his Uncle Wu was staying in at this time.
-
The group handled the No. 4 furnace at the metallurgical plant very quickly and decisively.
Just one week after Deputy Factory Director Liu Yongnian was taken away, the Group's Organization Department sent a new member to the metallurgical plant's leadership team—the unlucky Zhou Zechuan.
"Secretary-General, Deputy Director Gu suggests that Comrade Zhou Zechuan be appointed as the deputy factory director in charge of production."
Sun Jianhua, deputy manager of the Organization Department, brought Gu Weijie's opinion, and Li Xuewu did not object.
To be honest, Sun Jianhua didn't want to come to Gangcheng, and he especially didn't want to face Secretary-General Li Xuewu at this time.
When they brought Zhou Zechuan to Gangcheng, the two barely spoke to each other and never saw each other smile.
If it were someone else, if it weren't Zhou Zechuan, who was transferred from a small department head position within the group to the position of deputy factory director in charge of production at a major factory, they would at least be given out celebratory candies, if not firecrackers.
Unfortunately, the person transferred out this time was none other than Zhou Zechuan, the Secretary-General's defeated foe.
Sun Jianhua is not a veteran of Hongxing Factory. Last year, when the group reorganized its organizational work, Director Li transferred him from the department and placed him in an important position in the Organization Department.
Although he wasn't a long-time employee of the Red Star Factory, he knew Zhou Zechuan quite well because they used to work in the ministry and were colleagues.
Why do we consider them colleagues?
The First Ministry of Machine Building had a large organizational structure and many staff members. There were many people at their level who had met but never spoken to each other within the ministry.
I first learned about Zhou Zechuan from the rumors of that battle of wits last year; he's just an unlucky guy.
Deputy Director Su failed to deliver on any of his promises. He was a fence-sitter and ended up pleasing neither side.
He was placed in the supervisory department because of orders from above, but Director Li couldn't tolerate him for long, so he seized the opportunity to fire him.
Of all the places to go, he had to be assigned to a metallurgical plant. Even Zhou Zechuan himself probably never imagined that he would end up like this.
The massive hole in the No. 4 furnace at the metallurgical plant has just been addressed; it's unknown how many more people will need to be thrown in.
Sending him here at this time makes Old Li's intentions all too clear: he can't wait for him to die.
Sun Jianhua did not stay in the office for long. After reporting the group leaders' opinions to Li Xuewu and answering a few questions from the secretary-general, he left on his own initiative.
He left very decisively, not even wanting to have dinner in the steel city, saying he still had work to do in Beijing.
This undisguised avoidance further confirms that Zhou Zechuan's "background is illegitimate".
The way the metallurgical plant's staff looked at him was tinged with curiosity, but more than anything, it was meaningful.
How long can this deputy factory director in charge of production hold out?
Zhou Zechuan didn't know how long he could hold on. Sitting in his ex-husband's office, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, his brow furrowed with worry.
"Deputy Factory Director Zhou, this is Sun Jia from the office."
Sun Jia stood at the office door, knocked on the door, and greeted them politely.
Zhou Zechuan turned to look at him, nodded, smiled, stood up, and said, "Hello, you used to be the secretary in the factory office, right?"
He took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands with the other person, saying amicably, "I've heard of you."
"You're too kind." Sun Jia took his hands with both of them and said, "You're making me feel pressured."
"I was under a lot of pressure when I first arrived here."
Zhou Zechuan certainly couldn't show his distress in front of the people below, so he forced a smile and said this.
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the young man who had followed Sun Jia into the house.
"Deputy Factory Director Zhou, this is Comrade Ma Baosen."
When Sun Jia saw him looking over, she took the initiative to introduce him: "He used to work in the factory office, and later he was transferred to the Liaodong Industrial Leading Group Office."
"The Secretary-General hopes that you can get a feel for the job as soon as possible, so he has arranged for Comrade Ma Baosen to serve you."
"Oh, is that so?"
Even if Zhou Zechuan was unwilling, he had to smile and extend his hand to Ma Baosen.
"I have just arrived in Gangcheng, and the Secretary-General's expectations are so urgent. I hope Comrade Baosen can help me as much as possible."
"Deputy Factory Director Zhou, you're too kind."
Ma Baosen had also trained himself; he took the initiative to step forward and accepted the leader's hand with both hands, saying politely, "You can just call me Xiao Ma. It's a pleasure to serve you."
"I'm glad you're satisfied with Xiao Ma," Sun Jia said with a smile. "I was thinking that if you have any other requirements, I can help you find someone else."
"No need, Xiao Ma is fine."
Zhou Zechuan felt disgusted inside, but he still smiled and said, "I don't have any requirements for the people I hire."
How could he feel comfortable?
Even the heads of major departments within the group do not have full-time secretaries, unless they are group leaders.
Not to mention him, the head of a small department; he only gets this kind of treatment when he works in a factory.
Even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen a pig run?
When selecting a secretary, the office director usually provides the candidates to the new leader for consideration.
If a leader wants to bring his own secretary, he will tell the office director, who will usually help with the personnel transfer procedures, making it legitimate.
If the leader doesn't intend to bring a secretary, they will usually select someone from the pool of candidates for a trial period, and replace them if they are not satisfied.
Now things are really messed up. Sun Jia didn't give him any choice at all. She brought him here directly and even used the label of "recommended by the secretary-general." Did he have a choice?
That's why everyone says office managers are all useless. He said such nice things, and even after agreeing to everything, he still said he'd replace them if they weren't satisfied. What a load of rubbish!
It's not hard to tell from Sun Jia's words that Ma Baosen is a local. He looks young, but he was able to get into the Liaodong Industrial Leading Group Office, the legendary Liaodong Industrial Military Affairs Department. This kid can't be simple.
To say that having people around him is a minor matter, could there be some other purpose behind it?
"That's good, Comrade Baosen."
Sun Jia agreed with Zhou Zechuan's words, then turned to Ma Baosen and instructed him, "From now on, you will serve Deputy Factory Director Zhou. I hope you will strictly abide by discipline, be diligent and loyal in your work, and let me know if you need anything."
After giving his instructions, he looked at Zhou Zechuan and reported softly, "The Secretary-General is going to the No. 4 furnace workshop at one o'clock this afternoon. He would like you to accompany him."
"Well, okay, I see."
Hearing this, Zhou Zechuan could only nod in agreement, then turned to Ma Baosen and instructed, "Prepare some detailed information about the No. 4 furnace workshop for me. I'll look at it now."
"Alright, then I won't bother you any longer."
Sun Jia smiled and nodded, patted Ma Baosen's arm, and then went out.
Ma Baosen glanced at Deputy Factory Director Zhou, his unease still lingering and growing stronger.
At this moment, he really wanted to find his master and ask him what he should do.
There were no special arrangements, no one had told him any requirements, he was suddenly called out by Director Sun and then came here.
He's still completely bewildered, utterly unprepared to become the deputy factory director's secretary.
However, this Deputy Factory Director Zhou seems a bit difficult to get along with.
-
"Oh—isn't this Secretary Ma?"
The news spread really fast. Ma Baosen had only been in office for less than ten minutes when Wang Min was already teasing him.
"Secretary Ma, your journey is boundless and your future is bright. Congratulations! If you achieve great success in the future, please don't forget us."
Wang Min, with his smooth talk, smiled and said to Ma Baosen, "Don't say we comrades aren't close. I'd like to remind you to be careful. This Deputy Factory Director Zhou is no ordinary person; he's from above."
"Above? Which above?"
Ma Baosen was just about to ask his master, and seeing Wang Min about to show off, he asked the question himself.
Wang Min leaned closer to him, tapped his arm with his finger, and whispered, "He was originally from the Inspection Group of the First Ministry of Machine Building. After joining the group, he has been working in the Inspection Department."
"Now he's been transferred to the metallurgical plant as the deputy director in charge of production. His future is bright."
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't be ungrateful, kid. You'll have plenty of opportunities to improve in the future."
I don't believe a single word you say.
Ma Baosen was clever. He looked at Wang Min and said, "If he were truly destined for great things, why would he come to the metallurgical plant at this time, and even be in charge of production?"
"You idiot—"
Wang Min glared at him and said, "Do you know what it means to turn the tide and save a collapsing building?"
"Only in times of crisis do opportunities for rapid advancement arise; do you expect to sit in your office and wait for a windfall?"
He patted Ma Baosen on the shoulder and said, "Comrade Ma, the time has come for the organization to test you. The responsibility on your shoulders is not small."
"Stop teasing him—"
Li Muqin said with a smile, "If we keep talking, he'll get dizzy and won't know how to work."
"I'm giving him some pointers."
Wang Min turned to look at him and emphasized, "It's only because he's Xiao Ma that we have a relationship. I really don't like to talk about this with ordinary people. We don't want anything from Xiao Ma, right?"
"If only it were like you said."
Ma Baosen packed his things, looking somewhat dejected, and said, "I don't think that's the case."
"Look? What did you see?"
Wang Min sensed something amiss and turned to look at him, asking, "Did the new Deputy Factory Director Zhou say something to you? Or did you see something?"
“I didn’t see anything, I didn’t hear anything—” Ma Baosen looked up and glanced at him, then began to tidy up seriously, not daring to say anything more.
This office is full of geniuses, and he's the only idiot. He risks leaking secrets if he says even one extra word.
"Baosen, come here."
At this moment, Master Zhang Enyuan appeared at the door and waved to him.
Ma Baosen's face instantly lit up with a smile, and he ran towards his master like a bird returning to its nest.
“Look, in his heart only Director Zhang is a good person, and we are bad brothers.”
Wang Min chuckled and said to Li Muqin, "Guess what Director Zhang wants to tell his little apprentice?"
"Anyway, it's not about teaching him to be bad."
Li Muqin tossed him a document and said, "Go to the site with the leaders this afternoon, so you can experience Deputy Factory Director Zhou's demeanor up close."
"What charm or charisma do you have to appreciate about him?"
Wang Min curled his lip and said, "I knew what kind of person he was when we were in the company."
As he said this, he still opened the document in his hand, but he was still muttering to himself with a disdainful expression.
P.S.: Guess who's behind the No. 4 furnace incident?