Chapter 17 Liu Tieshu
Hu Jiao's organizational relationship had been established long before he arrived in Tong County. He is now one of the vast number of cadres in Tong County, a member of the Tong County Party Committee, and the Party Secretary and acting head of Tieshu Township.
The new Tong County Party Secretary is Tie Xiangqian, 40 years old, the full-time secretary of the former Municipal Party Secretary Li Mingyong, deputy director of the Municipal Party Committee Office, and deputy secretary of the Fenghuang District Party Committee. Before Li Mingyong was transferred this time, he was specially transferred to Tong County as the secretary.
One is to be promoted to a full director due to the friendship he showed to Li Mingyong during his work; the other is to protect Hu Jiao, which is more obscure.
Tie Xiangqian was the first law student at Phoenix Teachers College. After joining the work, he went to Nanzhao University to study for his undergraduate degree. After graduation, he has been working in the Legal Affairs Office of the National People's Congress. He writes beautiful running script.
Before Li Mingyong was transferred to Phoenix, he read several articles by Tie Xiangqian in provincial newspapers and internal propaganda materials of the provincial party committee, and had a good impression of him.
Therefore, as soon as he arrived at Phoenix, he appointed Tie Xiangqian as his full-time secretary. The two had a harmonious relationship and got along well with each other. In the cadre circle of Phoenix, Tie Xiangqian was known as Tie Da Mi. Apart from the secretary-general of the municipal party committee and Hu Jianguo, he was the third secretary's staunch supporter.
After Li Mingyong was transferred, Mayor Zheng Dezhuo should have taken over. However, for some unknown reason, the provincial party committee transferred Zheng Dezhuo to be the director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission. According to previous news, this position was to be taken over by the mayor of Hongjiang. Unexpectedly, the two mayors switched positions.
Hu Jianguo was appointed as the deputy secretary of the Hongjiang Municipal Party Committee and acting mayor, which was considered a real promotion. The former Hongjiang mayor Tian Fumin was transferred to the position of secretary of the Fenghuang Municipal Party Committee, and the former Fenghuang mayor Zheng Dezhu was transferred to the position of director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission.
Hu Jiao came from Hongjiang. Judging from personal interactions, he should have been accompanied by Hu Jianguo to visit the new secretary Tian Fumin first. After all, Hu Jianguo had just taken over from him and the relationship was not yet cold, and the adjustments made by both parties were within the scope of acquaintances.
However, Tong County is located at the junction of Hongjiang and Fenghuang. If we rush to Fenghuang specially, it will inevitably give people a chance to criticize us. Moreover, the Provincial Party Committee held a work conference for 1995 in advance and required that the chief secretaries, mayors, secretaries of party and mass organizations, and organization ministers of all cities must participate.
The Hongjiang Municipal Government's car drove straight into the Tong County Party Committee compound. The driver, Lao Chen, helped Hu Jiao move his things into the message room, rejected Hu Jiao's warm invitation to stay, and hurried back to Hongjiang.
There is a big banyan tree in front of the entrance of the county party committee building, which is surrounded by more than a dozen people. Its branches and leaves spread out like a giant parasol, and the county party committee building is hidden in the shade of the tree.
There were two young men flipping through newspapers in the message room. They watched Hu Jiao and the driver busying themselves, and then saw the car with a Hongjiang license plate drive away, but no one came forward to help.
Hu Jiao didn't bring much stuff himself, but mainly brought Li Juan and teacher Li Aiju. One loved her husband dearly, the other loved her son dearly, and they insisted on stuffing the back of the cart until there was no space left.
When Hu Jiao got off the car, he tried his best to stuff two boxes of luncheon meat into Lao Chen's pockets. But looking at the "small mountain" of food under the window of the message room, Hu Jiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Apart from a black suitcase filled with clothes and a small cardboard box of books, the rest were all canned food, about ten items in total.
Tong County is relatively cold in winter. It is located right between the Fenghuang Plateau and the Hongjiang Hills. The altitude rises sharply, the mountains are steep, and there are many canyons.
There is a saying that "the weather is different every ten miles", which means that it may be sunny ten miles away, but it may rain here.
Dangkou Town, the county seat of Tong County, gets its name from the meaning of "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand men cannot break through."
The county seat is built on a flat land halfway up a mountain, with a canyon hundreds of meters deep in front and a cliff behind. The two mountain ranges on the left and right are like two big knives stabbing at you, crisscrossing up and down, one leading to Hongjiang and the other to Fenghuang.
If you look down from the air, Dangkou Town is not big, but it has majestic terrain, domineering mountains, and a faint sense of eerieness. Dangerous, steep, steep, and strange, these four words can summarize the county seat of Tongxian.
After liberation, the government mobilized tens of thousands of workers and peasants to carry things on their shoulders and backs and built two highway bridges between the two overhanging mountains, putting an end to the era of people carrying things on horseback in Dangkou Town.
It also runs through the two major cities and became the lifeline of Tong County's economic development for decades after liberation.
This was Hu Jiao’s first time in Tong County. He had only seen the county on maps and in photos before, but this time he was there in person and the feeling was completely different, especially the Hongqi Bridge leading to the Red River. It was an 80-meter stone arch spanning between two cliffs. It was hard to imagine how it was built.
Hu Jiao learned from relevant literature that forty-seven people died when two stone arch highway bridges were built in Tong County, so the bridge leading to Hongjiang was named "Hongqi" and the bridge leading to Fenghuang was named "Martyrs".
Two more people came out of the message room. One of them was a fifty-year-old man wearing a worker's hat and a pair of reading glasses tied with a piece of black wool. He lowered his head, turned his eyes up from under the lenses, and looked at Hu Jiao.
Another red-faced man wearing a jacket and with slightly curly hair, reeking of alcohol and with bloodshot eyes, pointed at Hu Jiao and said, "Young man, where are you from?"
Hu Jiao smiled secretly in his heart. He knew this man. He was the deputy director of the Tong County Party Committee Office. He used to be a driver for the Tong County Party Committee Secretary. He was a retired cadre and a relative of his. His name was Hu Dawei.
"Director Hu, don't you recognize me?"
Hu Dawei narrowed his eyes. The scene was silent for a few seconds. Hu Dawei slapped his forehead, "Hu Jiao! Brother! You, you are finally here!"
He turned around and yelled at the two young men who were watching the fun, "Look at you, you old bitch! This is the new secretary of Tieshu Township and member of the county committee, Hu Jiao! You have no sense! Why don't you help move the things in? Damn it, you toad, move a little bit."
He turned around again, faced Hu Jiao, grabbed Hu Jiao's hand and shook it vigorously, "Brother, brother, I heard that you were coming a long time ago. I haven't seen you for a long time. I heard that Minister Hu was transferred to Hongjiang to be the mayor?"
Hu Jiao nodded. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes almost made him vomit. He forced himself to hold it back, slightly turned his body, and put his arm around Hu Dawei's arm. "I'm here now. If I want to hang out with you, I have to rely on you. Give me more criticism and guidance!"
Hu Dawei raised his neck and looked at Hu Jiao in a fake angry way, "Are you trying to hit me? I'm a well-known rough guy in Tong County. I have no future and my life is just to serve the leaders. I won't talk about other things. Let's just talk about the living problem. Ah, this living problem, brother, from now on, your living problems in Tong County will be left to me! No questions asked! I will make sure that the task is completed."
Hu Jiao nodded hurriedly, saying yes, and was about to rush over to help move the things, while still saying politely, "Sorry to bother you two, I'll do it..."
Hu Dawei grabbed him and said, "Let them do it! These bastards never do their jobs. Don't bother with them. Go to the secretary."
Seeing the situation, Hu Jiao had to nod his head as it would have a bad impact if he didn't listen to him or make a fuss in front of the county party committee gate. However, he wanted to meet Wu Hao first.
"Is the county governor at home?"
Hu Dawei was actually drunk but his mind was clear. After hearing what Hu Jiao said, he blinked and nodded, pointing to the office building, "In! The innermost room on the third floor. The secretary is on the fourth floor, in the opposite direction, in the inner room over here. Um... brother, go and get busy first, then I'll take you to meet the other leaders. You're lucky, the leaders are all at home, all at home. Everything is good at home, but it's hard to go out every day. If you have anything, come to me. I won't go up with you."
He pointed at the things again, pulled Hu Jiao, and reminded him: "Remember these things, brother is here to help you guard them!"
Hu Jiao smiled and nodded without being polite, fearing that Hu Dawei would continue to pester him.
Hu Jiao waved goodbye to Hu Dawei and shook his head. He should find a place to stay first, wash off the dust, and tidy up his appearance so as not to let the county leaders think that he was deliberately neglecting them.
But I was unfamiliar with the place, and after finally meeting Hu Dawei, I got drunk again.
I went to the third floor and followed Hu Dawei's instructions to go straight into the inner room. As I walked, I saw that the office building was still an inverted "concave" shape. The third floor was at the very edge, and had actually turned to the back of the side of the building.
Seeing the words "County Magistrate's Office", Hu Jiao couldn't help but stop. Just then, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Hu Jiao turned around and saw a middle-aged woman who was holding documents and walking quickly. She looked so hurried that she must have encountered something urgent.
Hu Jiao made way for the woman, who rushed over and then hurriedly stopped. "Are you looking for the county magistrate?"
Hu Jiao nodded, "I am the new secretary of Tieshu Township, Hu Jiao."
"Hello, Secretary Hu. I'm Liu Jie from the government office. I'm currently serving as the county magistrate's secretary. I heard that you were coming. The county magistrate is currently discussing something with someone. It will take about ten minutes. So, please follow me."
Liu Jie?
What a coincidence. When Hu Jiao heard the name, he was obviously stunned for a moment and smiled bitterly. Wu Hao really has no taboos.
Generally, secretaries of top officials such as the secretary or county magistrate usually hold the title of deputy director of the office.
Liu Jie is not pretty. She is thin and bony, with sparse white pockmarks on her face. She wears no makeup, but looks strong and aggressive.
Like-minded leaders use like-minded people. From Wu Hao's choice of secretary, it is not difficult to find that he came to Tong County with the intention of making progress.
Following Liu Jie to the small office next to the county magistrate's office, it was obviously Liu Jie's private office. There was a desk, four programmable telephones on the desk, several large stacks of documents, a pen holder, ink pad, manuscripts, and other office supplies. Although there were many things, it looked tidy.
In front of the desk is a circle of leather chairs, a bamboo coffee table, eight crystal white tea cups, a thermos and a tea canister.
Liu Jie smiled warmly and opened the small office cubicle, "Did you just get off the car?"
Without waiting for Hu Jiao to reply, he immediately said, "Wash your face here first. I'll make you some tea. I'll report to the county magistrate later. Okay?"
Hu Jiao thought about it, nodded, and said softly: "You are busy."
There was a small square mirror, a basin of water, and her own towels and toiletries were in the suitcase. Liu Jie handed over a towel from outside the door, "Here, I got this from the logistics department yesterday. Use it first. Come, add some hot water."
Hu Jiao took the towel in one hand and the kettle in the other. Seeing the fragrance emanating from the teacup on the table, he couldn't help but be amazed.
This guy is so skillful!
Liu Jie has already gone out.
After washing my face, I used the comb on the rack, dipped it in some face wash water, combed my hair in front of the mirror, and then tidied my clothes. When I was about to go out, I thought about it and put the comb back in my pocket.
Liu Jie happened to lean over and couldn't help laughing when she saw this. "Secretary Hu, don't be embarrassed. I won't despise you. And don't even think about buying me a comb. In the ethnic minority areas of Tong County, a man giving a woman a comb is a way of expressing love. I can't afford such a handsome guy like you."
Hu Jiao opened his mouth and wanted to take out the comb, but he felt that it was impolite to take it out without permission. If he didn't take it out, he would be caught...
Are all people named Liu Jie so difficult to deal with?
Just when Hu Jiao was about to blush, Liu Jie burst into laughter, "Okay, I'm not kidding you. I heard you're not married yet. Don't take it personally. I'm giving you the comb. This is our first meeting. Just consider it a gift from my elder sister. Welcome to Tong County!"
Holding Liu Jie's bony hand, Hu Jiao exerted a little force and let go. Liu Jie pointed to the county magistrate's office and said, "County Magistrate Wu is waiting for you."
"Thanks!"
After walking out of the door, Hu Jiao turned back and said, "Nice to meet you, Sister Liu."
Pushing the door open, Wu Hao glanced at Hu Jiao and pointed at the chair in front of the desk, "Sit down."
He continued to read the document in his hand with his head down, and occasionally wrote and drew on the document with the pen in his hand.
Hu Jiao sat quietly, motionless, eyelids drooping, body relaxed. He knew this was Wu Hao's way of showing off his power.
I don't know when it started, but party and government officials also learned the feudal bureaucratic clichés, and they like to show off their power and use their power to oppress others, with department-level officials oppressing division-level officials, and division-level officials oppressing section-level officials. On the contrary, most officials above the deputy ministerial level are simple and honest, and they are intimidating without being angry. Some high-ranking officials seem easy-going and friendly, but they can actually put more pressure on people than those who put on airs.
More than ten minutes passed and one could hear a pin drop in the office. Hu Jiao was quietly thinking about Tieshu's situation. He was basically in the dark and didn't understand anything.
Wu Hao finally put down his pen, raised his head, looked at Hu Jiao with a gentle expression, and joked, "See, there are too many things to do. I used to listen to the complaints of my colleagues at the provincial level, but I didn't take them seriously. Now that it has fallen on my head, I realize how serious it is. Have you just arrived?"
Hu Jiao nodded. "That's how it is at the grassroots level. Although small, it has everything. However, this is not a problem for the county magistrate."
Wu Hao shook his head, feeling a little surprised. From what he heard from his wife Liu Jie, Hu Jiao was a typical scholar, stubborn and stubborn.
In other words, it can stretch but not bend.
Unexpectedly, as soon as we met, I started to flatter him in an invisible way, and it was quite powerful.
"You haven't met Secretary Tie yet?"
Hu Jiao smiled and said, "No, I just came to sit with you first, listen to the county magistrate's instructions, and also to convey a message of thanks."
Wu Hao also laughed, "It's not like I have any instructions. I just got here and I'm not familiar with the situation. You said He Miao? It's okay. We are all family. When will you talk to Juan Juan?"
Hu Jiao touched his forehead and said, "It's still early. It's just the beginning."
Wu Hao looked at his watch. "Anyway, it's like this, so the sooner we get it done, the better. So, go to the secretary first and ask him. We'll have dinner together tonight, and he'll introduce you to other leaders."
Hu Jiao stood up and nodded in agreement.
When passing by Liu Jie's office, he grinned inside, pointed upstairs, and left silently.
Tie Xiangqian stood at the corridor on the fourth floor, looking at the big banyan tree outside the window, with a cigarette in his hand and wisps of green mist drifting away.
Hu Jiao walked over and Tie Xiangqian turned his head. Neither of them spoke. Tie Xiangqian reached out and patted Hu Jiao's waist. He was shorter and Hu Jiao was too tall, so it was a disadvantage for him to pat his shoulder.
Walking into the office, Hu Jiao took a quick look. Tie Xiangqian was about to get some tea leaves, so Hu Jiao rushed over and said, "Uncle Tie, let me do it."
"What did Wu Hao say?"
Hu Jiao answered while making tea, "The county magistrate asked you to gather all the leaders at home for dinner tonight."
Tie Xiangqian smiled and said, "He is good at doing favors. Jiaojiao, you should be mentally prepared."
"Alas... I am completely in the dark right now. Before coming here, my father asked me to consult you and follow your instructions."
Tie Xiangqian took the cup from Hu Jiao, covered it with both hands, blew away the tea leaves with his lips, and raised his head, "It's difficult. Several of their old leaders have left. I heard that the new Secretary Tian doesn't like to talk and has a rather calm personality."
Hu Jiao had also heard this from his future father-in-law Li Mingyong in the provincial government. This man had been the mayor of Hongjiang for three years. He had driven out two secretaries and overthrown seven deputy director-level cadres. People thought he should be the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission.
"That's not necessarily true. Now, from the central government to the local governments, we must focus on economic development, improve people's lives, and increase industrial and agricultural productivity. Now that he is the top leader, he can't always focus on those details. Besides, Phoenix's economic output ranks second in the province. If the results are not good, he will not be able to report to the provincial government."
Hu Jiao sat on the fabric sofa at the side and looked around the secretary's office as he spoke. The overall impression was simple and plain. Except for the office desks and chairs which were dark mahogany, everything else was light-colored, mainly white.
"Let time tell. I'm just worried about you now. Secretary Li and I have been to the Iron Tree three times before. This time I came down to carry the load and stayed there for two days. I have to be responsible for your father and your future father."
Tie Xiangqian burst into laughter after saying this.
He was teasing the young couple Hu Jiao and Li Juan.
Hu Jiao pretended to smile bitterly, "Uncle Tie, you won't forgive me. I wanted to give you a surprise, but it seems like everyone already knows about it."
Tie Xiangqian pointed downstairs with a smile, "I have the provincial channel of County Magistrate Wu. He basically tells me about provincial affairs. Of course, he is selective. Jiaojiao, I won't follow the routine when it comes to work."
When Hu Jiao heard Tie Xiangqian mention work, he immediately sat up straight. Tie Xiangqian slightly praised him in his heart, thinking that Jiaojiao was much more mature than before.
"I ask you to spend at least three months to thoroughly understand the basic situation of Tieshu Township, and then consider how to develop it. To be honest, if there is any way, I will unconditionally support your work."
Of course Hu Jiao understood what he meant. If there was a way, Tie Shu would not have fallen to his current state, and it would not be his turn to create any miracle.
The township's fiscal revenue barely reached one million.
If there had not been civil relief, various subsidies from the national treasury, and rescue and assistance from various organizations, more than half of the people of Tieshu would have starved to death long ago.
The beggar guarding the gold mountain, the beggar holding the jade bowl.
Although the road was open, the road condition was extremely poor, with potholes and extremely narrow. In order to build the road during the Cultural Revolution, the county revolutionary committee mobilized the old Red Army to participate in the construction in the name of quickly transporting food, but they had to fight with others for the road foundation by centimeters.
Why?
This road was dug out from the forest. How many trees had to be cut down for a 49-kilometer road?
If the Great Leap Forward had not killed dozens of villagers, this road would probably still be hanging.
So although the road is open, the road conditions are too bad. If you are unlucky enough to encounter an oncoming car on the way, you will have to move back several kilometers just to let the car go, and it all depends on luck!
Tie Xiangqian stared at Hu Jiao who was silent. "Of course, difficulties are objective. Don't be discouraged. We have come this far after all these years. It is a good thing to be able to develop. But if we can't develop, what should we do? I will continue to be your nephew."
Hu Jiao said, "Okay. Uncle Tie has said so. It would be inappropriate for me to be timid. No matter what, I will go down and do my best. Just like you said, as long as there is a possibility of development, I will do my best."
The two chatted casually, mainly listening to Hu Jiao's introduction of Li Mingyong and Hu Jianguo's positions, and by the way, they were concerned about the personal problems of the young people, talked about family matters, and occasionally talked about the work of Tong County. Tie Xiang had been here for more than a month and had visited several places in Tong County, but there had been no major movements. The team members were not complete, and if they started early, it would give people a chance to criticize them. They were still in the stage of exploratory work.
Hu Jiao specifically mentioned the county magistrate's secretary who had the same name as Wu Hao's wife Liu Jie. Unexpectedly, Tie Xiangqian was also impressed by this middle-aged woman, and his tone revealed great appreciation.
Of course, I also made a joke about the name "Liu Jie".
Unexpectedly, that night, Liu Jie learned that she had the same name as the county magistrate. In front of all the leaders, she generously changed her name and gave three reasons. First, she did not want to be associated with the county magistrate, which made several deputy secretaries and deputy county magistrates laugh.
Second, as a Tieshu native, I will never forget the kindness of my hometown in raising me. I hope that under the leadership of the new brother Hu Jiao, Tieshu Township will get rid of poverty as soon as possible;
Thirdly, there is no false reputation under a great name. The wife of the county magistrate is a well-known discipline inspection cadre. In order not to tarnish the name, she changed her name!
Liu Tieshu.
Wu Hao applauded on the spot, "Liu Tieshu" and "iron tree blooming" have two meanings. One is that Tieshu Township in Tong County has been vigorously developing under the leadership of Hu Jiao.
Erzhi himself is like an iron tree, evergreen, undefeated and persevering.
The police chief immediately made a statement and instructed the police station where Liu Jie was registered to change Liu Jie's name to Liu Tieshu.
Hu Jiao then understood why Liu Jie changed her name to Liu Tieshu. This was a good thing. He secretly planned to build a good relationship with Liu Tieshu so that if there was any disturbance in the county government in the future, he could be prepared in advance.
After the name change, the scene was very lively. Under the guidance of Tie Xiangqian, Hu Jiao met and got to know the main leading cadres of Tong County and some heads of county-level agencies.
The next day, Hu Jiao politely declined the kindness of Tie Xiangqian and Wu Hao and declined the recommendation. At Tie Xiangqian's insistence, he was accompanied by Li Changsheng, the deputy secretary in charge of cadres and the masses, to Tieshu Township to take up his post.
