Chapter 23: Golden Phoenix and Jade Dew
When Hu Jiao arrived at the county party committee, it was almost six o'clock in the afternoon.
Led by Li Changsheng's secretary You Lin, Hu Jiao entered the office.
The deputy secretary of the county party committee, who had been chatting for almost the entire day, was in a good mood, which could be seen from the way he greeted Hu Jiao and the firmness of his handshake.
When Hu Jiao saw Gui Lan, he was amazed and shocked.
Guilan's beauty is quiet, solitary, and she stands there quietly, as if all the sunlight is shining on her. Her big eyes are filled with a sense of affection, and she is speechless.
Her skin was as white as snow, her long black hair draped behind her back, and she smiled reservedly.
She looked at Hu Jiao and was not disgusted by his dusty appearance. Instead, she felt that this talented and famous man was too thin.
Like a bamboo pole supporting a loose and slightly wrinkled suit.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then Hu Jiao turned to the young woman with bright eyes and white teeth, stretched out his hand, and held her delicate hand. "I'm Hu Jiao, and you're the head of Gui Township, right?"
"Acting village chief, I hope Secretary Hu will give me more guidance in the future." A blush appeared on Guilan's cheeks.
Li Changsheng looked at Hu Jiao. Tie Shu had a hard time. "Jiao Jiao has suffered."
Hu Jiao shook his head and at Li Changsheng's signal, sat down next to Guilan. When he bent down, he looked at Guilan with an apologetic and helpless smile on his face.
Although he didn't say anything, Guilan understood that Hu Jiao was apologizing for the dust on his body and for being rude to the beautiful woman.
Guilan waved her hand imperceptibly, took the initiative to pour water, and moved it in front of Hu Jiao.
"It's not hard. The material conditions in Tieshu are there. During this period of time, I have almost figured out the current situation. To be honest, I don't know how to develop Tieshu agriculture and solve the problem of food and clothing. I hope Secretary Li and other leaders can give me more advice! Of course, I personally welcome the fact that Mayor Gui was sent to Tieshu this time!" Hu Jiao looked at Gui Lan, with a deep smile in his crescent-shaped eyes, "Formally welcome you to become a member of Tieshu!"
They shook hands again, this time both sides deliberately increased the strength.
Li Changsheng was very satisfied. He had previously suspected that Hu Jiao would be petty, but he did not expect him to be so magnanimous. It seemed that many rumors were untrue.
"Good! Jiaojiao, you now have the demeanor of a general. Our county party committee team has considered many things before sending Comrade Guilan to Tieshu. You hold two posts at the same time, managing both the party and government affairs, and acting as both a father and a mother. If Tieshu is able to make ends meet, the county party committee will not go back on its word. To be honest, Secretary Tie and County Magistrate Wu are still racking their brains over how to explain if someone asks about it. Now you can understand and support the county party committee's decision. This is a sign of maturity." Li Changsheng spoke slowly, with a lot of emphasis on each word.
While the other party was speaking, Hu Jiao placed his hands on his knees, sat upright, and stared at Li Changsheng, looking away at the right time, "Secretary, you are too kind. I am a party member first, and a cadre second. I obey the organization's arrangements and the overall development. This is the most basic. Moreover, I feel that my ability and energy are a little insufficient, and I wish someone could share the burden with me."
Hu Jiao's attitude was clear, so Li Changsheng turned to Guilan, "Guilan, what do you think?"
Guilan put away her smile, her face frosted, "I will obey the organization's arrangements, fully cooperate with Secretary Hu's work, and strive to solve the problem of food and clothing in Tieshu Township as soon as possible."
"Good! Women are as good as men, that's what they need to do! Okay, on behalf of the organization, I'm done talking to you two. Haha, now, I'm very optimistic about you two as a pair! At least, from a visual point of view... when the golden phoenix and jade dew meet, it's better than countless things in the world!" The last line of Li Changsheng's poem seemed out of place.
Guilan felt a little embarrassed, but Li Changsheng was her leader, and she couldn't get angry at him for a slip of the tongue, right?
Hu Jiao was extremely terrified and tried to defend himself: "The secretary was joking, just joking. I'm not married yet, so this is understandable. Mayor Gui is a military family member."
Li Changsheng laughed in silence, and looked at Hu Jiao with a look of particular satisfaction. It was a tentative word, a reminder, but he didn't expect that Hu Jiao could understand the meaning of the song.
He was not deceived by Hu Jiao's appearance. A kid like Hu Jiao, who grew up in a cadre family, might have seen a pig run even if he had never eaten pork.
"This doesn't just refer to love, the point is that it is better than countless people in the world! Just enough food and clothing, I believe that with the sincere cooperation of the two of you, you will definitely be able to complete the task successfully!"
You Lin knocked on the door twice, and walked in respectfully as Li Changsheng said "Come in" cheerfully, "Secretary, it's seven o'clock, and the county recruitment office is asking about it. Should we go over to eat first?"
Li Changsheng patted his forehead and pointed at Hu Jiao who was covered in dust. "It's my fault! I was so happy talking that I forgot to give Jiao Jiao a shower. Let's go, let's go now. Xiao You, notify them to start the feast right away."
The next day, the Organization Department officially issued a document announcing that Comrade Gui Lan, deputy director of the Civil Affairs Bureau, was transferred to Tieshu as acting township head.
In the afternoon, since Bai Shuyong, who had arrived overnight, accompanied Tielan to take up her post, Jiaojiao temporarily bid farewell to them and went to the provincial capital.
No matter what, get the plan first, and use it or not depends on the situation.
It was already ten o'clock in the evening when they arrived at the provincial capital. Hu Jiao took Liu Sheng to find the Phoenix Office in Nanhu, had dinner, and checked into a hotel.
It was already eleven o'clock at night when Li Juan received the call. They could only exchange a few sweet words over the phone before going to bed and not mentioning the other person anymore.
Guilan also arrived at Tieshu after ten o'clock at night.
She vomited as she walked. Although she was in charge of civil affairs and disaster relief before, she rarely went to Tieshu since she started working.
The Beauty Village was so dark that the sun and moon were dim. Qin Yi basically drove forward at a snail's pace in the first and second gears, and there were several oncoming cars passing along the way.
After arriving, Qin Yi couldn't help complaining that this was more tiring than driving a truck!
Bai Shuyong glared at him and hurriedly arranged for Guilan to stay. As for eating, looking at the half-dead appearance of the new village chief, he shook his head and sighed inwardly.
Guilan declined to go to the clinic for an IV drip and went into the dormitory, where she fell asleep.
At first, I cursed the road, God, and my husband in my heart...but later, I became numb.
Well, it was pretty much like my wedding night.
The next day, Hu Jiao had just gotten up and hadn't put on his clothes yet when Li Juan arrived.
Looking at the thin Hu Jiao, her eyes turned red and tears fell down. Hu Jiao held her face and gently wiped away her tears.
"Don't cry, I'm fine, right? Only those who endure the most hardships can become the best." He leaned close to Juanjuan's ear and whispered, "Do you miss me?"
"Yes!" He hugged Hu Jiao's slender waist tightly and squeezed hard. "At first, I used all my strength to think about it, but later I had no strength left, but I still wanted to think about it! If you don't come again, I will go to see you even if I vomit for another three days !"
Hu closed his eyes tightly and hugged the woman in his arms tightly, "Juan, I'm sorry for making you suffer."
"Compared to you, this little suffering is nothing. Yueya, come home with me. My mother asked you to go back for dinner."
Hu Jiao nodded, and the two of them made love twice in the room. Li Juan felt weak all over, and snuggled in her lover's arms, "You bastard, you've become even more bad-tempered now that you've become so skinny!"
Hu Jiao narrowed his eyes, revealing a bit of pride, "I actually wanted to be more gentle, but who was telling me to use more force just now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of fancy moves. The two of them were in love and inseparable. They dressed up and went out when it was almost noon.
Liu Sheng was arranged to have free time. The two walked on the bustling streets of Nanhu with happy smiles on their faces. In the spring, Nanhu is not only about blooming flowers and plants.
"Jiaojiao, shall we get married?"
Hu Jiao nodded. "My parents also told me that Aunt He can choose the date, any time is fine. And the provincial party committee just built a cadre community, and my dad got one, which is perfect for our new home."
"Really?" Li Juan was delighted. A new house? The bride and the groom, their own world.
The world is so wonderful, happiness comes too early, too early.
After receiving Hu Jiao's affirmative answer, Li Juan hugged his arms tightly in her bosom. In her excitement, her hands in her bosom seemed to bounce a few times unintentionally. Looking at Hu Jiao's serious and modest expression, she recalled the madness in the morning and pinched him fiercely...
"When are we going to look at the house?"
"In the afternoon. Well, my mom gave me 20,000 yuan for the renovation, and I have a few thousand yuan myself, but... I may not be able to help, so everything depends on you."
Li Juan raised her neck proudly and said, "Leave it to me!" She turned around and immediately started to chatter, enthusiastically discussing the decoration style with Hu Jiao, what kind of bed to use in the bedroom, what kind of paintings to put on the wall, whether the quilt should be pure cotton, what kind of pattern, the floor...
I listened to two hundred ducks frolicking all the way until I entered the house and the world finally became quiet.
He Banghui, wearing an apron, had just come out of the kitchen and saw a large table full of dishes in the dining room. The more the mother-in-law looked at her son-in-law, the more satisfied she became.
After only not seeing each other for three months, the mother-in-law suddenly saw that Hu Jiaoren was thinner than Huanghua, and she immediately started to complain to her daughter about backwardness and poverty .
I had planned to wait for Vice Governor Li to come home for dinner, but he ended up calling me to apologize.
During the meal, He Banghui hinted to Hu Jiao intentionally or unintentionally about their marriage.
Hu Jiao calmly repeated what he had said to Li Juan before. When he and Bang Hui were satisfied, he pointed a finger at their daughter's forehead and said, "You are the only one pretending to be like me! The house has been secured, but you are still hiding it from your mother. People say that girls are outgoing. I see that you have not even married yet, but you have already become a member of the Hu family."
Li Juan twisted her body delicately and just right, and her sweet "Mom..." made He Banghui smile.
"As for your wedding date, I think it should be in October. October is National Day, the golden autumn season, the harvest season of love. If you have more time, you can decorate the house carefully. If it is May Day, it will be too rushed, and the effect will not be good. Life is only once, Jiaojiao, Juanjuan..." When He Banghui said this, his eyes were red and tears filled his eyes.
Li Juan was infected by her mother, feeling angry and bitter, "Mom, aren't we all in Nanhu? Can I still grow wings and fly away?"
He Banghui took a few deep breaths to calm her sobs, "Yes, Juanjuan has grown up and grown wings. She will leave her mother sooner or later."
Without waiting for Li Juan to act coquettishly, she turned around and looked at Hu Jiao seriously, "I have watched you grow up. Auntie believes in your character. Auntie doesn't want to make any excessive demands. Juan Juan sometimes has a childish temper. Tolerate her and spoil her. Okay?"
Hu Jiao nodded solemnly, "I promise!"
Li Juan cried out "Wow" and fell into He Banghui's arms, sobbing, "Bad mother, why are you saying this? If he wants to bully me, I will go home and ignore him!"
He Banghui had tears in her eyes, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes showed a few traces of love, "This child, you are talking nonsense!" She patted Li Juan's shoulder and looked at Hu Jiao with an extremely kind look, "You have grown up, and we are old. When your child is born, I will be a grandmother... Time is the source of stories, but also the disaster that destroys stories."
The door opened and Li Mingyong appeared outside. Seeing the situation at home, he was stunned. "Hey, I said I would give you a surprise. Is it the second Cultural Revolution? Hu Jiao, tell me the truth. Did you bully my wife and my daughter? Hey, kid, I gave you a daughter to bully, but you have to sacrifice another one?"
As he walked into the room while talking, the mother and daughter had already separated and were wiping away their tears shyly. Hu Jiao didn't know how to respond to his father-in-law's teasing.
He Banghui sighed, "My children are getting married, shouldn't I be happy?"
"That's weird! Marriage is a happy event, why are you crying? If you can't bear to part with your daughter, then why don't you just drive this guy away? At most, we can just raise an old daughter in our family."
He Banghui burst into laughter. Since Li Mingyong was promoted to vice governor, he has become more cheerful. The couple feels like an old tree with spring coming back to life.
"Nonsense. By the way, Lao Li, how big is the new cadre residential area built by the Provincial Party Committee? Why haven't I heard you talk about it?" He Banghui was still concerned about his daughter's new house.
Li Mingyong looked at the table full of delicious food and sighed, "Such a big table, but you just look at it and don't eat it? As for the house, I don't want it. Anyway, we are used to living here, and Lao Hu has a set."
“How big is the area?”
"It's a two-story western-style building with a garden, and it seems to be less than 200 square meters."
He Banghui pursed his lips, "The provincial party committee is too petty, the two-story building is less than 200 square meters. How much is the share allocated to you?"
Li Mingyong frowned, "It seems to be more than 300. Why do they live in such a big house? For just the young couple, 200 square meters is enough! If the old Hu couple is transferred up in the future, it will barely feel like home. Hu Jiao can't go to the provincial capital in the next few years. Juanjuan is alone. Can she live here?"
He Banghui thought about it and agreed. The new house would probably only be used during the honeymoon period. When Hu Jiao moved away, she would not be able to feel at ease letting her daughter live alone.
"That's true. If Juanjuan lives alone, she can move back home as usual."
Li Mingyong chewed heavily and mumbled, "Don't worry too much, old woman. What did Jiaojiao come here for this time? Well, he looks so thin."
He Banghui interrupted and said, "Let's eat first, and then you two can chat slowly after that."
The family talked about dinner, and the mother and daughter started a new topic: how to decorate the house. Five hundred ducks started arguing from the kitchen to the living room.
Hu Jiao and his father-in-law could only hide in the study.
Li Mingyong took the tea from Hu Jiao and said, "Tell me about the situation."
Hu Jiao picked out the key points and briefly introduced the basic situation of Tieshu, the members of the township leadership team, and the newly appointed township head in the county in just three to five minutes.
"The problem of the iron tree is a long-standing one, with prominent contradictions and clear crux. There are historical reasons, as well as insufficient publicity and ideological work. You must proceed steadily and steadily."
Hu Jiao nodded. The following instructions made him shrink back the plan that was about to come out of his mouth.
Hu Jiao knew very well that Li Mingyong was at a different level and would never agree with the tunnel road plan. Even if he did not oppose it, he would not support it either.
But if you think about it more deeply, he and Li Juan have reached the stage of discussing marriage, if, what if! An accident happens during the road construction, causing a bad impact, this deputy governor father-in-law can pretend to be unaware of it, will others believe that he is unaware of it?
Who knows, someone might take the opportunity to attack him, saying that he was the one behind the plot.
After listening to Hu Jiao's tunnel plan, Li Mingyong had to admit that Hu Jiao's three months of confinement were not in vain, and he really got the idea!
Coming up with such a brilliant and bad idea is indeed the best solution for the current iron tree.
But benefits often come with risks!
If the matter is exposed, the consequences will be...
After some thought, Li Mingyong came up with a preliminary plan. "Let's do this. We don't need to falsify the plan for the revolutionary education base. We can directly submit it to the provincial party committee. As the hometown of General Chen Hu, and the deeds of more than 40 veteran revolutionary fighters, Tieshu can be regarded as a key base. So there is no need to play tricks on the road construction. We can publish the document and come up with the plan in an upright manner. This way we will have confidence and don't have to worry about anyone doing bad things."
Hu Jiao was delighted but also a little depressed. The plan he had worked on for several months, carefully and thoughtfully, was perfected by just a few words from his father-in-law.
This is the gap between the section chief level and the vice-ministerial level.
The same strategy, in the hands of different people, can become a conspiracy or an open plot.
Height, ah, height.
Li Mingyong seemed to see through Hu Jiao's thoughts. He reached out and patted his son-in-law on the shoulder affectionately. "Don't be discouraged. I also came up step by step this way. You are great! If it weren't for your plan, I wouldn't have been able to come up with a solution. Otherwise, I would have solved it as early as when I was in Fenghuang. Think about Tieshu. For those people who are struggling to make ends meet, I have to thank you!"
Hu Jiao hastily declined, "Uncle Li, don't say that. It took me two months to come up with this idea..."
"Okay, you're still being polite. Quickly perfect the plan in the next two days and send it directly to me. Go back and prepare the publicity work in advance. I will communicate with the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department and ask Phoenix to cooperate to create a big momentum to facilitate your subsequent construction."
