Chapter 3 Let's have a meeting
If we fast forward 15 years, to use Internet jargon to describe it, all the leading cadres of Wuhe Town who attended today's meeting were collectively "shocked"!
Has Taiwan returned to the motherland? Has Alaska been assigned to Xinhua? Has a new human being been discovered on Mars?
These were not enough to make the cadres of Wuhe Town collectively speechless, dumbfounded and stunned. Everyone's expression was exactly the same as when Ng Mang-tat greeted the spider spirit in A Chinese Odyssey: "Wife, come and see God..."
Time stands still, and the years are full of affection.
After a full half minute of anarchy, Mo Wu was the first to come to his senses. He was a little silly, and it was unclear who he was asking: "An 80-year-old woman giving birth to a baby? Or a young cow singing Peking Opera?"
Hu Jiao looked at Mo Wu with a half-smile on his face and said smugly: "Do you want me to slap you twice and let you travel back to Earth?"
Mo Wu stared at Hu Jiao and asked in a cold tone, "What did you just say? Maybe there's something wrong with my hearing. Can you repeat it?"
Hu Jiao's eyelids and mouth corners drooped at the same time, and his shoulders shrugged, looking like a nonchalant scoundrel. "I say, which bastard dares to raise his hand!"
After two years, Mo Wu finally slammed the table again, causing several teacup lids on the table to vibrate. "Comrade Hu Jiao! This is Wujiang Town's joint party and government meeting! This is not a vegetable market, let alone a dance hall! Please speak politely! Be aware of your identity!"
Hu Jiao spread his hands, with an expression that had nothing to do with me. "I know very well that this is a meeting. I say, who dares to raise his hand? It's just to fully carry forward the spirit of democracy, to fully carry forward the great spirit of revolutionary predecessors who were not afraid of sacrifice and would never surrender. Wealth and honor cannot corrupt, poverty and humbleness cannot move. I just want to prevent comrades from making fundamental mistakes of collaborating with the enemy and surrendering. It's just that! The consequences of making mistakes are put in front of everyone in a realistic way. As a firm party member and cadre loyal to the cause of socialism, we must resolutely resist, never compromise, and never waver in our revolutionary beliefs. Therefore, as long as everyone does not raise their hands, they are not bastards. I have finished speaking. Who is in favor? Who is against?"
If we fast forward another fifteen years, various black lines of varying thicknesses will appear on the foreheads of all participants.
He is a top student with a double degree from Renmin University. When it comes to eloquence, even the Municipal Party Committee Organization Minister has to admit he is a non-human being. How can Mo Wu be his match?
Mo Wu gnashed his teeth and sneered, "How can I, the town party secretary, be regarded as a bully, a landlord, and a class enemy? Comrade Hu Jiao, this is the 1990s, and you are not a little Red Guard. Are you trying to change the concept?"
Hu Jiao raised his eyebrows in disdain, "Secretary Mo, you think too highly of yourself. With your current status as a deputy director-level candidate, you are far from qualified to inspire revolutionary enthusiasm among the people. I am just kindly reminding you that the Party Committee is not a tool for you to exercise dictatorship. If you want to have the final say, why don't you look in the mirror first?"
Mo Wu slammed the table again in frustration. Hu Jiao criticized, "Secretary Mo, this is public property. Injuring your hand is a small matter. Smashing public property is also a small matter. If you spread this out, aren't you deliberately trying to embarrass our Party Committee?"
Mo Wu pointed at Hu Jiao, furious. "You said! I have the final say? Show me the evidence!"
It's not easy for a theoretical expert like Hu Jiao to accuse someone, so he casually said, "You said it was a decision by the Party Committee? Several secretaries just said that they needed to study and discuss it seriously, so why were you so anxious to ask everyone to vote? Is that a decision by the Party Committee?"
Mo Wu said bitterly, "Then consider this as my personal proposal! Raise your hands if you agree!"
"Look, look, isn't this a one-man show? This is a serious bureaucratic style. Is this how the Party Committee of Wuhe Town practices democracy? I'll say this too. Who dares to raise their hands?"
Mo Wu grabbed the documents and briefcase in front of him and turned to leave. Hu Jiao then instructed the secretary, "Write this down. The secretary left the meeting early and did not ask for leave from the Party Committee. This counts as half an absence. Remember to notify the finance department to record attendance and deduct wages according to regulations."
After Mo Wu slammed the door of the conference room and left, everyone woke up from the scene that was no less than a Hollywood blockbuster. What is a peak confrontation? Invisible guns, artillery and nuclear bombs are deterrent.
The smoke had not yet dissipated. Hu Jiao once again shrugged his shoulders and said, "I despise this kind of feudal bureaucratic style and the temper of a mountain king. It's very beastly. What can't we sit down and talk about calmly? We are all in this together. We can communicate and exchange ideas, right, Sister Liu?"
He seemed to be smiling, with the corners of his mouth twitching and his eyes ambiguous. How could this be the Hu Jiao that we are familiar with?
Following Hu Jiao's ambiguity, all the participants in the conference became ambiguous.
Liu Jie wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it. She was filled with hatred, anger, shame, and annoyance. At this moment, she was burning with anger, but she had no way to vent her anger. Her crystal clear eyelids flickered, her face turned pale, and she stared at Hu Jiao angrily.
Uh... everyone understands.
Hu Jiao didn't take the wrong medicine today, he was jealous! In this town, no matter how big or small the matter is, everyone knows it. If Mo Wu has intentions towards Liu Jie, anyone who is not a fool can basically detect it.
Everyone had an expression of "I see". Then their ambiguous glances moved back and forth between Liu Jie and Hu Jiao, as if they wanted to find some shady thread between this pair of adults to prove their own sharpness.
Liu Jie didn't need to spend time to estimate, she estimated that Mo Wu would get the news immediately after the meeting. But what could she do ?
I can only curse in my heart, saying that I am incapable of accomplishing anything and always cause trouble!
Standing up, everyone could clearly feel the violent rise and fall of Deputy Mayor Liu's full chest. Liu Jie looked straight ahead and said coldly, "I feel a little uncomfortable. Please take sick leave."
Hu Jiao was still admiring Liu Jie's intoxicating charm. Damn it, this slut is so powerful even when she's angry... Wow, so powerful!
I couldn't help but stick out the tip of my tongue and roll it around, and said with a chuckle: "Sister Liu, where do you feel uncomfortable? Do you want me to go with you to see a doctor? Women have no small illnesses, so you must pay attention to personal hygiene."
The old mayor realized it later and quickly stood up to interrupt, "Well, today's meeting ends here, adjourned!"
You must be kidding. If we don’t adjourn the meeting, I don’t know what will go viral at the county committee tomorrow.
The old mayor smiled bitterly and forcibly stopped Hu Jiao who was about to speak, "Jiao Jiao! Listen to your uncle and stop making trouble!"
Hu Jiao looked at the old mayor innocently and said, "I didn't make a scene, Mayor Kang...I really didn't make a scene! Look at how bad Deputy Mayor Liu's face looks. As a comrade in the same team, how could you be so cruel and ignore him? Caring for, loving, uniting with, and helping comrades has always been a fine style within the Party. Hey! Hey! Everyone, remember, be at the meeting room on time at 2pm for the meeting. If you don't come, it will be considered as absenteeism."
The old mayor turned his back to Hu Jiao and waved to his men in a hurry. Liu Jie had already slipped away and disappeared. Not only did others wonder why, but she was even more confused. As for Hu Jiao, she had heard of him before coming to Wuhe Town. After spending more than two months with him, she had a good impression of this handsome, elegant and highly educated man.
But why did she feel today that Hu Jiao was a bit unruly?
Thinking about what was said and the expression, Liu Jie actually burst out laughing. It's not that she can say how hateful or disgusting it is, but rather she felt that it was just a good kid who played a prank on a whim.
For example...the comedy played by the pure and lovely Hong Kong actress Yau Shu-zhen, in which she grinned with her little white teeth and imitated the sinister smile of a treacherous minister.
After hearing what the secretary said, Mo Wu was confused at first, then shocked, and finally burst out laughing.
Nonsense!
Minister Hu should name his precious son Hu Nao. After the county party secretary Hu Tu, Hu Jiao changed his name again.
"Jiaojiao said that the meeting will continue in the afternoon?"
Secretary Xiao Wu nodded, "Secretary Hu specifically told me to continue the meeting at 2 pm. Do you want to attend?"
Mo Wu smiled and shook his head, "Of course I will participate. By the way, go and invite Jiaojiao over now. I'll talk to him first."
After the secretary left, Mo Wu thought more and more that this matter was ridiculous. If the county leaders asked about it tomorrow, it would be difficult to explain.
Two secretaries are jealous of each other?
Then I thought of Liu Jie again, and my heart started to warm. This girl... is good, really good.
It's a pity, but it's okay. If Hu Jiao really has a crush on her, why not help her? Who knows...
The sound of knocking on the door brought Mo Wu back to reality. Seeing Hu Jiao's serious face, Mo Wu went up to him warmly, took Hu Jiao's arm, and forced him to sit on the sofa.
Seeing Mo Wu's affectionate look, Hu Jiao's expression relaxed.
"Jiaojiao, I apologize to you. Don't bother with Uncle Mo. Hey, it's also your fault that you are not good at expressing yourself, especially when it comes to feelings. But today, you misunderstood Uncle Mo! Absolute misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! I have a family, and as a leading cadre, how can I mess around with men and women? Anyone who talks nonsense in secret will be severely punished if I catch him! So what? Are you still angry with Uncle Mo?"
Mo Wu looked sincere, and Hu Jiao chuckled, "Uncle Mo, we are family, so we should not have different opinions. I was indeed angry, but after hearing what you said, I am no longer angry! I am no longer angry at all."
Mo Wu deliberately frowned and said, "What do you mean you are out of breath? Talk nonsense!" Then he patted Hu Jiao's shoulder affectionately and said, "Do you want Uncle Mo to help you with the work?"
Hu Jiao despised you in his heart. If I let you come forward, by the time it’s my turn, I might already be the second pimp. You want to be a pimp, but you don’t even need to consider your qualifications.
He kept declining, "Don't bother Uncle Mo, you should pay more attention to my shortcomings at work. As for my life, hehe, I have a way."
Mo Wu laughed loudly and said, "Good boy! You are worthy of being Minister Hu's son. Like father, like son. Back then, your mother was the most beautiful woman in our county's education department, but she was won over by your father. Well, that's right, a tiger father will have a dog son."
Then he changed the subject and looked at Hu Jiao meaningfully and said, "Uncle Mo did something wrong today. Jiaojiao, give Uncle Mo a chance to express his apology?"
Hu Jiao raised his eyes and looked at him with interest: "What... good... arrangements does Uncle Mo have?"
Mo Wu blinked mysteriously and said, "Wait for me in the office on Saturday afternoon!"
Hu Jiao nodded hurriedly. He had not been able to figure out anything from the expression and words before, but now it was different. He finally got it!
What kind of person is Gou Rixin? He has been involved in all kinds of crooked ways and evil ways. Although his level is not high, he is still involved.
Seeing Hu Jiao's expression of knowing the meaning of music, Mo Wu wondered in his heart, has this guy been pretending to be noble? Or has he become wise after drinking too much?
"Well, Uncle Mo, I'll go prepare the materials for this afternoon's meeting, you go ahead."
Mo Wu hurriedly held him back and said, "Don't worry. Let's discuss the fake seeds issue."
Hu Jiao said hurriedly: "I completely agree with Uncle Mo's opinion on that matter. There is nothing to discuss."
Mo Wu was stunned when he heard this. He thought that he had changed his mind faster than turning the pages of a book and had a thicker skin than a city wall after all these years. But he was a little shocked by Hu Jiao's sudden change.
He was still speaking out in the morning meeting, saying that he was a one-man show, but within an hour, he immediately changed his tone.
"Ah, yes, that's good! Jiaojiao is indeed a top student, with a high level of theoretical knowledge and even higher awareness. Ah, haha..." Mo Wu had no choice but to laugh dryly.
"So what other materials do you need to prepare this afternoon?" Seeing Hu Jiao was about to leave, Mo Wu asked again.
Hu Jiao was a little embarrassed about this. How should he explain it? After careful analysis, it should be that guy who had appeared in his body. He wanted to live out his official addiction. In his previous life, Gou Rixin was just a gangster, a little rogue, and a little gangster.
What I envy most in my life is cadres speaking at meetings.
When one person is speaking, the people below listen attentively. It is more exciting than teaching one's sons and grandchildren.
This was what Gou Rixin longed for most in his life: to gather a group of cadres who were usually just ordinary villagers, and then stand on the podium himself, scold these bastards until they dared not raise their heads, make them feel ashamed, criticize them until they shed tears, and make them prostrate themselves in admiration... From then on, when people mentioned Secretary Gou (the village head), they would give him a thumbs up and say devoutly: a good cadre of the Party!
Therefore, every time Gou Rixin imagined the passionate scene of himself speaking, it would give him new passion and fighting spirit in his life of endless suffering.
In order to make this day come true, even though Gou Rixin felt that he would never have the chance in his life, he would still look for opportunities from time to time to engage in quarrels with the famous shrews and fierce women in various villages and communities, mainly for the purpose of communication and exchange.
When he just graduated from primary school and lived in the countryside, Gou Rixin did not have such lofty ideals. I don't remember which year, month or day it was, but he came out to urinate after playing cards all night at Yang Laosan's house in Erdao Village.
It was on that ridge of the field that I witnessed with my own eyes and heard with my own ears what has been regarded as a classic rural quarrel since I was a child.
One was Yang Da Jiao, the aunt of Yang Lao San, and the other was Wu Guafu, the widow at the head of the village. The reason for the quarrel was unknown, but the content of the quarrel between the two women still echoed in Gou Rixin's mind for a long time.
The two women started to curse at everything from the sun, the moon, and the stars to domestic animals, wild animals, trees, grass, rocks, rivers, and finally the ancestors of Yan and Huang, all the way back to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, all kinds of reproductive organs, nine clans of relatives, all interspersed with primitive reproductive behaviors, hitting each other , accompanied by shaking their buttocks, spitting, making gestures, and thrusting their waists forward...
During the three hours, the two women's expressions, eyes and movements were constantly changing and never repeated, and what they said was even more amazing than the machine guns and mortars during the War of Liberation.
Strafing, point shooting, bombing.
At that moment, Gou Rixin finally understood a saying: Art comes from life, but is higher than life!
He finally believed why those so-called singers could sing opera for hours in one breath, while ordinary people's voices would start to smoke after singing a few songs!
Because they all use gas!
Afterwards, Gou Rixin consulted the two parties on this issue, and the answers he got were that the air should be inhaled, starting from the lower abdomen, resonating in the chest cavity, and reaching the center of the eyebrows. The function of the vocal cords is only to adjust the high and low sounds, and the mouth is only for clear pronunciation.
For this reason, Gou Rixin was scolded for more than half a year, and finally he developed the skill of using anger to scold people. After that, he challenged the shrews and vixens in hundreds of villages in ten townships.
Now, the opportunity is right in front of us. What is the difference between speaking and arguing? It's just the content that is different.
What was the content of the speech? It was too simple. Are these top students with double degrees just for show?
Hu Jiao once again showed his usual shyness and timidity. "I would like to take this opportunity to strengthen the theoretical study of party members and cadres, better grasp the party's line, better understand national policies, and improve the basic political level of party members and cadres in the new era."
Mo Wu suddenly realized and nodded in agreement. This Hu Jiao had a problem with his brain. In the past, he basically just read from a script when participating in democratic life and party member study, let alone speaking at meetings.
Is it true that the brain was damaged by alcohol?
By five o'clock in the afternoon, Mo Wu was close to the point of collapse. Not only him, but all the town cadres attending the meeting fell into the abyss of pain.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mo Wu easily passed the agenda that had not been completed in the morning, and then invited Hu Jiao in a high-profile manner to "add a few points on how to improve the political theory level of party members."
As a result, Hu Jiao's initial "supplementation" took a full two and forty-five minutes.
It took him so long to talk about Lenin's "State and Revolution".
The cadres present at the meeting were all filled with grief. If Mo Wu, the top leader, didn't step out to interrupt, who else would dare to interrupt Hu Jiao who was speaking so enthusiastically?
The people present here are not vegetarians. They have seen all kinds of meetings, big and small. When the mind wanders, the spirit soars, or they play chess like Zhou Gong, no one will take it seriously, let alone two or three hours, or even a whole day.
But not today!
Listen! The rooftops were buzzing and reverberating, and Hu Jiao didn't drink water while he was talking. He didn't keep a constant speed, and his voice wasn't steady.
Crazy!
Or you can call it an aria mixed with screaming rock. You cannot tell at which sentence, word or character Hu Jiao will pause and scream. Of course, this phenomenon can be understood as his passion for revolution.
So whenever the audience wanted to be in a trance, they would always hear the untimely cry of a cow about to give birth, or the long neigh of a wild dog being beaten during mating.
Every time when we thought that General Hu Jiao was lost in the gentle whispers like the spring breeze, we suddenly found that he had already rushed into the enemy camp and shouted with his neck stretched out and his head raised.
Moreover, the sound shook the four directions, and the devilish sound pierced the ears.
Unable to reject Hu Jiao's voice, unable to reject Hu Jiao's fatal passion. Some of the participants had quietly pressed their fingers against their ears, some stroked their foreheads and smiled bitterly, and some were speechless.
But they were all relatively mild. The old mayor's face was already pale, with cold sweat on his forehead, and he had changed the tea leaves three times.
The poor old mayor is old and suffers from neurasthenia and cardiovascular disease. After being tormented by Hu Jiao, he has started to sweat all over.
Mo Wu opened his mouth several times to interrupt Hu Jiao's speech, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was frightened by Hu Jiao's ferocious expression and shrank back.
ferocious?
Yes, Hu Jiao's expressions and movements are extremely rich. When he talks about "capitalism", his face is full of hatred , even distorted to the point of being hideous.
Mo Wu suspected that if he interrupted Hu Jiao's speech, he would probably punch him in the face, and perform a real-life "punch to Zhen Guanxi".
It's six o'clock.
Mo Wu raised his wrist. He did this action almost once every thirty seconds within an hour.
Unfortunately, Hu Jiao turned a blind eye and continued to do his own thing, reveling in his passionate speech alone...
It was seven o'clock and Mo Wu's ears were buzzing. He made up his mind to learn from Comrade Liu Jie and take sick leave early.
I'll accept it even if my salary is deducted!
But from now on, when you listen to Hu Jiao speak, he will be the grandson of the people in this town!
Long and short tunes, starting low and rising high, starting soft and ending violently, howling, screaming, and crying...
The old mayor's eyes went dark and he fell to the ground with a bang.
The entire venue was in chaos. Hu Jiao was still not satisfied, so he rushed into the rescue crowd with great regret and sent the old mayor to the emergency department of the hospital.
From that day on, all the cadres and staff of Wuhe Town reached a unified consensus: never provoke Secretary Hu. Even if you provoke Secretary Hu, never let him hold any meetings. Even if you hold a meeting, never let Secretary Hu speak.
The most important thing is that we must not let Hu Jiao "add a few points."
Didn’t you see the old mayor being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment?
Deputy Town Mayor Ren Qiang, who was fortunate enough not to attend the meeting, did not believe Hu Jiao was exaggerating at all. Although the deputy director of the Town Government Office beat his chest and cursed and swore, Secretary Hu's speech was like a cow giving birth - what a miserable cow!
But Ren Qiang still didn't believe it. That's impossible, right?
It is a well-known fact that the old mayor is in poor health. It cannot be blamed on Jiaojiao.
As a result, the next day, Hu Jiao's secretary, Comrade Wang Xiaoguang, with a bitter face, distributed the "Meeting on Carrying out Ideological and Political Learning Activities for Party Members and Cadres in the Town" in the office. Then the entire Wuhe Town Party Committee and government cadres collectively rushed to the County People's Hospital and the County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.
Afterwards, Secretary Hu Jiao announced to the whole town that any cadre who took sick leave would be punished within the Party if found to have cheated. One absence would be counted as three days of absence. Those who were absent from work for ten consecutive days would be suspended for inspection. Those with serious circumstances and particularly bad impact would be submitted to the Party Committee for discussion and dismissal - expulsion from the Party and dismissal from public office.
The meeting lasted three days.
We don't care how the cadres who attended the meeting survived, we only know that three days later, Secretary Hu Jiao's "prestige" had far surpassed Secretary Mo Wu's. As long as the work assigned by Secretary Hu Jiao could be postponed for more than two days in the past, it could now be completed in no more than half a day.
If you don't do it...
It's very simple. Hu Jiao will squint his eyes and look at you with a look of enthusiasm and expectation, and then persuade you gently, patiently and kindly, and make very good suggestions on your personal work attitude and this work task: "Let's have a meeting."
