Chapter 82: Alone and Powerless
Hu Jiao, who was originally extremely depressed, suddenly felt a sense of unexpected joy. He could still eat hairy pigs even without Wang the butcher.
Why did I think of that shameless fat pervert again?
Jiang Yifan also really fell in love with Hu Jiao. The first impression is very important. Hu Jiao is that kind of traditional highly intellectual, elegant, knowledgeable, humble, and modest gentleman.
So the two hit it off right away when they met. Jiang Yifan said, "Mayor Hu, in theory, you are my uncle. The teacher I respect most in law is Mr. Li's favorite student."
Hu Jiao nodded. "Are you talking about Mr. Meng? It's a pity that I haven't met this fellow apprentice yet."
Jiang Yifan didn't believe it, "How could that be possible? I heard Master talk about you."
Hu Jiao smiled and said, "I've never met him before. When I was defending my thesis, my teacher told me to postpone it for two days and ask Mr. Meng for advice. Unfortunately, we were too tight on time and didn't get to meet him."
Jiang Yifan smiled and said, "It's okay, there will be a chance. What are your plans next?"
Hu Jiao reviewed yesterday's plan and said, "First, visit the old leaders in the city, and then visit several departments."
Jiang Yifan nodded, "I've got it. Is there anything else you need? I'll ask the office to prepare it. Tea leaves, cigarettes."
Hu Jiao shook his head. "I have all these things. Please help me arrange a schedule. I will go to the Municipal Party Committee this afternoon."
Jiang Yifan thought about it and took the initiative to reveal his cards, "Well... my father's name is Jiang Aihua."
Hu Jiao looked at him, "Minister Jiang...?"
Jiang Yifan nodded, "If Mayor Hu has anything...you can just tell me."
Hu Jiao shook his head, a smile on his face, "Well, very good! I am very satisfied! I am even a little flattered. It is a pity for you to follow me."
Jiang Yifan scratched his scalp and said, "No, Mayor Hu, I was a little emotional before I came here, but now I get along well with you."
"Don't say yours, we are all the same. You treat me as your elder brother and I will treat you as my younger brother. Come to think of it, we are really alike!"
Jiang Yifan didn't understand what "the truth" meant, so Hu Jiao explained, "Your current status is similar to when I started working."
Jiang Yifan's eyes lit up. No way? Mayor Hu's father?
Hu Jiao shook his head. "Let's talk about it later, okay? By the way, I have some tea and cigarettes from Nanzhao. If you like, help yourself."
Jiang Yifan smiled and said, "I don't smoke or drink tea, I just like to take a sip. But I can't drink much and I have bad drinking habits, haha."
Hu Jiao nodded. After Jiang Yifan left, Hu Jiao silently raised his teacup. It was Sanmei's large-leaf tribute tea, the main gift for the municipal party committee in the afternoon.
The taste of hometown. I wonder how Shi Jingyuan and the others are doing now.
With a soft sigh, he could conclude from Jiang Yifan's arrival that the Municipal Party Committee seemed to have taken the initiative to extend an olive branch.
To answer or not to answer?
Having just arrived in your place, Hu Jiao was alone and powerless, and he planned to wait and see the goodwill shown by the local forces.
Let's take a look first. After a round of visits, having a local future spokesperson follow us can at least add some weight.
Jiang Yifan came in and handed over several reports on the basic situation of science, education, culture and health in Longtong City. Hu Jiao didn't say anything, just nodded, picked them up and began to read them slowly.
In fact, to put it bluntly, the three most important public institutions in Hu Jiao's hands are the Education Bureau, the Health Bureau, and the Radio and Television Bureau.
Other committees like the Science and Technology Commission and the Sports Commission are basically just for show.
Since last year, universities have begun to expand their enrollment, which has triggered a new round of school-running fever. The enrollment rate has skyrocketed, and the health care industry is also undergoing pilot reforms, but it is estimated that it will take several years to implement them.
Therefore, the health system should still operate according to its inherent mode, and the current focus should still be on education.
The root cause of poverty and backwardness lies in education. Hu Jiao has two ideas. The so-called "cultivating people for a hundred years" does not only refer to educating students, but also lies in improving the quality of teachers, their professional ethics, and their teaching level.
Only by cultivating a strong teaching staff who are dedicated to their work and selfless, can we fundamentally reverse the situation of poverty and backwardness.
This is Hu Jiao 's key task for the next period of time.
The second is to establish vocational schools, export professional and technical talents, strive to obtain support from the province, and develop Longtong into a demonstration site for vocational education, thereby driving the cultivation of technical talents throughout the city and improving the value of human resources.
This will lead the entire city gradually towards industrial development.
Besides, Hu Jiao has been influenced by his mother since he was a child and has a special affection for the teaching profession. If he wants to achieve his own governance philosophy, he must also make great efforts to improve the treatment and social status of teachers.
Of course, the premise of all this is to get strong support from both the municipal party committee and the government, otherwise everything is just empty talk.
Therefore, Hu Jiao is optimistic about Jiang Yifan's arrival.
From the information obtained from Deputy Minister Mo of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department, it can be judged that Longtong’s party and government teams are quite incompatible.
The municipal party secretary Zhao Mingfang is a person with a strong desire for control, and he also has the common problem of traditional leading cadres: toughness.
Mayor Zhou Shengling is no pushover either. Unfortunately, he has only been in office for a short time and has not gained any say in the past two years. However, judging from his performance in all aspects, he is quite strong.
Sometimes they even don't hesitate to break up.
Hu Jiao is not too happy with this situation. No matter whether the cow kills the horse or the horse kills the cow, as he is not a member of the Standing Committee, he can only be regarded as a marginal figure. If he enters the Standing Committee, he will be truly thrown into the vortex.
From this, he also vaguely understood why he was only assigned to be a sinecure position of deputy mayor instead of deputy secretary.
Of course, Hu Zhongzhi also made it clear that if he wanted to make a breakthrough, he must break out from the southwest.
And Longtong will be the first obstacle he faces.
Faced with this dangerous obstacle, will Jiang Yifan become his first ally?
Hu Jiao gently blew away the tea foam and took a deep breath of the tea fragrance.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Jiang Yifan made an appointment with Zhao Mingfang's secretary and carried the tribute large-leaf tea brought by Hu Jiao until he delivered it to Zhao Mingfang's office.
The two secretaries were talking outside and the office became quiet. There were obvious two downward lines on the corners of Zhao Mingfang's mouth, but now his mouth was bent, with a smile in his eyes, and he was playing with tea leaves in his hands.
"This is good stuff!" He picked up the white-wrapped cigarettes and said, "It's a special supply, right? From the province?"
Hu Jiao nodded. He didn’t want to take out the money in the central government yet, and it was getting less and less .
"Xiao Hu, you just arrived and you are unfamiliar with the place. Let Yifan help you. Walk around and interact with your comrades. Don't be in a hurry about work. Take your time. First get a general impression, and then we can talk about the specific work, okay?" Zhao Mingfang's attitude was particularly cordial.
Hu Jiao nodded, "I'll listen to Secretary Zhao."
Zhao Mingfang unpacked the cigarette and was a little surprised. "Huh, it doesn't look like it's from our southwest. Um, Nanzhao?"
Hu Jiao smiled, took out a pack from his bag, took out a cigarette and lit it for Zhao Mingfang, "Please don't open it. Try it first. If you like it, I will pay for the monthly payment in the future."
Zhao Mingfang shook his head. "I'm afraid it won't work. My husband is a doctor and has been keeping a strict control. You don't know my family. There are two women who are both studying medicine. They have to wash their hands after eating and going to the toilet. They have to wash their hands at least five times a day. Anyway, there are too many rules to bear."
Putting the cigarette in the drawer, "This is it. It's not safe to keep it in the office. I check it from time to time. I have a secret compartment here. Hehe, are you embarrassed?"
Hu Jiao waved her hand. "Auntie, I am concerned about your health. My dad is the same. He used to smoke and drink, but now he has basically quit because of pressure. As people age, their body resistance decreases. This is a natural law."
Zhao Mingfang nodded, "Yes, when I was young, I worked hard for work. Now, I still work hard for work. In fact, I am not obsessed with my current position, but I am a little unwilling. It is said that an official should benefit the people. I have been in Longtong for seven years. Although there has been some improvement, it cannot be compared with many places. I just want to work hard and create something for Longtong before I leave."
Hu Jiao nodded, "I understand the secretary's feelings."
"Hey, we said we won't talk about work. Xiao Hu, what about your family and children?"
"My parents are there, and my wife has her own job, so it's very easy. Basically, I don't have to worry about them."
Zhao Mingfang took a puff of his cigarette. "Mm, not bad! Softer than the cigarettes here. Okay, you go first. Come to my place more often when you have time. Haha, the older I get, the more I like to interact with you young people."
Hu Jiao stopped Zhao Mingfang from seeing him off, and after leaving the office, under the guidance of Jiang Yifan, he began to meet the person he most wanted to see, Yao Qisheng.
After knocking on the office door, Hu Jiao handed over two boxes of tea, "Secretary Yao, I'm here to visit you today."
Yao Qisheng smiled and stretched out his hand to shake Hu Jiao's hand. "You just arrived, so you should arrange your daily life first. It doesn't matter when I come here. Sit over here. I don't have any good tea to show off, so I'll just use it to welcome you. Do you mind?"
Hu Jiao said that he didn't mind at all, he was probably just worried that Secretary Yao was reluctant to take out the good tea and was afraid that my gift would be embarrassing.
Yao Qisheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I only have the Longjing tea distributed by the city, and I don't know much about the tea ceremony. Look..." He pointed to the glass on the desk, "I always drink boiled water."
Hu Jiao had no choice but to grab the teacup and water and help make tea.
"Have you met Secretary Zhao?"
Hu Jiao handed over the brewed tea and held up a cup with both hands, "I just met him. Secretary Zhao asked me to build good relationships with the comrades first, and to take a step back on work matters."
Yao Qisheng nodded, "Secretary Zhao is doing this for your own good. In Longtong, some local cadres have xenophobic sentiments. You have to be careful. Socializing here relies on alcohol. If you can drink, you have to follow this leader. If you can't drink, it will take some effort. When I first came here, I was sober for only two or three days in the first month, and for one week in the second month."
Hu Jiao said with a wry smile, his face full of disbelief, "Is it really that powerful?"
Yao Qisheng was about to nod, but suddenly remembered something, "Oh, right, you are in charge of science, education, culture and health. These systems are okay. This is the least favored women's unit in the city, haha."
Hu Jiao laughed dryly twice, and Yao Qisheng reacted, slapping his thigh and laughing heartily, "Look at what I said! Xiao Hu, don't take it seriously. This woman is a title given by the public security, justice, and transportation construction units. Anyway, in the two major fields of education and health, she has never won in drinking."
Hu Jiao nodded and said, "I see! I will urge them to catch up and try to get rid of this hat. Haha."
Yao Qisheng waved his hands, "Not much hope. By the way, I live on your left, right? Let's talk more when we have time."
Hu Jiao quickly agreed, "Then I'll have to be shameless and ask for money."
Yao Qisheng chatted with him about family matters, occasionally interspersing some anecdotes about local officials, for nearly an hour before he let him go.
After Hu Jiao left, the next stop was the office of the third deputy secretary Du Chen.
The deputy secretary was a bit fat, had buck teeth, a wide mouth, a beard on his upper lip, and looked a bit rude.
His voice was quite loud, and his laughter echoed throughout the office. He was quite enthusiastic and had a special preference for tea. When he saw the three-leaf tribute presented by Hu Jiao, his eyes lit up and he praised and thanked him repeatedly.
Du Chen is the deputy secretary in charge of industrial development, transportation and urban construction, and also overlaps with some of the systems in charge of Hu Jiao.
Since Du Chen is a member of the Standing Committee and ranks fourth among the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee and fifth in the Standing Committee meeting, Hu Jiao has to lower his posture. Without his support, there will definitely be a strange phenomenon of multiple orders in future work. By then, Hu Jiao will not be able to carry out his work, and he may not even see the person to report his work to.
Before, Zhao Mingfang and Yao Qisheng had at least cooperated with Hu Jiao and used non-standard Mandarin. But when he met Deputy Secretary Du, Hu Jiao really had a headache.
Du Chen also spoke Mandarin, but his accent and words were all from Longtong's local dialect, like half-cooked rice. But he was so excited talking that he laughed from time to time. Hu Jiao was helpless and could not quite understand what he was saying. He could only half guess and half listen and laugh along.
After coming out of the office, we chatted for more than half an hour. What did we talk about?
Hu Jiao shook his head. It seemed that the most important task at the moment was to understand Long’s conversation as quickly as possible.
You can't always force others to accommodate you, right?
It was already afternoon, and according to Jiang Yifan's arrangement, Deputy Secretary-General Liu Luo of the Municipal Government Office contacted some veteran cadres and arranged a banquet, with Hu Jiao as the host.
Executive Vice Mayor Wu Jinshan rushed back in time and decided to attend the meeting. Organization Minister Jiang Aihua and Propaganda Minister Deng Yunjing also agreed to attend the meeting.
When Hu Jiao returned to the office, he unexpectedly received a call from Wu Yinshan, deputy director of the Office of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department.
After going around in circles for a long time, he finally pointed out that he had already told his brother Wu Jinshan about Hu Jiao and hoped that the two of them could establish a friendship.
Hu Jiao didn't expect that he would meet Wu Yinshan while reporting on the provincial party committee. When he arrived at the place, he would take the initiative to introduce his brother to Hu Jiao.
So when Jiang Yifan came to report that Vice Mayor Wu would attend the banquet tonight, Hu Jiao already knew the truth of the matter. Instead, Jiang Yifan was a little cautious, "Vice Mayor Wu, um, was transferred to Longtong together with Mayor Zhou..."
Hu Jiao nodded, wondering in his heart, didn't they say that Deputy Mayor Wu had been following Secretary Zhao closely? Could there be something fishy going on? Anyway, for the time being, he hadn't gotten involved in the struggle circle of the Standing Committee members. Zhao Mingfang had said that he should build good relationships with his comrades.
"In addition, CPPCC Chairman Zhang Taifu and NPC Deputy Director Zhu Minggui have said they will attend, and..."
Hu Jiao was already starting to have a slight headache. His original intention was just to have a meal with the veteran cadres and invite the leaders of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference out of courtesy, but he didn't expect so many monsters to appear all of a sudden.
"Who else?"
"Well, Deputy Secretary-General Wang Haixing has arrived. He just called and said he wants to live with you..."
