23: Chapter 23 He called me Uncle Sun?

Minister Sun Ping was presiding over a departmental meeting when he received a call from Secretary Bai.

His phone vibrated once, and the name that popped up on the screen made his pupils constrict slightly.

He raised his hand to signal the speaking cadre to pause, then gripped his phone and walked out of the conference room.

The hallway was very quiet; he stood in front of the window, took a deep breath, and pressed the answer button.

"Old leader."

Secretary Bai's voice came through the receiver, unhurried and calm, like a greeting on any ordinary workday.

"Old Sun, are you busy?"

"Not busy, not busy, please give your instructions."

Secretary Bai smiled and said, "Instructions are out of the question; there is a matter I would like to ask for your help with."

"Please go ahead."

"There is a child named Xu Weidong, who just passed the exam this year to join your Lujiang Municipal Committee Office, in the Comprehensive Section."

Secretary Bai paused, then said, "He is Secretary Tianhua's son."

Secretary Tianhua!

The Provincial Party Committee Secretary of Xishan Province!

Damn it!

Good heavens!

Minister Sun Ping's Adam's apple bobbed; for a moment, he couldn't speak.

"The child wants to strike out on his own."

Secretary Bai's tone remained very flat, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"Secretary Tianhua's intention is: no prior notice, no notes passed, no pulling strings."

Secretary Bai paused, then said, "But as elders, we can't just watch the child suffer."

Minister Sun Ping understood and immediately said, "Old leader, rest assured."

"Come to Tianzhou another day, and I will treat you to a meal."

Minister Sun Ping stood in the hallway, clutching his phone, looking at the gray sky over Lüjiang City outside the window.

He was forty years old!

At the department-level for two years!

In the position of Executive Deputy Minister of the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department of Lüjiang City, stuck in the middle, neither hot nor cold.

The Minister of the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department was fifty-seven this year and would retire in three years.

He thought he would have to endure another three years in this chair, until his hair turned whiter, until his spirit was worn away, and until he became a qualified old comrade waiting for retirement.

And then this call came!

Xu Weidong!

The Crown Prince!

Secretary Tianhua's son!

Minister Sun Ping turned around and pushed open the door to the conference room.

"Continue."

That night, Minister Sun Ping did not go home.

He locked himself in his office and made phone calls all night.

Lujiang Municipal Committee Office, Comprehensive Section, newly recruited select cadre this year, male, twenty-three years old, graduate of Civil Engineering University.

First in the written exam, first in the interview, first in the overall score.

No background information, registered residence in Ankang, parents' information confidential, files directly transferred by the Provincial Organization Department.

He thought of his own journey over the past ten-plus years, from a staff member to a deputy department-level, and from deputy department-level to department-level; every step was like walking on the edge of a knife, and every step he dared not make a single mistake.

The phone rang; it was the mole he had arranged in the Municipal Committee Office.

"Minister Sun Ping, I found it."

"There is an old comrade in the Comprehensive Section surnamed Chen who has been in the office for eight years."

"These past few days, he has been getting very close to the newcomer, stirring up trouble between him and Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan in his words."

"What else?"

"This afternoon, that guy surnamed Chen took the newcomer out to eat again and said a lot of bad things about Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan."

Minister Sun Ping was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Understood."

He hung up the phone, placed it on the desk, and a smile slowly appeared on the corner of his mouth.

A heaven-sent opportunity!

Three days later, a transfer order from the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department of Lüjiang City was sent down to the Municipal Committee Office.

Staff member Chen XX of the Comprehensive Section of the Municipal Committee Office was transferred to be the Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee of Hukuang Township, Changyuan County.

The people in the Lujiang Municipal Committee Office looked at each other in dismay when they saw this transfer order.

When transferring people from the Municipal Committee Office, how could there be a reason to send them directly to a township?

Even if it were a lateral transfer, it should be to a corresponding municipal-level unit; how could they stuff someone into the poorest and most chaotic town?

Hukuang Township was a famous hot potato in Changyuan County, with the worst public security and the worst economy, and it had even gone through three Party Committee secretaries.

The Comprehensive Section was quiet all day; Xiao Zhou didn't dare to lift his head, and the female colleague's voice trembled when she answered the phone.

Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan sat at her desk, reviewing documents page by page, with no expression on her face.

Only the young man at the desk in the corner kept his head down, writing in that never-ending incoming document register.

At 3:00 PM, Brother Chen came to the office to pack his things.

When he entered, everyone in the office stopped what they were doing.

Brother Chen walked to his seat, opened the drawer, took out the dusty reference books, and put them into a cardboard box.

He picked up the pen holder, teacup, and the pothos plant he had raised for many years from the desk.

When he did these things, he didn't look at anyone.

And no one looked at him; only the printer was humming.

Brother Chen picked up the cardboard box, walked to the door, paused for a moment, and did not look back.

The door opened, the door closed, the sound of footsteps in the hallway gradually faded, and the office was very quiet.

Xiao Zhou secretly glanced at Xu Weidong, who was writing in the register, stroke by stroke, neatly.

He finished filling in the column for the incoming document number, put down his pen, picked up the box of paperclips, poured out a few, and slowly turned them between his fingertips.

Xu Weidong put the paperclips back one by one, closed the lid, put it back in its place, and never looked up.

The next morning, Minister Sun Ping, Executive Deputy Minister of the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department of Lüjiang City, went to the Municipal Committee Office for research.

It was called research, but the schedule said it was to understand the cultivation and use of young cadres.

As the receiving department for this year's newly recruited select cadres, the Comprehensive Section was specifically asked to send a representative to attend the symposium.

Xu Weidong sat in the corner of the conference room and did not speak from beginning to end.

Minister Sun Ping sat in the main seat, listening to the report seriously, nodding from time to time, and occasionally taking notes in his notebook.

The symposium ended, and he stood up and walked toward the door.

When he walked to Xu Weidong's side, he paused.

"This comrade looks unfamiliar."

The Deputy Director of the office hurriedly introduced him: "Minister Sun Ping, this is the newly recruited select cadre this year, Xu Weidong, a graduate of Civil Engineering University in Yancheng, Comprehensive Section."

Minister Sun Ping nodded and reached out his hand.

"Young man, keep up the good work."

Xu Weidong stood up and shook that hand.

"Thank you, Minister Sun Ping."

The handshake lasted only two seconds, but in those two seconds, Minister Sun Ping's gaze lingered on his face for a long time.

The gaze was very gentle, carrying the kindness peculiar to an elder, but Xu Weidong read something else in that gaze.

Everything went without saying.

After Minister Sun Ping left, the Office Director gathered the people from the Comprehensive Section and held a short five-minute meeting.

"Minister Sun Ping attaches great importance to our cultivation of young cadres, especially placing high hopes on the new comrades who joined this year."

He glanced at Xu Weidong and said, "The Comprehensive Section must implement the responsibility of mentoring well, placing burdens, building platforms, and paving the way for young comrades."

"We must care for, cultivate, and cherish them."

"Do not have sectarianism, do not have small-groupism, and do not have words or actions that are detrimental to unity."

When Minister Sun Ping said this, he didn't look at anyone.

But Deputy Section Chief Pei Xinyan's face turned slightly pale for a moment, and Xiao Zhou buried his head even lower.

Xu Weidong stood on the edge of the crowd, his expression calm.

6:30 PM, Lvjiang City.

Minister Sun Ping hosted a banquet at the Lvjiang Hotel to welcome Xu Weidong.

The private room was on the third floor, facing the river, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the night view of Lvjiang City.

When Xu Weidong entered the room, Minister Sun Ping was already there.

He stood up and smiled as he came forward to greet him.

"Comrade Weidong, was the trip smooth?"

"Thank you for your concern, Minister Sun Ping, it was smooth."

Minister Sun Ping waved his hand and said, "What Minister? In the unit, I am a leader; in private, I am an elder."

"I am a few years younger than your father, so if I may be so bold as to call you by your name, you can just call me Uncle Sun."

"Uncle Sun."

The smile on Minister Sun Ping's face deepened; he personally pulled out a chair for Xu Weidong and personally poured tea for him.

A waiter came over to help, but he waved him away.

Where did they hire this waiter from?

So ignorant?

Interrupting my progress!

"Comrade Weidong, Uncle Sun toasts you with this cup of tea."

Xu Weidong picked up his teacup and said, "Uncle Sun, you are too polite."

Minister Sun Ping shook his head and said, "It's not politeness, it's shame."

"You came to Lvjiang City for work, and I should have come to see you earlier, but I dragged it out until now."

"It was only after Secretary Bai called to remind me that I knew you had already reported for duty several days ago."

Minister Sun Ping put down his teacup and sighed.

"Secretary Bai scolded me on the phone, saying 'Old Sun, how are you acting as the Organization Department Minister?'"

"'A young cadre has arrived, and you didn't go to show some concern?'"

Minister Sun Ping smiled, as if mocking himself.

"It was Secretary Bai who enlightened me; no prior notice does not mean no concern."

"No notes passed does not mean no action taken."

"Comrade Weidong, Uncle Sun is laying it out here today."

"In Lvjiang City, if there is anything, come directly to me."

"In work or in life, if you have any difficulties, just say so."

Minister Sun Ping's gaze was very sincere.

"Don't be a stranger."

Xu Weidong looked at the tea in front of him; the tea soup was clear and bright, and the tea leaves were slowly unfurling at the bottom of the cup.

He picked up the teacup and took a shallow sip.

"Thank you, Uncle Sun."

He didn't say there was no need to trouble, nor did he say I can handle it myself.

The smile on Minister Sun Ping's face deepened a little more.

"Comrade Weidong, where are you living now?"

"The Knitting Factory family quarters, the unit helped me arrange it."

Minister Sun Ping nodded and said, "That's an old building, the conditions are average."

"I know a few friends in Lvjiang City who have a few vacant properties on hand; the location and renovation are both quite good."

"If you feel that it is inconvenient there, you can move over there at any time."

"You don't need to worry about the rent; they are all my own friends, it's easy to talk."

Xu Weidong put down his teacup and said, "Uncle Sun, thank you."

"I am living quite well there now, and it is close to the unit, so I am not considering moving for the time being."

"When I have a need in the future, I will definitely trouble you."

Minister Sun Ping nodded and said, "That's fine, simplicity and frugality are good qualities for young people."

The dishes were served one after another, the signature dishes of the Lijiang Hotel filled the table, and Minister Sun Ping picked up food for Xu Weidong.

"Eat more; you young people work hard, so you must take care of your health."

Xu Weidong thanked him and lowered his head to eat.

Minister Sun Ping didn't use his chopsticks much; he drank tea and watched the young man across from him.

Twenty-three years old, with clear features, composed demeanor, not many words, but every sentence was answered just right.

Neither humble nor arrogant, neither cold nor enthusiastic, neither declining nor accepting.

He had seen too many young cadres; some were ostentatious, wishing they could write their family background on their faces as soon as they entered the door.

Some were cowardly, so nervous when seeing leaders that they couldn't even speak properly.

Some were slick, never finishing three sentences without mentioning leadership instructions or organizational cultivation.

But this child was different; he sat there quietly.

"Come, Uncle Sun toasts you with another cup."

Xu Weidong picked up his teacup, and the two white porcelain cups clinked together gently, making a crisp sound.

"Comrade Weidong, do you know about Hukuang Township in Changyuan County?"

"Yes."

"That place is poor, chaotic, and has bad public security; the Township Government doesn't even have decent dormitories."

"That Xiao Chen from your office is going to report for duty tomorrow."

He didn't look at Xu Weidong, and Xu Weidong didn't speak either.

"Grassroots training is a good thing."

"Young cadres should go to places of hardship."

"The organization is also doing it for his own good."

Xu Weidong looked at him, and Minister Sun Ping turned his face and smiled.

"Comrade Weidong, Uncle Sun is a person with no great ability."

"I have been in the Organization Department for over ten years, and I only know how to handle personnel work."

When carrying a pig's head to worship at the temple gate, one must tell the host what kind of pig's head he is carrying, right?

Just like this matter, Minister Sun Ping handled Xiao Chen for Xu Weidong, so he had to let the Crown Prince know, right?