43: Chapter 43 The County Party Secretary's Pledge of Allegiance

"Secretary, since you're one of our own, I won't hide anything. Minister Wan Jinlong is Xiaoli's third uncle. I've managed to climb the ranks these past few years, and Minister Wan Jinlong has helped me quite a bit," Secretary Ji Xuewen said with great candor.

"You can't just say that. The key is to have ability, political achievements, and a sense of responsibility. Otherwise, no matter how much someone promotes you, you won't go far. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself," Zhang Huaijing said, raising his glass. "Come, let's have a drink."

After three rounds of drinks and the meal was well underway, Wan Xiaoli tactfully excused herself to go do the laundry.

Both men had consumed about three or four taels of liquor, reaching a perfect state of slight intoxication.

Secretary Ji Xuewen's face was flushed, and he became more talkative, eventually steering the conversation to the Chaojiang Bridge.

He said, "Secretary, I'm speaking from the heart, please don't blame me for being meddlesome, okay?"

"I won't. Go ahead."

"In my humble opinion, Haizhou can't compare to Special Economic Zones like Xianghai City. They have policies, financial resources, are sub-provincial cities, are close to Hong Kong and Macau, are near the provincial capital, and are in the economic core. Haizhou is different; it's located in a remote area with little geographical advantage. Development won't be great in the next eight to ten years, so I don't support the six-lane design in the new plan."

Secretary Ji Xuewen said, "An increase of 40 million in the budget is really not a small amount. I'm a relatively conservative person; I don't like spending extra money. Spending less on infrastructure and more on the common people—that's the right path."

Zhang Huaijing laughed heartily.

"Secretary, what are you laughing at? You're not angry, are you?"

Zhang Huaijing waved his hand and said, "Brother, you are very candid, and what you say makes sense. But I'm not going to argue with you, and I can't be bothered to waste any more breath. Let's just have it built as a six-lane road. In ten years, we'll look back and see."

"That's just talk; doing it is another matter entirely. On this issue, I unconditionally support you, Secretary!" Secretary Ji Xuewen slapped the table, speaking with great determination, then suddenly raised his glass with a grin and whispered in his ear, "Xiaoli and I are going to Minister Wan Jinlong's house for dinner tonight. We will persuade him to support the new plan; the third uncle listens to Xiaoli the most."

"Good, thank you, brother! Come, let's have a drink."

After a few more drinks, Secretary Ji Xuewen was a bit tipsy and said, "Secretary, I'm 43 this year. After forty, I have this feeling of being unable to exert my strength."

"You're in your prime, how can you not have any strength?"

Secretary Ji Xuewen shook his head with a smile and said, "I heard a joke recently that really resonated with me. It says that when you reach middle age, you can no longer watch 'Journey to the West' because you have Wukong's worries, Bajie's belly, Sha Seng's hairstyle, Tang Seng's nagging, and White Dragon Horse's job. The key is that the Golden Cudgel isn't as effective as it used to be, and what's even more depressing is that you're getting closer and closer to the Western Paradise."

Zhang Huaijing, with his forthright personality, burst into belly-aching laughter again.

Secretary Ji Xuewen also laughed until his eyes were filled with tears.

After laughing, Secretary Ji Xuewen sighed, "Brother Huaijing, do you know about the popular saying in Haizhou official circles? It's titled 'The Meaning'."

"Let's hear it."

"If you don't do anything, it's not enough 'meaning' (consideration); if you do a little, it's just a token 'meaning'; if you do too much, there's no 'meaning' to it; if you fight to do it, what's the 'meaning' behind it?!"

Zhang Huaijing laughed, "That's interesting."

"The official circles in Haizhou are a stagnant pool of water, a complete mess. Villains get their way, and good officials have a hard time. We desperately need a good leader like you, someone who truly wants to get things done, can get things done, and will succeed in getting things done!"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Zhang Huaijing's eyes, and he said with a rock-hard expression, "If a stone blocks the way, move it. If a villain stands in the way, eradicate them. We'll start with your Wanghai County!"

Secretary Ji Xuewen's expression shifted, and his hand even trembled slightly. This was the greatest support Zhang Huaijing could give him! Only by getting rid of County Magistrate Du Huaishui could he truly display his talents and accomplish great things.

"Thank you, Boss, it's all in the drink!" Secretary Ji Xuewen raised his small jug.

His forms of address for Zhang Huaijing, from "Secretary" to "Brother Huaijing" and then to "Boss," showed they were getting closer and more intimate.

Zhang Huaijing smiled calmly, took away his small jug, handed him the small wine cup, and said, "Stop while you're ahead. Save some room, you have to drink tonight."

"Understood, I will certainly not fail the mission."

The two drank it all in one gulp.

With these few pledges of allegiance, Secretary Ji Xuewen had completely defected to his side.

Although the two were indeed compatible in temperament, and Secretary Ji Xuewen was not the type to be sycophantic or opportunistic, there was no lack of utilitarian factors involved. Because Minister Wan Jinlong was 58 years old this year and about to retire, if Secretary Ji Xuewen wanted to climb higher, he needed a new backer.

Zhang Huaijing was naturally willing to accept him; he needed to cultivate his own power base.

Mutual need, win-win cooperation. This, too, is the way of officialdom.

At five in the afternoon, Zhang Huaijing was fast asleep when he was awakened by the continuous ringing of his mobile phone. He picked up the phone and saw it was from Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner:

"Secretary, I'm downstairs, come on down."

Zhang Huaijing finally remembered that he had promised Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner to go eat beef hot pot that evening, but his stomach was still full, so he was a bit reluctant and said, "Oh, what are we going to do?"

"How could you forget again? Dinner! A beautiful woman is inviting you to dinner, and you can forget that? Hurry up and come down." She had been pampered since childhood and showed absolutely no sign of being a subordinate, even blaming her superior.

"Wait ten minutes for me, I need to tidy myself up."

"Okay, make yourself look handsome, after all, you're on a date with a beautiful woman."

Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner drove a red BMW 3 Series and took Zhang Huaijing to the old street in Chaotou District.

At this time, the streetlights were just coming on, the traffic was heavy, and crowds of people were surging; naturally, the congestion was quite severe.

This was the busiest area in Haizhou City, close to the seaside and a densely populated area.

"The traffic here has some problems," Zhang Huaijing said. "It shouldn't be this congested."

"Exactly, it's so annoying. It starts to jam up as soon as it's dinnertime in the evening," Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner complained. "You're the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, hurry up and issue orders to solve the traffic bottleneck."

"These are all roads from ten or twenty years ago; they're too narrow, and there are more and more private cars, so they aren't enough. The planning is also poor; there isn't even a one-way street. Furthermore, there are no underpasses or overpasses, and the train tracks cut through the roads. It would be strange if it weren't congested." Zhang Huaijing pointed out the problems in this area in just a few sentences.

After honking the horn, Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner freed up a hand and gave him a thumbs up: "Secretary, you are so sharp; you hit the nail on the head."

Zhang Huaijing smiled and said, "That's not the real secret."

"Then where is it?"

"The traffic department not managing it, or their management being ineffective, leading to continued congestion and boiling public resentment—that is the greatest driving force for pushing the urban renewal of this area."

Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner turned her head to look at him, a bit bewildered. After a few seconds, she suddenly realized, slapped the steering wheel, and said, "I understand, Shen Meizhu!"

After seven o'clock, the two finally arrived at the Chaoweihe headquarters, where many people were already queuing outside.

Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner was a regular customer here, and with her status, the manager had already arranged a private room for her.

The private room was very large, but there were only the two of them.

The biggest feature of Chaoshan beef hot pot is that the beef is fresh, slaughtered on the same day and put into the pot on the same day.

Deputy Secretary Qiao Yaner was wearing a bright-colored short-sleeved shirt and black A-line shorts today. The shirt was tied at the navel, looking fashionable and straightforward. Her long, fair, and tender thighs were eye-catching, and her chest was towering; she was a great beauty with a good appearance and an outstanding figure.