Chapter 68: Chao Tianjiao

Zeng Yi hastily tidied himself up, went downstairs, and the car from the provincial reception office had just arrived. The car picked up Zeng Yi and headed straight for Rongcheng Airport.

The car from the provincial reception office had a special pass, allowing it to drive directly into the VIP lane and then onto the tarmac.

Today, Qin Yizhou, Secretary of Qiao Wendeh, was coming to Nanjiang to inspect the reception work. The Nanjiang Provincial Party Committee took it very seriously and sent a reception team led by Deputy Secretary-General You Zhenya.

When Zeng Yi arrived, there were already more than a dozen cars lined up on the tarmac, including sedans and minibuses. In front of the cars, dozens of people were standing in a clear hierarchy, holding a banner that read, "Welcome to Nanjiang for Inspection and Guidance by Higher-Level Leaders." Among the crowd were two elementary school students, holding bouquets of flowers, ready to present them to Qin Yizhou.

Wang Jinzhu saw Zeng Yi in the crowd but did not come out. He merely nodded slightly as a greeting.

Seeing the serious atmosphere, Zeng Yi did not go over to greet him. He smiled at Wang Jinzhu and then stood at the back of the crowd. As he had guessed, he would be responsible for Qiao Wendeh's health care in Nanjiang. Today, he was here as a health expert.

At exactly 10:00 AM, a silver plane emerged from the clouds and appeared in the sky above Rongcheng Airport, accompanied by a loud roar as it began to glide and land.

After the plane stopped, the boarding stairs were slowly lowered, perfectly aligned with the red carpet laid out in front, with no deviation. To achieve the best reception effect, the pilots must have put in a lot of effort.

You Zhenya slowly stepped forward, standing at the bottom of the stairs with a warm smile on his face, looking up at the cabin door, waiting for Qin Yizhou to appear. Behind him stood a few high-ranking officials, ready to welcome him.

Less than a minute later, Qin Yizhou, dressed in standard official attire, appeared at the cabin door. He was about forty years old, with a fair complexion and wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

As soon as Qin Yizhou stepped out of the cabin, he saw the waiting crowd and the prominent welcome banner. A slight smile appeared on his face. It seemed that Nanjiang still respected Old Qiao. He then walked down the stairs.

"Director Qin, you must have had a tiring journey," You Zhenya said warmly, extending both hands. "Welcome to Nanjiang for the inspection."

"Secretary You, you really didn't have to make such a big fuss. I was told to keep everything simple. Besides, I'm just here to check on Old Qiao's living conditions, not to inspect the work."

Although Qin Yizhou said this, and even thought that Nanjiang had made things too grand, he didn't really feel that way. If he had arrived to a cold and empty reception, he would have turned around and left without even setting foot in Nanjiang. As a representative of Old Qiao, Qin Yizhou's attitude toward him would reflect the future attitude toward Old Qiao. Qin Yizhou could lose face, but he couldn't let Old Qiao lose face.

"Director Qin is a higher-level leader. How can we dare to be negligent when a higher-level leader comes?" You Zhenya smiled. "Party Secretary Fang was supposed to come personally, but he had an important official duty to attend to and couldn't come to greet you. Party Secretary Fang will host a welcome banquet for you tonight."

Qin Yizhou knew this was just polite talk and not to be taken seriously. Fang Nanguo wouldn't come to the airport to greet him because his rank wasn't high enough. He laughed, "If Secretary Fang really came, I would be overwhelmed. I wouldn't even dare to get off the plane, ha ha."

Two children, following instructions, came forward to present flowers, saying in a childlike voice, "Welcome, Uncle Qin, to Nanjiang!"

You Zhenya chuckled and quickly introduced the important officials who had come to greet Qin Yizhou. After a round of handshakes and pleasantries, everyone got into the cars, which were escorted by police cars, heading straight for Yulong Mountain Villa.

Compared to the last time, the security at Yulong Mountain Villa had been upgraded. In addition to the previous People's Armed Police checkpoint at the foot of the mountain, there was now an additional checkpoint set up by plainclothes police.

Yue Shangao, leading the management staff of Yulong Mountain Villa, stood at attention at the entrance, ready to welcome the guests. The convoy did not stop at the entrance but drove straight in.

However, after getting out of the car, Yue Shangao ran over quickly, appearing in front of everyone with a smile, ready to serve the leaders.

Qin Yizhou got out of the car and looked around the environment of Yulong Mountain Villa, nodding slightly. "The scenery of Yulong Mountain is quite nice!"

"In Rongcheng, the scenery of Yulong Mountain is the best," You Zhenya introduced. "Many senior leaders have stayed here in the past, and it remains our highest-level reception venue. The security and living services are absolutely top-notch."

Qin Yizhou listened and looked into the distance. "Where is Old Qiao's residence? Is everything ready?"

"Everything is ready, just waiting for your inspection," You Zhenya smiled. "The villa has prepared a welcome reception for you. Director Qin, you must be tired from the journey. Why don't you rest for a bit, have a cup of tea, and eat something before we start the inspection?"

Qin Yizhou waved his hand. "Let's go see Old Qiao's residence first. The leader's matters are more important!"

Seeing Qin Yizhou's firm attitude, You Zhenya nodded. "Yes, yes, nothing is trivial when it comes to the leader." He beckoned to Yue Shangao. "You lead the way and give Director Qin a detailed report on the preparations."

Yue Shangao immediately bent down and extended his hand. "Director Qin, this way, please." As he walked, he introduced, "To ensure the best reception for Old Qiao, we have formed a reception team consisting of the reception office, the villa management office, and the health bureau. We have arranged Old Qiao's residence according to the principles of comfort, homeliness, and health. Everything inside is brand new..."

Qin Yizhou listened to Yue Shangao's report without commenting. When people give reports, they always use the most beautiful words. Whether it's as good as they say can only be determined by seeing it in person. Old Qiao had very high standards for his living environment.

Yue Shangao carefully observed Qin Yizhou's expression and noticed that he wasn't very interested in what he was saying. He abandoned his prepared script and gave a concise report to avoid being too verbose and causing Qin Yizhou to become annoyed.

This time, Yue Shangao had prepared two houses. One was the original arrangement, and the other was arranged according to Zeng Yi's suggestions. According to the distance, they should have passed by the one arranged by Zeng Yi first, but seeing Qin Yizhou's serious face, Yue Shangao decided to show him the originally arranged house first. He would rather have Qin Yizhou criticize the higher-standard house than find fault with the other one.

"Please, this way, this way!" At the next turn, Yue Shangao hurriedly led the way.

As they turned the corner, they saw a bright red patch in front of a small building.

Qin Yizhou's eyes lit up. "What is that red patch?"

Yue Shangao immediately answered, "It's Chao Tianjiao! Absolutely green, pollution-free, and harmless!" To create the effect, Yue Shangao had specially transplanted a batch of Chao Tianjiao from the pepper garden a few days ago, choosing the red ones. The gardeners of Yulong Mountain had used every method to ensure the Chao Tianjiao survived.

Qin Yizhou walked over to the pepper patch, looking at the bright red peppers. He finally smiled. "Good! These peppers are growing really well!"

Yue Shangao was amazed. If Qin Yizhou hadn't been right in front of him, he would have gone to ask Zeng Yi what was going on. He had only transplanted the Chao Tianjiao as required, but it had caught Qin Yizhou's attention.

Pulling his gaze away from the Chao Tianjiao, Qin Yizhou stood with his hands behind his back and asked, "Where is Old Qiao's house?"

Even if Yue Shangao was foolish, he could now see the situation. He immediately put on a surprised expression. "Impressive, impressive, Director Qin, your insight is truly sharp. The house we prepared for Old Qiao is indeed this one!"

Qin Yizhou laughed heartily. "Good, good, it seems you have really put in a lot of effort!" With that, he walked toward the door of the small building.

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