Chapter 43 of 100

Chapter 43: Indulging in Small Successes

16 min read3,884 words

When Zhu Da Dong arrived at Chen Shu Li's house, Chen Shu Li's son, Chen Wan Li, had already returned from kindergarten. Zhu Da Dong took out a Transformers toy, and the five-year-old Chen Wan Li was indeed very fond of it, holding it as if it were a treasure. With nothing else to do, Zhu Da Dong played with him, and the two had a great time.

"Beep beep!"

Hearing the horn from outside, Zhu Da Dong knew that Chen Shu Li had returned. Although the jeep from the township government was old, its horn was very loud. Every time Chen Shu Li's car returned to the township government, Wang Bo would honk twice, and Chen Shu Li would announce his return with the horn, like a head of the household. Unexpectedly, it was the same in the county town, so Zhu Da Dong quickly went out to greet him.

Chen Shu Li's dark face was flushed with a red glow, and he looked radiant, indicating that his communication with Deputy Secretary Wang had gone well.

"Secretary Chen, you're back," Zhu Da Dong said with a smile.

"Yes, have dinner at my place tonight before you go back," Chen Shu Li said. His mood was indeed good today, as the township project was basically finalized, and Wang Fei Hu had promised to allocate 100,000 yuan. With this 100,000 yuan, the township enterprises of Shulin Township would be halfway there.

"Son, what are you playing with?" Chen Shu Li shouted loudly as soon as he entered the door. He was particularly fond of his son and would always take a look at him before returning to the township, even if he couldn't stay for dinner.

"Dad!" Chen Wan Li, holding the Transformers toy, rushed into Chen Shu Li's arms.

"Good son, were you well-behaved in kindergarten today?" Chen Shu Li was delighted and lifted his son up, spinning him around in the air.

"Of course, the teacher even praised me."

"Who bought you the toy in your hand?"

"It was Uncle Zhu. Uncle Zhu is very nice and played with me too."

"Little Zhu, you've made me spend a lot," Chen Shu Li said with a smile as he put his son down. At that moment, his face lacked the sternness of a secretary and was instead filled with the affection of a father.

"I also like Wan Li very much. He is very smart and has strong hands-on skills. He will definitely become a capable person in the future," Zhu Da Dong said with a smile.

"You are a teacher by profession and an excellent one at that. I believe you," Chen Shu Li chuckled. As a father, he naturally hoped his child would become capable, especially when it was said by a professional. He felt even more pleased.

"By the way, Little Zhu, how did your lunch with Director Zhao go?" Chen Shu Li asked casually, as if he had just remembered. Originally, he had two plans: if things didn't go well with Deputy Secretary Wang, he would go directly to Guo Lin An and have Zhu Da Dong seek help through Zhao Jin Hai. But now that things were going smoothly, there was no need for Zhu Da Dong's assistance.

"I had lunch with Director Zhao at Xiangshan Villa."

"Just the two of you?"

"Also with Big Brother Guo and Brother Xu. Brother Xu is the owner of Xiangshan Villa," Zhu Da Dong explained quickly.

"Big Brother Guo?" Chen Shu Li asked, surprised.

"Guo Lin An, Director Zhao's old superior and former leader," Zhu Da Dong said, feigning ignorance.

"Guo Lin An? Big Brother Guo? Little Zhu, you have no political sensitivity. You read the county committee's documents every day, don't you know who Guo Lin An is?" Chen Shu Li was speechless. Only someone who didn't know Guo Lin An's identity would dare call him Big Brother Guo.

"Guo Lin An? Oh my, the County Secretary Guo!" Zhu Da Dong exclaimed, feigning shock.

"You're quite something. You had a drink with the County Secretary, and he even told you his name. Not only did you not know his identity, but you even dared to call him Big Brother Guo. I'm almost impressed," Chen Shu Li couldn't help but laugh, thinking that Zhu Da Dong had missed a great opportunity. But then he thought, knowing the County Secretary's identity might not be a good thing. Had he spoken too quickly? Since the County Secretary didn't reveal his identity, why should he? Thinking about this, Chen Shu Li felt a bit regretful.

"At the time, I thought he was just an old comrade of Director Zhao. How could I have thought of the County Secretary?" Zhu Da Dong was extremely embarrassed, looking flustered.

"Actually, this isn't a bad thing. Since Director Zhao didn't point it out, it means the County Secretary won't blame you. You don't need to worry," Chen Shu Li patted Zhu Da Dong's shoulder, comforting him.

"That's good, that's good," Zhu Da Dong patted his chest, greatly relieved.

"Did the County Secretary ask you about the township's affairs?" Chen Shu Li asked again.

"It doesn't seem so. The County Secretary doesn't talk much, but he can drink a lot. He drank five liters of Maotai at lunch," Zhu Da Dong said, holding up five fingers exaggeratedly.

"The County Secretary was a former regiment commander in the field army. Being able to drink is normal," Chen Shu Li nodded. In fact, he was also surprised. When the County Secretary and the County Magistrate inspected work below, they wouldn't dare to persuade them to drink. What they drank and how much was up to the individuals.

"So, Director Zhao and Xu Jun are from the same military unit as the County Secretary?" Zhu Da Dong asked.

"Of course. When the County Secretary was a regiment commander, Director Zhao was a battalion commander. They have a very good relationship. If you can build a good relationship with Director Zhao, it will be very helpful for your future. But remember, Little Zhu, don't talk about today's events casually. What I told you should be kept in your heart, understand?" Chen Shu Li said meaningfully. Zhu Da Dong had actually connected with the County Secretary, and this guy's luck was not just good. Many township officials, except for a distant glimpse of the County Secretary at meetings, would probably never have the chance to sit at the same table and drink with him, let alone call him "Big Brother." Even Chen Shu Li was a bit envious of Zhu Da Dong's good luck.

Someone like Zhu Da Dong, with a degree, young, and smart, would not be retained in Shulin Township for long. Now that he was on good terms with Zhao Jin Hai and had met Guo Lin An, who knew if the County Secretary might not use him in the future? By revealing the County Secretary's identity today, it meant he knew about it.

Thinking about this, Chen Shu Li felt a bit bitter. Why did he talk so much? It was all because he had drunk too much at noon and, with things going smoothly, had spoken without thinking. If he had pretended not to know and asked casually, he would have been more flexible. Now he had tied himself up, and he would have to promote Zhu Da Dong in the future.

"Understood, Secretary. I won't talk about this to anyone else," Zhu Da Dong nodded heavily. He hadn't expected Chen Shu Li to reveal so much today. Normally, he would just nod and not say a word more.

After chatting for a while, Chen Shu Li's wife, Lu Qiu Lan, came home from work. Seeing Chen Shu Li had returned, she quickly went out to buy some vegetables. That night at Chen Shu Li's house, Zhu Da Dong didn't want to drink, but Chen Shu Li was in high spirits and insisted on drinking two bottles of liquor with Zhu Da Dong. In the end, Zhu Da Dong was fine, but Chen Shu Li was dazed and slept all the way back to Shulin.

Back in his office, Zhu Da Dong, without washing up, took off his clothes and climbed into bed. Having drunk eight liters of Maotai today, he felt he could control his hearing at will. Now that he was home, he immediately began practicing the Turtle Breath technique, fearing that it would regress by the next day.

That night passed without incident. The next morning, when Zhu Da Dong opened his eyes, he suddenly felt that the world was different from before. He no longer needed to consciously control his hearing; as soon as he thought about it, his hearing would automatically adjust to the best state.

But he soon realized that today was different from yesterday at Xiangshan Villa, even though both were at will. Today, he was consciously controlling his hearing with his mind, but yesterday, it was subconscious. He just thought about Zhao Jin Hai and the others, and his ears automatically "listened" to the sounds inside the private room.

Zhu Da Dong's heart stirred. Could it be the effect of the Maotai?

---