Chapter 97

After spending some time being intimate with Lin Yuqing, Xu Junran checked the time and then sat on the ox cart that was heading to the county town to sell mountain goods, slowly making his way there.

At this very moment, the sun was shining brightly, and the air was filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. However, inside the Wu De County Party Committee meeting room, the air was thick with smoke.

Officials all loved to smoke, a habit perhaps due to the need to think. Whenever a meeting was held, all the leaders, regardless of their rank, would have a cigarette in hand, be it a regular cigarette or a pipe. They would talk and smoke, as if the matter at hand could not be discussed without a cigarette.

Originally, a meeting of the Secretaries was to be held, but unexpectedly, the County Party Secretary Yan Wangsong changed his mind and proposed a Standing Committee meeting. As the top leader of the County Party Committee, he had the authority to do so. Although the other Standing Committee members did not know what was going on, they could only rush from their respective positions to the County Party Committee.

At the beginning of today's Standing Committee meeting, the Deputy County Magistrate, Qin Guotong, started off with a strong statement.

"Old Secretary, County Magistrate Yang, in recent days, many unlicensed small traders have been caught in the county. They are severely disrupting the economic order of our county. I believe they should be dealt with severely!"

He had come today with a grudge, determined to make the Standing Committee decide to crack down on the small traders.

Qin Guotong was very clear that Old Secretary Yan Wangsong detested such activities the most. As long as he showed a firm attitude, he could gain Yan Wangsong's support. Once Yan Wangsong decided to crack down on the small traders, it would be like digging a pit for himself to fall into.

He had received word from the City Party Secretary Zhang that the state was planning to vigorously promote individual and private economies. When that happened, the old bones like Yan Wangsong would have to step down, and he would have a chance to vie for the position of County Party Secretary.

As for Yang Weitian, although Qin Guotong did not take him lightly, he was quite confident. Yang Weitian was not a fool; at this time, maintaining a low profile was the most important thing. The reason he dared to scheme against Yan Wangsong was that someone in the City Party Committee had hinted to him. Otherwise, even if Qin Guotong had the courage, he would not have the ability to deal with Yan Wangsong, who had been entrenched in Wu De County for decades. He believed that Yang Weitian must have also received a warning from his backer, otherwise, he would not have remained silent when he sent the Public Security Bureau's Cheng Hongda to make arrests.

With the right time, place, and people on his side, as long as Yan Wangsong made a statement, he would be stepping into the trap, and it would be certain death!

After Qin Guotong spoke, the County Party Committee Standing Committee member and County Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary, Bai Tianyou, frowned and said, "Secretary Qin, you can't say it like that. These small traders are just exchanging their own produce for food coupons and cloth coupons. There's no need to make it a big issue, is there?"

Bai Tianyou was a former military man and did not belong to any faction within the County Party Committee. He was known for his impartiality.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the functions of the County Party Committee and the County Government were largely lost, and the main work of the county was carried out by the Revolutionary Committee. The Discipline Inspection Commission and other departments had completely lost their role in intra-party supervision. It was not until the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee that the functions of the government and the party were gradually restored.

And now, the Discipline Inspection Commission had just resumed its work. Bai Tianyou was a cadre sent from the provincial capital and was said to have a deep relationship with a certain leader of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission. He was usually stern and did not interact much with the other Standing Committee members, and even the few leaders of the County Party Committee were wary of this cold-faced secretary.

Qin Guotong's face changed, clearly showing his fear of Bai Tianyou. However, he felt very confident at this moment. On one hand, he had the support of a big figure in the city, and on the other hand, he had already reported to Yan Wangsong the previous day. In his report, the small traders were described as a group of lawbreakers attempting to seize state property through capitalist means. According to Qin Guotong, "These people, if not arrested, would not satisfy the public's anger!"

Heaven knows where he got the idea of "public anger" from.

After a moment of thought, Qin Guotong gave a meaningful look to his good friend, the Propaganda Minister Shen Yonggan. Shen Yonggan was the son-in-law of Qin's village, and the two had always been allies in the County Party Committee. At this moment, he needed his ally's help.

Shen Yonggan coughed and looked at Bai Tianyou, carefully choosing his words before saying, "Secretary Bai, I think what Secretary Qin said is indeed something we should pay attention to. The central government has not yet made a clear decision on individual operations under the planned economy, and there is no clear statement in any documents. Even the special economic zones are only being experimented with in a few regions. If we allow these individual traders to operate freely in Wu De County, won't it turn into a situation where merchants are everywhere, as in the old society?"

He was a smart man and knew that Old Secretary Yan Wangsong detested the old society the most because he had come from a poor background and despised the capitalists who exploited farmers.

Sure enough, Yan Wangsong's brows furrowed, and although he did not speak, his face turned slightly dark.

Shen Yonggan decided to press on and continued, "In my opinion, we should appropriately educate the small traders in our county, confiscate their illegal gains, and make them promise not to repeat their mistakes. But we must use all means, including propaganda and education, to make the people of the county understand that we must unwaveringly follow the socialist path!"

Such a righteous statement almost made Yang Weitian, who already knew about their plot, call out in approval.

Bai Tianyou, however, was not satisfied. Although he did not know what Qin Guotong was up to, his military intuition and sense of justice told him that selling a little bit of home-grown vegetables and fruits was not something that needed to be made into a big issue. The era of class struggle was over, and now, the most important thing was to ensure that the people had enough to eat. For a poor county that relied on state relief to get through the spring famine every year, worrying about such ideological issues was pointless.

Of course, this was just a thought in his mind. Although Bai Tianyou was straightforward, he was not foolish. In the past, such thoughts would have been considered treasonous and would have led to criticism. Even in the current situation, before everything was clear, it was better to be cautious.

Bai Tianyou was extremely cautious about Qin Guotong. This man had risen to power through rebellion and had managed to enter the cadre ranks because of his connections with the main leaders of the City Party Committee. In the political arena, it was better to offend a gentleman than a small person. A gentleman could be deceived, but a small person was truly not to be offended.

The way of the political arena was to plant flowers and not thorns. Unless absolutely necessary, one should not engage in open conflict. Therefore, after expressing his opinion, Bai Tianyou remained silent, knowing that if he said too much, it might displease Old Secretary Yan Wangsong.

The other Standing Committee members mostly held the same attitude, even including the staunch Yan supporter, Li Dongyuan. Everyone knew that the final decision would be in the hands of Old Secretary Yan Wangsong. Without his word, no one else's opinion mattered.

All eyes were on Yan Wangsong.

Yan Wangsong had not spoken the entire time, only silently smoking his pipe, one puff after another. The strong smell of the pipe soon filled the entire meeting room. Some people, unaccustomed to the smell, began to cough.

After taking a final, satisfying puff, Yan Wangsong placed the pipe on the table. On the table was an ashtray, which was actually a jar half-filled with water, an idea of Yan Wangsong's to prevent any unextinguished cigarettes from causing damage. After all, things were scarce, and the county was short on funds, so there was no money to repair anything that might break.

"County Magistrate Yang, you are well-educated. Tell me, what kind of behavior do these small traders exhibit?"

Yan Wangsong's first words surprised everyone, as he did not ask Qin Guotong but instead directed the topic to Yang Weitian.

Could it be that Old Secretary is going to target County Magistrate Yang?

This thought flashed through the minds of all the Standing Committee members, but their expressions and thoughts varied.

Qin Guotong and Shen Yonggan were delighted, hoping for a conflict between Yan Wangsong and Yang Weitian, which would allow them to take advantage of the situation.

Bai Tianyou and others, however, were puzzled. After all, Old Secretary was respected, and County Magistrate Yang was dedicated to his work. They did not want to see a conflict between the two leaders. If possible, everyone should focus on developing the economy of Wu De County.

As for Li Dongyuan, he was surprised and confused. As Yan Wangsong's confidant and Xu Junran's elder, he had heard Xu Junran say that there were no misunderstandings between Yan Wangsong and County Magistrate Yang, and that they were working together well. Xu Junran's appointment and other matters had also made Li Dongyuan feel that Xu Junran was right. But now, Yan Wangsong had directed the issue raised by Qin Guotong towards Yang Weitian. Why?

As everyone was curious, Yang Weitian thought for a moment and said, "I think this matter is a bit overblown, Old Secretary, don't you think?"

To everyone's surprise, Yan Wangsong nodded. "Yes, I also think it's overblown. Not only overblown, but also meddling in matters that don't concern us!"

After saying this, Old Secretary Yan Wangsong turned to Qin Guotong and asked sternly, "Qin Guotong, I ask you, what is the task of the Public Security Bureau?"

Qin Guotong was taken aback. Before he could answer, Yan Wangsong continued, "In my opinion, the Public Security Bureau is there to protect the people from criminals and to safeguard the interests of the masses. But look at the people under Cheng Hongda. Instead of focusing on real criminals, they are targeting vegetable sellers and杂货商. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"

A cold glint appeared in the old man's eyes. "Secretary Qin, what do you think?"

At that moment, Qin Guotong felt as if he was being stared at by a tiger that had just woken up from a nap!