Chapter 16

After lingering in Beijing for a few days, Lu Zheng returned to Guangning.

By this time, the county party committee's organization department had already issued a document appointing Lu Zheng as the first deputy director of the "Office for Combating Speculation and Illegal Business Activities." After selecting a few police officers from the public security department, Lu Zheng hurriedly took up his new post.

As Lu Zheng had anticipated, the issue of Hou Jianjun's deputy section-level benefits had yet to be resolved. Of course, in just a few days, Lu Zheng had not expected much.

The Office for Combating Speculation and Illegal Business Activities in Guangning County was located in the county industry and commerce bureau. The director was concurrently held by Cai Jin, the director of the county industry and commerce administration bureau. However, the specific work of the office was usually handled by Deputy Director Wang Donglei.

In principle, Lu Zheng was only nominally a deputy director and should have continued to work at the county bureau, being notified to take charge of on-site operations when the office needed to dispatch personnel.

However, to temporarily avoid the people and affairs at the county bureau, Lu Zheng moved his office to the industry and commerce bureau. He also proactively suggested that during his absence, the work of the public security department would be handled by Deputy Section Chief Sun Jie, under the supervision of Deputy Director Ma Yuewu.

It seemed that Director Zhang was pleased to hear that Lu Zheng would no longer be around to bother him.

Lu Zheng selected four police officers, including Du Xiaohu, to be stationed at the industry and commerce bureau. Coincidentally, since the beginning of the year, the number of speculation and illegal business activities in Guangning had surged, and the office was understaffed. The arrival of Lu Zheng and his team alleviated the shortage of law enforcement personnel, which was a welcome development.

Actually, before the 1960s, there was no industry and commerce bureau in Guangning. Its predecessor was the industry and commerce section, the county market management committee and its office, and the county office for combating smuggling and speculation and illegal business activities, which were affiliated with the commerce bureau and the supply and marketing cooperative.

In the 1960s, although the county industry and commerce administration bureau was established as a direct county-level institution, it was still essentially the structure of the industry and commerce section, an affiliate of the commerce bureau and the supply and marketing cooperative.

After the turmoil ended and the reform began, the re-established industry and commerce administration bureau became a true administrative function department, and its power grew increasingly significant.

Like many regions, the office building of the Guangning County Industry and Commerce Administration Bureau had just been completed, a brand new three-story white building.

Lu Zheng's office was on the second floor. He didn't expect to meet an acquaintance on his first day, Deputy Section Chief Zhou Changlong from the administrative section of the industry and commerce bureau.

It seemed that Zhou Changlong had come intentionally. He entered Lu Zheng's office with a smile, approached him, and before Lu Zheng could react, forced a carton of cigarettes into his drawer.

Lu Zheng and Deputy Section Chief Zhou Changlong had a history. A few days ago, in a small barbershop, Lu Zheng had encountered Zhou Changlong and his law enforcement team bullying a girl selling eggs. They had a big fight, and Zhou Changlong and his team suffered a significant loss.

Now, over a month had passed, and Zhou Changlong no longer felt embarrassed. Upon hearing that Lu Zheng had become his superior, even if only nominally, he hurriedly came to mend their relationship. After all, it was not wise to have a bad relationship with the police.

Lu Zheng slowly opened the drawer and took out the carton of cigarettes, chuckling. It was a carton of Ashima, which cost 8.5 yuan per carton, nearly a week's salary for Lu Zheng, and was considered a high-end brand.

Zhou Changlong, anxious, glanced around, fearing someone might enter the office. He then whispered, "Director, I noticed you have a big smoking habit, so I got this carton for you. Don't worry, it's definitely not from our seized stock."

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and put the cigarettes back in the drawer. Zhou Changlong felt somewhat relieved.

Lu Zheng was new to the place, and Zhou Changlong was his only acquaintance. If he refused the gift, Zhou Changlong might think he was holding a grudge, making future interactions difficult. So, he decided to accept it but planned to find a way to return the money indirectly.

Before returning to Guangning, his elder sister, Lu Jiaju, had given him some money and a stack of national food coupons. At the time, food coupons were more useful than money in many regions, and without them, one could hardly get by. In Wushan, although the use of food coupons had not been completely stopped like in Shenzhen, one could still use money to make up for the lack of food coupons, though there would be a price difference, and using food coupons was more cost-effective.

For Lu Zheng, a "magician of the business world" in his previous life, money was something he could easily obtain. He didn't care about these petty things.

Now, Lu Zheng was thinking about how to make a name for himself.

Combating speculation and illegal business activities? It was merely a product of the times and would soon disappear from history. The better he performed in this role, the more complicated his future would be, and this work was also at odds with his own wishes.

Thinking about his dilemma, Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile bitterly. The political arena was full of hidden currents. Despite living two lives, he still couldn't maneuver freely in this remote county.

After a few minutes of small talk, Zhou Changlong took his leave. Lu Zheng pondered for a while and decided to visit Secretary Liu Baojun of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission to gauge the situation and try to find a way out of this position. After all, various institutions were emerging, and officials were frequently transferred.

Thinking about dealing with Liu Baojun, Lu Zheng squinted. Unlike the business world, where one could make bold moves, working in the government was all about dealing with people. One had to understand people and smooth out relationships to have a chance of advancing.

How much could he understand about Liu Baojun?

In the political arena of Guangning, he was just a pawn, and he might even be overestimating himself.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but think of his father. In his previous life, he hadn't realized his father's significance, but now, preparing to compete in the political arena, he deeply appreciated his father's prowess.

At home, his father seemed unassuming, but in the political world, he was at the pinnacle.

And here he was, still confused in this small county, unsure for whom he was working. To reach his father's level, he didn't know how long it would take.

Lost in thought, Lu Zheng rode his bicycle back to the county party committee compound. The gatekeeper, Old Chen, recognized him and greeted him with a smile.

Standing in front of Liu Baojun's office on the second floor, Lu Zheng gently knocked on the door.

...

Liu Baojun had been in a bad mood for the past few days. Everything seemed to be going wrong.

He was not one of the five standing committee members of the county party committee, and even among the vice-county chiefs, his rank was low. He was in charge of various miscellaneous institutions, and whenever something was difficult, Qiu Daha would throw it to him.

Qiu Daha was the party secretary and county chief of Guangning County. After the turmoil, the government had replaced the revolutionary committees and resumed its functions, so it was not uncommon for the party secretary to also serve as the county chief. However, the city was gradually advocating the separation of party and government functions, and there were frequent rumors of adjustments to the county leadership. Despite this, Qiu Daha's dominance remained unchallenged.

Liu Baojun had posted a big-character poster against Qiu Daha during the turmoil. Although he didn't know if Qiu Daha held a grudge, Liu Baojun had always wanted to leave Guangning. However, organizational matters were not something an individual could decide.

Two days ago, at a party committee meeting, Qiu Daha had thrown him another hot potato. The county reception center was to be reformed, and a leadership group for the reform was to be established, with Liu Baojun as the head, responsible for the entire reform process, setting an example for the upcoming reforms of county-level and below public institutions.

Liu Baojun was furious. The county reception center, which had been fully funded by the government, was now allowed to operate commercially and receive differential funding. This was a huge psychological shock to the staff, as it felt like they were suddenly turning from government employees into hotel workers, serving the masses instead of leaders, with a significant drop in benefits.

Moreover, under the differential funding system, the government would only cover 70% of the staff's salaries, and the rest would have to be earned through business operations. Turning a secure, well-paid job into a precarious one, who wouldn't be angry?

And now, he had to lead this reform.

Liu Baojun was fuming. In political life, no one wanted to be the bad guy.

Just as Liu Baojun was sulking, Lu Zheng arrived.

Noticing Liu Baojun's unhappy expression, Lu Zheng knew he had come at a bad time, but he couldn't just turn around and leave.

Sitting on the sofa with Lu Zheng, Liu Baojun slowly lit a cigarette. This Lu Zheng was a puzzle. If a regular official had solved a major case and was then marginalized, they would be upset. If it had happened to him when he was young, he would have been furious. But this Lu Zheng, who was usually quick to anger, remained calm and composed.

"Leader, you're troubled?" Having interacted a few times, they had become more familiar, and Lu Zheng used a more intimate yet respectful term, "Leader."

Liu Baojun smiled and said, "Tell me why you're here. You wouldn't come unless there was something."

Lu Zheng glanced at the red-headed document on the desk, seeing the words "reception center." He immediately understood why Liu Baojun was upset.

The reform of the county reception center had been discussed for a while, but it had been put on hold due to strong resistance from the staff. Now, it seemed the decision was final, and Liu Baojun had been forced to take on this hot potato.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "The county reception center is one of the best places to stay in our county. Even the state-owned hotels can't compare. Reform is a good thing. I don't understand why they are making a fuss. In the future, their salaries and bonuses will likely far exceed ours."

Liu Baojun hummed absentmindedly, not thinking that Lu Zheng understood these issues. Listening to this rough man talk about reform and economics, he found it somewhat amusing.

Lu Zheng continued, "Secretary, how about this? I'll do some research for two days and write a proposal for the reform of the county reception center. You can use it as a reference." Liu Baojun was the first county leader he had interacted with frequently. Whether he was a black cat or a white cat, he needed to help catch mice. After all, he had lived two lives and, while lacking in political experience, had more knowledge about reforming public institutions.

Liu Baojun didn't take it seriously, saying, "Sure, sure." In his heart, he was still mocking Lu Zheng for overestimating himself, thinking he had become arrogant after solving a case and believed he could meddle in everything.