Chapter 31

At the Honey Cave Restaurant in the evening, Lu Zheng invited Hou Jianjun to join him.

Li Xiangyang had brought quite a few people, about four or five men and women. They included the County Commercial Bureau Director Du Botao, the County TV Station Director Ma Lingyu (Ma Dajie), and her husband Zhang Bocai, who was the deputy director of the County People's Hospital. Additionally, there was Liu Ming, the deputy section chief of the News Supervision Section of the County Party Committee Publicity Department. This young man was naturally the one Li Xiangyang brought to run errands and pour drinks.

It was clear that Li Xiangyang's friends were all sociable and straightforward in their speech and actions.

In the private room, after everyone had introduced themselves, the atmosphere quickly became lively. The waiters served dishes one after another, filling the table with chicken, duck, fish, and meat. In this era where the quality of dishes was not yet refined, it was considered particularly sumptuous. The wine was Maotai, brought by Li Xiangyang.

Lu Zheng smiled at the dishes on the table and said, "Why is there no beef or mutton? I heard that our Wushan meat and poultry market will soon be fully liberalized, with market-guided prices. Once the price of beef and mutton goes up, it will be hard to enjoy them."

Li Xiangyang laughed and said, "Brother Zheng, do you like beef and mutton? That stuff has a strong gamey smell; what's the point of eating it?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "If you cook it in a hot pot, there won't be any gamey smell. How about this: one day, I'll invite all of you to my place for a hot pot. I hope you'll all come."

Everyone laughed and said they would. Ma Dajie laughed heartily and said, "Director Lu, when the time comes, I'll bring a videographer to record it. We'll keep it as a memento. When Director Lu gets promoted, this will be evidence of our acquaintance."

Everyone laughed. Without a doubt, Lu Zheng was the absolute star of the table today. No one would try to steal his thunder; they would only add to the fun.

These few people were all good friends of Li Xiangyang, and they took the opportunity to get to know the new Public Security Bureau Director. The power of the public security department was growing, and it could almost manage half the county.

Moreover, although there was a push for younger and more knowledgeable cadres, a 22-year-old at the county level as the Public Security Bureau Director was unprecedented, not just in Wushan, but perhaps in the entire province or even the country. The future prospects of Director Lu were boundless. So, no one wanted to miss this opportunity to get to know him, even the straightforward Ma Dajie, who rarely spoke flattery, did so today.

Du Botao toasted Lu Zheng with a smile. He and Li Xiangyang had a deep connection, being fellow townspeople, classmates, and comrades-in-arms. They were close friends who could talk about anything. Compared to Li Xiangyang, Du Botao was more reserved and had a more authoritative presence. No one in the room dared to take him lightly.

The Commercial Bureau was one of the most powerful departments in the county, overseeing the entire commercial system, including the Food Company, Foreign Trade Company, and Department Store, which almost monopolized the commercial circulation in Guangning. It also had over 20 enterprises, including food processing plants, sugar factories, and flour mills, responsible for pricing and market regulation.

Although the power of the Commercial Bureau was gradually waning with the acceleration of reforms in Wushan, it was still one of the most influential departments in the county.

Liu Ming looked at Lu Zheng enviously. Lu Zheng was younger than him but was already on a first-name basis with the top figures in the county, while he was just a deputy section chief in the Publicity Department. He had always thought he was doing well and progressing quickly, but today he realized there were always people better and more capable than him.

However, Lu Zheng was already one of the top figures in the county. Seeing him chat and laugh, his presence was no less impressive than that of Minister Li and Director Du.

These people in the room were all influential in Guangning, and sitting at the same table with them would naturally make one feel some pressure. Liu Ming didn't say much, only pouring tea and wine.

Hou Jianjun was much stronger. The position of the Urban Police Station Chief was not easy to get. He had a wide range of contacts, and his performance was on par with everyone in the room, except when facing Lu Zheng, he clearly felt inferior.

He didn't feel guilty, but he was uncomfortable and deeply regretted his decision to suddenly try to curry favor with Gao Zhikai at that time. Now, it seemed he would end up with nothing.

When Lu Zheng invited him to dinner, it greatly boosted his spirits. Lu Zheng was a man who valued old friendships. After all, during difficult times, they had been on the same boat, even though he had ultimately failed to maintain his integrity. He hoped Lu Zheng would forgive him.

But today, in front of Lu Zheng, seeing his calm smile and gentle words, Hou Jianjun was at a loss. He didn't know when, but he felt that Lu Zheng was no longer the same person he knew. He couldn't fathom what Lu Zheng was thinking.

Even after the banquet, Hou Jianjun was still uneasy, like being on a roller coaster, his mood rising and falling with Lu Zheng's expressions and words, never able to relax.

After the banquet, when they went outside, they didn't see Jiao Lei or the car. Hou Jianjun frowned and said, "This little Jiao, how thoughtless? Where did he go?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I asked him to return the car to the bureau. Eating is a private matter; we don't need to use the bureau's car." In fact, very few cadres had cars, and the concept of using public cars for private matters didn't exist. But Lu Zheng believed that many things should start with small actions. Jiao Lei, not knowing his thoughts, was probably still puzzled.

Li Xiangyang and Du Botao, walking beside Lu Zheng, exchanged glances when they heard his words.

The entire Publicity Department didn't have a car. Even Minister Ding could only occasionally use the cars from the County Party Committee Office. Li Xiangyang certainly didn't have a dedicated car.

On the contrary, the Commercial Bureau, due to business needs, had several cars. The one Du Botao was about to get into was a car allocated to the Foreign Trade Company, a Polish "Little Potato," a very simple small car. This car was originally for receiving guests but was now used by Du Botao, and occasionally by the county's top leaders.

The "Little Potato" was parked across the street. The driver, noticing the leaders had come out, quickly drove over to pick them up.

But after hearing Lu Zheng's words, Du Botao felt a bit embarrassed but couldn't tell his driver to wait. As he frowned, the "Little Potato" had already stopped beside them. The driver jumped out, smiling, waiting for Du Botao's instructions on who to take first.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "This car is great. It's a sedan, but it only costs about 5,000 yuan. Early entrepreneurs could afford it. Brother Du, why don't we walk? Your home is nearby, right? I and Jianjun will see you off. Brother Li, Sister Ma, and Brother Zhang live far away, so we'll call a car for them."

Du Botao smiled and said, "Sure!" He quickly signaled the driver and shook hands with Li Xiangyang and Ma Dajie.

As for Liu Ming, he had already gone to get his bicycle.

The street lights were coming on, and the main street in front of the Honey Cave Restaurant was brightly lit.

The Commercial Bureau residential complex was not far from the Honey Cave Restaurant. After crossing a street and turning into an alley, it was just a hundred meters to a large black iron gate. Inside were several buildings, the residential buildings of the Commercial Bureau and some of its subordinate companies.

At the gate, Du Botao stopped and smiled, "That's it, Director Lu, Chief Hou, you can stop here. Today, I had the honor of having two public security guardians protect me. In the future, I'll be invincible."

Lu Zheng smiled and shook his hand, intending to watch him enter the complex, but Du Botao insisted they leave first. After some polite refusal, Lu Zheng and Hou Jianjun turned back. As they walked out of the alley, they looked back and saw Du Botao still watching them.

Hou Jianjun laughed, "Du Botao is in a tough spot now. Our bureau's internal security is investigating the manager of the Food Company under him, right? What's his name? Oh, right, Wang."

The internal security department of the County Public Security Bureau was originally responsible for security in key areas and managing the security forces of various units. But as Wushan became a forefront of reform and opening up, economic crimes in state-owned enterprises and institutions increased, and economic disputes among the public also grew. Therefore, from the middle of this year, the city bureau issued a document clarifying the responsibilities of the internal security departments (brigades, teams, sections) in Wushan to include internal security and economic crime investigation.

In fact, the internal security department had always had the function of economic crime investigation, but it was more focused on cooperation with the units it was in contact with. Now, it was shifting towards independent case handling.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Your information is quite good."

Hou Jianjun chuckled and said, "I just don't know if Old Du is involved. If he is, that would be interesting."

It's no wonder people say the police are despicable. Just after having a friendly meal with someone, they turn around and hope for their downfall. Hou Jianjun was a prime example of a despicable police officer.

After a few steps, Lu Zheng said calmly, "Jianjun, you need to work hard and not let me down."

Hou Jianjun was stunned, then a wave of joy surged in his heart. It seemed there was a chance. Director Lu still considered him a trusted confidant. Perhaps his long-stalled deputy section chief position would be resolved soon.

"Director Lu, rest assured, wherever you point, I'll go! If I have any second thoughts, may I die a terrible death!" In his excitement, Hou Jianjun didn't know how to express his loyalty, even resorting to oaths, which was understandable given his past mistakes. He now realized that many things, once wrong, were extremely difficult to correct.

He was genuinely sincere. Seeing Lu Zheng rise from almost being dismissed to seizing power in just a few months, he was still in awe. But he truly admired the young director's skills and was determined that if given a second chance, he would not be foolish again. He would stand with Director Lu through thick and thin and not waver.

Lu Zheng smiled but said nothing. At that moment, they heard a commotion ahead, with someone cursing and a child crying in pain.

On the left side of the intersection between the alley and the main street was a bakery selling buns and steamed bread. The noise was coming from there, and a few people were gathered around, watching the commotion.