Chapter 50

The next morning, Jiao Lei picked up Lu Zheng as usual in his minivan and then picked up Li Xiangyang on the way.

Although the county bureau still retained Lu Zheng's office, his usual workplace had naturally moved to the county committee compound, where he shared a building with Li Xiangyang. The daily work of the county bureau was now overseen by the deputy director, Ma Yuewu.

As soon as Li Xiangyang got in the car, he thanked Lu Zheng repeatedly. His bicycle had been stolen, and Lu Zheng had picked him up the previous morning as well.

This was a special situation, and Lu Zheng wouldn't be picking up Li Xiangyang every day. After all, Li Xiangyang was a favorite of the Minister of Propaganda, Ding Jiayin. If they got too close, it wouldn't be good for either of them.

Lu Zheng smiled and patted his shoulder.

Li Xiangyang didn't say much more on the way. In a blink, this great benefactor of his had entered the highest echelons of power in the county, his political status rising rapidly. Back then, he had felt that this young political commissioner was no ordinary person, but he hadn't expected such a rapid rise.

The highest echelons of power were also a place of intrigue. Although he was grateful, he couldn't chat casually with this young leader as he used to. Otherwise, a careless word might affect many people.

Many leaders had been affected by rumors, a casual remark that changed in meaning by the time it reached their ears, leading to misunderstandings and even conflicts.

The minivan slowly entered the county committee compound. In front, a bicycle's rear wheel was blocking the way, so Jiao Lei honked the horn several times. He was a lamb in front of Lu Zheng but had a short temper with others, even in the county committee compound, where he dared to drive recklessly.

The bicycle was pushed forward to clear the way, and the minivan entered the compound. By the gate, a slender figure was parking a bicycle—none other than Jiang Haiyan.

Jiang Haiyan glanced at the minivan and saw Lu Zheng.

By then, the minivan had already sped past her, passing through several rows of cypress and pine trees, and skillfully parked in front of the office building steps.

Lu Zheng sighed inwardly. In Jiang Haiyan's eyes, he, this young county committee member, must seem arrogant and overbearing!

Li Xiangyang, who had also seen this, licked his lips. Sitting in the car next to the calm Lu Zheng, he felt a sense of invincibility even in the county committee compound.

Was it Lu Zheng himself or his position that gave this confidence to those around him?

Li Xiangyang pondered this, lost in thought.

...

Lu Zheng moved into the office that Liu Baojun had previously occupied and rearranged it. His favorite two pots of evergreen plants were also moved in, their leaves now broad and lush.

The office door was gently knocked on, and Secretary Zhou Daqing, who was watering the plants for Lu Zheng, hurried to open it. Zhou Daqing was a secretary from the county bureau's office, and although his official relationship was still with the county bureau, he now worked in the county committee compound, somewhat like a personal secretary to Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng had entrusted the selection of a secretary to Wang Yuguo, who recommended Zhou Daqing, describing him as "highly politically aware, capable in his work, intelligent and eager to learn, outstanding in performance, and understanding."

The key word in the evaluation was "understanding." These two simple words carried deep meaning.

The person who knocked and entered was a tall, gray-haired old cadre, Peng Hongjun, the county's deputy secretary and discipline inspection commission secretary. He had entered the Korean War at the end of the conflict but never saw the front lines. Years of political movements had smoothed his edges. He looked imposing but spoke softly and cautiously.

The discipline inspection commission, which had just been re-established after the turmoil, was often a mere formality in many regions, and Guangning was no exception. For grassroots cadres in the county and township, as well as in enterprises and institutions, the discipline inspection commission was less intimidating than the internal security department of the public security bureau.

Even more so, Peng Hongjun seemed to be at a disadvantage in front of Lu Zheng. Having suffered during the Cultural Revolution, his mindset was complex, and perhaps his greatest wish was to live out the rest of his life in peace.

When Peng Hongjun explained his purpose, he seemed even more subservient. He was there to borrow a car. The following Sunday, his younger son was getting married, and the college graduate wanted his father to find a car to pick up the bride.

Peng Hongjun had no authority to mobilize the cars in the compound, let alone use them for personal matters. As the discipline inspection secretary, he was extremely sensitive to many issues and probably didn't want to relive the nightmares of a few years ago.

Lu Zheng felt somewhat helpless. He had never interacted much with Peng Hongjun and couldn't imagine the awkward situation of a county-level discipline inspection secretary, especially one who seemed to be begging for help. In Guangning dialect, Peng Hongjun's behavior was too submissive.

Thinking about the authority of some county-level cadres in the future, Lu Zheng could only sigh.

Peng Hongjun looked at Lu Zheng with hopeful eyes and said, "Director Lu, I really need your help with this. But if you're really busy..."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Secretary Peng, this is a small matter. Don't worry, I'll have Jiao Lei send the car over the day before."

Peng Hongjun's eyes showed gratitude, and he said, "I've heard that Director Lu is very righteous, and it's true."

Lu Zheng smiled, thinking that Peng Hongjun seemed more like a commoner than a leader. But then again, if all leaders were high and mighty, the country would be in trouble.

The office door was knocked on again, and a pretty girl, Zhang from the first secretarial department, entered. She was brought by Jiang Haiyan from the provincial level.

"Deputy County Magistrate Lu, oh, Secretary Peng is here too," Zhang greeted politely, but the title "Deputy County Magistrate Lu" carried a deeper meaning.

"Deputy County Magistrate Lu, County Magistrate Haiyan asks you to come over," Zhang smiled sweetly, a type of smile that easily put people at ease.

Peng Hongjun quickly stood up to leave, as it was inappropriate for committee members to visit each other's offices.

Following Zhang's light steps, Lu Zheng arrived at Jiang Haiyan's office on the fourth floor. As soon as he entered, a fresh scent greeted him, and a few pots of red flowers on the windowsill caught his attention.

The style of Jiang Haiyan's office was completely different from Jiao Dahu's. There were no red marks, and the bookshelves were filled with economic books.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly. The cadres in Wushan needed to be updated and replaced; otherwise, how could they lead the charge in the reform and opening up?

"Lu Zheng, what do you think about Guangning's economic development?" Jiang Haiyan's eyes behind her thick glasses were hard to read, and her slightly hoarse voice added to the sense of authority.

Sitting across from Jiang Haiyan, Lu Zheng felt the pressure.

He cleared his throat and said, "I've already reported to Secretary Jiao, and he basically agrees..."

Hearing Lu Zheng's opening, Jiang Haiyan frowned but didn't speak.

Lu Zheng continued, regardless of her reaction, "Our market is already quite rich, and further liberalizing the prices of planned goods is urgent. While encouraging private enterprises to enter the market, we must also be prepared. I believe that if the market is fully liberalized, our state-owned enterprises and collective enterprises will face significant pressure. Their rigid mechanisms make it difficult for them to compete with private enterprises. By the time state-owned enterprises suffer massive losses, it will be too late to take remedial actions. Even now, this pressure is evident. For example, in Tianjin, some famous bicycle factories have seen a sharp decline in sales."

Jiang Haiyan said, "Oh?" and looked at Lu Zheng, clearly impressed by his insight, which even surpassed her own.

"What do you think we should do?" Jiang Haiyan showed genuine interest, no longer distracted.

Lu Zheng took a sip of tea and said, "I believe we should start by breaking the rigid mechanisms of state-owned enterprises and collective enterprises, implementing a contract responsibility system. By taking a small step now, we can make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the state-owned economy."

"So, I propose that the county fertilizer factory be the pilot for the reform, implementing a contract responsibility system..."

Jiang Haiyan interrupted, frowning, "The fertilizer factory is a star enterprise in Guangning, profitable every year. Why should it be contracted out? Your idea..."

She didn't finish, clearly suspicious of Lu Zheng's motives, thinking he wanted to turn the state's treasury into a private one.

Lu Zheng could guess her thoughts and said, "The fertilizer factory is profitable because it has a monopoly. How many years has it been since it updated its production line? How will it face market competition in the future? Moreover, reforming a profitable enterprise will help us truly explore the success and failure of the contract responsibility system. If we start with a loss-making enterprise, it will continue to lose, and we won't have any valuable experience to summarize."

He waved his hand to stop Jiang Haiyan from speaking and continued, "County Magistrate Haiyan, please let me finish. I propose that the profit to be paid to the state be set at last year's profit level. Of course, the profit after the contract payment should be clearly stated in the contract, such as the proportion to be reinvested and the proportion to be given as bonuses to workers."

"Furthermore, I propose that a supervisory committee be established under the union, with members elected by the workers. The management team should not be part of this committee. The committee's role is to supervise the financials of the contracted enterprise, allowing them to audit the accounts but not interfere with the operations."

"This is to prevent the contractor from falsifying accounts, showing losses when they are actually profitable, and eventually pocketing the profits or even selling the enterprise at a low price."

"The committee members are old employees of the factory, who will be well aware of the factory's operations, thus maximizing the supervision of the contractor."

"That's why I propose starting with the fertilizer factory to explore the experience step by step. If we start with a loss-making enterprise, these ideas will be hard to implement."

Jiang Haiyan was silent for a moment, considering each of Lu Zheng's words.

Lu Zheng added, "Of course, these are just my personal thoughts. For example, how to ensure the integrity of the committee members in practice and whether the committee's existence will have a negative impact on the factory's operations are unknowns. We can only explore and improve in practice."

Jiang Haiyan nodded slightly, "Your ideas are good, and Secretary Jiao agrees?"

Lu Zheng nodded, "Yes, I reported to Secretary Jiao yesterday."

Jiang Haiyan said, "Alright, think it over and come up with a feasible plan for me to see."

Unusually, Jiang Haiyan stood up to see Lu Zheng out.

However, even if Jiang Haiyan's impression of Lu Zheng had slightly improved, it was completely reversed in the afternoon's standing committee meeting.

Due to the major adjustments in the standing committee and deputy county-level cadres, the county's departments also underwent personnel changes. Most positions were decided by Jiao Dahu, but for the deputy director of the planning and economy commission, Jiang Haiyan proposed her own candidate, Cai Mingguo, the former deputy director of the county government office. She thought he was open-minded, intelligent, and a promising talent, and they had met a few times before.

Jiang Haiyan and Jiao Dahu had discussed Cai Mingguo's appointment, and Jiao Dahu had expressed support, so she brought it up in the standing committee meeting.

However, before she finished, Lu Zheng firmly opposed it. Then, the old propaganda minister, Ding, who had been holding back, joined in with different opinions. Next, the county's deputy secretary and organization minister, Shang Ronghua, spoke, pointing out that Cai Mingguo was not mature enough, though not explicitly opposing him.

Jiao Dahu could only rub his head and say, "Let's put it on hold and see if there's a more suitable candidate."

Jiang Haiyan could see Jiao Dahu's satisfaction. She, as the county magistrate, was being overshadowed without his direct involvement.

Lu Zheng, clearly, was the vanguard, the spearhead, and the enforcer for Jiao Dahu!

As she passed Lu Zheng on her way out of the meeting room, Jiang Haiyan gave him a deep look.

Lu Zheng helplessly shrugged, understanding that County Magistrate Haiyan meant, "Don't get too cocky, we'll see."

Lu Zheng wasn't trying to be Jiao Dahu's right-hand man. He simply couldn't stand Cai Mingguo, and they had some old grudges. With Guangning about to push for reforms, the planning and economy commission was a crucial department, and Lu Zheng didn't want anyone to oppose him.