Chapter 56

Lu Zheng handed over the security measures for the *Dream of the Red Mansion* production team to the Public Security Department and personally called Sun Jie to his office to give him a few words of instruction, emphasizing the importance of this task.

The newly established neighborhood security teams in the county were managed by the Public Security Department. Given the department's ample manpower and the nature of the work, it was most suitable to entrust this task to them.

Sun Jie patted his chest and promised, assuring that there would be no mistakes. As the head of the Public Security Department, he was promoted by Lu Zheng and was clearly a direct subordinate of the chief. In the bureau, he was a rising middle-level official, and his enthusiasm for work naturally shone brightly.

Around five o'clock in the afternoon, Lu Zheng didn't expect Lu Xiaoping to show up again.

Wearing a slightly Western-style new khaki blue uniform from the department store, Lu Xiaoping looked even more refined, with a touch of the elegance and dignity of a female salesperson.

It seemed she was quite satisfied with her new job. Being a salesperson in a state-owned store was a good job and was also respected by people.

"Brother Zhengzi, are you busy tonight?" Lu Xiaoping said with a smile. A snobbish girl only appeared annoying to those she looked down upon; when facing someone she wanted to flatter, she could be the most charming.

Lu Zheng replied casually, "Not much to do. Is Uncle at home?" He thought Lu Xiaoping must have come to invite him for dinner at her home. Lu Zheng also wanted to chat with Lu Guobin and hear his true thoughts about the fertilizer plant's restructuring.

Lu Xiaoping pouted and said, "I don't care about him. His temper is getting worse every day, and he just can't stand me. When I broke up with Xiaoliang, he even scolded me."

Lu Zheng was slightly surprised and asked, "You and Xiaoliang broke up?"

"Yeah, we broke up a long time ago," Lu Xiaoping nodded, a hint of disgust in her eyes. "Oh, let's not talk about him, he's so annoying!" She quickly smiled again. "Brother Zhengzi, if you're free tonight, let me treat you to dinner. Thank you for the gift you gave me."

Lu Zheng had Du Xiaohu bring a "Shanghai" brand watch as a birthday gift for Lu Xiaoping, which she loved and wore every day to show off.

When Lu Xiaoping offered to treat him to dinner, Lu Zheng hesitated for a moment. Lu Xiaoping then said, "Come to my house, and my mom is there too. She wants to chat with you."

She knew that the gap between her and "Brother Zhengzi" was now vast, and he had no time to entertain a kid like her. So, she used Ma Cuihong as a cover.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Okay."

At this moment, Wang Yuguo knocked and entered. Lu Zheng said, "Yuguo, cancel the dinner with the Wang from the city. Tell him we'll reschedule."

Wang Yuguo nodded slightly.

Lu Xiaoping couldn't help but be slightly awed. The people "Brother Zhengzi" now dealt with were all big shots. After all, he was now the vice-county magistrate at the age of 22, which was truly impressive.

Lu Xiaoping didn't understand what the Standing Committee or committee members were, but she felt that being a vice-county magistrate was a big deal.

...

Getting into the minivan driven by Jiao Lei, Lu Xiaoping was even more excited, looking around with envy and curiosity, and even wanted to stick her hand out the window to show everyone she knew that she was in a car.

Now, how many people could ride in a car just for transportation?

When the minivan entered the residential area of the fertilizer plant, Lu Xiaoping couldn't contain herself. She rolled down the window and greeted the uncles and aunts passing by in the alley. Normally, she wasn't so polite.

Naturally, this drew many curious gazes. Sitting in the slowly moving minivan, they could even hear a few comments, like "Is this the girl from the Lus?" and "She's getting more accomplished and beautiful..." Lu Xiaoping felt even more pleased.

Lu Zheng didn't pay much attention to her childish behavior and let her show off.

The minivan finally stopped in front of No. 3 courtyard. The alley was narrow, so after Lu Zheng and Lu Xiaoping got out, Jiao Lei drove forward to park outside the alley.

Lu Xiaoping was somewhat unwilling. It would have been better to park right at the door, so everyone could see that the Lus had a car. Although she was a bit disappointed, she didn't dare to say anything.

Entering the familiar courtyard again, the locust tree leaves had all fallen, leaving only lonely branches.

Perhaps seeing Lu Zheng through the window, Ma Cuihong quickly came out, greeting him somewhat awkwardly, "Zhengzi, you're here." Although she still called him "Zhengzi," Lu Zheng could feel that her tone had become more polite and even a bit restrained. After all, he wasn't her biological son, and for Aunt Cuihong, who was still at heart a peasant woman, the sudden rise of this child to a high position meant she couldn't treat him as casually as before.

From the middle house and the left house, the young couples from the Zhou and Xia families also came out, all greeting Lu Zheng respectfully and addressing him as "County Magistrate Lu." Like Lu Xiaoping, they believed that the position of vice-county magistrate was the highest in his part-time roles.

The young couple from the Zhou family, Zhou Dawei and Liu Shuna, were the cousins of Tong Susu, both employees of the fertilizer plant.

The couple from the Xia family, Xia Jianjun and Zhang Guohua, were a union officer and an accountant, respectively, and held a higher status in No. 3 courtyard.

Seeing the Xia couple, Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Where's Uncle Xia?"

Zhang Guohua quickly answered, "My father went to the city to work as a security manager for a company. He just can't stay idle, no matter how much I try to persuade him." She knew that her father-in-law and County Magistrate Lu were quite familiar and had some connection. She regretted not treating her father-in-law better in the past. If they had maintained a good relationship, the factory leaders would have treated them differently.

But now, it was all over, and she could only accept it.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and smiled, "That's good. It's better to have something to do in old age. Uncle Xia isn't the type to stay idle. Speaking of which, the reform and opening up have given many of us a bigger stage."

The young couples from the Zhou and Xia families all smiled and agreed.

"Where's Uncle?" Lu Zheng asked, but he already knew that Lu Guobin must have known Lu Xiaoping was inviting him and had gone out early to avoid him.

Sure enough, Aunt Cuihong's face looked somewhat unnatural as she said, "An old coworker invited him to play chess at his place." She quickly added, "This old man didn't know you were coming. Should I go call him?" This was a bit of a cover-up.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "No need. I'll talk to him another day when he's around. I wanted to discuss the fertilizer plant's restructuring with him."

At this point, Lu Xiaoping was already busy buying meat and vegetables, and she flatteringly said to Lu Zheng, "Brother Zhengzi, I've saved my salary for several months. I'll pay for the food today and treat you."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Sure, but don't go overboard. There are no outsiders here, so just make some home-style dishes."

The young couples from the Zhou and Xia families all wanted to contribute money for the food, and they argued with Lu Xiaoping for a while. Then the three women went out together, and it wasn't clear who ended up paying.

After Jiao Lei came in, Xia Jianjun and Zhou Dawei finally had someone to talk to. After all, flattering the driver of the county magistrate wasn't too stressful, while directly talking to Lu Zheng was a bit challenging for them, as they didn't know what to say.

Lu Zheng accompanied Ma Cuihong into the house and chatted with her. However, Lu Zheng could feel that a barrier was gradually forming between them, and they couldn't talk as freely as before.

The three families took turns using the kitchen, and soon the food was ready. The round table was set up in the hallway of the Lu family's house, and the table was filled with fragrant chicken, duck, fish, and meat, a far cry from the last time Lu Zheng visited.

Lu Zheng chatted with them about the factory's situation and said, "The county is preparing to create the best conditions for the factory's reform and the contractor. We plan to introduce new production lines before the contract is signed to give the contractor more confidence. Of course, the contract terms will also be adjusted accordingly. I also have an idea to take advantage of this opportunity to move the fertilizer plant out of the center of the county. The county will definitely be re-planned in the future, and it's better to move the heavily polluting factory sooner rather than later."

Xia Jianjun, Zhou Dawei, and the others couldn't interject and just echoed in agreement. They didn't know how to praise Lu Zheng, as they weren't at that level.

At this moment, Ma Cuihong suddenly asked, "Zhengzi, aren't you in charge of temporary residence permits? Can you handle it?" She seemed to have hesitated for a long time before finally asking.

Lu Xiaoping glared at her mother, thinking, "Mom, you really don't know anything, how embarrassing!" She said, "Of course, it's just a word from Brother Zhengzi. But Mom, don't trouble Brother Zhengzi. He deals with big things, and you shouldn't cause trouble."

Lu Zheng ignored Lu Xiaoping and looked at Ma Cuihong, asking, "Aunt, do you want to help someone get a temporary residence permit?"

Ma Cuihong sighed and said, "Yes, but the girl is right. It would be troublesome for you."

Lu Zheng said, "What trouble? You, go with that person to find Jiao tomorrow and have him take care of it. But I must warn you, don't bring in a wanted criminal. We still need to review the application."

Everyone laughed, and Ma Cuihong's face lit up. "No, that old sister is very good. She came here two years ago when her hometown was flooded. She was originally going to stay with a host family, but when she saw how well-off we were, she decided to stay and work in a small restaurant. She heard that the county recently issued a notice requiring all outsiders to get a temporary residence permit. She doesn't have a letter of introduction and doesn't know how to call, so she's very worried. The restaurant owner said that if she doesn't get the permit soon, he'll have to fire her, or the police will shut down the restaurant."

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and said, "We'll call her hometown to verify her situation. But she should go back to get an ID card as soon as possible, or it will be difficult for her to get around in the future."

Ma Cuihong nodded repeatedly and said, "I'll tell her and urge her." The heavy burden on her mind was lifted, and Ma Cuihong was so happy that she almost cried. Now, she felt even more fortunate to have a successful child in the family. What seemed impossible to others was just a word from him.

Recently, all the troubles at home seemed to have been solved by Zhengzi, and it was all just a word from him.

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The recent troubles at home seemed to have been solved by Zhengzi, and it was all just a word from him.