Chapter 61

During the winter break, Liu Xiaohui organized a class reunion at Dongmi Garden. Unfortunately, Lu Zheng happened to be on a business trip to Shenzhen and missed the chance to meet up with his childhood friends.

Bi Xiaoguang didn’t return either. He had already gained a small reputation among the senior students in the journalism department at Peking University. During the winter break, he was taken by a professor to participate in a news project at the Beijing Daily. It was said that if nothing went wrong, Bi Xiaoguang would likely stay at the newspaper after graduation with very favorable conditions.

The day after Lu Zheng returned from Shenzhen, he received a call from Liu Xiaohui. Upon hearing Lu Zheng’s voice, Liu Xiaohui happily said, "Well, you finally answered the phone, no more playing hide and seek, huh?"

Lu Zheng coughed and said, "I’ve been pretty busy lately, sorry about that, Xiaohui."

"Yeah, you’re busy, you’re a big bureau chief and a member of the county party committee, how could you not be busy?" Although Liu Xiaohui’s tone was scolding, it was clear she was happy, naturally pleased that her childhood friend had achieved so much.

Lu Zheng smiled, knowing he couldn’t hide it from her for long.

Liu Xiaohui huffed and said, "I don’t care how busy you are. Tonight at 7 PM, second floor of Dongmi Garden, room 201. I’m going to book it now. If someone else gets it first, will mentioning your name help?"

Lu Zheng laughed and said, "It will, but there are more good restaurants now, and Old Wang’s place isn’t as busy. There will definitely be a private room. Don’t go now, you might just be running a wild goose chase."

"Alright, I’ll listen to you. 7 PM, no excuses." Liu Xiaohui hung up the phone.

Lu Zheng slowly put down the phone. Without a doubt, the call from his childhood friend brightened his somewhat gloomy mood.

Lu Zheng always felt that his days in Guangning might be numbered.

A while back, Chu Fatty, the director of the provincial department, called and mentioned that in the past month, the provincial department had received numerous complaints from Guangning, mostly anonymous, but some were signed. They all reported issues with Lu Zheng’s work as the chief of the Guangning County Public Security Bureau. Some were completely baseless, while the signed ones had some factual basis, though they were often exaggerated.

The mix of true and false complaints made the situation complex. At the very least, according to Director Chu, the provincial leaders who had previously supported him were now expressing disappointment, as evidenced by the four-character evaluation "angry at his lack of effort."

Chu Fatty also mentioned that it wasn’t just the provincial department. He heard that some old cadres from Guangning had written to the provincial party committee, also complaining about the "22-year-old county party committee member." His relationship with Du Botao was the most criticized point. Proposing fines for economic criminals in the party committee meeting and then privately lending money to them seemed very suspicious.

There were even complaints that the five-year sentence for Zhao Haixia was too lenient. Although the definition of "speculation and profiteering" was becoming increasingly vague in special policy regions, and sentences were generally lighter, Lu Zheng’s approach of substituting fines for punishment was seen as a fundamental error.

Lu Zheng intuitively knew that this series of complaints was not just a coincidence.

Reflecting on the less than a year since his rebirth, he had already caused a stir in the political circles of Guangning. Like Sun Wukong, although many old cadres might think he was "immature and reckless," he truly hoped to bring about some ideological changes in the political landscape of Guangning. In this era of great transformation, as a coastal open city, many policies and laws in Wushan could have significant implications for the future development of the entire country.

This was the core of his strategy, to achieve great things with small means. In reality, as a 22-year-old county party committee member, he could have steadily climbed the ranks, leveraging his two lifetimes of experience, his grasp of policies and the situation, and his family background. It wouldn’t have been difficult to rise step by step.

But that wasn’t what he wanted.

The direction of reform, policies, laws, and even the national system were all being debated and explored from the central to the local levels. He also hoped to leave a mark on the future direction of the country in this turbulent era.

His strong and domineering actions, which completely defied the rules of the political game for young officials, were all aimed at this goal.

In reality, young officials were most忌讳 (taboo) for being strong and domineering. The least favored characteristic of young cadres was "youthful success, arrogance, and impatience."

The younger one was, the more humble one had to be. This was not only a rule in politics but also an unwritten rule in Chinese society.

The post-70s generation looked down on the post-80s, the post-80s looked down on the post-90s, and the post-90s looked down on the post-00s, partly because they couldn’t stand the arrogance of the younger generation.

His actions were truly going against the tide, and it was inevitable that he would be criticized by many.

After paying a heavy price, he had achieved some of his initial goals. For example, the fertilizer plant’s contract reform, with a simple workers’ supervision committee, could, if properly managed and improved, play an immeasurable role in regulating and constraining private operators of state-owned enterprises.

This idea came from the frequent visits of old workers in the future, who felt that the factories they had dedicated their lives to were being sold for a pittance, and they couldn’t understand why a good factory suddenly became worthless or even a liability. They had no way to check the accounts.

In the absence of auditing and other systems, a workers’ supervision committee, elected by the workers and familiar with the factory’s operations, could serve as the first line of defense against the loss of state assets.

As long as these ideas took root, his political career would be secondary. If he followed the rules and climbed the ranks step by step, by the time he had a voice, it might be too late. Moreover, if he suppressed his true self and followed the rules, who knew what he would become in a few or ten years? He might end up like Liu Baojun or Qiu Dahu.

Now, some seeds had been sown, and he had to face the consequences of his "going against the tide" over the past year.

The subtle changes in the attitude of the city’s deputy secretary also indicated that his situation was worsening.

But at Dongmi Garden, when he saw Guo Weisong, Lu Zheng put his worries aside and smiled as he embraced him.

Like Bi Xiaoguang, Guo Weisong was a core figure in the "Red Movement" back then. He was a few years older than Lu Zheng and had often challenged his authority, but he had been thoroughly subdued. Now, he was a sturdy, calm man in a Lenin suit, clearly a state official.

Liu Xiaohui laughed and said, "I didn’t tell either of you who I was meeting. It’s been six or seven years, and you recognized each other without my introduction? Truly old friends, childhood friends."

Guo Weisong just smiled, and Lu Zheng playfully punched him in the chest, saying, "This guy, I’d recognize him even if he turned to ashes."

There were only four people in the private room. Liu Xiaohui’s boyfriend didn’t come, but there was an additional young man with a full beard and a somewhat unfriendly look. When Lu Zheng’s gaze fell on him, he chuckled nervously.

Liu Xiaohui glared at the young man and said, "Dajun, why are you laughing like an idiot? Don’t you thank Zhengzi? If it weren’t for him, you might have been sentenced to ten or eight years." She then introduced him to Lu Zheng, "This is Lei Dajun."

Lu Zheng nodded, thinking he didn’t look like a teacher at all. If he were more slick, people might mistake him for a thug.

After they sat down, Guo Weisong smiled and said, "Zhengzi, I’ve heard about a very young police chief in Guangning named Lu Zheng, but I didn’t expect it to be you."

Lu Zheng smiled, "I’ve also heard about you from Xiaohui. You’re in the propaganda department in Qinglong, right?"

Guo Weisong nodded, "My family moved there. I got married two years ago, and my son is almost a year old."

Lu Zheng exclaimed, "Congratulations!" He raised his teacup, "Let’s toast with tea instead of wine. I’ll definitely visit your wife and son when I have the chance."

As they reminisced, Liu Xiaohui went to arrange the food. Lei Dajun sat awkwardly, unable to join in. He glanced around and stood up, walked to the window, and rummaged through a black leather bag on the floor. He pulled out two packs of Chun Cheng cigarettes, placed them on the table, and said to Lu Zheng, somewhat nervously, "Director Lu, I know you don’t need these, but it’s a token of my gratitude. They’re not expensive, but please accept them."

Lu Zheng was taken aback. At that moment, Liu Xiaohui returned to the room and, seeing the scene, angrily walked over, grabbed the cigarettes, and stuffed them back into the black bag. She scolded, "I knew you were up to something. What do you take Zhengzi for? Besides, these cheap cigarettes, are they even worth presenting? If it weren’t for Zhengzi, you might have been sentenced to ten or eight years."

Lei Dajun was very embarrassed. Lu Zheng smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "I appreciate your gesture, okay?" He then said, "Xiaohui, why are you so sharp-tongued? That’s not like you."

Guo Weisong observed the scene and felt that Lu Zheng was not the same as a few years ago. The Lu Zheng of those days wouldn’t have bothered to save face for someone.

In just a few years, people had changed so much.

Guo Weisong sighed and asked Lu Zheng, "Zhengzi, I heard you made it to the county party committee?"

Lu Zheng smiled wryly, "I’m afraid I’ll be out of it soon."

Guo Weisong said helplessly, "When did you start joking around?"

Lu Zheng shook his head, "I’m not joking." Seeing Liu Xiaohui’s ears perk up, he laughed and said, "Xiaohui, if your brother Zhengzi falls, it’ll be a matter of minutes. If you need any help, speak up now. Once this opportunity passes, it won’t come again."

Liu Xiaohui didn’t believe him and scoffed.

Guo Weisong, however, sensed that although Lu Zheng was half-joking, he was also half-serious.

But he didn’t say much more, just smiled and said, "Xiaohui, where’s the wine? Hurry up and bring it. No dinner without wine, let’s drink!"