Chapter 70

Lu Zheng didn't understand the situation and didn't want to interrupt, but he had heard from Zeng Jiang that this Director Pei had been transferred from the Municipal Party Committee Office. It seemed that he harbored some resentment.

The office of the Party Advisory Committee was, in many cases, a good place for a golden opportunity, but that was true for the Central Advisory Committee and the Provincial Advisory Committee. Young people entering the office to serve these old leaders could come into contact with provincial and even central leaders from a young age, which would inevitably lead to a good future.

However, at the municipal level, the Advisory Committee was much worse, especially for middle-aged officials. Few were willing to spend a few years in the Advisory Committee, unless they were idle in the agency with no prospects. Those who were transferred to the Advisory Committee had no complaints, but they were merely making the best of the situation.

As for places where the main leaders of the Advisory Committee and the Party Committee had conflicts, even fewer agency officials were willing to join the Advisory Committee. After all, everyone knew the difference between being demoted and being in a position of power.

Pei Aihong made a gesture, "Let's go, follow me to see if Old Huang is there. He rarely rests at noon."

Following Pei Aihong, they went up to the second floor. At the room directly opposite the corridor entrance, Pei Aihong tiptoed to look through the glass window, then gently knocked on the door and whispered to Lu Zheng, "Old Huang is there."

With a low, slightly aged "Come in," Pei Aihong gently pushed the door open and gave Lu Zheng a nod, entering first.

The office was small and simple, with few office supplies. A long bamboo chair was placed against the wall, presumably for visitors.

Behind the desk by the window sat a composed old man with a bald head and snow-white hair, even his eyebrows were somewhat gray. His slightly emaciated, wrinkled face had faint age spots, but his eyes were sharp and piercing, making it hard to look directly at him. Anyone who saw him would feel the same: this was an old man in the twilight of his life, but also someone who had once held power and still wielded significant influence.

"Old Huang, you should take care of your health!" Pei Aihong walked over first, lifted the teapot lid on the desk, and refilled the water for the old man. Her attentive and caring demeanor was a stark contrast to her previous attitude.

The old man nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Lu Zheng.

Pei Aihong then seemed to remember something, saying, "Ah, Old Huang, let me introduce you. This is Lu Zheng, the new deputy researcher in the office. He will assist you in your work from now on."

Lu Zheng took a few steps forward, "Old Huang." In fact, he still hadn't figured out the old man's identity.

The old man grunted, his gaze returning to the documents on the desk. He said, "Little Pei, take Little Lu back to your room first. I still have some things to do. At three o'clock this afternoon, I have to go out. Little Lu, come and get me when it's time."

"Okay, Old Huang, you take your time." Pei Aihong didn't wait for Lu Zheng to speak, tugging at his sleeve and pulling him out.

After Pei Aihong closed the door, Lu Zheng said as they went down the stairs, "Director, I'm still attending classes at the Party School. It's a full-time program, and I won't officially start working in our office for another month."

Pei Aihong frowned, "Is studying more important than work...?" Realizing it was inappropriate, she stopped and said, "Call in sick. Old Huang can't wait."

Lu Zheng hesitated, saying, "I already took a half-day off this morning."

Pei Aihong rolled her eyes, "I don't care. If you have the ability, go tell Old Huang yourself."

Lu Zheng nodded and turned to go upstairs.

Pei Aihong was taken aback, calling out, "Hey, where are you going?" She didn't know Lu Zheng's name; if she did, she wouldn't have spoken to him like that.

Seeing that Lu Zheng ignored her, she hurried after him, but he was very fast. By the time she caught up to the second floor, he had already knocked on the door and entered Old Huang's office.

Pei Aihong was furious. She had never seen anyone like this before. Everyone in the Advisory Committee office was idle, with high ranks, and each had their own agenda. Some were favored by the old cadres, while others just went through the motions. Regardless of their mindset, they didn't care much about her, and she had no authority in the office. It was rare to have a young person, but this one was even more arrogant than she was.

"Little Lu, is there something?" Old Huang looked at Lu Zheng, who had returned, with surprise.

Lu Zheng said frankly, "Old Huang, I'm currently attending the middle and young cadre class at the Municipal Party School. This afternoon..."

Old Huang waved his hand, interrupting him, "Can you drive?"

Lu Zheng was taken aback, nodding slightly, "Yes."

Old Huang said, "In that case, I'll call Li Changgen later and give you a two-day leave. I'm going to Qinglong this afternoon and will be back the day after tomorrow. You'll come with me." Li Changgen was the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and the President of the Party School.

Lu Zheng actually didn't want to attend the Party School classes, which were repetitive and boring. He was willing to have someone vouch for him, but he pretended to hesitate for a moment. After all, he couldn't show that he disliked the Party School in front of these old cadres.

Finally, Lu Zheng reluctantly agreed, "Then, I'll wait for you in the first-floor office?"

Old Huang nodded slightly. As Lu Zheng was about to leave, Old Huang suddenly smiled and pointed at him, saying, "You, Little Lu, I've heard of you. Lu Gangtou, right? Do you love learning?" He then laughed heartily.

Lu Zheng was helpless, opening the door and stepping out. He saw Pei Aihong standing outside, looking incredulous, clearly having heard Old Huang's words and laughter.

...

In the office, everyone was busy, but Lu Zheng seemed like an outsider. He sat at the desk assigned to him, flipping through some materials Pei Aihong had given him.

The Municipal Advisory Committee office was divided into several departments: the Secretariat, the Economic Research Department, the Research Department, the Petition Reception Department, and the Political Work (Security) Department. It had 23 official staff members, half the number of the Municipal Party Committee Office. This was why Pei Aihong had been complaining about a lack of personnel. In fact, the office had a significant task of taking care of the lives of the Advisory Committee members, which was very different from the work of the Municipal Party Committee Office.

For example, Pei Aihong was currently leading the preparation for a city-wide bridge tournament for retired cadres in early next month. Just determining the list of invited retired cadres was a complex task, considering their rank, experience, influence, and physical condition. The more retired cadres, the more they cared about their treatment, and being seen in activities was also part of their political treatment.

Pei Aihong left the office in a hurry.

There were five people in this office, including Pei Aihong and Lu Zheng, as well as a deputy director, a researcher, and a deputy researcher.

The office had three deputy directors, one of whom was at the department level, but the other two did not work in this room.

The researcher and deputy researcher were not there, apparently accompanying the Advisory Committee leaders on a field trip. Soon after Pei Aihong left, Deputy Director Wang received a call and hurriedly left as well.

The office was left with only Lu Zheng.

Just as he was feeling bored, there was a gentle knock on the door. A young man in a suit entered, asking, "Is the director here?" Seeing only Lu Zheng in the room, he was taken aback, then looked him up and down and laughed, "You must be the new Deputy Director Lu, right?"

Lu Zheng nodded slightly, and the young man quickly took out a pack of cigarettes, saying, "Since the old witch isn't here, Deputy Director Lu, would you like a cigarette?"

"Old witch?" Lu Zheng immediately understood, referring to Pei Aihong.

"Sure, I'll have one." Lu Zheng took the cigarette and lit it from the young man's lighter.

The young man introduced himself, "Deputy Director Lu, I'm Cheng Kai, a deputy clerk in the Secretariat, working for Old Zhu."

Lu Zheng knew that "Old Zhu" must be the Standing Deputy Director of the Municipal Advisory Committee, Zhu Changzheng. He smiled, "Working for Old Zhu?"

Cheng Kai also smiled, "That's our office's own terminology. The few deputy directors and researchers in the committee all have someone working for them, taking care of their lives and assisting them in their work, running errands, and so on, ha-ha."

Lu Zheng nodded slightly, understanding that he would be "working for" Old Huang from today, essentially combining the roles of a work secretary and a life secretary.

Cheng Kai laughed again, "Deputy Director Lu's arrival has saved Peng Aihong from her suffering. She used to work for Old Huang, and I saw her suffering every day. It's a pity we won't see that anymore."

Lu Zheng smiled, "Is Old Huang that difficult to work with?"

Cheng Kai whistled, "Let me put it this way, all the deputy directors and researchers in our office have worked for Old Huang, but none of them could handle it. In the end, the old witch had to step in." He sighed, "Deputy Director Lu, the old witch has no good intentions. Be careful."

Lu Zheng smiled, realizing that Cheng Kai was likely someone with a background, sent to the Advisory Committee office for a golden opportunity, and was also favored by Old Zhu. Therefore, he didn't respect Peng Aihong much and seemed to have suffered at her hands, spreading gossip. He was still too young.

But it was rare for someone to strike up a conversation, so Lu Zheng was happy to engage, "What kind of person is Old Huang?"

Cheng Kai looked at Lu Zheng in surprise, "You don't know?" Seeing Lu Zheng shake his head, he was even more surprised, scratching his head and saying, "Old Huang is the number one figure in our Advisory Committee. He retired at the vice-provincial level and could have joined the Provincial Advisory Committee Standing Committee, but he refused. He said he wanted to return to his roots and insisted on coming back to our Wushan hometown. The provincial party committee couldn't do anything about it, so he became a member of our Municipal Advisory Committee. They offered him the position of director, but he refused, saying that if he was retiring, he just wanted to contribute to his hometown and didn't need these fancy titles."

Lu Zheng exclaimed, "Ah," vaguely remembering that he had heard someone mention Old Huang in Wushan, but he hadn't paid much attention at the time.