Chapter 4

Although Secretary Tang had not fully recovered from the shock of the report from the township head Li, he had been in his position for many years and had the psychological resilience to remain calm. He continued, "Drunk driving? Qin Daming, how do you educate the cadres as the party secretary of the township? Haven't you studied the county's documents? How many times have we talked about the issue of drunk driving by leading cadres? I think you haven't fulfilled your responsibilities as a secretary." Secretary Tang scolded Qin Daming sternly.

Qin Daming lowered his head and admitted, "Secretary Tang, it's my fault for not educating the cadres in the leadership team well. I take responsibility."

Hearing this, Ye Ziran couldn't help but admire Secretary Tang's leadership skills. When Qin Daming entered, he was still angry at Township Head Li and planned to make a big fuss in front of Secretary Tang. Unexpectedly, with just a few words, Secretary Tang had subdued Qin Daming. However, the development of events was probably beyond Secretary Tang's expectations. Ye Ziran didn't know what Township Head Li had said to Secretary Tang or whether Secretary Tang had made any promises to him. But he knew that in the leadership team of Mashixiang, Qin Daming had proactively approached Secretary Tang soon after he became the Party Secretary of Changjia County, and Secretary Tang had accepted him, always treating him as one of his own. Now, because of Township Head Li's actions, Secretary Tang would likely comfort him.

Secretary Tang glanced at Qin Daming and turned to ask Ye Ziran, "Xiao Ye, what's going on with Li Jun? Why did he report that Qin Daming had an accident?"

Ye Ziran was even more convinced of Secretary Tang's leadership. He saw how Secretary Tang's words not only suppressed Qin Daming's anger but also used his mouth to convey the information about Township Head Li's report to Qin Daming, controlling the conversation with ease. Ye Ziran replied, "Secretary Tang, Deputy Director He Guitian of the Mashixiang Party and Government Office learned that Lin Chang had an accident and sent a message to Li Chang, saying 'Lin Chang had a car accident, Secretary Qin has left.' His original intention was to say that Secretary Qin had left the township government to go to the hospital, but Township Head Li misunderstood it as Secretary Qin having an accident."

"Who is this He Guitian? Sending a message in such a mess. If Lin Chang had a car accident, just report it. Why did he report Secretary Qin's whereabouts to Li Jun?" Secretary Tang shot a glance at Ye Ziran.

Ye Ziran understood that Secretary Tang's dissatisfaction was just to indirectly comfort Qin Daming, not to criticize him. He said sincerely, "Secretary Tang, you're right. He Guitian is unreliable."

Qin Daming angrily interjected, "This He Guitian usually pretends to be honest, but he turned out to be such a person. He and Li Jun are clearly a pair of scoundrels."

Secretary Tang smiled slightly and gestured for Qin Daming and Ye Ziran to sit on the sofa in the living room. The atmosphere began to relax.

At Secretary Tang's home, Ye Ziran always felt at ease and took the initiative to make tea for everyone. Sitting on the sofa, Secretary Tang said to Qin Daming, "From this incident, it's clear that your control over Mashixiang is not comprehensive. As the top leader of Mashixiang, you need to strengthen the learning of the township cadres."

Qin Daming understood the meaning of these words. Secretary Tang was supporting him in further controlling the township party committee. He said gratefully, "Thank you for your criticism, Secretary Tang. After I return, I will definitely organize the cadres at the township level and above to study, unify their understanding through the incident with Lin Chang, and do a good job in Mashixiang."

Secretary Tang nodded and warned, "As the leader of the Mashixiang leadership team, you need to pay attention to unity. Chairman Mao said that we should adopt the method of unity—criticism—unity towards comrades. Only by stabilizing the team can we better carry out work and promote the development of Mashixiang."

Qin Daming nodded in agreement, "Yes, Secretary Tang, I will definitely follow your instructions." He paused and added, "But since Li Chang has been to your home, I assume he has the support of County Magistrate Yin."

Secretary Tang looked at Qin Daming meaningfully and said, "From this incident, it can be seen that Comrade Li Jun is rather hasty in handling emergencies, lacks a broad perspective, and has insufficient leadership skills." With these words, he determined the future of Township Head Li, and Qin Daming smiled in satisfaction.

Secretary Tang took a sip of tea and continued, "After Lin Chang's car accident, Mashixiang is short one deputy township head. To avoid delaying work, your township party committee should recommend a comrade as soon as possible and report to the county party organization department for evaluation. When recommending cadres, remember the four words 'morally and professionally qualified,' and deeply understand the central government's instructions on the youth and knowledge of leading cadres."

By discussing this matter with Qin Daming in front of Ye Ziran, Secretary Tang's intentions were clear. Qin Daming, who had been in the Changjia County political arena for many years, was adept at reading the wind. After Secretary Tang's arrival in Changjia, he immediately approached him. Moreover, he had long heard about the relationship between Ye Ziran and Secretary Tang. Now, hearing Secretary Tang's requirements for the candidate, especially the six words "youth and knowledge," it was as if they were tailor-made for Ye Ziran. He immediately said, "Yes, Secretary Tang, our party and government office director, Ye Ziran, has strong party spirit and outstanding ability, and can fully handle the position of deputy township head..."

Secretary Tang interrupted him, "The specific candidate should be decided by your township party committee in a meeting. I will not interfere. However, recommending leading cadres must be done with caution."

"Understood, Secretary Tang, I will firmly follow your instructions." Qin Daming understood the leader's intentions and had vented his anger on Township Head Li. His spirits improved, and he asked with a relaxed expression, "Secretary Tang, do you have any further instructions regarding Township Head Lin?"

Secretary Tang waved his hand and said, "The aftermath of Lin Chang's accident can be decided by your township party committee based on the principle of being practical. After handling it, write a report on the accident and submit it." He took another sip of tea.

Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Qin Daming said, "Secretary Tang, I know what to do. It's late, so I won't disturb your rest." He stood up to take his leave. Ye Ziran also stood up.

"Alright, then it's settled." Secretary Tang smiled, stood up, and shook hands with Qin Daming. He turned to Ye Ziran and said, "Xiao Ye, take your time. Yu Jia's computer is having issues; go check it out before you leave."

Ye Ziran said, "Alright, I'll see Secretary Qin out first."

At the door, Qin Daming turned to bid farewell to Secretary Tang and smiled at Ye Ziran, saying, "Director Ye, work hard. You have a bright future."

Ye Ziran quickly said softly, "Thank you, Secretary Qin."

After closing the door, Ye Ziran followed Secretary Tang to the study, where his wife Yu Jia was preparing her lesson.

Yu Jia was a teacher and had been transferred to Changjia County after Secretary Tang took office, teaching Chinese at Changjia County High School. She loved new things and enjoyed playing with computers in her free time, studying them diligently.

Secretary Tang's children, Tang Hong and Tang Kang, were doing their homework in the study. They winked at Ye Ziran and greeted him. They seemed to have been scolded by their mother for not finishing their homework, so they were very well-behaved and didn't talk to him.

Yu Jia's computer was a 286 machine, which was considered quite good at the time. The Windows operating system had not yet been released, and it was all DOS, requiring the memorization of various commands. Ye Ziran looked at the computer and found that there was no problem with the machine itself. It was a small program Yu Jia had written that had fallen into an infinite loop, causing the computer to repeatedly report errors. He helped modify it.

Yu Jia thanked him and poured a cup of water for Ye Ziran.

Yu Jia maintained the excellent qualities of a teacher and showed no airs in front of Ye Ziran, nor did she have the demeanor of a government official's wife, which made Ye Ziran very impressed.

Back in the living room, Secretary Tang waited for Ye Ziran to sit on the sofa and asked, "Xiao Ye, do you often keep in touch with the ten students who were recruited through the public examination?"

Ye Ziran replied, "Not much. We ten are working in eight different places, and there is no overlap in our work."

The ten of them had met once when they reported to the Jinnan Municipal Party Organization Department, and then they were assigned to different places. He and Zhu Yuli were assigned to Changjia County, while the other eight were all assigned to various suburban counties, starting from the grassroots level.

"Stay in touch more often, learn from each other's strengths, and complement each other. You are all reserve cadres recruited by the Jinnan Municipal Party Organization Department, the future of Jinnan. You should communicate and help each other more in the future," Secretary Tang advised.

"Understood, Secretary Tang, I will remember that," Ye Ziran said respectfully in front of Secretary Tang.

Secretary Tang was very satisfied with this and nodded, saying, "Young people need to be tempered. The township government is a grassroots organization, the best place to link theory with practice and test one's work ability. You need to immerse yourself in the work, understand the people's hardships, and solve the people's living problems. Only with experience can you shoulder greater responsibilities."

Listening to Secretary Tang's earnest words, Ye Ziran was deeply moved and said, "Secretary Tang, after working in the township, I realized that the knowledge I learned in school was still insufficient. Through these two years of work, my horizons have broadened a lot. I think that economic development and social stability are major issues in grassroots work, and I need to put more effort into learning."

Secretary Tang looked at Ye Ziran with approval. He appreciated Ye Ziran. Just as Ye Ziran regarded him as a teacher, Tang Guoqiang also regarded him as a disciple. When there were major issues in the county, he would discuss them with Ye Ziran, making his secretary, Xiao Hu, very envious.

"You are not married yet. After work, spend more time reading and studying economic construction. A leading cadre not only needs to have strong party spirit and political qualities but also needs to understand economics and management," Secretary Tang said, taking a sip of tea. "What are you reading recently?"

Ye Ziran scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "I am reading the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan."

Secretary Tang laughed and patted his shoulder, saying, "Xiao Ye, that's interesting. However, Zeng Guofan was the official with the broadest perspective in the late Qing dynasty, and his theories on the officialdom are insightful. It's not bad to read them."

"Secretary Tang, I have a personal matter to report. I plan to take the postgraduate entrance examination in September to study economics. I will use one or two workdays each week, plus Sundays, to complete the master's program in two years."

Secretary Tang praised, "Good, I support this. Find an opportunity to report it to Qin Daming. Xiao Ye, remember, no matter what position you are in, you should frequently report to the top leader of the leadership team. This can help you avoid making mistakes."

Ye Ziran nodded and said, "Thank you, Secretary Tang, I understand."