Chapter 5: First Encounter with Jiyuan

  The hustle and bustle of the city, with its endless streams of cars and people, exaggerates the vastness and grandeur of the urban area. The rapid development of the city has created a dazzling display of prosperity and luxury. Row upon row of high-rise buildings and factories stretch out as far as the eye can see. As you drive into Jiyuan, this old industrial city, the scenery outside is like a misty veil, making it hard to discern the true depth and richness of the place. The densely packed residential houses and dilapidated factories are all jumbled together, making it impossible to distinguish between the industrial and residential areas. As winter sets in, as soon as night begins to fall, the tall chimneys that pierce the sky throughout the city start spewing out thick smoke, which rises high into the air before dispersing across the horizon. Although the sun has not yet set, and the evening glow still lingers, Jiyuan City is already shrouded in a thick haze of smoke, as if it were asleep.

  "The Desert Storm" was sandwiched in the traffic jam, moving forward and stopping from time to time. Driver Zhang kept pressing the hoarse horn, but the car still couldn't move forward.

  "Ringing...ringing..." The secretary general answered the phone, "Hello, is that the office?...... Mayor Yu's car has entered the city...... What, going directly to 'Flower World'? Okay, I'll tell Mayor Yu right away."

  "Director Yu, let's go to the hotel directly." The secretary turned around and told me modestly, "Mayor Wu has been waiting for two hours with the team leaders."

  "Okay." A voice responded from the back seat. However, it was followed by another question: "What did you mean on the phone just now about 'Flower World'? What's going on?"

  "Hmm, this is the name of a big restaurant in Juye. It's very luxurious! Mayor Yu, you'll know once you've been there. That place isn't inferior to your big hotels in Beijing."

  "Old secret, shout 110 to come!" The driver suddenly shouted.

  The taste of this traffic jam was really unbearable for him.

  "What?" The Secretary-General bellowed at his subordinate, some irritation in his nickname, "What did you say?"

  "Call 110 and tell them to come and clear the way." The driver covered his face, while continuing to gesture.

  "Alright, alright." From the driver's unquestionable dignity, Lao Mi seemed to have grasped something. "I'm yelling, I'm yelling! At this bear's pace, it'll take a donkey's year and a horse's month to get there!"

  Under the lead of 110 with a rotating red warning light, the speed of the car obviously accelerated.

  The driver relaxed his face and casually inserted a cassette tape into the car's audio player. Suddenly, Chopin's Boat Song began to play in a rowing-like rhythm, with a hint of sadness and sorrow in its balanced and long melody. This great composer, who was good at writing nocturnes and lullabies, had written such a boat song for Baroness von Stockhausen. For many years, this matter has been puzzling people. However, once this lingering melody filled the iron-clad space, it helped to relieve the fatigue of the tense journey, and let out a long sigh.

  Four

  I don't understand why the dignitaries of Jiyuan chose to welcome me in a place like "Flower World". Is it to show that this remote Jiyuan is not behind the times through its luxurious and extravagant atmosphere, or to demonstrate their sincerity towards me through lavish spending? Or is there no particular reason at all, but just following the usual practice of receiving every big shot here?

  I hope it's the latter.

  No matter what the reason is, today, this city that used to be my entrance and had set up layers of obstacles for me, making me bump into it with a broken head and bleeding, and for which I was obsessed day and night, grieving over its sky and earth, has finally been stormed by me!

  I entered very successfully and with great dignity. I stepped into this sacred place of my yearning, amidst the welcoming voices of one prominent figure after another.

  Ah, Hakone Estate!

  In the midst of a lively melody, the grand banquet hall was filled with joy. The men were dressed in suits and ties, looking elegant and refined; the women's dresses fluttered as they moved, their beauty shining through. The host and guests chatted and laughed, their footsteps intertwining.

  On either side of me sat two giants from the political world, politely escorting me to my seat. To my left was Municipal Party Secretary Qi Ji, who exuded stability and confidence, with a calm and collected demeanor that seemed to embody the spirit of Confucianism. To my right was People's Congress Director Qin Bai, whose white hair and aged appearance made him seem tired and worn out, as if he had just stepped down from his position as mayor.

  Next sat Municipal Party Deputy Secretary Yang Jian, who was known for his quick wit and clever words in social situations. He was a master of stealing the show and making others laugh.

  The host of the welcoming party was originally supposed to be Qin Bai, but he kept interrupting with witty remarks, leaving everyone in stitches. Throughout the evening, he showed off his skills as a seasoned politician.

  Executive Vice Mayor Lü Qián may not have been the most articulate speaker, but he made up for it with his confident and carefree demeanor. Dressed in a high-end suit, he seemed like a true big shot from Ji yuan. It was as if taking out his name card would make him seem even more powerful.

  The other guests at our table included the Municipal Discipline Inspection Secretary, the Political Consultative Conference Chairman, and the Military District Political Commissar, among others. They all seemed warm and courteous, treating me with great respect and keeping a polite distance.

  The other tables stretched out before us, with over 40 tables in total. The guests were all well-fed and content, and after the meal began, they started playing games and having fun.

  In the enchanting and melodious music hall, I sipped on a slightly bitter beer, slowly savored the delicate seafood and those vegetables that were rich in fat and as smooth as cheese. The scenes along the way were like a series of desolate paintings entering my mind:

  The north wind howls, in the dilapidated shantytown, the classroom is drafty on all sides; little hands are frozen to the point of cracking, but when they see the pencil cases I brought them, each and every one of them bursts into joyful laughter.

  Along the road, row upon row of laid-off workers wearing grass belts and tattered down jackets, frozen stiff as they stamp their feet while hawking their wares on the street. They stretch out trembling hands to weigh goods for hesitant customers, quibbling endlessly over a single cent...

  Suddenly, my mood began to sink. The old minister's sadness at parting, the premonition he had never expressed, rose to my mind with an ominous feeling.

  "Want to dance?" The mayor's secretary inquired of me.

  I won't.

  "It's fine if I don't jump either, I won't be able to anyway." The municipal party secretary let out a sigh of relief, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

  "Hey, I don't believe it, Mayor Yu has been abroad for four years and can't even dance?" Yang Jian pulled my arm, "Come, look at the dance partner I found for you, isn't she beautiful?"

  He waved his hand and a heavily made-up young lady with a charming smile walked over with light steps.

  "Secretary Yang, I really can't." I excused myself.

  I know that if I step into the dance pool, a scene of demons dancing wildly with the help of alcohol will immediately appear before my eyes. This is what I don't want to see.

  "Come on, come on, no problem, you this Beijing official, don't look down on us mountain village's ordinary people!" As he said that, he pushed the young lady into my arms.

  My eyebrows furrowed slightly, and I immediately cast a pleading glance at the municipal party secretary.

  "Never mind, never mind. Mayor Yu has been on the road for a whole day and should rest now." The municipal party secretary said while putting on his clothes.

  "Then, let's make up for it another day." Deputy Secretary Yang was visibly disappointed.

  Deep into the night, all sounds have ceased, but in the high-ranking residential area located in the city center, lights are still shining brightly. The upper-level officials who attended tonight's banquet are probably reporting their first impressions of me to their wives at home. Tonight, tomorrow, and in the days to come, Yu Ming will be a major topic of discussion among them.

  I reviewed my behavior when I first appeared in public and felt that there was nothing wrong with it, so I felt a bit more at ease.

  To be honest, this demotion has a somewhat "gilded" nature.

  I was designated as a reserve cadre for the department several years ago. In the past, I served as the president of a large enterprise and obtained an MBA in business administration from a foreign country, so my qualifications are not low. However, due to my lack of experience as a local administrative leader, this became a major flaw that those old officials in Beijing would pick on. "Lack what supplement what." Being sent down (to a lower level) has become a necessary step for me to take in my official career. Although the minister is somewhat worried and my father-in-law thinks it's not necessary, I must go to a city-level administrative position and work hard for several years in order to confidently ascend to this platform in the future.

  The difference between dispatched cadres and locally promoted cadres lies in the distinction between experiencing roles and entering roles. Generally speaking, locally promoted cadres are indispensable for entering roles. If you don't work hard and achieve tangible results, it's difficult to stand firm. Dispatched cadres are different. Their important task is to gain experience, providing a kind of experiential feeling for future promotions and governance. In this position, actual work is usually handed over to local officials, while they themselves just go through the motions. According to the fashionable phrase, dispatched cadres sing a three-step song: Step one, make friends. When you first arrive, you need to visit famous people in various social circles and "big shots" to win their favor, so that when things happen in the future, there will be someone to rely on. Step two, attend each other's events. You need to accept all sorts of invitations, participate in various meetings and activities. This is not difficult to do. You just read out the script written by others, then cut the ribbon with a pair of scissors handed over by a young woman, and applause erupts. Also, if subordinate departments have visiting leaders or enterprises have important clients, you can accompany them for a drink, add to the atmosphere, and they will think you've given them face, leaving them deeply moved. After seeing off guests and hosting banquets, it's time to sing the third step. At this point, people hold farewell parties for you, asking you to pay attention to local work after returning to Beijing. Thereafter, you can triumphantly return.

  From the conversation between Yang Jian and Lü Qiang at tonight's banquet, it seems they don't want me to intervene in the actual work of Ji Yuan. "For big or small matters, we two brothers will take care of them for you! When necessary, just show up, shake hands, and raise your glass." From what I understand, this means I don't need to worry or put in effort here; as long as I nominally wear the hat of mayor, I can easily complete the tasks assigned to me. Of course, their words also imply another unspoken meaning: we two brothers cannot work hard for you for nothing. As a condition of exchange, you must hand over actual power to us.

  In today's era of "philosophy of survival" and "win-win benefits", people are afraid of difficulties but not afraid of idleness. Faced with such a situation, I can completely go with the flow, highly transcend, and easily spend several years, then return to Beijing in triumph. This is both the Minister's wish and what my father-in-law hopes for. If Cai Xiang's illness gets better, after a few years, I can live a stable and enviable life of prosperity and honor in the capital city.

  But, with my innate straightforward personality and years of studying abroad, I always wanted to combine knowledge and practice to achieve great political achievements; also, can the nature passed down from my ancestors, seeing injustice and drawing a sword to help, guarantee that I remain silent and unmoved when facing the harsh reality of human life?

  Not to mention the minister and my father-in-law, even I myself may find it difficult to guarantee this.