Chapter Seven Inherited A Mess

  On the simple desk, piles of documents of all kinds were stacked; red-headed files, internal references, reports for instructions, briefings, periodicals... All administrative documents of Jiyuan City had reached the final stage and were submitted to the mayor sitting here for signature.

  When I saw these documents, I thought of the old minister's desk, which was also piled up with files and documents to be reviewed. Outsiders who didn't know the situation thought that leaders holding pens and scribbling were the main content of "being an official". They imagined that once these documents were approved, they would be executed swiftly and have a huge impact on the fate of society.

  In fact, the currents of social destiny do not entirely obey official documents. In most cases, it flows according to its own will, towards other valleys where it should flow.

  Northern Liaoning

  "Ah, sit, sit..." Before the formal handover of work, former Mayor Qin Bo's identity greeted me.

  He plopped himself down in his swivel chair, which he had occupied for many years, pulled open the drawer and simply cleaned up a few items. Then, he frowned at the piles of files that had accumulated like mountains.

  "Hey, Xiaxia!" He picked up the phone and shouted.

  As soon as the voice fell, a female staff member wearing a long skirt with folds on the ground walked in elegantly. She saw me, politely nodded her head, and then softly called out "Mayor Qin..."

  "Clear all these things away." He pointed to the mountain of documents in front of him, "Tell these units that Mayor Yu has taken office, and if there are any problems, please ask for instructions and report according to the new procedure."

  "Yes." Xiaxia lowered her head and looked at the table, stretching out both arms to sort through the stack of documents.

  "Hey, let me introduce you, this is Mayor Yu." The old mayor stood up and pointed at me.

  "Hello, Mayor Yu." Xia raised her head and extended a big hand to me, "Nice to meet you here at the welcome meeting."

  "She is government confidential secretary Ji Xiaoxia." Mayor Qin said, and Leng Bing started rummaging through things again.

  "Comrade Ji Xiaoxia, I'm new here, please take care of me." I said politely.

  Yu Shichang was being polite," Ji Xiaoxia smiled, "it should be me who is asking for your care."

  Ji Xiaoxia picked up a large stack of documents and walked away, the desktop was clean and tidy, the spacious office was empty, as if it had lost its content.

  "Mr. Yu, the mayor, come and sit here." The old mayor stood up, pointing to his own position, with a gesture of generosity and willingness to yield power as he approached retirement.

  "No need to be polite, old mayor," I said with a slight bow, "just call me by my name!"

  "Ah, Yu Ming, hmm, how should I put it..."

  He gazed at the empty desktop in the morning, as if he had a lot of feelings.

  "Oh, Mayor Yu, I recall a phrase from the ancients... It says 'Only when the king receives his mandate, is there no boundary to his rest, and also no boundary to his worries.' Which historical book is this written in..."

  "It seems to be the 'Book of Zhou', is it not the words of advice from Duke Shi to King Cheng?" I blurted out. At the same time, I felt that if one doesn't read some classical texts, it's very difficult to converse with these elderly men.

  "I'm afraid this class of mine isn't very glorious." He felt a pang of sadness, and beneath the sadness was a hint of pain. "I've left you with a mess!"

  "Old mayor, don't say that, you've laid a good foundation."

  "Basic, haha......" The old mayor waved his hand, "We're doing administrative work, can't speak in official tone... To put it bluntly, our city's financial situation is like this table surface, empty and bare..."

  I nodded, since what was said hit home, there's no point in being polite anymore.

  "In fact, Yajima City can be made even better." The old mayor opened his mouth and couldn't help but say, "As for the step of sending a letter, I admit that I have responsibility; however, I don't concede!"

  "Ah!" The sentence was beyond my expectation.

  The leadership team of Xingyuan City is not united, I've heard rumors about it for a long time. However, at this moment, I don't want to hear anything about that.

  "I'm getting older, but to be honest, I think my own ideology and ability level are not lower than those so-called young cadres." The old mayor's tone had a sense of grandeur and passion.

  "Mayor Qin," I called out softly, quietly dropping the word "old". In this era, everyone dreaded the word "old", "These things..."

  It's better not to mention it. That's what I meant.

  "Oh, I shouldn't have said that..." The old mayor felt he had misspoken, but was somewhat reluctant to stop there. "However, Yu Ming, let me remind you, some young cadres in Jixian City have problematic thoughts and ideas!"

  Young official, I'm very clear about it... He was referring to Yang Jian, the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee, and Lv Qiang, the executive vice mayor. It's said that these two people often go to the provincial party committee organization department to report on Qi Secretary and Qin Mayor in order to take over as the top leader earlier. However, I can't expand on this topic now, I must urge him to stop immediately.

  "Mayor Qin," I quickly changed the subject, "I'm young and inexperienced... As the saying goes, it's hard to get started. What's the first move for the municipal government? Please share your experience and teach me a few tricks!"

  "Haha, no need to teach me! You've already had a plan in mind for dealing with Yoriyuki from the start, haven't you?!"

  "Mayor Qin, I'm sincere." I implored.

  "Alright, Yu Ming, it's rare for you to be so polite. As for experience, I don't have any. But as for suggestions, I do have two."

  "Firstly, I suggest that you shouldn't be in a hurry to hold grand meetings or deliver stunning policy speeches. Don't rush to make a TV appearance either. The ordinary people of Jizhou are already fed up with such shows. No matter how beautifully you package it, they won't believe your words. It's better to first get familiar with the situation in Jizhou. Once you have a good grasp of things, you'll be able to speak with confidence."

  "Second, to get a thorough understanding of the situation, you should first go to the difficult large enterprises and then to the homes of laid-off workers in the shantytowns. If you do some practical things for them, you will achieve twice the results with half the effort. Of course, you should also have the vice mayor in charge accompany you on these visits and listen to their views on some issues. This way, you can both get a sense of the situation and assess your colleagues."

  "Alright, I've got it." I nodded in gratitude.

  "Also, if you don't mind an old man's nagging, I'd like to remind you of three things..."

  "Please advise."

  "Firstly, don't interfere with cadre work."

  "Secondly, avoid intervening in judicial matters. Some cases may make you very angry, but also don't get involved in specific issues."

  "This is the third one, haha! Young man, I'm not afraid of you getting angry. At work, stay away from women a bit, some young cadres are quite skilled at using women as a means to an end..."

  The most astonishing thing is that what you said left me speechless. These three points, how do they match the old minister's words so perfectly, every detail fitting together seamlessly?