Chapter 114: Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee Meeting

  On the seventh day of the first month, Xu Shaojie arrived at Ding Yuan Secretary's residence area early in the morning. Ma Yaping was already waiting there. According to the time requirement, the seventh day of the first month is the reporting time, and the eighth day of the first month is the official start of work.

  Xu Shaojie's situation was different, after entering the office, Li Heqing, the head of the comprehensive department, brought a large stack of documents. These documents were all received during the Spring Festival period, including some letters from the masses. Xu Shaojie needed to sort them out, and Secretary Ding Yuan's office needed to be cleaned, so he didn't have time to rest. The time he reported for work was also the start of his shift. For the entire afternoon, Xu Shaojie was in the office sorting documents. During this time, Qian Dazhi came up for a while, and the two chatted casually for a few sentences. Qiao Yurong also came, still with the same attitude, not showing any restraint due to Xu Shaojie's change in status.

  Zhang Xiaoyu returned to Huaiyang City on the sixth day of the first month. Zhang Xiaoyu knew that after Xu Shaojie went to work, she would need to take care of his daily life, so she arrived early in Huaguan Village.

  Years ago, Xu Shaojie had already used computers to manage files. Xu Shaojie was somewhat familiar with computers but not extremely proficient. In college, the school had computers and Xu Shaojie learned basic operations. The city committee office's computers were all connected to the internet, belonging to the few in Huaiyang City that could access the web. So, after organizing his files, Xu Shaojie browsed online for a bit. It was just the beginning of work and not busy yet. Secretary Ding Yuan was resting at home, and Xu Shaojie was also preparing to get off work.

  "Secretary Xú, there's nothing going on this afternoon, let's go out for dinner."

  "It's too much trouble for you, Director Qian, and it's still during Chinese New Year, there are many things to attend to at home, I think let's just forget about it."

  "Secretary Xu, don't be polite, you've already reported for work, just go to work with a clear conscience. Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."

  Xu Shaojie had not been working at the municipal party committee office for a long time, including his previous one-month stint there. The people he was most familiar with were Qian Dazhi and Qiao Yurong. Qiao Yurong was a female comrade whose husband was the deputy secretary-general of the municipal government, so she spent more time taking care of her family. Therefore, Xu Shaojie could only come into contact with Qian Dazhi.

  Xu Shaojie didn't have a bad impression of Qian Dazhi. People are like this, they need to keep in touch and create opportunities for themselves through interactions. Xu Shaojie found that Qian Dazhi was very responsible at work, but after working in the municipal party committee office for a long time, he inevitably became somewhat perfunctory. In this regard, everyone is the same, and it's hard to stand out in the municipal party committee office. Qian Dazhi had a good relationship with Huang Guangming, birds of a feather flock together, so Xu Shaojie's impression of Qian Dazhi was not bad.

  During the Spring Festival, few restaurants were open for business. Qian Dazhi somehow found a place and they went in. The restaurant was almost empty of customers. The owner felt surprised that someone came to his door on such a day.

  During the meal, the two chatted casually for a while. Soon, Qian Dazhi's words caught Xu Shaojie's attention. It turned out that every year from March to May, there would be a batch of personnel adjustments, which was almost a fixed pattern. Generally, after the People's Congress and CPPCC meetings, the municipal party committee adjusted the leadership of counties and cities, with little impact unless it involved major leaders. Personnel adjustments had always been a focus of attention for everyone, and Xu Shaojie was no exception. When Qian Dazhi mentioned this matter, Xu Shaojie listened very carefully but did not express any opinions.

  After going home, Zhang Xiaoyu pouted and was a bit unhappy. She had worked hard to prepare dinner for Xu Shaojie, but he didn't come home. Of course, Zhang Xiaoyu was not happy about it. Xu Shaojie hurriedly apologized, saying that he had just arrived at the unit and was invited by good colleagues, so he couldn't refuse, so he didn't go home for dinner. Xu Shaojie didn't forget to use the evening to pay New Year's greetings to Liao Hongyun.

  After holding it in for a long time, at night, Xu Shaojie finally let loose and vented with Zhang Xiaoyu. Now, he doesn't feel guilty about anything between them; it's as if it's only natural. Sometimes Xu Shaojie is confused, but when he sees Zhang Xiaoyu, his confusion disappears. Zhang Xiaoyu has become even more mature and beautiful after a long time of living a superior life, which has brought about significant changes in her. When walking on the street, she gets a lot of attention from people turning their heads to look at her.

  In the early morning, Xu Shaojie and Ma Yaping went to pick up Secretary Ding Yuan on time.

  "Shao Jie, this afternoon the municipal party committee standing committee meeting will be held, and the comprehensive department will notify all members of the standing committee."

  After Secretary Ding Yuan entered the office, he instructed Xu Shaojie to make tea for him. After Xu Shaojie finished making the tea and left, Secretary Ding Yuan spent the morning reading documents. Xu Shaojie went downstairs to inform the Comprehensive Department and also arrived at the Secretariat Department. The records of the Standing Committee meeting had always been handled by the Secretariat Department. As usual, Xu Shaojie attended the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee meeting as a non-voting delegate. As the secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, he needed to grasp all aspects of the situation and serve the secretary in a timely manner.

  Xu Shaojie had just returned to the office when he heard some exaggerated footsteps. Xu Shaojie was certain that it must be a leader from the municipal party committee or government, as ordinary staff members or heads of municipal units would not walk in such an exaggerated manner.

  "Haha, it's Little Xu, right? Hello, young man, not bad, capable, doing a great job in Yudu District."

  "Mayor Huang, hello, thank you for your encouragement, I will work hard and do a good job."

  Xu Shaojie hastily stretched out his hand and grasped Huang Haitao's, whose hand was very soft, clearly not exerting much force. Xu Shaojie tactfully let go. Huang Haitao is one year older than Ding Yuan Secretary, already 47 years old, from Salong County, has been serving as mayor for five years, with a very senior qualification. He also belonged to the young and promising group of leaders in Xishan Province, with great hope for advancement.

  "Xiao Yu, sit down here at Secretary Xu's place, you two should have a good chat."

  Huang Haitao finished speaking and went directly to Ding Yuan's office, without asking Xu Shaojie to show him the way. Xu Shaojie knew that it must have been Ding Yuan who had called, as there was a meeting of the Standing Committee in the afternoon and the two main leaders needed to meet to discuss some matters and unify their opinions. However, Huang Haitao's behavior made Xu Shaojie feel a sense of arrogance and disdain, as if Huang Haitao thought very highly of himself. Going to Ding Yuan's office didn't seem like it was for work or reporting purposes, but rather like two old friends meeting up. Xu Shaojie was clear that the municipal party secretary and mayor were still different, with the mayor being the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee. Under the current system where the party committee leads everything, the mayor was still subordinate to the municipal party secretary.

  Yu Huai-xiang wore glasses and was in his thirties. He looked refined and cultured, but also somewhat mysterious and hard to fathom.

  "Director Yu, please take a seat. I just got to work and the office hasn't been fully tidied up yet."

  "Secretary Xu is so polite, I see the office is very clean, much cleaner than mine. I really need to learn from Secretary Xu, who is indeed young."

  Xu Shaojie suddenly had a bad feeling. Yu Huaixiang was the deputy director of the municipal government office and the secretary to the mayor, but when speaking to him, his tone seemed like that of a superior talking to a subordinate. The two were on the same level, and in terms of importance, Xu Shaojie was actually above Yu Huaixiang. Xu Shaojie couldn't help but sneer inwardly - what's the point of playing these petty tricks? They were all serving the leader, did he want to suppress him too?

  "Director Yu is being polite, we are all serving the leadership, if the leadership is satisfied, then our work is done."

  Xu Shaojie's response was clearly not anticipated by Yu Huaixiang, Xu Shaojie's meaning is very clear, we don't need to learn from each other, the main thing is to do our own work well and serve the leadership, the leader's opinion is the first standard.

  "That's right, Secretary Xu is right, we are all serving the leadership."

  The secretary of the main leader, there are few who do not smoke, and even fewer who smoke ordinary cigarettes. Xu Shaojie did not need to hide it, now during the Spring Festival, he took out a pack of Great Wall brand cigarettes and offered one to Yu Huaixiang, who showed no surprise at all, skillfully lit up the cigarette, and the two started chatting casually.

  Half an hour later, Huang Haitao came out. Ding Yuanshu did not see him off. Yu Huixiang quickly stood up and followed Huang Haitao to leave. Xu Shaojie naturally walked out of the office and kept watching in the stairwell until he knew Huang Haitao had gone downstairs.

  Xu Shaojie noticed these details and had a faint feeling that Ding Yuanshui, the secretary, and Huang Haitao were not as close as they seemed. Originally, the relationship between the secretary and the mayor was a contradictory combination. According to the current system, the division of labor between the two was not very clear. On the surface, the secretary was in charge of overall strategy and macro issues, while the mayor was in charge of economics and execution. However, in actual operation, it was difficult to grasp. From Huang Haitao's series of performances, it seemed that he equated himself with the municipal party secretary, putting the two on an equal footing. This was a dangerous signal. If a place had two chariots leading the way, they could maintain temporary stability as long as they drove in tandem. But if their routes didn't match, big trouble would arise.

  Xu Shaojie felt an urgent need to understand the relationships between the municipal party committee leaders. A great man once said, "There are no factions within the Party, but there are a thousand strange things." Although Huaiyang City had not reached that level, contradictions and factions were bound to exist.

  The municipal party committee standing committee meeting room did not have a podium, but was instead set up with round tables. Secretary Ding Yuan sat in the middle position, and the other standing committee members sat down one by one beside him, eventually forming a circle. However, the main position still stood out, and everyone who entered knew that the person sitting in the middle must be the main leader.

  After entering the Standing Committee meeting room, there are tables and chairs on both sides of the door. One side is where the conference recorder sits, and the other side is where the secretary of the municipal party committee sits. Except for the personnel adjustment research of the Municipal Party Committee, Xu Shaojie will participate in all the others.

  Xu Shaojie and Yu Huaixiang respectively carried briefcases, following behind Ding Yuan and Huang Haitao. Ding Yuan and Huang Haitao entered the conference room at the same time. At this point, all the standing committee members had already entered the conference room. Ding Yuan took the briefcase from Xu Shaojie's hand and walked directly to the middle position, while Yu Huaixiang quickly walked to the front of Huang Haitao's seat and put down the briefcase. The standing committee members in the conference room seemed to be accustomed to this scene.

  Xu Shaojie sat down in the position on the left side of the gate, and Yu Huaixiang left the conference room.

  The first plenary meeting of the Standing Committee after the Spring Festival did not have many agendas, nor did it involve any work that needed to be discussed and decided. It was mainly a meeting to collect thoughts. Ding Yuan presided over the meeting, and Huang Haitao spoke first, mainly mentioning the government's economic work, starting work, and the government needing to concentrate its efforts. Ding Yuan made a final speech, putting forward requirements for the new year's work, roughly such requirements are old familiar talks. The atmosphere of the meeting was always very relaxed, with everyone's face wearing a smile.

  Xu Shaojie mainly focused on several leaders, without any special reflection, all of whom were calm and collected. Among them was Lu Changzheng, the municipal party committee's executive vice secretary in charge of organizational work, who was tall and imposing, living up to his name, and had a few similarities with the current Long March cadres. However, Lu Changzheng was not a Long March cadre.

  There was also Zhu Zongxiang, the municipal party committee's vice secretary in charge of political and legal work, who had a face full of amiability, completely unlike a leader wielding power over the political and legal apparatus. Then there was Lang Shifou, the vice secretary in charge of agriculture, who wore glasses and looked very benevolent.

  Next was He Yiming, the municipal government's executive vice mayor, whose style was similar to Huang Haitao's, handling affairs with a strong sense of initiative, and scrutinizing every word. Organization Department head Zhang Taizhong was someone Xu Shaojie was relatively familiar with. During the meeting, Zhang Taizhong didn't smile or speak carelessly, looking like a leader who had been engaged in organizational work for a long time.

  It is these leaders attending the meeting who determine the direction of Huaiyang City's development and decide the fate of all the big and small cadres in Huaiyang City. In Xu Shaojie's view, they are not mysterious, but outsiders have unknowingly mystified all the leaders.

  After the meeting, Xu Shaojie followed behind Ding Yuan and felt that Ding Yuan was not very happy. Earlier in the meeting, Ding Yuan had already made arrangements to use the first month's time to visit all counties and cities, understand the situation, inspect work, and return to the city to participate in the People's Congress and CPPCC meetings. This year is an ordinary session, and there is nothing special that needs to be prepared.

  Xu Shaojie once again felt that he needed to grasp the situation among the municipal party committee leaders. This situation is very important for future work. In a conference room with so many leaders, it's impossible for everyone to be of one mind with Secretary Ding Yuan, thinking and working together in the same direction. Everyone has their own relationships and ideas.

  "Shao Jie, get ready, tomorrow we'll start visiting various counties and cities. I reckon we won't be able to rest until the 15th of the first month. Time is tight, sigh... every year at the beginning of the year it's always so busy, can't even relax properly."

  "Director Ding, have you arranged for the office and notified the counties and cities below?"

  "Shao Jie, do you think it's necessary to inform those below?"

  "Secretary Ding, I think it's better to notify them. Today is the eighth day of the first month, tomorrow is the ninth day of the first month, and some places may be off on the ninth day."

  "Uh-huh, you want to notify the counties and cities under the comprehensive department, go to Salong County first tomorrow."

  Xu Shaojie felt that Secretary Ding Yuan's tone contained a sense of helplessness, and indeed some confusion. It is said that in Huaiyang City, no one would dare not listen to Secretary Ding Yuan's words. Secretary Ding Yuan has been working in Huaiyang City for 5 years. At the beginning of the year, Xu Shaojie saw Secretary Ding Yuan as always full of energy, but after just one Spring Festival, why did such a change occur? It seems that he is somewhat lacking in confidence in controlling the situation in Huaiyang City.