Official Career Storm
Chapter 481

Chapter 481: Chapter 481

The idea was beautiful, but the actual operation proved to be no easy feat.

Chen Guanyun shook his head, "It’s difficult to execute."

"Zhang Meilin dared to step up and take on County Magistrate Hou’s case at a time when the road ahead was unclear. Regardless of whether this person is an opportunist or not, he certainly has courage."

"It won’t be easy to get Lu Xiaotian connected with him."

Lin Qingquan smiled and said, "It’s definitely not easy to have Lu Xiaotian meet him directly, but has Mr. Chen forgotten that Lu Xiaotian’s grandma is still around?"

This statement immediately made Chen Guanyun’s eyes light up.

Yes, Lu Xiaotian’s face is something Zhang Meilin can easily ignore.

But can he afford to ignore Lu Xiaotian’s grandma, the wife of the old Secretary?

...

Zhang Meilin had gradually grown accustomed to the role of City Secretary.

He was currently lacking a secretary, and the Secretary-General had brought him a list of candidates.

But he knew nothing about Dujiang City and could not make any sense of it just by looking at the list.

"County Magistrate Fu seems to know a lot about Dujiang City."

Perhaps she could give me some advice.

Zhang Meilin reached for his mobile phone to make a call when the landline on his desk rang.

It was a call from the office.

"Secretary Zhang, Secretary Lu’s wife would like to see you."

"Which Secretary Lu?"

"Lu Yijiang."

Lu Yijiang...

Zhang Meilin pondered for a moment and then he understood.

He knew of Lu Xiaotian and how brash the young man could be in Dujiang City.

Hou Wen was his main backer and now that Hou Wen had fallen, the young man’s grandma was coming to see him.

The purpose was self-evident.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Meilin said, "Please let her in."

Avoiding the meeting was unrealistic.

Even if he wouldn’t see her today, she would return tomorrow.

Continuously avoiding her would eventually lead to rumors being spread that he lacked manners and others might take advantage of the situation.

"Knock knock."

An office clerk pushed the door open, "Secretary Zhang, Ms. Li has arrived."

He led an elderly lady dressed in plain clothes, with a head of silver hair, into the room.

After pouring some tea and preparing to leave, Secretary Zhang asked, "You are Xiao He, right?"

Xiao He was startled, clearly not expecting Secretary Zhang to remember him.

He was somewhat excited, "My name is He Cunhao, from the Second Secretary Division."

"Stay a moment; I have some things to discuss with you afterward."

"Yes, Secretary Zhang." He Cunhao stood up straight, his heart racing.

He knew, Secretary Zhang had just arrived, in need of a secretary and a driver.

He had been singled out to stay—could it be that he was being considered for the role of secretary?

Indeed, Secretary Zhang harbored such a thought.

He was still in the dark about the situation within the City Committee, unsure whom he could trust or who belonged to whom.

But he had learned something from being Minister Zhou’s secretary for so long.

That was, his new position as City Secretary placed him in a very awkward spot.

The lower-ranked clerks did not understand whether their relationship with the leadership was good or bad.

Thus, they dared not initiate contact with him, fearing they might displease other leaders.

Under such circumstances, Xiao He was tasked with handling grandmas Lu’s matter, which clearly indicated he was being marginalized in the office.

Otherwise, such a thankless job would not have fallen to him.

Of course, there was another reason for asking him to stay.

That is, as a witness.

He had never interacted with Lu Xiaotian’s Grandmother and didn’t know anything about the old lady’s capabilities and methods.

Behind closed doors, it’s just the two of them; if anything were to happen, there really would be no explanation credible enough to be believed.

Minister Zhou had once cautioned him that whenever there were private visits, the office door must be kept open.

Especially when female visitors come by, not only should the door remain open, another person should be arranged to stay inside the office to observe.

By doing this, a lot of unnecessary trouble could be prevented.

All these details Minister Zhou had taught him were etched in his memory, and now he was applying them in practice.

"Mrs. Lu, what brings you to the City Committee?" Zhang Meilin asked with a smile.

Lu Xiaotian’s grandmother was named Li, and she was usually called Grandma Li by everyone.

Zhang Meilin was neither a relative nor an acquaintance, and he had not received any favor from the deceased Secretary Lu, so naturally, he wouldn’t call her by such an affectionate name.

"I heard that our city got a new secretary, so I specifically came over to see you."

Mrs. Li pulled out a bag of dried goods from the plastic bag she was carrying.

Things like sunflower seeds and walnuts.

"These are all homemade. Take them to eat."

Gift-giving is a skill.

Though many officials are corrupt, not all of them accept just anything.

This Mrs. Li clearly knew the rules well, and these dried goods were not of high value.

Moreover, as an elder, she could just be seen as looking after her younger relative.

But the sentiment attached to these simple goods was profound.

If he accepted them, he would effectively be tied into a relationship with her; if she later asked him for a favor, would he help her, or not?

When faced with social exchanges, most people find it difficult to outright refuse and think of finding a polite way to decline.

But Zhang Meilin didn’t have so many concerns. He knew all too well the risks involved and directly declined: "Mrs. Lu, this I cannot accept. Please take it back."

Mrs. Li said with a kindly smile, "Oh, it’s nothing valuable."

Zhang Meilin kept a stern face, "Mrs. Lu, the guidelines for officials’ conduct have been repeatedly emphasized. I’ve just arrived, and you’re giving me gifts. If word gets out, what will others think of me, the new secretary?"

"Mrs. Lu, your visiting me is already the greatest acknowledgment, but please don’t put me in a difficult position, okay?"

Mrs. Li had given many gifts, and she knew well what to give to whom.

But she didn’t expect this new secretary to be so indifferent to personal connections.

With a smile, she took back the items and sighed, "Alas, Secretary Zhang, you are right. This old woman is aged, and I didn’t think things through, causing you trouble."

"Well then, how about this, Grandma will invite you to dinner tonight; this doesn’t break any rules, right?"

"I tell you, all the leaders in the city, big and small, have tried Grandma’s cooking. Grandma is very good at cooking, and they all love it."

Zhang Meilin’s eyes flickered, aware of the implications in her words.

All the city leaders have tried her cooking, what does that mean?

It means that even though the Lu family has no one currently in officialdom, the remaining influence and connections of the deceased Secretary Lu were still powerful.

This was not an attempt to intimidate him but a friendly overture.

She wanted to pull him in, to integrate him into Dujiang City, into the web of connections woven by the Lu Family.

Secretary Zhang smiled, "Mrs. Lu, you know I’ve just arrived and have many things to attend to."

"Ah, okay then. You go ahead with your work, Secretary Zhang."

Seeing that Zhang Meilin was not yielding, Mrs. Li did not persist.

"Xiao He, please see Mrs. Lu out."

"Of course, Secretary Zhang."

After He Cunhao escorted Mrs. Li away, he returned to the office: "Secretary Zhang, Mrs. Lu has left."

Zhang Meilin hummed in response, asking, "Xiao He, where are you from?"

He Cunhao knew that this was an inquiry into his background.

"Responding to Secretary Zhang, I’m a local from Dujiang City, a graduate from the Faculty of Law at Nanjiang University."

"How long have you been with the City Committee? What made you decide to take the public service exam?"

"Secretary Zhang, I entered through the exam last year. The reason for taking it, I’m afraid you might laugh if I tell you."

"Go ahead, I won’t laugh at you."

"I..." He Cunhao pursed his lips, his expression suddenly turning serious, "I want to do real work for the people!"

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