Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 984 - Chapter 984 Chapter 940 Recalling Bitterness Thinking of

Chapter 984: Chapter 940: Recalling Bitterness, Thinking of Sweetness Chapter 984: Chapter 940: Recalling Bitterness, Thinking of Sweetness Seeing Nie Zhenbang lost in thought, Xu Hongzhuan naturally understood what Secretary Nie was currently contemplating. Secretary Nie’s status in Hongjiang Province was relatively detached because, looking through the history of Hongjiang over the years, one could find that the head positions of both the Party and government teams usually, at most, included an alternate member. However, Nie Zhenbang was a full member of the Central Committee, which was the significant difference.

At the Ministry of Civil Affairs, it was only the Minister who was on an equal level for exchange with Secretary Nie. Of course, officials from Jingcheng might be regarded as one rank higher, but that would just be the rank of a Deputy Minister. If Nie Zhenbang came out to meet them and show the local respect, that would be sufficient. But now, with a group of bureau and division-level leaders coming down, it was inevitable that Nie Zhenbang would have to consider personally greeting them.

“Secretary, this time, the officials coming are from the Ministry of Civil Affairs’s Disaster Relief Department and the Assistance Department to inspect the ice disaster in our province…” Xu Hongzhuan’s words weren’t too explicit.

However, Nie Zhenbang was very clear about the implications. It was comparable to lobbying at the ministry, the difference being that local officials needed to actively go to Jingcheng to lobby for projects and support, whereas when ministry officials came down, often the situation wasn’t that severe. Usually, it was the bureau-level and division-level officials who would come down to take a look and distribute some resources. Typically, the local Party and government leaders would be very enthusiastic, not to mention accompanying them throughout the entire visit, at least meeting them and providing a reception was obligatory.

After a pause, Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Since that’s the case, let’s follow the usual practice. When are they coming? I will make an appearance at midday to receive them.”

Saying so was already considerate and provided enough face; a local official of his rank personally attending was quite significant. The ministry officials would understand; to expect local Party and governmental leaders to accompany them throughout the whole visit would be excessive.

Xu Hongzhuan nodded. As the Secretary-General, the main aspect of his job was to anticipate the leaders’ thoughts and address their concerns, to find and fill gaps in the leaders’ work. To diligently maintain and support the leaders’ lives.

Xu Hongzhuan had mentioned everything that needed to be said. As for the decisions, it was up to the leaders’ arrangements, who would surely have their deeper considerations. His job was to do his duty and not to overstep, which wasn’t what the leaders wanted to see.

…

Hongcheng Airport

On the direct flight from Jingcheng to Hongcheng, all twelve seats in first class were booked by the Disaster Relief Department and the Assistance Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, along with their leaders, secretaries, and accompanying staff. They appeared relatively relaxed.

In the front row, which originally had four seats, only two were occupied, with one empty seat on each side.

The man on the left, around forty-three or forty-four years old, medium build and slightly overweight, was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looked quite scholarly. At this age, it was normal to hold a bureau or division-level leadership position in the ministry.

The man was at ease, tilting his face toward the man across from him and smilingly said, “Old Chang, it looks like the Assistance Department will have to bleed heavily this time.”

Old Chang looked to be about fifty, corpulent with thinning hair, appearing very formal at all times and seemingly always wearing a smile. At his age, achieving only the position of Director of the Assistance Department implied a somewhat dim career. In a few years, if he could be promoted to a member of the department party group, retire in an idle deputy position, that would be the best outcome.

At this moment, Old Chang waved his hand and replied, “Old Zhao, you’re the main character this time.”

As they spoke, the flight attendant walked in, smiling, “Please fasten your seat belts gentlemen, the plane is about to land.”

At Hongcheng Airport’s tarmac, Deputy Governor Liu Yaowen, who was in charge of civil affairs in Hongjiang Province, led the team. Alongside him were relevant officials from the provincial Civil Affairs Office and Secretary-General Zhang Qitai, with a group of more than a dozen people standing on the airport tarmac.

To the side, a small fleet composed of two Coaster business vans and an Audi sedan was parked behind them, ready to go. There were no police cars or accompanying police personnel.

As the plane slowly landed and the stairs’ vehicle drew close, the cabin door opened, and Director Zhao, Director Chang, and their party walked out of the cabin, down the stairs. At that moment, Liu Yaowen’s team greeted them warmly, extending their hands, smiling, “Welcome, welcome, Directors Zhao and Chang, on behalf of the Hongjiang Provincial Committee and the provincial government, I offer a sincere welcome to both leaders.”

Next to him, Guo Nansheng, head of the Civil Affairs Office, had already approached to greet them. Being the counterpart department, Guo Nansheng was well-informed about the senior officials and immediately introduced, smiling, “Director Zhao, Director Chang, this is Comrade Liu Yaowen, our Deputy Governor for Hongjiang.”

At that moment, seeing the airport’s reception, Director Zhao wore a smile, while a flash of dissatisfaction crossed Director Chang’s eyes.

Director Zhao smiled and responded, “Deputy Governor Liu, hello, hello. Thank you for the concern of the Hongjiang Province leadership. Such a grand reception is more than I deserve. I suggest we head to the cars first.”

At this juncture, Director Zhao looked at Liu Yaowen and said, “Deputy Governor Liu, what do you think?”

Liu Yaowen felt somewhat embarrassed at the moment. Although the two ministry leaders who came down appeared to be very polite on the surface, between the lines, they subtly expressed some dissatisfaction and sarcasm. This annoyed Liu Yaowen. What’s the big deal? Just some officials from Jingcheng coming down? He, as an important local leader in charge, had gone out to meet them, and still, they felt slighted?

But this kind of thing was something everyone was clearly aware of in their hearts, even though it couldn’t and shouldn’t be openly discussed. After all, nothing was declared outright. Whoever brought it up would look awkward if the other party simply denied it or refused to acknowledge the matter.

After pausing for a moment, Liu Yaowen nodded and said, “Director Zhao is truly a leader sent from above. Your ideological consciousness really is beyond what we local comrades can compare with. Please, get on the bus, leaders.”

The trip by car was quite interesting. As per the request of Director Zhao and the others, no officials from Hongjiang accompanied them in the car; this meant that the people from the Jingcheng ministries sat in one vehicle, while the others from Hongjiang took different cars.

As the cars left Hongcheng Airport, they directly circled onto the airport expressway. At that moment, Director Chang’s face immediately darkened with dissatisfaction. “Old Zhao, these leaders from Hongjiang are really full of themselves, aren’t they? A responsible leader like this, aren’t they just disregarding us?”

However, Director Zhao’s face bore a playful expression. He looked at Director Chang indifferently, contempt in his heart. No wonder, at his age, Old Chang was still just a director-level official. With such shallow sophistication and tolerance, it was probably already lucky that he had ascended to his current position.

After a brief pause, Director Zhao smiled and said, “Old Chang, be patient. Perhaps, the leaders from Hongjiang are busy with many affairs. That’s understandable. Besides, the country now advocates for frugality and not disturbing the public. I actually think this is good. It allows us to genuinely experience the hardships of local people’s lives, so we can make the most accurate judgments. Don’t you agree?”

Upon hearing this, Director Chang’s face instantly lit up with a knowing smile, and he nodded, saying, “Haha, Director Zhao, you’re truly a key reserve cadre cultivated by the ministry. Such thoughtfulness, indeed, even with my best effort, I could not match.”

The convoy followed the rules of civilian traffic, and when the vehicles entered the Provincial Committee guesthouse, it was nearly noon.

Outside the guesthouse lobby, a banner had already been hung up: ‘Warmly welcome the leaders of the Ministry of Civil Affairs work group for their inspection and guidance in our province.’

Upon entering the lobby, inside, Xu Hongzhuan, and He Yusheng stood there talking, occasionally bowing their heads to whisper and exchange a few words. The Standing Committee members, despite their clear distinctions, usually displayed harmony and cordiality in public. This was not an uncommon sight.

As they saw the group enter, He Yusheng and Xu Hongzhuan both came forward to greet them, with He Yusheng smiling, “Comrade Yaowen, these are the leaders from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, right?”

At the side, the government’s Secretary-General Zhang Qitai also smiled and introduced them, saying, “Director Zhao, Director Chang, let me introduce you to two of our leaders. This is Comrade He Yusheng, our Deputy Provincial Governor, and next to him is Comrade Xu Hongzhuan, the Secretary-General of the Hongjiang Provincial Committee.”

Xu Hongzhuan also stepped forward, smiling, “Director Zhao, Director Chang, welcome, welcome. Secretary Nie of the Provincial Committee heard of the leaders’ visit to inspect Hongjiang, and he specifically made instructions to ensure we treat all the leaders well. Later, Secretary Nie will personally come to visit the leaders.”

Xu Hongzhuan’s words eased the tension on the faces of the two visitors from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Upon entry, they were warmly welcomed by two members of the Hongjiang Provincial Committee, and later, the top leader of Hongjiang was to visit them. Though the welcome they received was a bit modest, it now seemed quite polite and respectful.

Exchanging glances, Director Zhao, serving as their representative, smiled and said, “Secretary-General, you are too kind, and Secretary Nie is too kind as well. How could we accept such treatment? This time, Hongjiang suffered from snow and ice, and there’s so much to deal with here. You see, we seem to have caused quite some trouble for the local comrades.”

At this moment, He Yusheng had his own playful thoughts. Now they managed to smile, but he wondered if they would still be as composed later on.

After pausing for a moment, He Yusheng smiled and said, “Everyone, I believe we should head to the restaurant first.”

The group made their way grandly into the second-floor restaurant. Inside the hall, long buffet-style tables were set with a variety of dishes. As he looked around, Director Zhao remarked with a hint of surprise, “I didn’t expect our comrades from Hongjiang to be living so frugally. To eat just this for lunch. We really seem to have caused everyone some trouble.”

At the end of his words, He Yusheng took over the conversation, saying, “Director Zhao, Director Chang, I think we should eat first.”

Saying so, He Yusheng was the first to step up, taking a plate and turning back to Director Zhao, “Director Zhao, what would you like to eat? I’ll pick for you.”

Instantly, Director Chang’s face darkened, and looking at the Hongjiang officials, he said with some anger, “Really reminiscing about the bitter past, aren’t we?” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I welcome you to vote for it at NovelFire.net. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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