According to Zhang Siwen, when he and the old chief were working in the south, he met Director Xin, who was also from Anhui. From then on, he often visited Director Xin in the name of the old chief. {Free novel
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Visits at that time were really just visits in the ordinary sense. Visitors often came empty-handed and bothered the host with a simple meal.
Sometimes even if you bring something by the way, it's just a bag of tea, a piece of sticky cake, etc. However, at Director Xin's place, every autumn or the end of the year, the old chief must have three things to deliver - straw sandals, duck eggs, and glutinous rice flour.
Later, the old leader died suddenly, and Zhang Siwen took over the mission and continues this tradition to this day.
In the process of contacting Director Xin, Zhang Siwen formed a close friendship with the old man and was deeply loved by him. He was able to have a stable career in the past because Director Xin once came forward to say good things.
Later, when the old chief passed away, Zhang Siwen would still visit Director Xin often. Later, Director Xin took root in Shanlu Province. Zhang Siwen rarely moved between them because of work, but every time
During the holidays, Zhang Siwen would still call the elderly to say hello for decades, and the relationship has been maintained like this. Until now, Zhang Siwen parachuted to Antai City and became the secretary of the municipal party committee. Since then, the relationship between the two has become closer again.
Perhaps it was a habit he developed during the Revolutionary War. Director Xin has been particularly fond of straw sandals throughout his life. Even though he has lived in a big city for decades and there is no gunfire around him, he is still accustomed to wearing a pair of straw sandals and walking in the city.
On the bustling streets, especially in the months from early spring to mid-autumn, straw sandals are always on your feet.
However, the straw sandals that Director Xin needed were not the ordinary straw sandals of the past, but a kind of water grass called rice straw, carefully woven with pure cotton strips.
Spartina grows on the river beach. It has four prismatic shapes and a hollow center. It is harvested in autumn and dried in the warm sun. It is gently hammered with a small wooden hammer until it becomes soft. When mixed with cotton strips, it is strong and not easy to break. It is woven into shoes and worn on the beach.
It is flexible and very comfortable on the feet.
In the past, this kind of rice grass grew wildly and was everywhere on the riverside. Farmers along the river often let their cattle and sheep in to eat at will. But now it has become a treasure because of its scarcity. If Zhang Siwen hadn't specially asked someone to plant some on the riverside.
, it is almost impossible to find a few roots all over the river beach.
Those salted duck eggs are not the ones you usually buy in the street market, but are carefully pickled with more than ten kinds of seasonings such as salt, Yujiu, star anise, ginger, etc. The eggs are slightly black and have a slightly rancid taste.
It's similar to the rotten eggs that people usually have that are not salted enough and over-salted.
Yu Yan also liked this kind of salted egg when he was a child. Although it looks unsightly, it tastes particularly delicious. Salted eggs are a major feature of Antai and Director Xin's favorite. Naturally, they are not mass-produced in factories and sold in boxes in stores.
That type is completely handmade, with purer raw materials and craftsmanship.
It's rare for a secretary to have great magical powers, and only he can get such a rare thing.
As agreed on the phone, Yu Yan deliberately chose to arrive at Xin's house on time at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Director Xin's daughters all work abroad or in Shanghai or Beijing. They usually live with the old couple and a nanny, so the home is relatively clean.
Yu Yan had been here once before, so Director Xin recognized him.
Seeing the few things Yu Yan brought in, Director Xin, who was nearly eighty years old, was as happy as a child. The old man didn't have time to greet the guests, so he tried on his feet in pairs of straw sandals and walked back and forth in the living room twice to confirm.
Every pair fits well and is comfortable.
After that, he asked the nanny to bring bowls and chopsticks, opened the salted duck eggs and fermented meat and tasted them respectively. She clucked her tongue and praised her again and again, and forced her husband to taste it. Then the nanny tasted it, and then sat down to chat with Yu Yan.
.
"Respect for the Aged Day is coming soon, and Secretary Zhang asked me to make a special trip to visit you on his behalf. These things have been made recently and are delivered to you while they are fresh, so as not to become stale after being stored for a long time." Yu Yan said in a humble tone and attitude.
attentive.
"Oh, it's rare that Xiao Zhang has such filial piety that he actually remembers me, a useless old man, and asked you to make this trip specifically." Director Xin said with great kindness.
"How could you say that? Secretary Zhang often mentioned to us that you helped and educated him in every possible way. He said that if you hadn't cared about him in every possible way, he wouldn't be where he is today!" Yue Yan's tone was extremely sincere.
"It's a pity that there are not many young people like him who are kind and righteous." Mr. Xin sighed.
"Only Xiao Lei and Xiao Zhang still remember us." Mrs. Xin also agreed.
"Xiao Lei is Lei Weidong, deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee." Director Xin explained.
"Oh, really?" Yu Yan was really shocked. This secretary had never mentioned it to him. It was unimaginable that the powerful Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lei Weidong actually became "
"Xiao Lei".
Yu Yan didn't know that Director Xin had quite a say in front of provincial leaders, and his prestige was no less than that of some high-ranking department directors. Especially when he went to various prefectures and cities, he was deeply respected by grassroots party and government leaders.
After that, Lei Weidong made rapid progress from the township, county to city, and then to the provincial party committee, which had a lot to do with his strong recommendation. Of course, Lei Weidong was able to climb from the provincial party committee to the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee.
With a high position, there must be a mysterious network of connections that others don't know about.
Next, like any revolutionary old man of the same age, Director Xin began to recall the revolutionary history and lamented the importance of love, justice, and courtesy in his life.
Naturally, it mentions all the support he gave to Secretary Lei back then, as well as various situations in which he helped Zhang Siwen.
Although it was not the first time that Yu Yan heard it, he had no choice but to pretend to be listening for the first time, with expressions of surprise and admiration on his face from time to time. After talking for more than an hour, Director Xin finally stopped from recalling the past and asked, "
How is Xiao Zhang recently? I heard that he is doing well recently. He probably hasn't started a mining consolidation, is there no problem?"
Whatever comes to mind, what Director Xin said was what Yu Yan most wanted to hear.
On the surface, he couldn't appear overly excited, so he could only say casually and hesitantly, "Thanks for your concern, it's okay. Actually, Secretary Zhang didn't let me tell you some things because he was afraid that you would be worried and angry, which would affect me.
You need to rest."
"Oh? What are you talking about? Is there something you can't tell me? Xiao Yu, it's okay, tell me what's going on." As expected, Mr. Xin became interested.
Yu Yan immediately explained the current situation of Antai in detail, the highlight of which was that the mayor Wu Qi was causing trouble with Secretary Zhang behind his back.
"That's not bad!" Director Xin became a little angry after listening to Yuyan's narration, and his hands started to shake slightly.
When Mrs. Xin and the nanny saw this, they immediately came over to comfort the old man not to be angry and to speak slowly if he had anything to say. Yu Yan also acted very self-blame, saying repeatedly, "It's all my fault for being too talkative. It's all my fault for being too talkative."
After a while, Director Xin regained his composure, glanced at the phone on the coffee table, and asked Yuyan, "Where is Xiaolei now?"
Yu Yan looked at the time and saw that it was exactly four o'clock in the afternoon. He figured out that the country had not implemented weekend holidays yet, and usually at this time every Saturday, the leaders would usually be in the office.
"Secretary Lei may be in the office at this time," Yu Yan said.
Director Xin pouted at the phone and motioned for Yu Yan to dial the number for him.
Director Xin read out a number, and Yu Yan dialed the phone. After five or six rings, a middle-aged man's voice came out. He didn't dare to speak, so he quickly handed the phone to the old man.
Yu Yan was extremely excited. He believed that the secretary must know about the relationship between Director Xin and Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lei Weidong. If he didn't tell him before, it seemed that he didn't expect that he could really ask Director Xin to hand over Secretary Lei to him.
Moving out seems to be God’s will!
Director Xin's hearing is not very good, and he would deliberately turn up the volume when talking to others. Yu Yan, who was sitting next to him, could really hear his conversation with Secretary Lei.
After exchanging some necessary gossip, Director Xin quickly turned to the topic, "Antai is going to consolidate the mining industry. You should be concerned about Xiao Zhang's affairs! A cadre like him with good moral character and good ability should be given strong support.
Well."
"I have always supported him! Don't worry, old leader!" Secretary Lei said over there.
"As far as I know, the support is not enough! We need to support him just like I supported you back then!" Director Xin's voice was high, almost roaring.
Secretary Lei agreed again and again, "Okay, okay, I understand. You always told me, can I not implement it?"
"The person I like will never miss you. Just like when I first fell in love with you, everything went smoothly step by step. Also, the provincial party committee recently held a symposium with us old guys about the election of the province next year.
Broadly solicit opinions. I am going to contact some old comrades from Antai and jointly submit a written opinion to the Organization Department and the Provincial Party Committee, suggesting that you go to the provincial government to take charge of agriculture. Now when we talk about economic development, it means attracting investment, that is, industrial economy, and agriculture.
Where has the status of the boss gone? China is still a big agricultural country. How can a province like this do without a deputy governor who understands agriculture?" Director Xin's topic changed to Secretary Lei at the right moment, making Yu Yan heave a sigh of relief.
He knew that even with a special status like Director Xin, when talking to Secretary Lei about Zhang Siwen, he could only stop in moderation. Otherwise, if he kept pestering him and made the other party suspicious or disgusted, it would have the opposite effect.
It seems that although Director Xin is old, he is very clear-headed. He has been fighting in the officialdom for many years and is still politically sharp and experienced.
We talked bit by bit for more than half an hour. On the other side of the phone, Secretary Lei immediately summed it up and expressed his position again, "Don't worry, I know how to deal with the affairs of the Antai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, and I know how to deal with Zhang Siwen's matter."
Do your best. As for the proposal you wrote to the province, I have troubled you all the time. After a while, I will pick you up and come live at home for a while."
After putting down the phone, Director Xin smiled at Yuyan, with a naughty expression on his face, as if he was asking, "How was it? Are you satisfied?"
Yu Yan understood, and immediately thanked Zhang Siwen again, "You keep talking, can Secretary Lei not give me face? Having you as a big tree to support us is our Secretary Zhang's luck, and it is also the blessing of the Antai people."