Wei Qun watched Chen Ziyu leave the box, with a hint of warmth in his eyes. After coming from Yanjing to Qiongjin, he found a brief peace from Chen Ziyu.
Chen Ziyu came into the kitchen and put on an apron. Her husband Liu Gang asked in surprise, "Are you going to cook?"
Chen Ziyu nodded and said, "Cook a meal for my cousin!"
Liu Gang frowned and said, "I've already prepared it. I'm going to serve it right away!"
Chen Ziyu rolled his eyes at him and said with disdain: "What you made is like pig food, how can it be eaten by my cousin?"
Liu Gang snorted and said, "He's just an official. How can he be so much more valuable than ordinary people like us?"
Chen Ziyu pushed Liu Gang hard with his hand, almost making him fall, and said, "You know nothing! He is the pride of our family. Has your Liu family ever produced a governor?"
Chen Ziyu brought up a bowl of stewed noodles. The soup was clear and there were plenty of side dishes, including tomatoes, green peppers, minced meat, and shredded carrots, which were neatly placed on top of the wide noodles.
After Wei Qun took it, he ate it heartily for a long while. He felt his body getting hot and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Seeing Chen Ziyu's bright eyes staring at him, he smiled and said, "I haven't eaten such authentic stewed noodles since I left southern Henan in my twenties."
Chen Ziyu smiled and said, "Cousin, you are a golden phoenix that has flown away. You are the pride of our family. Everyone is grateful to you, so if you have the chance to return home, a group of relatives and friends will definitely treat you to braised noodles."
Wei Qun shook his head, drank up the soup, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and said with emotion: "It's a pity that I'm too busy. I haven't had time to go back for so many years. I don't know how my family is doing!"
Chen Ziyu quickly reported the situation at home to Wei Qun. When he mentioned some old place names, Wei Qun couldn't help but smile and nodded from time to time.
Wei Qun also felt that there was some truth in the saying that when fellow villagers meet, their eyes are filled with tears. If he had time, he would definitely go back to his hometown in southern Henan to visit.
Chen Ziyu is Wei Qun's younger cousin. In fact, Wei Qun has done nothing for his family or hometown over the years. However, when he was working at the Development and Reform Commission, Wei Qun knew that his subordinates approved funds for his hometown for his sake, and local officials also secretly promoted him after returning home, helping him gain a good reputation.
After leaving Qingyun Restaurant, Chen Ziyu rushed out, stuffed the hundred-dollar bill that Wei Qun dropped to him, and said with red eyes, "Cousin, why do you look down on me!"
Wei Qun took the money and said with a smile, "This is an advance payment for my future meals. I will come and try the noodles you make whenever I have time."
Chen Ziyu said angrily, that doesn’t cost any money!
After saying this, he turned and walked into the restaurant.
Wei Qun was stunned for a while, then returned to his official car and burst out laughing. Trapped in the cage of officialdom, he had long forgotten what reality was. Ordinary people were always respectful when they saw him, perhaps with awe, or perhaps with a purpose, but he found some humanity in Chen Ziyu, which was quite rare!
Chapter 0914: Wen Jinglong Abandons the Rook to Save the King
The exterior of Master Shao's barber shop was repainted white, and the red cutouts on the glass door were also repainted. Although it was just a small detail, it could also refresh the mood of old customers. Pushing the door open, Master Shao glanced at Fang Zhicheng, raised the corner of his mouth, and took the initiative to say, "Wait a moment, I'll cut your hair after I'm done with my hands."
Fang Zhicheng glanced at the person sitting on the barber's seat, was slightly stunned, then walked to the sofa, picked up today's newspaper and read it carefully.
The newspaper was still the same as usual, with important current affairs news outlined in black pen. What was a bit surprising was that there were a few comments next to some of the news items, and the handwriting style was casual and unrestrained, quite distinctive.
Fang Zhicheng read the news and read the comments, and gained a lot.
For example, in the article "Qiongjin announced this year's total urban construction plan, with a total investment of 18 billion yuan", there is a comment next to it that river management is the top priority.
Qiongjin is an old city and is not suitable for large-scale construction. On the one hand, the cost of renovation and demolition is very high, and on the other hand, if the movement is too big, it will destroy the style of the ancient city, which is contrary to the current trend of urban construction.
Therefore, the development of Qiongjin in recent years has gradually expanded to the periphery, and the main urban area has been mainly governed. River governance is the key urban construction work promoted by Song Wendi after he took office, and it has been very effective. A few years ago, there were 36 black and smelly rivers in the urban area of Qiongjin, but after two years of concentrated governance, this phenomenon has been basically eliminated. At the same time, the Qiongjin Municipal Government also started the construction of the chemical fiber factory drinking water project, built a sewage collection system, a large outlet river pipe regulating and storage pool, and completed a number of pollution control and dredging work in the covered sections of the river, culverts, and interception ditches.
I focused my attention on the newspaper and didn't realize that time passed quickly. Finally, Master Shao pulled open the barber's cape and said, "Okay, you can come over and have your hair cut."
Fang Zhicheng folded the newspaper with a smile, and greeted Wen Jinglong who came down from the barber seat, saying, "Secretary Wen, hello!"
Wen Jinglong waved his hand and smiled faintly: "I didn't expect to see you here."
Fang Zhicheng glanced at Master Shao and said, "I'm surprised too. It seems that Master Shao's craftsmanship is so good and well-known that I am lucky enough to meet you here."
Master Shao blushed and shook his hand to show his modesty. Wen Jinglong was already a regular customer of his shop. Master Shao, who often paid attention to current affairs news, certainly knew who Wen Jinglong was. However, in his shop, Wen Jinglong was just like an ordinary customer. He gave his instructions as he should, and the scissors cut hair quickly and accurately.
Although Wen Jinglong's aura is different from that of Li Siyuan, the provincial party secretary at that time, it is similar. He has elegant and profound conversation and is extremely charismatic.
Wen Jinglong took out his wallet from his pocket, put the money on the table next to the mirror, and said to Fang Zhicheng, "I just wanted to meet you and chat. I'll wait for you outside. After your haircut, let's find a place to have tea." After he finished speaking, Wen Jinglong walked out of the barber shop. Fang Zhicheng looked outside the door and saw a black sedan parked in front of Wen Jinglong. He opened the door and got into the back seat.
It was a strange feeling to make the provincial party secretary wait for him. Fang Zhicheng thought about it and decided to sit on the barber seat. Master Shao's hands were steady and he helped Fang Zhicheng trim his hair slowly and unhurriedly.
Master Shao fiddled with Fang Zhicheng's head and said with a smile: "Although I know that the provincial party secretary is waiting for you, I still have to cut it slowly, don't be in a hurry."
Fang Zhicheng looked calm and said with a smile: "Master Shao, you are suitable for the officialdom. You have the courage to remain calm in the face of danger."
Master Shao skillfully used the barber tools and shook his head, saying, "That's too much. I was born to be a barber. As long as I hold the scissors, I will enter a certain state. But if I change the environment, or if I don't have the scissors, I'm afraid I won't be able to be so calm."
After about twenty minutes, Master Shao finally finished a work that satisfied him. Fang Zhicheng paid and walked out of the barber shop. The back window of the black car rolled open, revealing Wen Jinglong's square face. Fang Zhicheng walked over slowly, opened the door, and sat next to Wen Jinglong.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long." Fang Zhicheng said with a smile.
Wen Jinglong shook his head and said, "My schedule is very tight, and this is a good opportunity for me to calm down and sort out some things... How do you know this barber shop?"
Fang Zhicheng's eyes flickered, and he chuckled, "Master Shao's craftsmanship is no secret in the circle."
Wen Jinglong shook his head helplessly, and seemed to be talking to himself: "When I first came to Huainan, I had a long talk with Prime Minister Siyuan, during which he introduced this barber shop to me. Then it became a habit. I come here almost every time I get a haircut in the past few years. What you said makes sense. When people have a habit, there will be traces to follow. I'm afraid it's no secret that I get my hair cut here. It seems that I have to find a new place to get my hair cut next time."
Fang Zhicheng felt a little apologetic when he heard Wen Jinglong say this. In fact, it was not common knowledge that Wen Jinglong got his hair cut in this barber shop, but Zhang Xiaoliang's intelligence work was too good.
Fang Zhicheng smiled faintly and said, "Secretary Wen, don't you want to advertise for Master Shao's barber shop? After all, you are his old customer."