At ten o'clock in the evening, the alarm clock in the living room kept ticking. Ding Mei put down the needle and thread in her hand. A gray knitted sweater was spread flat on her legs. Only the two sleeves were left to be completed.
Not coming back tonight
Ding Mei looked at the silent door and stretched herself sleepily. Wen Huaiming had been so busy during this period that he hadn't even come home. After getting used to the leisurely days, Ding Mei always felt that something was missing. However, when she turned around and saw Wen Liang on the sofa, a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
Wen Liang was covered with a blanket, lying on the sofa, watching TV. Ding Mei took a look and saw that it was the evening news again, broadcasting something about leaders going to inspect some place, etc. She sighed, her son had grown up a lot in the past six months and was more sensible than before, but she would think of his childish appearance from time to time.
What's wrong? Why are you so sentimental when you're not old? Ding Mei shook her head and laughed at herself, picked up the sweater and walked to Wen Liang, saying, "Stand up, let me compare it. If it's too small, I'll have to change it... You little kid, you haven't grown much in your heart, but you've grown up fast!"
Wen Liang didn't know where his mother's anger came from, so he smiled and said, "Isn't it because you raised him well? The fat boy in Director Fan's house next door needs God to help him grow taller..."
Ding Mei burst out laughing and tapped Wen Liang on the forehead: "You are the only one who is so talkative. How old is Fan Fan? Besides, being fat is also a blessing. I just want to raise you to be fat so that you can be more pleasing to the eye!"
"No, absolutely not," Wen Liang sat up, raised his arms, and helped Ding Mei try on clothes. He said, "Nowadays, girls like boys with broad shoulders and thin waists. If you really get that fat, you'll probably be single in the future."
Ding Mei grabbed Wen Liang's ear and said with a half-smile, "Okay, why don't you tell me the truth, did you have a premature love affair at school?"
"Of course not." Seeing that Ding Mei was about to increase her strength, Wen Liang hurriedly said, "If there is, I will definitely report it to mom first!"
Ding Mei let go of his hand, touched Wen Liang's head, and said with a smile: "Good boy!"
After chatting and laughing for a while, Ding Mei looked at the time. It was almost half past ten. She was afraid that Wen Huaiming would not be back again. She looked a little anxious: "I don't know what your dad is busy with all day. Work, work, how can there be so much work to do?"
"Don't worry about him. You have just been promoted and you should behave well." Wen Liang heard the complaint in Ding Mei's words and decided to find a time to talk to his father about this matter. He changed the subject and asked, "How is the agricultural machinery factory doing recently? Does Zhang Changqing have any solution?"
Ding Mei lost interest in talking about this. She put away the sewing box on the table, and walked to the bedroom with a sweater in her arms: "Old Zhang is just trying to hold on. The factory might go bankrupt tomorrow. Who can say for sure these days? I'm going to bed first. Your dad may not be able to come back. You should go to bed early too!"
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Liang was almost asleep on the sofa. He heard the door open and turned around to see Wen Huaiming walking in with a briefcase. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were still firm and bright, and he didn't look tired at all.
"it's over?"
Wen Liang made a cup of strong tea and handed it over. Wen Huaiming took it and took a sip, then heaved a long sigh of relief: "It's over. Not only is our story over, but I think some people's story will also be over soon."
The transfer process went very smoothly, and the people from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection highly praised the work done by the Qingzhou Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, which was a happy ending for everyone. After seeing the visitor off, Xu Fuyan talked to Wen Huaiming alone for a long time, talking about the case. Although he did not give a complete picture, the basic situation was similar to Wen Liang's guess.
Wen Liang leaned forward and asked in a low voice: "Do you think Xu Fuyan knew about this in advance?"
Wen Huaiming was silent for a moment, staring at his son, and said, "This matter is over. Whether he knows about it or not, it doesn't matter to us at all. Do you understand?"
Wen Liang was stunned for a moment, patted his forehead with his hand, and said with a smile: "Good, it's all over!"
The next morning, shortly after Wen Huaiming arrived at the office, Bai Wei from the Political Research Office pushed open the door and showed her little head. Her freckled face was red and she was panting, having obviously jogged for some distance.
When Wen Huaiming saw that it was her, he smiled gently: "Xiaobai, what's the matter? Come in and tell me..."
Wen Huaiming had worked in the Political Research Office for many years, but he was not very successful. Not to mention Meng Shanshui, even junior staff members Mao Zhengyong and Li Quan could say something bad to him. Only Bai Wei always respected him. Now that his career had improved, he could not forget his old friends.
Bai Wei stuck out her tongue. It was only after she pushed open the door that she realized how rash she was. Fortunately, it was Wen Huaiming. If it was any other leader, he would have definitely been scolded.
"Director Wen, have you read today's Jiangdong Daily?" She had been calling him Director Wen for a long time and it was difficult for her to change the habit. Zheng Qihang even scolded her for it, but Wen Huaiming just smiled and let her go.
"Hmm?" Wen Huaiming looked at the table. The place where he usually put newspapers was still blank. "The Commission Office hasn't delivered it yet. What's wrong?"
Bai Wei took out a newspaper from behind her back and handed it to him with both hands spread out. Her big eyes were full of adoration. Wen Huaiming smiled and said, "What's wrong? You're being so mysterious... Oh..."
What appeared before his eyes was a character review that took up one-third of the front page of the provincial newspaper: "Pioneer of the Times, Model of Anti-Corruption—Wen Huaiming, Deputy Secretary-General of the Qingzhou Municipal Party Committee." Next to it was a large photograph of a clear blue sky with sunshine all around. The door of the granary was wide open, and there were mountains of grain stacks with no end in sight. A man was standing alone outside the door with a broken grain bag at his feet. He had a resolute face, a tall body, and sand falling from his fingertips. A sense of tragedy and clanging came over him.
It has to be said that in Wen Huaiming's opinion, Tang Ye's photography skills are first-class!
One can imagine the shock in his heart, but he kept calm on his face. He sat back in his chair with the newspaper and chuckled, "This photo doesn't look like me at all."
Bai Wei was extremely impressed. This was the demeanor that a leader should have. Even after being reported in the provincial newspaper, he remained calm, steady and magnanimous. Not to mention the people in the Policy Research Office, even in the entire municipal party committee, there might not be many people like him.
“… During his tenure as deputy director of the Policy Research Office, he provided detailed research, combined with his profound theoretical and practical experience, and made many suggestions and recommendations, providing specific basis for the economic decision-making of the municipal party committee and government…”
"In the face of his achievements, he guarded against arrogance and continued to work tirelessly on theoretical research... His understanding of macroeconomics and microeconomics has been at the forefront of the times, especially his opinions on the reform of state-owned enterprises are deeply in line with the long-term development plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and he has a very strategic vision..."
"… He is honest and self-disciplined, never soft-handed in the face of corruption, able to withstand pressure and make a breakthrough, and stood firm and upright in the face of major economic crimes such as the Qinghua Factory case and the Shunyi Grain case…"
"He is a public servant to the people, and a sharp sword to corrupt elements. He is the pride of the people of Qingzhou and the entire province of Jiangdong. He is a role model and benchmark for all our cadres..."
The article was eloquent, well-reasoned, and full of emotion, which was very likely to touch people's hearts. Wen Huaiming's eyes fell on the signature: our reporter Tang Ye - it was indeed her!
Bai Wei was excited, of course, because she was happy that Wen Huaiming could be in the provincial newspaper, but for Wen Huaiming, this sudden praise was really unpredictable. Xu Fuyan must not have known about it, otherwise he should have told her the truth last night. What would he think? And what would Niu Guiqing, who was directly in charge of the Shunyi grain case, think
The most urgent thing is not to think about it here, but to go see Xu Fuyan immediately and ask him what is going on!
Wen Huaiming made a prompt decision. Just as he was about to stand up, the door was pushed open again. Director Gong of the Municipal Party Committee Office and the directors of several other departments rushed in. Seeing Bai Wei, Director Gong pointed at her and said with a smile, "Okay, Xiaobai, I took down the newspaper specifically because I wanted to come and tell Secretary Wen the good news in person. But you stole the prize instead..."
Bai Wei ran away with a red face, and several directors laughed. Wen Huaiming responded to their congratulations and went straight to the secretary's office. Zhang Fang was in the outer room, and when he saw Wen Huaiming, he whispered, "He is reading the newspaper inside, and he praised the article for being well written..."
You must never offend the secretaries of leaders in the officialdom. That's the secret. Sometimes a little information can be very useful to you. Wen Huaiming smiled and nodded, tightened the newspaper in his hand, and walked in.
Wen Liang went to see Li Shengli early in the morning and asked about the company's progress. He learned that many procedures had been completed and Ning Xi's funds had been in place. Wen Liang continued to be a hands-off boss, packed some soy milk and fried dough sticks, and ran to school.
Wen Liang ran into Ye Yuting at the school gate. He hurried over to her and said with a smile, "Teacher Ye, when will you fulfill your promise to me yesterday?"
"What did I promise you?"
Ye Yuting looked straight ahead, behaved dignifiedly, and said coldly: "It's you, classmate Wen Liang. It's 7:55 now. Other students have started to stand up and sing. Why are you still wandering outside?"
It is true that only girls and villains are difficult to raise. Wen Liang was so angry that he half died: "Okay, you are so cruel!" He ran towards the teaching building, Ye Yuting snorted, and a smug smile appeared on her pretty face.
During the break, Wen Liang received a call from Zuo Yuxi and learned about the report in the provincial newspaper. After a brief thought, he said, "It's no big deal. Yu Peidong gave Xu Fuyan a sweet reward after a beating. Xu Fuyan has made such a great effort this time, so he should be rewarded. However, Secretary Xu is in a high position with great power and a bright future. Naturally, he would not want the false reputation of an anti-corruption fighter. It just so happens that my father had made an appointment with Yu Peidong before, so he deserves this good thing!"
Although he spoke calmly, Wen Liang was actually very excited! This time was different from the last time. To put it bluntly, the last time was just because Wen Huaiming's report happened to echo the theme of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee, and Yu Peidong had ulterior motives, so with the trend of learning the spirit of the plenary session, his name was published in the internal documents and became popular for a while.
This time, however, he appeared on the front page of the provincial newspaper, and was called a pioneer of the times and a model of anti-corruption. Any of these two evaluations was real hard currency for people in the officialdom. At Wen Huaiming's age, he was just a deputy secretary-general. If he wanted to complete the leap from director to deputy director, to director, or even a higher level, it would definitely be unrealistic to take the normal path and slowly work his way up. So he had to maintain his hopes and reputation!
This is a godsend opportunity!
"I see, but you should read this article. It is said to be written by a beautiful reporter... Oh, by the way, when Wen Huaiming was handling a case in Shunyi a few days ago, this reporter was also there, hehe..."
Zuo Yuxi hung up the phone. Wen Liang always felt that the last laugh was strange. He stood under the tree for a while and called Liu Tianlai again: "Uncle Liu, was there a reporter working with you in Shunyi some time ago?"
"Ah, there is such a person. Yes, his name is Tang Ye, the deputy director of the provincial newspaper's news department. He has quite a few connections..."
Wen Liang asked a few other questions casually, and after hanging up the phone, he thought of Ding Mei's complaints last night, and his eyes gradually became deeper. Just as he was about to turn around, a few classmates passed by, and one of the long-haired girls said mysteriously: "Have you heard that Teacher Si hasn't been to class recently? In fact, she is not sick, but she is divorcing her husband."
"Is this true? Teacher Si is a nice person, don't talk nonsense!" A girl with short hair shook her head in disbelief.
"Of course it's true. My aunt works at the Post and Telecommunications Bureau. She said that it's spread throughout their company that Teacher Si's husband is having an affair..."
"Ha," a tall boy laughed, "You little girls are too naive. Teacher Si is so beautiful, I don't believe her husband would look for another woman. In my opinion, who knows who is fooling around outside..."
Another round-faced boy continued, "Yes, maybe it's someone."
The long-haired girl was skeptical: "This... It seems that someone at my aunt's workplace also said this..."
"Stop talking nonsense!" The girl with short hair stomped her feet and left angrily.
The long-haired girl said aggrievedly: "I didn't say anything, it was my aunt who said it..."
The tall boy said disdainfully: "What's wrong with talking about her? I was praising her for being pretty... Ouch, who hit me?"
He covered the back of his head and turned around angrily. Just as he was about to lose his temper, he saw Wen Liang standing in front of him. His face was calm and he said in a light tone: "Don't say bad things about Teacher Si in the future. Be respectful to teachers!"
Students in the first year of high school may not know the principal, the section chief, or even the class teacher, but they must know Wen Liang and Gu Wenyuan, especially the former, who has left too many gossips and rumors in the past few months. The tall man nodded and walked away quickly with the other people. Wen Liang sighed. Although he had made perfect arrangements to avoid rumors that would harm Si Yajing, people's hearts were like this. Even if he knew what was going on, he would still say some dirty words to satisfy his dark psychology.
I'm going to talk to Si Yajing tonight. I'm afraid I can't continue this career as a teacher with no future. It's better to resign. The world outside is huge.