The so-called Taihu Lake boat banquet, after hundreds of years of development, is no longer like the elegant place in the Ming and Qing Dynasties where painted boats were in front, wine boats were in the back, and literati and scholars sang songs. Instead, local fishermen converted dozens of large boats into restaurants at the fishing port pier. The magnificent water boathouses are lined up in a row, which is a spectacular sight and is known as a scene of Taihu Lake.
Of course, this type of restaurant is generally a farmhouse with a fisherman's flavor. The higher-level ones are the boat dishes operated by Wuzhou Foreign Affairs Tourism Company. The "Spring and Autumn", "Pearl" and "Taihu" cruise ships sail on the lake regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter, allowing passengers to enjoy delicious food while enjoying the beautiful scenery. However, Yao Shang did not dare to take the risk to test whether Zhu Jiusi was seasick, so he had to give up the travel company and set his target on a boat called Crystal Palace by the lake. From here, you can see the beautiful scenery of Taihu Lake. In addition, the best chefs were transferred from various restaurants to make their best dishes, from "Taihu Three Whites" to fried snails with sauce, sauerkraut and long-spine fish in a furnace, fried scallop fish, eight-treasure duck, watermelon chicken, chicken sauce spare ribs, lotus leaf steamed pork, ice red water chestnuts and fresh fish and crabs.
Yao Shang took into consideration that a vice-state-level leader should not be like the provincial and municipal leaders that he usually received, and should at least have some dignity, so he arranged the dinner according to the minimum standards, with two stir-fried dishes, two soups, four cold dishes, and five main dishes. Although simple, it basically encompassed the essence and characteristics of Taihu boat cuisine.
Yao Chang arranged all the itineraries over the phone in just three to five minutes. This was the first time that Fu Minzhi was impressed by Yao Chang's ability to handle affairs. He also regained his composure from the panic at this time. After listening to it, he couldn't find anything to add. He even praised Yao Chang a few words. Zhu Jiusi and his party had just come down from upstairs, so he hurriedly ran to Liu Guang in the team.
In fact, Liu Guang did not expect that Zhu Jiusi would go to Xiting in person. According to the convention, he would come to the county and listen to the report, and the rest of the matters could be left to the investigation team. The sudden change put great demands on the responsiveness of officials at all levels.
After listening to Fu Minzhi's report, Liu Guang was quite satisfied with his arrangement. He added, "Tell them to make the dishes heavier in flavor. Mr. Zhu is from Xichuan and likes spicy food. I'm afraid he doesn't like the light flavor of Su cuisine."
This seemingly insignificant little supplement fully demonstrated the gap between the rank of director and director. Fu Minzhi was convinced and asked Yao Shang to take several county staff members to go ahead and implement the specific matters.
In just a short lunch of four or five minutes, all aspects of officialdom were revealed, including power, fame, desires and human nature!
The convoy arrived at the Crystal Palace quietly. As everything was arranged in secret and the relevant personnel were told to keep their mouths shut, the three-story Crystal Palace ship building neither drove away the guests nor imposed strict restrictions. However, in the cold winter season, there were not too many tourists. When Zhu Jiusi walked through the first and second floors, he seemed very happy to see diners. He even stood next to a table of three with a family and chatted for a while.
When we got to the third floor and stood by the window, the vast and boundless lake seemed to wash away all the noise in an instant. Through the misty water, the vastness of the lake could be vaguely seen, with green mountains and beautiful peaks. Zhu Jiusi stood in silence for a long time and said, "I have been busy with work in recent years. This is my first time to come to Taihu Lake. It is indeed 'the mountains are not high but beautiful, and the water is not deep but vast'. The late Tang poet Wang Zun wrote a poem "Five Lakes": I have achieved the merit of pacifying Wu and dominating Yue, and my sails are high in the wind of the five lakes. I wonder who among the officials in the Warring States Period was as successful as Tao Zhu in his endurance? Thinking back to the past and thinking about the present, I feel a lot of emotion!"
Only Wei Qiwen and a few others were qualified to accompany Zhu Jiusi into the private room. Zhu Jiusi was saddened by the scene, and his words could not hide his loneliness. It was understandable that in all dynasties, no matter how powerful one was, promoting reform was always a life-and-death struggle. If he really wanted to follow Chen Longqi through fire and water and move forward courageously, he would be a little uneasy and anxious when he woke up in the middle of the night.
The people behind him looked at each other in bewilderment. Those who could get into this room must be very smart. How could they not hear Zhu Jiusi's mood? What was the poem "Five Lakes" about? Wasn't it just the extravagant hope and envy of retiring after success? Could it be that even Zhu Jiusi himself was pessimistic about this reform in his heart
Wei Qiwen saw a few people's eyes flickering, and knew that if these words dared to be spread, it would immediately set off a huge wave in Suhai. He hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile: "Tao Zhugong is an interesting story in wild history. We can only yearn for it in our hearts even though we cannot be there..."
Zhu Jiusi was distracted for only a moment, then he understood immediately, turned around and looked at everyone and said with a smile: "Since I'm here today, it's a good time to take a break from my busy schedule and learn the elegance of Fan Li's boating on Taihu Lake... Come, come, everyone, sit down..."
He glanced at it and said, "It's a waste for just a few of us to use such a big table. Liu Guang, go and ask Secretary Fu, Boss An, Manager Fan, and Manager Ye to come together. Let's eat and talk and listen to everyone's opinions on the cooperative."
Liu Guang responded and went out. Wei Qiwen joked, "You've broken your own rules. Don't talk about work during meals."
"I can't help it. Time is short and the task is heavy. I'll break the rules if I want to. But since you broke my rules at your place, Qiwen, you have to give me three taels of Biluochun as compensation."
This was of course a joke, and it wasn't really that funny, but everyone in the room burst into laughter. Zhu Jiusi was amused and didn't take it as an offense. If it were Chen Longqi, this would be simply unimaginable.
Premier Chen's official authority was so great that it was said that even several vice premiers of the State Council would sometimes tremble when reporting to him, not to mention the officials in the lower departments and localities. If they could stand in front of him and speak fluently, they would have shown excellent psychological quality.
Liu Guang, Fu Minzhi, An Baoqing and others entered the room one after another. The more people there were, the more lively the room became. Various dishes were served. The waitress in charge of explaining the dishes was nervous and stuttered after a few words. Fu Minzhi sent her away with a sullen face. How could Zhu Jiusi be angry with a little waitress? Instead, he told Fu Minzhi not to embarrass her. Ye Zhiwei was best at dealing with people at the wine table. Seeing that Zhu Jiusi spoke kindly and smiled, he bravely explained a few words, such as "the sound of autumn wind makes the crab feet itch", "the taste of crabs is bland when served", and "white shrimps are the best in the world, and they are still clean when cooked". In a few words, he was humorous and explained clearly, which made everyone's appetite grow.
Liu Guang said jokingly: "I didn't expect Manager Ye to have this ability. President An, if you can't keep Manager Ye, our city's tourism bureau is still in need of such talents..."
These words made everyone laugh again. They treated Zhu Jiusi with great care, like the moon surrounded by stars. The atmosphere was harmonious beyond words. The meal was comfortable and enjoyable.
After lunch, the motorcade went straight to Xiting Town. Under the guidance of Zhao Xiaoquan, they arrived at Donghe Village. The first stop was to visit Mr. Wang Qiming. Wang Qiming held Zhu Jiusi's hand, tears streaming down his face. He kept praising the Party's reform and opening-up policy and the cooperative concept of Wujiang Biluochun Company. He said that if it weren't for the reform, the original state-owned tea factory would still be half-dead. No one would buy the tea they grew, and even if they did, they couldn't sell it. The family lived a tight life. Now it's good. A new tea company has been established, and a purchase and sales contract has been signed with them. A cooperative has also been built in the village. Everyone has made a fortune together, sharing the benefits and risks. They no longer feel uncertain when they are alone. They are afraid that they can't sell at a good price in a good year, and they are afraid that they can't find a good market in a bad year. The Party's policies are good, but we also have to thank Premier Wen. He is a good man. He has given our whole village a sense of direction...
After hearing what Wang Qiming said, Zhu Jiusi said to all the officials, experts and reporters who followed him: "Listen, everything else is fake. Only the voice of the people is real. In the future, we should let those who are out of touch with the masses, do not do research, and only make decisions on the spur of the moment come to the grassroots, listen, see, and seriously think about whether the reform is beneficial or harmful to the country and the people!"
Finally, before leaving, Wang Qiming looked around and asked tremblingly: "Boss Wen didn't come, why didn't Boss Wen come to see me?"
When Zhu Jiusi first heard the word "General Manager Wen", he thought it was Wang Qining's slurred speech due to old age, but when he heard it again this time, he realized that there really was such a person. He looked at Wei Qiwen, Liu Guang and others, and everyone shook their heads. He called Fu Minzhi and realized that Biluochun also had a young and promising General Manager Wen, but he was not in Wujiang this time. Zhu Jiusi heard that it was this person who promoted the construction of the cooperative in Donghe, and he was very interested in him, and waved to An Baoqing in the distance.
An Baoqing was surprised when he heard Zhu Jiusi's question. He didn't know what Wen Liang was thinking, but he had to answer the question. Fortunately, he was sharp-minded and smiled and said, "He is one of my partners. At that time, the development of the company encountered a bottleneck. It was all thanks to his guidance that we have the current situation. The initial concept of the cooperative was also proposed by him, and the decision was made after collective discussion of the company. This time, he didn't know that Premier Zhu was coming, and he was working somewhere else, so he couldn't make it in time..."
This answer was extremely clever. It not only pointed out the importance of Wen Liang, but also did not make him appear overly prominent. Zhu Jiusi nodded. He just asked this question on a whim and did not take it seriously. Naturally, he forgot about it afterwards.
However, Wei Qiwen recited it silently several times and kept it in mind.
The one-day trip to Wujiang came to an end. Several members of the investigation team stayed behind to continue investigating the reform of the Wujiang Biluochun Factory. Zhu Jiusi also visited several other major economic centers in Suzhou. Before leaving, he said to Fu Minzhi and An Baoqing earnestly: "We need to do a good job in Wujiang's model. We need to promote it to the whole province. After the whole province has been tested, we need to promote it to the whole country. So you need to work hard. To use the words that Boss An often says, we need to achieve a win-win situation of economic and social benefits. Not only do you need to make money, but the people also need to make money. Only in this way can there be a give-and-take and long-term development."
That night, Wen Liang received a call from An Baoqing. After listening to the call, he said: "Congratulations, Brother Jiu. There will be no obstacles to the future development of Biluochun..."
Just as Wen Liang said, after Zhu Jiusi's trip to Wujiang and some of his speeches were exposed by the media, they immediately caused a huge sensation. In particular, the two speeches at Biluochun Company and Wang Qiming's home were published in their original texts, which attracted widespread praise from the public. Many people praised Zhu Jiusi for not speaking official jargon and for taking the trouble to go to the front line to conduct research. He was indeed much more reliable than those people he said only knew how to sit in the office and were out of touch with the masses.
Within one day, the number of media interview requests received by Wujiang Propaganda Department increased by dozens of times. It is unknown how many undercover reporters were digging around in the county or the countryside. There was even a reporter who was so sneaky that he was reported by the masses for migrant workers crossing the border. The truth was revealed only after he was taken to the police station, and it became a laughing stock for a while.
Facing all this madness, Fu Minzhi took it all in stride, not because he had extraordinary self-control or was shrewd, but because he really did not take a penny from the bankruptcy liquidation of the former state-owned factory. And the current situation fully demonstrated that selling the factory was a wise, far-sighted and successful move. Naturally, he was in high spirits and happy to receive free publicity from the media to expand his popularity.
What he cared about was actually the beautiful and capable young woman Yao Shang. However, this beautiful dream was soon cruelly broken. When he summoned Yao Shang to his office again, wanting to fulfill his wish, Yao Shang, who had always been obedient, suddenly became tough and told him that she had an important person to meet in the evening. Although Fu Minzhi was lustful, he cared more about the black hat on his head. Although he was half-believing and half-doubting, he was unwilling to try, so he let her go.
Then he arranged for his confidant to follow Yao Shang and Wei Yan to Wuzhou. An hour later, he received a phone call that scared him to death. The place where Yao Shang and his wife went was the No. 1 courtyard of the Provincial Party Committee, the residence of Wei Qiwen.
Although the meeting was brief, it also explained some issues. Thinking of the surname Wei, Fu Minzhi was sweating profusely and almost collapsed on the chair. He dared not have any strange thoughts. The next morning, he immediately convened a standing committee meeting and announced that Yao Shang would be promoted to office director due to his outstanding performance in reception work.
Yao Shang is a smart person. If Wei Yan had not gained face in front of Wei Qiwen this time, she would not have dared to use such a relationship to pressure Fu Minzhi. Of course, it was Fu Minzhi's performance last night that made her realize that she could no longer swallow her anger. It happened that Wei Qiwen took the initiative to question them for the first time, so he used the power of the tiger to intimidate Fu Minzhi.
The result is predictable, and it also allowed Yao Shang to taste the beauty of power for the first time.
However, she didn't know that power is the most addictive drug in the world. Once you fall in love with it, you can no longer extricate yourself.
On the night of her promotion, she asked An Baoqing for Wen Liang's phone number on the pretext that Wei Qiwen was questioning her. She sat alone by the Taihu Lake, drank a lot of wine, stared at her phone again and again, and finally dialed the number.
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from the receiver, and Yao Shang suddenly could no longer control herself. The failed marriage in the past few years, the repressed life, the strange looks from others, the endless harassment from her superiors, the constant fear of losing her virginity and being insulted, the weight of life that one person could not bear, made her cover the microphone, just like that, in the cold wind, letting the moonlight of Taihu Lake chill her face, and she cried for a long, long time.
(Two more chapters to make up for this, please vote for me) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for me on Qidian.com and vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)