Reborn as a Noble's Son

Seeing Liu Wenqing appear, everyone stood up. After all, with the city party secretary himself coming over, the leaders of Li County were given a momentous honor. Even if Liu Wenqing knew they were here and chose not to visit, his presence revealed his special regard for Li County. After all, both the party secretary and county governor of Li County were appointed by Liu Wenqing himself. Therefore, the leadership of the city party committee is keeping a close eye on Li County, eager to see how it will develop.

Zhang Chubin was also surprised at this moment, but soon realized why. The entire leadership of Li County had come to Bazhou City and checked in at the Bazhou Hotel. Liu Wenqing must have been informed as soon as he arrived at the hotel.

“Oh, nearly the entire committee of Li County is here. Are you in Bazhou to get your hands on some money?” Liu Wenqing joked, not even waiting for the folks from Li County to respond.

His mention of stealing money isn’t meant literally but rather points to the financial struggles common in Bazhou, one of the less affluent cities in the Northwest Region. Not just Li County, but many counties and cities under Bazhou fight money issues. The treasury usually runs dry before the end of the year. Some, like Li County, even run out of money halfway through the year. This then becomes a time for the counties to showcase their abilities to raise funds through loans from banks and assistance from higher authorities.

Liu Wenqing was alluding to such situations. Once, the entire leadership of Ta County went forth, each leader seeking assistance from their superiors. This is a unique practice of Bazhou’s money-raising, which Liu Wenqing referred to as “stealing money.”

“Secretary Liu, I should have reported our activities to you. Recently, there was an exchange of cadres from our Xibei Autonomous Region to the eastern coastal region, right? A classmate of mine at the party school was assigned to work in Yangwu County, which issued an invitation for us. Director Nie and I decided to organize a delegation to head over there for a study tour to learn from their experiences,” Zhang Chubin had no choice but to step out, despite his unease.

At this moment, Zhang Chubin regretted not informing Liu Wenqing about their stop here ahead of time. Liu Wenqing was now aware of their actions, and it was a bit late to report, making it seem as if he were a bit negligent.

Upon hearing Zhang Chubin’s explanation, Liu Wenqing seemed slightly surprised but quickly adjusted. Laughing, he commented, “Oh? Visiting Yangwu County, that’s a good idea. With the rapid advancements in our country, it’s important as an inland western province for us to broaden our horizons. It’s a great thought. You should observe closely and learn from them. Not just their surface accomplishments – try to grasp the inner depths of their work. Only in this way can Li County develop better.”

Being the city party secretary, Liu Wenqing’s skills and responsiveness were top-notch. This unexpected event was a testament to his discerning faculties. A testament to his difference from the others.

Now Liu Wenqing turned to Nie Zhenbang, smiling and stretching out his hand to praise him, “Nie, you’re doing well. I’ve seen the news, and in such a short time you have attracted so many investments. Moreover, you’ve fully tapped into the local resources and advantages of Li County. These are not superficial projects but ones with substance. Right now, Bazhou really needs capable officials like you.”

Whether intentionally ignoring Zhang Chubin because of just moments before or not, Liu Wenqing inadvertently focused his high praise on Nie Zhenbang, causing everyone’s attitude to shift.

Nie Zhenbang found himself in a bind. It was exactly what he had been worried about. Currently, the Li County Party Committee was united, but Liu Wenqing’s comments might stir things up. Although he wasn’t too concerned as Zhang Chubin was Liu Wenqing’s man, as long as Liu Wenqing didn’t instruct otherwise, even if Zhang Chubin had opinions, he’d likely keep them to himself. If Zhang Chubin didn’t heed this, his position as secretary could very well come to an end. Quickly, Nie Zhenbang replied smilingly, “Secretary Liu, you flatter me. It is not only my hard work but that of the whole Li County Party Committee. You can’t just ignore their contributions.”

On hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Liu Wenqing laughed heartily, gave Nie Zhenbang a rewarding pat on the shoulder and said, “Nie, your humility is something I admire. Very good, you have the demeanor of a county head. I have some matters to attend to. You all should continue. If I stay, you won’t be able to enjoy your meals properly.” With that, Liu Wenqing left, laughing.

From Urumqi, they took a direct flight to Jiangbei, reaching the Jiangbei airport at around four-thirty in the afternoon. At this time, officials from Yangwu County were already waiting for them at the exit.

Upon seeing Zhang Chubin and others, a man around forty years old was already walking up to them smiling, “Old Zhang, finally, you’re here. Not bad. You’ve made another step forward. You’re already in charge. You’re doing so much better than me. If I had known, I wouldn’t have transferred here.”

Though he said this, there was no dissatisfaction on the man’s face. As a deputy bureau-level cadre around forty, he was considered a bit older, but in this era, this wasn’t very noticeable. Once the three-year exchange term was over, upon returning to Northwest, his future prospects would surely exceed Zhang Chubin’s. At the very least, he would be a deputy mayor of a prefecture-level city. As for Zhang Chubin, it was uncertain whether he could step up from a bureau-level position to a department-level one.

At this point, Zhang Chubin has also adjusted his state of mind. After they left the Northwest Region, all the cadres from Li County seemed to relax. Looking at the man, Zhang Chubin also smiled and said, “You’re still as modest as ever, I remember, when we were in the party school, Secretary Yifeng had openly criticized you. I thought you had changed, but I didn’t expect that you would still be the same after being transferred to Jiangbei Province. Old Li, let me introduce you to the team members in our Li County.”

As he spoke, Zhang Chubin pointed out to Nie Zhenbang: “This is Comrade Nie Zhenbang, 23 years old, a top graduate from Jingcheng University, deputy secretary of our Li County Party Committee, and the acting county chief. Director Nie, here is my old classmate, Comrade Li Zhongjiang, who’s currently serving as the deputy secretary of the Yangwu County Committee and deputy director of the county people’s government.”

Once he heard Zhang Chubin’s introduction, Li Zhongjiang immediately straightened his gaze. Initially, he had assumed that Nie Zhenbang was a secretary to someone; he had no idea that Nie was actually the acting county chief. As an insider, Li Zhongjiang clearly understood that as long as the upper-level leaders approved of a person, as long as they were not outrageously incompetent or annoyed public opinion, it wouldn’t be a problem to get elected in the People’s Congress. A 23-year-old director’s post; this might be a first in the whole country.

Immediately, Li Zhongjiang also extended his hands enthusiastically, with a smile on his face, he said: “Director Nie, welcome, welcome.”

Next, after Zhang Chubin finished introducing everyone one by one, under Li Zhongjiang’s lead, they got on the minibus of the Yangwu County Government.

The gold-painted Coaster business vehicle was a new model that came out in January of this year. It was less than two months since its release, yet the Yangwu County Gov provided one. It indeed was a prosperous coastal area. A county government was able to afford a business car that cost near one million; this was utterly beyond what Li County could have compared with.

Sitting in the business car, Nie Zhenbang and Zhang Chubin were okay, but the others were not so natural and taken aback by the luxurious interior. Only the Mercedes-Benz cars of the Bazhou City Party Committee and Municipal Government could compare with them.

Yangwu County was a well-known commercial wholesale city in the country. Merchants from all directions come here to buy goods in the hope of making a fortune.

Looking at the scenery outside the car window, the county showcased a strong South of the Yangtze River character, with broad streets, cement-hardened road surfaces, and a steady flow of vehicles and pedestrians. The entire city gave people a vibrant and thriving feeling.

The car directly reached the Jinding Hotel in Yangwu County. The luxury and magnificence of the entire hotel were entirely different compared to the run-down buildings of the Li County Hotel.

At this time, a group of people was already waiting at the hotel entrance. Nie Zhenbang was stunned to look at the showy scene, with about a dozen leaders standing there. The whole leadership of the Yangwu County Committee and County Government seemed to have arrived.

Indeed, as Li Zhongjiang got off the car, a man and a woman from the front row of the queue immediately went to greet them. Before Li Zhongjiang had a chance to say anything, the middle-aged man cheerfully remarked, “Secretary Li, these must be our guests from the West, a warm welcome.”

Li Zhongjiang promptly nodded with a smile and said, “Old Zhang, Director Nie, allow me to introduce you. This is our Yangwu County Party Committee Secretary, Comrade Wu Tianbao, and this is our Deputy Secretary of the Yangwu County Committee and County Chief, Comrade Ying Taoxiu.”

Wu Tianbao was about fifty years old and dressed in a Western-style suit, giving off a youthful appearance. He did not possess the typical air of an official but instead had an air of being a businessman. Certainly, the place of one’s birth influences one’s nature.

Nie Zhenbang was slightly startled to know that the county chief of Yangwu County was a woman. Although there were quite a few female cadres in this era, not many could fill regular positions. Ying Taoxiu’s ability to establish herself in an economically developed county like Yangwu was proof in itself of her capabilities.

At this time, Wu Tianbao was very affable with a smile over his face, and beckoning his hand, he said, “Secretary Zhang, Director Nie, we warmly welcome the Li County delegation to inspect our Yangwu County. On behalf of the Yangwu County Party Committee and County Government, we express our warm welcome to everyone. There’s a simple reception prepared inside for you to dust off the cares of the road.”

Zhang Chubin, having shown the qualities befitting a leader, followed Wu Tianbao into the hotel. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang, accompanied by Ying Taoxiu, also walked in. In the crowd, a person Nie Zhenbang was extremely familiar with, was smiling and nodding at him, which left Nie Zhenbang in shock. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and recommend it on Qidian, Your support is my greatest motivation).