"Does one of your classmates get assigned to the Publicity Department of the Central Committee?" Shen Zile appeared very calm and composed.
"Yes, his family is from the capital. After being assigned back, it's said he went to the Publicity Department of the Central Committee. However, with his lively personality, he requested to go to CCTV for some experience, and eventually got his wish. For the Cao family, this wasn't an issue," Lu Weimin did not explicitly state that Cao Lang was indeed first assigned to the Publicity Department of the Central Committee, but due to his lively personality, he requested to go to CCTV, and later got his wish. For the Cao family, this was not a problem.
When Shen Zile went to Beijing to run sales for kiwi fruit, although he also went to the capital, he did not meet Cao Lang. Shen Zile only knew that Lu Weimin had a classmate in Beijing, who had some connections, but he did not ask further.
"Hmm, it's indeed hard to judge the current trends at the top, but for us at the grassroots level, doing some practical things might be more meaningful," Shen Zile nodded.
"The more chaotic the period, the more opportunities there are. Once the situation becomes clear, with Nantang's conditions, it will be extremely difficult to compete with other counties and cities in the future," Lu Weimin said without reservation.
Shen Zile nodded silently, his gaze falling on the dark green lake. After a long period of contemplation, he decisively said, "Let's do it your way. The Investment Promotion Office and the Industrial Zone Construction Office cannot be just empty shells. Since we are going to do things, we need to add more personnel. I think we can appropriately allocate two to three more people."
"County Chief, there's no need to overthink it. The two people already allocated to the Kiwi Fruit Promotion Office are still here. If we combine the three offices under one team, it should be enough. It's not about the number of people, but whether they are willing to put their hearts into the work," Lu Weimin said calmly.
"Do you think Chang Chunlai is suitable as well?" Shen Zile smiled. Chang Chunlai was a well-known troublemaker in the Commercial Bureau, but his blood relative, Chang Chunli, was a deputy commissioner of the Linyang Regional Administration, so no one wanted to provoke him. However, getting him out of the way was something the Commercial Bureau leadership was happy to see.
"There's nothing wrong with him; I think he's quite good," Lu Weimin naturally understood the meaning behind Shen Zile's words and smiled.
After a pause, Shen Zile seemed to remember something, "You should get along well with Mao Rong. I think..."
He didn't finish his sentence, shook his head, and fell silent. Mao Rong had already taken a sick leave, and the situation had become somewhat difficult to handle. Let's see how Lu Weimin will break the deadlock.
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As soon as Lu Weimin and Su Yanqing returned from outside, they heard Chang Chunlai's carefree voice: "Our three offices, all in one, ha ha, high-ranking and powerful, sounds great, but with just three or five people, we're even worse off than Hu Chuanwei in Shajia Bang when he was down and out. Taking on such a big responsibility, isn't it a bit exaggerated?"
"Xu Yang, has Director Mao been really sick for a week? We have no direction in our work, and we're just idle all day, bored to death," another younger voice belonged to Xiao Xu, who had just been transferred from the Construction Committee and seemed to be very unaccustomed to the current work.
"Xu Yang, can Mao Rong really come? She was demoted from deputy director of the county government office to this place without a formal establishment. In this era, how many people are still full of enthusiasm to fight for communism?" Chang Chunlai was as unrestrained as ever, "I was kicked out by the bunch of bastards in the bureau. They can't do anything to me, so they use this method to get rid of me. Out of sight, out of mind, hehe, I like this kind of life the most."
"Brother Chang, can we keep going like this?" Xu Yang clearly seemed不服气 (unconvinced).
"Who knows? Mao Rong keeps pretending to be sick and not coming. Without a leader, we don't know what to do, and we're happy to be idle. I just worry that you might be held back," Chang Chunlai took a big sip of tea and poured more from the thermos on the table, "But Lu Weimin is just a deputy director. I think he has some connections. Let's see what he has in mind."
"Brother Chang, what can I do?" Lu Weimin and Su Yanqing walked into the office, "But I'm also thinking that since Director Mao is on sick leave, we can't just idle away our days."
"Hey, you're the deputy director. With Mao Rong not coming, you're in charge here. Whatever needs to be done, as long as we can do it, there's no problem," Chang Chunlai had a very good impression of Lu Weimin, especially after Lu Weimin used the Asian Games to boost the reputation of Nantang kiwi fruit and then suggested he could take the opportunity to sell kiwi fruit to the provincial capital Nanjing. Chang Chunlai boldly guaranteed and transported two truckloads of kiwi fruit to Nanjing, making a fortune. He was extremely impressed by Lu Weimin.
Once someone has a good impression, everything looks good, and any task or arrangement becomes easier. Chang Chunlai now had a tendency to follow Lu Weimin's lead.
The three offices, combined under one team, with Mao Rong on sick leave, the county leadership seemed to have only transferred Xu Yang from the Construction Committee after issuing the document, and then forgot about this office. Lu Weimin went to Mao Rong's house three times in a week but did not see her. He had no choice but to report to the nominal leader of the group, Cao Gang, who dismissed him with a few words. It was unclear whether Cao Gang really thought this office was just a formality or had other ideas. Lu Weimin was also unsure.
However, Lu Weimin had already made up his mind. With Mao Rong not coming, Shen Zile seemed to have anticipated this situation. Now that the task was handed to him, he had to show his capabilities. There were only four people in this team: Su Yanqing, Chang Chunlai, and the newly transferred Xu Yang.
Lu Weimin still couldn't figure out Su Yanqing. Whether it was her background, ability, or talent, she shouldn't be stuck in the Nantang Agricultural Bureau. However, she seemed very calm and even enjoyed it. Chang Chunlai, on the other hand, was smart and had many connections outside, a typical local figure in Nantang. From helping to contact fruit wholesalers and coordinating transportation, it was clear he could handle these intricate tasks in just two days. However, he had too much of a gangster's attitude, a foul mouth, and was the type of person leaders disliked. If used well, he could be a valuable asset; if not, he could only cause trouble.
Xu Yang had just been transferred from the Construction Committee. Lu Weimin had interacted with him for two days and found him to be a very down-to-earth young man. He graduated from the provincial architectural engineering school and had only been in the county Construction Committee for two years. It was unclear why he was transferred here.