It is already December and today is Sunday. Chen Xia rode a bicycle and took Chen Qiu and Chen Dong back to Qingfeng Village.
The two little guys hadn't been back to their hometown for a long time. They were so excited that when they returned to the village and saw their former friends, they screamed and jumped off their bicycles.
Chen Xia had prepared a schoolbag of snacks for each of them so that they could "return home in glory."
Chen Xia went to the brigade headquarters and found Chen Yigen, the village boss and patriarch of the Chen family.
"What? The Fourth Hospital is collecting things again this time?"
"Yes, Fourth Grandpa, I fought hard to get this for our village. Now I am the acting head of the General Affairs Department of the Fourth Hospital, hehehe."
Chen Yigen patted Chen Xia's shoulder and said excitedly:
"Good boy, you've become a cadre after only working for a few months. You're indeed a promising child of our Chen family."
"Of course. Don't you see who was the one who discerned this pearl and picked it out from among the descendants of the Chen family?"
Hahahaha~~~~
Chen Yigen's laughter was hearty. Chen Xia's words had touched a thorn in his side. This was his bragging rights to the whole area. Especially since Chen Xia was now in power, wouldn't that further highlight his vision and ability?
"Okay, stop bragging. Now that you're a cadre, you should work hard and not become complacent. Do you hear me?"
Chen Xia nodded obediently.
"Tell me, what is the policy of the Fourth Hospital this time? I can help you with some advice."
"Fourth Grandpa, the Fourth Hospital is making a big purchase this time. First, they want pork. The purchase price is 20 cents per pound higher than the sales price. Rice is 2 cents per pound more expensive."
Chen Yigen was happy when he heard this, but he immediately became worried again:
"That's a good price. You've done a great service for the people in our village. But will you make any mistakes? Don't forget that you were taken to the police station last time. This time, you're being offered both meat and rice..."
"It's okay. This time I'll take the letter of introduction from my unit and go talk to the commune. This is a public-to-public matter. I represent the Fourth Hospital, so they have nothing to say."
"Then how much do you want to purchase? I'll go and do a count."
"There's no limit to the quantity. The more the better. We'll take as many as we can. We'll have to trouble you, Fourth Grandpa, to help preside over it. You're the only one with such prestige in this area. No matter how big the Fourth Hospital is, it can't be bigger than you."
"Hehe, you need to be modest about this. When will you ask for it?"
"Let's wait another month and let everyone fatten up the pigs a little. Then we can sell them for a few more yuan. Fourth Grandpa, you have good connections with the village cadres nearby, so you can also inform them. We will take as much as we can, but we must go through you and keep it confidential."
Chen Yigen was very satisfied. Rural people care about face the most, and Chen Xia can only purchase these agricultural and sideline products through him, so his face will be much greater in the future.
The leaders of the four hospitals all ask him, the village party secretary, to do things for them. Isn’t that awesome?
After tricking the old branch secretary, Chen Xia ran to the commune and found the commune director Si Xinliang.
Si Xinliang looked at the letter of introduction and Chen Xia's work permit in his hand, and sighed.
"When you've been away for three days, you should look at people with new eyes. You're now a deputy section-level cadre, the same level as me. Maybe you can even become my immediate superior in the future."
"Director Si, you're really putting me down. How can I, a deputy section chief in the enterprise, compare to you, a deputy section chief in administration? In a few years, you might be the leader of our region."
"Haha, I'm grateful for your kind words. Okay, I know about your situation. If your Fourth Hospital wants to buy some of the farmers' own produce, go ahead. I personally have no objection, but we have to agree that you can't sell it on the market. That would be a big mistake."
Si Xinliang knew that Chen Xia was just being polite to let him know. If he really ignored him and bought the company directly, there would be nothing he could do.
The Fourth Hospital is the local boss in this area. Several of its cadres are former soldiers. There is no point in reasoning with them. He had seen it last time.
But he also has to thank them for helping him defeat an opponent, allowing him to sit safely in this position, so he is optimistic about the acquisition of the Fourth Hospital in his heart. He can always play dumb.
"That's fine. Thank you, Director Si. If you need to come to the Fourth Hospital for treatment in the future, just look for me."
Si Xinliang was happy, thinking that with the connection to the Fourth Hospital, it would at least be much more convenient to see a doctor. Moreover, the face was given to him personally, which also meant that the Fourth Hospital recognized him and not others.
Chen Xia had no choice but to let him be so self-indulgent, because he really only knew Si Xinliang.
While Chen Xia was still running around the commune and contacting business, Gu Wei was sitting in the office of a senior leader in Yuezhou area, looking at the thick stack of letters of complaint in his hand with a wry smile on his face.
These anonymous reports were all directed at Chen Xia. Some reported that Chen Xia was "corrupt in his lifestyle," that he lived in a large mansion, and that he had meat to eat every day.
Some people reported that the hospital leaders were nepotism, and how could an 18-year-old kid be qualified to be a deputy section chief; some even reported that Chen Xia had promiscuous relationships.
The leaders knew of Chen Xia's "special contribution" during the cholera epidemic. If he hadn't gone through so much trouble to get those "imported drugs" from the provincial capital, who knows how many more lives would have been lost.
Just for this reason, the credit for this epidemic belongs to Chen Xia. Giving him the position of a small deputy section chief would be an injustice to him.
Besides, the provincial leader had called him personally. Chen Xia had saved their son, and the family was incredibly grateful. Honestly, with leaders, personal favors were far more important than public service.
This phone call is a naked hint that I am protecting this person and your local government should take good care of him.
Gu Wei sat there, feeling confused.
As someone who lived through that era, he knew the harm of making false accusations and slandering others without any basis. He was afraid that the regional leaders would have a bad impression of Chen Xia and ultimately ruin this promising young talent.
Whether for his own innocence or for Chen Xia's future, he had to refute a few words:
"Secretary Li, I can explain everything in these letters of complaint. I'll just tell you the truth. Regarding the letter's claim that he lives in a large house, that's true. He recently bought the house, and most of the money he paid for it was earned by himself.
He collected grain from the countryside and carried it to the city to sell it. He had no other choice. His father died fighting a fire, and his mother had long since passed away. With three siblings still in school, he had no choice but to drop out and find a way to earn some hard-earned money, otherwise his family would starve.
When these words came out, even the big leaders were moved.
"I see. That's understandable. For a small farmer to support a family of four, finding a way to do some business shouldn't be a big problem. It seems this guy has a pretty flexible mind."
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