Zhao Aiguo felt like he had swallowed two pounds of bitter herbs. When he got back to his office, he saw that it was already 9:30. He picked up the phone and called Liu Man. The soft, gentle voice of a woman from Jiangnan came from the other end of the line, "Brother Aiguo!"
Zhao Aiguo's heart melted at that call, and he grinned like a lovesick fool, "How did you know it was me? Xiaoman! Have you eaten?"
"Who else could it be at this hour but you? I've been waiting for your call from nine to ten o'clock! I haven't eaten yet! I just finished washing up! Sigh! I miss Grandpa Zhao so much!" Liu Man spoke from the heart. Coming home, the dishes she used to love always felt a little missing; she still preferred Grandpa Zhao's cooking. If it weren't inappropriate and he hadn't invited her, she would have been tempted to stay at Grandpa Zhao's house and eat there three meals a day.
Look! Whether you're a man or a woman, if you can cook well, you can win over your sweetheart's stomach. Zhao Aiguo thought for a moment and said, "Then next semester you can live with us..." As soon as he said this, Zhao Aiguo felt a little uncomfortable and laughed a few times, saying, "Don't overthink it! I mean I'll give you your own room. Anyway, we have so many empty rooms. I'll take you to and from school every day, and you can eat at home!"
After meeting Zhao Aiguo's parents, Liu Man completely relaxed. She couldn't stand eating out anymore, but when she ate freshly cooked food at Zhao's house, she was amazed! For the next few days, she would take the bus to Zhao's house for dinner as soon as she finished class, and Zhao Aiguo would then take her home by bicycle!
Upon hearing this, Liu Man's eyes narrowed with delight. "Great! But you have to tell Grandpa Zhao that you're going to charge me for living expenses! Otherwise, I'll feel bad!"
She blushed as she said this. She really liked Brother Aiguo, Aunt Shuqing, Uncle Dahu, and of course, Grandpa and Grandma Zhao the most! What should she do? She should join their family now!
Zhao Aiguo was overjoyed, he was so happy he didn't know which way was up! All the good things happened at once! He was reaping the rewards of his career and love life. His boss had just praised him, and Xiaoman had even agreed to let him live with him next semester. Whether it was true or not, he was just happy at that moment!
The two cuddled for a while longer before hanging up the phone. Zhao Aiguo's heart was pounding like a deer's. Even picking up guests at noon hadn't been so difficult. He was both secretary and driver. On the way, Minister Lin even said, "Little Zhao, do a good job. I'll transfer you here to be my secretary later!"
What a brilliant line! It instantly made Zhao Aiguo want to kill himself. He'd finally gotten rid of writing reports, and now this was going to send him back to square one? He jokingly said, "Boss, how about you transfer me over to drive for you?"
“That won’t do! I know you’re ambitious and willing to share the burden with the leadership, but why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Being a driver is too much of a waste of your talents! After the New Year, I’ll send the secretary out for training and transfer you over here,” Minister Lin said very seriously.
Zhao Aiguo wore a disgusted expression, seemingly no longer hating Lü Xiaozhou. He wondered how his good brother was doing in the Northeast. What was he thinking? If only he had made Lü Xiaozhou his secretary! He should have worked that bastard to death! How could he have let him go off to the Northeast to enjoy a life of luxury?
They went to a state-run restaurant and ordered a table full of dishes. At the table, Zhao Aiguo attentively served tea and wine, and put food on the plates of his minister and a very serious-looking man in his sixties next to him.
Zhao Aiguo wasn't quite sure of his status, but he wasn't stupid either; this was the main seat! Anyone who could sit here was quite impressive. Minister Lin said happily, "Don't bother, Xiao Zhao, come over here and tell the leaders what you said to me in the office!"
Then he said to the old man, "Old leader, let me tell you, this young man under me is no ordinary person. In our army, he would definitely be able to join the special operations brigade. Don't look down on him because he is a civilian, he is a man of guts. In the few years since I was transferred to civilian work, I have really met one like him."
"Have you heard about what happened at Donglaishun near Qianmen yesterday? They were fearless in the face of danger! They bravely fought eight thugs and mobilized the masses to join the fight. What great ability that is!"... Finally, Minister Lin finished speaking.
Zhao Aiguo felt like dying. "What was I even doing there?! Why are you treating me like this? Couldn't you just ignore me?" But on the surface, he still smiled and said, "Thank you for the recognition, leader. I will turn this recognition into motivation and wholeheartedly serve the people!"
"Young comrade, you have a high level of awareness. Old Lin, you were good at leading troops in the army, and you'll be good at leading people in your unit after you leave the military!"
"That's right, Old Lin's eyes are just like Sun Wukong's."
Most of the people present were comrades-in-arms of Minister Lin, and after their demobilization, they worked in various departments. The senior leader smiled and nodded, "Very good, neither humble nor arrogant, with backbone!" He said in a deep voice, "Young comrade, what are your opinions? Let's hear them!"
Zhao Aiguo stood respectfully beside the senior leader and said, "That's right. I was also inspired by yesterday's unexpected incident. We were able to achieve a great victory yesterday because of the power of the masses."
With the recent large-scale return of educated youth to the city, the number of unemployed people has increased, and there are more and more unstable factors. The grassroots police officers and street staff are already too busy to handle the situation. It is recommended to recruit physically strong and ideologically conscious elderly people to assist in managing public security issues and temporarily organize a security team.
By dividing the area into alleys and streets, justice will be everywhere, leaving no room for lawbreakers to operate! The seeds of evil will be eradicated completely!
Everyone nodded in agreement. This was indeed a good idea. If one bad guy made a move, ten people would step forward to protect justice; if ten bad guys made a move, a hundred people would step forward to protect justice! Moreover, with so many people and so many eyes, they could discover even more things.
The senior leader looked at Zhao Aiguo with admiration and nodded, "Young man, you have a bright future, keep up the good work! Xiao Lin, give him a good beating!"
"Hey! Don't worry, old leader!"...
After the meal, seeing that there was still a lot of time to spare, everyone dispersed. Minister Lin patted Zhao Aiguo on the shoulder, nodded, and smiled, saying, "You're very good! You know how to talk and how to get things done! Work hard for me!"
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