Since that night, Xu Tong seemed determined to cut off all entanglements and completely disappeared from my life, as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth, and there has been no news of her since. Xixi cried and asked for her aunt several times. Her heart-wrenching cries made me feel so distressed. It took me a lot of effort, both coaxing and deceiving, to calm the little girl down.
The pressure at work was already like a heavy burden that made me breathless, and adding these troubles to my life made me very anxious. Several blisters appeared in the corners of my mouth without me noticing, and they were very painful when I touched them.
What makes me even more upset is that the competition between Hetian Zhenyu and the post of county party committee member is becoming increasingly tense and has reached a white-hot stage. It seemed as if all the government offices in the county had become a breeding ground for rumors. All kinds of gossip spread everywhere as if they had wings. There were many different versions, each more outrageous than the last, but they were spread in a convincing manner.
One afternoon, I was sitting in the office, reviewing some documents. Xiao Liu knocked on the door and walked in. He reported respectfully, "Director Guan, the government office called and said that County Magistrate Tong wants to see you. He asked you to come over now."
Hearing this, I was shocked. Ever since Tong Yazhou became the county magistrate, I have had very little personal contact with him. Overtly or covertly, we are not close, not to mention that he has a close relationship with Tian Zhenyu, so I naturally would not take the initiative to curry favor with him. Furthermore, the development zone work is not under his charge, and there is basically no overlap in business.
Although I was full of doubts and surprise, my years of work experience helped me to calm down quickly. I just nodded calmly to Xiao Liu and said, "Okay, I understand."
Xiao Liu continued, "I'll arrange a car for you right away."
I waved my hand and said, "No, I can just drive my own car."
After Xiao Liu left, the office returned to silence. I leaned back on the soft chair, my brows furrowed, my mind full of thoughts, constantly trying to figure out Tong Yazhou's intention in suddenly meeting with me, but after thinking about it, I still had no clue.
On the way to the county government, I took out my cell phone and called Xu Shaojia.
After a few beeps, the call was connected, and I hurriedly asked, "Director Xu, do you know why County Magistrate Tong called me over?"
Xu Shaojia lowered his voice on the other end of the phone, revealing a bit of helplessness: "Hongjun, you know that I, the office director, am just a figurehead. They guard against me like a thief. Whenever there is something important, they go directly to Xiao Yubo. I can't get any inside information here."
I understood in my heart that he said Xiao Yubo was the deputy director of the county government office and was Tong Yazhou's confidant who was brought over from the district.
Since I couldn't get any useful information from Xu Shaojia, I could only sigh secretly and rush to the county government building.
When we arrived, Tong Yazhou's secretary had been waiting for a long time and politely led me into Tong Yazhou's office. When Tong Yazhou saw me come in, his face was instantly filled with a warm smile. He quickly stood up and motioned for me to sit on the sofa. His enthusiastic look made me a little more alert.
After the secretary prepared tea for us and quietly closed the door, Tong Yazhou leaned forward slightly and said with a smug look, "Director Guan, I read your recent report on the proposal to introduce state-owned capital into Daxun, accelerate the company's development, and promote the preservation and appreciation of state-owned assets. It's very good! I called you here today because I want to discuss this matter with you."
The corners of my mouth slightly raised, pulling out a faint smile, and responded indifferently: "County Magistrate Tong has a lot of things to worry about every day, but he can still pay attention to these specific tasks. This kind of dedication to the public day and night is really admirable."
I said this with a hint of sarcasm, implying that he wanted to meddle in everything and was meddling too much.
Tong Yazhou obviously heard the hidden meaning in my words, and the smile on his face froze for a second, but he was a veteran in the officialdom after all, so he quickly adjusted himself, smiled again, waved his hand and said: "Hey, I am destined to worry, and I can't change it. Besides, our county level is the front line of urban-rural integration. Here, small things can affect the whole body. They seem to be small things, but in fact they are big things; but sometimes, big things have to be treated as small things at this level, and we have to be pragmatic."
I put on an expression of humility and learning, nodded in a fake manner, and said, "County Magistrate Tong, you have just the right sense of control over small matters. You treat small matters as if they were important, and handle big matters as if they were light. I really admire your leadership art and work style from the bottom of my heart, and it is especially worth learning from. Unlike me, I lose my temper when encountering something, I am restless and get angry easily." As I said that, I pointed to the red and swollen blisters on my lips with a wry smile.
After hearing this, he laughed heartily, and then changed the subject, his tone seemingly casual, but in fact concealed a deep meaning: "I am a person with limited ability, but I always feel that I have a strength, which is that I especially cherish talents. If a comrade like you who is young and promising, with a broad vision, novel ideas, and strong ability can become my right-hand man, then I will be able to do twice the result with half the effort in the future."
When I heard this, my heart suddenly tightened, and I instantly understood the implication of his words. Wasn't he asking me to be his deputy? Could it be that the outcome of this competition for the county party committee standing committee has been decided, and he is now trying to appease me as the winner?
I remained calm on the surface, with a humble smile on my face: "County Magistrate Tong, you really think highly of me. My ability is limited, and the work in the development zone sometimes makes me overwhelmed. I am really afraid of disappointing your expectations."
He hit a snag, and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly, but soon he regained his amiable look and continued slowly: "According to the requirements of the government, all counties must successively establish state-owned asset management bureaus, separate the state-owned asset management functions from the Finance Bureau, and merge the Finance Bureau's Enterprise Department and the State-owned Asset Management Office into the newly established bureau, which will be responsible for the preservation and appreciation of the county's state-owned assets. It is said that everything is difficult at the beginning. This was originally the work of Deputy County Magistrate Liu Xiuwen, but he is old and has limited energy. He can't stand all this trouble, so it is necessary to hand it over to other deputies."
I narrowed my eyes slightly, with a faint smile on my lips, and deliberately said: "County Magistrate Tong, there are many talented people around you. Take County Magistrate Tian for example. He has been the top leader of the township for many years. His ability to coordinate and control the overall situation is obvious to all. He is very experienced. I think it is the most appropriate to give him the responsibility of the State-owned Assets Management Bureau. He is simply the best candidate."
Tong Yazhou still had a smile on his face, but that smile reached his eyes. He shook his head gently and responded slowly: "Comrade Zhenyu is indeed a rare talent. He has made a lot of efforts for the development of the county in recent years. But you also know that agriculture and water conservancy are related to the people's livelihood. The burden on his shoulders is not light, and he is really unable to do everything."
Seeing this, I sat up straighter, folded my hands on my knees, and looked serious: "In that case, if County Magistrate Tong doesn't mind, I have a candidate I would like to recommend to you." After I finished speaking, I paused, looked up at Tong Yazhou, and watched his expression change.
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