The next day, Banggeng went to school first, and Qin Huairu followed. But when they arrived at the school, Qin Huairu discovered that her son wasn't in his class at all. After inquiring, Qin Huairu was so angry that she almost fainted on the spot.
Banggeng hadn't come to class for a long time, and claimed that his grandmother was sick and needed his care. The teacher believed him and didn't verify with his parents. Of course, the main reason was that the teacher really disliked this troublesome boy; he was always causing trouble in class.
Next, Qin Huairu searched the vicinity like looking for a needle in a haystack, but couldn't find a single trace. When school was over, Qin Huairu stood at the school gate and saw Bang Geng carrying his schoolbag, swaying as he walked towards the school gate.
"Bang Geng, where did you run off to?" Qin Huairu barely suppressed her anger.
"Mom, Mom, what are you doing here?" Banggeng said as he backed away, then took off running towards home.
At noon, everyone was eating at home, but all that could be heard from the courtyard was Bang Geng's wailing. This was the worst beating Qin Huairu had ever given him in all these years.
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Xu Damao's training was more relaxed than expected. Unlike other leaders who handled unit affairs while undergoing training, he was truly on full leave.
Initially, the two deputy factory directors did come to him for instructions on how to handle factory affairs, but he didn't issue any instructions and let them decide for themselves. Several section chiefs and workshop directors also came to him for instructions, but he told them to report directly to their respective supervisors.
A month later, no one came to Xu Damao for instructions anymore. However, some of his trusted confidants, like Huang Xian, would still come to chat with him and ask about Xu Damao's true intentions. Each time, Xu Damao would just smile and not give a direct answer, telling them to just do their own thing and not get involved in the factory's internal struggles.
During his studies, because Xu Damao did not have a clear candidate to take charge of the work, the head office could not interfere too much. As a result, the two deputy directors of the auto repair shop began to form cliques to try to strengthen their own power.
Three months flew by, and Xu Damao had just graduated when the steel rolling mill notified him to report to the main plant. This time, the person he spoke with wasn't Li Xuewu, but Yang Zhenhua. The top leader speaking personally—it seemed like something big was about to happen.
Xu Damao pretended not to know anything and slowly reported his learning experience.
"Da Mao, how many years have you been working at the auto repair shop?" Yang Zhenhua asked.
"I worked at the auto repair shop for four years, and if you include the time I spent in the transportation department, I dealt with cars for quite a while." Xu Damao seemed surprised that the other party would ask this question, and paused for a moment before answering.
“Yes, that’s quite a long time. You’re still so young, with a bright future ahead of you, and you need to gain experience in multiple positions. What are your thoughts on your future?” Yang Zhenhua said.
Xu Damao thought to himself, "It seems they're going to use me as a trap step by step."
"Thank you for your guidance, leader. I will follow your instructions. As the saying goes, I am a brick in the revolution, ready to be moved wherever needed," Xu Damao replied.
Yang Zhenhua was surprised that Xu Damao was so easy to talk to. Xu Damao had always been Li Xuewu's main assistant, often taking the lead in helping Li Xuewu seize power within the factory.
This time, for some reason, Li Xuewu proposed replacing Xu Damao—a complete and utter removal from the job. It didn't matter if he couldn't figure it out; as long as there were personnel changes, Yang Zhenhua could always get involved. So, they quickly agreed.
“It’s good that you have this awareness. I’ve looked at your resume. You started in publicity, then human resources, and then became the factory manager. In other words, you’ve always been involved in “civil” work and you’re lacking in “military” skills.”
"Our factory's Armed Forces Department Minister Cheng is retiring, leaving a vacancy for minister. But the current deputy ministers are all quite old, which doesn't quite meet the higher-ups' requirements for younger cadres. Considering your age advantage and comprehensive management capabilities, the factory has decided to appoint you as minister. What are your thoughts?" Yang Zhenhua asked.
This position was decided after discussions among several key leaders. Xu Damao is currently a division-level cadre; any reassignment would only be to another branch factory as its head or to a department head position in the steel rolling mill.
But Li Xuewu is now focused on suppressing Xu Damao, so he definitely won't offer him a good position. The branch factory director is out of the question first, as that's a high-ranking official, and even the worst factory head isn't bad. So, the only option left is a department head.
Of the dozen or so departments in the factory, the Armed Forces Department was ultimately chosen after much deliberation. This department sounded very prestigious, as it controlled the factory's armed forces and held the reins of power. However, the steel rolling mill was a production-oriented enterprise, and the main power was concentrated in the workshops, logistics, offices, and personnel departments. The Armed Forces Department was essentially a useless department.
The armed forces consist of reserves, militia battalions, and a security section. The reserves are composed of retired officers and soldiers and have a relatively complete management system. Xu Damao had never served in the military, so he had no way of managing this area, and the soldiers wouldn't listen to him anyway.
The militia battalion was basically just organizing eligible young people from the factory to participate in militia training and night patrol duty, so management in this area was relatively loose.
As for the most powerful security department, it was under the dual leadership of the factory and the branch bureau, with Ma Dabao, the deputy minister of the armed forces department, concurrently serving as the head of the security department. Ma Dabao had been the deputy minister for many years and had long coveted the minister's position. Now that Xu Damao had directly snatched it away, it was no wonder that he would give Xu Damao a friendly look.
Therefore, although the armed forces department seems to have weapons in hand, if Xu Damao goes there, he may actually become all alone, which is what Li Xuewu hopes to see.
After Yang Zhenhua finished stating the position, he stared intently at Xu Damao, wanting to see how the young man would react. But reality disappointed him; Xu Damao remained calm, as if he were talking about someone else.
"I will resolutely obey the organization's arrangements. To be honest, I have never served in the military and have always hoped to have a military career. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to realize it now. It's really great."
Xu Damao said "okay" but remained outwardly calm. He truly hadn't expected Li Xuewu to be so ruthless, throwing him from the pinnacle of power to the depths of despair. Well, it was fine; a complete break with Li Xuewu would allow him to enjoy a period of leisure within the armed forces department.
Over the past few years, he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the auto repair shop, often working overtime and frequently missing out on his son's growth. Now that his daughter has been born, Xu Damao is willing to spend more time with his family while they are still young.
Power and development will be meaningless in the next ten years. Besides, as long as he remains in this department, he might even gain some leverage to protect himself.
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