In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 113 The Lu Family Mansion (Fifth update, please subscribe)

Municipal Executive Office.

Zhao Delai took some of his personal belongings; there weren't many, and they could fit in a cardboard box.

dong dong dong.

A knock sounded at the door. The door was not closed, and a sixty-year-old man with graying temples, a thin face, and wearing a black suit stood in the doorway.

He smiled and said, "Comrade Zhao is only suspended from his duties; there's no need to pack his things so early."

Zhao De laughed and said, "I was afraid I wouldn't accept it, and you would just throw it in the trash if you sat down. I come from an ordinary working-class family, unlike Vice Mayor Wei, whose family is wealthy and worth hundreds of millions."

"If I remember correctly, W.C. Rice & Grain Company was originally a state-owned enterprise, wasn't it?"

A shadow crossed Wei Jiahong's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, "If I remember correctly, Comrade Zhao shouldn't have the authority to appoint the border station chief, right?"

The two were picking on each other's minor flaws, but relatively speaking, Wei Jiahong's own problems weren't that big.

His own business has been operating for seven or eight years, and he's not the only one embezzling federal property, so how can they find him?
But Zhao De was different. Not long ago, through some unknown means, he managed to promote Lu Zhao to the position of border station chief.

"I did it."

Zhao De sat back in his office chair, leaned back, rested his chin on his hands, and looked at him with a smile.

Even though he has been suspended from his post, he still acts like he's in charge.

Wei Jiahong was displeased, but he didn't pretend anymore. He warned, "This is an overreach of authority and a violation of regulations. This is a sudden promotion, which is an even more serious crime. I'm going to report you to the supervisory authorities."

In fact, Wei Jiahong had already reported it after he had a fight with Lu Zhao.

The report alleges that Lu Zhao, a junior officer, serves as the station chief of a border defense station, with several senior officers under him, which does not meet the criteria for priority consideration for promotion based on military rank.

Secondly, Lu Zhao's promotion was through the Municipal Executive Office.

The subsequent report only received the response, "We will communicate with the Public Security Bureau."

The Chief of Public Security was Liu Wuhou's man, and his adopted daughter, Lin Zhiyan, was with Lu Zhao every day. It would be a miracle if she could successfully report him.

"First of all, the position of border station chief is vacant, and at this critical time of flood control, we need a capable and persevering comrade to take the lead. Comrade Lu Zhao has made outstanding contributions to flood control work every year, and considering his abilities, he should be the one to take the position."

Zhao De answered methodically.

“We can’t judge cadres solely by their military rank, and this is only a temporary position. At worst, we can promote Lu Zhao to another rank next year.”

Violating regulations does not equate to breaking the law or committing a crime. No law or regulation explicitly prohibits individuals from taking on leadership positions outside their designated rank.

As long as the background is strong enough and nothing goes wrong, it's not considered a violation.

On the contrary, the military management regulations clearly state that the position is higher than the rank.

It is common for lower-ranking military officers to command higher-ranking officers in the military, because not everyone has command ability, and not every extraordinary person wants to take on a command position.

There is a type of soldier called a general or soldier. They are all fourth-level superhumans, with the rank of senior colonel or higher. They are required to charge into battle just like ordinary soldiers.

Wei Jiahong questioned, "How can you prove that Lu Zhao is capable? The flood control work is the result of the efforts of all officers and soldiers."

Zhao De replied, "Comrade Lu Zhao recently made a great contribution in a smuggling case. The organization's commendation hasn't come yet, but the city should make a statement. Why is the deputy mayor pursuing this so relentlessly? Does he not want to see an outstanding cadre being promoted?"

Wei Jiahong was speechless, and after thinking it over, he still couldn't find a rebuttal.

He had thoroughly checked Lu Zhao's resume: four years of work experience, one first-class merit award pending (for a smuggling case), one second-class merit award, and two third-class merit awards.

This resume is impeccable and quite rare even in the entire Federation.

He has only worked for four years and has already made so many contributions.

Merit is a ladder to promotion, and also a shield to protect oneself. A person with no merit can be transferred with a single word, but for a person with outstanding merit, you need to find a reason.

Otherwise, it would be eliminating dissidents and suppressing outstanding cadres.

In the end, Wei Jiahong could only snort coldly and turn to leave. Before he had even left the room, Zhao De's voice came again.

"There's one more thing I forgot to hand over to the deputy mayor: in response to the federal government's call, the Ant Ridge Border Station will be reorganized into a production corps."

Wei Jiahong suddenly turned around, his face contorted with uncontrollable rage, and cursed, "Zhao De, you son of a bitch!"

Federal officials are very concerned with appearances and generally do not swear in public; they only engage in passionate exchanges in closed-door meetings.

If an official swears in public, it means he is really vulnerable.

The focus of the production corps was not on production, but on using local arable land to replace fiscal expenditures.
-
Huangshui Village is located 10 kilometers away from the border station.

The location isn't too remote; at least the village entrance is next to the national highway.

Many villages in the South China Sea West Road are like this. They used to live halfway up the mountain, but after the federal infrastructure built the national highway and their economic situation improved, they all moved down the mountain and built houses along the national highway.

The black jeep parked at the village entrance attracted the attention of a large group of elderly people even before the driver came out.

Lu Zhao got out of the car. Since it wasn't a mission, he was simply wearing jeans and a short-sleeved shirt.

Upon seeing him, the elderly people at the village entrance immediately gathered around.

"Isn't this Lu Zhao? He's even riding in such a nice car."

The representative of the "Senior Citizens Association," an elderly man in his sixties, came over first and reached out to touch the hood of the car, looking quite surprised.

"I've seen this car on TV; it's the kind of car that leaders ride in."

Lu Zhao explained, "It's my friend's car. He brought his niece back to visit his hometown today."

The old man's name is Zhao Zhili. He is a friend of Lu Zhao's father and survived because he didn't join the army. He is now the village head of Huangshui Village.

At this moment, an old woman squeezed to the front and said, "Lu Zhao, I have a marriage proposal for you. Do you remember the daughter of Li Er's family at the end of the village? She used to be in the same class as you."

"Old matchmaker, save your breath. Lu Zhao graduated from the capital. Do you think you can find someone of equal social standing? Every time he comes back, you rush to play matchmaker. Aren't you afraid of annoying people?"

Uncle Zhao pushed people aside, and immediately more people surged up from the other side.

"Lu Zhao, go to your uncle's house for dinner. He just slaughtered a chicken."

"Aunt Li, I've already eaten."

"Lu Zhao, I heard strange noises coming from the river a few days ago. Could there be a water beast hiding there?"

“The river in the village is only two meters deep, so there’s no way to hide.”

Over the past four years, Lu Zhao would go back to his hometown to clean whenever he had free time, so the villagers were not unfamiliar with him.

Lin Zhiyan and Lu Xiaotong got out of the car. The two beautiful young women did not attract the villagers' attention. They might have noticed them, but most of them flocked to Lu Zhao's side.

Some people invited Lu Zhao to their homes for dinner, some were busy matchmaking, and some wanted to get a job at the border station for a young man in their family.

The people had various demands, some of which were quite unreasonable, but their words all revealed their respect and affection for Lu Zhao.

He didn't reveal at all that he had become the head of the border station, and the villagers' enthusiasm was entirely spontaneous.

Over the years, the more criminals feared him, the more the villagers in the surrounding area respected him.

Water monsters are not just a rumor in the surrounding villages; they are a threat that is faced every year.

Compared to the isolation at the border post, where he faced targeting and insults in official circles, and the lack of understanding from his colleagues, Lu Zhao received the complete opposite treatment in the village.

He watched from afar as Lu Zhao was surrounded by the crowd.

Lin Zhiyan thought of his grandfather, or perhaps similar scenes in many photos of officials and civilians before the Great Cataclysm.

The federal government still serves the people, but serious internal and external conflicts have made this no longer the main theme; solving the problem of survival has become the primary issue.

But his senior clearly didn't think so.

"Wow, Uncle Zhao is such a heartthrob, he's loved by everyone, young and old."

This was the first time Lu Xiaotong had ever seen such a scene. At her age, she didn't understand politics and could only attribute it to her looks.

"It was the same when Uncle Zhao was in high school. Every time he went to the classroom, a large group of people would surround him."

Lin Zhiyan asked with some curiosity, "Was he always this popular since he was a child?"

"Uncle Zhao is not only handsome, but also very mature for his age, making him especially popular compared to those immature boys."

Lu Xiaotong spread her arms wide, using gestures to describe the scene at that time.

Lin Zhiyan twitched the corners of her mouth. She felt that it might be an exaggeration, but when she thought about the scene when she was in school, it didn't seem impossible.

In a non-arts school, there is a man who is even more handsome than a celebrity.

The senior has already enjoyed all the good fortune in the first half of his life; is he now paying off his debts?
Who are these two young women?

Finally, someone noticed them, and Lu Zhao introduced them: "This is my niece, Lu Xiaotong. She's back in her hometown for summer vacation. This is my friend."

He did not introduce Lin Zhiyan's position because it was unnecessary; Lu Zhao had no interest in seeking a sense of superiority in front of his fellow villagers.

"This is Lu Xiaotong. I haven't seen her in so many years. She's grown so much."

"Do you remember your aunt? I used to hold you when you were little."

After exchanging pleasantries, the group arrived at Lu Zhao's hometown.

The two-story red brick house had a somewhat rotten wooden door. The interior was quite clean because someone regularly came to clean it.

Children like Lu Xiaotong and Lin Zhiyan, who grew up in the city, are very curious about everything. They look at this and touch that, and keep taking pictures with their cameras.

What interested the two most was a table lid woven from bamboo strips.

Lu Zhao sat on a hard, solid wood chair in the living room; it was so uncomfortable that even sitting on it felt like a sore spot.

However, in Nankaido, every household with money would buy one, and it's usually empty. It's only during festivals when it's filled with fruits and when relatives and friends gather that people sit down.

He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

When Lu Zhao was born, the house was only one story. Later, his older brother got married and built a second story. The middle school was tiled and plastered, and then a sudden catastrophe destroyed everything.

More than a decade has passed since then; it's all happened in the blink of an eye.

Sometimes having a strong memory from childhood isn't a good thing, as many things remain vivid in one's mind.

Click!

Lu Xiaotong held up her camera and snapped a picture, saying with a sweet smile, "Uncle Zhao, you look just like Grandpa now."

Lu Zhao paused for a moment, then asked, "You still remember Grandpa?"

When her father and older brother joined the army, Lu Xiaotong was only two years old.

Lu Xiaotong replied, "Grandma showed me a photo; she was sitting like you, smoking."

(End of this chapter)