Sharpening the Blade Against the Red Wall: From Hong Kong to Handong

The secret meeting ended in the afternoon. Zhou Jin followed the others to the canteen, ate a simple working lunch, but his mind had already drifted back to Yan City. Thinking about how the old district still lacked funds, technology, and resources for development, he put down his chopsticks, told Qin Gang to "wait for me at the door," and then turned and walked quickly towards the old leader's office.

Outside the leader's office, the secretary greeted him with a smile as he approached: "Mayor Zhou, the leader has just returned and is currently processing documents. Please wait a moment."

"It's alright, I'll wait here." Zhou Jin waved his hand, found a chair in a corner and sat down, waiting patiently. He knew that this trip back to Beijing was not only a chance to report on his work, but also a good opportunity to garner support for Yan City, which he couldn't miss.

About half an hour later, the office door opened, and the old leader came out. He was taken aback when he saw Zhou Jin sitting in the corner, then laughed and said, "You rascal, what are you doing here instead of resting after lunch?"

"Commander, I need to speak with you!" Zhou Jin quickly stood up, strode forward, and smiled slyly.

Upon entering the office, as soon as the old leader sat down, Zhou Jin got straight to the point: "Chief, I came back to Beijing specifically for a secret meeting. I can't go back empty-handed, can I? You see, Yancheng is an old revolutionary base area, and now it's a pilot city for the national strategy of building a strong country through science and technology. It's exactly the time when it needs support. Could you give me some 'goods' to take back and give the people of the old base area an explanation?"

The old commander picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at him with a half-smile: "What do you want?"

"Hehe," Zhou Jin rubbed his hands together, his tone sincere, "First, could you approve a special pilot fund for Yancheng City? Mainly for the digital transformation of red tourism and the technological empowerment of the apple industry. These two initiatives align with the pilot program's direction and can directly boost local incomes. Second, could you coordinate with several national-level research institutions to provide counterpart support to Yancheng City? For example, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences could help us improve apple varieties and enhance deep-processing technology, while the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China could help us build a digital platform for red tourism. Third, could you send several experts in agriculture and technology to be stationed in Yancheng City long-term to guide our work? We still have a severe shortage of local technical personnel."

As he listened to him list out his demands one by one, the old commander couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You little rascal, you're really good at asking for the moon! We just secured a spot for you in a pilot city, and now you're asking for funding, talent, and technology. You're really pushing your luck."

"Sir, I'm not doing this for myself!" Zhou Jin quickly explained. "The people of Yanshi are so simple and honest; they just want to live a better life. Every penny you approve and every expert you send will genuinely help them. Besides, if Yanshi does a good job with the pilot program, it will provide experience for other old revolutionary base areas across the country. Isn't that also contributing to the national strategy of building a strong nation through science and technology?"

As he spoke, he lowered his tone, his voice tinged with pleading: "Please have pity on the people of the old revolutionary base areas, and also on me, the newly appointed mayor, so that I can get things moving more quickly. When I was a child, you always said I was sensible, so why don't you care about me anymore?"

The old leader, exasperated by his persistent pleading, pointed at his nose and laughed, "You, you're a mayor in your thirties, yet you're still as mischievous as when you were a kid, always trying to coax and cajole me."

Despite this, he picked up a pen from the table, quickly wrote a few lines on a piece of paper, and handed it to his secretary: "As Comrade Zhou Jin said, the special pilot fund of 200 million yuan will be approved and allocated from the special fund for building a strong country in science and technology; coordinate the establishment of a counterpart support relationship between the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and Yancheng City; and select five experts from relevant ministries and research institutes to form a guidance group stationed in Yancheng for a period of two years."

The secretary took the note and immediately went to follow up.

Seeing this, Zhou Jin's face lit up with joy: "Thank you, Chief! On behalf of the million people of Yan City, I thank you for your concern and support!"

"Don't thank me yet." The old leader's face turned serious, and his tone became solemn. "This support is for the people of the old revolutionary base areas, and also for you, the leader of this pilot project. After you go back, you must use every penny wisely, make good use of the experts' expertise, and avoid empty gestures or superficial work. Yan'an is a revolutionary holy land, and you volunteered to go there. You must stay true to your original aspirations and work diligently for the people."

He paused, then earnestly advised, "Now that you are young and promising, and have made great contributions, it's inevitable that some people will be envious. Remember, the smoother things are going, the more you must stay clear-headed, strictly adhere to the bottom line of discipline, and not let power and interests cloud your judgment. In your work, you should consult with Comrade Li Xiangming more often, unite with other members of the team, and leverage the collective strength. Health is the foundation of everything, so take good care of yourself and don't just focus on work and ruin your health."

Zhou Jin listened attentively and nodded repeatedly: "Please rest assured, sir, I will definitely keep your instructions in mind and will never let you down or fail the expectations of the people in the old revolutionary base areas."

The old commander looked at his determined eyes and nodded in satisfaction. He got up, walked to his desk, picked up a scroll that had been prepared beforehand, and handed it to Zhou Jin: "These are a few words I wrote myself. I'm giving them to you as encouragement and as a token of my expectations for you."

Zhou Jin took the scroll with both hands and carefully unrolled it. On the Xuan paper, four powerful characters stood out: "Rooted in the old revolutionary base areas, working diligently to revitalize the nation." The ink flowed freely, its strength penetrating the paper, reflecting both the old leader's earnest expectations for him and his encouragement for his future work.

"Thank you, sir!" Zhou Jin's eyes welled up slightly. He gripped the scroll tightly and solemnly promised, "I will definitely hang these eight characters in the most conspicuous place in my office to constantly remind myself to be rooted in Yan City, prioritize practical work, and live up to my mission!"

The sun was shining brightly as Zhou Jin left the chief's office. He carried the scroll, his steps light and firm. Qin Gang saw him emerge and quickly went to greet him: "Young Master, how did things go?"

"Very smoothly!" Zhou Jin smiled and waved the scroll in her hand. "Not only did we secure funding and talent support, but we also obtained the leader's calligraphy. Let's go back to Yan City and get to work!"

The car drove away from the State Council and sped towards the airport. Looking out at the Kyoto cityscape, Zhou Jin felt a surge of energy. He knew that, carrying the instructions of his superiors, the support of the nation, and the expectations of the people in the old revolutionary base area, Yan'an's future would surely be brighter.