Right path to power

The next morning, Song Wanqing drove to the hotel early in the morning, while Lin Xiao and his family went to a famous breakfast shop nearby for breakfast.

Afterwards, the group took a stroll around the neighborhood.

Around 10 a.m., they arrived at the courtyard house.

Upon seeing Grandpa Song, Mr. and Mrs. Lin appeared somewhat nervous. Fortunately, Song Wanqing was by their side, and the elderly Shen Shuzhen took the initiative to chat about the past of Songmao Village.

Grandpa Song also tried to act as casually as possible.

Mr. and Mrs. Song Guoqiang also greeted them warmly.

It took Lin Changhe and his wife quite a while to gradually get used to it.

"Teacher Lin, you've taught Lin Xiao very well. He's outstanding and has achieved remarkable results at the grassroots level, doing many practical things for the people. I've been waiting for him to come see me, and thankfully he hasn't disappointed me. The young people are getting on in years, and since they're mutually in love, we, as their elders, should help them settle down soon. The reason I've asked you to come all this way is to discuss some specific matters..."

Old Master Song spoke with a smile, but Shen Shuzhen felt that his manner and tone were inappropriate, so she interrupted, "Old man, let me speak."

Grandpa Song chuckled and picked up his teacup to drink, somewhat helplessly.

Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing exchanged a smile, with Song Wanqing pouting slightly as if to say—no matter how high an official you are, your wife still calls the shots at home.

Of course, Lin Xiao's eyes conveyed the same meaning.

After some discussion, both parties decided to hold a small family banquet at the Chengxi Guild Hall in Beicheng on National Day, mainly to entertain close relatives and elders of the Song family, and to complete the family reunion ceremony.

To put it bluntly, it's about telling people in the Song family circle that the Song family has a son-in-law named Lin Xiao, who is the county magistrate in Quanning Province and is 28 years old this year.

Then on October 6th, they returned to Quanzhou City to hold a formal wedding banquet.

As for betrothal gifts and dowry, a token amount is sufficient.

Actually, things aren't complicated. The main thing is that the elders of both sides meet formally to finalize the wedding arrangements.

However, Lin Xiao still publicly stated that the scale of the wedding did not need to be grand, but all the necessary procedures should be followed. The reason was simple: the two of them were only getting married once, so it did not have to be elaborate, but the sense of ceremony was essential.

Song Yawei immediately said that she knew a friend who was a wedding planner and could entrust the wedding to her, guaranteeing a simple yet sophisticated wedding.

The prospective father-in-law, Song Guoqiang, also made only one request: to keep a low profile and minimize the scope of knowledge as much as possible.

Although it was his daughter's wedding and not a political marriage, being in the political center of Beicheng, he had to avoid political risks as much as possible.

For ordinary people like Lin Changhe and his wife, it might be difficult to understand the true meaning behind it, but Lin Xiao, who had been in officialdom for several years, understood it completely.

At noon, everyone ate lunch in the courtyard.

With dishes, rice, wine, meat, and laughter—this is what a true family feast is all about.

After lunch, everyone chatted and drank tea for over an hour before saying goodbye and leaving.

Gu Yongling immediately invited Lin Changhe and his wife to stay in Beicheng for a few more days, and asked Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing to accompany them to explore the city.

Xiang Fangjing said she didn't want to delay her children's work and planned to go back tomorrow, but at her future daughter-in-law's "request", the couple had no choice but to agree to stay one more day.

In the afternoon, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing accompanied their parents to visit several nearby scenic spots. They had dinner at Song Wanqing's house, and Song Guoqiang also drank with Lin Changhe.

The family is enjoying a happy time together!

The next morning, Song Wanqing took Lin Changhe and his wife to continue their sightseeing, while Lin Xiao followed her aunt Song Yawei to the Zhongdingyuan North City headquarters.

Cheng Minzhi, chairman of Zhongdingyuan Group, is in his fifties, slightly overweight, with a deep voice and a strong leadership presence.

As a large state-owned enterprise under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Zhongdingyuan's chairman is appointed by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and managed in accordance with the standards for vice-ministerial level cadres. In other words, Cheng Minzhi is a vice-ministerial level leader.

"Yawei, is this the youngest county magistrate in Quanning that you mentioned? I think he must be the youngest in the whole country, right?" Cheng Minzhi asked with a smile.

It's clear that he and Song Yawei are very familiar with each other; they speak very casually.

Song Yawei said with a smile, "Yes, he is also my niece's husband."

"Huh?" Cheng Minzhi was somewhat surprised.

"Hello, Chairman Cheng, I am Lin Xiao." Lin Xiao bowed slightly, greeted him politely, and extended her hand.

"Congratulations!" Cheng Minzhi shook hands and smiled, "You're really young and promising. When I was your age, I was just an ordinary worker, following my master around looking for mines. The younger generation is truly surpassing the older one."

Lin Xiao said, "Chairman Cheng, you are the pioneer who laid the foundation for the younger generation. We are just catching up with the benefits of the times."

As Cheng Minzhi spoke, he observed Lin Xiao—calm, composed, polite, and respectful; no wonder he became the Song family's son-in-law.

After exchanging pleasantries, Song Yawei steered the conversation to the main topic: "Old Cheng, Lin Xiaogang has just become the county head, and there are countless things to consider for the county's development. Currently, they are preparing to integrate the county's mineral resources, which might meet your requirements. Why don't you arrange for someone to take a look?"

Cheng Minzhi smiled and said, "Since you've brought it up, of course I have no problem with it. The company has indeed been expanding southward in the past two years, but the specific situation needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. After all, it's a government business, and I hope you can understand that."

"I understand, but you should at least believe me, right?"

"Yes, yes, I was overthinking it."

The two have known each other for many years and are familiar with each other's ways of doing things. If Lin Xiao didn't have enough ability, Song Yawei wouldn't have brought him here, even though he is the son-in-law of the Song family.

"By the way, you don't have to work overtime during the National Day holiday, right?" Song Yawei asked.

"Probably not."

"Okay, then come over for a drink at the wedding."

"The date has been set? Great! Congratulations, Xiaolin! I'll definitely be there."

"Then it's settled. But you don't need to prepare anything. This is mainly to get to know the elders; there will be no outsiders."

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely be there."

Cheng Minzhi's eyes lit up. He understood the implication perfectly: the phrase "there are no outsiders" was tantamount to formally including him in the Song family's circle. More importantly, this was an opportunity to announce Lin Xiao's identity to those in the circle, ensuring that they would protect him and help him whenever necessary.

"You need to personally make arrangements for the investment and get it done as soon as possible. Consider it a small gift from your aunt to your nephew-in-law."

"Okay, no problem. As your uncle, I certainly can't hold you back."

Listening to their conversation, Lin Xiao felt excited.

This illustrates the importance of personal connections.

A few words are all it takes to finalize a major investment.

For anyone else, a mere county magistrate, how could they easily meet a vice-ministerial level executive? Let alone discuss any big business deals.

Then Cheng Minzhi made a phone call.

Soon, Jia Hongbo, the general manager of the investment management department, arrived at the office.

"Chairman Cheng, you wanted to see me?"

Jia Hongbo is around forty years old. Although he graduated with a degree in mining engineering, he is also quite capable in capital mergers and acquisitions and project operation. He is deeply trusted by Cheng Minzhi and quickly rose to the position of head of the department.

Based on his rank, he is a department-level cadre, and if he were to be transferred to a local position, he would at least be given a powerful post such as deputy secretary of the municipal party committee.

If it were Cheng Minzhi, he would be transferred to a local position as a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee or a vice governor. If he were promoted, he would be appointed as governor or deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

"Let me introduce you. This is Deputy Director Song from CCTV, and this is Lin Xiao, the acting county head of Fuchuan County, Quanning Province. Fuchuan County is rich in mineral resources, and the county plans to integrate the mining industry, which fits perfectly with the group's expansion strategy. Please arrange for personnel to go to Fuchuan for on-site inspection as soon as possible. If the assessment is satisfactory, we can proceed with the cooperation. For subsequent project coordination, please contact County Head Lin directly. If you encounter any problems, come to me."

Within Zhongdingyuan, Cheng Minzhi's words carry absolute authority.

"Okay, Mr. Cheng, I'll take care of it right away."

Jia Hongbo knew in his heart that the excessively young acting county head in front of him must have a powerful background, otherwise the chairman would not have given him the task directly.

What's more, he was accompanied by a CCTV leader, and his surname was Song.

This is Beicheng. Combining all this information, the identity of this Deputy Director Song becomes quite clear.

What about Lin Xiao's identity?

In fact, these were just Jia Hongbo's subconscious associations. He didn't need to doubt or guess anything. He just needed to quickly implement the leader's requirements and do his best to cooperate.

Furthermore, such a young acting county head must need to achieve results.

Then quickly gather the team to conduct on-site investigations and finalize the investment details.

Whether the project can make money or not is not the most important thing, as long as it doesn't lose money.

Jia Hongbo left Lin Xiao's contact information, saying that he would bring his inspection team to visit Lin Xiao whenever Lin Xiao returned to Fuchuan County.

Lin Xiao told Jia Hongbo that they would stay one more day today and return to Quanning tomorrow morning, but would have to stay in Fengdu for a while. She asked Jia Hongbo to leave the day after tomorrow.

Jia Hongbo said, "It's alright, you go ahead with your work. We'll go directly to the county. I'll also call the people from the Fengdu branch to work together to push the project through multiple channels and ensure it gets off the ground as soon as possible."

Lin Xiao said gratefully, "Thank you, Chairman Cheng and President Jia, for your hard work."

Jia Hongbo then took his leave to return and organize his team.