Right path to power

Yang Songfeng was about forty-five or forty-six years old. He was tall and strong, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and spoke in a loud voice.

After Huang Jingneng was placed under investigation, he temporarily took charge of the work of the Zhenxing District Committee, effectively holding both party and government positions, and wielding considerable power. Despite his deliberate attempt to keep a low profile, the smugness in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "District Chief Yang, you flatter me. It's mainly because Fuchuan County has a poor foundation and a low base that the growth rate is so fast. In fact, the overall level of Fuchuan County is still relatively poor."

Yang Songfeng laughed and said, "County Chief Lin, you're too kind. Either of these two projects, Zhongdingyuan and Changninghe, would be remarkable achievements in any other district or county. Judging from your momentum, you'll continue to lead the city next year."

He was a little too enthusiastic, and he kept Lin Xiao chatting for almost twenty minutes.

Although he didn't know the exact reason for Huang Jing's initiative, Lin Xiao guessed that it was most likely related to Huang Jing's being placed under investigation. After all, Huang Jing was indeed the one who facilitated this matter to some extent, which freed up the position of district party secretary.

Where there are vacancies, there will be people vying for them; this is an unchanging characteristic of officialdom.

Moreover, Yang Songfeng has always prided himself on his outstanding work ability and has long believed that he is the most suitable person to serve as the district's top leader, while Huang Jingneng only got the position because of his father-in-law's connections.

Therefore, he never took Huang Jingneng seriously and often went against him.

Strangely, whether out of guilt or fear, Huang Jingneng didn't seem to have much of a way to deal with him.

Yang Songfeng had always wanted to oust Huang Jingneng so he could take his place, but Huang Jingneng had a deep network of connections, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Unexpectedly, Huang Shulei and Lin Xiao got into a conflict. Naturally, he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and anonymously reported all the information he had previously collected about Huang Jingneng's violations of rules and regulations to the Discipline Inspection Commission.

As a result, Huang Jingneng was placed under investigation as he had hoped.

He was certain that he was already halfway to the position of district party secretary, since as the district head, taking over as district party secretary was a foregone conclusion.

Once the municipal leaders have finished their work for the year-end, they will hold a meeting to discuss and set the tone, and then the matter will be settled. He has even begun to prepare a three-year development plan for the revitalization district.

His first lesson to learn from was the cultural and tourism new town project in Fuchuan County. Zhenxing District, as an old urban area, has a more advantageous geographical location and its infrastructure is much better than that of Fuchuan County. With just a little ingenuity, it can surely open up new prospects.

Therefore, his initiative to greet Lin Xiao had two meanings: first, to thank Lin Xiao for clearing away the stumbling blocks on his path forward; and second, to thank Lin Xiao for providing a ready-made template for him to build his political achievements.

However, Lin Xiao wasn't particularly impressed by Yang Songfeng's sudden enthusiasm.

The pollution problem in Hengsheng Industrial Park left him with a very bad impression, and he absolutely did not believe that the Zhenxing District Committee and District Government had never received any reports or complaints. However, the pollution situation not only did not improve, but seemed to be getting worse.

Therefore, Lin Xiao mentally characterized the Zhenxing District Party Committee and District Government as inactive.

He was extremely disgusted by this practice of prioritizing political achievements over the health of the people.

At present, Lin Xiao is only concerned about the development of Fuchuan County.

Judging from the data in January, Fuchuan County has laid a solid foundation. The government has ample funds, the number of tourists visiting cultural and tourism projects is steadily increasing, and the accommodation, catering and local specialty industries are all doing well.

In the new year, Fuchuan County will surely reach new heights.

For Lin Xiao, he is also preparing to push Fuchuan County to take another step forward.

During this period, Wang Yuanze, the municipal party secretary, communicated with some municipal party committee leaders to plan a new round of cadre adjustments.

Soon, Lunar New Year's Eve arrived.

Lin Xiao visited three townships, Changning, Guankou, and Pengning, and then went to the Development and Reform Bureau, Finance Bureau, and Public Security Bureau to offer his condolences before driving back to Fengshan County.

Song Wanqing drove her newly bought car back to Fengshan earlier. When Lin Xiao entered, she was wearing an apron and helping in the kitchen.

Although her cooking skills had improved considerably during this time, her mother-in-law, Xiang Fangjing, was reluctant to let her daughter-in-law cook. However, she couldn't resist Song Wanqing's insistence and had no choice but to let her help out.

The family sat together for their New Year's Eve dinner, enjoying a warm and harmonious time.

Lin Changhe raised his glass and said, "Tomorrow is another new year. I hope my whole family is healthy, and I hope your careers go smoothly. Of course, I also hope there will be a new member in the family next year, haha."

Upon hearing this, Song Wanqing's face flushed red to the roots of her ears.

"Yes, yes, career is important, but having a baby is just as important. You two need to hurry up. Xiaoqing mentioned last time that we should go to the city to stay for a while. Your dad and I have also discussed it. Once you have a baby, your dad will switch to a support job at the school, and I'll let Yonggui take full charge of the pharmacy. The supermarket will be handled by your Aunt Zhou and the others. Then, we'll come to the city to help you take care of the baby."

"Did you hear that? Mom and Dad have already planned it all out."

Lin Xiao smiled and looked at Song Wanqing, but Song Wanqing blushed even more and rolled her eyes at him: "You talk as if having a child is only my business."

Xiang Fangjing chimed in, "You rascal, Xiao Qing is absolutely right. Anyway, don't just focus on work. Having a baby is the most important thing in a woman's life; you can't be careless. You need to take it seriously. So, next year it'll be the same: you two have to come home for dinner every Friday. I'll cook you something nice to nourish you, how about that?"

"Mom, you..."

"I wasn't asking you, I was asking Xiao Qing."

"Mom, I'm fine with it. My job is easier anyway. I just don't know if County Magistrate Lin can handle it."

I will try my best.

"Okay, it's settled then."

The family raised their glasses in a toast, eating and chatting.

After dinner, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing called their grandparents and in-laws to wish them a Happy New Year and agreed to return to Beicheng on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Although Song Wanqing is an only child, she did not raise the question of "where to spend the New Year". Instead, Lin Xiao took the initiative to say that the two of them had just gotten married and would spend the New Year in Fengshan this year, and then consider returning to Beicheng next year.

Song Wanqing told him to make his own decision.

After paying New Year's respects to his elders, Lin Xiao also called some leaders to wish them a Happy New Year, while others sent text messages to express their best wishes.

Similarly, he also received many New Year's greetings via phone calls and text messages.

Song Wanqing also extended New Year's greetings to her superiors, colleagues, and friends.

Before their marriage, she wasn't very aware of this aspect. It was only after marriage, especially after her mother, Gu Yongling, reminded her, that she gradually began to pay attention.

It wasn't because she needed to curry favor with anyone, but because the couple both worked within the system, and there were certain superficial things they still had to do.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Xiao's family first visited the homes of his eldest and youngest uncles to wish them a Happy New Year, and the families had lunch together. In the afternoon, they visited the homes of his maternal uncles to wish them a Happy New Year, and the families also gathered together for dinner.

During the meal, some elders quietly asked Xiang Fangjing if her daughter-in-law was pregnant; others directly urged them to hurry up and have a baby, making Song Wanqing blush again and again.

Although she was shy, she actually enjoyed it.

This kind of liveliness is very different from the environment in which she grew up in the northern part of the city.

Early on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Xiao and his wife drove to Fengdu and then took a flight to Beicheng.

At 11:00, the plane landed on time.

In the arrival hall, Song Minghao was waiting early, and then the three of them went together to the courtyard house where his grandfather lived.

"My precious granddaughter is back..."

Grandpa Song was overjoyed to see his granddaughter and grandson-in-law.

At noon, he even made an exception and drank two small glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

After dinner, the family sat together and chatted. The topic naturally turned to current affairs and economics. The old man mostly listened and rarely expressed his opinions, as if he were listening to his children report on their work.

It wasn't until Lin Xiao started talking about the development of Fuchuan County that the old man became interested. He kept interrupting Lin Xiao to ask detailed questions and even asked Lin Xiao to talk about his future plans for Fuchuan County.

After listening, the old man nodded: "Not bad. You have grasped the fundamentals of county development, which shows that you have done research, thought things through, and have a long-term vision. This is much better than many high-ranking officials."

Lin Xiao was flattered and overwhelmed upon hearing this.

Song Wanqing, standing to the side, clung tightly to Lin Xiao's arm: "Grandpa, aren't you afraid he'll get arrogant praising your grandson-in-law like that?"

"Why can't we praise achievements? You little brat, do you think your grandpa's gone senile?"

"grandfather......"

Song Yawei interjected, "Alright, Qingqing, isn't your goal just to get us elders to praise Lin Xiao?"

"aunt......"

At this moment, Song Guoqiang spoke up: "Qingqing, go check on Grandma. We need to talk to Lin Xiao about something."

Song Wanqing instantly understood that the family needed to discuss "serious matters" with Lin Xiao, and these words were not suitable for her to be present.

Although a sense of unease crossed her heart, seeing that her grandfather nodded slightly in acknowledgment, she said no more and left the room with a touch of reluctance.

The room was filled with the core elders of the Song family, leaving Lin Xiao alone. This was definitely not a simple casual chat.