Right path to power

The next day, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing went to their uncle's and aunt's houses to pay New Year's greetings.

At her aunt's house, Lin Xiao met Grandpa Su. As they chatted, the conversation naturally turned to Fuchuan County. Lin Xiao told him the truth, and Grandpa Su listened with increasing admiration, repeatedly exclaiming that Old Song had found a "treasure."

"Grandpa Su, if Grandpa heard you praising him like that, he would be very happy," Song Wanqing said with a smile.

"Qingqing, your grandfather may not be as good as me at chess, but when it comes to choosing a grandson-in-law, he's definitely the better one."

"That's the husband I chose."

"Yes, yes, our Qingqing has such good taste."

Lin Xiao was so flattered that she couldn't sit still.

Grandpa Su and Grandpa Song are not only in-laws, but also close comrades-in-arms who went through many difficult years together.

As for Song Yawei and Su Dejun, they grew up together in the compound, were childhood sweethearts, and their feelings for each other deepened, eventually leading them to get together.

After spending three days in Beicheng, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing flew back to Fengdu.

During this time, they accompanied their mother, Gu Yongling, to pay New Year's visits to their maternal grandparents and uncles. They also met with Song Minghao, Han Haicheng, Zhuang Jingshu, and others, then paid New Year's visits to Cheng Minzhi, and finally visited Zhang Zhongqi and Zhang Huaixian, uncle and nephew, at Jirentang.

After returning to Fengdu, they first went to pay their respects to their teacher Liang Weiwang for the New Year, and then had lunch at Lou Changyang's place.

In the evening, the couple hosted a special dinner for Liang Weiwang's secretary Xia Shengwen, Lou Changyang's secretary Zhang Jielong, Zhou Junhao, deputy director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Shi Jiajian, director of the Provincial Department of Education Office, Jiang Yuanping, director of the Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and others.

It wasn't convenient to invite them when we got married, and I've been busy with work since then, so I had to make up for it during the Chinese New Year.

As soon as the meal began, Lin Xiao punished himself by drinking three cups as an apology for taking so long to host the dinner.

Everyone expressed their understanding, and even said that true friends don't need such formalities.

However, everyone within the system understands that relationships need maintenance and cannot be built on a single meal.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing visited Wang Yuanze's home to offer their New Year's greetings.

"How is Old Song's health?" Wang Yuanze asked with concern.

"Thank you, Secretary Wang. Grandpa is in good health, but he's getting old and inevitably has some minor ailments," Song Wanqing replied.

"Yes, time waits for no one."

During the Chinese New Year, Wang Yuanze made a special phone call to Song Guoqiang to wish him a happy new year.

He has served in a department-level position for several years, holding positions such as municipal party secretary and mayor. The city and prefecture have also seen significant development in the past two years, with several innovative initiatives. If someone at higher levels gives him a push, his chances of being promoted to vice-ministerial level are quite high.

For the Song family, it was not difficult to promote someone who already met the requirements to a vice-ministerial level position.

Therefore, Wang Yuanze did indeed want to leverage the Song family's resources to complete this cross-domain transition as soon as possible.

After dinner, while chatting in the living room, Wang Yuanze suddenly said, "The city is going to make some adjustments to the cadre list, and I've spoken with some comrades. Opinions are still divided on the candidate for the Zhenxing District Party Secretary. If you were in his shoes, what do you think Zhenxing District should do next?"

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and she casually asked, "Uncle-Master, you don't mean to send me to Zhenxing District, do you?"

Wang Yuanze said solemnly, "The situation in Zhenxing District is complicated. As an old urban area, its development in recent years has lagged behind Yonghe District, and even Fengshan County and Fuchuan County are showing signs of surpassing it. It is not an easy task to promote reform."

Lin Xiao listened quietly without responding, unsure of his martial uncle's true thoughts.

However, if he had to choose, he would prefer to stay in Fuchuan County, do his current job well, and be able to get a permanent position by the middle of the year.

After all, the current situation in Fuchuan County was built step by step by him, and it has just gotten on the right track. If he were to start over in a different place at this time, it would take a lot of time and effort.

In reality, when a region's economic development falls into a predicament, the root cause is often a problem with the local government leadership.

As the old city and former government seat, Zhenxing District has deep ties with the city, but its infrastructure in all aspects is better than that of other county towns.

As the new main urban area, Yonghe District naturally receives preferential treatment in terms of resources.

Wang Yuanze glanced at Lin Xiao: "What? You're backing down just because you hear the situation is complicated?"

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Uncle-Master, you misunderstand. It's the same for me wherever I work. As you just said, the situation in Zhenxing District is complicated. It will take more effort to sort out the work, and we may encounter many conflicts from the very beginning."

Wanqing and I live in Zhenxing District. Every weekend when the north wind blows, a strong, foul odor wafts from Hengsheng Industrial Park. We went to check it out and found that several factories in the park were illegally discharging waste gas over the weekend. Residents in the surrounding area kept their windows tightly closed even during the day. There have been reports about this online, but the problem remains unresolved.

"You mean the government is failing to supervise properly, allowing factories to discharge pollutants, and is not addressing public concerns, which is a sign of inaction?"

Wang Yuanze directly voiced Lin Xiao's unspoken meaning, then smiled and said, "It seems you're quite interested in Zhenxing District."

"Uncle-Master, we live right there. These days, we hardly open any windows in our house, so it's hard not to notice."

Wang Yuanze nodded: "Actually, what you see is only part of the picture. The problems in Zhenxing District are probably more serious than you imagine. So I've been thinking about the leadership team. I had discussions with several members of the Standing Committee before the Lunar New Year, but we didn't reach a consensus."

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "With so many cadres in the city, we can always find a suitable person. However, we need to conduct some further investigation."

Wang Yuanze asked seriously, "If I were to send you, would you be willing to abandon the foundation that Fuchuan County has just laid?"

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and said seriously, "Uncle-Master, to be honest, I really can't bear to leave. The planning for Fuchuan County has only just begun. If this momentum continues, give me another two years, and Fuchuan will be completely transformed. It's really hard to leave halfway through."

Besides, I've only been in office in Fuchuan for a year, and I've only been acting county head for half a year. If I were to give up halfway at this point, it would feel like something is missing.

Of course, I am a Party member. If the organization makes a decision, I will resolutely obey it. No matter where I go, I will do my best to fulfill my duties.

Wang Yuanze nodded: "Actually, you might as well look at it from a different perspective. The municipal party committee sent you to Fuchuan to forge a new path. Now that you've paved the way, it's time for you to retire successfully. A new situation has been created, and it's time to hand over the baton to the right person. After all, you can't stay in Fuchuan forever."

Of course, no one can take away your achievements. Don't feel burdened; we're just having a casual discussion today. Your job changes have been quite frequent these past two years, and you definitely need some time to reflect and grow.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The two then talked about other topics.

Song Wanqing listened quietly until Wang Yuanze asked about her situation at the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, at which point she spoke.

Later, when Shen Liying, the teacher's wife, joined in, the atmosphere of the conversation became more lively. She told Song Wanqing to hurry up and have a child, which made Song Wanqing blush instantly. Wang Yuanze said a few words to Shen Liying, but she retorted with "We're not outsiders."

In fact, only relatives and elders would care about this matter.

Before leaving, Shen Liying reminded Song Wanqing to call her "uncle" and "aunt" or "master" when she came to visit, and not to call her "secretary" or "bank manager".

Song Wanqing smiled and agreed, then returned to her home in Zhenxing District with Lin Xiao.

"Old Wang, your nephew is truly blessed to have married such a wonderful girl. You know, I'm not referring to her family background, but to the person herself."

"Yes, but my nephew is also very outstanding."

"Yes, yes, the two are indeed a good match."

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing made a detour to Fengshan County on their way home, picked up their parents, and returned to the city together.

With a few days left before the start of the school year, the young couple discussed it and decided to have their parents come and stay in the city.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the last day of the Spring Festival holiday, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing decided to take a good rest at home. They were really tired after working non-stop for the past few days.

However, Song Wanqing still got up early to prepare breakfast, only to find that her mother-in-law, Xiang Fangjing, had already made it.

After breakfast, Song Wanqing showed her parents-in-law around the area, pointing out the locations of the supermarket and hospital, and then accompanied them for a walk in the park.

Although she has lived here for some time, she usually goes directly upstairs from the underground parking garage and rarely comes downstairs. She also buys things on her way home from get off work.

This is the first time I've ever strolled around like this.

Therefore, when Song Wanqing walked in the neighborhood, she would occasionally attract the attention of passersby, and some people would cast envious glances at Lin Changhe and his wife.

Lin Xiao, who followed behind, couldn't help but smile smugly upon seeing this scene.