Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3042 They are sabotaging the plan

The sun was shining brightly, and the weather was perfect.

In Mr. Chen's office, three people sat together chatting, waiting for the person in charge to arrive.

Secretary Guo served tea and water, and chatted with the three of them for a few minutes.

"Secretary Guo, did the boss not sleep last night?"

A kind-looking middle-aged man glanced at his watch and then smiled.

They've been waiting here for almost an hour; normally, Old Chen wouldn't come to his office this late.

"Director Huo, you're absolutely right. The leader stayed here all night last night."

"I also stayed up all night, and only managed to take a nap here at dawn."

Secretary Guo said with a smile, and another middle-aged man with a dark complexion next to him smiled and showed his white teeth, "The old leader is still the same. When he gets busy, he doesn't know how to rest at all."

"Secretary Guo, you need to remind him not to overwork the leader!"

Secretary Guo quickly shook his head upon hearing this, "Secretary Chen, you've worked with the leaders before, how could I dare to interfere with what they've decided!"

Secretary Chen shook his head helplessly after hearing this, "I'm getting old, and I'm not the same as before. I still have to persuade them."

Then, turning to the people around him, he remarked, "Back in the day, it was common for us to work through the night with our bosses. When things got really busy, we'd often work for several days in a row."

"Back then I was young and strong. I didn't think about anything else, I just wanted to do my job well."

Director Huo listened and sighed, "Back then, no matter how hard or tiring it was, a good night's sleep would do the trick, and we could get back to work the next day as usual."

"Now…"

"That won't work now!"

The last middle-aged man spoke up, then raised his right arm and said, "The doctor said that if this arm wants to get better, I can't do anything, otherwise my elbow will be ruined."

"And this corrugated cover, saying that the meniscus is broken and that you should walk less."

"But what am I supposed to do when I'm free?"

"When I'm idle, I feel suffocated. It's better to be in pain. At least when I'm in pain, I feel like I'm contributing to the revolution and construction!"

The three looked at the speaker and smiled knowingly.

Secretary Guo carefully picked up the teapot and refilled the teacup, saying, "Secretary Wu, please try this Da Hong Pao tea. I've heard it's good for your health."

Secretary Guo chuckled, and Director Huo, standing beside him, joked, "Yes, yes, this is top-quality Da Hong Pao tea. Old Wu, you've never had it before!"

Secretary Wu picked up his teacup, took a sip, then frowned and exclaimed, "Old Huo, you're right!"

"I've never actually drunk this kind of Da Hong Pao before!"

Then, looking at Secretary Guo, he said, "Comrade Guo, if you serve us the leader's finest tea like this, won't the leader feel bad and give you trouble?"

He then laughed, "We can't possibly accept such a favor!"

Secretary Guo didn't take it seriously, saying, "Secretary Wu, please just drink as much as you like, don't overthink it!"

"Also, this is all tea given by Director Yang. There are several more packets in that cabinet!"

"Since you're here, it's perfect for helping us eat!"

"Ordinary people wouldn't even get to drink this."

The three laughed along with him, but seemed thoughtful as they drank their tea.

This Da Hong Pao tea tastes completely different from theirs!
"By the way, Secretary Guo!"

After putting down his teacup, Secretary Chen's expression turned serious.

Secretary Guo also put down the teapot, his expression calm.

The other two also became much more composed.

"Let's find out something before the boss arrives."

Secretary Chen spoke directly, without any intention of avoiding the topic.

In reality, given their relationship, especially with Old Chen, there was no need for them to hide anything.

Secretary Guo nodded, "Secretary Chen, please speak freely. I will tell you three anything I know."

The three, including Secretary Chen, exchanged glances. Then, Director Huo spoke first, asking, "Secretary Guo, do you know about the supply of grain, non-staple foods, and industrial coupons for the Ninth Ministry?"

Upon hearing that the matter involved the Ninth Department, Secretary Guo immediately became wary and dared not speak casually.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Of course the leaders know."

The three exchanged glances again, and then Secretary Chen asked softly, "So, the leaders know that many of the household appliances and electrical products they produce are frequently used as internal rewards or even distributed as employee benefits?"

Secretary Guo pondered for a moment, then nodded, "I understand."

The three men frowned, and then Secretary Wu asked solemnly, "The items that the Ninth Division purchased from Hong Kong, including grain, non-staple foods, and the current cannery, are all non-staple foods and are subject to planned control."

Secretary Guo remained silent, genuinely unsure of what to say.

Upon seeing this, Secretary Chen calmly asked, "Secretary Guo, we haven't received any reports from the beginning. Is it against the rules to just send it out like this?"

Secretary Guo maintained a smile throughout, knowing in his heart that Secretary Chen was trying to gauge the situation beforehand.

Or perhaps, this is a 'byproduct' of the Ninth Department being targeted, or perhaps the Ninth Department's actions have caused dissatisfaction among some people.

After all, only through comparison can we see the difference.

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.

However, Secretary Guo also knew that the reason the three of them were asking him questions was to find out Old Chen's stance.

Then, choose your dishes based on the menu.

In the current situation, if the other party asks directly, you can give a vague answer and pretend you don't know.

But that would mean that Elder Chen was neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the matter of the Nine Departments.

Sometimes, ignoring the issue is also an attitude, a casual attitude. It makes people feel that taking any action is acceptable.

However, if it is indicated that Elder Chen knew about these matters and did not stop them, then it would mean that Elder Chen tacitly approved them.

Those of them who have followed Old Chen through thick and thin naturally want to stand with him.

Therefore, Secretary Guo knows very well what to say right now.

While Secretary Guo remained silent, the three of them were also unsettled.

They came to see Old Chen for two main reasons.

Firstly, taking advantage of the convenience brought by the nuclear power plant's electricity supply, I wanted to talk to Mr. Chen about increasing support for sideline businesses and light industries to maximize production.

After all, the domestic light industry also needs to be developed, and only by developing the light industry can people's quality of life be improved and their enthusiasm for building the revolution be enhanced.

They need to consider these things carefully.

Secondly, I wanted to discuss the Nine Departments with Elder Chen.

Today, the Ninth Division has become a behemoth in domestic industrial production.

It has not only developed rapidly in heavy industry, covering multiple fields, but has also achieved remarkable results.

Now there are signs of them venturing into the light industry, or rather, expanding their influence in the light industry sector.

Logically, this should be a good thing, but the current actions of the Nine Departments have not made them happy; on the contrary, they are somewhat worried.

In particular, the large influx of by-products imported from abroad during this period has greatly increased the difficulty of their regulation after entering the domestic market.

There were also canneries established in the Northwest.

I heard that the cannery in the Northwest is planning to expand and build a large canning plant, which will not only produce canned beef and mutton, but also various canned vegetables, and the scale will only get bigger and bigger.

Most importantly, the current Nine Departments are too large, with too many people and even more people associated with them.

Frankly speaking, the total number of workers in the factories under the nine ministries has now exceeded that of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

Moreover, this is only the current scale. Based on their understanding of the Ninth Division, with the current abundant power supply, the Ninth Division's industries will experience a large-scale boom.

Its final size will likely exceed the combined size of the previous eight ministries.

Such a large scale means that even more people will become workers in the Ninth Department.

This means that more people will receive the benefits of the Ninth Division.

Imagine this: they are all the same kind of workers, so why do the workers in Department Nine receive so many better things? Why do they have benefits while we don't?

The factories below raised their concerns with their superiors, who then approached those in charge of managing non-staple foods, demanding more supplies.

But they all had a plan.

Therefore, it would be best to let the byproducts of the Ninth Department be subject to their control.

Their work will be even more difficult then.

Or rather, the actions of the Nine Departments are undermining the 'economic plan' they are trying to maintain!
This made them very worried.

After a moment of contemplation, Secretary Guo smiled and said to Secretary Chen, "Secretary Chen, Director Huo, and Secretary Wu, let me tell you the truth."

"Old Chen knows about these things!"

"When we were in Dengzhou, Director Yang mentioned to Elder Chen that the people of Dengzhou worked tirelessly, braving wind and rain, to build the nuclear power plant!"

"We wanted to use part of the revenue from selling game consoles to buy grain in Southeast Asia. As for other non-staple foods, our colleagues in foreign trade helped us buy them!"

"Not only was Elder Chen aware of this matter, but Elder Qing and the others also agreed and encouraged it after learning about it, and the other leaders also praised it!"

"Of course, if you don't believe me, you can go to the foreign trade department and ask Chief Li Rong!"

Secretary Guo's smile remained unchanged, but Secretary Chen, Secretary Wu, and the others' faces twitched slightly upon hearing this.

That woman…

Who would dare offend her!

Seeing that the others remained silent, Secretary Guo found it amusing and then said, "As for purchasing beef and mutton from Hassa to manufacture canned goods, there is a reason for that as well."

"Once the West-East Gas Pipeline project was finalized, it will require a large amount of manpower and resources, more than the Dengzhou Nuclear Power Plant, and the workload will be much larger."

"Minister Yang had the same idea, so he set up a cannery within the Ninth Department to produce canned beef and mutton. Oh, and now there are other canned meats too."

"Speaking of this canned food, the leaders tasted it together during the last satellite launch. They said the Ninth Department's canned food has large pieces of meat, generous portions, and is very conscientious!"

Secretary Guo spoke with a grin, and the three of them forced smiles as well, though they understood what Secretary Guo meant.

That is, Old Chen held a 'supportive' attitude towards the affairs of the Ninth Department.

And that's enough.

Therefore, there is only one purpose for this trip.

That is, how to develop industry and commerce.

Thinking of this, Secretary Chen spoke again, "Secretary Guo, you're quite close to the people in the Ninth Department. Tell me, will the Ninth Department actually develop light industry?"

Secretary Guo glanced at Secretary Chen, then asked in return, "Secretary Chen, do you think it's good or bad for the Ninth Ministry to develop light industry?"

Secretary Chen was surprised that Secretary Guo would ask a question in return, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.

But Secretary Wu, who was standing next to him, spoke up directly, "It would be best if the Nine Ministries could develop light industry."

He then added seriously, "But it must be developed under proper supervision. We must not act arbitrarily and affect the overall plan and construction."

Secretary Guo frowned slightly and casually asked, "Secretary Wu, could you elaborate on the sabotage you mentioned?"

Secretary Wu nodded and continued, "Secretary Guo, we are all aware of the contributions the Ninth Department has made to industry. There is no doubt about that, and everyone knows it."

"But the Nine Departments' current actions are undermining our plans."

"Their behavior has made many people uneasy."

"It even makes people suspicious!"