Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Old Li was so angry at Secretary Nie's actions that his face turned red, but when his gaze fell on Old Wang in the crowd, he broke into a bright smile, his tone somewhat teasing:

"Old Wang, your son is really something else! He said the steel mill wouldn't allow someone as arrogant as him to exist!"

"That's bold, truly bold! Comrade Ligong's demeanor doesn't resemble that of a professor from Tsinghua University at all; he looks more like someone from our military. How can we allow this? It's like a cotton ball jumping out of a gutter!"

The air seemed to freeze for three seconds after Old Li said that, then a group of old men burst into loud laughter, their mouths practically agape.

This is a counterattack, a blatant counterattack!

Liu Dalong from the steel rolling mill said that Lin Gang, who came from the army, didn't do his job properly but instead went to read books. He was mocking Lin Gang as a stinking soldier, and even the whole group was mocking him!

Now Old Li retorted in the same tone, "You, Yang Ligong, aren't you supposed to be a scholar who reads the classics? How come you can speak so eloquently? This is unacceptable! It's an insult to literature!"

That's really interesting, so damn interesting!

Old Wang wasn't angry at all; in fact, he laughed heartily along with them.

Since the steel rolling mill was holding a democratic life meeting, not a formal standing committee meeting, it didn't matter how much they argued. After all, such matters weren't discussed openly, and they wouldn't cause trouble for others afterward.

Besides, when the top leaders of the Ministry of Metallurgy hold democratic life meetings, who doesn't curse? It's commonplace!

The fact that the higher-ups at the steel rolling mill pay attention to the democratic life meeting is just for fun.

At this moment, Old Li spoke:

"Hey... it's no fun if you just blush but don't sweat without fighting. Here's what we'll do, Lao Wang, give the factories down there some feedback."

"The steel rolling mill has already held its democratic life meeting; let them hold one too, and at the same time, remind them to be democratic!"

Old Wang smiled upon hearing this: "Alright, I'll pass the word down in a bit!"

The other leaders all grinned mischievously, while also harboring a hint of anticipation…

Yang Ligong arrived early in the morning to report on his work at the steel rolling mill's Party Secretary's office.

The difference in attitude now compared to yesterday is like night and day.

Yang Ligong treated Secretary Nie with utmost respect.

As soon as he came in, he kicked out Secretary Nie's secretary, Liu Juan, and went to make tea for himself, and then lit a cigarette for Secretary Nie.

Secretary Nie sipped his tea and smoked contentedly, nodding with satisfaction as he looked at Yang Ligong.

Yang Ligong's face was all smiles, showing none of the aggressive demeanor he had yesterday, and he adopted a fawning tone:

"Secretary, how's the tea today? My dad got it from somewhere; it's a special supply."

Secretary Nie smiled upon hearing this:

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad, you've done a great job! You're something else. A man should be able to take things on and let them go!"

"Let's not talk about yesterday. Let bygones be bygones. Factory work should come first."

"I'm very happy and pleased that you could come today!"

Yang Ligong's eyes lit up and he immediately replied:

"Secretary, your words are profound! I will definitely remember your meritorious service!"

Secretary Nie nodded and said earnestly:

"You've done a great job. Don't worry, I'll only serve one more term as the top leader. I might be transferred before I even finish one term. You know I'm a vice minister now."

"If there are any vacancies in the Ministry of Metallurgy, I'll definitely join them for a meal."

"As for who will go up between you and Comrade Huaide after I leave, that depends on your own abilities!"

Upon hearing this, a sudden inspiration flashed in Yang Ligong's mind:

"Secretary, after you leave, will our factory's top leader still be a deputy minister?" Yang Ligong asked the same question as Li Jiuzhou.

Secretary Nie frowned upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, gave a very long answer:

"That's a very good question. Minister Wang of the Ministry of Metallurgy once told me that this example started with me and will also end with me."

"My position as vice minister in the Ministry of Metallurgy is merely a nominal one with no real power. You know the general situation; since the founding of the People's Republic of China, many meritorious figures have held sinecure positions. There aren't that many official posts!"

"Your father carried a bean on his shoulder. Was it of great value or great merit? Yet he was still a vice minister."

"If you want to see a higher view, seniority alone isn't enough; you have to demonstrate real ability to reach that level!"

"Without any major meritorious service, my final destination will most likely be the vice-ministerial level."

"Therefore, after I left, the steel rolling mill could only be a bureau-level unit, but it cannot be denied that some vice-ministerial level leaders who had been sitting on the sidelines were parachuted in."

"After all, rather than sitting on the sidelines, it's better to get down to work and gain political capital; there might be further hope!"

"Take this promotion for example. Many people from other departments were very interested and wanted to take the credit, but Minister Wang turned them all away."

"So, the future is full of uncertainties..." Secretary Nie paused here, his eyes filled with worry about the future.

After listening to Secretary Nie's words, Yang Ligong was also deep in thought. In his position, he had a very keen political sense.

They could also understand the other meanings in Secretary Nie's words.

Yes, there are too many meritorious figures, and many of them hold nominal positions. Yang Li's position as the second-in-command at the steel rolling mill is something many people envy.

There are countless people more capable than him, so why should Yang Li be able to hold the position of second-in-command at the steel rolling mill?

It's all thanks to Daddy who's carrying the load.

Locally, things are fine; the land is vast and rich in resources, making things easy to manage. But this is the capital!

Moreover, it's the political center; everyone would fight tooth and nail to work in the capital region.

Every important high-level position involves countless interests and interpersonal relationships—it's a complex web of issues!

All I can say is that Yang Ligong was a lucky man.

The conversation had come to an end, and Yang Ligong bowed deeply to Secretary Nie.

"Thank you for your guidance, Secretary. I will definitely cooperate with your work in the future."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Nie chuckled and waved his hand.

"Alright, get back to work."

Not long after, Yang Ligong returned to his office, and Yang Yulan came in with a cup of tea, a smile on her face.

"Old Yang, I wasn't here yesterday, and when I came in today I heard you were almost fainting from being scolded by Secretary Nie?"

A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Yang Ligong's face upon hearing this:

"Bullshit! Do you think I'd be out-argued by a sixty-something-year-old? Don't listen to their nonsense and their baseless slander of our leader. This is utter disorganization and lack of discipline!"

Yang Yulan and Yang Ligong had known each other for so long, and it was obvious that he lacked confidence in his words, but men are all concerned about their image.

She smiled happily:

"Good, good, good, our Old Yang is the best, he's good at everything."

"Given your performance yesterday, how about I reward you today?"

Yang Ligong's gaze darted away upon hearing this. His wife, who had been so enthusiastic about cleaning the house yesterday, had rewarded him—and more than once. Today, he felt somewhat powerless and could only make an excuse to decline.

"Um... Yulan, this is the office, it's not a good look, and you're pregnant..."

Yang Yulan waved her hand impatiently after hearing this, and her tone became harsher:

"Yang Ligong, don't give me this nonsense. It's been more than three months. Nothing will happen."

"You should plow the land when it's time to plow, and now you're making excuses? Have you forgotten what you promised me?"

"Get to work right away!"

What else could Yang Ligong say? It was all his own doing, and he had to swallow whatever consequences he had to bear.