Nominal: Who isn't a son-in-law?

Around 8 p.m., since they had eaten dinner early in the afternoon, everyone set up a table in the courtyard and asked Zheng Yu to buy some more porridge and steamed buns to fill their stomachs.

After eating and drinking my fill, it was only 8:30, and I still wasn't sleepy.

So, Chu Shijun, Yang Xiaofeng, Li Dakang, and Zheng Yu started chatting in the courtyard.

After taking security measures around the area, the four guards, at Chu Shijun's request, sat down to rest.

He leaned back in the clean armchair, gazing at the full moon in the sky.

In the quiet night, the occasional chirping of insects could be heard.

"My hometown is the best. Every time I go home, I feel a sense of peace."

Chu Shijun sighed,

"It's a pity that I'm getting busier and busier, and I go home less and less often. What I miss most is my homesickness."

"Governor, you carry the burden of 80 million people in Handong on your shoulders, and you have dedicated all your energy to the organization and the people," Li Dakang said, patting his belly.

"Don't flatter me, you rascal."

Chu Shijun turned his head and glanced at him. "It's just the few of us. Let's have a casual chat."

As he spoke, he sat up, took out cigarettes, offered one to each of them, and then called out to the guards, "Little Li, you guys smoke usually, right?"

"Governor, according to departmental regulations, we cannot smoke or drink alcohol during working hours," Xiao Li said, shaking his head.

"Hey, what are you afraid of? I'm not going to tell your department head that I'm not going to let you drink or smoke."

Chu Shijun extended his hand again.

"If you won't come, I'll deliver it to you."

"We'll do it, we'll do it!"

Xiao Li quickly got up and took four cigarettes from the cigarette pack.

"That's more like it."

Chu Shijun smiled with satisfaction and tossed the cigarette case onto the table.

"Comrade Dakang, do you remember the first time we met?"

"I remember, Governor, I remember,"

Li Dakang nodded repeatedly, a look of reminiscence on his face. "Back then, you were a spirited student at Wuhan University, and I had only been working for a few years when I was transferred to Zhao Lichun's side."

"The first time I saw you was on the campus of Han University. I searched for you for a long time and found out you were in the library. The first thing I felt when I saw you was that you had a certain energy about you..."

It's started again...

Chu Shijun and Yang Xiaofeng exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile. "What's going on?"

"The drive to get things done."

Li Dakang said seriously.

"From the rise of a great power to the publication of the Handong Development Report, I read the former in its entirety, even wearing out the leather bindings three times, and I can also be considered a semi-participant in the latter."

"At that time, Zhao Lichun was still the secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee. After the report was released, he said to me in his office: 'Xiao Li, do you believe that Chu Shijun, this student, will achieve something that will make everyone in Handong take notice?'"

"I was naive back then. I said: No matter how great his achievements are, can they compare to you, Secretary Lichun?"

"As a result, a few years later, when I was just demoted from my position as a secretary and vowed to build a road to prosperity, Governor Chu had already put the knowledge I learned at Han University into practice and developed a poor and backward town into a thriving one."

"Once my road is completed, your name will have spread throughout Handong. Everyone is learning from the Huayang model. At that time, who in the world wouldn't know you!"

Huayang...

Chu Shijun looked wistful.

"Back then, I had just graduated. As a young person, I had a lot of drive and ambition. Of course, as you know, sometimes success is just empty talk if you only have enthusiasm. What's important is support—the support of the people and the support of the higher-ups."

"It won't work if any one of these elements is missing."

"So the day I left Huayang, I wondered, if no one supports me, can I still succeed?"

"I thought about it all night and pondered it for a long time. I said it was still possible, but it might take longer and be more difficult."

Chu Shijun gazed intently at the moon in the dome of the sky.

"That makes sense."

Li Dakang sighed.

"Back then, when road construction in Jinshan County resulted in a death, if it weren't for Zhao Lichun's support, I would have been completely unaware of his identity and name by now."

"So tell me, can it be changed?"

Chu Shijun asked.

Li Dakang and Yang Xiaofeng remained silent, quietly smoking.

"Look, you don't dare to answer."

Chu Shijun reached out and flicked the ash from his cigarette.

"Then I'll answer."

"Throughout history, behind every person, there are often many people and things involved, such as the everyday matters of family and friends, and the relationships between people."

"The same applies to officialdom. When you rise in rank, everything you do is interconnected. Often, wherever your name is placed, those associated with you will be affected to some extent."

"So sometimes these people don't dare to retreat, they can't even stay in place. The people around you will consider their own development and push you forward, while others will try to pull you up or step on you."

"The higher you go, the narrower the path becomes; it's like dancing on a knife's edge, walking on thin ice."

"But once you reach a certain point, the road will suddenly open up again."

"In previous meetings, Comrade Xiaofeng, you always focused on Tian Guofu, using his responsibilities as a discipline inspection official to criticize him. If I remember correctly?"

Yang Xiaofeng gave an awkward smile and nodded, saying, "It seems that's true."

Is it just a feeling? It's definitely true!

Zheng Yu, standing next to him, chuckled to himself. Every time there was a meeting, the secretaries and recorders felt like it was New Year's Day.

"Then you all know in your hearts whether he dares to fulfill his duties or not."

The answer is definitely no, I wouldn't dare.

"As for peer supervisors, let's not talk about Comrade Ruijin and me, but about you guys. If you replaced Tian Guofu with someone else, he would be the same. It's not that there aren't any, but comrades like Yi Xuexi are ultimately a minority."

"Hey, Governor, I have a point of view on this. Yi Xuexi is a bit dim-witted. I heard that now that he's guarding the reservoir, he's constantly targeting those fishermen. People from nearby scenic spots who have bought tickets have people who come to fish specifically to do so, and he reports them to the county."

Li Dakang was genuinely gloating.

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Qian mentioned that in Lüzhou, both the county and city were planning democratic life meetings.

"If you say someone's a bit slow, then they're a bit slow."

Chu Shijun said irritably,

"Getting back to the main point, to a certain extent, a vacuum will appear in the supervision of power, especially when faced with a tough top leader or second-in-command. Comrade Dakang, you are a prime example. If I hadn't come, Comrade Ye Qian and the others would have been bullied by you to the point of having to go to the provincial party school for training, isn't that true?"

"Yes, we do."

Li Dakang's expression was unnatural.

"But it was Comrade Ye Qian who told me this, so I planned to suggest to the Provincial Party Committee that we strengthen the ideological and theoretical armament of Comrade Ye Qian and others."

"Heh, with all that power in your hands as the top official of Jingzhou, who would dare to cause trouble?"

"Governor, I apologize, but as you have seen these past few days, I have made changes. After several adjustments, the leadership of Jingzhou City is now united in its efforts to promote development and is working together to achieve results."

Li Dakang said quickly.

"That's because I came. If I hadn't come, you all know Comrade Ruijin's past behavior, and with you on the other end, what would have happened?"

"He transferred Yi Xuexi to Jingzhou as the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, but no matter how tough Yi Xuexi is, can he fight against you? He'll be completely fooled by you."