Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 177 Old Chen's Reflections (jasonn+5)

After finishing their meal and tidying up, the five of them went downstairs together to Old Chen's workplace.

Not far away, along the main road leading to Nanhu, the power and electricity industries are concentrated in this area at this time.

Actually, calling it a provincial bureau is a bit inaccurate; it's just what people commonly call it. Strictly speaking, this is the Northeast Electricity Bureau, which is why Old Chen, a deputy director, was promoted to the rank of director-general. This bureau is in charge of electricity in the three northeastern provinces and even the eastern Inner Mongolia region.

At that time, the Northeast headquarters of many state organs, enterprises and ministries were located in Fengtian.

Upon entering and going upstairs, Chen Hui led several people directly to Old Chen's office.

At this time, the richest industries in the country are oil, electricity, and railways. The postal service is not yet among them, and telecommunications has not yet been separated from the postal service.

But the influence of oil was not yet significant, so the power and railway industries were more prominent in the local areas. They occupied land, built buildings and houses, and started construction one after another. Moreover, these were central government-owned enterprises, which the local areas envied but could not even get a share of.

Old Chen's office is quite large, about 40 or 50 square meters, with a break room and a bathroom. These days, ordinary people wouldn't dare sit on the genuine leather sofa in the reception area. Good things and high-end items naturally exude an air of prestige.

Chen Hui knocked on the door and, without waiting for a response, pushed it open and went inside. Old Chen was sitting behind his large, gleaming desk, looking at documents. He was wearing reading glasses. He looked up and saw these people, then casually waved his hand: "Sit down. Help yourself to some water. I'm looking at a document."

Led by Chen Hui, the five people walked to the reception area and sat down on the soft leather sofa. Chen Hui scurried over to get tea leaves and brewed tea for everyone, saying, "This tea is delicious. My dad usually doesn't let me drink it."

Chen Hui pursed his lips and took the thermos to make tea.

This time, I brewed black tea. I tore some off a tea cake and put it in a cup. As soon as the hot water went in, the whole cup turned a brownish-red color. The aroma was very mellow. Chen Hui said, "You have to drink black tea in winter to warm your stomach. Try some. This is Pu'er, pure."

Several people held their teacups and slowly sipped the tea, finding the taste strange, but it did feel good in their stomachs.

There was a few more knocks on the office door. Chen Hui jumped up and ran to open it. Standing outside was a gray-haired man in a navy blue suit, very imposing, with sharp eyes. He paused for a moment when he saw Chen Hui open the door, then a smile appeared on his rugged face: "Xiao Hui is here."

Chen Hui called out, "Uncle Wang."

Old Chen emerged from behind his desk: "Secretary Wang, what brings you here? You could have just called me if you needed anything. Come, sit down, have a cup of tea."

Secretary Wang smiled and said, "Never mind, I have a meeting. I'll give you the documents. Qin and I won't be going to Beijing for the meeting next week. You can represent our bureau. Take a look at the documents. The bottom one is for you. Everything you need to say is in there."

Old Chen took the document and said, "Okay, I guarantee I'll complete the task. Why isn't Director Qin going?"

Secretary Wang said, "He has to go to Heilongjiang Province. We need someone to go there for something. We were originally planning to send Lao He, but then this happened, and Lao He is finished. He doesn't need to go anywhere now. Sigh, what's the point? He's about to retire. Alright, you go ahead and get busy. Get ready, I'm going to a meeting."

Secretary Wang turned to leave, then turned back and said, "By the way, are you changing offices? Why don't you switch and come upstairs to keep me company?"

Old Chen said, "Okay, I'll follow your arrangements. I'll pack up when I get back from Beijing."

Secretary Wang nodded and said, "Alright then, you go ahead with your work." He then turned and left.

Old Chen stood there watching until Secretary Wang turned the corner and disappeared from sight before closing the door. While thinking about something, he took the documents and walked towards his desk.

Chen Hui asked, "Dad, are you going to Beijing? Why are you changing offices?"

Old Chen put the documents on the desk, picked up his teacup, walked over, sat down on the sofa, took a sip of tea, and said, "Old He has been demoted, he might be sentenced. I'm covering for him here, I've been moved up a bit. The matter was just decided yesterday, and the documents came down today. Tsk, someone up there is getting restless."

Chen Hui asked, "What's wrong with Grandpa He?"

Old Chen looked at Chen Hui and said, "His family's Jun-ge's matter has blown up, and Old He has taken the blame. You guys out there, think more before you act. Nobody's family is the emperor, have some sense of propriety. Look at Old He this time, was it worth it? Let's see if Jun-zi will still be so arrogant now, he'll probably have trouble even eating."

Chen Hui said, "Dad, don't worry, I won't do anything. It's pointless. I'll just make a little money with Xiaowei and the rest of us. Once we give you another grandson, our lives will be much better. What's the point of talking about all that, right? Dad, you've become a vice-minister this time, right? What are you in charge of?"

Chen Xiao's face flushed red instantly, and she hid behind Xiao Hong. Old Chen laughed a few times and said, "Alright, Dad will wait. You two should get married next year. Xiao Xiao is great. Xiao Xiao, when are your parents usually home? I'd like to come over with Xiao Hui's mom for a visit sometime."

Xiaoxiao said behind Xiaohong, "I'll be home tonight." She huddled behind Xiaohong without looking up.

Chen Hui asked, "Dad, what are you in charge of now?"

Old Chen said, "This time there's been a reshuffle. I'll be on the executive level, and Old He's old responsibilities have been reassigned. From now on, one person per province will be in charge, and everyone will be responsible for themselves. Your Uncle Zhang will probably take over Liaodong. Be careful under him and don't cause trouble, understand?"

Chen Hui said, "What trouble could I, a lowly meter reader, possibly cause? Why don't you promote me to a higher position?"

Old Chen took a sip of tea and said, "Dream on. Brew it yourself. I won't stop you from being mentioned later. Have you all finished your tea? Let's go. Someone found two places for us. Let's go take a look. Once this is settled, I'll go to the capital."

The five people drank tea and followed Old Chen downstairs.

When they got downstairs, there weren't enough seats for the six people in the Duke's car, so Old Chen called a Hiace, and everyone got in.

Chen Hui said, "Dad, there's something else. There's a guy over in Dadong who runs a small restaurant. He raises his own pigs, feeding them with distiller's grains, and the pork is really delicious. A few of us are thinking of leasing his pig farm to him so he can raise pigs exclusively for us. What do you think?

Old Chen thought for a moment and asked, "How should I wrap it?"

Chen Hui said, "Let's find a place on the outskirts of town to expand the business, and we can also invest. That way, he can make more money. The main problem is the dregs from the distillery. We need to ask around and take over all of them. Anyway, he'll just throw them away after he finishes making the liquor."

Old Chen nodded and said, "I'll have Xiao Liu ask him about it. That's a good idea. Your idea is also right. When you want to do something, you should first think about what benefits it can bring to others. Don't just think about yourself. Only when everyone benefits can things go well and last."

(End of this chapter)