Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 367 Job Assignments

"Who are you?" Director Wang asked with a slight frown, looking over in confusion. The person sitting in front of the desk turned his head to look at him.

Xiao Wei said, "Hello, Director Wang, we're from Director Chen of the Northeast Electric Power Bureau. We're sorry to bother you." Director Wang's brows relaxed, and he said "Oh~" as he stood up from behind his desk, gesturing with his hand and saying, "Sit, sit." He then came out.

Xiao Wei and Uncle Wang stood by the sofa for a moment. Director Wang walked over quickly and said, "Sit down. Xiao Liu, make two cups of tea." The person sitting at the desk agreed and went out. Director Wang sat down on the sofa, and Xiao Wei and Uncle Wang followed suit.

Director Wang said to Uncle Wang, "Is that the Xiao Wang from the Beixi County Agricultural Machinery Station?" Uncle Wang nodded, opened his briefcase, took out his documents, and handed them over, saying, "That's me. Thank you for your trouble, Director Wang."

Director Wang took the documents and smiled, saying, "It's nothing major, we're all family, no need to be so polite. Do you have any thoughts on the work arrangements?" He then flipped through the documents. Uncle Wang said, "No, I'm already very grateful that you could come. The main thing is that my daughter and son-in-law are here, and I only have one child, so I want the family to be closer. As for the work, Director Wang, you can arrange it as you see fit; I can do anything."

Director Wang nodded as he looked at the documents, then looked up and asked, "A veteran? Or a cadre who was transferred to civilian work and received commendations? He's a good comrade." Without waiting for Uncle Wang's reply, Director Wang nodded to himself and continued reading: "He's been the head of the agricultural machinery station for eleven years? It seems your county's cadre appointment system isn't very standardized."

Xiao Liu brought in tea and placed it in front of Xiao Wei and Uncle Wang. Director Wang put the documents on the coffee table, tapped the table lightly with his fingers, thought for a while, and said, "Just stay in the department. Originally, I was thinking of sending you to the urban construction department, but I didn't know much about your situation then. Let you stay in the department. I happen to have a few vacancies in the General Affairs Department. Go to the General Affairs Department and start as a deputy director."

Uncle Wang hesitated for a moment and said, "Can it be done? Director Wang, isn't this... too much trouble?"

Director Wang waved his hand and said, "It's alright. Logically speaking, with your resume, you should have been promoted to section chief long ago, or even deputy director wouldn't be an exaggeration. However, things are hard to say about what will happen next. Since you've already come here, you can't continue to suffer. Let's do it this way. Xiao Liu, take Director Wang to complete the formalities, and then send a document to his original unit to send someone down to handle the paperwork. We need to get this done quickly."

Xiao Liu agreed and said with a smile to Uncle Wang, "Director Wang, I'm Xiao Liu. Let's go, I'll take you there."

Director Wang said to Uncle Wang, "This is Xiao Liu from the office, you can just call him Xiao Liu." An office staff member in the department is at least a section chief, which is a whole level higher than Uncle Wang's current rank. If it were the office director or deputy director, that would be at the division level, but clearly Xiao Liu isn't, otherwise he would have been addressed as Director Liu.

Uncle Wang nodded, thanked Director Wang, and took his leave. Xiao Wei also smiled and gave Director Wang a half bow. The two of them followed Xiao Liu out of the director's office and downstairs to the general affairs department on the second floor.

In lower-level units, deputy directors generally don't have separate offices; they share a desk with staff members. However, in provincial departments, deputy directors do have separate offices because they have more responsibilities and a different scope of power. Don't underestimate a deputy director; even mayors and bureau chiefs from lower-level cities have to treat them with a smile.

Xiao Liu first took Uncle Wang to see the director of the General Affairs Department, a robust man in his forties, very tall, with a sharply shaved chin. The director's surname was Gao. He shook hands with Uncle Wang and personally accompanied him into Uncle Wang's new office, which was right next to Director Gao's—the first-ranking deputy director. This was no joke; despite the lower rank, even deputy directors in provincial departments or higher-level central government departments have ranks.

Xiao Liu introduced Uncle Wang to Director Gao, and then together they took Uncle Wang to the office and left with Uncle Wang's documents. Don't be fooled by how simple Director Wang's words sound; there's a lot to get done. Inter-city transfers at this level are rare, and there's usually a several-month waiting period before taking office. This is because the procedures take a long time to process, involving organizational relationships, grain rations, household registration, and housing. Dozens of official seals are needed.

Xiao Liu took the documents and left. Director Gao stayed behind and talked with Uncle Wang for a while, just to get to know each other. After all, they would be working together in the future. To be honest, the head of the department is most annoyed by the sudden absence of a deputy. They are not familiar with each other, and it is a headache to know how to maintain a proper relationship.

After exchanging a few words, Xiao Wei took out his business card and handed it to Director Gao, saying, "Uncle Gao, this is my business card. From now on, my father-in-law will be one of your men. We should get to know each other better. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. Director Wang has some plans for today and tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, Uncle Gao, could you please put aside your other things and let's get together at my shop?"

Xiao Wei's business card is from Anji Century-Old Restaurant. Chen Hui printed it for him, and it's finally coming in handy.

Director Gao smiled, took the business card, glanced at it, and then looked up at Xiao Wei, asking, "You own this restaurant?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "It was a joint effort by a few buddies. Uncle Gao went there, didn't he?"

Director Gao shook his head and said, "I can't afford to go here. I just happened to know that Wangting went on the opening day, and I've also heard about it from friends. Okay, if it's another place, I'll be polite. I'll definitely go here. The day after tomorrow, right? Can I bring my family?" He joked, half-jokingly and half-heartedly.

The three of them laughed together, instantly bridging the gap, and casually exchanged contact information. In the Chinese bureaucracy, doing things starts with being a good person, and being a good person starts with making friends. Without personal connections, it's very difficult to get things done. You have to make friends with superiors and subordinates alike; you can't neglect any of them.

"How's business there? I've passed by a few times, it looks beautiful. Who designed it?" Director Gao casually asked Xiao Wei. Xiao Wei replied, "It's alright, it's just the beginning, we'll take it slow. Come visit sometime, it's your own business, don't be shy." He then took out a card and handed it over, saying, "This is a membership card, use it when you pay at the store, it's just a token."

Xiao Wei said, "A 30% discount is not feasible since the store isn't mine. If it were any lower, no one would be willing to do it, as the store's costs are relatively high."

Director Gao nodded, thus ending the topic. He turned to Uncle Wang and said, "Since you've just arrived, let's familiarize yourselves with things first. We won't assign you any specific tasks for now. Just get familiar with all the work, the people, and the processes. We'll discuss the division of labor later, okay?"

Uncle Wang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll follow your instructions. You just need to give the orders."

Director Gao stood up and said, "Okay, I'll head over now. I have some things to take care of. When can you officially start work? You'll have to go back home, right? Moving and stuff will take some time."

(End of this chapter)