I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Next year, all farmers in the province will be required to contract out their land to individual households, raise chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs, and engage in sideline businesses.

Therefore, the Minister of Agriculture is of paramount importance.

"I trust Xia Lei, the director of the research institute, to handle things."

Zhou Zhonghai already had a candidate in mind. Xia Lei liked to chant scriptures and would ask for money whenever he saw him, but he was also a first-rate talent when it came to getting things done.

Only by placing him in the position of Minister of Agriculture can Zhou Zhonghai be free from worries about the future.

"Okay, I will report your idea to the central government. As for who to use in the end, we will need to investigate further."

"I want Xia Lei. Agriculture is different from industry and commerce; it has to be done by someone who loves agriculture."

"I understand. Only someone who truly cares about a few watermelons can do a good job as Minister of Agriculture," Meng Pingping said with a half-smile.

"You heard everything that day?"

"I'm not deaf. You're shouting so loudly, who wouldn't hear you?"

"Hehe, I'll change my temper, I'll change it..."

"I'm going back tomorrow. You'll have to wait for your transfer order, at the latest next month. Alright, I don't have any good food here, so I won't keep you for dinner." Meng Pingping urged Zhou Zhonghai to leave.

"By the way, Governor Feng said he wants to treat you to a simple meal. Comrades, you're always running around in the fields, you've worked so hard."

"No need. Once we eat, the report will be distorted. If we want to eat, we'll go eat ourselves. We have support staff with us the whole time."

Meng Pingping waved his hand, resolutely rejecting corruption; he was truly a good comrade of the Party.

In the governor's office, when Feng Shiguang saw Zhou Zhonghai return, he skipped lunch and quickly asked his secretary to get food for Zhou Zhonghai, specifically instructing that extra braised pork be served.

"No need, I'm not hungry." Zhou Zhonghai looked apprehensive.

"How can you not be hungry? Is the toilet unclogged?"

"Didn't stab."

"Hehe, thinking about it now, why would I ask the minister to clean the toilet? He's probably here to have a talk with you, right?"

"Hmm." "What did you talk about?"

"I will be appointed as the vice governor next month, in charge of the province's economy."

"Okay, that's something I already knew. Anything else?"

Xia Lei has been appointed Minister of Agriculture.

"Anything else?" Feng Shiguang looked at Zhou Zhonghai expectantly.

"There's more? There's more...?"

"Didn't you ask about my transfer?"

"I asked, and Committee Member Meng said, said, said... when I am qualified to be the governor, you can move up a rank."

The use of the formal "you" here is significant.

Governor Feng's face immediately fell, and he sullenly drank his water.

"Zhou Zhonghai, are we that close?"

After drinking half a glass of water, Feng Shiguang tried to ask calmly.

"Aren't you familiar with them?" Zhou Zhonghai asked, puzzled.

We see each other every day, how come we're still not familiar?

"We only met for the first time after you came to the Ministry of Agriculture this year, right?"

"No...that's right."

"We've only known each other for six months, so why is my career path being linked to yours? If you want to become the governor, a simple transfer order is all it takes. Why insist on limiting your qualifications?"

"Maybe it's because I'm not mature enough to be a governor. I need to learn from you," Zhou Zhonghai stammered.

"The higher-ups could have easily sent a new governor. Why insist on binding me to you? What's the meaning of this?"

"I don't know either." Zhou Zhonghai glanced at Feng Shiguang, who seemed very unhappy.

The secretary brought in the food: "Governor, the braised pork is delicious today, with lots of fatty meat, so I made two portions."

"roll……"

Wasn't this just a pleasant occasion?

A leader's face is like the weather in March—it can change in an instant.

"Governor Feng, I'm sorry, I don't know why the higher-ups set up this obstacle. Perhaps you could try to think about it from the other side?"

"How do we oppose it?"

Zhou Zhonghai cleared his throat and said, "Governor Feng, just think about it, if I, Zhou Zhonghai, hadn't come to the province, you might have served as governor until retirement. Because I came, you have hope... Thinking about it this way, maybe you won't be so sad."

Zhou Zhonghai looked at Feng Shiguang cautiously.

After a while, Feng Shiguang picked up his lunchbox and said, "Eat. The braised pork won't taste good when it's cold."

"You're not angry anymore?"

"You're right. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have had a single hope. Only if you came do I have hope. Just pretend you were never here."

"Hehe, Governor Feng, I will definitely study hard so that you can go to Beijing as soon as possible. Braised pork, you like it lean, so here's a lean piece."

"Hehe, Governor Feng, you have such a broad vision. I need to learn from you." Zhou Zhonghai rarely flattered anyone, but he naturally changed the formal "you" to "you" instead of "you, sir."

"Construction is just like revolution; as long as you put your heart into it and go all out, you can succeed no matter what position you are in."

"Governor Feng is right. Meng Pingping said that industrial and commercial reforms should learn from agricultural reforms and start with pilot projects. I've decided that Huailin City will be the pilot city. What's your opinion?"

It seemed like a discussion, but in reality, the decision had already been made.

"Look at you, always calling yourself Meng Pingping or Committee Member Meng, trying to be the same in public and in private. Who knows if the walls are listening?"

This... is hypocritical.

"You're not going to snitch on me, are you?"

"I bet you'll talk badly about me, Feng Shiguang, behind my back."

"Absolutely not, I have great respect for Governor Feng."

"You address a member of the Central Committee by his first name. How can you possibly respect me, the provincial governor?" Governor Feng said, somewhat angrily.

"We're discussing work, and you're getting into a fight. Take me for example, those county party secretaries, they must be cursing me every day, but as long as I don't hear it, I don't care."

"Hmph, you're quite magnanimous. Huai Lin it is then. You're the vice governor; you should make your own decision."

"Thank you for your support, Governor, but let me make this clear from the start: you still have to remit the money that the Ministry of Agriculture earns to the Ministry of Agriculture. I owe the research institute over 300,000 yuan."

"If Xia Lei becomes the Minister of Agriculture, wouldn't it be much easier for him to get credit? Next year, the entire province will be contracting out land to individual households. Where am I going to get so much money for you?"

"Governor Feng, you promised to give your full support if Tonggang County succeeded. Why are you going back on your word?"

"Of course I support it! How could I not support it? The Ministry of Finance only has so little money, how can I support it? If I give it all to you for industry, commerce, education, and healthcare, what will you do with those? The whole province is counting on me, I can't be too biased, can I?"

"you……"

"The industry and commerce of Huailin can be reformed, and the province will also provide some economic support, but you will mainly have to rely on yourselves," Governor Feng said earnestly.

Holy crap? Holy crap... I didn't know being a vice governor was harder than being a minister.

Zhou Zhonghai was upset and didn't want to eat.

"Isn't there a machinery factory in Huailin? The tax revenue comes from the central government. Go find Commissioner Pu and ask him to allocate some to the local area."

"Will it work? The central government is short of money too." Meng Pingping was still hoping to get some money from local governments.

"Well, it's not like you haven't done things like robbing Peter to pay Paul before."

"That makes sense. Construction can't be done in a few words; it requires funding. I'll call Tang Ping tonight. Governor Feng, you're really something."

"Besides the machinery factory, there's also a chemical plant, a fertilizer plant, and a garment factory. Let Fu Sanjun go beg for money, every little bit counts. As for a good cause, I've already thought of one for you: road construction. Only with well-constructed roads can industry develop better."

"Got it, Governor Feng, you're really something."

"Do you think I've wasted all these years in officialdom?"

"It seems I'm still a long way from being competent as a provincial governor."

"Don't make it too long, hurry up and get it done. If you keep dragging your feet, I'm going to retire."

Feng Shiguang looked at Zhou Zhonghai with displeasure. Zhou Zhonghai chuckled, his smile somewhat sinister.