Chapter 3: Choosing the Path with Opportunity!
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Zhou Chengwu walked into the hospital ward.
Elder Hong was playing Go with Tang Ye.
The two were locked in a fierce battle, neither willing to yield.
"Hurry up and make a move! My butt is starting to hurt from sitting so long," Elder Hong urged impatiently.
"What's the rush? Both in Go and in life, one must be steady. That's something you often say yourself," Tang Ye said, placing a white stone to block the path of the black stones.
"You dare to 'block' me?" Elder Hong's brows furrowed. "Watch me 'charge' you to death!"
He slammed a black stone into the empty intersection in the middle of his opponent's "gate" formation!
Tang Ye had already anticipated this.
He placed a white stone on the diagonal corner of a "sun" character shape on the right side of the board, cleverly "flying" out of encirclement.
For a moment, Elder Hong didn't know how to counter Tang Ye's move of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao."
He glanced up and saw someone in the room—it was a smiling Zhou Chengwu.
"Are you part cat? How did you come in without making a sound!"
"I saw that you two were in an intense match, so I didn't want to disturb you. Teacher, you've been through a lot," Zhou Chengwu said, feeling a great deal of emotion as he looked at Elder Hong's completely white hair.
Zhou Chengwu was the newly appointed Municipal Party Secretary of Hanzhou.
He was originally scheduled to report at the beginning of next month but had arrived in Hanzhou quietly ahead of time.
"I'm tough as nails. I won't be dying anytime soon," Elder Hong said, tossing the black stones back into their box and instructing Tang Ye, "Make a cup of tea."
Tang Ye put down his Go stone, got up to brew the tea, and respectfully handed the cup to Zhou Chengwu.
"Secretary Zhou, hello!"
"You must be Tang Ye," Zhou Chengwu said, nodding at him.
Zhou Chengwu had heard about Tang Ye's heroic act of saving someone from a fire and was quite impressed.
Zhou Chengwu had once been Elder Hong's secretary.
Elder Hong had been a strict supervisor, and his influence on Zhou Chengwu's career had been significant.
Although Elder Hong had retired at the deputy-department level, he was an old revolutionary with considerable influence in the Huainan political circle.
If Zhou Chengwu wanted to achieve results in his position as Municipal Party Secretary, he could not do so without Elder Hong's support.
Seeing that Elder Hong was in good spirits, Zhou Chengwu was secretly relieved.
"They've found the cause of the fire. It was caused by aging electrical wiring in the kitchen. I suggested to you last time that you could move to the Municipal Party Committee's residential compound. I had a house arranged for you long ago. The environment in the compound is good, and the supporting services are comprehensive."
Elder Hong showed a helpless expression.
"The house burned down. If I don't move, what else can I do?"
Zhou Chengwu smiled.
"Then shall I arrange it for you now?"
"We'll talk about it after I'm discharged from the hospital," Elder Hong said, his attention back on the Go board.
He waved his hand.
"You're a busy man, why don't you go ahead. The game is at a critical point. If I can play these next few moves well, I'm guaranteed to win."
Tang Ye smiled and said, "Bring it on, fair and square. It's not certain who will win or lose!"
"Don't worry, Little Tang, I'll be the referee!"
Zhou Chengwu finished his cup of tea before leaving the ward.
Several days later, accompanied by the Deputy Director of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department, Hanzhou's Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Chengwu arrived at the Hanzhou Municipal Party Committee and held a brief but efficient inauguration ceremony.
After the meeting, Yang Yuan handed the secretary résumés he had prepared long ago to Zhou Chengwu for his selection.
Zhou Chengwu quickly flipped through them and then set them aside.
"I heard that a young man from the Municipal Party Committee Office named Tang recently saved Secretary Hong? Bring me his résumé to look at."
Yang Yuan reacted quickly and said with a smile, "Tang Ye's position is with the Municipal Party Committee Office. I'll go to the archives to get his file right away."
When Yang Yuan brought Tang Ye's résumé, Zhou Chengwu selected two other résumés from the pile and placed them together with Tang Ye's.
"These three it is!"
Yang Yuan had intentionally placed Shao Jinbo's résumé at the very top, but unexpectedly, it was directly excluded.
"Comrade Shao Jinbo is actually quite good, he's serious and responsible in his work, and he's familiar with the office procedures of the Municipal Committee..."
The position of secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary was a coveted one, and the final decision rested in the hands of the Secretary himself.
Zhou Chengwu didn't let Yang Yuan continue.
"Send out the notice!"
Shao Jinbo found Yang Yuan, his face wearing an obsequious look.
"Director Yang, Secretary Zhou is interviewing for his secretary this afternoon. How come I didn't receive a notice?"
Yang Yuan closed the door.
"Little Shao, I submitted your résumé, but it was rejected by Secretary Zhou."
Shao Jinbo's mouth fell open.
He said, dejectedly, "You promised me..."
Yang Yuan patted Shao Jinbo's shoulder and encouraged him with a smile, "I've already done my best. Young people shouldn't be in a hurry. There are many opportunities. If you don't seize this one, then wait for the next. Don't be discouraged."
Although Shao Jinbo had a master's degree, he had only worked for a year and his rank had not yet advanced, so he was not at an advantage in the competition for the Municipal Secretary's position.
It was only because Zhou Chengwu had expressed his intention to boldly select new talent that he had submitted Shao Jinbo's résumé.
Yang Yuan thought for a moment and decided not to tell Shao Jinbo that the new secretary had given Tang Ye an interview opportunity.
In the afternoon, Tang Ye was the last to enter the office.
Behind the seat, in the center, hung a traditional Chinese painting with a profound artistic conception.
The inscription read: "How swiftly the light boat departs, already it has reached the realm of clouds and forests."
Tang Ye mused to himself that the painter's inspiration came from Li Bai's Traveling into Qingxi Mountain.
Seeing Tang Ye again, Zhou Chengwu had a different feeling.
Tang Ye's features were sharp and well-defined, his frame was tall, and he had thick eyebrows and star-like eyes.
A secretary was the face of their leader, so appearance was very important.
The only flaw was a fresh, unhealed scar near the corner of Tang Ye's eye, a mark left from when he rescued Elder Hong.
"Little Tang, you now have two choices. First, to serve as my full-time secretary. Second, to follow the previous arrangement from the Secretariat and go to a township for a temporary post to gain experience. Tell me your thoughts."
"I choose to go to the township," Tang Ye said with unusual firmness.
"Oh? And the reason?" Zhou Chengwu asked with a half-smile.
Tang Ye sat up straight.
"Being your secretary is too tempting.
"The fact that you've given me this option is a recognition of my abilities, but I should treat it with a level head and encourage myself to continue working hard.
"Do not fail to do good, no matter how small it may seem. By going to Pinghu Town, I can temper myself at the grassroots level.
"Besides, now with your support, I can act with more freedom and confidence."
Zhou Chengwu gave a meaningful smile and asked again, "If you go to Pinghu for a temporary post, what do you plan to do?"
Tang Ye scratched his head and smiled.
"Actions speak louder than words. I have quite a few ideas, but I'm afraid if I say too much, you'll think I'm just boasting."
Zhou Chengwu encouraged him, "Well, that will depend on whether what you say has any feasibility!"
Tang Ye's smile faded as he began to speak eloquently:
"Previously, Pinghu Town had several clothing factories, mainly producing men's suits and shirts. The variety was too limited, and they were primarily export-oriented. The purchasing power of women in the domestic market is on the rise. In all major department stores, the sales area for women's clothing is the largest, and many stores even subdivide women's wear into professional attire, young women's fashion, elegant ladies' wear, and special sections for middle-aged and elderly women. The clothing factories in Pinghu Town should follow this trend and transition to making women's clothing."
"Making women's clothing..." Zhou Chengwu touched his nose, lost in thought. "A good line of thinking! Anything else?"
Tang Ye continued, "Secretary Hong often says that the crayfish and hairy crabs produced in Pinghu are exceptionally delicious. Pinghu Town has abundant water resources and can develop its aquaculture industry. Fish, shrimp, and crabs can all be branded with the 'Pinghu' label. So that when people think of hairy crabs, they think of Pinghu hairy crabs. When they think of crayfish, they think of Pinghu crayfish."
Zhou Chengwu's taste buds were forcibly awakened.
He smiled in approval.
"Pinghu's lake delicacies are indeed exceptional! You've covered 'clothing' and 'food,' what about 'housing' and 'transportation'?"
Tang Ye clearly sensed the goodwill being released by Zhou Chengwu and slightly quickened his pace of speech.
"As for 'housing,' living along the lake, Pinghu has excellent natural scenery and has the foundation to build lakeside resorts;
"As for 'transportation,' we have to praise Pinghu Town's geographical advantage. It is the hub of the Qiongjin, Runjiang, and Hanzhou city cluster. In the future, transportation will be very convenient, and it will be the center for the warehousing and logistics bases of the three cities. In the long run, Pinghu Town is definitely a treasure basin."
Tang Ye appeared relaxed, but inwardly he was extremely nervous.
A conversation with the Municipal Party Secretary was fraught with both danger and opportunity, like crossing a single-plank bridge.
If he made it across, the path ahead would be wide and smooth.
If he fell, he would fade into obscurity.
Every single word had to be weighed carefully.
At this moment, Zhou Chengwu suddenly fell into deep thought.
His transfer from the Provincial Development and Reform Commission to Hanzhou was primarily to promote and implement the integrated development of the Qiongjin, Hanzhou, and Runjiang city cluster.
The strategic significance of Pinghu Town was still in a confidential stage at present.
"You seem to know a lot about the Qiongjin metropolitan area! Many of your points are the same as those of Dean Jiang from Qiongjin University's School of Government."
"Dean Jiang was my master's thesis advisor! My master's thesis was related to the Qiongjin metropolitan area."
Zhou Chengwu clasped his hands together, resting them against his chin.
Tang Ye's arguments had detail, strategic vision, and were highly feasible.
Furthermore, he appreciated the sense of ease Tang Ye displayed while speaking.
"Alright, I understand your thoughts. Go back and wait for news."
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