One day.
Another day.
One month passed in the blink of an eye.
This morning, in a simple hostel in Qingshui Village, Dong Xuebing got off his bed and went out to get a pot of warm water. After brushing his teeth and tidying himself up, he grabbed his bag and went downstairs. He was about to leave the house.
A waitress from the hostel walked up to him.
"Ah, Mayor Dong."
"Oh, Xiao Huang. You are up early."
"You are already up? Why didn't you call me? I still have water for you. "
"Haha, I did not manage to go back last night. I don't want to trouble you all."
"How is this troublesome? It's not troublesome. Village Head Yao had instructed me to prepare breakfast for you. I … I am afraid you are still sleeping, and I dare not wake you up."
"Thank you. I am not eating."
"No, or the leaders will scold me."
"If they scold you, just call me. I will scold them. Haha …"
"You are so tired from work, and you must have breakfast. I will go and get it and will be back in two minutes."
"Alright. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
Xiao Huang quickly ran off to get breakfast, and after a while, Dong Xuebing returned with breakfast and boarded his car. After closing the door, he stuffed a warm bun into his mouth and stepped on the accelerator as he drove towards the CAS Research Base.
9 am.
At the foot of Qingshan Mountain.
This area had been cordoned off, and fences had been set up. Construction materials and some cranes were piled up in the area. The construction had started many days ago.
Yao Cui, the Village leaders, and the CAS Research Base were all there.
Dong Xuebing alighted and greeted them. "You are all here?"
The Village's Party Secretary quickly walks over. "Mayor Dong, we are waiting for your instructions."
Dong Xuebing smiled and waved his hand. "I will listen to the CAS Research Base's instructions."
One of the people in charge of the CAS Research Base replied. "Mayor Dong, you are too polite. We are only in charge of the technical issues, and your local government will be in charge of the rest." After a pause, he said, "Before coming here, Academician Zhong has already told us to respect the local government's opinion when there is a difference of opinion. Haha, the planning is almost done, we just need to cooperate now."
Dong Xuebing smiled. "You all are too polite. We don't know anything about advanced technology, and it will be a mess if you all listen to us. You all will still be in charge. If you all need to build a soundproof layer or special materials for the walls, just let the team know and get them to implement it. This is an important project, and we cannot make any mistakes. If there are any problems during the implementation, you all can look for me. I will hold them accountable."
Both sides exchanged a few polite words.
The local government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences had a tacit understanding for this collaboration.
After the exchange, a military truck carrying special materials drove over. There are soldiers escorting the materials. Although they are not armed, the soldiers in military uniforms gave the people at the scene a lot of pressure. The person in charge of the Chinese Academy of Sciences saw Dong Xuebing and quickly went over to check the materials. After that, he brought a few staff from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to inspect the materials. After confirming there are no problems, the soldiers unloaded the truck.
Most of the materials or important equipment are confidential. Even Dong Xuebing, as the team leader, does not have access to them. He is not that curious and walked over to the other side to inspect the construction progress. He noticed the construction progress is different from normal buildings. For example, the foundation is much deeper than the hostel's foundation. There are a few layers of white and pink fillers in the foundation, and Dong Xuebing is not sure if they are anti-radiation materials.
"Village Head Yao."
"Mayor Dong?"
"Haha … come over for a while."
"I had been supervising this place for a month, and the planning is set. There should not be any problems in the future, and we just need to start the construction. Oh, I still have many things to do in the County, and I can't be here every day. So, you will be the one in charge of this project. You will be closer to the construction site, and you will have to report to the special task force or the County Government if there are any problems. Also, let the Chinese Academy of Sciences decide on the materials and construction methods themselves. We don't need to ask or know anything about it. You all must also do your best to keep it a secret. The surrounding area has been cordoned off to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering."
Yao Cui is like a secretary and took out a notebook to write down everything. "Ok. I understand."
Today, she was wearing a very formal lady's suit. The color was also relatively dark, and she looked very calm. She was becoming more and more like a deputy village head.
Dong Xuebing is also happy for her.
Ring … ring … ring … Dong Xuebing's phone rang.
Dong Xuebing took out his phone and saw it was his father-in-law, Xie Guobang. His face turned serious and nervous. He walked away from the crowd and answered the call.
"Hello, Dad." Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva.
Dong Xuebing's father-in-law's voice is still stiff. "Is it convenient to speak?"
Dong Xuebing looks around. "Yes. Go ahead."
Xie Guobang nodded. "How's the work on hand?"
Dong Xuebing replied. "Everything is going well. The investment project, the dormitory project, and the research base project are all on track."
Xie Guobang said, "Okay, then you should prepare for the handover. Sort out the things at hand and pack your luggage."
"Huh? You are saying …"
"You had been training at the grassroots level for five months, and it's time to come back."
Although Dong Xuebing had gotten Han Jing's promise, he is still excited when he heard Xie Guobang. "Thank you, Dad."
"You don't need to thank me. You deserve it. You had only been in office for a few months, and you managed to turn the County around. You almost got rid of the label of a poor county. If I don't promote you, who else can I promote?" Xie Guobang praised Dong Xuebing and laughed. "Also, if I don't transfer you back, my eardrums will burst because of Xie Huilan's mother." He paused for a while and continued. "Pack your luggage and prepare to come back. Everyone at home misses you."
"Yes."
Dong Xuebing felt warm in his heart. His in-laws are really nice to him, and he felt the warmth of a family again. Who says a marriage with an unequal status will cause problems after marriage? Most of the time, one has to find the problem from himself. Also, the higher the status of a family, the more tolerant and reasonable they will be.
After hanging up, Dong Xuebing did not continue his inspection. He greeted the Village Government Leaders and the CAS staff before returning to his car.
Yao Cui followed Dong Xuebing to send him off.
Dong Xuebing looked at Yao Cui and whispered. "Take care of yourself in the future. If you need anything, look for Mayor Jiang. Call me if you can't do it."
Yao Cui was stunned. "Xuebing, what do you mean?" She asked. "You are going to be promoted? So suddenly? Where are you going? "
Dong Xuebing replied. "Beijing."
With a smile, Yao Cui replied, "Congratulations on your return."
"Alright. I am the one who misses this place, especially you, my old classmate. Haha." Dong Xuebing joked.
Yao Cui laughed. "Stop making fun of me. You are still reluctant to leave? You think I don't know you? You think I don't know you? Tell me, when are you having your farewell dinner? "
"Farewell dinner … why does it sound so bad?"
"If you want it to sound nice, just call it a farewell dinner."
"Haha … it should be within these few days. I will contact everyone then."
"Alright. I will wait. Sigh … I am so happy for you."
… …
Before noon.
The Unit.
Dong Xuebing returned to the County Party Committee Compound.
The moment he alighted from his car, many government officials and staff went up to him.
"Mayor Dong."
"Congratulations."
"I heard you are going to be promoted? Congratulations. "
The higher-ups should have notified them about this, and everyone should know about it. This kind of news cannot be kept under wraps. All they need to do was to go through the City Government's procedures, and the higher-ups will know about it. Also, Dong Xuebing's achievements in Zhen Shui County were known to all. Although everyone was surprised by his promotion, they were not too surprised. With all these achievements, it was enough for Mayor Dong to make an exception and promote him.
Dong Xuebing replied calmly. "It is not decided yet. I am not sure about the details. But thank you, everyone."
… …
Upstairs.
Dong Xuebing went to the Mayor's office. Jiang Fangfang was brewing tea. The tea was from the Da Hong Pao tea Dong Xuebing had given her.
"Sister Jiang." Dong Xuebing sat down.
Jiang Fangfang smiled and pushed a teacup to Dong Xuebing. "Are you leaving?"
Dong Xuebing took the teacup and finished it in one gulp. "I might be going back to Beijing."
"Have you decided on the unit?" Jiang Fangfang asked.
Dong Xuebing shook his head. "I don't know yet. It should be an empty position."
Jiang Fangfang took a sip of her tea and looked at Dong Xuebing. "I thought you will be staying here for at least 1 to 2 years. I didn't expect you to be here for less than 6 months."
"I'm sorry."
"What's there to be sorry about?"
"I might not be able to visit your mother often."
"It's fine. Just come back and visit her when you are free." Jiang Fangfang said. "Zhen Shui County will always be your home. The people here will always remember your kindness."
"You are too kind. I just can't bear to leave you." "If it's not because my wife is about to give birth and I need to go back to take care of her, I would really like to stay here and help the people. Anyway … Sigh … if you need my help in the future, just give me a call. Although Beijing is far away, I don't want to lose contact with you. The flight will only take a few hours, and I will come back when I am free."
Jiang Fangfang smiled. "Ok."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
