When he returned to his office, Li Rui called Ma Yuming and asked him to call the Bureau of Land and Resources to find out if the land at the old machinery factory had really been sold to Hu Zhixin.
Since Chen Kui had acted shamelessly twice, Li Rui no longer believed his words. He had to confirm it himself. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a big deal to be cheated by him, but it wouldn't be fun to be ridiculed by him and become a laughingstock if word got out.
When Ma Yuming heard this, he called Chen Kui from his office. After he asked, he reported back, "No, it's still on sale. No one bought it!"
When Li Rui heard this, he was shocked and angry. He knew that Chen Kui had indeed cheated him. He was so angry that his face showed his anger. He couldn't wait to go to the County Magistrate's office and confront Chen Kui. However, he also knew that doing so would only cause a rift between him and Chen Kui. Moreover, Chen Kui could find a random excuse to explain it away. For example, "Hu Zhixin has already bought the land, but the procedure hasn't been completed yet." That would make him speechless. In the end, he would only be asking for a rebuff.
He tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart. He slowly calmed down and thought about it carefully. He felt that Chen Kui didn't have to cheat him on this matter. If Hu Zhixin hadn't bought the land, Chen Kui wouldn't have suffered any losses. He also didn't have a reason to stop Ji Chengsheng from buying the land. Since that was the case, he really did sell the land to Hu Zhixin. Thinking of this, he suddenly had an idea. Since the land had been sold to Hu Zhixin, then the county should have a land transfer fee of up to ten million yuan. Wouldn't he have the money to pay back Ji Chengsheng?
"I have to go find Chen Kui right away and settle the money first!"
Li Rui was very happy. He was about to go see Chen Kui again, but he quickly stopped. He suddenly remembered that Chen Kui didn't mention the purpose of the land transfer fee. At least, he didn't mention that it could be used to pay back Ji Chengsheng. Did that mean that the county had other uses for the land transfer fee, or that it couldn't be paid back to Ji Chengsheng? Thinking of this, he had a headache and was angry. Why did he have to deal with this kind of thing all day? He was angry that he, a dignified deputy county magistrate, didn't even have the ability to collect the money owed by an investor.
After work in the evening, Li took his official car and returned to the city to spend the weekend at home. As for Zixuan, she rushed back to the provincial capital in the afternoon. She planned to come to Shuanghe to accompany him next week when she had time.
When he was about to arrive at the North Third Ring Road, Li Rui called his boss, Song Chaoyang's new secretary, Jiang Bingkun, to ask him about Song Chaoyang's location and status.
Jiang Bingkun had just been transferred from the Municipal People's Congress to the Municipal Party Committee's First Secretary Department last year. He was only 26 years old, but he was mature and mature. Although he wasn't as wise and cautious as Li Rui, he wasn't stupid. He was down-to-earth and low-key, which made him a good secretary material. Speaking of which, it was Li Rui who recommended Jiang Bingkun to be Song Chaoyang's secretary.
Before Li Rui was transferred to the grassroots, Song Chaoyang asked him to recommend a new secretary who could take over his job. This was equivalent to giving him the power to choose a new secretary. This was a silent expression of trust in him, and at the same time, it was a favor that was destined to be repaid by the new secretary. This was because no matter who he recommended to be the new secretary, it meant that the new secretary was indebted to him for his promotion. The new secretary would definitely remember this favor for a long time.
As for Li Rui, he also needed this kind of favor. This was because in the remaining time that Song Chaoyang was in charge, he still needed to have frequent contact with Song Chaoyang. For example, he needed to report on his work and ask for advice. He needed to trouble the new secretary to pass on his message. Therefore, this favor that he created in advance was very important.
Li Rui spent a few days choosing three suitable candidates from the First Secretary Department, the First General Department, and the Political Research Office. He then talked to the three candidates and their leaders to understand their personalities and career plans. After being busy for a few days, he finally decided on Jiang Bingkun. After bringing Jiang Bingkun to Song Chaoyang, Song Chaoyang was very satisfied with him and appointed him as the new secretary.
Jiang Bingkun went from an ordinary staff member in the First Secretary Department to the newly appointed First Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. He was a popular person in the city's officialdom. It could be said that he had transformed from a sparrow into a phoenix and soared into the sky! Jiang Bingkun was very grateful to Li Rui because of this. However, he was introverted and shy. Or rather, he was not good with words. He was too embarrassed to express his gratitude in person. He only remembered this favor in his heart. From then on, he paid special attention to Li Rui's matters. As long as it was related to Li Rui, he would complete it immediately. Li Rui was also very satisfied with him.
Speaking of which, with Li Rui and Song Chaoyang's deep relationship, if Li Rui wanted to meet Song Chaoyang, he did not need to go through Jiang Bingkun's place. He could directly contact Song Chaoyang. However, if Li Rui really wanted to do so, it was equivalent to bypassing Jiang Bingkun. Even if Jiang Bingkun did not say anything, he would more or less feel uncomfortable in his heart. Li Rui took this into consideration. Therefore, even if he could directly contact Song Chaoyang, he still went through Jiang Bingkun's place in a circle every time as a form of respect for Jiang Bingkun. To put it in a joke, "Let Jiang Bingkun satisfy the vanity of the Municipal Party Committee's First Secretary from time to time."
Jiang Bingkun received a call from Li Rui, his senior from the same sect. They had not contacted each other for a long time. Naturally, he warmly greeted him. When he heard that he was back for the weekend, he invited him for a meal. Of course, Li Rui knew that he was just being polite. Although it could be taken seriously, it was best not to take it seriously. Therefore, he tactfully declined.
After the greetings, Jiang Bingkun answered Li Rui's question. Song Chaoyang had just returned home after dinner and was reading the newspaper in the study room. Li Rui saw that Song Chaoyang was free, so he asked Jiang Bingkun to inform him that he was going to visit his boss. Jiang Bingkun agreed and went to inform him.
"Visit" was not an overstatement because Song Chaoyang had changed a lot in the past few years. Four years ago, when he came to Qingyang to take up the post of Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, he was still a young and vigorous man. Now, he was almost an old man. What caused him to age was not only the passing of time, busy official business, and treacherous people's hearts, but also the early death of his beloved wife. After his wife, Sun Shuqin, was diagnosed with cancer, she did not survive. Although the breast cancer surgery was very successful and the chemotherapy was very effective, the cancer cells began to spread the next year. First, it metastasized to the lymph nodes, then to the organs. After fighting the disease for more than four months, she left this splendid world with great regret and reluctance to leave her husband and daughter.
Sun Shuqin's death was a very heavy blow to Song Chaoyang. For a year, he was immersed in great grief and reminiscence. After he finally got through this difficult period, his hair had turned gray. Now, the hair on both sides of his head had turned gray. He had to dye his hair to maintain the dignity and appearance of the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. His figure had also become much thinner, and he walked with a slight stoop. No one dared to believe that this person was the Song Chaoyang from four years ago. But it was undeniable that he was the Song Chaoyang of the past, only that he had experienced unknown pain.
On the way, they passed by a fruit supermarket. Li Rui asked the driver to stop and went down to buy a big fruit basket. He did not buy any other gifts and just carried the basket to the Municipal Party Committee's Family Compound.
"Look at you, just come. Why did you buy anything?"
Seeing Li Rui, Song Chaoyang was very happy. His old face was full of smiles. He treated Li Rui like a senior and a brother. The two of them had a very deep relationship. If it were not for the sake of Li Rui's future, he would not be willing to let him go to the grassroots. Now that he saw him back, even if it had only been a short time, he was still very happy. But he still complained. It was true. Did the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee lack fruit at home?
After sitting down, Li Rui carefully looked at the boss's face and spirit. He sighed in his heart. He did not want to talk about things that would make Song Chaoyang sad or reminisce. Instead, he talked about happy things. "My Sister Liang did not come over these few days?"
The Sister Liang he was talking about was the former class belle, Liang Jiehong, who was brought to Qingyang City by Zhu Haiying to reunite with Song Chaoyang. At that time, Zhu Haiying intended to matchmake Liang Jiehong and Song Chaoyang to develop an underground relationship. Regardless of Zhu Haiying's intentions, she created an opportunity for the two of them. Song Chaoyang did not waste this precious opportunity and pursued Liang Jiehong with his prominent status. Liang Jiehong's marriage was on the verge of collapse, and she was not satisfied with her family life. Under Song Chaoyang's painstaking pursuit, she slowly opened her heart to him. However, Song Chaoyang only liked her spiritually. It could be said that he could not bear to blaspheme the goddess in his heart. Therefore, after being in love with her for many years, the two of them only had a deep friendship in spirit.
After Sun Shuqin's death, Song Chaoyang suffered a great blow. In the first half of the year, his spirit was almost unable to recover from the setback. At that time, Liang Jiehong, who was divorced, did not leave him. She almost always lived in Qingyang City. When she was free, she would talk to him and console him. She was so virtuous and gentle that even Li Rui, an outsider, secretly gave her a thumbs up. After Song Chaoyang got through those painful years, Liang Jiehong would come to Qingyang City from the provincial capital from time to time. When he was free on weekends, she would either cook for him personally or accompany him to climb mountains and play the role of his lover. Song Chaoyang's mood became better day by day. He slowly recovered his image in life and work.
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