Power and Wealth
Chapter 1426 – One-to-one talks
Morning.
Next day.
Wednesday.
8 am.
Under the clear and azure sky, Dong Xuebing strolled towards the Investment Promotion Bureau. He had given the car to Chang Juan yesterday, and he also wanted to exercise and walk.
On the way, his phone rang, and it was Yao Cui calling.
“Hello, Xuebing.”
“Cui’er, what’s up?”
“I just want to tell you I’ve found the person for you.”
“Is that person reliable, and what about their capabilities?”
“Reliable. You should know her. She’s Xiao Hong, my former colleague at the County government.”
“The one with a good relationship with you is fine if she’s reliable.”
“Exactly because I trust her. I didn’t look for anyone else. As for her abilities, I can’t say for sure.”
“I’ve arrived at the office. Okay, I think I see her. If there’s anything, contact me later. I’m not on the county government side. If you can’t decide, call me or go directly to Mayor Jiang. I’ll probably be working at the Investment Promotion Bureau office for the next month. If it’s not urgent, handle it yourself.”
“Alright, I understand.”
“Okay, take care of yourself.”
“Hehe, that should be my line.”
“I still haven’t secured the 50 million RMB, so I can’t rest for now.”
After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing had already entered the joint office courtyard of these three departments. He saw a female clerk he met in the county government office.
“Mayor Dong.” Xiao Hong had seen him early and didn’t go upstairs.
“Are you Xiao Hong?” Dong Xuebing smiled and said, “Welcome to the Investment Promotion Bureau.”
Xiao Hong hurriedly wiped her hands on her clothes and shook hands with him. “Thank you, Mayor Dong. I will work hard to live up to the leadership’s expectations.”
Her statement was a bit weak and not very assertive.
Dong Xuebing noticed that Xiao Hong’s spirit wasn’t that high. It wasn’t surprising. Even if the county government office was excellent in terms of departmental functions or working environment, it was much better than the Investment Promotion Bureau. Xiao Hong was assigned here directly by Yao Cui. She was probably unwilling, but Dong Xuebing couldn’t say anything. He could only slowly create a working atmosphere and lead everyone step by step.
Suddenly, a domestically produced car drove in.
A middle-aged driver got out, looking somewhat honest. He looked at Dong Xuebing as soon as he got out of the car. “You must be Mayor Dong.”
Dong Xuebing looked at him. “Yes, who are you?”
The man immediately said, “I’m Old Wei, the driver. I came to report to you.”
“Oh, it’s Brother Wei.” Dong Xuebing shook hands with him with a smile. “I’ll trouble you in the future.”
Old Wei smiled, “No problem. If the Investment Promotion Bureau needs a car, just call me, and I’ll be there within five minutes. The carpool is not far from here.”
Dong Xuebing said, “Okay when the new car arrives, I’ll have someone contact you.”
“New car?” Old Wei blinked, “What car?”
“A Passat.” Dong Xuebing said.
“Oh.” Old Wei rubbed his hands excitedly, “That’s great.”
“So, we will need the car a lot in the near future. You don’t need to report to the driver’s team when the time comes. You can work at the Investment Promotion Bureau during working hours. As for other times, you can take the car and go wherever you want. I won’t bother about it.” Dong Xuebing was known for protecting his subordinates. He wouldn’t interfere much if they did their job well. He delegated authority liberally.
Old Wei grinned but didn’t say anything.
Dong Xuebing looked at Old Wei and Xiao Hong. “Xiao Hong, let’s go upstairs. Old Wei, don’t rush to leave. Let’s all get to know each other first.”
Upstairs.
The office area of the Investment Promotion Bureau.
When Dong Xuebing and the others came up, most of the people in the Investment Promotion Bureau had already arrived. Gong Na was typing furiously at the front desk, Cheng Yujie was on the phone, and Chen Yunsong was talking to Director Zheng Dayou. Seeing Dong Xuebing coming with two people, they all looked over. Zheng Dayou probably already knew about it, but the other clerks seemed slightly surprised.
“Mayor Dong.”
“Mayor Dong.”
“Good morning, everyone.”
Everyone greeted each other.
Dong Xuebing nodded to them and introduced, “This is Driver Old Wei. In the future, if you need a car, just find Brother Wei. Xiao Chen, when the Passat arrives, you can contact Old Wei. He will drive one, and the other will stay in our bureau. Whoever has something to do can drive it.”
Chen Yunsong immediately agreed, “Okay.”
Old Wei wasn’t much talker; he just smiled and nodded.
Dong Xuebing continued, “This lady is Xiao Hong. She will be working with us at the Investment Promotion Bureau starting today. Xiao Hong is very capable. She used to work at the county government office and was mainly responsible for reception tasks, which aligns well with our needs. Well, you all can communicate more in the future. That’s all.”
Xiao Hong wasn’t attractive, but her voice was pleasant. “Hello, everyone.”
Cheng Yujie, Chen Yunsong, Gong Na, and others also greeted and welcomed their new colleague.
On the other side, Dong Xuebing approached Zheng Dayou. “Old Zheng, did you receive the letter?”
Zheng Dayou smiled and said, “I know a little, but not very clearly. I didn’t dare to say anything to everyone.” He couldn’t say anything. Dong Xuebing arranged the promotion, and if he had informed the subordinates in advance, he would have stolen Dong Xuebing’s thunder and favors. It was a taboo.
Dong Xuebing understood, “Then let’s go to your office.”
“Okay.” Zheng Dayou led the way and opened the door.
In the past, most of the subordinates would receive advance notice when promoting officials or making personnel changes. Even the parties involved should have some awareness. However, this time, there was no wind at all. After all, it was directly discussed in the Party Committee. Even the Organization Department did not conduct an advance review and inspection. It was an exception, and the Party Committee meeting ended near the end of the working hours. With this suppression, not many people knew.
Before going in, Dong Xuebing looked toward the front desk, and his expression became more serious. “Xiao Gong put aside what you’re working on and come here.”
Gong Na was taken aback and nervously said, “Mayor Dong, I…”
Seeing that she was scared, Dong Xuebing felt a bit helpless. “I asked you to come, so come.”
“Uh, okay.” Gong Na was worried. The leader’s serious expression might mean something was wrong. She was just an office clerk and was still in her probationary period. So when she saw a new colleague transferred from another department, Gong Na was worried about her job.
Personnel matters were always serious.
However, maybe it was too serious. The people in the office also glanced at Dong Xuebing and Zheng Dayou with some apprehension, then looked at Gong Na.
Inside.
The door closed.
Dong Xuebing sat behind the desk, and Zheng Dayou originally wanted to sit on the sofa by the door, but Dong Xuebing pulled him over, and the two sat side by side.
It looked like interrogating a suspect.
Dong Xuebing pressed his hand down. “Sit down, Xiao Gong.”
Gong Na looked at this situation and trembled, “Leaders, I…”
Zheng Dayou was both angry and amused. “If Mayor Dong asks you to sit, then sit. Sit down and talk.”
“Uh, oh.” Gong Na nervously sat in the chair before the desk, twiddling her feet.
Dong Xuebing said, “Xiao Gong, Director Zheng, and I are here today on behalf of the organization to talk to you. Don’t feel pressured; it’s good news.”
“Good news?” Gong Na was stunned.
Dong Xuebing asked, “How long have you been working?”
Gong Na considered, “It should be… It should be less than a year.”
Dong Xuebing nodded, “That’s quite some time. What’s your educational background?”
Gong Na lowered her head, “I have a college degree.”
Dong Xuebing said, “According to the procedures, an office clerk with a bachelor’s degree can only be promoted to a department clerk after one year, and for those with a college degree, it might take more than three years. However, after discussing with Director Zheng, considering your outstanding performance at the Investment Promotion Bureau, working diligently, this time can be significantly shortened.” The Party Committee needed to discuss the promotion of other people, but the transformation from an office clerk to a department clerk was just a matter of Dong Xuebing’s word. It could be done with a single phone call.
Gong Na exclaimed, “I, I…”
Dong Xuebing smiled, “I and Director Zheng have informed the Personnel Department. Today, someone from the Personnel Department should come and talk to you. Be prepared.”
Zheng Dayou didn’t do much, but Dong Xuebing’s words were appropriate.
Gong Na immediately became excited. Being promoted to a department clerk! Under normal circumstances, it would take at least three years for her, but unexpectedly, it was happening now. The salary was different, and she hurriedly stood up. She subconsciously said to Zheng Dayou, who had been with her the longest, “Thank you, Director Zheng, thank you, Director Zheng.”
Zheng Dayou laughed, “Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything. It was all Mayor Dong who fought for you.”
Gong Na quickly said to Dong Xuebing, “Thank you, Mayor Dong.”
Dong Xuebing encouraged, “Work well in the future. Director Zheng and I are looking forward to your performance.”
“I will, I will.” She repeatedly expressed her gratitude, and when she saw Dong Xuebing and Zheng Dayou waving, Gong Na left with joy, wearing a happy expression on her face.
Outside, a few people saw Gong Na’s happy expression and blinked their eyes in confusion, not knowing what good thing had happened to her.
So happy…
What happened?
At this time, Dong Xuebing’s voice came from inside, “Xiao Chen, Sister Cheng, come here.”
Chen Yunsong was surprised. He didn’t expect to be called. Cheng Yujie also had a mixture of anxiety and expectation, not understanding what was happening.
Xiao Hong worked at the county government office and had a good relationship with Yao Cui. She might have heard something, but it didn’t concern her. She found her desk and started getting familiar with her work. With an administrative background, she was not unfamiliar with these tasks.
“Xiao Gong, what’s going on?” Cheng Yujie hurriedly asked Gong Na.
Gong Na turned her head and looked at the still-open door, not daring to say too much. “It should be good news.”
They couldn’t afford to delay. In their minds, they were wondering what good news it could be. Could it be a salary increase or additional bonuses for successful investments? Whether they could secure investments was uncertain, and they hadn’t even figured out how much the bonus would be in a year. It was still unknown how it compared to the year-end bonus of any county government department.