Power and Wealth
Chapter 1935 – Wife is coming!
That day.
At 2 PM.
In the temporary county committee office, the office of the county committee secretary.
It was May, and the weather had already warmed up. Dong Xuebing had taken off his coat and changed into a lighter shirt. Sitting behind his desk, he reviewed the statistical report sent from the county’s investment bureau—total investment amount, itemized projects, and how much initial funds had been received. Each record was meticulously detailed, clear and easy to understand, stirring emotions and excitement.
One billion.
He had done an excellent job.
Dong Xuebing felt at ease and in a great mood. The tasks were completed and exceeded expectations—beyond what Dong Xuebing had anticipated. This was the result he was most pleased with. Since entering the system, Dong Xuebing had undergone another personality transformation, from a fresh graduate battling his way through society and the system. From then on, he had always been competitive, aggressive, never willing to lose. He believed a saying described him perfectly: even if Dong Xuebing ended up with nothing one day, setting up a stall by the roadside selling steamed buns, he would still sell better than anyone else.
This was stubbornness.
This was a life attitude.
It was also a deep-rooted pride.
Just as he was enjoying these thoughts, his phone rang.
Dong Xuebing looked at the caller ID. It was his wife, Xie Huilan. He answered with a smile, “Hey, Huilan. It’s rare for you to call me.”
“Hehe.” Xie Huilan’s laughter was still the same, neither deep nor shallow, “Every time I think about calling you, you’ve already called me. Naturally, it’s not my turn to call you.”
Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes. “Alright, just tell me what’s up.”
“Do you miss me, you rascal?” Xie Huilan teased.
Dong Xuebing’s heart felt sweet. “Yeah, I do.”
Then, Xie Huilan said, “Well, there’s still something I need to tell you, rascal.”
Dong Xuebing sighed, “I knew it. Fine, say it. I’m busy here too.”
“Busy with the investment stuff, right?” Xie Huilan had learned about Jiaolin County’s big moves over the past month through TV and the media. “Hehe, I also found out about this from the media. Our province’s recent investment results have been poor. Or you could say, they’ve been terrible. Originally, Jiangnan had a good investment environment with talent and natural resources. Still, due to economic conditions and various complex reasons, investment outcomes have been flat for the past three years. From a monetary perspective, flat means a decline. There’s also the issue of poor performance in some cities with low investment results, including Xiexing City. So, the province held a few meetings and devised some measures and plans. One of them is to visit other provinces and cities to learn about their investment experiences, like Shanghai and Suzhou. But your Baohong City recently had a booming investment culture festival. It’s said that your county alone brought in one billion in investment, which is quite astonishing. So, I decided to lead a team to exchange investment experiences with you guys in Baohong City. Hehe, it’s supposed to be the job of the investment bureau chief or the deputy mayor in charge, but since your big sis misses my little husband so much, what do you think?”
Dong Xuebing was surprised. “Really? You’re coming?”
“What, can’t I come?” Xie Huilan laughed.
Dong Xuebing quickly responded, “Of course, you’re welcome. When are you coming, and how long will you stay?”
Xie Huilan’s side seemed noisy, full of background sounds. She must be outside. “I’ve already made arrangements with our city’s airport. The plane will take off soon, arriving in about three hours. The inspection exchange will start tomorrow and last about two days, not long.”
“You’re almost here, huh? Why didn’t you say sooner? Dong Xuebing realized he hadn’t prepared anything. “You always do this, springing these surprises on me. I have a lot going on today, and there’s likely a celebration tonight. How am I supposed to accompany you?”
Xie Huilan replied, “I’ll just come with you.”
“Uh, well, that works too.” Dong Xuebing said, “I’ll arrange a car to pick you up from the provincial city airport.”
“No need,” Xie Huilan chuckled. “I’ve already contacted someone in Baohong City in advance. Someone from your city will send a car. Just text me about the celebration venue’s location later.” She paused, “Alright, my flight is boarding now. I’ll turn off my phone. See you tonight.”
“Has everything been arranged for the kid?”
The babysitter is looking after him. So no worries.”
“Alright then. Take care and let me know when you arrive.”
After hanging up, Dong Xuebing’s mood improved even more. He hadn’t seen his wife for a long time and missed her. Though Xie Huilan said she was here for official business, Dong Xuebing knew better. The exchange and inspection were secondary; seeing him was the real reason. The good results from Baohong City’s investment weren’t even valid; it was just an excuse to attach the event to Baohong City. The reason for this roundabout was because Xiexing City is a prefecture-level city. Any exchanges would usually be with other prefecture-level cities, not Jiaolin County, as the levels weren’t equal. Dong Xuebing understood the lengths his wife went through to find an excuse to spend time with him. He knew she was still very attached to him.
He sipped his tea.
Dong Xuebing pondered momentarily, then picked up the newly installed phone on his desk and called Su Yan. “Hey, Su, come to my office.”
Knock-knock.
Su Yan quickly knocked and entered. “You called for me?”
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Can you ask the county committee office to arrange the banquet hall, book a large venue, and arrange a feast? Then notify everyone, including county leaders and the investment bureau, for a celebration tonight. Invite anyone who contributed during this investment culture festival, not just the leaders. Everyone has worked hard for so many days; we should commend them.”
Su Yan replied, “Oh, there will be many people. One banquet hall probably won’t be enough.”
Dong Xuebing thought for a moment. Considering that Xie Huilan would be coming today, it would be much more convenient for her to go directly to the city from the airport instead of traveling to Jiaolin County first. He said, “Then we’ll go to the city. Find the best hotel in the city. Their banquet hall will be much larger than ours here. It’ll be more than enough. It’s not far to the city; it’s just a half-hour drive. Also, have the county committee office arrange a bus—if one bus isn’t enough, book five, and if five isn’t enough, ten.”
Su Yan sweat-dropped. “We won’t need that many.”
Dong Xuebing took a card from his pocket and placed it on the table. “As for the expenses, don’t use the county’s account. Use mine. The password is written on the back.”
Su Yan quickly replied, “But Secretary, how can I accept this?”
“Just take it when I give it to you.” Dong Xuebing flicked the bank card on the table, sliding it across.
Su Yan caught it quickly to prevent it from falling to the ground and reluctantly accepted it. “Okay.”
Dong Xuebing chuckled. “By the way, it’s okay to bring family members, or rather, it’s better to bring family. This is a rare chance for our county to shine. We should make it lively because this successful investment was everyone’s effort. Everyone contributed.”
Su Yan left.
Moments later, Zhang Dongfang entered the room. “Xuebing.”
“Hey, Old Zhang, come in. Sit.” Dong Xuebing stood up and filled a cup of water from the kettle for him.
Zhang Dongfang looked pleased as well. The county had secured such a significant achievement, garnering praise from Baohong City’s leaders and provincial authorities. After compiling the report, he heard that the province might organize a study session on Jiaolin County’s successful investment festival as a case study, which was a great honor. Zhang Dongfang was naturally elated. Although there had been some awkwardness between Jiaolin County, the city, and the province recently, the province was still organizing this learning session, highlighting the county’s outstanding investment work.
Who benefited from this?
As did many others, Zhang Dongfang knew that this entire investment festival was Dong Xuebing’s doing. Overcoming key difficulties and organizing the event were all Dong Xuebing’s efforts—others didn’t contribute much. Zhang Dongfang was thoroughly impressed by Dong Xuebing’s capabilities. Everything was right there, plain as day.
“I heard there’s going to be a celebration tonight.” Zhang Dongfang said, “With the city?”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “I had Su arrange it. There’ll be a car to pick her up. Has your wife arrived yet? I’ve been here for over two months and still haven’t met her.”
Zhang Dongfang chuckled. “I’ll check on that. Come to think of it, I haven’t met your wife either.”
“Haha, then you’ll meet her tonight.” Dong Xuebing replied, “She’s on a business trip in our province. It just so happens she’ll have time tonight.”
Zhang Dongfang raised an eyebrow. “You’re working so much since coming into this new role, why didn’t you bring your wife along? Being separated like this isn’t ideal, especially since your child was just born.” Zhang Dongfang knew about the tense relationships between Dong Xuebing and the city and provincial authorities, so he offered, “If your wife wants to come, I can help. If there are any work arrangements, I’ll take care of it for you.”
Dong Xuebing coughed awkwardly. “Thanks, Old Zhang. It’s nothing like that; she’s in a special situation.”
Zhang Dongfang blinked. “A special situation? Is it a state-owned enterprise, private company, or a government job? Any of those can handle this situation.”
Dong Xuebing hesitated to explain. “Her situation is a bit special. Thanks for the offer.”
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