After talking about business, Zhang Hao immediately became concerned about Fan Zhenxiang's posthumous affairs. Although the two were in a competitive relationship, they had worked together for twenty years, and the other party was the current executive president, so they should have the dignity they deserve.
"Consul, we are really in no position to do anything big in the face of a catastrophic disaster."
Zhou Jiangyu sighed helplessly, and then told the funeral committee’s arrangements:
"There are roughly two plans at present. One is to postpone the funeral until after the snowstorm is over; the other is to simplify everything. Consul, which one do you think is more appropriate?"
Zhang Hao lowered his head and thought about it, and quickly made a decision: "Then postpone it until after the snowstorm! I suggest holding a high-standard state funeral. Dean Fan died in the line of duty and is fully worthy of this honor."
"Agree, I'll inform you later."
Zhou Jiangyu has no objections.
Originally, according to convention, the executive president was not qualified to hold a state funeral.
The reason why he did not raise any objection is simple:
On the one hand, out of respect for the seniors, there is no need to offend others over such trivial matters;
On the other hand, after Dean Fan left, the consul now had all the power. He didn't want an accident to happen at such a critical moment, so he simply took advantage of the situation.
Hearing this, Zhang Hao nodded subconsciously.
He can be considered worthy of his old partner.
At the end of the conversation, Zhou Jiangyu finally told the only piece of good news: "Consul, in fact, this heavy snowfall is not all bad. According to meteorological experts, snowfall is very conducive to purifying volcanic ash in the atmosphere and can greatly shorten the recovery time."
"Really?" When Zhang Hao heard this, he immediately became interested: "Did the experts say how long it will take for the atmosphere to return to normal?"
"I didn't give a specific time, but I gave an estimate..."
"How many years?" Zhang Hao asked impatiently.
"According to the speculations of relevant experts, if there are three to five more snowfalls of the same scale, even if the atmosphere cannot return to normal 100%, the visibility will at least return to the level of cloudy days."
Zhou Jiangyu quickly replied.
"Three to five times?" Zhang Hao was immediately disappointed, and then said with a wry smile: "This heavy snow has been brewing for thirty years. According to this calculation, it will be a hundred years later. The time span is too long."
"Consul, you don't need to be too pessimistic. Some experts have also said that the farther back you go, the shorter the time for water vapor to accumulate. As long as you enter a virtuous cycle, everything will be fine."
Zhou Jiangyu quickly comforted him.
Zhang Hao adjusted his mood: "I hope so! Our generation has no hope. I hope the next generation can see the light of day again."
Let me briefly mention here that Zhou Jiangyu is only one year younger than Zhang Hao, so they are considered the same age.
If Zhang Hao wants to continue to be re-elected, age is not an issue at all. This is what Zhou Jiangyu is most worried about.
"I believe it can!"
Zhou Jiangyu said firmly.
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Hao then made a condolence call to Dean Fan's family.
…
A week passed like this, and the heavy snow finally stopped, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously.
In the courtyard, Yang Huaqing was packing his luggage.
"Lao Zhang, when should we set off?"
Zhang Hao waved his hand: "Don't worry, Air Force One won't arrive until tomorrow afternoon. It won't be too late for us to leave at noon tomorrow."
"Can the plane come over in advance? My eldest sister is very ill this time. It would be better for us to go back early." Yang Huaqing sighed.
"Oh, I want to go back as soon as possible, but it takes time to clear the snow at the airport. How can it be so fast?"
Zhang Hao said with a sad face.
My eldest sister was suddenly diagnosed with lung cancer the year before last, and her condition worsened very quickly. The survival rate of lung cancer is already low. It is estimated that it has only happened in the past two years, so the whole family has long been mentally prepared.
The only one who was kept in the dark was the old lady.
Yang Huaqing said worriedly: "Old Zhang, if the eldest sister fails to hold on this time, how will the old lady explain?"
"Don't worry, I have already thought of a countermeasure. When the time comes, we will tell her that the eldest sister has gone to Europa for treatment and can only contact her through video. Today's AI technology is very mature and the old lady's eyesight is not good, so she shouldn't be able to detect her."
Zhang Hao said with helplessness on his face.
For the sake of his mother's health, he was worried.
Yang Huaqing nodded: "It's good if you can hide it!"
"Honey, I have something to discuss with you." Zhang Hao suddenly changed the subject.
"What's up?"
Yang Huaqing stopped what he was doing.
"I want to retire early."
Zhang Hao said straightforwardly.
Yang Huaqing couldn't help being stunned: "Retire early? Why? Just these two months?"
"Zhou Jiangyu can't wait any longer. They want to promote the transformation of public ownership in advance. I really don't want to wade into this muddy water, so I want to withdraw early."
Zhang Hao expressed his true thoughts.
"So urgent? Shouldn't we provide disaster relief first?"
Yang Huaqing said doubtfully.
Zhang Hao shook his head and patiently explained: "Actually, these two things are not contradictory. While providing disaster relief, we can carry out reforms at the same time.
After all, private enterprises were also severely damaged in this snowstorm, and a large amount of funds will be needed for future reconstruction. In this way, the resistance will be much smaller."
"That makes sense. Are you afraid of offending others?"
Yang Huaqing tried to guess.
She understands her husband's rules of conduct.
Zhang Hao did not hide it at all: "Yes, you also know that I am not the kind of selfless person. For the sake of the boss and the others, it is better not to get involved in this kind of thing. It is too easy to become the target of public criticism."
"It's better to retreat, so as not to worry anyone."
Yang Huaqing quickly agreed.
"Then it's decided. As soon as Dean Fan's state funeral is over, I will formally submit my resignation."
Zhang Hao nodded solemnly.
Yang Huaqing hesitated for a moment and then tried in a low voice: "The boss has been the mayor for five years. Do you want to move his position up a level?"
Although she is not interested in politics, she is not a novice. Once the transformation of public ownership is completed, the social status of official employees will make a qualitative leap, which will also mean that competition will become more intense.
"He is only thirty-five years old this year, and he still needs a few more years of training, and it is foreseeable that the next few years will definitely be the most chaotic period. In my opinion, staying on Xinfeng Island is the safest.
"
Zhang Hao immediately rejected his wife's suggestion.
Although the federation has vigorously advocated the rejuvenation of cadres in recent years, the thirty-five-year-old mayor is still a bit too young anyway.
"Okay! It's up to you."
Yang Huaqing didn't force it.
This was not her intention in the first place, it was just a word to help the eldest daughter-in-law.
The in-laws probably heard some rumors and wanted Kuniki, the mayor's son-in-law, to move further so that they could provide shelter to the Mitsui family in the future.
…
In a blink of an eye, it's two o'clock in the afternoon the next day.
After a month, Zhang Hao and his wife took the subway again and returned to the ground.
As soon as they got out of the subway station, everyone felt like they were in another world.
Yang Huaqing glanced at the sky and couldn't help but asked curiously: "Lao Zhang, I don't know if it's an illusion. Why do I feel that the sky is getting brighter?"
Zhang Hao nodded: "It seems to be a little brighter."
Zhou Jiangyu on the side explained with a smile:
"Consul, madam, this is not an illusion. The Meteorological Bureau has already concluded that the visibility has indeed improved a lot. As for the reason...
It may be because the clouds have become thinner, or it may be that the snowfall has purified the atmosphere. If it is the latter, it is definitely a great event."
"I think it should be both." After Zhang Hao finished speaking, he pointed to the snowdrift not far away: "Look at the snow, it is all black in color. You know without asking that it must contain volcanic ash."
"The consul is wise!"
Zhou Jiangyu immediately flattered him.
Next year will be the election year, and he hopes to leave a good impression on the consul. After all, the other party has been the consul for twenty years. Even if he retires, his influence cannot be underestimated.
Zhang Hao smiled, then shook hands with the farewell personnel one by one, and finally boarded Air Force One directly.
In less than two hours, Air Force One landed at the Capital Airport.
When they got off the plane, everyone was shocked by the scene in front of them. They saw that the edge of the airport was filled with "snow mountains" dozens of meters high, and the terminal building completely collapsed.
On the way back to the consul's residence, Zhang Hao did not take the more convenient subway, but took a special car. He wanted to see with his own eyes the disaster situation in the capital.
After leaving the airport, the situation was not much better. Although there was not much snow on the road, there were high snowdrifts not far from the road. The whole city seemed to be buried in snow.
The more Yang Huaqing watched, the more worried she became. She unconsciously held her husband's hand and held it tighter and tighter.
Zhang Hao reached out and patted the back of his wife's hand, and couldn't help but sigh: "Don't worry, all the snow will be cleared away in a few months."
"How can it be that easy? It's the middle of winter now, and the snow is frozen tightly. I'm afraid it won't be cleared until next summer."
Yang Huaqing shook his head gently.
Zhang Hao showed a wry smile: "The snow in the capital seems to be even heavier than that in Guizhou. No wonder Zhou Jiangyu is so impatient. After more than thirty years of hard work, he has to start from scratch again this time."
"In my opinion, there are advantages to starting from scratch."
"What's the benefit?"
"At the very least, you don't have to worry about the unemployment rate in the future. I have been to many places over the years and discovered a very interesting phenomenon."
"What phenomenon?" Zhang Hao asked curiously.
"Does a person have a job? It's a completely different mentality. Some cities with low unemployment, such as Shouchun, although the quality of life is not as good as that of large coastal cities, are full of vitality and are more comfortable to live in than big cities."
Yang Huaqing concluded.
Zhang Hao looked out the car window and said casually: "Your angle is quite novel."
"Hmph, you politicians are usually so aloof, how do you really care about the feelings of ordinary people? In fact, these days, everyone's expectations are very low. As long as you can have a job, it doesn't matter if the salary is low, but it must be stable."
Yang Huaqing turned up the volume on the word "stable".
Zhang Hao lowered his head and suddenly thought deeply: "Listening to what you said, I seem to understand Zhou Jiangyu and other radical reformers."
"Let's not talk about work." Yang Huaqing waved his hand, and then changed the subject: "Can you retreat before the Chinese New Year?"
"It shouldn't be a big problem." Zhang Hao replied.
"That's good. Let's have a good New Year at home this year. We don't have to run around anymore."
Yang Huaqing said happily.
Zhang Hao put his arm around his wife's shoulders: "I have wronged you over the years."
"What do I have to feel wronged about? This is the first lady, and many people are envious of her. The only thing we are sorry for is our parents and children, who have lost a lot of time together."
Probably thinking of his deceased father, Yang Huaqing couldn't help but wipe his tears.
"Oh, it'll be fine if you just retreat."
Zhang Hao replied dryly.
Two hours later, the convoy finally returned to the consul's residence.
Seeing her father coming back, Leslie Cheung rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"Dad, are you okay?"
Zhang Hao stretched out his hand and patted his daughter on the back: "Dad is a consul, what can happen? You're just worrying!"
"How could you not be worried? It snowed so heavily this time, and the news said it was a once-in-a-century event."
Zhang Guoxin released his hands.
"Okay! Where is your grandma?"
"Grandma knows you are coming back and is making soup in the kitchen? Let's go over quickly!"
Zhang Hao casually touched the hair of several grandchildren, and then led the little ones to the kitchen.
Yang Huaqing took off his coat, walked over and asked softly: "Guoguo, how's your aunt doing over there?"
"Listen...listen to my cousin, the situation is not good."
Zhang Guoxin quickly replied.
Speaking of which, her cousin is about the same age as her father. Every time she calls her "cousin", she feels a little awkward and embarrassed.
"Wait a minute, you accompany mom to the hospital, and we'll go see your aunt together." Yang Huaqing explained.
As we all know, the medical resources in the capital are the best, so the eldest sister specially moved here for treatment and has been living here for more than a year.
Zhang Hao interrupted: "I'll go too."
"Aren't you going to the Executive Yuan?"
Yang Huaqing said in surprise.
Zhang Hao waved his hand: "No matter how busy I am at work, I still have this little time. By the way, I will talk to the attending doctor to see if there are any other treatment options."
Although after he was born, the eldest sister was already married.
But the relationship between siblings has always been very good, especially in the years when he had conflicts with his family. If his eldest sister hadn't been able to calm him down, he and his family would have fallen out long ago.
"Okay, let's go together."
Yang Huaqing nodded.
Soon, everyone came to the kitchen.
Zhang Hao immediately put on a smiling face: "Mom, I'm back."
Li Dajuan looked at her son and daughter-in-law in front of her, and finally breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good to be back. I've been restless these days, just worried that something might happen to you."
"Mom, you always think too much."
Zhang Hao twitched the corner of his mouth unnaturally.
Sure enough, mother and daughter are connected. The reason why my mother feels this way is probably due to the influence of her eldest sister. It seems that it is right to hide it from the old lady.