It was rare that Zhao Guodong, the main hall official, told a joke. Regardless of whether it was funny or not, everyone naturally laughed a few times in response to the scene. Everyone was smiling softly, and another voice came from behind: "What are you laughing at? You are so happy! Xue Xiang
Comrade, wherever you go, joy follows you." If Wang Yong heard these words, the speaker would have said, "Wherever the third brother goes, fear follows him."
Everyone followed the sound, but saw a fat man with a red face walking towards them. Xue Xiang knew him, and the person who came was none other than Hu Liming, director of the Revolutionary Committee of Hanshui City.
Li Ming held it: "Director Hu, nice to meet you!"
Hu Liming frowned and hummed: "What a pleasure to meet you? Comrade Xue Xiang didn't even say hello to me when he came to Hanshui. It's really chilling." Hu Liming's words were artificial, but natural.
Extremely, someone who has not been an official for decades would never be able to do this.
This is a return to nature. Ma Dongliang had clearly informed him of Xue Xiang's arrival secretly, but he was busy greeting the central officials. At this time, he in turn blamed Xue Xiang. But this blame was mixed with the incoming anger.
Being affectionate makes people feel heart-warming.
Xue Xiang secretly praised him, then took Hu Liming and introduced him to Zhao Guodong. While everyone was chatting, Chen Dao also rushed over. A large group of bureaucrats, big and small, old friends and new friends, chatted endlessly. The rules of officialdom have always been
Many of them are not close friends at all, but they are connected because of the bridge of Xue Xiang, and their courtesy cannot be underestimated.
While everyone was chatting, Xue Xiang raised his hand to look at his watch. It was already half past six. If he kept going, he might not be able to go back tonight. Xue Xiang was about to greet everyone. It was time for dinner. Suddenly, the long-faced man from before
He ran over and when he got close, he said: "Comrade Xue Xiang
, Chief Zhenhua asked you if it is convenient for you. If it is convenient, I will let you attend the dinner." The long-faced man also saw the intimacy between Comrade Zhenhua and Xue Xiang. At this moment, he stared at Xue Xiang with a look on his face.
I was envious, but in my heart I was wondering why my ancestral graves were not so prosperous.
"Oh, thank you Comrade Zhenhua for me, and just say that I have urgent matters here and have to rush back to Kaoshantun in the evening, so I won't participate." The reason why Xue Xiang declined politely was that when he came to know about Comrade Zhenhua's invitation,
It's just out of etiquette. I'm afraid Chief Zhenhua is worried that it won't look good if he meets him at the old chief's place next time. If he really wants to invite Xue Xiang,
How could he ask if he was free? With Comrade Zhenhua’s status, why did he need to say so much? Of course, Xue Xiang would not blame Comrade Zhenhua for this. Originally, there was a table full of senior provincial officials, and he was a young boy who squeezed in.
Go figure out what's going on. Secondly, he is really anxious to return to Kaoshantun. At the moment, Geng Fulin's matter is only half done, so he can't let it go.
Xue Xiang's answer made the long-faced man stunned for a while, and he almost blurted out, "Say it again." He really couldn't imagine that someone would refuse such an invitation. The person who invited him was the head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee, and he was more senior than Director Su.
Ah. If it weren't for the long-faced man who still had some self-control, he would have almost pulled Xue Xiang's ear and asked "why" a hundred thousand times.
Seeing the long-faced man standing silently, Xue Xiang patted him on the shoulder and said "Thank you" again. The long-faced man just came back to his senses and returned to life in despair.
"Comrade Xue Xiang, you really shouldn't! I have to criticize you for this. How could you refuse the invitation from Chief Zhenhua?" Zhao Guodong said with almost trembling voice. He really didn't expect that Xue Xiang could be familiar with Comrade Zhenhua.
Twisted to this extent
Du (I’m not familiar with it, how can I refuse so lightly). When he thought about it, the reason why Xue Xiang refused the invitation of Chief Zhenhua must be to accompany him. What a loss of face! The thought of this actually made him a little touched.
Come.
Xue Xiang smiled and said a few polite words, then said it was time to have dinner. Now, everyone knew that Nanhu Chun was not a place to stay for a long time, so they all said to find another secluded place to have a good gathering. Hu Liming was the first to say to the Municipal Revolutionary Committee
The cafeteria is nice, the environment is elegant, and the chef who cooks the dishes is excellent.
When people get together, eating is secondary, socializing is the main reason, so he won't be too picky. Hearing this, Geng Fulin couldn't help but look at Xue Xiang, meaning: I want to treat guests. I went to the canteen, how do I pay the bill?
Xue Xiang understood and said with a smile: "The place Director Hu ordered will definitely be correct. But we have to make a deal. This time it is not your Hanshui landlords' turn to settle the bill. We, the guests from Jingkou, have to do it."
Back to the east." After that, he said to Zhao Guodong: "Director Zhao, what do you think?"
"That's right! We, the Jingkou people, have to protect this leader no matter what. I have to do it tonight." After saying that, Zhao Guodong smiled and said: "Tianfa, Fulin, Guangming, you three
Aren't you going to argue with me?" These three people are all under his command, so they responded in unison.
Geng Fulin didn't understand what he meant and looked towards Xue Xiang. What greeted him was Xue Xiang's eyes. Geng Fulin had a clear mind and in an instant, he understood what Xue Xiang meant: He wanted Zhao Guodong to treat a guest and let him pay the bill.
Ah! In this way, he not only gave Zhao Guodong a favor, but also expressed his feelings. It was a good way to kill two birds with one stone.
After chatting and laughing for a while, everyone left the Nanhuchun Gate. There were already a number of jeeps waiting outside the gate. They got on the car and arrived at the Hanshui Revolutionary Committee Canteen in a short time. This place is called a canteen, rather than a quiet place.
Small courtyard. Inside, there are lush bamboo trees and green grass, which is really elegant and pleasant.
When they arrived at the place, Hu Liming transformed into a host and invited everyone to choose a private room. It was almost seven o'clock at this time, well past the dinner hour, so there were no diners in this place and it was very quiet. Hu Liming led everyone to browse the private room and asked them to
Everyone decided where to eat. Here, the only people qualified to set the tone were Chen Dao and Zhao Guodong. Since Zhao Guodong was going to be the host, everyone recommended him to set the tone.
Zhao Guodong said a few polite words, no longer declined, pointed to the pavilion in the center of the courtyard and said: "The bright moon is like a wheel, the clear light is diffuse, and the grass and trees are fragrant. The courtyard is deep. Why don't we follow the example of the ancients, and under this moon, Xiao
How about having a drink? I'm not afraid of people criticizing me for having a petty bourgeois sentiment."
"What are you saying about the petty bourgeoisie? This moon is not unique to the bourgeoisie. We proletarians can still appreciate it." Hu Liming responded with a smile, whispered a few words to the staff around him, and then came to greet everyone.
The pavilion is very large, and the original stone bench and table in the middle cannot accommodate these ten people to eat, so they sent someone to remove the stone bench and replace it with a Huanghuali Eight Immortals table and a dozen Eight Immortals chairs.
Not long after we sat down, the table was filled with cups, plates, dishes, and all kinds of dishes.
The first glass of wine was nothing new, just a drink to celebrate the gathering. From the second glass of wine, the atmosphere gradually became more intense. Everyone was either toasting or drinking with each other, and they were very busy. It is said that Xue Xiang has the lowest official position here.
But he vaguely became the focus of the whole table, and various toasts always came at the right time. Just after this cup was passed, and that cup came again, everyone seemed to have discussed it, but the whole process was extremely natural and carefree.
trace.
Xue Xiang drank a lot, and he drank twenty or thirty cups over and over again without changing his complexion. Taking advantage of the time when everyone was paying respect to each other, Xue Xiang pulled Geng Fulin and Chen Guangming to pay respects to Zhao Guodong. Xue Xiang said this
For example, Zhao Guodong had been ups and downs in the officialdom for decades and still didn't understand why. His mind turned and he knew that Geng and Chen must be here.
Zhao Guodong clinked glasses with the three of them, drank the wine in one gulp, and said with a smile: "Fu Lin and Guangming are both good comrades, and their work in Chengtian County is obvious to all, and the organization is visible. That's it.
At this point, the conversation changed: "Haha,
Drinking and drinking, look at me, I never forget to talk about business. Come on, come on, you can't just respect me, I have to return the favor. Comrade Xue Xiang, you are young and strong, but you have to carry more burdens. I am the only one,
You have to accompany them both."
The three of them all understood the meaning of the first half of Zhao Guodong's sentence. Geng and Chen were so excited when they saw what had happened. Geng Fulin took the wine pot, filled it for Zhao Guodong, and poured it for himself, Chen Guangming and Xue Xiangman.
Regardless of whether Zhao Guodong drank or not, Chen Guangming drank three glasses of wine first, and Chen Guangming followed suit.
Zhao Guodong nodded at the two of them, took a sip, which was a sign of meaning. He picked up the wine bottle and filled it up for himself, smiled and clinked the glasses with Xue Xiang, drank it all in one gulp, drank it, turned the glass over, and said with a smile: "Xue Xiang
"Comrade Xiang, I'll do it first out of respect, but it's your turn." Zhao Guodong blatantly said
Geng Fulin and Chen Guangming would not be jealous of differential treatment. Just because Comrade Zhenhua could take the initiative to call "Xiao Xue", it was worthy of Zhao Guodong. The two thought: I'm afraid Director Zhao specially wanted Xiao Xue and Er Bei to treat him one cup
, it’s just to cover up his embarrassment of respecting the younger ones.
After paying respects to Zhao Guodong, Xue Xiang returned to his original position. He took advantage of the opportunity to pay respects to Zhao Guodong and rested for a while. Ma Dongliang and Liu Yong, who were of lower status, were looking for opportunities, so they naturally took advantage of every opportunity to greet him.
Come up and another round of toasting begins.
The bright moon in the sky was as clear as a plate, and it was quiet and quiet; people in the pavilion drank and drank together, making a lot of noise and joy. After several rounds of wine, everyone finally sat back to their original seats, chatting or eating vegetables, and then they started to look like they were eating.
One night, Chen Dao sat in his place. When others toasted him, he drank, but never got up to reciprocate. Except for Zhao Guodong and Xue Xiang, the others did not give him a toast and seemed to be in a bad mood. Suddenly, Chen Dao took the cup.
After finishing the wine in one gulp, he spoke: "Xiao Xue, the old man didn't talk to you during this meeting?"
Here, only Chen Dao called Xue Xiang "Little Xue", and the rest all called him "Comrade Xue Xiang" to show respect and affection. Everyone had been curious about why Chen Dao called him that, and they all guessed that Chen Dao must be related to Xue Xiang. At this time
Chen Dao suddenly introduced an "old man", and everyone stopped their glasses and stopped talking. Their curiosity suddenly burst out, and they listened intently to listen to this incredible secret.