Chapter Twenty-One: Ups and Downs

  The cadres' meeting was uneventful, but the three of us, two big and one small, were all in low spirits.

  Wang Benqing is not that kind of broad-minded and majestic leader, he will not give up like this. It's just unexpected that the action was so swift, and three days after the cadre conference, Yan Yuchen and Zhang Mulin were summoned to the county revolutionary committee organization department for a talk.

  The second-in-command of the county revolutionary committee, Zheng Xingyun, and the head of the organization department personally talked to Yan Yucheng. The gist was that the county wanted to strengthen the leadership team of Taishan District, and decided that Yan Yucheng would be promoted to deputy director of the Taishan District Revolutionary Committee, in charge of agricultural work.

  Yan Yucheng was so depressed when he heard this.

  Being able to promote one level is of course a good thing. However, this internal division of labor in charge of agricultural work makes Yan Yucheng somewhat desperate. Taishan District was originally mainly agriculture, and there were no decent factories within its jurisdiction. In other words, the heads of the district revolutionary committee, big and small, could only use their energy on agriculture. As a newly appointed deputy director, he basically couldn't make any decisions and was marginalized. The actual power in his hands is completely incomparable with that of the number one person in Hongqi Commune.

  Rise in light, fall in darkness! Typical rise and fall!

  But as a party member, obeying the organization's arrangement is the most basic condition. Yan Yucheng can stand up for others' affairs and argue with reason, but when it comes to his own family, he is completely helpless. If because of his work arrangement and organizational conditions, he does not conform to the official route at that time, he cannot get any benefit.

  In 1977, unlike later years, cadres' "praise and self-praise" became fashionable, sparing no expense, risking their lives to flatter themselves. At that time, the emphasis was on "criticism and self-criticism".

  Regarding Yan Yucheng's appointment, there was also a fierce struggle within the county revolutionary committee.

  Zheng Xingyun and Wang Benqing couldn't be more different, this is an open secret in Xiangyang County. Therefore, those cadres who didn't get along with Wang Benqing naturally classified themselves as "Zheng's faction". Zheng Xingyun was also magnanimous, accepting all who were willing to join him, and then slowly distinguishing between the good and the bad. Those who sincerely joined and had some real ability were reused in every possible way. Those with mediocre talent were also preserved as much as possible. Only those who wavered were finally abandoned.

  Yan Yucheng is a leading figure among the commune directors in the county. This time, he openly sang a duet with Wang Benqing, so Zheng Xingyun naturally wanted to find ways to pull him into his own camp. Therefore, when Cui Xiuhuo proposed at the county revolutionary committee director's meeting that Yan Yucheng be transferred to be the head of the county meteorological station, Zheng Xingyun immediately clearly expressed his opposition and bluntly pointed out that using a capable cadre in this way was very inconsistent with organizational principles.

  Most deputy directors nodded in agreement.

  This is also normal, Cui Xiuhuo's proposal can be said to have offended many people. Being able to become the deputy director of the county revolutionary committee, he has his own faction and power, and if one day his trusted subordinates accidentally offend Cui Xiuhuo, they will suffer greatly. This Cui guy, relying on being Wang Benqing's confidant, really dares to say anything.

  Deputy Director Zheng Xingyun, who is in charge of organization and personnel, took the lead in opposing it, and everyone else was happy to follow suit.

  After several rounds of negotiations, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Taishan District Revolutionary Committee.

  Zheng Xingyun was still dissatisfied, but after all, he couldn't outdo Wang Benqing, the number one person in charge. Moreover, although he had been marginalized, his face had been saved by being promoted half a level, which was also acceptable. He thought that Yan Yuchen would definitely return this favor to him.

  Since it was an organizational decision, Yan Yucheng also knew that saying more would be useless. He just asked who would take over as the director of the Red Flag Commune Revolutionary Committee.

  "Zhang Mulan."

  Zheng Xingyun replied to him.

  Yan Yucheng had nothing to say. By calling Zhang Mulian and him together to the county for a talk, it was clear that this was the arrangement. Zhang Mulian was already the second-in-command of Hongqi Commune, and after he left, it was natural for Yan to take over in sequence. It seems that Wang Benqing had some experience in eliminating dissidents and attacking political enemies, and did not rush to send his own trusted followers to seize power. Firstly, Yan Yucheng had a high reputation in Hongqi Commune and had just left office, so his influence was still strong. Secondly, Hongqi Commune belonged to Taishan District, and Yan, as the deputy director of Taishan District, could still intervene in the affairs of Hongqi Commune with justification. At this time, if Wang Benqing hastily sent his own trusted followers over, it might backfire and they would be squeezed out. By letting Zhang Mulian take over in sequence, the meaning of struggle was much weaker, and at most it was just an ordinary personnel adjustment, and no one could say anything against it.

  Zhang Mulin is a nobody, easy to fool around with. Let him pass the time for now, and when the time is ripe, it's not too late to replace him with our own person.

  Late at night, Yan Yucheng's office and bachelor dormitory were still lit up.

  At that time, the office conditions of the first-level government of the commune were very simple. People like Yan Yucheng, who had a "half-household" with his family in the county town, often combined their offices and dormitories together. Of course, as the head, Yan Yucheng had a separate office and dormitory, which was no problem. It was Yan Yucheng himself who requested to occupy only one room. He set an example for others. Anyway, he didn't cook his own meals, ate in the cafeteria, and combined his office and accommodation, which was convenient and saved trouble.

  On the surface, Yan Yucheng has been promoted, so many people came to congratulate him. They were all simple and ordinary cadres, as well as commune members near the commune who were familiar with Yan Yucheng, and couldn't see any subtlety in it.

  Yan Yucheng was depressed again, and he couldn't show off to these simple subordinates and the masses. He had to spend some money to buy some melon seeds and peanuts to entertain the guests who came to his door.

  I couldn't help but secretly smile at Yan Yucheng's forced cheerful expression.

  Wow, you're really something! I didn't expect you'd also have a bad day, haha!

  Naturally, I'm not gloating over his misfortune. After some time of contact, my respect for Yan Yucheng has been increasing day by day. It's just that I know he will become the county magistrate of Xiangyang County in a few years, so this little setback is nothing to worry about. If I didn't have the foresight of a traverser, I'm afraid I would be as worried as my old man.

  But... wait a minute, if I, this time-traveler, hadn't appeared, history wouldn't have deviated, and my old man would still be working as a repair technician in the county. Where did the story of him becoming the deputy director of the Red Flag Commune come from? Whether Yan Yucheng became the head of the commune or one of the seven leaders of Taishan District, it had nothing to do with us two. On the other hand, due to my unexpected intervention, the trajectory of history has undergone a subtle change, so whether Yan Yucheng can become the county party secretary like in my previous life is now an unknown quantity.

  My dear, if this drags down Yan Yuchen as well, that would be a crime of unfathomable magnitude.

  Don't think too much about this matter, thinking too much will give you a headache.

  It wasn't until the last batch of guests left that it was already after 10 o'clock. Yan Yucheng and Mr. Zhou shared a bitter smile with my dad, and in a daze, he picked up the broom to sweep the fruit peels all over the house. I took it from him and swept instead.

  "Comrade Mulim is an honest man, don't worry too much about it."

  Yan Yucheng sat down, handed a cigarette to his father, lit one himself, and comforted him.

  "Dad just sulkily said: 'What's there for me to worry about? At worst, I'll just go back to repairing things.'"

  Yan Yucheng was taken aback for a moment, then said seriously: "Jin Cai, this attitude of yours is unacceptable. How can you give up at the first sign of setback?"

  "Dad sighed and said, 'It's not that I'm giving up, but looking at the situation, Zhang Mulan will definitely not be able to withstand Cui Xiuhao, let alone the county has already held a meeting. I'm just one person, it's hard to stand alone!'"

  "Anyway, still have to insist on truth."

  Mr. Zhou got angry.

  These three people are all stubborn, but if they have to be ranked, Mr. Zhou is undoubtedly the first-class, and Yan Yucheng and my father are hard to distinguish between each other. Fortunately, they are all knowledgeable scholars who value technique and do not blindly force their way through things.

  Mr. Zhou continued to analyze: "Don't look at how popular this theoretical guideline is now, who knows what will happen in the future? Many old cadres who have been overthrown will eventually come out to work..."

  Yes, sir is indeed a man of great experience and vision, this analysis is reasonable and to the point.

  I nodded while sweeping the floor.

  Who would have thought that such a small action would coincidentally be seen by Yan Yuchen.

  "Xiao Jun, what are you nodding at again? Don't tell me you understand this too?"

  I not only understand, but also the future political situation for decades to come is clear. It's just that this is too clever, I just nodded my head and was caught by others. It seems that in the future, we must be doubly careful, not only can't show any unusual expressions, but also can't have any unusual small movements.

  "I'm a student of Mr. Zhou, what he says always makes sense. Even if I don't understand, I should still nod in agreement."

  "Haha, you're really good at flattering people. Jin Cai, this son of yours is quite something, when he grows up and gets into politics, he'll definitely be more promising than you."

  Dad smiled for a moment, then immediately looked bitter again.

  No wonder, adhering to the truth is easy to say but hard to do. The county government kept issuing documents and holding meetings, with an atmosphere of dark clouds pressing down on the city, as if it was about to collapse. If this hand doesn't support itself, it's a big question whether it can withstand the pressure.

  Yan Yucheng and Mr. Zhou obviously knew what Old Man was worried about, but for the time being, they were also at a loss for a good plan.

  Alas, my father in the previous life, although he never made a name for himself, was happy and carefree. This life, inexplicably became a tiny, insignificant official, yet troubles are endless, and it's unclear whether it's good or bad fortune.

  Things have come to this, as a son, I should share my father's worries.

  I bent down to pick up the melon seed shells under the table, and said with a pretended annoyance: "You hide, you hide, see how long you can hide..."

  "What's Xiao Jun saying?"

  Yan Yucheng asked with a smile.

  "Uncle, these melon seeds are hiding under the table and can't be swept up."

  "If it can't be swept away, then let it hide for a lifetime."

  I smiled and said, "If you can't afford to provoke him, can't you avoid him?"

  Yan Yucheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and he burst out laughing: "Jin Cai, if your son wasn't a genius, I'd chop off my own head for you to use as a stool."

  "Dad scolded: 'It's already this late, and you're still joking around.'"

  "Who was joking with you? You go find Zhang Mulan tomorrow and have him adjust the deputy director's division of labor. Don't worry about the publicity work anymore. Whatever others make a fuss about has nothing to do with you."

  Mr. Zhou smiled and said: "The 36th strategy is to run away, it's indeed a wonderful plan, but it can't be helped that it's a bit sneaky and cunning, haha..."

  "It's better to yield to the circumstances and avoid its sharp edge for now. As long as we have a green mountain, we won't worry about having no firewood."

  Dad is a headache for theoretical guidance, and Zhang Mulin is the same. Naturally, his headache is not whether or not to publicize the central theoretical guidance, but how to persuade Dad to obey the county's decision.

  Although he has become the number one person in Hongqi Commune, his prestige is not as good as his father's. As soon as he took office, he used his power to suppress others, which is not very good. At a meeting held by the county government, his father was criticized by Wang Benqing and continued to resist stubbornly, saying that he did not dare to do so. What Zhang Mulan worries about most is that his father will pretend to obey but actually disobey and slack off in his work.

  He finally managed to become a regular employee with great difficulty and wanted to achieve some decent results to leave a good impression on his superiors. At present, the top priority of his work is to publicize the central theoretical guidelines. If this task fails, he may not be able to keep his position as director for long.

  So Dad took the initiative to adjust the division of labor with him, and he was overjoyed.

  Just as I was about to fall asleep, someone came over and started laying out the bedding and handing me a pillow. What a wonderful thing! At that moment, I couldn't be bothered with politeness, so I readily agreed, fearing that my dad would change his mind again.

  Zhang Mulin handled the matter with unprecedented speed and efficiency, immediately convening a meeting to appoint another deputy director, Zhong Shan, who was ranked last, to be in charge of propaganda work. Lao Da was adjusted to be in charge of financial and taxation work as well as grain procurement. As for ranking, originally Lao Da was already ranked after Zhang Mulin, and with Zhang Mulin's promotion, he also rose to become the first-ranked deputy director of Hongqi Commune.

  In the eyes of ordinary people, Deputy Director Liu has offended Directors Wang and Cui for no reason, and his future career prospects will likely end here, making it even more difficult to advance further.

  Who would have thought that although Father had voluntarily offered to no longer be in charge of propaganda work, Cui Xiuhuo still wouldn't let it go. This person was determined to get revenge, and still harbored resentment towards the "Red Flag Commune's Eating Bitterness Incident". He had someone pass on a message to Zhang Mulian, saying that Liu Jinchang was the one who had been publicly criticized by Director Wang at the county-wide cadres' conference, and couldn't be reused. Why did Red Flag Commune still list him as the number one deputy director?

  Zhang Mulin was naturally timid and didn't dare offend Cui Xiuhuo. After thinking about it, he had no choice but to come find his old man for advice.

  Although they are both deputy directors, the ranking is also quite particular. When Dad heard Zhang Mulan bring up this matter in a roundabout way, he was unhappy and his face naturally didn't look very good.

  Zhang Mulan tried to persuade him, but his father saw that he was in a hurry and sweating profusely, and felt some sympathy for him. He casually said "Director Zhang will handle it" and turned around and left.

  Zhang Mulin's face turned red and white, but he also let out a long sigh. In any case, this difficult problem was finally solved, and there was an explanation to Director Cui. As a result, the ranking of deputy directors of Hongqi Commune changed, and my father dropped from first place to last place.