Chapter Twenty-Four: Jiao Yue's Opportunity

  Gao Zhikai and Zhao Hongxia were quarreling when Lu Zhong was in County Secretary Qiu Dahong's office "listening to the sacred teachings".

  Qiu Dahuazheng was in his prime, with a robust physique and a voice like a bronze bell. He had an air of authority about him, and his appearance was equally commanding, with a shaved head that made him look like a bandit. He exhorted Lu Zhong for several sentences, telling him to "work hard, build the Guangning public security system into a bridgehead for safeguarding Guangning's reform and opening up", etc.

  He smiled and asked, "Lu Zhong, have you solved your personal problems?" His way of addressing Lu Zhong changed from "Little Lu" to "Lu Zhong", reflecting the rise in Lu Zhong's status in Guangning's political life.

  The county bureau chief's position is different from other county-level departments, which can be removed at will. Moreover, according to friends in the municipal bureau, Lu Zhong was directly appointed by the provincial hall leaders. This is not surprising, as it is said that Director Chu wrote an investigation report that spoke highly of Lu Zhong, making him the sole credit for solving several major cases, including the 516 serial murder case, the Nanjing massacre case, and the shooting of Zhang Zili. Even many cases handled by Gao Zhikai this year have become achievements under Lu Zhong's leadership, which is why the provincial hall leaders appointed Lu Zhong in a special promotion.

  Recently, Lu Zhong's cases have all been handled with great success, and this young man has indeed become a sharp blade on the public security front line. If used well, he will be a great help. Especially since Lu Zhong has no connection with Ma Weiguo and Zhang Qingming, Qiu Dahai is also happy to see him appointed.

  Seeing Lu Zhong shake his head, Qiu Dahai laughed and said: "Yes, you're still young, no rush!" When it comes to Lu Zhong's personal issues, Qiu Dahai actually has a suitable candidate in mind, but after thinking about it, he didn't say anything. Although this young man seems to have become more stable recently, it is said that he was once notorious for being stubborn and directly rejecting others' words would make everyone lose face.

  After chatting for a few more sentences, Ju Da hung up the phone and stood up to bid farewell.

  Lu Zhong knew that Qiu Da looked rough but was actually very astute, otherwise the position of county magistrate wouldn't have been so hard to produce and would not have been held by him all along.

  Now he is still in the observation period, he must take a good look at himself and think about himself carefully. In an official unit, it's all about figuring out people, understanding them thoroughly, and using them effectively, which often leads to twice the result with half the effort.

  Out of Qiu Da's office, down to the second floor, Lu Zhong thought for a moment and walked towards Liu Baojun's office, gently knocking on the door.

  With a "come in", Lu Zhong pushed open the door and walked in. Liu Baojun was sitting at his desk, reviewing documents.

  "Come on, Zhēngzi, sit down." Liu Bǎojūn was still his usual enthusiastic self, as if nothing had happened at all. His tone was even more familiar than before.

  After chatting for a few sentences, Liu Baojun looked at his watch and smiled: "It's almost time to get off work, I'll treat you out, let's celebrate!"

  Lu Zhong smiled and said: "I have to go back today, Little Tiger is waiting for me, another day then."

  Liu Baojun smiled and nodded.

  Lu Zhong knew that although Liu Baojun didn't say a word, he must be thinking to himself about what was going on and how he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to block their path.

  We have to thank Director Chu for this.

  Lu Zhong's thoughts drifted back to half a month ago, when Chu, the director, inadvertently mentioned that his hometown had been experiencing a series of child disappearances, and his niece was also one of the victims, still missing with no signs of life or death.

  Lu Zhong knew the inside story of this sensational case, which was actually a child trafficking and selling case. However, due to various twists and turns, the suspects were touted as mysterious and ruthless "Flower Gang" members or cannibalistic tribesmen, and it would take more than two months to crack the case.

  Lu Zhong then subtly provided some ideas, which greatly inspired Chu Chuzhang. He called the public security agency in his hometown and solved the case in just two days. From then on, Chu Chuzhang admired Lu Zhong extremely.

  Lu Zhongzuo polished and refined, perhaps this is the reason why Chu Chuzhang returned to the provincial hall to speak well for himself, even surpassing the ancient jade given by Liu Baojun to Chu Chuzhang.

  That ancient jade, Chu Chulang had intended to ask Lu Zhong to return it to Liu Baojun when he was about to leave, but Lu Zhong couldn't agree. If it were Ma Weiguo, it would be a great gift from Chu Chulang to himself, not only having a handle on Ma Weiguo, but also making him unclear about his own bottom line. But the other party was Liu Baojun, and he had a special relationship with him, so it's better to pretend that he didn't know about this matter.

  In a few days, Chu Chulang will think of another way to return the ancient jade to Liu Baojun.

  Lost in thought, Lu Zhong went downstairs and just walked out of the building when a green Jeep stopped beside him.

  The car door opened and a short, chubby young man jumped out, smiling obsequiously and bowing his head, "Director Lu, I've come to pick you up."

  Lu Zhong recognized this green Jeep, which was actually a vehicle assigned by the bureau and had become Director Zhang's dedicated car.

  Although Yuan Secretary conveyed the news over the phone today, and he has already become the new director, he will not rush to enjoy the treatment of Zhang Qingming's special car, but instead ride a bicycle with Liu Baojun to the county party committee compound.

  He wasn't in a hurry, but naturally someone was anxious to come and fawn on the new head of the county bureau after the change of dynasty. The little fatty who came to pick up Lu Zhong was called Jiao Lei, a driver from the administrative department of the county bureau.

  When Lu Zhong first came to Guangning, the internal institutions of the county bureau were: Criminal Police Brigade, Public Security Section, Political Protection Section, Pre-trial Section, Internal Protection Section, Guard Section, Secretariat Section, Letters and Visits Section, Administrative Detention Center, Political Work Office, Detention House, etc.

  By the beginning of this year, according to the county's compilation committee Guangbian [1984] No. 2 document reply, the original stocks set up by the county bureau were changed to sections, and the secretarial stock and political work office were divided into offices and administrative sections, while a policy research room was added.

  The General Affairs Office has basically taken over the functions of the Secretariat, and the Administrative Section has become the general manager of the whole bureau, providing logistical support for the whole bureau, divided into cooking class, communication class, driver class and accounting room.

  Xiao Pangzi Jiaoyue is the driver of the driving team, not very old, in his twenties, but he has been a veteran who took over at the age of 17 and entered the county bureau to work.

  Although he was just a driver in the driver's class, he was also ranked according to his seniority, and it would never have been his turn to drive for Director Dai. Now that the county bureau had changed its leadership, Jiao Lei keenly sensed that his opportunity had arrived. Old Zhang, who used to drive for Director Zhang, wanted to continue driving for the new Director Lu, but Director Lu wouldn't use him.

  Jiao Yue went to ask Lao Zhang for the car key today and took the car to wait for Lu Zhong at the county committee compound.

  Lu Zhong didn't hesitate, nodded and got on the car to sit in the front passenger seat. Nowadays, most of the vehicles allocated to grassroots units are Jeeps, and leaders don't sit in the back seat. Sitting in the front passenger seat is more comfortable.

  Jiao Yue hastily helped Lu Zhong close the car door, then quickly got in and started the engine. His movements were very swift, he knew this was a one-time opportunity, so he naturally wanted to make a good impression.

  "Director, I'll send you home first and then come back to pick up your bicycle." Jiao Ye said cautiously, glancing at Lu Zhong's face.

  Lu Zhong hummed in agreement.

  The green jeep drove through the streets and alleys and soon arrived at the urban-rural junction in the southern suburbs of the county seat.

  After turning into a dirt road, it was clearly a rural scene. The flat houses were all facing south and had slogans and propaganda paintings on the back wall, which were vividly depicted: A young farmer with a proud face, with a small boy riding on his neck, and two slightly larger girls hanging from his arms; In the second picture, the young farmer became an old man with a hunched back, with his grown son riding on his back, and four girls heavily suspended from his weak arms. The white text below read: "Family planning is a fundamental national policy, and having too many children is a shameful illegal act!"

  Family planning work is in full swing, sometimes going to the countryside to catch women for ligation, and police forces from various police stations have to be dispatched.

  The thatched cottages on both sides of the dirt road, almost every household has a haystack in front of their door. The courtyard walls have high and large houses surrounded by green bricks, as well as simple fences made of sorghum stalks. The striking contrast is the prototype of the early rich and the late rich.

  Jiao Yue said in a low voice: "Director Lu's living environment is a bit harsh, but it's okay, the residential building for family members in the bureau will be completed soon." After finishing speaking, he couldn't help but regret it and wanted to slap himself in the face. What was the point of saying this? It wasn't something he should have discussed with his superior. The implication of his words seemed to suggest that Director Lu had already been allocated a housing quota.

  Lu Zhong didn't make a sound, he just lit up a cigarette.

  Jiao Ye's heart sank even further, it was all over, it seemed that his hopes of driving for Director Lu were dashed.

  The jeep soon stopped in front of a courtyard with a green iron gate and a cyan brick wall, where some children and villagers were watching from afar. At that time, it was still rare for cars to enter the village, but this village was called Zhaozhuang, which was a suburban area belonging to Chengguan Town, and due to the rapid economic development of Guangning, the villagers had more or less seen the world, so there was no scene where a group of people surrounded them to watch the excitement.

  Jiao Yue had already inquired about Lu Ju's residence with Du Xiao Hu, and even sent Du Xiao Hu back home to confirm it once, so he recognized the door very accurately.

  After the rain, the village is in the east, and a seven-colored rainbow appears on the horizon, beautiful and magnificent.

  In the courtyard, Du Xiaohu brought out an iron stove and was fiddling with something, when he looked up to see Lu Zhong entering the courtyard, he smiled and said: "Zhongge, I don't know how to make kebabs, let's just have a barbecue."

  Lu Zhong smiled and said, "Alright, let's splurge today."

  Jiao Ye curiously glanced at him a few times, but didn't dare to ask more questions. He hurriedly lit the fire and started the car, heading to the county committee compound to pick up Lu Ju's bicycle.

  Oil was poured into the pot, and a fragrance wafted out. Du Xiaohu then stuck slices of pork that had been cut into pieces onto the pot, carefully stirring them.

  Du Xiaohu also set up the table next to the iron stove, and Lu Zhong sat down on the mat chair, looking at the two large plates full of pork slices on the table. Lu Zhong smiled: "You're not usually frugal, what's going on? Are you living a life that's too extravagant?"

  Du Xiaohu smiled and said, "You chased away a big tiger, today we must celebrate properly. Besides, Wang Yuguo gave us 10 kilograms of meat coupons, these meats won't cost much money."

  Wang Yuguuo is the director of the office and the head of the administrative department, and is the real housekeeper of the county bureau. The allocation of meat tickets in the bureau is also within his jurisdiction.

  Lu Zhong furrowed his brow and said, "Tiger, tomorrow return the extra meat tickets. If we want to eat meat, we'll buy it with our own money. Does it really matter about this little bit of money?" Du Xiao Hu was like a younger brother, but he was too straightforward, so many things had to be taught to him step by step.

  Du Xiaohu scratched his head and said, "Okay, I originally thought that if we could save money, we would." He didn't have any objections either, as he had always followed Lu Zheng's instructions.

  Lu Zhong sighed and said, "Tiger, from now on, there will be many people who want to be friends with you in the bureau, but how many of them are sincere? You should do more and talk less, don't let others take advantage of your kindness and make friends with just anyone."

  Du Xiaohu nodded and said: "I know, oh..." but the oil splattered onto his hand.

  Lu Zhong couldn't help but smile wryly, shaking his head as he looked at the pork slices on the table.

  Nowadays, in Wushan area, there are two kinds of market prices for pork: one is the price supplied with tickets and the other is the market price increased by 58%, which is called the dual-track pricing system.

  From 1979, the dual-track price system began to emerge. The State Council approved in 1981 that crude oil exceeding the base production could be exported at international market prices; In 1983, it was approved that the excess part of petroleum and coal would be sold at a higher price; In 1984, it was approved that the excess part of industrial production materials could be sold within a 20% increase in price, etc., all of which were part of the dual-track price system.

  This is from a national perspective, and Wushan area, as a coastal open city, also has its own policies, the pace of market opening is much faster than inland areas.

  Taking pork as an example, from relying entirely on ticket supply to open supply in 1979, and then back to relying on ticket supply in 1981, and after being designated as a coastal open city, implementing a new system of planned ticket supply for urban residents and market supply outside the plan, it can be said that they have been exploring the path of reform all along.

  However, the new system of dual-track pricing inevitably gave those in power an opportunity to profit from their authority. They would obtain planned indicators and then sell them at market prices outside the plan, thereby earning the difference as profit.

  This kind of profiteering can be big or small. In smaller cases, people would manipulate tickets for meat, oil, and industrial products to benefit themselves and others, giving them a sense of power and prestige. Even an old worker from a famous bicycle factory became a respected figure in the neighborhood because he could get supply tickets for famous bicycles through his connections.

  But if we go further back in time, the goods being resold were industrial materials, crude oil and coal, with huge profits that cannot be calculated. This is what later came to be known as "official speculation".

  Now, Wang Yuguo's meat ticket for Du Xiaohu can be counted as part of the previous one, just a small favor, but Lu Zhong doesn't want to take advantage of this.

  The pork sold in Guangning County is priced at 1.02 yuan per 500 grams, and the guided selling price for non-planned supplies is 1.61 yuan, with a difference of less than 6 cents per catty, and even ten catties would be only six yuan, which may be a big number for others, but how could Lu Zhong care about it?