Chapter 9 Just Say A Few Words

  Under the golden lamp, Tang Yi was writing quickly on his desk in his dormitory assigned by the town government. The furniture was simple and the only electrical appliance was a 14-inch color TV on the TV cabinet. In the early 1990s, color TVs slowly entered northern rural areas, but they were still luxury goods for a few people, and most rural families were still using black-and-white TVs.

  Tang Yi was writing "The Gains and Losses of the Economic Reform of the Soviet Socialist Republics Union", which would be used in a few months, this was the most important part of his preparation work, he racked his brains to make it a good article.

  "Ring, ring, ring", the phone on the bedside table suddenly rang. Originally, the dormitory of the town leader was not equipped with a telephone, it was Tang Yi who had installed it at his own expense.

  Tang Yi put down his pen, rubbed his slightly sore arm, walked to the bedside and picked up the phone. A warm woman's voice came from the receiver: "Xiao Yi?"

  "Mom?" Tang Yi's heart suddenly stirred with excitement, and this "mom" slipped out of his mouth so naturally. Even he himself was a little surprised, as if his feelings for the woman had changed in an instant from the special respect of the past to the current affectionate mother, perhaps it was because he had really merged with his adoptive father's body.

  "Little Yi, is that you? Are you okay? How are you doing? Is work exhausting?" The woman's voice was somewhat agitated. She was Xiao Jin Hua, the mother of Tang Yi's adoptive father. Tang Yi's adoptive father's father had sacrificed himself in the Vietnam War, and his son had been taken in by the old master to be raised. With nothing better to do, Xiao Jin Hua had obtained a green card in the United States and started a small company as a spiritual outlet. However, in another time and space, after Tang Yi's adoptive father left the family, she had ended the business of that small company in the United States and rushed back home to accompany Tang Yi's family and guide her son. She was a strong and capable woman who could pick up and put down her responsibilities at will. The growth of Tang Yi's adoptive mother was also closely related to Xiao Jin Hua's influence.

  Tang Yi listened to her gentle words, his throat was a bit bitter, his eyes were hot, but he still forced himself to control his emotions, trying his best to make his voice not tremble: "Mom, I'm fine, how about you?"

  "I'm doing great too, the living conditions here are much better than back home! Don't worry about me."

  "Xiao Yi, the old master called me and said you've been doing very well lately!" Xiang Jin Hua's voice was filled with a hint of pride. Although the old man was not too pleased about her running off to America to start a company, Xiang Jin Hua seemed to be unaffected by his disapproval. But in the hearts of the Tang family members, who wouldn't feel honored by the old master's few words of praise?

  Tang Yi was taken aback for a moment, and only then did he realize that although the old master seemed to be ignoring him on the surface, his every move had probably not escaped his notice. It seemed that he was quite satisfied with Tang Yi's performance in the Li Wenhe case, and had even gone so far as to call his mother.

  Xiao Yutang laughed again in the receiver: "Little Yi, you have to work hard, I can hold my head high in the Tang family all depends on you!" Although it was a joking tone, somehow it felt like there was some flavor of "mother's status relying on her son", Tang Yi knew that she actually still cared about her status in the Tang family.

  "Mom, how's your business going?"

  "Alas, small company, can't earn much money, and the cost of living is high here, what's to be done? Rely on mom to make a lot of money to support you in old age?" Xiao Jinhua smiled and said so, but Tang Yi knew that she had her own way of doing business, and the business should be going well.

  "Mom, are you doing business or not?" Tang Yi looked at the calendar on the wall and suddenly had an idea.

  "Huh, when did you start caring about my company? Don't tell me you still don't like politics and want to join me in the business world? Let me tell you, stop mentioning that useless idea of yours!" Xiao Jinhua said with a half-joking, half-serious tone, also warning Tang Yi.

  "Not really." Táng Yì looked at the calendar, thought for a long time, and finally made up his mind to ask: "I'll ask you something, what do you think about the situation in Iraq?"

  "Aw, I'm telling you, baby son, I didn't make this long-distance call to discuss the political situation with you, silly boy, do you know how much a minute costs?" Xiao Jinhua chuckled, she had always liked teasing her somewhat naive son.

  Tang Yi couldn't help but rub his head, but still had to continue: "I didn't want to talk to you about this, what I mean is that I've been analyzing it for the past few days and I think the Gulf War will definitely break out. The United Nations forces will quickly gain victory, and may not even lose a few soldiers. I don't know if my analysis has any use for your trade business."

  Xiao Jinhua's giggles suddenly stopped, and after a while, her voice came up again: "Are you serious?" Her tone was very solemn.

  "It's serious, and I think that in a few months, the Soviet Union may collapse." Tang Yi's words were shocking at the time, even the most radical Western scholars did not foresee the collapse of the Soviet Union. As for the Iraq War, no one thought that the master of the Persian Gulf, Iraq, which was then the third military power, would be so vulnerable in front of the United States. Since the first Gulf War, the Republic has been deeply shocked, which accelerated the pace of strengthening its military through science and technology.

  Xiao Jinhua was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "If your analysis is accurate, then the US market and international trade will undergo earth-shaking changes. The prices of crude oil and gold will be severely impacted. However, son... *sigh*..." She finally let out a sigh, clearly feeling that Tang Yi's analysis was too far-fetched, and in her heart, she secretly felt that perhaps her son wasn't cut out for politics after all.

  Tang Yi finished speaking and also had some regrets, hurriedly laughing to smooth things over: "Of course, these are all my random analysis, don't take it seriously, and don't tell others either!"

  Xiao Jinhua smiled: "What? Afraid that others will laugh at you if they find out? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else! However, son, you must have confidence. No matter whether others believe it or not, Mom believes in you!"

  Tang Yi felt a warmth in her heart and nodded slightly before chatting with her for a few more sentences about nothing in particular, only then did she hang up the phone.

  ……

  In the spacious conference room of the county government, around 20 to 30 people sat around a round table, holding an enlarged meeting of the Yan Mountain County Party Committee. Members of the county party committee, secretaries of the town party committees, and town mayors were all in attendance.

  Tang Yi sat in a corner by the window, next to Liu Dazhong, whose face was always gloomy. Tang Yi looked at the central red-headed document "Outline of Economic System Reform 'Eight Five' and Ten-Year Plan" in his hand, listening to the crowd's debate, feeling heavy-hearted.

  Before the meeting, County Magistrate Cheng Jianjun specially found Tang Yi to talk, at that time he was holding a red-headed document issued by the central government with a happy face, instructing Tang Yi to carefully understand the spirit of this document. At that time, Tang Yi knew that Cheng Jianjun wanted to use this conference on studying the central spirit to attack Xiao Ri and weaken the influence of conservative thinking.

  As expected, the meeting was soon filled with gunpowder, and the Minister of Propaganda took the lead in attacking, believing that Yangshan County's reform had stagnated and was clearly inconsistent with the central spirit. This is inseparable from the mistakes made by the Party Committee, and as for who will take responsibility for the Party Committee, it goes without saying.

  The current speaker is Cheng Jianjun, who enthusiastically enumerated the achievements of Yan Mountain County since the reform and opening-up, the improvement of people's living standards, and finally slowly talked about the obstacles encountered by Yan Mountain County in its reforms. The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, waving his arms: "Comrades! General Secretary made an important speech during his recent inspection tour of Shanghai Pudong, saying that the Shanghai people should liberate their thinking a bit more, be bolder, and move faster! But looking at our Yan Mountain County, not only have we failed to deepen reform efforts, but there is even a trend of gradual regression. Comrades, I am deeply grieved! As county magistrate, I admit my work has been mistaken, and I make self-criticism here!

  The venue was silent, the atmosphere was unusually heavy. At this time, Xiao Ri, who had no expression on his face, slowly moved the microphone to his mouth, coughed lightly, and suddenly burst out laughing: "What? You think you can rebel against me? Let me tell you, kid! I'm afraid of nothing, except being rebelled against!"

  "Pffft!" Tang Yi spat out the tea in his mouth, he never thought that Xiao Ri would say something like this. He was the county party secretary after all! Even if it was just between them, to speak so... bluntly at a county party committee meeting was truly "words that could kill".

  "Comrade Jianjun, what you said makes sense, but I'd like to ask you a question in return. How do you plan to further deepen the reform? How can we ensure that the fundamental interests of the majority of the people will not be undermined? How can we determine whether the path you're taking is correct? And how can we guarantee that our county won't undergo peaceful evolution like what happened in Eastern Europe? Were those comrades who initiated reforms back then less intelligent than you, Comrade Jianjun?" Xiao Rihong's booming voice was exceptionally loud, and as soon as he spoke, the whispering county committee members stopped their discussions and sat up straight, looking at him with a mixture of respect and fear.

  Jingjun Cheng was left speechless by Xiao Ri's counter-question, looking around in dismay. Those former comrades who had vowed to stand together just a moment before were now sitting upright, not one of them standing up to support him.

  "Comrades, I'm also heartbroken!" Xiao Ri waved his big hands, "What I'm heartbroken about is that some people have opinions but don't follow the normal channels, disregard organizational principles, form cliques and factions, stir up trouble in meetings, and hope for chaos everywhere!" Xiao Ri became more and more agitated as he spoke, suddenly slamming his hand on the table: "Damn it! If this were back in my army days, I would have killed him long ago!" The teacups on the table clattered loudly, and everyone in the meeting room fell silent.

  "Director Xiao, I'd like to say a few words." Just as Director Xiao was about to speak, Tang Yi raised his hand. But Director Xiao didn't even acknowledge him and continued speaking: "I fully agree with the spirit of the Party's document, but how are we going to carry out this reform? We must be cautious! Eastern Europe is a warning to us!"

  Tang Yi furrowed his brow, picked up the microphone next to him, and inadvertently pointed the mouthpiece at the amplifier. The microphone let out a sharp, long whistle, causing everyone in the venue to stare at him in shock, including Xiao Ri who was also taken aback.

  Tang Yi turned the microphone, and the long whistle disappeared. Before Xiao Ri could reprimand him, Tang Yi had already spoken up: "Secretary Xiao, I want to say a few words. What you just said was correct, but what are the principles of the organization? How can the party's life be healthy? If I remember correctly, the highest principle of the party's life is democratic centralism, not autocracy! Since I have been allowed to attend this meeting, I have the right to speak, and you cannot deprive me of my rights!"

  Everyone stared at Tang Yi in a daze, no one expected that Tang Yi, the young town secretary, would dare to confront Xiao Ri so bluntly. Even Cheng Jianjun, who had just spoken, was evasive and didn't dare mention Xiao Ri's name directly.

  Xiao Ri was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Good kid! Dare to fire at me! Alright, you speak, I'll listen, and hear your sour and slippery theory." As he spoke, he slowly leaned back in his chair, with an air of eager listening.

  Tang Yi ignored Xiao Ri's sarcasm and continued, "Just now Secretary Xiao mentioned the peaceful evolution in Eastern Europe. As far as I know, the cultural circle of Eastern Europe belongs to the traditional Western culture. The Soviet Union forcibly imposed socialism on them through military force, which is different from us. Our history has always been a history of imperial dynasties and small-scale agricultural economy, and our philosophy belongs to a different category from that of the West. Therefore, if the West wants to assimilate and corrupt us using the Eastern European model, they will definitely suffer a shameful defeat!"

  "Of course, I don't mean that our party can rest easy and think that everything will be fine for a thousand years. That would be benbenism, the sour and slippery theory you mentioned, Secretary."

  The scene was filled with gentle and kind laughter, which greatly alleviated the heavy atmosphere.

  Tang Yi continued: "I also believe that opposing bourgeois liberalization and preventing peaceful evolution is the top priority of our work, but this does not contradict deepening reform! Just like you and County Magistrate Cheng, one party and one government, if we compare ourselves to a big family, you two are like father and mother, not opposing sides. Our big family can only prosper when you love each other! If father and mother quarrel every day, can our big family have good days? Of course, it's right to express opinions at meetings and not create rumors. Making up after a fight shows that our organizational life is still very healthy!"

  The scene erupted in another burst of laughter, and Xiao Ri also smiled and nodded, taking the microphone to interject: "Then what's your position? Are you a naughty kid messing around in everyone's home?" Everyone burst out laughing, and Cheng Jianjun's face brightened up a lot.

  Tang Yi also ignored him and continued: "Regarding the deepening of reform and opposition to bourgeois liberalization, I have read many documents issued by the Central Committee. Not a single document considers them contradictory. The General Secretary has also said that we are now crossing the river by feeling for stones, and it is possible to take a wrong path, but we cannot not take the path just because we fear taking a wrong path, which would be even more unacceptable."

  When Tang Yi gradually shifted his tone to support Cheng Jianjun, Xiao Ri's face became serious again. However, Tang Yi continued: "But taking fewer wrong paths and fewer detours is the correct attitude. So how can we take fewer wrong paths and fewer detours? I think Secretary Xiao has done a good job in this regard, repeatedly reviewing and cautiously treating any reform proposal. This is not hindering reform, on the contrary, I believe that when we carry out reforms, we should have such an attitude. Only if there are more people like Secretary Xiao who can spot mistakes, will we be able to minimize the errors that may occur in all aspects of our reforms, and prevent problems from arising. This is the best way to take fewer detours!"

  The people present nodded in agreement, feeling that Tang Yi's words made some sense. Cheng Jianjun took the opportunity to pick up the microphone: "What Little Tang said is not bad, today's meeting agenda, apart from understanding the spirit of the central document, is to summarize our experience and lessons learned from the reform in Yanshan County, carry out criticism and self-criticism, and discuss how to further deepen the reform!" He finished with a long sigh, finally wrapping up the scene. If it weren't for Tang Yi's lengthy speech, who knows how they would have ended the meeting?

  The subsequent meetings were much more relaxed, discussing the spirit of the central document and conducting in-depth discussions on reform. When the meeting was adjourned, the town secretaries all shook hands with Tang Yi and bid farewell, each looking at him with a subtle change in expression, feeling that this young secretary had a good grasp of things and was not just a mediocre person. Of course, there were also a few people who felt somewhat disdainful, thinking he was just a pedantic scholar, spouting theories left and right, but when it came to actual work, he might be useless. However, regardless of what they thought, their attitude towards Tang Yi had changed, no longer viewing him as just a young upstart trying to make a name for himself by going to the grassroots level.

  Cheng Jianjun patted Tang Yi's shoulder heavily as he passed by, and the kind smile on his face was undoubtedly the greatest affirmation of Tang Yi.

  Xiao Ri walked slowly and steadily to Tang Yi's side, slightly stopping his footsteps, nodding his head: "You're not bad, kid. I'll give you a piece of advice: don't be an official sycophant, trying to please both sides will end up pleasing neither!"

  Tang Yi smiled silently, he had his own set of standards for doing things, but it wasn't like Xiao Ri thought, preparing to be some kind of official flatterer.