Chapter Fifty Secret

  "If nothing big happens in the village, of course, I'll come over. There's a police station on this side of Da Guan Kou. With so many people coming and going, it's inevitable that some troublemakers will show up, and we need to crack down on them from time to time. Ordinary folks work hard for their money, and they come here excitedly to have fun and enjoy themselves; we must make sure they leave with big smiles on their faces."

  Zhao Guotong unknowingly started chatting with him as if he were an old friend.

  A middle-aged man nodded, "Yes, being a public security officer is not easy either, but ordinary people look at whether you are doing your job or not, it's just to see if you can let them work and live in peace, this requirement is not high."

  "Brother, this sentence sounds like it's not asking for much, but when it comes down to it, it's not that simple." Zhao Guotang shook his head. "Let me give you a simple example. When someone is robbed, they will inevitably complain everywhere and soon the whole neighborhood will know about it. For the public security bureau to reverse this impression, maybe they would have to solve ten cases, but even then, it's not guaranteed that it can be made up for. It's very simple, ordinary people are very practical, they only pay attention to things that happen around them and automatically ignore things that don't concern them. Moreover, good things they often forget, but once their interests are harmed, they will remember it vividly even after ten years."

  "Haha, young man, how long have you been working? It sounds like it's had a profound impact on you." The middle-aged man chuckled.

  "I was on summer break from the police academy and I interned at the county bureau's public security department for two months, after graduation I interned at a police station in the urban area of Anshan for three months, then I was assigned to work at the county bureau's criminal police team for almost a year, and then I came down to this Jiangmiao police station and have been here for five months. Although the time is not long, but the experience is not little, I've worked in urban police stations, rural police stations, criminal police teams, public security departments, basically I've done everything." Zhao Guodong said with some pride.

  "Huh? You graduated from Provincial Police Academy? How come you've been working in the Criminal Police Unit for a year and now you're being sent to a police station?" The middle-aged man seemed to have some knowledge of public security work.

  "Jiangmiao Village is the largest village in the countryside of our county, but it has always been short-handed. My family is from Jiangmiao, so I came back." Zhao Guodong explained lightly.

  "Is your family from Jiangmiao?" The middle-aged man asked with great interest.

  "Alright, my parents are both from Andu First Textile Factory."

  "Oh, the textile mill's, I said how your accent isn't completely from this side either, but it also counts as this side's. The textile mill has been here for thirty years, right? When I was a soldier, the factory had just been built not long ago." The middle-aged man suddenly realized.

  "Hmm, it's been a full thirty years." Zhao Guo looked up at the sun, "Big brother, did you come alone?"

  "Yeah, just got back from a career change, thought I'd come back and take a look around, since I still have some free time before officially starting work. So I came out alone to wander around." The middle-aged man seemed a bit melancholic, "There's no one left in my hometown either, went back for a trip and gained a belly full of wine."

  "Haha, this is inevitable. Old friends meeting up should be lively and bustling. Zhao Guo looked around and saw that the sun was high in the sky, "If big brother doesn't mind, how about we have a simple meal together here at noon?"

  "Alright." The middle-aged man readily accepted the invitation.

  On the dinner table, Zhao Guotang didn't even persuade him to drink, he just took two bottles of local grain wine and only drank two cups before putting down his glass. This surprised the middle-aged man, who could see that Zhao Guotang's drinking capacity was not shallow. Zhao Guotang explained that there was still work in the afternoon, and a little wine would create a good atmosphere.

  After a meal, Zhao Guotang and the middle-aged man both felt quite congenial. Zhao Guotang thought that this person was eloquent and not like some soldiers who returned to civilian life for a long time and found it difficult to adapt to local life. Some were full of complaints and grievances, while others pretended to be high-minded with an air of "all people are drunk, I alone am sober". This man obviously did not belong to this category, and he could talk about the situation in An Yuan and even An Du at length, and was very eloquent.

  The middle-aged man also had a good impression of Zhao Guotang, and the professional ability he showed, as well as his understanding and analysis of worldly affairs, made him look at him with new eyes. Especially in terms of judging and analyzing current events, he felt that it was not something that a young person in their twenties should be able to do.

  Zhao Guotong didn't expect that his casual conversation with the other person would make the other person feel so deeply, and unintentionally brought some things from his past life memories into his own perspective, making Zhao Guotong's impression of him much deeper.

  In the afternoon, after the temple fair was over, things gradually returned to normal. The people who had come for the occasion gradually dispersed. Zhao Guodong and Liu Ge, that middle-aged man, were also chatting and drinking tea in the teahouse at the entrance. Although the local bitter tea with big leaves was astringent, it could indeed clear one's mind on a sleepy afternoon.

  The two of them chatted until late afternoon, from the history of Daguan Kou to the current public security situation in Jiangkou County, from the scenic spots on the side of Pingchuan to the development and changes in Anshun City in recent years, until the bitter tea flavor was about to disappear, the middle-aged man reluctantly got on his car and left.

  Before leaving, the middle-aged man asked for the phone number of Jiangmiao Police Station and also left a contact number for Zhao Guotang. Zhao Guotang even forgot to ask his name.

  The mystery that has been attracting the attention of middle-level cadres in Anshan Public Security Bureau for more than a month has finally been revealed.

  Under the chairmanship of Vice Mayor Gan Changfeng, Municipal Committee Standing Committee member and Organization Department Head Lei Zhuang announced on behalf of the Municipal Committee the new appointments to the leadership team of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Liu Zhaoguo was appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Vice Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Hu Xia was appointed as a member of the Party Committee and Vice Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and Qian Kefeng was appointed as a member of the Party Committee and Director of the Political Department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

  Xie Qixiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Director of the Public Security Bureau, made a summary speech.

  All the directors and political commissars of various district and county bureaus are aware that the competition for the position of deputy director has been going on for nearly three months. After the former deputy director took office as the director of the Legal Work Committee of the Municipal People's Congress, the competition for this position became increasingly fierce. Among the current three deputy directors, except for Deputy Director Huang Zhen, who is in charge of firefighting, public security, household registration, patrol police, anti-riot and armed police, due to his seniority, he withdrew from the competition early on. The other two deputy directors are vying for this position, a perfect match.

  One is the deputy director Gan Changfeng, who was promoted from the head of Lianhu Branch Bureau, and the other is the deputy director Chen Min, who was promoted from the head of Traffic Police Detachment. The two were promoted to serve as deputy directors of the Municipal Public Security Bureau at the same time three years ago.

  In terms of qualifications, ability and connections, the two are evenly matched. The leaders of the Municipal Public Security Bureau and its subordinate branches and county bureaus are also highly concerned about this contest. Everyone knows that Xie Qixiang, who is concurrently serving as the Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and the Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, will reach retirement age in just over a year. It is highly likely that he will take up a position as Vice Chairman or Deputy Director of the Municipal People's Congress or the CPPCC. Whoever takes on this role as Executive Vice Director will also be very likely to succeed Xie Qixiang as Director.

  Just when everyone thought the deputy director would be one of the two, Liu Zhaoguo's sudden appearance made everyone including Xie Qixiang stunned.

  Before this, nobody knew who Liu Zhaoguo was. It wasn't until the day before the announcement that some well-informed mid-level officials at the municipal bureau vaguely learned about this super dark horse who would take up the post of vice director-general. He turned out to be someone who had recently transferred from the military and used to serve as a political commissar in an artillery brigade of a certain northern military region's field army.

  Strive for excellence with perseverance and hard work!