All morning.
Ring, ring, ring.
Ring, ring, ring.
The phone never stopped ringing.
Dong Xuebin took quite a few calls of concern from friends and colleagues. Even Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Pu An personally came to his office to ask what had happened. Everyone had plenty of guesses about Dong Xuebin's actions this time. Some believed County Chief Jiang had clashed with him and that they had developed political differences. Others thought the Jiang faction had made some sort of compromise with the Meng faction over benefits, and that there were matters involved that they did not know about. Still others believed Dong Xuebin could not control the situation at the Development and Reform Bureau, so rather than wait for something to go wrong there, he had handed it off to someone else first. There were all sorts of theories, but nobody was foolish enough to truly think Dong Xuebin had health problems. And Dong Xuebin's answer? He insisted that his health was failing. When Pu An came to ask, he gave the same answer—he was too exhausted, weak, anemic, making it sound as though he were critically ill. Pu An was skeptical, but ultimately did not press further.
The work assignments had already been adjusted at the county government meeting, but they had not yet gone before the Standing Committee. The adjustment could still be voted down, so Dong Xuebin was afraid something might go wrong. He decided to see the act through, called County Chief Jiang to ask for another day off, and went to the hospital for examinations before noon.
CT scan.
X-ray.
Blood test.
He underwent every test they could run.
Dong Xuebin practically wished he could be hospitalized for a few days.
Noon.
Ci Boyang received a call from County Party Secretary Meng Rui. Rather than going downstairs for lunch, he headed straight to Secretary Meng's office. After knocking, he entered. "Secretary Meng."
Meng Rui gestured downward. "Sit down first. Then tell me."
Ci Boyang sat in front of his desk. "You've heard?"
Meng Rui nodded and looked at him. "What exactly happened?"
Ci Boyang gave a bitter smile. "I don't know either. County Chief Jiang called a temporary office meeting, announced the adjustment of work assignments right away, and then adjourned the meeting."
Meng Rui frowned. "Hasn't the work at the Development and Reform Bureau been progressing quite well?"
"That's right." Ci Boyang said, "There have never been any problems. I even made some calls to ask around just now, but I heard nothing. I don't understand why Dong Xuebin would give up responsibility for such an important department, and he was the one who proposed it himself? This..."
Meng Rui said, "I heard County Chief Dong went to the hospital?"
"Yes, he took leave, but his health shouldn't be seriously affected, should it?" Ci Boyang said in puzzlement. "Even if he really is unwell and an old injury has flared up, how can he just hand over the Development and Reform portfolio? Even if he has no time to handle the work over there, the Development and Reform Bureau has its top and second-in-command to take care of it. He doesn't need to personally handle every single matter. I don't understand what Dong Xuebin means by this, and County Chief Jiang's attitude seems rather unclear as well."
Meng Rui was also somewhat confused by Dong Xuebin's move. "County Chief Jiang transferred your science and technology portfolio to County Chief Dong?"
Ci Boyang gave an affirmative hum. "Yes. If Dong Xuebin really is in poor health and wants to lighten his load, then why add the Science and Technology Bureau to his responsibilities? Is it because the bureau is not that important? Because there is not much work? Well, that is possible too. Maybe County Chief Jiang is trying to strike a balance for Dong Xuebin?"
Meng Rui asked, "Has anything been going on at the Science and Technology Bureau lately?"
"No." Ci Boyang said helplessly, "What could happen at such a small department? It doesn't even have a proper office location. I only hear a work report from the Science and Technology Bureau once every month or two." After saying that, he sighed. "That's why I truly can't make sense of it. When I heard County Chief Jiang was going to adjust the assignments, I thought it was aimed at me. Who would have thought she would instead divide up and take away Dong Xuebin's authority, then give it to me?"
Meng Rui fell silent for a while. "Go eat first."
"Okay." Ci Boyang finally left.
Meng Rui sat alone in his office and thought it over. He considered more than Ci Boyang did. The first thing that came to mind was whether someone from the Jiang faction wanted to get rid of Ci Boyang. If Ci Boyang had been too deeply involved with the Science and Technology Bureau, then once Dong Xuebin took over and checked the accounts, he could bring down Ci Boyang. But after thinking about it, Meng Rui felt that was impossible. It was the Science and Technology Bureau, after all—a department with no money or perks to speak of. No matter how foolish Ci Boyang was, there would be nothing for him to get his hands on. Besides, Ci Boyang's attitude clearly showed he had nothing to hide. With that possibility ruled out, could Jiang Fangfang or Dong Xuebin be trying to make some sort of exchange with him? The more he thought about it, the more likely that seemed. Just the day before yesterday, a deputy township chief from Clear Water Township had submitted an application for medical retirement. Did someone from the Jiang faction have their eye on that position? Yet Meng Rui was still quite puzzled, because Jiang Fangfang had not communicated with him beforehand. Why had she handed the Development and Reform Bureau directly to the Meng faction without even saying a word? The Development and Reform Bureau was not some dispensable unit like the Science and Technology Bureau.
Meng Rui remained wary.
But confusing as it was, Meng Rui could not think of any reason to reject the adjustment of work assignments at the Standing Committee meeting two days later. How could he refuse meat that had been delivered to his door? There was simply no reason to reject it. If he overturned an adjustment the county government had already decided on, not only might Ci Boyang have his own thoughts about it, it would also amount to slapping the Jiang faction in the face. At a time when the Meng and Jiang factions were in a honeymoon period, Meng Rui clearly did not want to fall out with the Jiang faction. Both sides knew that Zhenshui County had entered a period of rapid economic development, and fierce internal conflict would benefit no one.
After considering it from every angle, Meng Rui came to a decision.
Two days later.
At the County Party Committee Standing Committee meeting.
The meeting approved the adjustment of work assignments for Comrades Dong Xuebin and Ci Boyang. On the matter of selecting a deputy township chief for Clear Water Township, Dong Xuebin recommended Yao Cui without avoiding the appearance of favoritism, and she was approved. Yao Cui was appointed deputy township chief of Clear Water Township and would take office a week later. Several other appointments and work adjustments were also passed one by one. The atmosphere of the meeting was relatively harmonious, and both the Meng and Jiang factions gained something.
Another five days passed.
Just as everyone had nearly forgotten Dong Xuebin's inexplicable decision to voluntarily lighten his load, a call from the Chinese Academy of Sciences arrived at the county without warning. Immediately afterward, the vice governor in charge of science and technology also called to announce that the Chinese Academy of Sciences' newest 503 Experimental Base had been confirmed for Clear Water Township, Zhenshui County. Construction would begin promptly on the first of next month, and Zhenshui County was asked to cooperate fully. As for the site selection, communication with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and coordination and command of the local government, those responsibilities naturally all fell to Dong Xuebin, who was in charge of science and technology.
The entire county was shaken when it heard the news!
No one had expected such an enormous windfall to land on Zhenshui County again!
They had not even tried to compete for it, yet such a massive project had landed in their county? Could there really be such a good thing in the world?
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