Chapter 240
Seeing that Director Liu had something on his mind, Li Qun thought this was a great opportunity to get closer to him. After all, Director Liu was notoriously difficult to please, and sometimes, a poorly executed attempt at flattery could backfire.
"Is something bothering you? Perhaps you could tell me, and I could help share the burden?"
Director Liu's tone was somewhat low. "It's nothing much, really. You know Mingli's sister, right? She used to work in the town."
Li Qun nodded. Although he had only recently been transferred here, the name was not unfamiliar to him. Even now, he occasionally heard colleagues talking about Director Nan's deeds.
"I've heard other colleagues mention her, but she's been transferred to Rongcheng, so she's no threat to us."
"You're overthinking it. It's not that I'm afraid of her," Director Liu said, opening up to Li Qun for the first time.
"To tell you the truth, before the new year, the county party secretary over in Rongcheng called, saying he wanted to speak with Director Nan. We were swamped that day and I took a lot of calls, so I ended up completely forgetting about it while I was busy.
"And guess what? Just now, Director Qiao from the county called me about this very matter. I know he has a good relationship with Director Nan—when Nan Mingli got married, Director Qiao even went in person to congratulate him. But I never imagined he would hold me accountable after hearing about this. Getting scolded is a small matter, but how will I have the face to attend meetings at the county level in the future?"
Li Qun knew very well that Director Liu and Nan Mingli were not on the same side. Let alone forgetting, it was entirely possible that Liu had deliberately refused to pass on the message.
"Director, is Director Qiao really going to hold you accountable? Could it be pressure from Rongcheng?"
"Impossible. From what Director Qiao said, he just wants to vent some frustration on Director Nan's behalf. He told me to just write a report and submit it."
Hearing this, Li Qun felt it didn't sound too serious. He decided he might as well show his loyalty. If he could take the fall for this minor mistake on the director's behalf, the director would certainly not treat him poorly when good things came around in the future.
"Director, I have an idea. I wonder if you'd be willing to adopt it?"
"Oh? Let's hear it!"
Li Qun deliberately stepped closer to Director Liu, lowered his head, and whispered a few words. Hearing this, Director Liu immediately objected.
"No! As a member of the Discipline Inspection Commission, how can I resort to deception? I absolutely disagree with this!"
Li Qun urged him earnestly, "Director Liu, how is this deception? It doesn't matter if I get scolded a few times or receive a demerit. But you are different. You are the pillar of our Huaishan Town!"
The two argued for a long time, until Li Qun finally said, "Don't worry. Even if this gets exposed, at most I'll just get chewed out. It will absolutely not implicate you."
Director Liu put on an expression of helplessness and then compromised. "Alright then, we'll do as you say."
Director Liu didn't even say a word of thanks, yet Li Qun was incredibly thrilled. He dreamed of the day Director Liu would be promoted to the county and take him along.
And so, Li Qun and Director Liu each submitted a report. After reading what the two had written, Qiao Yan immediately called the town and asked Secretary Ma to investigate whether what Li Qun wrote was true.
Secretary Ma didn't have the time for this. He directly handed the task to Mingli, telling him to ask about it himself.
Mingli didn't avoid suspicion either; he went straight to Li Qun and asked if the contents of his report were true and whether he had been coerced.
"No, Director Liu is a great person. How could he possibly threaten me?"
"That's good. But you have to think this through. Once this report is submitted, you will be at the mercy of higher-ups for punishment. It's not too late to regret it now!"
Li Qun: Absolutely no regrets! His good days were about to begin, what was there to regret?
After speaking with him, Mingli reported the conversation to Secretary Ma. Secretary Ma muttered a what a pity, but thought it was ridiculous if Director Liu delusionally believed he could completely extract himself from this mess.
Over in Rongcheng, thanks to Weng Chengde's efforts, the province had also started paying serious attention to the matter, instructing Weng Chengde that he must keep her there. Such a political achievement that benefited the country and the people absolutely could not be handed away.
Weng Chengde immediately felt confident. This showed that the higher-ups had a very good impression of this project and Comrade Nan Sheng. He could promise conditions within his power to make her stay.
However, his confident assurances met their Waterloo when he faced Nan Sheng. "Comrade Nan Sheng, you might not have understood what I meant. I'm saying that both the city and the province value your opinions highly. We will severely penalize the research institute and prevent this from happening again in the future. We will provide you with an environment where you can focus solely on your work. Once the fertilizer experiment is successful, your future prospects will be limitless."
Nan Sheng: "I'm sorry, Secretary Weng, but I still wish to be transferred back to work in my hometown."
Weng Chengde was helpless. Why didn't anyone tell him this young comrade was so difficult to deal with?
Consequently, the phone in Cao Guoxiang's office rang. "Secretary Weng, it's me, Little Cao!"
Weng Chengde voiced his confusion. "Why is she so adamant about transferring away? Aside from the incident at the fertilizer plant before the new year, has Comrade Nan Sheng encountered any other difficulties?"
"Not really. You might not be fully aware, but the researchers at the fertilizer plant were all assembled by Director Nan herself, and she provided all the relevant materials.
"Comrade Nan Sheng herself has a great sense of the big picture and a spirit of dedication. But those experts have suffered years of persecution, and their health is already poor. Comrade Nan Sheng values relationships deeply; she doesn't care about promotions or raises, she just wants to find a safe place to produce the compound fertilizer."
After Cao Guoxiang said this, he elevated Nan Sheng's character to a certain height, making even Weng Chengde feel that she was worthy of respect.
He sighed helplessly. "You've known Comrade Nan Sheng for a long time. Do you have any way to persuade her to stay?"
Since things had reached this point, Cao Guoxiang immediately laid out Nan Sheng's conditions.
"Comrade Nan Sheng's husband is a soldier. Perhaps recruiting some military veterans into the fertilizer plant would give her a lot of peace of mind."
"Isn't that a bit inappropriate? The fertilizer plant is a government-supported project. What if the military district has other ideas..." Weng Chengde felt it was better to keep things clearly separated.
"Secretary Weng, we're recruiting veterans, not active-duty soldiers. It's no different from hiring ordinary civilians. Besides, if Comrade Nan Sheng had other intentions, she wouldn't have handed over such important materials. Don't you agree?"
Weng Chengde thought about it and realized it made sense. "Are you sure this method will really work?"
"Yes, Secretary Weng. I do have some understanding of Comrade Nan Sheng," Cao Guoxiang said boldly.
"Then go ahead and do it. If we can keep Comrade Nan Sheng, I'll credit you with a merit!"