Mayor Mao's memorial service was very low-key. Apart from his own relatives, not many town officials came, and there were only a few elegiac wreaths. The wording was even more cautious. Most of them only expressed regret for the old man Mao's early death, but there was no one. As for people from other towns, fewer people came to comment on his past life. Only Tu Xiangdong, director of the county party committee office, came forward on behalf of the county committee and county government. Looking at such a scene, people with a little common sense can tell that something is wrong. What's more, the news that the cadres of the Discipline Inspection Commission talked to Lao Mao alone has been spread a long time ago. As a courtesy, there are still some people who just want to watch the fun. Lao Mao's wife is an authentic rural woman, dark and thin, with a son and a daughter. The son has already gone to the county technical school, and the daughter is still in junior high school. At this time, their whole family is kneeling in front of the door in mourning robes. When someone comes, they kowtow deeply. Seeing that scene makes people feel a little miserable. Tu Xiangdong arrived early. Logically speaking, as a leader representing the county, there was no need to come so early. However, Tu Xiangdong not only wanted to express his condolences, but also wanted to warn Lao Mao's family not to do anything excessive. Meaning, so because of this, he came very early. It¡¯s just that he was in a room across the courtyard from Lao Mao¡¯s house at this time, and the person accompanying him was also Lao Mao¡¯s eldest brother. The Lao Mao family is not a big family, there are only two brothers. Lao Mao's brother has been doing business in other places, and now he has rushed back after hearing the news. Because he was away all the time, Lao Mao's brother's eyes were naturally very lively and thoughtful. Besides, he had already heard about the previous events, so he seemed cautious when accompanying Tu Xiangdong. After all, even though he has seen the scenes outside, he is basically based in Pingling. When facing the county master, he naturally does not dare to say anything big. Tu Xiangdong was actually a little tired of this job. After all, he had been working at the grassroots level. He turned a blind eye to many things. Lao Mao's matter was either big or small. Besides, now that the people are gone, if he continues If you do it too much, it will make others feel a little chilled. The so-called rabbit dies and the fox is sad. Seeing the miserable appearance of Lao Mao's family, Tu Xiangdong felt a little emotional. It¡¯s just that this time is a very critical moment, and it is somewhat out of control. Because the terrain of Qiujia'ao was originally low, although the Xiaoqing River burst and flooded Qiujia'ao, the flood formed a huge flood discharge embankment along the entire basin near Qiujia'ao. As a result, the flood force impacted downstream. Instead, it slowed down somewhat. The original intention of the superiors at the beginning was to sacrifice some places along the coast and release floodwaters to protect some important cities and industrial bases downstream. However, they did not make a final decision because they considered the possible damage caused by flood releases. . When the Qiujiaao embankment bursts, the first thing people pay attention to is what kind of consequences it will cause. After knowing that the flood will not spread, an important question is placed in front of us, that is, how many casualties there will be. ¡°If the casualties are too large, no matter how hard you try to handle it in a low-key manner, it will not work. Not only will someone be responsible for taking off the hat, but if necessary, someone will even have to risk being imprisoned and losing their head. But surprisingly, due to the low-lying terrain, casualties were unavoidable in Qiujia'ao. Except for some injuries, no one died. This surprised Taihua and the province at first, and then they immediately realized that this was a model that set an example. The perfect opportunity. What makes many people even more satisfied is that during this flood fight, the two members of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee of Pingling County took the lead. They even almost died when they were washed away by the flood in order to protect the lives and property of the people. These two so typical It can be said that the positive image completely offsets the negative impact caused by the breach of the embankment that may lead to investigation by superiors. After all, if we look deeper, no matter what the reason is, the levee always broke in the Taihua section. Even the relevant leaders in Taihua City must bear certain leadership responsibilities. Now things are better, and bad things have changed. It turned out to be a good thing, and everyone who might be involved in it also had a good result. This made Taihua, from Cui Jianbin to Ren Shuqiang, to many people below, somewhat relieved. Besides, judging from various signs after the incident, whether it was Chu Yilan or Du Yan, the energy behind it has been revealed from this emergency. If the responsibility is really investigated, I really don¡¯t know what to do. . This was originally a happy outcome, but Lao Mao's sudden death made things a little complicated. Many people are aware of what Lao Mao did in the flood fight, but it is true that his earlier economic and lifestyle issues have already been targeted by Huang Zhiguo's County Commission for Discipline Inspection. This makes this person a bit difficult, and He suddenly relapsed and died at this time, which not only made people unable to cope with it for a while.Later, there were even some secret rumors, which made the county feel passive. "Boss Mao, Mayor Mao has gone. From now on, Mayor Mao and his family will need you to take care of them," Tu Xiangdong picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. "The county still cares about Mayor Mao's family. Secretary Li and County Magistrate Guo asked me to come and take a look on behalf of the county committee and county government. If you have any reasonable requests, just put them forward and the county will help you solve them if they can. " "Thank you, Secretary Li and County Magistrate Guo, and thank you, Director Tu, and the leaders. "Care," after all, he has been away for many years, and Boss Mao is also very good at making some polite remarks. He paused and looked at Tu Xiangdong's expression, and then said carefully, "Director Tu, you see our second son is gone. This is our family." The mainstay, the children are still young now, especially the second girl has just entered junior high school, but the eldest child has been in the county technical school for more than a year. As long as he comes out, he can stir up half the family. Look at this" "It's the old man. Is there a problem with Mao's son's work?" Tu Xiangdong asked calmly. Seeing a flattering smile on Boss Mao's face, Tu Xiangdong nodded, "I can report this matter to the county, and it can be regarded as a solution for Lao Mao. "Thank you, Director Tu. There is one more thing. The second girl is going to junior high school, isn't she? Can the county make arrangements for her to go directly to the city's No. 1 Middle School? After all, now Once the backbone of the family is gone, the child can no longer concentrate on studying as usual, so he wants the county to take care of it." Tu Xiangdong thought for a moment and then glanced at Boss Mao: "Old Mao, I can't decide this. You should also understand that it is not a big problem to enter the county high school, but it is not the county that has the final say. I can only say that I hope you don't have high hopes. " "Director Tu. We can't thank you enough for saying this, please take more trouble, please take more trouble," Mr. Mao couldn't help but nodded. He took out the cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Tu Xiangdong with both hands, lit it for him again, and then Boss Mao secretly glanced at Tu Xiangdong's expression again, and continued, "There is one more thing, which is the pension and subsidy for my second son. I want to know what the county's regulations are." Tu Xiangdong paused slightly with the hand holding the cigarette. He knew that the trouble this time was not small. It seemed that Boss Mao was not a fool. He made other requests first and then made the most critical ones when they were almost done. At least this way, he would not be stuck from the beginning. Then Things will be difficult to handle later. "Boss Mao, I think you must have heard something about Lao Mao," Tu Xiangdong stood up and walked to the door. He looked at the houses in the yard and snorted slightly, "These houses are well built, no. "It's less money." Boss Mao couldn't help but twitch on his face. He immediately came over and showed a forced smile to Tu Xiangdong: "Director Tu, don't get me wrong. I lent the money to our second son to build this house. It has a clean origin. "Don't worry too much." "Oh, Boss Mao, there is a saying that the brothers will settle the accounts. Do you have a receipt for lending Lao Mao such a sum of money to build a house? Since you heard about it, In his case, if there is evidence, it will be considered as helping his family. After all, due to some problems, there are some things that are unclear. This also affects the pension issue of Lao Mao you just mentioned. " "Director Tu, No, is this really what the county has done? "Boss Mao's face changed slightly. "Director Tu, our second son got sick because he was injured while fighting a flood." "Boss Mao, you are also working in the outside world. He is such a person, and he looks like he has never seen the world." Although Tu Xiangdong felt helpless, his face became gloomy. "You should know that with Lao Mao's problems, the County Commission for Discipline Inspection just talked to him. I have taken good care of him. I suppressed it because I saw him working hard to fight the flood but suffered from bad health. Do you still want to fight for pensions and compensation? Do you think this is realistic? " Tu Xiangdong's words made Mao Boss? His face was red, he held it in for a while and just about to speak, a loud noise came into the house from outside. This sudden noise made the two people look at each other and walked out of the house one after another. Tu Xiangdong was just trying to calm things down this time, so when he walked out of the house, he couldn't help but worry secretly. If something unexpected happened in Lao Mao's mourning hall, the matter would be a bit big. Seeing Tu Xiangdong, people moved out of the way. When he walked into the mourning hall through the small door at the back and saw Du Yan walking in from the outside, Tu Xiangdong couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart. Everyone in the mourning hall watched Du Yan slowly enter. When they saw Du Yan¡¯s car just now, some people thought it might be someone sent by Du Yan to express condolences. It can be said that Lao Mao stayed with Du Yan through adversity, but Lao Mao's death was somewhat ignominious. Du Yan sent his district party committee director, or just a driver to come over to visit and express condolences, which was considered as a kind gesture. Already recited the incense love. But when they saw Du Yan getting out of the car, everyone who knew him couldn't help but be shocked, especially those cadres who were standing in twos and threes outside the mourning hall talking and laughing, and some were even discussing that it was really the right time for Lao Mao to die. The time was so stunned that one person even accidentally dropped the cigarette from his mouth to the ground without even realizing it. Perhaps because of the weird looks on the faces of the people around him, Lao Mao's wife knelt on the ground and stared blankly at Du Yan, who slowly walked in, while her pair of children stared at this person who looked older than him with wary faces. They were young men not much older. Lao Mao's disgraceful death has caused countless looks to his family, and the expressions of many people who expressed condolences made them deeply feel the sadness of human feelings. Although they don't recognize this person now, But from the looks on the faces of the people around, we could tell that the young man had a good background. Lao Mao's family couldn't help but panic, not knowing what would happen next. "Director Du, is it really Director Du?" "Director Du, what are you doing? He doesn't know Lao Mao" "Can you not know, good guy, you can see now." People were talking quietly, some A clever female cadre immediately came to Lao Mao's wife in a few steps, bent down and whispered: "Sister-in-law, don't be stunned, Director Du is here, why don't you take the child to kowtow to Director Du." Lao Mao's wife Wei Wei nodded in a daze. Although she was confused and didn't know who the director was, she heard the anxious words of the female cadre and knew that the person in front of her must be someone with a background. She immediately stretched out her hand and knelt down. The children on both sides kowtowed to Du Yan. "Sister-in-law, my condolences." Du Yan stood in front of Lao Mao's wife and bowed slightly. According to the rules of the village, you cannot stop the bereaved family. "Director Du," Tu Xiangdong came over at this time. He turned around and said to Lao Mao and his family, who were still a little confused, "Director Du is a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee, the director of the new district, and the leader of the county. He came to visit your family. "Ah, leader!" Lao Mao's wife immediately became excited. She only knew that Tu Xiangdong was the big leader of the county, just like the county magistrate. Now that she saw that even Tu Xiangdong called this young man "director", it was obvious that he was really Great leader. She panicked and pulled her children to kneel down again, but this time she was stopped by Du Yan. "Sister-in-law, I don't dare." Du Yan took back his hand and looked at the miserable expressions of the family in front of him. Du Yan turned around and came to the coffin. Looking at the black and white photo of Lao Mao in the mourning hall, Du Yan first bowed deeply, and then Holding the coffin with both hands, she let out a suppressed cry: "Lao Mao!" Following Du Yan's actions, Lao Mao's wife could no longer restrain herself. With her hoarse cry, the entire mourning hall fell into mourning. In the mist. Seeing this scene, the people nearby couldn't help but be stunned. No one could have imagined that Du Yan not only expressed condolences to Lao Mao in person, but even cried in public. This move can be said to have completely subverted people's original belief that Lao Mao's matter was settled this way. idea. Many people couldn¡¯t help but secretly wonder, is it possible for Lao Mao to make a comeback? A group of people cheered and gathered around, "Director Du, my condolences", "Director Du, don't be too sad", "Lao Mao knows that you miss me so much, he should be satisfied" and comforting voices came one after another. The enthusiasm was different from the previous cold-eyed jokes. It was completely different. Lao Mao and his family were thrown aside. Boss Mao rolled his eyes slightly. He didn't know where Du Yan's leader came from, but even Tu Xiangdong was very polite to Du Yan. He thought that this young leader must have a lot of background. Now he saw Du Yan in this scene. , Boss Mao immediately came forward. Although he couldn't squeeze in with the cadres, he followed behind and kept urging him. Tu Xiangdong frowned secretly. He had heard Ding Bingxian mention Du Yan's request for condolences before. Neither Li Peizheng nor Guo Songlin had officially expressed their stance, so Tu Xiangdong was not surprised by Du Yan's appearance, but he did not expect Du Yan. There will be such a commotion. "Director Du, let's go to the back and take a rest first." Tu Xiangdong said to Du Yan, and at the same time he quickly winked at Mr. Mao who was following him. "That's right, Director Du, you see what I say on this hot day, go to the back and rest first," Boss Mao hurriedly came over and greeted, "It's an honor for our Mao family that you can come. Our second brother is down there. Thank you." You." "Don't say that, Lao Mao, I'm here to see him off." Du Yan shook his head. He signaled to Han Qiushi who was following him, and then led the way into the cross-yard with Tu Xiangdong. Han Qiushi walked to Lao Mao's wife and saw her coming to collect Sang Yi's account. He took out two envelopes and said in a slightly lowered voice. The bookkeeper immediately showed a surprised look on his face. He looked back with some excitement at first.He looked at Lao Mao's wife and quickly wrote down two entries in his notebook. Han Qiushi looked at the look on the bookkeeper's face and gave up the thought of giving him a few more words of advice, because he knew that there were some things that he couldn't control. Sure enough, as the bookkeeper immediately said a few words to Lao Mao's wife, not long after, another news spread that surprised the people present. Although they did not come to express their condolences, Chu County, member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee, executive deputy county magistrate The elder also entrusted Director Du to send greetings to Lao Mao's family and also sent a tribute. And in the courtyard, Boss Mao, who was standing respectfully, was quietly looking at the expressions of the two leaders with an uneasy expression. "Boss Mao, the county has made it very clear about Lao Mao's pension and funeral arrangements before. I don't think you have any illusions about this," Tu Xiangdong's face was not very good. It was not that he meant to be like this, but because of Du Yan The appearance of "The County" made him feel that it was necessary to be stricter and not let the Mao family mistakenly think that there was any improvement. "The county can solve it for you without losing money, but if you make unreasonable or even unreasonable demands, it is unrealistic." "How can we, Director Tu, don't get me wrong, how can we do that, right, Director Du?" Boss Mao said the last sentence to Du Yan. Du Yan ignored Boss Mao. He had done his best for Lao Mao. No matter what, Lao Mao was already dead. Now he would not be able to do anything for Lao Mao's family, not to mention Lao Mao's life. It is true that something is wrong with him, not to mention that he has no such friendship after all. Seeing that he had hit a soft nail, Boss Mao became embarrassed. He originally thought that Director Du should have a close relationship with his second son, but now he saw that he was ignoring him, and thinking about it carefully , I had never heard my brothers mention knowing such a leader before, which made Boss Mao a little at a loss. "Well, it's okay to stay with us all the time. You have to support us outside," Tu Xiangdong said to Boss Mao, "Director Du and I still have something to talk about." Boss Mao immediately nodded in support and retreated. After going out and looking at the closed door, Tu Xiangdong watched Du Yan pause for a moment, then shook his head helplessly: "Xiao Du, you are posing a problem for me." Listening to Tu Xiangdong's slightly complaining tone, Du Yan smiled slightly As soon as he smiled, he knew that Tu Xiangdong's somewhat pretentious words actually contained a vague intention of not being acquainted with him. It's just that Tu Xiangdong has always been deep-tempered, and he always reserves steps for doing things, and will not completely cut off his own retreat, so although he shows his closeness, he doesn't completely make it clear. Although this makes people somewhat uneasy about him, as long as he Always strong, Tu Xiangdong is also an obedient and smart man. "Lao Tu, this is the last time I've done my best for Lao Mao, and it's not in vain that we have been through adversity together," Du Yan said lightly, "That's just how people are, you have to show some kindness. Lao Mao has his own problems." , but you can¡¯t erase the good things he has done just because of this.¡± At this point, Du Yan glanced at Tu Xiangdong, ¡°I heard that the family of the child who was saved by Lao Mao was coming to mourn, and you sent someone to stop him. "Is that so?" Tu Xiangdong smiled bitterly: "I can't help it. If I really want that family to come over, what do you mean by Lao Mao's silence? I can't convince anyone." Nodding, he can only do this for Lao Mao, and seriously speaking, he can do this, of course, because Lao Mao had a reason to follow him to save the levee, and also because he has always been unruly. Even the city leaders dared to give him a "reckless reputation" that he could not stand down, which became the reason for him to act "recklessly". On the contrary, Chu Yilan must not appear at Lao Mao's funeral hall, otherwise things will become complicated, and even if you are not careful, it may be regarded as a symbol of major differences and conflicts among the county party committee leaders. "Xiao Du, I heard that you are going to the province in the next few days?" Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Tu Xiangdong finally got to the point, "I heard that this advanced report meeting on flood control and disaster relief was long enough. Yes, and there will be a training class next. Maybe it will be National Day when you come back." Listening to Tu Xiangdong's hint, Du Yan stopped tapping his fingers on the edge of the teacup: "Less than two months. Time, Lao Tu, do you think there will be any changes in Pingling when I come back? " Tu Xiangdong's expression froze. At this time, he could no longer figure out what kind of power was behind Du Yan. From falling into the water to being treated, this In just two or three days, he had already discovered the depth of the relationship behind Du Yan, which even made him feel a little scared. So when Du Yan suddenly said this, Tu Xiangdong didn't think it was a lie at all. Instead, he thought that Du Yan obviously said this after hearing some rumors. "Xiao Du, I haven't had any ambitions in recent years. I may have to rely on you to take care of me from now on."?Xiangdong smiled at Du Yan. Seeing that Tu Xiangdong still had such a slippery and unrestrained attitude, Du Yan frowned slightly: "Old Tu, I'm not talking about you. Sometimes people have to make a decision. They are always so worried about trying to please everyone, and in the end they often end up making a decision. It's just that the gain outweighs the loss. " Du Yan's words made Tu Xiangdong's expression change instantly. He never expected that Du Yan would suddenly make it clear! ¡° Tu Xiangdong¡¯s attitude has always been clear to all leaders who have experienced him, but because of this, no one has really pointed it out, and no one has tried to completely pull him into their own camp. Because no one knows whether the guarantee made by Tu Xiangdong is reliable, instead of that, it is better to just let him be the responsible director of the county party committee office. Tu Xiangdong himself has long been accustomed to this kind of situation where he has both sides. He even thinks that this is the reason why he has always been smooth sailing. However, he did not expect that Du Yan would suddenly break through his layer of protection, and even said so You're welcome. It¡¯s just that Tu Xiangdong was not angry, but surprised. He didn¡¯t believe that Du Yan didn¡¯t understand the true meaning of his attitude, and he didn¡¯t believe that Du Yan was so shrewd that he couldn¡¯t imagine why the previous leader tolerated him so much. Unless, Du Yan is absolutely sure that he can conquer him this time! "Director Du, is there any news this time?" Tu Xiangdong asked tentatively. "I don't know the specifics, but judging from the importance the relevant leaders attach to Pingling, maybe there will be some big changes in Pingling." Du Yan gave Tu Xiangdong a noncommittal smile. He knew that some words were true. That's it. As for whether Tu Xiangdong is willing to learn this trick, it depends on him. After coming out of Lao Mao's house, Du Yan sat in the car and meditated silently. Seeing him like this, Han Qiushi, who was sitting in front, whispered to the driver to drive along the Xiaoqing River towards the county town. After a flood, the Xiaoqing River was no longer as clear as before and looked much turbid. The car drove slowly along the river until Du Yan signaled the car to stop. Han Qiushi accompanied Du Yan to the river. Looking at the passing river water, Du Yan let out a breath. "Qiushi, I may leave Pingling temporarily for a while in the next few days," Du Yan turned around and said to Han Qiushi helplessly, "I really didn't expect that a flood would cause so many changes." Han Qiushi nodded slightly, he knew Du Yan His departure was nominally to promote flood relief, but in fact some people wanted to take the opportunity to refrigerate him. After all, a young and promising cadre who is supported by the masses is somewhat of a threat to others, so it is also an official rule to cool down temporarily to let the temperature drop. "You have to work more hard during this period," Du Yan smiled at Han Qiushi and said, "After I leave, there may be some noise, but don't worry, wait for me to come back. Then we will have a big fight with him." "Okay director. , we are waiting for you to come back." Han Qiushi replied with the same smile. Seeing Han Qiushi's calm and confident expression, Du Yan felt happy in his heart, Han Qiushi, he was indeed right! On August 17, 1992, Du Yan left Pingling and rushed to Tongyang, the provincial capital. There, new challenges are waiting for him.