It was not yet four o'clock when Yuan Jinpeng arrived home, Deng Qiong was sitting leisurely on the sofa watching TV, and his three-year-old son Yuan Fang was playing with an electric car in the living room. Yuan Jinpeng stepped forward to pick up Yuan Fang, but Yuan Fang broke free, still playing with his car, and didn't even call "Dad", Deng Qiong said, you have too little contact with the child, and the child is not close to you.

"Iron Tooth Bronze Tooth Ji Xiaolan" is being broadcast on TV, Yuan Jinpeng has watched a few episodes, feels a little tasteful, and sits down to watch TV with Deng Qiong. After watching it for more than ten minutes, the phone rang, and it was Ding Xiangdong calling, saying that he would have dinner with a few high school classmates in the evening. Yuan Jinpeng also wanted to meet a few classmates, and he agreed. accompanied Deng Qiong to watch an episode of TV series, and at almost half past five, Yuan Jinpeng wanted to get up and go out, but saw Ding Xiangdong break in and said that he would drive to pick him up.

Ding Xiangdong's car was a brand-new Santana, and Yuan Jinpeng asked: "It seems that Xiangdong is inviting his classmates to drink wine, is Gao promoted to become the deputy procurator general?" I don't hear anything from Harukawa. ”

Ding Xiangdong started the car: "Where do you like to drink, I just met Zhou Ziyuan on the road, I heard that you are going home, invite a few high school classmates to get together." Last week, I was transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and I have to tell everyone. ”

Yuan Jinpeng couldn't help but pat Ding Xiangdong on the shoulder: "Hey! Joined the party group, isn't this a promotion?! The real power is greater than that of the deputy prosecutor general. ”

"Don't say that! In the county, who is not an acquaintance, the anti-corruption bureau is the ancestor who offends people. The above assessment is strict, not only to get money, but also to arrest people, and it is not necessary to be a leader at or above the section level. This job is not good, and if you offend a leader or a powerful person one day, I am afraid that it will be difficult to protect yourself. Ding Xiangdong said sincerely.

Yuan Jinpeng said with a smile: "You Ding Xiangdong are not afraid of such a vicious hooligan, you can be regarded as a desperate San Lang of the procuratorate, and you are the most suitable for the anti-corruption bureau." If you want to say that it is difficult, it is difficult for anyone, and it is necessary to grasp the degree. After a few years of hard work, you can always transfer to a deputy prosecutor general, and then manage the local social relations to see if you can go up further. ”

When he arrived at the restaurant, Yuan Jinpeng saw Zhou Ziyuan and more than a dozen other classmates sitting around the big round table, and only the two seats in the middle were empty, so he sat down as the guest of honor. After all, they are classmates, and when they sit together, they don't have to be polite, they just pick up a beer and drink it, and the scene is very lively.

After lunch the next day, Zhou Ziyuan came over to pick up Yuan Jinpeng and go back to Qingchuan together. Zhou Ziyuan said that the company's general manager invited Secretary Zhang Shouzhuo of the local party committee to dinner in the evening, so he could only go back to the company early and make a lot of preparations. Yuan Jinpeng said, I also have something to do, let's see if I can meet Minister Yu.

When he arrived in Qingchuan, it was more than three o'clock in the afternoon, and Yuan Jinpeng went directly to the compound of the prefectural party committee. The courtyard was quiet, with only three or four cars parked in front of the office building. Yuan Jinpeng looked at the license plate carefully, Yu Sihai's car was not among them, but saw Zhang Shouzhuo's No. 1 car. Yuan Jinpeng suddenly lost his direction, where should he go to find Yu Sihai? At this time, I am not in the office, and I am definitely not in the dormitory, should I go back to the provincial capital or to the county? When he took out his mobile phone, he didn't know who to call -- there was no one in the huge organization department of the prefectural party committee who could speak. Thinking about it, he dialed Li Zhongfu's phone, and he remembered that Lin Xiaohua's driver and Yu Sihai's driver were buddies. After more than ten minutes, Li Zhongfu replied that Yu Sihai went to the countryside in Dongba County and would not come back until dinner.

Back in the dormitory, Yuan Jinpeng lay down on the bed with his clothes, and he suddenly felt very tired. Such a deliberate approach to the leader and the leader is nothing more than to gain the favor and promotion of the leader. If you can be promoted, you will have a platform to show your abilities, which is attractive enough for an ambitious and capable young person. The problem is that such painstaking efforts to approach and curry favor with the leader are really not a gentleman's style, to put it mildly, a villain. He has always regarded himself as a gentleman in his bones, but in real life, he finds himself compromising and degrading step by step. He used to despise flattering villains the most, but now in order to get close to the leader, he is also inquiring about the leader's hobbies, and he is also doing what he likes. Maybe he still can't say sensual flattery in front of the leader at present, but his actions are not much different from those who slap horses. However, then again, in today's real society, who can be monolithic and completely ignore personal feelings? Tai Kanglang always invited Zhang Shouzhuo to dinner, and even asked an acquaintance of Motorola's Shanghai branch to make an appointment, because Zhang Shouzhuo's son worked in Motorola's London branch. It is still difficult to invite the leader to have a meal, and other things have to find a way to find a relationship. A few years ago, when the meeting was adjourned, the director of the provincial public security department took the initiative to shine the shoes of the provincial party committee's top leaders, and the leaders were embarrassed in front of the public, saying that they should not do this, not like this, but the director insisted on using paper towels to make the leaders' two leather shoes shiny. Even if the ancient scholars were high and self-clean, it was inevitable that they would be vulgar. In the Song Dynasty, Ding was an official to the deputy prime minister, and he even took the initiative to wipe the beard of the prime minister Kou Zhun -- the so-called "slippery beard" came from this.

Yuan Jinpeng remembered some of his old things in Xiangyang Town Middle School back then. There is a young teacher in the school, Xiao Kun, who is good at sycophants and likes to slap horses. When there is nothing to do, he runs to the principal's house, either helping to chop wood and carry urine buckets, or accompanying the children to do their homework, often coaxing the principal and his wife to smile. Before the Spring Festival, the principal went to the director's house to "send off the New Year" as a reward for Xiao Kun's diligent pursuit of a beard and a horse, so he brought Xiao Kun with him -- it is rare for an ordinary teacher to have such an opportunity. When he arrived at the director's house, Quint put down the sack he was carrying on his shoulder. The director asked the principal, "What is it?" How many times have I said that don't buy things, we have a teacher-student relationship, and I'm very grateful to come and see me. The principal said, "It's winter bamboo shoots...... I didn't buy it either. The director asked rhetorically: "I didn't buy it, so how did it come about?" ”。 Xiao Kun hurriedly helped: "It was dug in the playground." The director was taken aback: "Can you still dig winter bamboo shoots on the playground?" ”。 "We planted a few bamboos in the corner of the playground near the fence, and we were able to dig up winter bamboo shoots," Quint explains. The director raised his head and blinked his eyes, he really couldn't remember where Xiangyang Town Middle School had planted moso bamboo, but he couldn't be sure which corner must have no moso bamboo. When the principal returned to the school, the first thing he did was to plan where to plant moso bamboo. In the end, Xiaokun completed the process of joining the party and being promoted in just seven or eight years, from an ordinary teacher to a middle school principal, and a few years later he was promoted to deputy director. It's really "a thousand wears, but you don't wear them".

After so many years of training, Yuan Jinpeng also understands the importance of being a sycophant, and can also understand the realistic dilemma of "the water is clear, there are no fish, and there are no fugitives", but he lacks the ability to act - especially in the face of unfamiliar leaders. Wang Yangming said that "it is easier to know than to do", it is really to the point, when will the bookish anger on his body be worn away. Aren't you just worried that your boss will reject you? Is rejection really that embarrassing? In front of the leader, is face so important?

In the haze, he broke into a deep mountain, the mountain is high and dense, the water is murmuring, occasionally you can hear the birds chirping and the tiger roaring, the sun penetrates the layers of dense forests, sparsely falling on the mountain path, the mountain road is narrow and steep, and it is very tiring to walk. He had to stop occasionally and sit on a stone on the side of the road to rest. Whenever he stopped, several monsters that looked like dogs and not dogs, wolves and wolves surrounded him. He had to crawl alone, and despite his unusual loneliness, he could only move forward and climb upwards, hoping for a warm place in front of him and a group of familiar companions. However, the mountain road was rough and difficult, and he fell to the ground several times, and blood oozed from his palm. Dragging his tired body, he finally came to an open place, next to a large temple, and the sound of chanting came from far and near. He walked into the main hall of the temple and found that the golden hall was empty, and the sound of chanting seemed to come from the majestic Buddha of the Dharma. He rushed out of the main hall in a hurry, but saw a turbulent river lying in front of him, the sound of the waves, the waves turned the sky, a corner of the river, with a flat boat, was shaken by the waves. He stood beside the boat and wondered: How can you get by with such a huge wave and a small boat?! After wandering for a long time, I didn't feel sweating.

Yuan Jinpeng woke up and found himself sweating profusely, the outside of the house was black, and he raised his wrist, it was half past eight in the evening. He hurriedly got up, washed his face, and thought to himself that it was time to go out, and not to delay business. When he came to the third building of the Qingchuan Hotel, he stood downstairs and looked at the lights on the second floor, and it seemed that the house on the east side was lit up, so he walked upstairs cautiously. When he arrived at the door, he was about to knock on the door, when he suddenly thought of something, and took two steps back - what if it was inconvenient for the leaders to meet. After thinking about it again and again, he took out his mobile phone and dialed Yu Sihai's mobile phone.

A majestic baritone voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello! I'm Yu Sihai, who are you? ”

Yuan Jinpeng said cautiously: "Hello Minister Yu! I'm Xiao Yuan from the Political Research Office, are you in the guest house? ”

Yu Sihai asked, "Xiao Yuan?" Is there something wrong? ”

The distance in the conversation has been opened, and Yu Sihai obviously will not accept any gifts from him, or even let him enter the door. His brain is spinning, what to do? By the way, in the name of Liu Zhenji.

Yuan Jinpeng said: "Minister Yu, Director Liu Zhenji entrusted me to bring you a bamboo carved pen holder, it seems that it has been some years. ”

Yu Sihai smiled heartily: "Hehe, Zhenji, it's rare that this brother still remembers me with such a little habit." Thank you to him! You can bring it to my office tomorrow. ”

The door never opened, but Yuan Jinpeng felt that Yu Sihai's door was slowly opening to him. It's a delicate feeling, full of joy, full of anticipation, but also a little bit of worry.