Zhu Huaijing's words did not add some warm color to Zeng Slang's face, it was still dignified and serious. He sighed and said: "Mr. Liang Shuming divides intellectuals into two categories: those who are scholars and those who are problematic. I think I'm one of the people in the problem. I may be really stubborn, and I always let many annoying social problems entangle me and make me depressed. A few years ago, I was systematically studying some social issues, and I did so calmly and trying not to mix personal emotions. I think my research is absolutely beneficial to our society. However, when I put some of my thoughts into words, I couldn't find the space to express them. For a long time, I couldn't understand why I couldn't say even the most sincere and well-meaning words. Later, I listened to an old professor who had survived the Nightmare Era and survived the catastrophe to give me an answer. He said, "Back then, I just advocated 'towards the truth', and I suffered a catastrophe. Such a simple truth is self-evident, but we have to speak out day and night to explain and defend such ordinary truths! The old professor didn't directly answer my confusion, but I seemed to have realized something. So I gave up on my ambitious research project and tried to do something that would directly contribute to society. In fact, it is a different way of speaking. The first thing I did was to collect a large number of articles that appeared in the press and periodicals about the corruption of various officials, and I compiled them in their original form, without adding water or salt, but only with precise commentary. I don't think I've made it up, but I've reported it publicly, so there's no problem, right? It turns out that I was still too naïve. The publisher said that the book was very good and would definitely sell well. But the book was still killed by the competent authorities in the end. As a result, I was fortunate to be a person of special attention from the relevant departments. So I had to leave. ”

After Zeng Yan finished saying this, he was silent, and he didn't look at Zhu Huaijing, but only lowered his head, like there was no second person in this room. He seems to be immersed in his own emotions or thinking about the problems of another world. Zhu Huaijing just wanted to pull him back to reality. He couldn't figure out why Zeng Slang was so estranged from reality. Or not to say diaphragm, but to be alien to reality. He was silent for a moment and said, "Zeng Yan, I understand your helplessness and pain. I can imagine the state of mind of a person who does not agree with reality and cannot detach himself. I also have a special respect for your sense of social responsibility. I mean, really, don't look at me like that. However, I still advise you to be more knowledgeable and not to be too roundabout. Let's just talk about reality, I don't need to talk to you about any big truths, I just want to say that you have to believe that life is always moving forward, and society is always moving forward in a state of chaos. I don't know if I accepted anyone's opinion casually, or if it was my own genius discovery, but that's how I see it. So you have to learn to be tolerant, to learn to understand, to learn to be restrained. In general, learn to live realistically. ”

Zeng Yan smiled this time, shook his head again, and said: "Huaijing, society will move forward, and no one can stop it if they want to." I am convinced of that. However, when people are all drawing on profit, someone has to think about righteousness. I knew I couldn't afford it, but I wanted to do it. Even if you shout a few times, you have done your duty. ”

Although Zhu Huaijing persuaded Zeng Yan not to be too roundabout, he really couldn't laugh at his roundabout in his heart. If someone else said these things in front of him, he might think that this person was acting in a coy manner. But Zeng slang him believed. In this real order, Zeng Slang is humble, maybe anyone sitting in the office building of ** can roll their eyes at him, even laugh at him for being crazy, and even slander him with the most grandiose words, and even create all kinds of trouble for him. But he is more socially conscientious than any sanctimonious gentleman. Therefore he is noble.

Neither of them spoke, but the meeting did not look awkward. Zhu Huaijing, with an indescribably complicated mind, looked around at Zeng Slang's dwelling. Outside the bed and table, there is only a large leather bag in the other corner, which may be all Zeng Yan's belongings. Zhu Huaijing imagined that there were just a few sets of very outdated clothes. Zeng Yan has no marriage, no family, and no long things. There was only one question that might not have been left for him to think about. Zhu Huaijing felt that Zeng Yan might not be another Gu Zhun in the room he said, and he would not be able to become a giant of thought, at best he could only be a modern model of Don Quixote. Even so, Zhu Huaijing was in awe of him from the bottom of his heart.

Zhu Huaijing felt more and more cold, his body shrank in one by one, and the whole person was about to get into the quilt. Zeng Yan didn't seem to feel much cold and sat at the head of the bed. Zhu Huaijing thought that he might never be able to live this ascetic life again in his life. He and Zeng Yan may be people of two kinds of heaven and earth. Thinking of this, he was not in the mood to be complacent, but on the contrary, his heart was indescribably desolate.

"Huaijing," Zeng Yan broke the silence and said, "Of course you should be your official." In this world, only being an official is the best thing. I believe that if you are an official, it will not be bad, if you are still the Huaijing I used to know. Nowadays, officialdom has gathered a large number of outstanding elements, which is to be thankful. The important thing is that these people don't degenerate. Fichte had long been concerned about this, and he said that if the outstanding people were corrupted, where would they look for moral goodness? ”

"Do you believe I'm going to be bad?" Zhu Huaijing asked with a smile.

Zeng slang smiled and didn't answer, only said: "I'm not in officialdom, but I know that the influence of officialdom on people is unimaginable." I had a classmate with whom I used to be very close. He is now the deputy governor of a province. I think he was the first of our generation to know how to consciously adapt to officialdom. I'm not going to tell you who this man is, I'm going to have to think about his image. The story of his origins is interesting to tell. He knew early on that he could never make much progress with his hard work alone. Kung Fu is outside the poem. His wife is a computer expert, and he asked her to design a set of software called the Public Relations Processing System for him to handle various relationships. He listed the various key people who needed to be used, and set a number of ABCD levels for them according to their identities, statuses, roles, etc. For example, if the provincial leader is A-level, a number of provincial-level leaders who are connected with it will be coded into codes A1, A2, A3, etc., and at the department and bureau level, they will be coded into codes B1, B2, B3, and so on. At the end of the year, what people should be visited on which day, what methods should be taken, and so on, are all entered into the computer. Turn on the computer every day, just enter the date of the day, and then press the enter key, and the computer will immediately tell you to visit A1 or B3 or so-and-so today, and what method to take; At the same time, it reminds you that if you are not available today, or the visit is not successful, you must complete this instruction before the time. If you have an urgent matter today and need to visit someone in advance, just enter the date of the day and then enter the command of who to visit in advance, and the computer will make an advance arrangement for you, and prompt you whether to cancel the original arrangement. If you think it's necessary to cancel, press Y, otherwise press N. Most interestingly, a so-called 'relationship function' was also designed, which roughly means that as your own 'energy score' rises and falls, you determine the trade-offs of the relationship in the network. There are many items in the energy score score, and I probably remember a few items such as job promotion, power level, and prospect prediction. As your energy score improves, the computer prompts you to let go of a certain level of relationships. This is mainly about ensuring the effectiveness of the relationship while allowing you to focus on the useful relationship. Conversely, if you're unlucky enough and your energy score drops, the computer will prompt you how much to add to your relationship. This set of software is very complete, very scientific, and easy to operate, which really impresses me. When my classmate first started using this software, he was only a deputy director, and then he quickly rose to the top of the ranks. I don't think he was very sophisticated at that time, maybe he saw that I was not in the officialdom anyway, and I was a classmate, so when I went to his house for a drink, he leaked the secret to me. He showed me on the spot, and it really blew me away. I think he'll regret not telling me the secret now. ”

Zhu Huaijing listened to it and secretly admired the vice governor. It's almost impossible for anyone to imagine. But Zhu Huaijing didn't show much of his surprise in the open, and only half-truths and half-truths said: "Zeng slang, I hope this vice governor will not be promoted again." Otherwise, if he is a bigger official in the future and has the right to kill and take it, you are only afraid that your life will be at risk. ”

Zeng Yan breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "That's not it, right? But my relationship with him is now noticeably distant. This time I didn't want to do it in my original unit, so I tried to contact him, but he politely refused. I think he was right to turn me down. Contacting him was the stupidest thing I've ever done, and I think it's ridiculous to think about it afterwards. You think, he is a big official there, but I will write articles that give them headaches all the time, what do you say he will do with me? ”

"What to do? Do what you have to do. Zhu Huaijing said with a smile. He looked at Zeng Yi, who was cheerful at this moment, and wondered why he described the public relations processing software so vividly, as if he admired it. It is said that Zeng Slang would hate this practice.

Zeng Slang seemed to be smiling, and said, "Just now you asked me if I believe you will become bad, and I didn't answer you directly." Actually, I didn't know how to answer, so I told the story of my classmate. I can say that my classmate is not bad. I don't like him, that's another thing. You must know the story of Guan Zhong and Uncle Bao. Duke Qi Huan was able to unite the princes and achieve hegemony, thanks to the assistance of Guan Zhong. It was Uncle Bao who recommended Guan Zhong to Qi Huangong. But Guan Zhong was dying, and Qi Huan asked him if he could let Uncle Bao take his place, and Guan Zhong said no. Qi Huan asked why, and Guan Zhong said that Uncle Bao was too decent. ”

Zhu Huaijing was a little unpredictable, so he asked: "So do you want me to be good, or do you want me to be bad?" Why are you subtle all of a sudden, don't answer questions head-on, and always make a roundabout, making clouds cover the fog and make the mountains and rivers reinstate! ”

"My hopes are in vain, and you will do whatever you want. I also have no intention of making moral judgments on officialdom, but I have to speak in the face of all kinds of topics that I have to say. Zeng slang smiled, and became serious again.

Soon it was noon, and Zhu Huaijing was already hungry. And because he was hungry, it was even colder, and he couldn't help shivering. Zeng Yan said: "Why are you so cold-tolerant, you are used to being pampered." Zhu Huaijing said: "It's not just cold, I'm hungry." Zeng Yi smiled and said, "I haven't even eaten breakfast yet!" Zhu Huaijing said, "Go out and find a place to have a few drinks." He thought that when he got to the wine table later, he would no longer let Zeng Yi say that these outsiders had listened to inexplicable words. It would be appropriate to have a few glasses of wine and say what he wants to say. Zeng Slang said okay, just get out of bed to rinse your mouth and wash your face. Zeng Yan squeaked the frozen towel, rubbed it in cold water a few times, and wiped it on his face. When Zhu Huaijing saw it, he was almost terrified.

Before going out, Zeng Yan said: "If you are interested in these books, take them and read them." ”

Zhu Huaijing took it and saw that it was "Gu Zhun's Diary", as well as "Drawing Double Hundred Yu" and "Yongyu Three Notes" sitting under the buttocks just now. He didn't have time to think about it, so he stuffed it into his bag.

The two of them went out of the CPPCC gate, and there were several small restaurants on the left. They chose an air-conditioned shop and sat down. The young lady handed over the list, and Zhu Huaijing said, "I'm in for a treat, you can order food." Zeng Yan said: "There is no reason for this, you are here with me today, and I should be the east." You order. Zhu Huaijing said: "What does it matter, anyway, I invited it, so I can be regarded as picking up the wind for you." Of course, the wind picked up too late. "Zeng Yan just didn't follow, he had to be invited. Zhu Huaijing knew Zeng Slang's stubborn temper, and after being polite for a while, he had to listen to him. The two of them couldn't eat much, so they ordered some dishes casually.

After a while, the dishes came up. Zeng Yan asked, "Shouldn't I have a few drinks?" ”

Zhu Huaijing said: "My classmates have been classmates for many years, but they have never drunk together, I wonder how much you drink?" ”

Zeng Slang said: "I can basically be regarded as a non-drinker. But today is a reunion after a long absence, so let's have a few drinks. I'm a layman when it comes to wine, so I don't know what kind of wine to drink? ”

Zhu Huaijing called Miss and asked her what good wine was here. Miss said that there are high-end liquor Moutai and Wuliangye, as well as mid-range and low-grade. Zhu Huaijing knew that the famous wine in this place was 100% fake, so he asked for a bottle of Confucian banquet wine. He didn't like to drink this kind of wine, but this kind of place only had this grade, and he didn't want Zeng Yan to bleed too much, so he had to settle down.

At the end of the wine glass, Zeng Yan joked: "Huaijing, you have been in the ** department for so many years, you must have practiced the amount of alcohol at home, right?" ”

Zhu Huaijing said: "My amount of alcohol is not good." Why is it that in people's minds, the image of cadres is to eat and drink? One-sided! Then again, what's the big deal about having a few meals now? There are often socials, and it's annoying! It's like who wants to go out to eat out every day. ”

Zeng Yi raised his glass and touched Zhu Huaijing, and the two drank it all. Zeng slang poured the wine and said, "Someone has a joke." The two of them were arguing about the style of the cadres together. A said that the cadres are too corrupt nowadays. B said, who said that cadres are corrupt? They soak the wine every day, how can they be corrupt? ”

This joke is not new, in order not to disappoint Zeng Slang, Zhu Huaijing had to respond with a smile. He thought that he had thought about it in advance and would no longer let Zeng Yi talk about this kind of topic, why did he say these things again as soon as he opened his mouth? It's really strange that people sit together nowadays, either talking about the style of cadres, or about vulgar jokes, and then talking about where a big case has occurred. Hardly any good topics can be said. Is there really nothing good to say, or is people's mentality becoming unreasonable?

"Zeng Yan, I read your article on the Wuxian Huangtao Fake Seed Case." Zhu Huai mirrored the image and talked about it casually.

Zeng Yan looked very casual and said slowly: "Really? I don't write it as a simple article, do you think it's just an article? Just to publish an article, I thought it was boring. Besides, writing articles like this, I often get so angry that I can't help myself. It's not a very pleasant thing to do. ”

Unexpectedly, as soon as this topic was mentioned, Zeng Yan was angry again. Zhu Huaijing had no choice but to put aside this for the time being, and raised his glass to invite Zeng Yi to drink together. Zeng Yan drank this second glass of wine, and the roots of his ears began to turn red. He really didn't drink much. But Zeng Slang is a real person, and he is the east, so he tries to sacrifice his life to accompany the gentleman. After a few more drinks, Zhu Huaijing told Zeng Yan not to be reluctant. He didn't want Zeng Yi to get drunk, and he hadn't said what he wanted to say yet. Zeng Yan was embarrassed and said that he really couldn't afford to accompany him. Zhu Huaijing didn't want to drink more of this low-grade wine, so the two of them finally poured a full glass each, put it to their lips and slowly dip it, and just spoke.

The two chatted with the sea and the sky, and Zhu Huaijing suddenly said seriously: "Zeng Yi, don't interfere in the matter of Wuxian." ”

"Why?" Zeng Yan raised his head and frowned and asked.

Zhu Huaijing said: "At that time, I was the deputy county magistrate of Wu County, and I knew very well what happened. The losses caused to farmers by the fake seed case are indeed very large. But this incident can only be regarded as an economic fraud case. Because it involves other provinces, it is difficult to deal with. If you have to be involved with the county party committee and **, at most it can only be a mistake in decision-making, plus the relevant departments are ineffective. I don't think this has anything to do with the cadre's style or even the issue of corruption. ”

Zeng Slang looked very surprised and said, "What? The loss of more than 20 million yuan of farmers, you say it so lightly? Since you were working in Wuxian at the time, I believe you know if there are any problems in the middle. I've always been cautious about reporting on this kind of thing. I went through many days of research and the material was very informative. ”

Zhu Huaijing replied: "Your interview and investigation are indeed very detailed, and the materials in your possession can also be convincing, and I can also see that you have not shaken out all the information you have, and you have room for it." However, such a big case, and the provinces involved, are not something you can figure out after a few days of investigation. If you ask me if I know there's a problem, I can't say that if I know there's a problem. What I know is only a one-sided situation, and some of the situation is just my private speculation. If you really want to go to court, it won't count. The same is true for what you know. Therefore, when you write an article to disclose this matter, it can only be regarded as a support for public opinion, which may not necessarily help solve the problem. To solve the problem, we have to rely on the attention of the Wuxian County Party Committee and the first party. However, if you make this kind of report, you may make the relevant leaders of Wuxian County passive, which is not conducive to solving the problem. ”

"So, I did something sorry for the people of Wuxian?" Zeng Slang's face was difficult to look at.

Zhu Huaijing smiled, shook his hand, and persuaded Zeng Yimo to be excited. "Of course I didn't mean that," he said. But you have to admit that it's not uncommon for good intentions to do bad things. In particular, this kind of matter involving many people will cause incidents if it is not done well. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you caused mass incidents. There is nothing inherently wrong with you reporting on this case objectively, but the problem is that the possible consequences are not necessarily subject to human will. It is not uncommon for ordinary mass incidents to turn into political incidents due to improper handling. ”

Zeng Yi laughed and said, "You are so afraid of the masses? **Afraid of the masses, this doesn't make sense! The masses will not get along with the masses in general, they just want to protect their own interests. As long as you solve the problem according to the wishes of the masses, won't you be fine? I might as well tell you that I knew that our newspaper did not have a strong enough impact to generate pressure on the parties concerned, so I submitted to other national newspapers. "China Legal Daily" will soon meet the newspaper. ”

Zhu Huaijing's heart jumped and he was anxious, but he couldn't express his emotions. He was silent for a moment, and he didn't say anything about the fake seed case directly, but said something that seemed to be inconsequential: "Zeng Slang, politics is a thing, you analyze and deal with it according to normal logic, and it may not be correct." You often can't go west right away when you're supposed to go west, maybe you'll have to continue east for a while, turn back and go west, or go west in a roundabout way. ”

Zeng Yi is still very tough, saying: "I am not engaged in politics, so I don't need to think about political strategy." All I know is to report the truth about it based on the facts. If my report is untrue, I am willing to go to court. ”

The reason doesn't make sense, and Zhu Huaijing's heart is on fire. He slowly licked the wine from his glass, feeling the bitterness more and more. He had long since lost the appetite for drinking. Suddenly I felt very cold, and my body was chilled. The air conditioning effect here is not good, just come in and it is warm, and it will be cold after sitting for a long time. Zhu Huaijing sighed, and had to come up with a plan, lying that the case was related to him. He said, "Zeng Yan, you should do me a favor." At that time, it was I who grasped the Huangtao project. I can vouch for myself to be clean. If others benefit from the middle, I believe that the truth will come out one day. Just ask you to leave this matter alone for the time being, lest you make me a non-human until the matter is clarified. ”

Zhu Huaijing said that, and forced to look at Zeng Yi. Zeng Slang's eyes were already red, and I don't know what kind of image Zhu Huaijing is in these drunken eyes. He just had red eyes and seemed to be smiling. The two looked at each other for a long time, but they were still shy, so they put away their eyes, sighed and lowered their heads. He buried his head in silence, and after a long time he picked up the wine glass, drank the remaining half of the wine, and said helplessly, "Well, I can't help it." ”

Zhu Huaijing vaguely understood what he meant, so he took the wine bottle and said to have another glass to express his gratitude. Zeng Yan couldn't drink for a long time, but he also picked up the wine glass, touched Zhu Huaijing, and raised his head to dry. He drooped his head, reported a phone number, and asked Zhu Huaijing to dial his mobile phone. Zhu Huaijing dialed it. As soon as the phone rang, Zhu Huaijing hurriedly handed over the phone to Zeng Yan. When Zhu Huaijing heard him say a few words, he knew that he was making a phone call to an editor of the "China Legal Daily." Zeng asked him to retract the article and apologized. I can hear that Zeng Slang has an unusual relationship with this editor. Zeng then made three more long-distance phone calls, all of which were national newspapers and magazines.

After barely supporting the call, Zeng Slang was completely drunk. Zhu Huaijing asked the young lady to settle the bill. Zeng Yan waved his hand indiscriminately, took out the money from his pocket, and handed it to the young lady. Zhu Huaijing had no choice but to let Zeng Yan pay the bill, and then help him go back to sleep. Zhu Huaijing called Zeng Yan a few times, but did not answer.

Zhu Huaijing walked out of the CPPCC compound and saw that it was snowing heavily. As soon as the snowflakes on the bus lane in the middle of the street landed, they were stained by the jet-black snow. There are sparse pedestrians on the sidewalks. I don't know if it was because he was drunk or blind, or because of the snow, Zhu Huaijing saw that people's faces were all sallow, and it seemed that the streets were full of patients. He didn't think of stopping the taxi, but walked carefully, letting the snowflakes fly into his arms and neck. Suddenly remembering to talk to the bear on the phone, he dialed: "Hey, the bear?" Yes, yes, I'm Lao Zhu. I've been very busy these days, so I have time to get together with a few friends from Jingdu Minsheng Daily. Yes, yes, just ended. Fortunately, there was no mistake. Originally, four newspapers in Beijing were about to appear in the newspapers, but now they have all been withdrawn. Yes, yes, they called me in person. No problem. Where, where, thank you, what should be! ”

When he went home and was idle, he flipped through a few books that Zeng Yan gave him to read. I skimmed it hastily, and I didn't think it was much fun. I thought I had a slang head full of strange ideas, but I didn't have too deep spiritual resources. I want Zeng Slang to send these books specifically, do you want him to change his mind? inevitably laughed at Zeng Slang's innocence. In a blink of an eye, I was ashamed again, thinking that I was too urban. Maybe Zeng Slang is not as shallow as he imagined.

Zhu Huaijing rushed to the office early, turned on the water, mopped the floor, and wiped the table. During this time, he was always running outside, and he didn't clean the office seriously. He wiped the table, then the cupboard. He only used one of these five large iron cabinets, and the other four dumb men accompanied him for more than three years, and no one had ever opened them, which always made him feel mysterious. He thought that this might be the last time he waited on them, so he wiped them carefully. The porcelain tube on the top of the cabinet hadn't been wiped for a long time, so I took it off and carefully wiped it. Unexpectedly, his hand slipped, and the porcelain cylinder fell to the ground with a clatter, and he fell to pieces. He suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. At this time, Secretary-General Liu happened to come in and said with a smile: "Ho, it's early in the morning?" Okay, send it away, and be safe in pieces. "Zhu Huaijing thought that Secretary-General Liu would also train people, just like Secretary-General Gu in the past. Unexpectedly, Secretary General Liu just made a joke. Zhu Huaijing was still restrained in the end, and said, "Alas, it's a pity. Secretary-General Liu no longer told him about this, but said: "I will call you later, take you to the Finance and Trade Office, and meet with your comrades." You're officially going to work. The appointment document is down, have you seen it? ”

Zhu Huaijing hadn't seen the appointment document yet, but he had to say, "Oh, I saw it." He added, "I went to the hospital to see Aunt Yu that day, and she was in good spirits." ”

Secretary-General Liu smiled: "Thank you." ”