Chen Zhongyang looked at Shang Dequan, who was sitting on the couch opposite, smoking silently one after another, and a wave of regret swelled up in his heart like a tide. I haven't seen him for more than ten days, but Shang Dequan has lost his shape, his beard is unshaven, his eye sockets are deeply sunken, his cheekbones are protruding, his middle finger and index finger with a cigarette in his right hand are scorched by smoke, and his former spirit is gone.

Chen Zhongyang said angrily: "Dequan, can you smoke less?!" ”

Shang Dequan smiled, obediently snuffed out the cigarette he had just lit, and sighed and explained, "Because I was upset, I smoked too much cigarettes these days." ”

Chen Zhongyang said in the tone of an elder and leader: "In life, there are always troubles, who does not have troubles?" You think I'm fine? The question is to get it right. ”

Shang Dequan subconsciously rubbed the extinguished cigarette in his hand, and said flatly: "Old secretary, don't worry, I can treat it correctly, let alone dismissal, the organization is to give me a more severe punishment, I don't complain, we are in trouble ourselves, who is to blame?" ”

Chen Zhongyang asked: "Has all the work of Hetian been handed over?" ”

Shang Dequan shook his head and said, "It hasn't been handed over yet." ”

Chen Zhongyang was stunned: "Why?" ”

Shang Dequan smiled bitterly: "The document on the dismissal of the municipal party committee has not been officially issued, what should I pay?" While you still have a few days of power in your hand, if you can help your old secretary do something, just do something. In the past few days, Hetian's funds for labor have finally been raised, and 100,000 people have also been taken by the county magistrate Xia to the desert river. ”

Chen Zhongyang was so moved that he didn't let Shangde all smoke, but he trembled and lit a cigarette and smoked it.

Shang Dequan said again: "Old secretary, don't comfort me. I know that it's not you who want to remove me, it's Secretary Wu who wants to remove me. I don't complain about you at all, I've learned a lot from following you over the years. Speaking from the heart, without the cultivation of your old secretary, I, a poor orphan who grew up eating thousands of meals, would never have become a mayor and secretary of the county party committee. ”

Chen Zhongyang took a sharp puff of cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke and said, "Dequan, you are wrong. It is not me, Chen Zhongyang, who cultivates you, but party organizations at all levels. You little comrade must not confuse your feelings for the party and the organization with your feelings for me personally. I, Chen Zhongyang, am the deputy secretary of the Pingchuan Municipal Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, not the head of the Liangshan Zhongyi Hall. As for today's dismissal, it's not Secretary Wu Mingxiong, it's just me, and I proposed to remove you at the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, didn't you expect this? ”

Shang Dequan was stunned.

Chen Zhongyang sighed: "Suggesting to remove you is probably one of the most painful choices in my life, but I have to do it." Don't I know that your motive for causing trouble was a good one? Don't I know that you've been working hard? Why would my old man do this today? It's just to take care of the big picture. Today's overall situation is that water and roads must go up, there must be a fundamental change in the living conditions of the 10 million people in the Pingchuan area, the city party committee relies on the people, and the people keep their eyes on the city party committee. ”

Shang Dequan nodded and said, "I know, this matter is getting bigger, and there are people in the province staring at it, and I am in a catastrophe." ”

Chen Zhongyang didn't answer Shang Dequan's words, and then continued his own train of thought: "Taking the overall situation into account means that someone has to make sacrifices. Don't say that you have made a big mistake today, but there is no mistake, when it is time for you to sacrifice, you have to sacrifice too. The old governor often told me about this incident: In 1943, when the Japanese surrounded and swept our desert anti-Japanese base areas, a company of the old Fifth Regiment was ordered to make a feint to cover the retreat of the column and the prefectural committee organs, and forcibly crossed the desert river. ”

Shang Dequan said: "I know this, there is still a monument standing on the bank of the desert river." ”

Chen Zhongyang also said: "This is a sacrifice during the war years. Are there any sacrifices today? And also. When we go to the water, on the road, and do work to the masses, we all say that we must have the spirit of dedication and sacrifice. The masses donated money and materials, including hard work and sacrifices. Now, when we make mistakes, shouldn't we sacrifice our black hats?! ”

Shang Dequan nodded and said, "Yes." After thinking for a while, he added, "Today is me, maybe tomorrow it will be your old secretary and Wu Mingxiong." ”

Chen Zhongyang smiled bitterly: "I also thought of this, as long as you do things, you will inevitably make mistakes, and you will inevitably have to sacrifice such and such sacrifices." ”

Both of them were in a heavy mood and didn't say anything for a while.

After being silent for a while, Chen Zhongyang asked with concern: "Dequan, what do you personally think about the next work and life arrangements?" ”

Shang De was stunned and didn't fight, so he said sullenly: "Where you fall, get up." ”

Chen Zhongyang shook his head and said: "Dequan, I advise you not to stay in Hetian, either go back to Yunhai, or come to Pingchuan, and the whole family will move here." For so many years, you have always used your home as a hotel and restaurant, this time, it is time to take a good rest and take care of your wife and children. How is your wife's illness now? ”

Tears flowed down his eyes.

Chen Zhongyang was shocked and asked, "Why are you crying?" ”

The tears in Shang Dequan's eyes flowed even more urgently: "She died, just the night before yesterday, she was cremated yesterday afternoon. ”

Chen Zhongyang's eyes were also moist, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he said, "How can this be, how can this be?" ”

With tears on his face, he said, "Yes...... I hurt her, she was already very sick, and when she heard that I was ...... Something happened to me......"

Shande choked up, unable to speak.

Chen Zhongyang was so sad that he turned his face away, and after a long time, he said in a commanding tone: "Dequan, I think, you can go back to Pingchuan!" I can't get a house in the city for a while, so I live in my house first, and the child also has someone to help you take care of, your daughter seems to be called Shang, okay? ”

Shang Dequan nodded with tears in his eyes and said, "It's good that I still remember you, Grandpa Chen." However, Shang Dequan disagreed with Chen Zhongyang's arrangement, wiped the tears on his face, and Shang Dequan said, "Old secretary, I, Shang Dequan, still do it with you!" Go to the desert river with the migrant workers of Hetian County, for you, for the municipal party committee, and for the party to save some influence! Don't let people say that we are cadres, and we will only point fingers. ”

Chen Zhongyang was stunned for a moment, and immediately asked: "You go to the construction site, what should Xiaoshang do?" ”

Shang Dequan said: "Put it at home." ”

Chen Zhongyang asked again: "Where do you still have a home?" ”

Shang Dequan said: "It's my mother-in-law's house." ”

Chen Zhongyang thought for a long time before nodding and saying, "Okay, then I will suggest to the municipal party committee that you be assigned to my general headquarters of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and do some specific things first." Seriously, I'm short of manpower. ”

Shang Dequan said: "No, old secretary, I don't want you to arrange it, and I won't go to your general headquarters." I went to the river to work as the deputy commander of the field in Hetian County, or the commando leader. ”

Chen Zhongyang disagreed: "Dequan, you are thirty-eight years old this year, can you afford it?" ”

Shang Dequan said confidently: "Thirty or forty is the right year, I can do it." ”

Chen Zhongyang took Shang Dequan's hand, held it tightly and said, "Dequan, it's good!" Thank you, my old leader, and thank you on behalf of Secretary Wu Mingxiong! Secretary Wu is afraid that you will suffer this big setback, lie on your stomach, and never get up again! ”

When sending Shang Dequan out of the gate and waving goodbye to him, Chen Zhongyang's heart was both tragic and desolate, and he couldn't help but think of the ancient poem "The wind is sluggish and the water is cold, and the strong man will never return once he is gone".