Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1226 - Chapter 1226 Chapter 1181 Inspection of the Shantytown

Chapter 1226: Chapter 1181: Inspection of the Shantytown Chapter 1226: Chapter 1181: Inspection of the Shantytown Approximately an hour later, there was a knock on the door from Xia Gang. Inside, Zhou Chaoguo stood up before Xia Gang could come in, “Secretary, you have a busy schedule, so I won’t disturb you further. Later, I will head straight back to Yizhou City and definitely address the matter in Shuishan County with utmost seriousness. I’ll muster the elite and handle the investigation thoroughly to present a satisfactory result to the organization.”

“Secretary, it’s almost eight o’clock,” Xia Gang entered and, following the old routine, mentioned the time. He didn’t specify what the matter was about.

This gave some leeway when dealing with certain unperceptive officials. At eight o’clock, one could say there’s a social engagement, an activity, or some other business–a host of possible excuses. Of course, such obtuse officials were not common. Zhou Chaoguo certainly knew how things worked.

Nie Zhenbang glanced at Xia Gang, nodded, and without avoiding Xia Gang’s presence, said to Zhou Chaoguo, “Comrade Chaoguo, you’re not just presenting a report to the organization, nor merely giving me, Nie Zhenbang, an explanation. The role of a ‘parent official’ is not because we are the people’s parents, but quite the opposite–we are officials chosen by the people. We must treat the citizens as we would our own parents and provide them with a satisfactory answer.”

He personally escorted Zhou Chaoguo to the door, which made Zhou feel deeply grateful. This was the skill of a leader who dispensed both strictness and benevolence as favors.

Xia Gang took Zhou Chaoguo to the elevator then returned. Having served as a secretary for so long, Xia Gang was well-versed in the intricacies involved. There was a difference in how subordinates were treated. The regular officials compared to those who were direct subordinates of Secretary Nie–the difference was night and day, naturally reflected in the attitude as well.

Back in the office, Xia Gang also pushed the door open and entered, “Secretary, it’s eight o’clock. What do you think about having something to eat first? If you continue to have irregular meals, I won’t know what to say when your sister-in-law calls.”

Nie Zhenbang had assumed his role without bringing An Na with him, but she would basically call every day. An Na would call Nie Zhenbang and sometimes Xia Gang too, to indirectly learn about Nie Zhenbang’s real living conditions. This was not the first time.

Upon hearing Xia Gang’s words, Nie Zhenbang was momentarily stunned, then laughed, “Well played, Xiaoxia, now you’ve started to take a roundabout approach. Alright, let’s have something to eat first.”

Continuing, Nie Zhenbang said, “No need to trouble yourself going to the canteen. Go ahead and turn on the induction cooker, boil some noodles, and we can eat together.”

Xia Gang nodded but did not move. He looked at Nie Zhenbang, “Secretary, there’s something I would like to ask about. With the situation in Yizhou City, is the provincial government not asking about it?”

Xia Gang’s question took Nie Zhenbang by surprise, “Indeed, when Lu Meng returned from his studies, he gained the reputation of being unmatched in his generation. There’s also a saying, ‘you should see with new eyes one who has been absent for three days.’ It seems Xiaoxia, you are certainly not inferior to the ancients.”

Nie Zhenbang was genuinely pleased. As his secretary, one should possess the spirit of being keen to learn and not ashamed to ask questions. Simply doing one’s job without the willingness to think or learn differently was akin to a caretaker–anyone could do that.

The fact that Xia Gang could ask such a question indicated that his mindset was gradually changing. It was a process of quantitative change that, after accumulation, would surely lead to a qualitative leap.

It also made it abundantly clear that Xia Gang had started to think about his future, about how to be an official, and how to deal with both superiors and subordinates.

After a moment of contemplation, Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “The provincial government’s stance is very clear. In the issue of Shuishan County, the opinion of the provincial committee’s team is unified. If under such circumstances, Yizhou City still cannot resolve this issue, what does that tell us?”

The point was not explicitly made, nor entirely transparent. Personal insight was very important. It was not that Nie Zhenbang intentionally made it so. The most fundamental reason for doing this was to give Xia Gang room to think on his own, to learn how to think. In the future, if Xia Gang truly stepped into a leadership role, whether it was dealing with subordinates, colleagues, or superiors, he would be well-prepared.

Xia Gang nodded, understanding the situation based on what had been said. With the support from the provincial government, if Zhou Chaoguo couldn’t even handle this issue well, that could only mean one thing–he was not fit to be the Party Secretary of the city.

At eleven o’clock that night, Nie Zhenbang finished packing his things and left work.

He rode his bike out of the provincial committee compound–right next door was the provincial committee’s reception hotel, very close by. As for Xia Gang, since becoming the committee’s chief secretary, the administrative bureau had allocated him a two-bedroom apartment in the provincial committee’s family quarters, also very conveniently located.

After returning to the guesthouse and freshening up, Nie Zhenbang picked up his phone and dialed home to Jingcheng. Every evening, no matter how busy, he made it a routine to call his family.

On one hand, he exchanged words of longing with his three daughters; on the other hand, keeping tabs on his children was another reason for his daily calls. At this time, the eldest, Nie Wenwen, was also sixteen or seventeen years old. As the new generation, Nie Zhenbang was very concerned about her upbringing.

A quiet night passed.

Early the next morning, just past six o’clock, Nie Zhenbang got up. He practiced a set of Tai Chi in the living room, then went downstairs to the small dining hall for breakfast. At half-past seven, he rode his bicycle towards the provincial committee compound.

Beneath the steps of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government building, a few dedicated cars stopped by. The Ancient City Party Secretary Luo Qiuliang, as well as the Ancient City Mayor Xue Yonghua, also arrived here.

Today, Nie Zhenbang was going to inspect the slums of Ancient City. As the top two officials of Ancient City, it was quite normal for Luo Qiuliang and Xue Yonghua to come over to receive him.

On the side stood Liu Xiaomin, the Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General, and Xiong Dongwei, the Vice Governor in charge of urban construction work, who followed the inspection. This was a necessity. When the head of the Provincial Party Committee conducts an inspection or research work, leadership from the province must accompany them.

Following behind were reporters from the provincial TV station and the provincial newspaper. Even reporters from the national television station were spotted by Nie Zhenbang.

After shaking hands with everyone, he walked up to Luo Qiuliang. Once they shook hands, Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “Comrade Qiuliang, not bad at all, you even invited reporters from the national television station.”

Getting featured on the national television program “Daily at Seven” is something the county and city-level local governments look up to. Getting featured even once is a big face-showing event, and it’s essentially akin to an achievement. Of course, it must be positive news that conveys positive energy. If it’s negative news, I’m afraid, instead of commendation, criticism or even dismissal may be on the table.

For the municipal level too, such opportunities are hard to come by, but hope is always a bit greater. At the provincial and ministerial level, it’s not so rare anymore.

Those who reach the provincial and ministerial level have more or less some connections and networks. They often visit Jingcheng, and the more they visit, the more familiar the routes become. Through guidance and support, these connections widen and become richer. Approaching the national television station is no longer a big issue.

Luo Qiuliang, naturally aware of Nie Zhenbang’s implication, understood that Nie Zhenbang’s inspection of the slums of Ancient City marked the start of the Ancient City Slum Redevelopment Project. Luo Qiuliang started to warm up and build momentum for this from now, preparing to boost the popularity and recognition of Ancient City. His plans were far-reaching.

“Hehe, I can’t hide anything from Secretary Nie. The work in Ancient City cannot be separated from the support and guidance of the Provincial Party Committee. Thank you for your support in our work,” Luo Qiuliang said, uttering some cordial words.

Given their relationship, such politeness was not necessary. But in such a setting, it was different; the required formalities had to be observed.

After some pleasantries, at Nie Zhenbang’s signal, the motorcade slowly left the Provincial Party Committee compound and drove towards Southern District of Ancient City.

The Southern District, near the old city wall area of Ancient City, was originally the urban center of Ancient City. However, with the development over the years, and the constant new and changing urban construction, the Southern District had become a destroyer of the city’s image.

Passing through the city center, the CBD Business Area, with its towering skyscrapers, still radiated an air of an international metropolis.

The urban green squares on the side of the road, the green belts along the road, and the green spaces between the city overpasses all bore slogans like “Patriotic and Trustworthy, Diligent and Simple, Tolerant and Inclusive, Practical and Enterprising,” embodying the spirit of Longxi.

The motorcade blended into the bustling city traffic, indistinguishable from ordinary civilian vehicles, flashing their hazard lights. There was no special treatment or privileges like police escorts; they waited for red lights and followed traffic rules, just like everybody else. This was the new work style established by Nie Zhenbang since taking office in Longxi Province.

After passing through the business area, as the houses on both sides began to change, they gradually became lower. By the time they reached Venus Community on Xihua Street in the Southern District, the scene had undergone a dramatic transformation.

The streets narrowed; the tallest buildings along the street were only five or six stories high. Along both sides of the street were numerous narrow alleys. Walking into them revealed low-rise houses.

At the entrance of Venus Community, the motorcade slowly stopped. There, the leadership of Ancient City, the main leaders of Southern District, the staff from Xihua Street office, and workers from Venus Community were all standing neatly, numbering in the dozens.

As Nie Zhenbang got out of the car, these people also came forward to greet him.

According to the plan, firstly, they would visit the slum areas of Venus Community. At the forefront was Nie Zhenbang, walking alongside the director of Venus Community, a young man.

Starting from the community office building and heading inside, low, humble houses stood on both sides, with many makeshift constructions erected between them.

Slum areas are mostly similar. These old houses were not large in space. For the permanent residents, the available area was definitely insufficient. Thus, makeshift constructions made from iron sheets, asbestos tiles, or even striped cloth were ubiquitous.

Walking further ahead, however, Nie Zhenbang did not follow the planned route; instead, he turned into a nearby alley. Upon entering the alley, garbage piled on both sides and the occasional wafts of foul smell suddenly made everyone’s face turn awkward. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to NovelFire.net to cast your vote, your support is my greatest motivation.)