Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 819 - 820: The Biting Dog Can Be Stewed and Eaten

Chapter 819: Chapter 820: The Biting Dog Can Be Stewed and Eaten

Liu Qingyuan glanced at Song Xiaodong, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, "Chief Jiang, it seems your ambition is not yet dead. This kind of thought, it looks like you have been dwelling on it quite a bit, otherwise how would others know about it?"

This was clearly another attempt to put a label on Jiang Xueliang. Initially, he would have tried explaining himself, mentioning something about the impulsiveness of youth, but his anger had already been provoked by Liu Qingyuan. Unable to hold back any longer, he scoffed coldly and said, "Liu Qingyuan, you don’t need to play the clever trickster here. Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, it won’t always be smooth sailing for you, and I, Jiang Xueliang, will not always be at the bottom."

"Ha, you really can’t accept it, talking about thirty years in Hedong and Hexi. You do have aspirations. But then again, you’re not entirely wrong. Wait another thirty years, and you might just have a chance because by then you will have already retired, ha ha..."

At this moment, the hotel manager hurried over and said, "Director Liu, the guests are waiting for you. You better go over now."

Liu Qingyuan glanced at Jiang Xueliang and said, "Competing with me, you’re still too green." Then he turned and left with a triumphant smile.

"What crap!" Cui Ying couldn’t hold back anymore and burst out in anger once Liu Qingyuan had left.

Jiang Xueliang downed a glass of beer and kept a stern face without speaking.

Struggles in the officialdom are quite normal, but knocking down an opponent and then swaggering about like that is relatively rare.

Song Xiaodong asked, "Uncle, what exactly is going on here?"

Cui Ying didn’t really want to elaborate, but in that moment, possibly more as an emotional release, she bluntly said, "Your uncle used to be the deputy director of the district committee office, and that Liu Qingyuan was the director. Originally one was a chief and the other a deputy. Your uncle didn’t intend to compete with him, but this guy crossed a line. He made your uncle do all the work, like writing documents, preparing speech drafts, etc. After your uncle finished them, he would just take them and use them to curry favor with the leaders."

"That by itself wasn’t so bad, being a deputy we could accept it, but Liu Qingyuan has some skills, and the leaders are aware of it. Then the former district chief quickly recognized your uncle’s talents and deliberately promoted him, using him in many capacities. They mainly stopped consulting Liu Qingyuan for anything. If that district chief had stayed, your uncle could have been promoted even further, but recently he was transferred, and Liu Qingyuan immediately started slandering your uncle to the new district chief. With help from his brother-in-law, he got your uncle kicked out of the government office."

"The most infuriating part is that after doing such things, he didn’t stop there but also came to mock your uncle. It’s just too much bullying."

Cui Ying vented out a lot, and at that point, Jiang Xueliang finally calmed down and said, "Forget it, it’s just the petty success of a petty person. We shouldn’t stoop to their level; it wouldn’t disgrace us."

Li Sijie immediately praised, "Uncle’s right, if a dog bites us, we shouldn’t bite it back."

Cui Ying sighed and said, "Yes, we just have to let it go and not stoop to a dog’s level." Swearing seemed to have relieved her a bit.

Song Xiaodong then shook his head and said, "A dog bites us, we might not bite back, but we can hit it with a stick, or even just butcher it and cook dog meat."

Jiang Xueliang and Cui Ying were taken aback for a moment, then Jiang Xueliang gave a wry smile and said, "But right now, that dog isn’t so easy to beat. Forget it."

Cui Ying shook her head and sighed, "Yes, your uncle is now stuck in a powerless, low-ranking department. If we upset them further, it would become really hard for us to get by. We’d better endure it."

Song Xiaodong looked at the two of them, both appearing dejected, and then said, "Uncle, if given the chance, would you still want to rise up again?"

Jiang Xueliang said instinctively, "Of course, but it’s not so easy now."

Cui Ying’s eyes lit up, saying, "Little Song, do you have some connections?"

Song Xiaodong smiled and nodded, saying, "I do have some connections. If uncle wants to move up, I might be able to help."

Cui Ying immediately said excitedly, "Great! We’re not talking about becoming high-ranking officials, but as the saying goes, ’Even Buddha wants a stick of incense, and people want a breath of air.’ To not let Liu Qingyuan look down on us, we have to climb up too."

Jiang Xueliang immediately said with a stern face, "It’s not that easy. Even if Little Song knows people, you’d still need to pull strings. I won’t get involved in this corrupt practice of buying and climbing up positions. I am here to make a career, not to get rich."

"Well said!" Song Xiaodong praised enthusiastically, saying, "With uncle’s attitude towards holding office, you must move up. I’ll take care of this."

Cui Ying became even more excited, urging, "Little Song..."

Jiang Xueliang suddenly interrupted his wife, saying, "Forget it. Although I too want to compete for this position, I don’t need such methods to get promoted."

Song Xiaodong smiled and said, "Uncle, rest assured, you won’t have to engage in such practices."

"Not engage in such practices?" Jiang Xueliang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then thank you. Let’s drink instead, let’s not talk about these troubling matters."

If it were about Song Xiaodong leveraging some connections and spending money, Jiang Xueliang might believe that, but the idea of not having to engage in such practices was unbelievable to him. He thought Song Xiaodong was just comforting him, so to spare Song Xiaodong any embarrassment, he changed the subject.

Seeing Jiang Xueliang talk this way, Song Xiaodong did not add more, saying, "Come, let’s drink."

While Jiang Xueliang was unfazed by the matter, Cui Ying was still quite concerned. Watching the father and son drink, she quietly asked Li Sijie, "Sijie, does Little Song really know people in high places?"

Li Sijie, also unsure whether Song Xiaodong could truly manage it, spoke cautiously with a smile, "I haven’t been in Minghe for long, so I’m not very clear about Xiaodong’s matters."

Cui Ying then asked, "Does his family have any powerful relatives?"

Since the Su family obviously didn’t count as relatives, Li Sijie shook her head, saying, "No, there isn’t."

Cui Ying’s excitement cooled down, saying, "I see... Well, it doesn’t really matter, your uncle and I can handle ourselves; we won’t get worked up over this. You don’t need to comfort us."

Li Sijie acknowledged with a hum, not sure how to respond, but seeing that Song Xiaodong made no further comment, she did not press the matter.

Jiang Xueliang’s phone rang; he glanced at the caller ID and frowned, but he still answered the call.

The call was immediately filled with Liu Qingyuan’s mocking tone, "Chief Jiang, hurry up and come toast me with a glass. This is a great opportunity I’m giving you, miss it today and there won’t be a tomorrow."