official career

Chapter 2996 Delivering New Year's Goods

Qin Feng met Zhao Hongjian many times. Zhao Hongjian would come to Xidu every month, sometimes several times a month when he was busy. Every time he came to Xidu, Qin Feng would make time to see Zhao Hongjian.

However, Qin Feng saw Zhao Hongjian mostly in his office, and he didn't visit Zhao Hongjian's home very often.

Just like last time, Qin Feng got out of the car in front of Zhao Hongjian's house, and then the driver and Zhang Xinming drove the car to the side and waited.

Qin Feng knocked on Zhao Hongjian's door and entered Zhao's house alone. Usually, Qin Feng would come to Zhao Hongjian's house empty-handed, because Zhao Hongjian would scold him if he brought anything. Given the relationship between Qin Feng and Zhao Hongjian, he didn't need to bring any gifts. But this time was different, because the New Year was coming soon, and Qin Feng had prepared some New Year's goods for Zhao Hongjian.

When Qin Feng was in Dongyang, he sent local specialties from Dongyang. Later, when he went to Xiquan City, he sent local specialties from Xiquan. Now that he works in Shazhou, he naturally sends some local specialties from Shazhou and local New Year's goods.

These items are not valuable, but they have special meaning. They don't seem like gifts and can help build relationships, so Qin Feng has always insisted on this way of "gift-giving" for many years.

The nanny who opened the door for Qin Feng was still Zhao Hongjian's nanny. Not many people were usually qualified to come to Zhao Hongjian's house, and Qin Feng was one of the people who came the most, so the nanny was very familiar with Qin Feng.

"What are you doing? Why are you carrying so many things?" Zhao Hongjian asked. He wasn't angry because he knew Qin Feng wouldn't engage in the "gift-giving" ritual. Qin Feng was a sensible person and knew his "younger brother" Zhao Hongjian quite well.

“A few days ago, when it was my sister-in-law’s birthday, I called her and she told me that I would be on duty during the Spring Festival this year and would not be able to go back to Zhongjiang. So, my sister-in-law and nephew will come to Xidu to spend the Spring Festival with me this year.”

“Since my sister-in-law and nephew are both here, we must have a grand New Year’s Eve dinner at home. My sister-in-law has just arrived, so we can’t prepare as many things as we did at her home in Zhongjiang. Therefore, I asked someone to help me get a lot of local specialties from Shazhou, as well as some New Year’s goods that are essential for the New Year in Gansu and Liangzhou provinces. Basically, we have prepared everything we need.”

"After my sister-in-law comes over, all she needs to do is go to the supermarket to buy some fresh produce. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and have a standard Gansu-Liangzhou New Year." Qin Feng said as he carried two large woven bags of New Year's goods into the kitchen, and the nanny quickly came over to help.

"I can't believe you even thought of that. This is the provincial party committee's residential compound. What will people think if they see you carrying these two big bags? Be mindful of your image," Zhao Hongjian lectured Qin Feng.

"They're all packed in woven bags, what valuable stuff could they be? Besides, I came here specifically at night. This place has high walls and dense trees, who could have seen me?" Qin Feng said, washing his hands in the kitchen.

Have you eaten?

"We've already eaten." Qin Feng and Zhao Hongjian went into the study together.

When the nanny wasn't around, Zhao Hongjian would chat with Qin Feng in the living room. Now that the nanny was busy organizing the things Qin Feng had given him, Zhao Hongjian called Qin Feng to the study, since it wasn't appropriate for outsiders to hear what they were talking about.

"There are cigarettes in the cabinet, help yourself. I sometimes smoke one or two when I'm feeling down," Zhao Hongjian said to Qin Feng, pointing to the cabinet next to the desk as he made tea after entering the study.

Qin Feng didn't stand on ceremony. He opened the cabinet, took out a pack of cigarettes, tore it open, lit one, and started smoking. He then took out an ashtray from under the cabinet.

"Sometimes I don't know whether to praise you or criticize you. You even remembered such a small thing as your sister-in-law's birthday, which made me get scolded for no reason." Zhao Hongjian handed the brewed tea to Qin Feng.

"Why?" Qin Feng asked, puzzled.

“Because I forgot her birthday.” Zhao Hongjian sat down at the desk.

“We’ve been married for a long time, and I was busy those two days, so I forgot about her birthday. It’s usually the same in previous years; I rarely remember, and she never said anything. But this year, when you called to wish her a happy birthday, she got angrier and angrier. That night, she called me and yelled at me for half an hour. Tell me, isn’t this your fault?” Zhao Hongjian laughed.

Qin Feng then realized what was going on and laughed along, knowing that Zhao Hongjian was joking.

"Are you really not going home for the Chinese New Year this year?" Qin Feng asked Zhao Hongjian.

Zhao Hongjian shook his head: "We can't go back. The situation in Gansu and Liangshan is unstable right now. The leaders above have made it clear that during the entire National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival period this year, the main leaders of Gansu and Liangshan Province are not allowed to leave Gansu and Liangshan unless there are special circumstances."

Qin Feng was surprised. The Spring Festival is a particularly sensitive period. Generally, the main leaders will choose to stay at their workplace to prevent any emergencies, but this is all voluntary. The organization usually only requires them to take shifts.

However, it is rare for the higher authorities to directly require the main leaders of Gansu and Liangshan provinces not to leave during the Spring Festival. There is only one possibility: the higher authorities believe that the current situation in Gansu and Liangshan provinces is risky.

"What happened?" Qin Feng asked in surprise.

"It's a long story, too complicated to explain in a few words. Let's talk about it later. What about you? When are you planning to go home for the New Year?" Zhao Hongjian asked Qin Feng.

"The situation in Shazhou is also complicated, especially now that there is the Yang family, who are like a ticking time bomb. Last time they were able to do something like arson at the sports center, no one can be sure if they will do something else during this sensitive period of the Lunar New Year. Moreover, I also raided their casino last time, and the arrest of his eldest son has not been relaxed until now. They may very well seek revenge again."

"So I didn't dare leave during the Spring Festival, but I haven't seen my daughter for a long time, and I still want to go back and spend time with her. So I decided to go back on the second day of the Lunar New Year and stay for a few days before coming back," Qin Feng explained.

“You should go back. Work is work, and family is family. People in our line of work are often away from home, which means we lose a lot of money for our wives and children. So we should go back whenever we have the chance during the Spring Festival. Unlike me, I can have your sister-in-law come to visit me, but you have elderly people at home. It's impossible for them to follow you around. So you must go back. As for Shazhou City... I think you can rest assured. It's okay if something happens during the normal time, but it's also okay if something happens during the Spring Festival. Even Jiang Longjun, the Party Secretary of the City, can't afford to take responsibility for that. So even if you're not there, Jiang Longjun won't allow anyone to cause trouble during the Spring Festival.”

Qin Feng nodded; Zhao Hongjian understood the problem very well.

The fire at the sports center last time was ostensibly caused by the Yang family, but it must have been done with Jiang Longjun's tacit approval. Without Jiang Longjun's approval, the Yang family wouldn't have dared to do it, and even if they had, without Jiang Longjun's support, it wouldn't have had much impact on Qin Feng.

"The key to the Shazhou issue doesn't lie with the Yang family, but with Jiang Longjun. Jiang Longjun wouldn't dare to act recklessly during this sensitive period of the Lunar New Year, so you can go home for the holiday with peace of mind," Zhao Hongjian said after taking a sip of tea.