Chapter 118: Appointment in Northwest (Second update, asking for monthly tickets) _1

Translator: 549690339

“Baffled, are you?” the old man inquired with a faint smile on his face.

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang nod, the old man’s mood was quite good at this moment. He then chuckled, saying, “During your two years in the Youth League Committee, you’ve held the position of a full department level for two years. This time, with your transfer to the far-off western region, your rank is raised by half. This is a reasonable arrangement. At 22, you are able to reach the position of deputy department level. You’re the first one. Your elder brother, Jialei was 24 years old when he was promoted to the same level. If you were to continue staying inland, there would be limitations due to your age.

Your talents will only truly shine if you begin from the remote western region. Do you understand now?”

Having said this, the old man immediately took out a piece of paper and handed it to Nie Zhenbang saying, “Zhenbang, this is the contact number of Li Yifeng, the Deputy Secretary of the Xibei Autonomous Region Party

Committee. Back when I was in Xibei, he followed me for some time. He’s like a student of mine. You can visit him after you get there. However…”

The old man’s tone shifted and his expression became solemn, looking at Nie Zhenbang: “This connection is not for you to boast about. I have already spoken to Li Yifeng. Normally, he won’t provide you with any assistance.

Everything will depend on you alone. This time, it will be a test for you. Are you a dragon or a worm? That simply depends on your fate. Do you understand?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded. On some matters, the old man’s considerations were indeed more comprehensive than his.

After saying that, the old man stood up, hands behind his back, saying, “You should handover your work in the Youth League tomorrow. Before you leave, come here to pick up a few boxes of wine and several packets of cigarettes.”

With the old man’s departure, the atmosphere among the second and third generations of the Nie family lightened considerably. As Nie Guodong, the eldest uncle, looked at Nie Zhenbang, his expression was quite complicated. As the old man’s son, Nie Guodong was well aware of the old man’s personality. Despite treating Nie Zhenbang so harshly, the old man greatly valued Nie Zhenbang. Considering how he usually treated Guowei’s family, Nie Guodong began to reconsider certain things.

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As for Nie Zhenbang, Nie Guodong didn’t harbor any specific thoughts. In Nie Guodong’s position, he wouldn’t commit foolish acts such as hurting those close to him or delighting in his rivals’ misfortune.

Nie Guodong then smiles and says, “Guowei, Zhenbang’s trip is in fact a test for him by the old man. There’s no need for you to worry. Compared to Jialeiang, Zhenbang is much more outstanding.”

Beholding Nie Jialei’s expressionless face, Nie Zhenbang reflected a bit on his uncle’s meaningful words. However, he wasn’t worried that his eldest uncle’s family would do anything to undermine him, and hence modestly replied, “Eldest uncle, you are flattering me. This time, I’m afraid our eldest brother will also make his move. Our generation still needs to be led by our eldest brother.”

Nie Guowei was rather dull in understanding these situations. After his son spoke, Nie Guowei also grasped the implication and he laughed, saying, “Eldest brother, what Zhenbang said is right. We should show respect towards elderliness. Even if Zhenbang excels, he still has Jialei setting an example ahead of him. I think all our children are doing great. They are indeed the fortune of our Nie family. I am not capable of anything. As the old man pointed out, I lack innate abilities. Now, the future depends on their generation.”

Nie Guowei and his son’s attitude somewhat satisfied Nie Guodong, who then stood up and said, “Zhenbang, before you leave, come to my place. I have several packets of cigarettes for you to take.”

With Nie Guodong’s current status, he had a fixed quota for special supply of cigarettes and alcohol each month. Several packets of cigarettes were indeed his monthly quota.

Nie Guodong’s words were a veiled signal of goodwill towards Nie Guowei. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang nodded and laughed, saying, “Thank you, eldest uncle. I was just worried about not having cigarettes, but you’ve taken care of them for me.’

After hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Nie Guodong laughed out loud and pointed at Nie Zhenbang, saying, “You young man, there you go playing poor in front of your eldest uncle again. Don’t think I don’t know about you. You go to Miss Dong of the Dong house, go to Yang Anbang, couldn’t you get any cigarettes and alcohol from Dong’s father or Elder Yang?”

With that, Nie Guodong stood up and said to Nie Guowei, “Second brother, you too should be open-minded. It’s inevitable that the old man will step down. As his children, we should let him rest. The Nie family eventually has to rely on the new generation to keep going. You and I have no potential anymore. Now, it all depends on their generation. I have quite a few matters to attend to in the military area, I’ll leave first.”

The next day, Nie Zhenbang arrived at the Youth League Committee early in the morning. As soon as he entered Wei Bin’s office, Wei Bin, having already received the news, looked at Nie Zhenbang differently. Wei Bin had also received the information from Secretary Mu. Even though Nie Zhenbang’s promotion led him to the western region, a 22-year-old deputy department level official was still a shocking spectacle.

Seeing Nie Zhenbang come in, Wei Bin also laughed, saying, “Zhenbang is here.

I just finished your handover procedure for you. You just need to sign it later. In regards to the issue of the successor of the sixth division after you leave, do you have any thoughts or candidates in mind?”

Wei Bin was indeed good with people. By saying this, he was essentially handing the power to choose the successor to Nie Zhenbang. This way, those under Nie Zhenbang’s command would naturally be loyal to him, as everyone likes a leader who can bring them progress. Moreover, Nie Zhenbang would also owe Wei Bin a favor.

Looking at Wei Bin, a faint smile emerged on Nie Zhenbang’s face. There was no need for any pretense in such a matter. After pondering a little bit, Nie Zhenbang began to speak: ‘Director Wei, first and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the organization and thank you for your trust and support for my work over the past two years. As for the candidates, I personally think Comrade Zheng Gensheng is quite good. Over the past two years, Comrade Zheng Gensheng has been a great help to me at work. In particular, over the past year, most of the matters related to the sixth division were dealt with by Comrade Zheng Gensheng who has gained a lot of experience in management. Moreover, he is a competent and dedicated person. My suggestion is that the organization considers him.”

In fact, it was clear. Ever since he started working on the Youth Civilisation, Nie Zhenbang had appointed Zheng Gensheng. Recommending Zheng Gensheng seemed inevitable.

Soon, Nie Zhenbang had completed the handover process. As soon as he stepped out of Wei Bin’s office, Zheng Gensheng was waiting nearby. When he saw Nie Zhenbang emerging, Zheng Gensheng approached him: “Chief, I heard you’re leaving?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded, smiling: “Yes, I’m leaving for Xibei. Old Zheng, the work of the Sixth Division now relies on you. I recommended you to Director Wei just now. With your qualifications, there’s no problem for you to be promoted to the official level. From now on, work hard.’

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang’s readiness to depart, Zheng Gensheng was somewhat hesitant, finally saying after a long pause: “Chief, I… I want to go to Xibei with you.”

Zheng Gensheng’s words made Nie Zhenbang pause. While he was interested in fostering Zheng Gensheng’s abilities and potential, it was too early for him to say this considering his current position and status. After a moment of silence, Nie Zhenbang patted Zheng Gensheng’s shoulder: “Old Zheng, start by doing well here. There is a long future ahead of us.”

After Nie Zhenbang spoke these words, Zheng Gensheng understood. If they were in a local area, it would be no problem for Nie Zhenbang to bring someone along for his new post. However, bringing someone directly from the central government seemed impractical.

Soon after, Zheng Gensheng nodded: “Chief, I wish you a successful career.”

Dynasty Club

The atmosphere on the ninth floor was a bit heavy and depressing. Both Dong Wan and Li Lixue were gloomy, not speaking a word.

Nie Zhenbang’s transfer to Xibei came so abruptly that both women felt they weren’t prepared. Naturally, their moods were not good. However, they both knew that Nie Zhenbang was dealing with an important matter, a decision made by the Nie family’s master. It wasn’t something that could be altered like changing a dinner location.

Seeing the women’s demeanor, Nie Zhenbang spoke up, trying to lighten the mood: “Wan, Li Xue, don’t be like this. This is not a death sentence, it’s just moving to another place. Is it necessary to be so serious?”

Dong Wan glared at Nie Zhenbang, then replied: “I’ve never even heard of Lixian. I looked it up on the map, and even after reaching Urumqi, you still need to take a nearly seven or eight hour drive. It’s on the edge of the desert, dry, with scarce water resources. Despite these harsh conditions, you talk about it as if it’s a vacation. When An Na comes back, won’t she want to kill me?

Why don’t you pull back Long or Tiger and allocate one to accompany you.”

Nie Zhenbang shook his head. Long and Tiger were currently in Iran. The oil here had been part of his plan for a long time. Nothing must disrupt it.

After promising Dong Wan and the others that he would return to Jingcheng frequently, the two women finally calmed down. Dong Wan and Li Lixue then started helping Nie Zhenbang pack his clothes and luggage.

On the third day, after receiving an introduction letter from the Youth League Central Committee, Nie Zhenbang boarded a flight to the Xibei Autonomous Region.

After a flight of more than four hours, upon the plane’s landing at Urumqi Airport, Nie Zhenbang hailed a taxi and headed straight to the gate of the Party Committee of the Xibei Autonomous Region.

Outside, he found a nearby public telephone booth and dialed the house number of Li Yifeng. After two rings, a woman’s voice came through: “Hello, who are you looking for?”

It was common for leaders at a certain level in the bureaucracy to have someone else answer their home phone. This setup allowed them a buffer to avoid meeting unwanted people and they would never identify themselves first to avoid random phone calls.

Whoever was capable of answering calls at Li Yifeng’s house represented some form of status. So even if it were a nanny, Nie Zhenbang needed to treat them respectfully. He then said: “Excuse me, is this Secretary Li’s residence? I’m Nie

Zhenbang from Jingcheng.”

PS: Brothers and sisters, keep your monthly tickets coming. This morning, we were only 34 votes behind second place, but now we’re already 48 votes behind. The gap has widened. We’re currently at 238 votes. Can we reach 300 votes today? It’s just sixty votes away. If we reach it, a seven-chapter explosion! (To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation..)