The officials from Baohong City accompanying them were also city officials from last night's banquet. They already knew about Dong Xuebing and Secretary Xie's relationship. Seeing the two of them fake-shaking hands and speaking to each other, one saying 'Dong Secretary' and the other 'Secretary Xie,' he found it a bit ridiculous, thinking, "Why the act?"
"Secretary Xie, now it’s..." Dong Xuebing asked.
Xie Huilan replied, "It’s not quite mealtime yet. Let’s take a look inside."
"Alright, then, please come inside," Dong Xuebing motioned.
Xie Huilan smiled, "Sure, let’s just look around."
Dong Xuebing laughed, "Actually, there’s nothing much to see. They’re just temporary row houses, and the conditions are a bit basic. I hope you don’t mind."
A Xiaxing City official immediately responded, "The spirit of hard work and simplicity has always been a fine tradition of our country. We should learn from your county in this regard." Although he was a county party secretary, he was also the husband of the Secretary from Xiaxing City. The officials from Xiaxing City picked the pleasant things to say. They couldn't act if they treated Dong Xuebing as an ordinary county party secretary. They wouldn’t be in their current positions if they did. The attitude of the officials from Xiaxing City showed that they had no real intention of exchanging or inspecting; it made it seem as though Jiaoling County was a superior unit to Xiaxing City.
Dong Xuebing glanced at his watch and called his secretary over. He instructed Su Yan to prepare the meal.
The people from Jiaoling County followed along, accompanying the comrades from Xiaxing City while silently lamenting how many still found it hard to accept that Secretary Xie was the wife of a County Party Secretary. It was pretty exaggerated. Previously, seeing Secretary Xie's temperament and demeanor at the celebration banquet, everyone thought she was a cadre, at least a deputy section level. Who would have thought she was more than that—a proper department-level leader, the Secretary of a prefecture-level city like Xiaxing City. There was no need for further talk; after accumulating experience and prestige, her next step would be a deputy ministerial position—perhaps a vice-governor or a deputy director of a central ministry. Everyone couldn’t even imagine her age. Yesterday, they thought Secretary Xie was just beautiful and had a good temperament. Today, they realized her status was beyond imagination.
Held a high position.
She was the perfect wife.
Many in Jiaoling County were already pondering why Secretary Xie would marry Dong Xuebing. To put it bluntly, this was a case of "marrying down." Similarly, this made many admire their county party secretary even more from the bottom of their hearts. To marry such a perfect woman, not just anyone could do that—Dong Xuebing was truly capable.
Meng Hanmei, Sun Changzhi, and other Dong faction cadres were equally surprised. They didn’t expect this. But after the initial astonishment, they were also happy. Consequently, more and more signs emerged about Dong Xuebing’s background, which did not seem so ordinary. Forget about anything else. Having such a beautiful City Secretary as a wife would make anyone weigh their options. And the bigger Dong Xuebing’s background, the better it was for them. Everyone knew it was good to be under the shade of a big tree. Sun Changzhi was a bit relieved; during the first standing committee meeting, he was almost about to align with Zhang Dongfang’s group."
Walking around and taking a look.
It was noon, and everyone finally went to a restaurant across the street.
"Secretary Xie, please take a seat inside."
Everyone entered the private room, but the seating arrangements confused many.
Under normal circumstances, Secretary Xie would sit in the main seat, with the city officials and officials from Xiaxing City seated on either side of her according to their ranks. Only then would Jiaoling County’s leaders follow, and then the county’s officials, with city officials or outside guests taking precedence due to the higher ranks. However, this was not a typical situation now that Dong Xuebing was present—it was not just a county leader but the husband of Secretary Xie. Where should he sit?
The atmosphere hesitated for a moment.
City officials didn’t dare to sit easily; they stood there hesitating.
After some back-and-forth, Secretary Xie took the main seat first. This was unquestionable; as an outsider, Secretary Xie had the highest rank in the room and should naturally sit in the main seat.
Dong Xuebing was polite, "I'll sit in the back." He took a seat further back.
But the officials from Xiaxing City disagreed. A Xiaxing City official quickly said, "Secretary Dong, you should sit inside. Please sit inside."
"Yes, yes, Secretary Dong should sit inside," several people from Xiaxing City immediately agreed, clearing the way for Dong Xuebing to sit next to Secretary Xie.
Dong Xuebing said, "It's inappropriate for me to sit inside. You all go ahead. Let our city leaders sit; what business do I have sitting inside?"
The Xiaxing City officials were quite quick-witted with their reasoning, "Now it’s a break time, and everyone is having lunch. It’s not part of the official work period. You’re Secretary Xie’s husband, so you should naturally sit beside her. Where would we dare to start eating if you don't sit inside?"
"Yes, yes, now it’s a break," the people from Xiaxing City echoed.
Secretary Xie smiled slightly. "Alright, Xuebing. Just sit here. Be less formal, or the dishes will get cold."
Hearing this, Dong Xuebing had no choice but to get up again and sit next to Secretary Xie. He greeted the others, "Everyone, sit down quickly, and let’s eat." At that moment, Dong Xuebing’s demeanor changed, appearing more upright than before, his tone more authoritative. It was unavoidable; the atmosphere had changed with Secretary Xie by his side. As the husband of the City Secretary, he naturally had the right and reason to make these calls.
In the bureaucratic environment, sometimes it’s just —more formal.
Although it’s the same person, different occasions and environments call for different rules and attitudes.
Everyone seated themselves.
In the end, Secretary Xie and Dong Xuebing took the main seats, with two chairs separating them. The officials from Xiaxing City and Baohong City were seated in the respective front rows on either side, followed by Zhang Dongfang and others from Jiaoling County. The scene was awkward, but it was the most appropriate arrangement.
Many in Jiaoling County felt a sense of pride seeing their county party secretary sitting in front of the leaders from Baohong City at the dinner table. Given how much the city had been suppressing them, they were especially pleased to see this.