The room was getting hotter and hotter.
The atmosphere was also becoming increasingly tense.
Zhang Dongfang looked up and said, “Director Sun, do you think maybe we could wait for Director Li to get off work and then invite him to dinner?”
Sun Lihan shook her head and said, “That won’t work. That’s the State Council, in Zhongnanhai. Even if you waited near the side gate, the armed police would come and question you. The situation there is entirely different from that of other government departments. You can’t just stand around and wait for someone to come along. Even walking past with a mask on would get you stopped and asked for ID because they can’t see your face. Better not let a small issue turn into a big problem.”
The waters here were indeed very deep.
Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang fell silent.
Sun Lihan smiled and said, “You haven’t eaten lunch yet, have you? Let me treat you to Quanjude. Their roast duck is excellent.”
Zhang Dongfang forced a smile. “How can I be in the mood for that?”
“You’ve already done so much for us,” Zhang Dongfang said gratefully.
Sun Lihan smiled. “We’ve known each other for years—it’s no trouble.”
Just then, Zhang Dongfang’s phone rang. He glanced down and said, “I’ll take this call outside.” He stepped into the hallway.
Dong Xuebing’s voice came through. “Hello, Old Zhang.”
“Secretary Dong.” Zhang Dongfang’s tone lacked energy.
Dong Xuebing noticed. “How’s it going? All settled?”
Zhang Dongfang sighed. “Don’t even mention it. We’ve been here for two days, tried several times, and still haven’t even seen Director Li. He’s the one in charge of our city status application. I’ve tried everything. The liaison office staff have been very helpful, but we still can’t meet the man. I’m anxious. I have no idea what the Office’s stance is. Could it be they’re not even planning to review our city upgrade application?”
Dong Xuebing was momentarily speechless. “Old Zhang, didn’t I tell you to call me if you ran into trouble? I hadn’t heard from you, so I thought things were going smoothly. Turns out they’re not.”
He’d been swamped the past couple of days. With Zhang Dongfang away, everything had landed on Dong Xuebing’s shoulders, and he’d honestly forgotten about Zhang for a bit.
Zhang Dongfang sighed again. “I underestimated the difficulty. Didn’t feel right bothering you.” In truth, he wasn’t confident Dong Xuebing could help either.
Dong Xuebing paused a moment. “Alright, just wait a bit. I’ll make a call and see what I can do. I’ll get back to you if I hear anything.”
“Alright.” Zhang Dongfang hung up.
Back in his office in Jiaolin County, Dong Xuebing set aside his tasks and began flipping through his phonebook.
He had told Old Zhang not to go, but Zhang Dongfang insisted on going in person. Now—well, no point complaining. What’s done is done. It was all for the sake of their work.
Dong Xuebing considered whom to call.
His father-in-law, Xie Guobang? Not a good idea.
Senior Xie? Also not ideal.
This was tricky. His family had the rank and the weight, but this was the State Council General Office they were dealing with. No one in the Xie family worked there—it wasn’t the proper connection. If Dong Xuebing had gone himself, it would be easy. He had access to Zhongnanhai and had been there several times. For a minor matter , many leaders would be happy to show him respect. One phone call and it’d be done.
But that’s Dong Xuebing.
Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang didn’t have that kind of clout. Who even knew them? If someone from the Xie family worked inside, then, sure, Dong Xuebing could have made a call, and they’d take care of it. But there wasn’t anyone.
Dong Xuebing suddenly remembered and dialed Fang Shuiling, the youngest granddaughter of the Fang family.
“Hello, Brother Dong,” Fang Shuiling answered cheerfully.
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Xiao Ling, what are you up to?”
Fang Shuiling replied, “At school, chatting with a professor about a paper. We might co-publish. Been working on it for days—so tired.”
Dong Xuebing said, “Even though you’re busy, I have a small favor to ask.”
Fang Shuiling blinked. “Go ahead! Why so polite? If it’s your business, it’s my business. I’m not busy—just saying that.”
Dong Xuebing got straight to the point. “Here’s the situation. Our county is applying for city status. The application has already been submitted, but it is now under review by the State Council General Office. My team has been in the capital for two days trying to connect, but they haven’t even seen the person in charge. Can you help make a connection?”
Fang Shuiling was surprised. “You call that a problem? If you came to Beijing, who wouldn’t give you face? This kind of small matter hardly counts as a problem.”
Dong Xuebing said, “I just can’t leave right now.”
Fang Shuiling understood. “Ah, that makes sense. I’ve seen the live coverage of the tomb excavation—you are busy. Got it. Leave it to me.”
Dong Xuebing said, “I’ll give you a phone number. It’s County Chief Zhang Dongfang from our county. Get in touch with them. I owe you a meal.”
“Don’t be silly! You already gave me and Brother Ran a wedding gift—I still get dizzy thinking about that one. Nearly a hundred million yuan! Brother Ran and I haven’t even taken you out to thank you yet. No way I’m letting you treat me again. And anyway, this is no big deal,” said Fang Shuiling.
A little while later, Fang Shuiling got in touch with Zhang Dongfang.
“Hello, is this County Chief Zhang Dongfang?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s me. And you are?” Zhang Dongfang was confused.
Fang Shuiling smiled. “Brother Dong just called me and asked me to reach out. Where are you? I’ll come find you.”
Zhang Dongfang immediately understood—Secretary Dong had found someone. He quickly gave her his address. Fang Shuiling didn’t say much else, just told him to wait and hung up.
From her voice, Zhang Dongfang guessed she was only in her early twenties. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled: Why would Secretary Dong send such a young girl?
A little girl—what could she possibly get done?