Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 559: Chapter 516: Family Banquet (Second Update, Summoning Monthly Tickets)_1
 

The courtyards of Li Taishi and Nie Zhenbang were merely separated by a wall, the compound of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, Courtyard One and Courtyard Two, in between, is just a wall less than 1.7 meters tall.

As soon as Nie Zhenbang got off work in the afternoon, he stood up. It was rare to not work overtime in his office, and as he left the office, Li Jupeng, who was outside, was somewhat surprised to see him up.

Nie Zhenbang preemptively said: “Jupeng, let’s call it an early day. Tonight, I don’t have much on my plate. You don’t have to accompany me.”

Li Jupeng nodded, the job of a secretary requires understanding implicit directives. Mayor Nie’s intention was clear, don’t follow him tonight, anything more would be overdoing it and become more bothersome. This point, Li Jupeng could now understand quite well.

Upon leaving the Municipal Party Committee office building, Nie Zhenbang headed to the Wal-Mart Supermarket not far from the municipal government. The first time you visit someone’s home, you buy a little something to show your good intentions. Things like cigarettes and alcohol, Nie Zhenbang found beneath him.

After considering all factors, he purchased a slightly high-end set of Olay cosmetics in Wal-Mart that cost over three thousand yuan, plus some health supplements for middle-aged people. At this point, the advertisement “Refuse gifts during holidays” was slowly gaining popularity, health was gradually becoming important to Chinese people. Giving the gift of health was also in line with his attitude.

Returning to the Municipal Party Committee’s family compound, Nie Zhenbang did not go home, but instead went straight to Li Taishi’s house. The living room door is wide open, this subtlety also shows Li Taishi’s welcoming attitude. In ancient times, when welcoming honored guests, you usually had to open the main gate, which is a rarity nowadays. This level of sincerity is exceptional.

As he walked into the living room Nie Zhenbang paused and called out: “Secretary Li, Sister-in-law, are you home?”

Soon, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron emerged from the kitchen. Her complexion was fair, in her forties, with curled short hair. It’s a style which was once very popular, but not so much now, yet with middle-aged women, it still finds its market.

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, the middle-aged woman also smiled and said: “Mayor Nie is here, come on in. Old Li is in the kitchen, he went straight to the kitchen right after he got home, said you were coming for dinner and wanted to show off his culinary skills.”

Li Taishi’s wife is called Peng Jiaoping, she is a local from Minan. Li Taishi is from Ludong and was assigned to work in Minan, where they settled. Now, Peng Jiaoping has also transferred to Wanghai City and serves as the deputy dean at the Wanghai City People’s Hospital.

“Sister-in-law, I didn’t mean to put you to so much trouble. I simply thought I’d drop in for a casual meal. My wife is in confinement at her mother’s house, and my home is very quiet. Sorry to trouble you and Secretary Li,” Nie Zhenbang said, placing his gifts in the living room as he entered.

As he reached the kitchen entrance, Li Taishi was stirring the pot and said with a smile: “Zhenbang’s here, sit down. I’ll be ready in a moment. Today, I’ll let you taste the specialty of my hometown – sweet and sour carp and braised pig intestines. This is my forte. Old Peng, why are you not pouring tea for Mayor Zhenbang? That’s not like you at all.”

At this moment, Peng Jiaoping shot Li Taishi a look and laughed: “You love to show off, don’t you? I was just getting to it.”

It was clear that Li Taishi and his wife had a great relationship; it could even be described as sweet. You can tell a lot about a person from their family life. Li Taishi, was not a shifty or cunning individual, but indeed a friend worth getting close to.

About ten minutes later, the last dish was served. Nie Zhenbang, carrying his gifts, boldly walked into the dining room and handed the cosmetics to Peng Jiaoping: “Sister-in-law, here is some cosmetics. I’m not sure if it will to your liking. I bought it on a whim. I hope you don’t mind.”

Moving on, Nie Zhenbang also handed the health products to the nearby Li Taishi, smiling as he said: “Secretary Li, just a token of my appreciation. Coming to your house for the first time empty-handed wouldn’t be right, so I bought a few small items on a whim.”

The status of Nie Zhenbang and Li Taishi is equal, the nature of these gifts is completely different from those of lower-ranking officials. Those people wouldn’t present their gifts as openly as Nie Zhenbang, and Li Taishi and his wife wouldn’t accept such gifts as openly. That’s the difference.

Li Taishi was in high spirits today. He chuckled, “Old Peng, go and get my treasured bottle of Maotai from the liquor cabinet.”

Peng Jiaoping gave Li Taishi a strained look, clearly, she didn’t want her husband to drink too much. But considering that this was Nie Zhenbang’s first visit, she refrained from saying anything outright.

Nie Zhenbang was very familiar with the bottle of liquor. This was a special Maotai, exclusively for central government leaders. Note that there’s a distinction here, this wine is reserved for national-level leaders, not the government’s special supply. The ordinary government supply is something provincial and ministerial officials can get their hands on, albeit in varying amounts. But the exclusive supply for central leaders, it was extremely scarce, totaling up to no more than a thousand bottles each year. This testified to its value.

Consequently, Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “Secretary Li, I really didn’t know you had such a taste. Next time I come across a good drink, I’ll be sure to bring you a few bottles.”

Upon hearing this, Li Taishi laughed heartily; as expected, Nie Zhenbang showed no surprise or shock upon seeing this bottle of liquor. His demeanor was as calm as still water. This spoke volumes about his influential background.

Someone might argue that those who don’t understand the value wouldn’t be surprised, but this type of bottle packaging is never seen outside. If someone hasn’t seen it before, they would undoubtedly inquire about the wine’s origins. Yet from the look in Nie Zhenbang’s eyes, it was clear he knew the wine’s source. The rest, therefore, didn’t need to be said. It was a demonstration of his profound background.

The wine glasses were small one-tael cups, one for each person. After dinner, the bottle of wine was naturally seen to the bottom. Li Taishi seemed delighted. He sat on the sofa, picked up a pack of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes from the coffee table, handed one to Nie Zhenbang, and then smiled, “Mayor Zhenbang, this time I invited you for a meal. On one hand, we are friends. In terms of age, I am the older brother, and in terms of position, I am the Secretary. It’s my duty to look after my younger brother’s life. On the other hand, I wanted to discuss with you about the candidate selection for several bureau committees in the municipal government, as well as the secretary and district mayor of Wangxia District and Xiangming District.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang began to think. Personnel arrangement issues were always tricky. Now, in order to maintain the promising situation in the Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee, fairness was crucial. Simply put, if there was a conflict between his candidate and those of the Standing Committee members of the Municipal Party Committee for a position, the one who was more fitting should be selected, regardless of the political favoritism.

Additionally, for some key positions in the municipal government bureau committee, he had to secure them. As for the positions in Wangxia District and Xiangming District, they were not high on his priority list.

Following, Nie Zhenbang also smiled and said, “Secretary Li, on personnel matters, I think Comrade Xiao Shanming is quite suitable for the Public Security Bureau. During his time leading the Municipal Public Security Bureau, he has performed excellently. I fully believe Xiao Shanming is competent to serve as the bureau chief. As for other units, honestly, I am not very familiar with them. In my view, we can fully consider Comrades Qi Siyuan and Liu Yafu’s opinions on this matter.”

Nie Zhenbang only wanted the position of the Public Security Bureau chief, an unexpected move. However, Li Taishi was extremely satisfied. Although he purposely befriended Nie Zhenbang, Li Taishi was also worried about encountering a difficult character. From what he saw, Nie Zhenbang was no such person, thus laying the groundwork for a good partnership.

“Hmm, I agree with your suggestion. Comrade Liu Yafu, after all, is a long-time organiser. Having risen step by step in Wanghai City, he understands the situation from all sides. I believe that under the guidance of Comrade Liu Yafu, there won’t be too many problems,” Li Taishi commented after a moment’s thought, voicing his own views.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Afterwards, the two of them discussed the current situation in Wanghai City. After their conversation, Nie Zhenbang rose to take his leave.

Watching Nie Zhenbang enter the next room and close the door, Peng Jiaoping came up to him and said, “Old Li, this Mayor Nie seems quite easy to get along with. And you being so polite as the secretary is rare. Is Mayor Nie really that important?”

Li Taishi glanced at his wife and then said, “Old Peng, what do you know? Now, it seems like I’ve been promoted. I’ve made it to Wanghai City and also received a supplement from the center, albeit as an alternate member, but it still means I caught the eyes of the central government. Why did no one fight for such a good position? Do you know the reason now? Moreover, you don’t know. The Maotai I brought out just now is exclusively for central leaders. This Mayor Nie didn’t even blink an eye. Do you think Nie Zhenbang is really that simple?”

“Well, that is true. When you placed that bottle of wine at home in Minzhou, many leaders wanted it. It seems now that Nie Zhenbang must have seen this kind of wine before, hence his unfazed demeanor,” Peng Jiaoping continued, speculating along the same lines.

From the side, Li Taishi continued, “Now, in Wanghai City, Nie Zhenbang and I are in the same boat. If we make achievements, my days will be easy, and the future will be bright. But if Wanghai does not perform, would I have the space for promotion then? So, supporting his work is supporting my own. Besides, Nie Zhenbang’s background definitely reaches the sky. This is not a simple matter. If I maintain good relations with him, and if he builds up Wanghai City, won’t I also get credit? Fighting for power and profits is for fools. Understand?”

PS: Correcting an issue from the previous chapters, Old Cai miscalculated. The additional chapters for 700 votes have already been added. Now should be an additional chapter for 750 votes. The current vote count is 777. A nice number. Brothers and sisters, can we reach 800 votes to allow Old Cai to release five more chapters?(.)