Siheyuan, Me and the Yu Sisters

In December, in the cold and windy city, pedestrians hurriedly walked past a big-character poster that had just been scraped off the ground. In the corner of their sight, they could vaguely see the words "study something"

This year's winter is colder than previous years. Tang Yan, wearing a red scarf, just came into Zhang Renkang's office. She put the file bag and a newspaper on Zhang Renkang's desk. She rubbed her hands and went to the stove at the door to warm herself up. Zhang Renkang smiled and poured her a cup of hot water from the thermos and handed it to her.

"It's cold outside, right? Have a drink of water to warm yourself up first."

Tang Yan was not polite. After nearly a year of getting along, she was already familiar with Zhang Renkang's style of doing things. As long as it didn't involve work, he was still very easy-going, especially in normal times, he would joke with everyone. As Zhang Renkang's office secretary, Tang Yan was naturally more casual with him than ordinary people.

Tang Yan shuddered and said

"It's too cold. The strong wind feels like a knife cutting me. I feel like my face is going to be wrinkled."

"I don't know what happened this year. This winter is colder than last year."

Zhang Renkang smiled and did not reply. He opened the file bag and took out the request issued by Tang Yan from the administrative department and started reading it.

Since the article "Hai Rui" was published in Wenchuang Newspaper last month, Beijing has been caught in a storm.

First, the municipal party committee and government were criticized many times, and then the culture and media were criticized and rectified. From the end of the month, the newspapers and media in the city were full of instructions to learn the correct historical view and stand up for class nature.

The whole society vigorously launched the ideological struggle of criticizing Hai Rui and fighting against "leftism". Schools began to suspend classes. A large number of students wore red armbands to defend the new regime and formed various student organizations. Even many factories, under the call of the ideological faction in power in the Ministry of Industry, launched a movement to learn from the position of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill and resolutely implement the correct thinking of the new era.

Although it is winter, the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill still receives study delegations from various units every day.

However, unless the level is relatively high, Liu Xuan is usually arranged to represent the entire factory to receive the guests. This is also a good way for his administrative department to play a little value. For this reason, at the suggestion of Li Huaide, a special Red Learning Reception Committee was established.

Liu Xuan was in charge of the renovation of a small building to the left of the office building and allocated funds to use it as the exhibition room of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, where a large number of honors and their reform plans and achievements were displayed to export red culture and reform experience to the outside world.

Zhang Renkang looked at the document which said that all units were required to submit materials critical of the article "Hai Rui" and divide their positions and fight in light of the actual situation.

Then he picked up the newspaper, looked at it, sighed, put it down and asked

"What did Secretary Li say?"

Tang Yan finished drinking the hot water and warmed up by the stove. She took off her scarf and revealed her rosy face.

"Secretary Li asked you to handle it and said to follow the previous ideas."

"Let me tell you that we need to carry out a critical movement in the factory, and let the Ideological Committee organize it well."

Zhang Renkang shook his head and smiled

"That's all he said?"

"No specific instructions?"

After being enlightened by Zhang Renkang, Li Huaide finally realized how big this incident was. Since last month, he has handed over the Ideological and Political Affairs Committee to Zhang Renkang. He is now responsible for the overall planning of production tasks and the affairs of the newly established metal research studio in the steel rolling mill.

Li Huaide felt that since Zhang Renkang knew the inside story, if he asked too much, he would have to bear the responsibility together. In this case, he might as well not care about anything and just leave it to Zhang Renkang. Anyway, he and Zhang Renkang are grasshoppers on the same rope. In addition, Zhang Renkang's age and qualifications have reached the top in five years, and there is basically no possibility of promotion. Moreover, Li Huaide promoted and supported Zhang Renkang to take the position. To Zhang Renkang, he, Li Huaide, is the old leader and guide, and he is not afraid of Zhang Renkang messing with his affairs.

Tang Yan shook her head and said

"I just said that we should expand the discussion at the meeting and completely defeat those unstable elements."

Zhang Renkang smiled and said

"Since this is the case, let Liu Xuan post articles about overthrowing all capitalist-roaders."

"Let Liu Xuan mobilize the workers to criticize all "leftist" mistakes"

Tang Yan nodded and said

"I'll go and inform Deputy Director Liu Xuan right away."

Zhang Renkang waved his hand and said

"There's no rush. Go call Cui Dake over first."

Watching Tang Yan leave, Zhang Renkang smiled helplessly. Li Huaide's meaning was very simple. This so-called capitalist-roader and unstable element in the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill was Yang Weiguo. Starting from last month, Liu Xuan was the first to take the lead in criticizing some of Yang Weiguo's remarks at the factory committee meeting, saying that he was a running dog who sympathized with capitalism and was an enemy of the working class and the people.

Then Xu Damao, who had become the leader of the labor reform team and deputy director of the Propaganda Department, shouted

"Yang Weiguo protected the criminal Sha Zhu and the negative and backward Yi Zhonghai, sympathized with the big capitalist Lou Huaijin, and was an enemy of the workers."

This sentence pushed Yang Weiguo to the edge of the volcano. Many cadres below started to discuss. They didn't know why a critical meeting was suddenly held against Yang Weiguo today. Yang Weiguo on the stage was trembling all over and staring at Xu Damao viciously. He remembered that it was Xu Damao who asked him about work problems that day, saying that Zhang Renkang and Li Huaide suppressed him, and then brought up his emotions, and then invited Yang Weiguo and several small cadres to a small restaurant outside for dinner.

Under Xu Damao's guidance, Yang Weiguo, who was drunk, talked about his dissatisfaction and brought up the topic of the Lou family. Thinking of the good things he had done with Lou Huaijin before, Yang Weiguo just objectively said a few words that the Lou family still made some contributions.

After Xu Damao got what he wanted, he came back and concocted evidence with Liu Xuan that Yang Weiguo was resentful of the transfer and dissatisfied with the current factory committee, and that he sympathized with the big capitalist Lou Huaijin. With Li Huaide's tacit approval, he started to attack today.

After a while, Tang Yan led Cui Dake into the office. When they saw Zhang Renkang, Cui Dake was as enthusiastic as a loyal dog. He smiled and came up to him and said,

"Leader, what arrangements do you have for me? I will do it right away."

Cui Dake had been transferred to the steel mill by Zhang Renkang for more than ten days. In the logistics department, Zhang Renkang specially set up a material coordination department for him and arranged for Cui Dake with the salary of a second-level clerk. He also arranged for Cui Dake to live in another family division of the steel mill and gave him two houses. Now Cui Dake has transferred his household registration from the original farm to the city.

Thinking of how proud he was when he went to the farm commune to get the paperwork and certification, Cui Dake now feels that Zhang Renkang is more filial than his own father.

Zhang Renkang smiled and motioned Tang Yan to bring him a chair and said

"Dake, are you adapting well in the factory?"

"Are you familiar with all the departments?"

Zhang Renkang did not make any specific arrangements for Cui Dake. His coordination department only visited the farms in Miyun and Zhangjiakou that cooperated with the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill on a regular basis, and spent the rest of the time wandering around the factory.

In the past ten days or so, Cui Dake has visited the entire steel mill. Knowing that he is Zhang Renkang's confidant, everyone is very respectful to him. In addition, Zhang Renkang gave him a hundred yuan in banknotes to let him settle down. Cui Dake only spent twenty yuan to buy food and coal for heating. He used the rest to buy cigarettes and alcohol and treat people to dinner and smoking. For a while, half of the middle and grassroots department heads of the Red Star Steel Mill became good brothers with him on the surface.