Chapter 14: The Arrival of Opportunity (Part 3)

Zhang Maolin looked up at the quartz clock on the wall. With only half an hour left until the end of the workday, a sudden wave of displeasure washed over him. He guessed to himself:

—Ah! There is no way I am getting home on time again. Besides, I have already arranged to meet with Tao Shouli. Why would Wang Weixin want to see me at this hour? Could it be about something special? Might it relate to today’s meeting agenda? If it’s official business, it’s nine chances out of ten about calling another Party committee meeting or executive meeting...

Before Zhang Maolin’s mind could sort out any clear thoughts, Wang Weixin gently pushed open the door and stepped in.

"Oh! Look at this timing. Director Kan just notified me to come see you, but unhappily I was right in the middle of a phone call with an old comrade-in-arms who says he's treating me to dinner tonight. Just look at this..."

Wang Weixin’s sudden appearance caught completely unprepared Zhang Maolin off guard, causing him to involuntarily resort to lying!

"Don't even think about it. You can't go anywhere tonight, old friend. Because—because I'm going to freeload a meal at you, the Discipline Inspection Secretary's house. I know your good lady is out of town looking after the grandchild, so you're in the exact same boat as me, a lonely bachelor! What do you say? Am I welcome?"

Wang Weixin said with high spirits.

"Goodness me, I, old Zhang, would consider it a tremendous honor! If the esteemed President deigns to grace my humble abode, it will surely bring great splendor to my simple home."

Zhang Maolin raised both hands in a welcoming gesture.

In the end, Zhang Maolin could not outargue him. Wang Weixin instructed his driver to deliver the pre-ordered food and wine straight to Zhang Maolin's residence...

After three rounds of drinks, Wang Weixin rested his chin in his hands and cast a sidelong glance at Zhang Maolin:

"Old Secretary, don't you even want to know why I specifically came to visit your esteemed residence today?"

"Haha, how can this thatched cottage of mine be called an esteemed residence?! But then again, ever since you, President Wang, stepped through my door today, this place might indeed turn into an esteemed residence from now on!"

Zhang Maolin joked.

"Brother Maolin, I spoke the way I did at the meeting this afternoon on purpose—playing hard to get, you see! I am certain you can completely understand this. In fact, this is all for the greater good of our Songyang City Branch, and even more so for your own future career advancement. I know that in this matter, your information channels are better than mine, and I believe certain individuals within the city branch headquarters are already in the know. However, I still did not wish to publicly announce the news of the provincial branch's personnel changes right there in the meeting, and this is also the stance of the provincial branch leadership."

"Considering things for me? The provincial branch's stance? Weixin, what kind of play are you putting on? You really have me baffled!"

Zhang Maolin stared blankly at Wang Weixin.

"Hehe, my old brother, you're still speaking in riddles with me at this stage! This isn't your style, Zhang Maolin, is it? Could it be that this new official hasn't even assumed office yet and is already changing his tune?"

Wang Weixin said with a playful smile.

"Please, President Wang, just speak plainly! Otherwise, stop fogging things up in front of me. My IQ and EQ are both low, and I can never quite fathom the intricate minds of you intellectuals, making it impossible for me to catch and match your clever, artistic humor—lest we both end up feeling awkward in the end! No matter how anyone else gossips or chatters about certain matters, I only trust you, President Wang, and only your words count..."

There was actually a backstory to this double entendre uttered by Zhang Maolin:

—On New Year's Day in 1993, the Songyang Municipal Government launched a public popularity poll called the "Public Servant Cup." A specific quota of individual advanced role models was deliberately reserved for the heads of all direct subordinate units across the city.

At that time, the leadership team of the Songyang Commercial Bank had just been reshuffled not long before. Wang Weixin attached extraordinary importance to this honor and privately discussed it with Zhang Maolin, saying that among our team members, only you, Secretary Zhang, are a veteran figure, so securing the votes can only rely on your ability to work your magic. If spending money is necessary, we won't be stingy at all, as long as we can win this "top prize," that's OK! Zhang Maolin agreed, saying, "Fine, fine, fine." But soon after, the *Songyang Evening News* published the vote counts for the first-stage candidates, and the head of the Commercial Bank was nowhere to be found on the list. Wang Weixin grew anxious and asked Zhang Maolin to come up with a new idea. Zhang Maolin rubbed his head for a long time with a look of shame on his face! He said he had already spoken with acquaintances in many municipal departments, but after all, the number of people participating in the voting was limited, and it looked like he couldn't be of much help. Wang Weixin gritted his back molars and emphasized that it wasn't that he personally insisted on striving for this honor, but rather that it concerned the overall image of our Songyang Commercial Bank. If our newly formed team didn't even have this much clout, how could we establish ourselves and develop in this territory in the future?!

These provocative remarks by Wang Weixin practically stimulated, or rather insulted, Zhang Maolin! In his agitation, Zhang Maolin thumped his chest again with a slap and said, since President Wang has put it this way, you are basically challenging me! Actually, this matter isn't impossible to handle; it's just that once it is truly put into operation, the cost will be slightly higher. Wang Weixin hurriedly pressed for details, and Zhang Maolin said, given the current situation, we can no longer pin our hopes on finding a way within the city proper. We must use a flexible "blossoming in multiple directions" approach to open up a larger space for canvassing votes in the towns, villages, and settlements under the jurisdiction of the county areas. The specific method is to first make certain business commitments to those town and township heads: in the future, when our Commercial Bank rolls out consumer loans for rural households, we will open a preferential "channel" for farming households in a few key towns and appropriately accommodate them on access conditions. If a business consensus is reached through this, we won't have to worry about our Commercial Bank's vote count failing to rise. With nearly two million farmers across the rural areas of the city, isn't that enough to secure the votes we need?!...

Zhang Maolin's enlightenment left Wang Weixin overjoyed and dancing with joy! He repeatedly said, "Good, good, good, you, my brother, shall take sole charge of the specific operations."

...

As a result, the Commercial Bank successfully won that year's "Public Servant Cup" just as it had hoped! President Wang himself even topped the list: appearing on television, being heard on the radio, and having his name in the newspapers. Naturally, Wang Weixin expressed high praise for Zhang Maolin's outstanding contribution.

However, early the following year, when the municipal branch was formulating the credit allocation scale for the entire year, Zhang Maolin was astonished to find that there was simply no loan plan specifically targeted at individual farmers in the counties, towns, and townships. He rushed anxiously to Wang Weixin to argue the point, saying we already made commitments to the agricultural bureaus of those counties regarding loan allocations, so how can we break our promises now? Wang Weixin brushed it off with a chuckle, saying that was merely a public relations tactic of ours and shouldn't be taken seriously! Upon hearing this, Zhang Maolin flew into a rage, saying I truly never expected you, President Wang, to pull such a stunt; you're treating my face like toilet paper, aren't you? Wang Weixin immediately showed displeasure and retorted: loan allocation targets need to be decided through collective discussion at the municipal branch executive meeting—how could I make the call alone? And how could the reasoning you emphasize ever be brought to the "table" for discussion?! Zhang Maolin's face instantly elongated like a "shoe sole"! He said, how did you, esteemed President, only just acquire political awareness today? The vote-canvassing behavior itself back then was never an entirely upright maneuver. If you insist on playing this kind of fraudulent game, I won't say what kind of retaliatory methods those deputy county magistrates might deploy, but I can guarantee that the town and township mayors who once broke a sweat to help our Commercial Bank win that award will never let you off the hook! Don't underestimate these local sesame-seed officials; some of them are ruthless local tyrants who stop at nothing. These tough characters are half human and half demon! They know the legal ways above and have their own tricks below. If you dare to play monkeys with these people, they will definitely dare to storm the Songyang City Branch to settle accounts with you, and by then we won't be able to clean up the mess at all! If the matter blows up, it will inevitably damage the image of the entire branch and might even affect your position—do you believe it?...

Zhang Maolin's stern warning made cold sweat break out on Wang Weixin's forehead and temples, rendering him too cowed to argue with Zhang Maolin any further. In the end, a chunk of funds was carved out from the total loan scale of the county sub-branches and allocated to the farmers in the relevant townships. Judging by the operational results, the effect was quite good. Those farming households not only repaid their loans on time, but also enabled the Commercial Bank to develop a massive rural customer base.

...