In August 2023, inside a Private Room at the Jiang'an Provincial Party School staff cafeteria.
“Principal Chen, this is your turf. If you don't drink, it won't look right, will it?” The person speaking sat in the main guest seat. Dressed in a white shirt, he picked up the decanter and filled the wine glass at the Main Host Seat next to him. “Let’s have an opening toast.”
The people around the table burst into laughter. Chen Donglai reluctantly raised the wine glass in front of him and downed it in one gulp.
The man in the white shirt next to him was Zhou Buxing, the Vice Mayor and Director of the Public Security Bureau of the Jiang'an Provincial Capital, Huichuan City, and also his good friend of many years. He certainly had to give him face.
Compared to his powerful and unrestrained friend, Chen Donglai, sitting beside him, appeared reserved and introverted. He was already 55 years old and had spent many years idling as the Executive Deputy Director of the Provincial Party School.
If it weren't for the fact that everyone present was attending the training class for Bureau Level Cadres, with his influence and connections, this gathering would never have materialized.
“The opening ceremony is tomorrow morning; I’m afraid I won’t be able to wake up if I drink too much,” Chen Donglai put down his glass. “They’ve been cracking down recently, so let’s all keep our mouths shut. The cafeteria definitely can’t start cooking at this hour. I just asked Secretary Ping'an to order takeout from outside.”
Without Chen Donglai needing to remind them, everyone present knew that what they were doing tonight violated the Eight Provisions. However, since everyone had gathered, it was still unacceptable not to have a proper get-together.
Before the words had even finished, the door was pushed open.
“I had my Secretary buy some local dishes; they’ll go perfectly with the wine,” the middle-aged man at the door chuckled. “Donglai, it’s been a year since I last saw you.”
“Ping'an!” Chen Donglai abruptly stood up. Xing Ping'an, the Pingba Prefecture Party Secretary, was his old partner; the two had worked together for five years. When Chen Donglai was the Executive Vice Governor, Xing Ping'an had often supported him.
Most of the people present were merely drinking and dining acquaintances; only Zhou Buxing and Xing Ping'an could be considered his sworn brothers. “Sit!” Chen Donglai ushered his old partner into the seat on his left.
“We have wine and we have food,” Zhou Buxing took off his white shirt, raised his glass, and looked around. “First, I want to thank Donglai for setting up this gathering, allowing us this opportunity to meet here…”
……
After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food.
Chen Donglai estimated based on the four tempered glass cups. “I must have had about six ounces,” he thought to himself. He then said to Zhou Buxing beside him, “I’ve had nearly a pound; I’m starting to feel it.”
“A pound, my foot!” Zhou Buxing roared with laughter. “Three ounces at most!”
The people at the table started heckling. The man sitting directly across from Chen Donglai stood up and addressed everyone, “I heard from my dad that when Principal Donglai worked in Yong'an County, he could drink two pounds in one sitting!”
“Donglai was chosen by Secretary Zangfeng to be his Secretary precisely because he could drink so well,” Xing Ping'an revealed a secret, drawing gasps of amazement from everyone.
“Don’t listen to Ping'an’s nonsense. Back then, I wasn't just good at drinking; I was also quite skilled at writing essays,” Chen Donglai laughed and cursed.
Secretary Zangfeng…
His thoughts drifted far away. Wang Zangfeng could truly be called his benefactor. Not only did he promote him from a nobody Deputy Township Head in a desolate township to Deputy Director of the County Party Committee Office, but he also brought him from the county seat to the Provincial Capital, and even all the way to the Capital City.
“Secretary Zangfeng put in a lot of effort to get Donglai from Deputy Section Level to Deputy Department Level,” Xing Ping'an, who was quite drunk, confided the inside story to everyone. “Back then, he was Deputy Department Level before he turned forty. It was around '07 or '08, and I was still the Secretary of Xiakou County.”
Chen Donglai picked up his glass and took a small sip. He felt as if the strong liquor he had just consumed had turned into bitter water.
He had achieved remarkable success in his official career at a young age, but in middle age, he was stuck at an invisible threshold, moving back and forth for over a decade without making any progress. Many people who started later had surpassed him, turning his pride into nothingness.
In response to the call for comprehensive poverty alleviation and to resolve his own bottleneck at the Department Director Level, he voluntarily went to work in the two most difficult autonomous prefectures in Jiang'an Province, rooting himself there for over ten years, only to be repeatedly transferred back and forth between the two prefectures.
Neither Pingba Prefecture nor Shuixiu Prefecture had high-speed rail access. His wife and children needed to take a slow train for five or six hours just to see him.
By the time the high-speed rail he had repeatedly lobbied the National Railway Group and the Ministry of Transport to build for Pingba Prefecture was finally operational, his daughter had already graduated from university…
Thinking about the disproportionate effort versus reward over the years, the neglect of his family, and the passing of his parents, Chen Donglai’s eyes stung. He raised his glass and finished it in one gulp.
“Stop drinking, Donglai,” Zhou Buxing advised. “I’m afraid you’ll actually drink a pound.” Seeing Chen Donglai’s eyes growing hazy, Zhou Buxing said to Xing Ping'an beside him, “Secretary Ping'an, you need to be responsible for getting him home later.”
“I’ll call his Secretary later; have him stay with him tonight. We need to use some strong measures to wake him up tomorrow morning,” Xing Ping'an said worriedly. Tomorrow morning was the training class opening meeting, and Donglai, as the Executive Deputy Principal, absolutely could not be absent. “Besides, Secretary Tian will also be attending.”
Zhou Buxing knew which Secretary Tian Xing Ping'an was referring to. It was Tian Maode, who had just been promoted from Provincial Party Committee Organization Minister to Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.
“Secretary Tian is targeting Donglai too much,” Zhou Buxing sighed. “He was the Organization Minister for five years and blocked Donglai for five years.”
“And now he’s Donglai’s superior,” Xing Ping'an also sighed. “He also holds the position of Principal of the Provincial Party School.”
The two exchanged glances in silence, then clinked their glasses together after a while.
“I’ll take Donglai back; Secretary Ping'an, you should go to sleep first.” Zhou Buxing carried Chen Donglai on his back, with Secretary Xiao Zhang following behind, supporting Chen Donglai’s lower body.
“Be careful, don’t let him bump into anything,” Xing Ping'an reminded them both. “Xiao Zhang, set an alarm. You must wake Chen Donglai up before 8:30 AM. If he won’t wake up, splash water on him. I need to see him appear in the Party School auditorium before 8:55 AM.”
“Don’t worry, Secretary Xing, we guarantee the task will be completed,” Xiao Zhang replied confidently.
……
“Gently, gently,” Zhou Buxing reminded Xiao Zhang, “Don’t let him fall apart.” The two worked together to toss Chen Donglai onto the bed.
“Remember Secretary Xing’s instructions,” Zhou Buxing cautioned Xiao Zhang again. “Don’t sleep too soundly; keep an eye on him tonight.”
“Don’t worry, Director Zhou.”
……
Chen Donglai felt as if he had been having a very long dream. In the dream, he soared through his official career, starting from the grassroots level step by step, climbing from County Party Secretary to Municipal Party Secretary, and finally becoming a Provincial Leader. He not only brought high-speed rail to Pingba Prefecture but also helped Shuixiu Prefecture build an Airport…
“Hiss,” the sharp pain woke Chen Donglai from his drunken stupor. He felt as if thousands of needles were stabbing his abdomen. He curled his body into a ball, breathing rapidly, and used all his strength to shout, “Xiao Zhang, Xiao Zhang…”
He painfully shifted his body. The pain caused his forehead to be covered in dense beads of sweat. When he managed to turn over, he saw Secretary Xiao Zhang sleeping soundly on the nearby sofa. The room was completely empty of anyone else.
“A dog-gone life,” was the last thought that flashed through Chen Donglai’s mind before his eyes closed, and he passed out.