Chapter 387: Deng Yunheng's Face, Gradually Forming Network of Relationships

Chapter 387: Deng Yunheng's Face, Gradually Forming Network of Relationships

In a certain department of a ministry in the capital city, Zhao Jing was working at her desk when the phone suddenly rang. She put down her documents and answered, "Hello, this is the XX Department."

On the other end of the line, Deng Yunheng's familiar voice came through, "Leader, it's me, happy New Year!"

Receiving a call from her former subordinate, whom she admired, Zhao Jing's mood noticeably improved. She greeted him, "County Chief Deng, happy New Year!"

After they exchanged a few pleasantries, Deng Yunheng got to the point, "Leader, I'm calling to invite you to my wedding."

Zhao Jing was surprised, "Deng Yunheng, you've kept this pretty well under wraps. When did you start dating?"

Deng Yunheng laughed, "Last year. My father helped me find her, and I thought she was pretty good, so we started dating."

Hearing this, Zhao Jing felt a bit of regret. When Deng Yunheng was working under her, she had seen his great potential and intended to introduce him to her sister-in-law. However, after probing her mother-in-law's opinion, she found that her mother-in-law placed a high value on matching families, so she didn't help arrange it.

Later, when her former subordinate came back from his hometown to bring her some local specialties, he coincidentally met her sister-in-law.

Her sister-in-law had a good impression of Deng Yunheng, but since they worked in different ministries and Zhao Jing couldn't help arrange things due to her mother-in-law, the two never got the chance to meet again and naturally didn't spark a romantic relationship.

Moreover, shortly after, Deng Yunheng applied to transfer to work in Fujian, and the thousands of miles between them put an end to any possibilities.

Now, hearing that Deng Yunheng was getting married, her sister-in-law had even less of a chance.

Zhao Jing sighed inwardly but smiled and asked, "Deng Yunheng, where is your fiancee from? What does her family do? I need to check if she's a good match for our ministry's outstanding talent."

Deng Yunheng laughed heartily, "Leader, you're too kind. My fiancee is from Wuhan, Hubei, and her father is also in the system."

Zhao Jing quickly responded, "Is he a provincial leader?"

Deng Yunheng smiled, "My future father-in-law's surname is Gu."

Zhao Jing immediately understood. Coming from a family of officials herself and being part of the system, she had memorized the backgrounds of most provincial and above-level colleagues. Deng Yunheng's mention made it clear who he was referring to.

Although his family background couldn't match her own or her mother-in-law's, it was still at the provincial level, which was a true elite family.

Zhao Jing praised him, "Your future father-in-law has excellent taste, picking you as his son-in-law."

Deng Yunheng modestly replied, "Leader, you flatter me. It's my good fortune to become his son-in-law."

Zhao Jing chuckled, "You, always so smooth with your words. When is your big day, and where will the wedding be held?"

Deng Yunheng said, "The big day is on the seventh day of the second lunar month, and it will be held in my hometown."

Zhao Jing said, "Alright, I'll definitely come."

Deng Yunheng said, "Thank you for giving me face."

...

Jiangsu.

In an office of the Pei County government, Li Haibo received a call from his Peking University (PKU) alumnus, Deng Yunheng.

Li Haibo was the former student council president at PKU, with a good family background and was one of the most prominent figures on campus. They had worked together for a while and formed a good friendship. When they graduated and chose their career paths, Deng Yunheng had even consulted his opinion.

Since then, they had maintained regular contact as their positions and statuses continued to rise. Both valued each other's prospects, and their friendship grew stronger.

After exchanging pleasantries, Deng Yunheng got straight to the point, "County Chief Li, I'm calling to invite you to my wedding."

Li Haibo teased, "You, County Chief Deng, I didn't expect you to get married before me. Where is your fiancee from, and what is her family background?"

Deng Yunheng smiled, "She's from Wuhan, and her family is also in the system."

Li Haibo probed, "Provincial background?"

Deng Yunheng nodded and joked, "County Chief Li, you're falling behind in this area. You need to step up your game!"

Hearing this, Li Haibo took his PKU alumnus even more seriously. Deng Yunheng was already outstanding and had a good family background, and he had started working earlier than Li Haibo.

Despite having no background, Deng Yunheng managed to keep up with his career advancement, which was impressive.

Now, marrying a woman from a provincial family would undoubtedly provide him with significant support. It wouldn't be long before Deng Yunheng's rank and position matched or even surpassed his own, potentially becoming the county magistrate of Fuzhou County.

An alumnus with such a promising future was worth cultivating a deep relationship with.

Therefore, in response to Deng Yunheng's joke, Li Haibo smiled and replied, "Yes, I need to step up my game. I can't fall behind you in this area."

Deng Yunheng laughed heartily and said, "Then I'll be waiting to drink your wedding wine."

After a few more pleasantries, they confirmed the time and place for the wedding and hung up the phone.

...

That day, Deng Yunheng spent his time calling his former leaders, colleagues, and classmates and alumni from Peking University (PKU).

Among the PKU classmates and alumni he played well with, the one who had the best career so far was Li Haibo, the former student council president, who was now a genuine county magistrate.

Second to him were Deng Yunheng and Song Yu, both of whom were at the director-general level.

The others were far behind them, either still at their original positions or at the deputy director-general level.

This included Zhao Changzheng, the former president of the Guangxi Alumni Association, who was currently also at the deputy director-general level.

Of course, Zhao Changzheng had chosen to work in XZ, which made his promotion more challenging but also more valuable. His future prospects were uncertain; he might remain obscure for life or rise to prominence.

This all depended on opportunities and his own abilities.

Deng Yunheng personally called and invited those who had maintained regular contact with him. This gradually forming network of relationships had been weaving since his first day of school, under his father's guidance. He believed it would not take long before this network would serve its intended purpose.

Those who received his calls responded with only two words: "Definitely coming."

From this, one could see Deng Yunheng's standing in the eyes of his leaders, colleagues, classmates, alumni, and fellow townspeople.

In an era with inconvenient transportation and distances spanning thousands of miles, not to mention the uncertainty of work commitments, saying "definitely coming" showed that they truly considered Deng Yunheng to be a very important person.

...

Songshan High School.

On the second floor of the teacher's dormitory, Li Hongjun was giving his son Li Huaxin a lesson in life.

"Son, today is your first day of high school, and there are some things I think I need to tell you."

Li Hongjun looked at his son, whom he had placed high hopes on, and said earnestly, "From primary school to junior high, I have been very dedicated to tutoring you, but your grades have only been in the upper-middle range, never at the top. Do you know why?"

Li Huaxin looked at his toes and replied, "I don't know."

"Look up and face me."

Li Hongjun looked at his underachieving son and said with a touch of helplessness, "The problem is that you are not voluntarily studying but are being forced to. You know my student, Deng Yunheng, right?"

Li Huaxin's lips twitched. "I know!"

His father had always been proud of teaching a PKU high achiever, and he had mentioned it countless times in front of the family. Li Huaxin's ears were practically calloused from hearing it. Yet his father was still asking if he knew?

Although he knew it was his father's usual opening, it was still enough to drive him to despair.

Li Hongjun said, "When Deng Yunheng was in his first year of high school, his grades were also just in the upper-middle range, lagging behind the class president. But by his second year, his academic performance started to improve dramatically. Do you know why?"

Li Huaxin, not being stupid, and with his father making it so obvious, replied, "Because your star student started to study hard and learn voluntarily after his second year?"

Li Hongjun nodded. "That's right. In fact, Deng Yunheng started to study hard in the second semester of his first year, but he didn't find the right study methods at first, so his progress wasn't very noticeable.

It was only in his second year that he found his own study methods and focused all his attention on learning voluntarily, which led to his rapid improvement and ultimately becoming the first PKU student in our Songshan High School's history."

Li Huaxin felt a bit moved. He knew very well how successful his father's star student was. In just a few years after graduating from PKU, he had already become a county magistrate, truly an admirable achievement.

Who wouldn't want to be like that?

Seeing his son's interest, Li Hongjun pressed on, "Son, the next three years are the most crucial. If you want to become a college student and have a job that everyone envies after graduation, you need to study hard and learn voluntarily.

You're not a child anymore. As a high school student, you should understand these things. I won't force you to study anymore. Whether you want to study or not is entirely up to you.

In short, if you don't get into college in three years, you'll have to go to Guangdong to work like the other young people in the village.

I've said my piece. Your life is your choice."

Li Huaxin nodded silently. The first lesson of the new school year had shown him a different side of his father and made him feel real pressure.

He wasn't even an adult yet, and he had to choose his own path in life!

Just as Li Huaxin was in turmoil, there came a knock on the door. He quickly went to open it.

The person knocking on the door was none other than Deng Yunhua, who asked with a smile, "Is Teacher Li at home?"

"Sure, he is."

Li Huaxin opened the door and said, "Dad, someone's here to see you."

At that moment, Li Hongjun also saw Deng Yunhua and said, somewhat surprised, "Deng Yunhua, why are you here?" Deng Yunhua and his sister, both underachievers, were known to all the teachers in the school thanks to their outstanding brother, Deng Yunheng. As Deng Yunheng's homeroom teacher, Li Hongjun was even more familiar with them.

"Teacher Li, I'm here to deliver an invitation to you."

Deng Yunhua took out an invitation from his briefcase and handed it to him with both hands, saying, "My brother is getting married on the seventh day of the second lunar month. He was supposed to come and deliver the invitation himself, but he's still working in Fujian and won't be back until the wedding. So, I'm delivering it for him."

Li Hongjun took the invitation and smiled brightly, "That's great, really great. Where is your future sister-in-law from?"

Deng Yunhua replied, "Wuhan, Hubei."

Li Hongjun was surprised, "That's quite a distance, isn't it?"

Deng Yunhua laughed, "It is, Teacher Li. On the morning of my brother's wedding, around nine o'clock, a car will come to the school to pick you up. I still have to deliver invitations to other teachers, so I'll be on my way. See you!"

Li Hongjun nodded, "Alright, go ahead!"

After Deng Yunhua left, Li Hongjun looked at the invitation with a joyful smile.

...

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was the fifth day of the second lunar month.

Wuhan, Hubei.

In a certain residential compound.

The Gu family was hosting their relatives.

The Gu family didn't have many relatives. Gu Father was born during a time of war and chaos. His father was an old Red Army soldier, and Gu Father's rise to his current position was due to both his own outstanding work and the legacy of his father.

Of course, their family had paid a significant price. Only Gu Father survived to see the liberation.

Therefore, there were no direct relatives on Gu Father's side, except for a distant cousin and her family, including her children and grandchildren.

Gu Mother's relatives were in Guangxi, and since Gu Caiwei was originally going to marry into Guangxi, there was no need for her to come to Wuhan.

The remaining relatives were those of the eldest daughter's in-laws.

As for other colleagues, subordinates, and friends, the Gu family didn't invite them, as they didn't want to make a big deal out of the wedding.

...

At the same time, the bridal party led by the groom, Deng Yunheng, arrived in Wuhan by plane.

The bridal party was small, consisting of only six people: his eldest sister, his older sister, his younger brother, and two friends, Song Yu and Chu Zhenyu. Including Deng Yunheng himself, they formed a six-person bridal party.

It's worth noting that only five people flew in. Chu Zhenyu, a Peking University classmate and roommate, was originally from Hubei. After graduating, he chose to work in his hometown and is currently a deputy department-level official, serving as a county vice-magistrate.

Because he was from Hubei, Deng Yunheng included him in the bridal party.

While settling into the hotel, Deng Yunheng couldn't help but marvel, "Wuhan truly lives up to its reputation as a national historical and cultural city and an important birthplace of Chu culture. Our Guangxi Nanning can't compare to this place; the difference is too great."

Song Yu added, "There's no comparison. Our Guangxi Nanning has only been the capital for a few years, while Wuhan has been the provincial capital of Huguang since the Yuan Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was known as the 'First Prosperous Place in Chu' and one of the 'Four Major Gathering Places in the World.'

Moreover, Wuhan has a well-developed transportation network, earning it the nickname 'Thoroughfare of Nine Provinces.' It is the largest inland water, land, and air transportation hub in our country. How can our border city, Guangxi Nanning, compare to Wuhan?"

"Thirty years on this side of the river, thirty years on the other. Who knows which city will develop better in the future?"

Chu Zhenyu laughed and said, "Let's not talk about other things. Take Shenzhen, for example. It was once an obscure fishing village, but with the support of national policies, it has transformed into the most vibrant special economic zone today. Who would have thought that?"

Deng Yunheng agreed, "That's true. The development of each city depends on its geographical location, the national development strategy, and the city's positioning, which is crucial. If a city has a capable leader, its development will be rapid; if it has a mediocre leader, the city's development will stagnate or even regress."

Deng Yunshou added, "Geographical location is indeed very important. Our country has established four special economic zones, but the other three are not as developed as Shenzhen. Apart from other objective reasons, the biggest reason is geographical location. Shenzhen has Hong Kong as its leading brother, while the other three special economic zones lack this advantage.

Therefore, I believe Shenzhen's advantages will only grow in the future, and it will far surpass the other three special economic zones."

Song Yu nodded, "The assistance Hong Kong provides to Shenzhen is enormous. Due to this superior geographical location, the national importance placed on Shenzhen is unmatched by the other three special economic zones. It is inevitable that Shenzhen will far surpass the other three special economic zones."

On the way, the high achievers exchanged ideas, their perspectives broad and their knowledge extensive. Zhang Xiuping and Deng Yunzhen, who were less knowledgeable, remained silent, listening intently to the conversation and absorbing the valuable information.

Soon, everyone settled into a restaurant.

Due to the long journey, they all returned to their rooms after dinner to freshen up and rest.

The next morning, after breakfast, Deng Yunheng and the other members of the bridal party set off to the bride's home to pick her up.

The formalities of meeting and greeting were skipped for brevity.

The wedding process was much simpler back then, so after drinking tea and having some snacks at the Gu family's home, Deng Yunheng and the bridal party, along with the bride's entourage, headed to the airport to fly back to Nanning.

The bride's entourage included her parents, her sister and brother-in-law, as well as her aunt and cousin.

According to the customs of Shuangwang, parents typically did not accompany their daughter on her wedding day, but the Gu family did not have such a tradition. They wanted to see their daughter off personally, and the groom's side naturally did not refuse.

In fact, from a practical standpoint, they were more than happy to have the bride's parents along.

Of course, the bride's entourage was not limited to these few. Once they arrived in Nanning, they would meet up with the bride's maternal relatives. At that time, her uncle, aunt, and cousins would also join the entourage, making the group quite large.

...

At noon.

Nanning Airport.

Deng Shirong, along with his eldest and fourth sons, and a team of security personnel, arrived at the airport to greet the guests.

In addition to receiving the bride and her entourage, they also had to welcome the many distinguished guests invited by the groom.

After waiting for about half an hour, they finally received the first distinguished guest, none other than Zhao Changzheng, who had flown back from Tibet. He was also a local from Nanning.

Seeing the sign at the exit, Zhao Changzheng hurried over to greet them, "Hello, I'm Zhao Changzheng, an alumnus and fellow townsman of Deng Yunheng."

Deng Shirong warmly greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Zhao. I'm Yunheng's father. He has mentioned you before. Thank you for the long journey!"

They exchanged pleasantries, and then Deng Shirong said with a smile, "I have arranged a car for you. Mr. Zhao, would you like to go home and see your parents first, or go to the gathering point to have some food and wait for the other classmates?"

Zhao Changzheng replied, "I think I'll go home to see my parents first. I'll join everyone at the departure time."

Deng Shirong said, "Alright, I'll have the driver take you home."

Zhao Changzheng waved his hands, "No need, Uncle Deng. Don't trouble yourself. Leave the car for the other classmates. I'm a local and know the bus routes well."

Deng Shirong laughed, "It's no trouble. I have arranged several cars, so it's manageable."

Hearing this, Zhao Changzheng did not refuse further, thanked him, and followed Deng Yunhua to the car.

...

Subsequently, more distinguished guests began to arrive.

Some came alone, while others came in groups. Each one of them was a standout in their own right, holding enviable positions. Even the least of them was a township leader, and most were deputy department-level officials.

The classmates and alumni that Deng Yunheng had brought back during the summer also arrived one by one, warmly greeting Deng Shirong.

By two o'clock in the afternoon, Deng Yunheng's former leader from the ministry, Zhao Jing, and a few close colleagues also arrived.

Additionally, his roommate from Beijing, Tang Mingjie, who lived in the capital, also arrived. Although they did not know each other, they were on the same flight. When they all walked toward the "Deng Yunheng Wedding Reception Point," they finally recognized each other.

Each distinguished guest was warmly welcomed by Deng Shirong and his sons. After exchanging pleasantries, they were driven to Wuyue Square.

Upon their arrival at Wuyue Square, the youngest daughter was responsible for greeting them.

At half past two in the afternoon, the bride and her entourage finally arrived in Nanning.

After another round of greetings, by half past three, all the guests had been gathered.

They quickly had a light meal and then boarded two large buses heading to Bobai County.

By the time they arrived at Suifeng Hotel, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.

Under normal circumstances, Suifeng Hotel would have closed by this time. However, since it was a special day and they had to welcome the distinguished guests, the hotel remained open and prepared.

With the arrival of the bride's entourage and other guests, the hotel immediately served a sumptuous Bobai-style feast.

...

PS: Yunheng is getting married! If you have a monthly ticket, please send a gift and prepare for the feast ^_^

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end