Entering the officialdom by mistake and getting promoted quickly

After knocking on the door, enter the minister's office.

Xia Shuo maintained a reserved posture and followed Li Xiucheng silently. He felt slightly nervous, after all, this was his first time meeting a big leader.

Although I have seen higher-level people before, they were all in private situations, such as Mr. Sun, and Gu Mingyue's grandfather. Or maybe Wu Changfeng, Uncle Wu, is also considered a State Councilor.

Xia Shuo didn't feel much pressure when these people met him in private. However, the situation was different now. He had officially entered the big boss's office.

It's official business.

It’s inevitable to feel uneasy.

Li Xiucheng couldn't tell he was nervous. After all, he was an assistant minister. Although his rank was not as high as that of a senior leader, he had many opportunities to meet at work on weekdays.

When the two entered the office, the leader seemed to be closing his eyes to rest. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes.

With a gentle face and a slight smile, he waved directly to Xia Shuo and asked kindly: "Are you Xia Shuo? That young man from Yicheng City, Qi Province?"

Xia Shuo stepped forward quickly and replied respectfully: "Hello, Minister Zhou, I am Xia Shuo."

Minister Zhou nodded, glanced at Li Xiucheng, and said with a smile: "I'm fine here, Comrade Xiucheng, go and get busy. Today's main purpose is to meet with the young man and ask about the people's livelihood in the old district of Yicheng."

Li Xiucheng glanced at Xia Shuo, deliberately pretended to give a warning, and said: "Answer truthfully, don't be clever, otherwise, I won't be able to spare you, uncle..."

Xia Shuo nodded quickly.

Minister Zhou smiled faintly, as if he didn't hear the word 'brother-in-law'.

Li Xiucheng turned to leave and closed the office door before leaving.

In the entire office, only Minister Zhou and Xia Shuo were left.

"Sit down, don't be restrained!"

Minister Zhou raised his hand, gestured towards the sofa, and asked casually, "Does Xiaoxia like to drink tea?"

Xia Shuo was slightly startled and answered cautiously: "I don't drink much, but I do drink when I stay up late. It's mainly to resist sleepiness and force myself to wake up."

Minister Zhou smiled and nodded, but made a joke and said: "If you want to resist sleepiness, then you should drink coffee. It is more refreshing. I can't do without it when I stay up late."

Xia Shuo took the opportunity to compliment and said: "You work too hard to stay up late at your age."

Unexpectedly, Minister Zhou suddenly glared at him, with a hint of displeasure in his tone, and scolded: "Children, don't learn these bad habits. I don't like compliments. Remember, don't compliment others."

Xia Shuo was shocked. He didn't expect the leader's ideas to be so strong. Only then did he realize what Li Xiucheng had solemnly warned him.

Realizing that he had made a mistake and must admit it immediately, he spoke quickly and said in a sincere tone: "Minister Zhou, I was wrong. I have been at the grassroots level for a long time and I have picked up bad habits."

Minister Zhou said ‘hmm’, and the seriousness on his face faded.

He raised his hand again, gestured towards the sofa, and said: "Sit down, don't be restrained. Young people will inevitably make mistakes. If you know your mistakes and can correct them, you are a good boy. Because of my personality, I just reprimanded you, don't let go." In my heart, this is my love and care for you.”

Xia Shuo spoke sincerely again and said: "I can understand your love and care. This sentence is by no means a compliment."

"Hahahaha!" Minister Zhou laughed and said, "Similarly, I can also tell that your words are not a compliment."

While talking, he found that Xia Shuo had not dared to sit down, so he pushed Xia Shuo down personally, and Minister Zhou also sat down.

The two of them were sitting on the same row of sofas, separated by a small mahogany coffee table.

On the coffee table, there are two cups.

At the level of Minister Zhou, everything in the office has regulations, such as tea for entertaining and teacups for drinking tea. These are all rationed by the state and are not for the sake of luxury.

But because of the reform and opening up, foreign guests often come to the Ministry of Industry for exchanges. Although the country is still very poor, it must fight for its external reputation, so various supporting facilities are indispensable.

For some unknown reason, Minister Zhou asked again and said with a smile: "Does Xiaoxia like to drink tea?"

This is the second time the question has been repeated.

Xia Shuo's heart suddenly moved slightly.

At a level like Minister Zhou's, people will never speak without aim. Even if they have a casual conversation, it is impossible to ask the same question twice.

Sure enough, Minister Zhou spoke meaningfully, pointed to the tea cup with a smile, and said: "A leader asked me to give you a cup of tea when I see you. Don't make random guesses, this leader you do not know."

"But you are smart and seem to have realized it."

"That's right. Anyone who can call me leader must have a higher position than me."

"Let's be honest, it's Vice Premier Han. The reason why he lets you drink tea is because the Prime Minister rewards you."

"The leader said that Comrade Xiaoxia is good. He has served the people and practiced the fine traditions of our party."

"It's very touching. People secretly give you eggs."

"There are also those workers who secretly protect you in the dark. We all know these situations, and the deputy general manager also knows."

"After the last state meeting, the Prime Minister told me with emotion, Xiao Zhou, remember, when you see Xia Shuo, give him a cup of tea."

"This is a reward for him."

"The people gave him eggs and vegetables as a reward, and we gave him tea as a reward. A cup of tea relieves the hard work and lets this young man know that someone in the country knows his efforts."

When Minister Zhou said this, he pointed at the small coffee table and said with a smile: "There is boiling water in the thermos bottle. Xiaoxia, you can make tea yourself. I won't do anything, so as not to scare you."

Xia Shuo smiled and said truthfully: "If you really make tea for me, I will definitely be frightened."

As he spoke, he stood up, picked up the thermos bottle on the coffee table, and opened the lid of the tea cup, only to find that tea had been prepared in the cup.

Xia Shuo first poured water into Minister Zhou's cup, and then filled his own teacup. Minister Zhou witnessed this detail, and a subtle flash of approval flashed in his eyes.

"The young man is good and very meticulous in his work."

Minister Zhou said, pointing to the sofa again, and said: "Sit down and chat, you don't have to stand."

This time Xia Shuo didn't need to press the button and sat back on the sofa on his own initiative.

Minister Zhou was talking about chatting, but he first picked up the teacup, and at the same time, motioned for Xia Shuo to pick it up too.

They each took a sip.

To be honest, Xia Shuo didn't understand tea, but he could feel that this tea didn't seem to be a famous tea.

Minister Zhou smiled broadly and explained with deep meaning: "Does it feel ordinary and you are guessing that this is not a good tea? You guessed it right, it is indeed not a famous tea."

"But this is tea made by the Vice President himself."

What the hell!

Xia Shuo suddenly felt confused.

The dignified vice-president made the tea himself. The most important thing is that he was ordered to drink a cup of this tea.

"Hahahaha!"

Minister Zhou laughed, looked at Xia Shuo with interest, and asked, "Do you understand now? Why do you say this is a reward?"

Xia Shuo took a deep breath and said in an extremely sincere tone: "It is indeed a reward, a very precious reward."