The Official Ladder: I ascend to the pinnacle of power, wielding the power of life and death.

Jiang Yongchen suddenly understood and smiled, "President Wang, let me toast you. I was confused about the next step in our development, but after your guidance, I instantly found my direction."

"I wasn't planning on drinking, but Brother Wang offered a brilliant idea, so I'll have a drink with him."

Jiang Yiming laughed and said, "My fifth brother is still a newcomer in the business world, so I hope Brother Wang and Brother Du will mentor him. I'll drink this one."

"We don't need to be so formal among brothers. Let's help each other out and make money together."

Wang Lin and Du Hongwei raised their glasses and clinked them together.

The four of them drank until after 10 p.m., and Jiang Yiming was feeling a little dizzy.

Xia Shining saw that Jiang Yiming had drunk too much again, so she silently helped him to the bathroom, prepared the bathwater, and gave him a bath.

"My sister-in-law is so virtuous; she even bathed my brother herself."

Jiang Qianqian said, "Mom, as the mother-in-law, you must treat my sister-in-law well."

"Don't worry, Mom will treat Shi Ning like her own daughter."

Jiang's mother smiled and said, "Now that I've sorted out my relationship with Shi Ning, your brother won't have to be caught in the middle."

"That's good. I just don't understand my fifth brother's family. My aunt and sister-in-law are always arguing, almost to the point of fighting, which makes my fifth brother very tired. What are they after?"

"Your aunt's living conditions have improved, and she doesn't have to do anything at home. She's so bored that she starts looking for trouble."

Jiang's mother said, "It's fortunate that your fifth sister-in-law has a good temper. If it were me, I would have fought with her."

The two chatted idly in the living room while Xia Shining gave Jiang Yiming a bath in the bathroom.

Then, Jiang Qianqian handed over her brother's pajamas and bath towel.

"Qianqian, you and Auntie should get some rest. I can take good care of your brother."

"Shi Ning, thank you for your hard work."

Jiang's mother smiled and said, "Luckily, you took care of us, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to do anything."

"It is my pleasure."

Xia Shining meticulously washed Jiang Yiming's body, then helped him put on his pajamas before helping him back to his room.

The next morning, Jiang Yiming woke up and looked at his delicate wife in his arms. He turned over and unleashed a torrent of passion.

Half an hour later, Jiang Yiming kissed his limp wife and said, "You rest a little longer, I'm going to take a shower."

"Okay, it would be too obvious for me to go out now. I'll wait a bit before going out."

Xia Shining returned the kiss to Jiang Yiming.

After Jiang Yiming finished washing up, Xia Shining also got up and started washing up.

At this moment, Jiang's parents and Jiang Qianqian were all sitting on the sofa waiting for Xia Shining to finish washing up so they could have breakfast together.

"Mom and Dad, there's something I need to tell you."

Upon hearing that their son was in trouble, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang looked over.

“Shi Ning is graduating in July, right? I want her to continue her studies for a master’s and doctoral degree and then stay at Peking University to teach.”

"Oh, that'll be several more years."

Jiang's mother was somewhat displeased.

"Five years."

Jiang Yiming smiled and said, "I fully support her, and I hope you will do the same as me and not put pressure on her."

"This is between the two of you, we won't interfere. We're just offering guidance as people who've been through it all."

Jiang's father said, "If you and Shi Ning have thought it through, we will definitely support you. However, my personal suggestion is that you get married first."

"Both families have agreed, and the engagement has been arranged. We need to show our stance. If Shi Ning and her in-laws are not willing to get married so soon, then we can discuss it further. We need to take the initiative to bring it up."

"Shi Ning wants to get married right after graduating from university. I don't think Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia will object. After the Spring Festival, we can go over and have a chat to finalize the wedding date."

Jiang Yiming nodded.

"It would be great if we could get married."

Although Jiang's mother had some thoughts in her mind, she didn't say them out loud.

"Mom, your daughter has already joined the army. Who knows when we'll get married? Shi Ning is going to pursue a master's and doctoral degree. Don't have any objections, you should give her your full support."

Jiang Qianqian smiled and said, "If it weren't for my brother being so eager to get married, I would have asked Shi Ning to wait for me so we could get married on the same day."

"Don't give me any bad advice."

Jiang's mother rolled her eyes and said, "If you say that again, I'll cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang myself, and I won't let you join the army."

"Alright, alright, I won't talk nonsense anymore. Don't worry about it."

After washing up, Xia Shining sat down at the dining table, and the family ate breakfast together.

"Shining, I've told my parents about your situation, and they fully support you pursuing further studies."

Jiang Yiming laughed.

"Yes, Shi Ning, you young people have your own ideas, and we, as elders, will not interfere with you."

Jiang's father smiled and said, "You two discuss everything together. As long as you're both happy, we're at ease."

"Yes, Shi Ning, although I'm a little unhappy, since you and Yi Ming have already discussed it, we will support you unconditionally."

Jiang's mother said.

"Thank you for your understanding, Uncle and Aunt. I told Yiming that we'll find a time to get married after graduation."

Xia Shining smiled and said, "Besides, I studied humanities. If I have the opportunity to have a child, I will take a break from school for a while and give birth to the child."

"Really?"

What Jiang's mother really wanted most was a grandson.

She was just too shy to bring it up, so she was overjoyed when Xia Shining brought it up herself.

"You understand me and support me, and I understand you too."

Xia Shining smiled and said, "Besides, I also want to have a child soon."

"Okay, okay, once you have a child, I'll leave your uncle behind and take care of you."

The family ate breakfast amidst laughter and joy.

Jiang Yiming and Xia Shining returned to Xinping County.

I'll work one more day tomorrow, then it'll be a holiday, and there won't be as much work to do then.

After arriving in Xinping County, he was invited to meals by a constant stream of people.

However, Jiang Yiming rejected most of them.

Jiang Yiming, having received multiple invitations from the heads of Yusha Winery and Xinxin Food Company, found it difficult to refuse. So he asked them to organize a dinner party so that everyone could get together and chat.

Sun Yuxiu and Wang Weifa immediately took action, screening the list and sending out invitations.

In the evening, the heads of the three companies arrived, and Jiang Yiming invited Chen Zixin, member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Deputy County Head, Luo Yan, Deputy County Head, and Zhu Xinglei, Deputy County Head, and other county leaders to have a reunion dinner.

Before the dinner, the entrepreneurs and county leaders sat together and chatted for more than an hour before finally sitting down at the table to eat.

"It is a great pleasure to have this New Year's Eve dinner with outstanding entrepreneurs from Xinping County. During today's discussions, we learned about the problems faced by enterprises and their development strategies, which provided us with valuable insights for formulating relevant policies."

Jiang Yiming raised his glass and said, "While we were chatting just now, I had some ideas. I plan to invite you all here irregularly every year so we can sit down and talk about the problems your businesses face and what difficulties you hope the government can help you with. Of course, everyone is quite busy, so it's probably not easy to get together like this once or twice a year. However, I hope to make this reunion dinner before the Spring Festival a regular event, so that we can all sit down together and have a good chat every year."

"The costs should be shared equally among the participants to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Okay, we will respond to Secretary Jiang's call."

"As long as Secretary Jiang gives the order, I will overcome all difficulties and attend, no matter the time."

"Our companies owe their success to Secretary Jiang's hard work. I propose that we toast Secretary Jiang together."

"Yes, let's all toast Secretary Jiang!"

Everyone enjoyed the meal and drinks to their heart's content.

Amidst all the social engagements, the new year quietly arrived.

To avoid being disturbed, Jiang Yiming chose to spend the Spring Festival at his home in Yiyang City.

Pasting Spring Festival couplets and setting off firecrackers are traditional customs that should not be lost.

Jiang Yiming took his younger sister to the market and bought some of the things she liked to eat when she was a child.

The family sat together and enjoyed a simple yet warm New Year's Eve dinner.