Colorful years

The next day, just as dawn broke, Zhang Cong got out of bed. He quietly went into the bathroom and quickly finished washing up.

Then, he went to his younger brother Zhang Liang's bedside and called softly, "Liangliang, it's time to get up. We can't sleep in anymore. We have a lot of important things to do today." At this moment, Zhang Liang was immersed in a sweet dream. After being awakened by his brother's call, he responded groggily, but his body did not move.

Seeing this, Zhang Cong walked to the bedside and gently nudged his younger brother, raising his voice to say, "Liangliang, wake up quickly! We can't delay today. First, I need to go to my workplace to complete the formal onboarding procedures, then I need to transfer my food rations at the canteen, and buy meal tickets so we can eat delicious meals from now on! Also, I need to find you a suitable school as soon as possible so you can start your new school life as soon as possible."

Perhaps realizing that there were indeed many important things to do today, or perhaps sensing his brother's anxious state of mind, Zhang Liang finally stopped lingering in bed. He suddenly sat up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawned, and quickly put on his clothes before rushing to the bathroom to wash up.

Not long after, Zhang Liang finished washing up and came out looking refreshed. The two brothers smiled at each other, then went out of the house together to enjoy a delicious breakfast on the street.

After breakfast, Zhang Cong carefully instructed his younger brother, "Liangliang, go back to the dormitory and wait patiently. Remember to meet your brother at the main gate of the prefectural government office for lunch." After saying that, Zhang Cong turned and left the dormitory, then went downhill towards his prefectural government compound.

Built in the late 1950s, this state capital compound is modeled after Soviet architecture. The entire compound is tall and sturdy, with office buildings, a canteen, and dormitories for leading cadres distributed in a well-organized manner.

It is worth mentioning that the state party committee and the government share the same compound, which makes daily work, daily life, and handling various affairs extremely convenient and efficient.

The spacious and bright office of the Propaganda Department of the State Party Committee is located on the second floor of the imposing State Party Committee office building in the State Government compound.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the office floor. Zhang Cong, feeling both nervous and excited, arrived early. He first found the news department, then gently knocked on the door.

"Come in!" came a response from inside. It turned out that Section Chief Qin had been waiting in his office for quite some time.

When Zhang Cong pushed open the door and walked in, Section Chief Qin stood up from his seat without hesitation, his face full of a warm smile.

"Zhang Cong, you're here! Come on, I'll take you to the Personnel Section to complete your onboarding procedures, and while I'm at it, I'll also take you to visit the other departments and meet the leaders and colleagues in our Publicity Department," Section Chief Qin said as he walked towards the door. Zhang Cong hurriedly followed, feeling both nervous and expectant.

The two quickly arrived at the cadre section.

Section Chief Qin knocked on the door, and after hearing a "come in" from inside, he pushed the door open and entered.

An elderly man with gray hair, over fifty years old, was sitting upright at his desk; this was Section Chief Xu. Although he looked somewhat serious, his eyes revealed a kind expression.

"Section Chief Xu, this is Comrade Zhang Cong, who has just reported for duty," Section Chief Qin introduced with a smile.

Section Chief Xu looked up at Zhang Cong and said with a smile, "Welcome, Comrade Zhang Cong! Please give me your transfer order, organizational affiliation certificate, and personnel certificate."

Zhang Cong quickly stepped forward, extended his right hand, and politely shook hands with Section Chief Xu, saying, "Hello, Section Chief Xu. I hope you will take good care of me in the future." After saying that, he carefully handed the prepared documents to Section Chief Xu.

Section Chief Xu took the document and carefully reviewed it. He read each page with great attention, nodding occasionally. After a while, he put down the document, looked up at Zhang Cong, and said, "Xiao Zhang, your paperwork is all complete. Don't worry, the Personnel Section will handle the follow-up matters for you."

Zhang Cong responded gratefully, "Thank you so much, Section Chief Xu, you've worked hard!"

After leaving the cadre section, Zhang Cong and Section Chief Qin walked side by side down the spacious, bright corridor. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting dappled shadows on them.

During this brief trip together, Section Chief Qin used simple and easy-to-understand language to give Zhang Cong a detailed introduction to the internal structure and staffing of the State Party Committee Propaganda Department.

According to Section Chief Qin, the Propaganda Department of the State Party Committee has five sections and one office: the General Office, the News Section, the Publicity Section, the Theory Section, the Party Education Section, and the Cadre Section, with a total of 22 authorized positions. Among them, there are four directors and deputy directors, six staff members in the General Office, three staff members in the News Section, and two staff members each in the other three sections.

Following the order of the department names, Zhang Cong visited the Publicity Department, which was the closest to him. The moment he stepped into the Publicity Department, he felt a strong working atmosphere, with the department head and staff members enthusiastically discussing publicity plans.

Next, he went to the theoretical department, where his colleagues seemed to be delving into some important theoretical issues, and each of them had a serious and earnest expression on their face.

Afterwards, Zhang Cong walked into the Party Education Department, a department full of vitality and energy, where everyone was busy but carrying out their work in an orderly manner.

After visiting these departments, Zhang Cong finally arrived at the office.

As Section Chief Qin previously explained, the office has a relatively large number of staff due to its many important and complex functions.

Here, one is responsible not only for transmitting various information and handling secretarial affairs, but also for managing documents and archives, providing financial and logistical support, and performing daily tasks such as typing and photocopying. The entire office has one director and one deputy director, in addition to one person each for finance, archives, typists, and drivers.

Office Director Mo is an experienced and amiable senior colleague, while Deputy Director Tian Rumo gives the impression of being tactful and diplomatic.

When Section Chief Qin introduced Zhang Cong to his colleagues in the office one by one, everyone stood up to welcome him, and their warm smiles made the newcomer Zhang Cong feel very welcome.

After meeting these colleagues, Zhang Cong discovered that the cadres in the department were mostly older, with the youngest being over thirty years old. Clearly, he had become the youngest cadre in the department.