Colorful years

At the end of Volume Three, the author sketches a key moment with a light touch:

In July 1989, the summer sun was blazing hot, and the sweltering heat filled every corner, making one feel as if they had fallen into a giant steamer.

As the seasons change and temperatures rise, Zhang Cong encounters the third opportunity in his life to change his destiny during this sweltering season.

Zhang Cong's life has not been as smooth as a roller coaster ride; every change he has made has been filled with hard work and sweat.

The first change came in the autumn of 1979, a season of refreshing breezes, when Zhang Cong, through his hard work and intelligence, successfully gained admission to university.

Knowledge is power. After graduating from university, he was naturally assigned to work in the county party committee, thus beginning his career in officialdom.

In March 1985, spring was in full bloom and the earth was reviving. Zhang Cong successfully attracted the attention of the Propaganda Department of the State Party Committee with his insightful and valuable experience report, "The Story of Zhuang Erhe's Ideological and Political Work."

His talent and hard work were recognized, and he was soon transferred to the news department of the department, which was the second major turning point in his life.

In 1989, in order to meet the needs of tourism development and construction, and in accordance with the wise decision of the State Council, Dayong County was transformed into a prefecture-level city, and the neighboring Cili and Sangzhi counties were also incorporated into the city's territory.

This important decision has brought new opportunities and challenges to local development. The Dayong City Preparatory Work Leading Group has been established, and all preparatory work is proceeding in full swing.

At this crucial moment, under the scorching and dazzling July sun, Zhang Cong received three familiar phone calls. These three calls were like three boulders thrown into the lake of his once peaceful life, stirring up ripples.

Coincidentally, his career had hit a bottleneck in this area, and he wanted to change his environment in order to reinvent himself.

The first person to call him was Zhang Ying. Zhang Ying had been transferred from the preparatory group to the Municipal People's Bank, where she served as the director of the office. She highly regarded Zhang Cong's abilities and recommended him to the bank's leadership.

A few days later, Director Peng, who was in charge of personnel, led a team to the autonomous prefecture to investigate him.

For Zhang Cong, this was undoubtedly a rare opportunity.

After all, he was middle-aged, and his responsibilities were heavy, with great pressure in life. He had elderly parents to support, young children to raise, and a younger brother in college who needed his financial assistance.

Deep down, he had high hopes and aspirations about working at the People's Bank of China. It's important to understand that the economic benefits offered by the People's Bank of China are significantly more generous than those in typical government departments.

Moreover, the work here mainly focuses on the management of monetary policy and currency issuance, while also supervising the operations of major specialized banks. As a result, they are not burdened with the same pressures as other commercial banks regarding specific business targets such as deposit-taking.

With such an attractive working environment and benefits, it's hard not to be tempted.

However, things in this world often don't go as planned. After meeting with President Peng, Zhang Cong's originally firm idea unexpectedly changed.

President Peng said calmly, "Comrade Zhang Cong, after carefully reviewing your file and consulting with relevant colleagues, we highly recognize and have high hopes for your abilities and performance. We have decided to transfer you to our bank to be in charge of the publicity department. However, there is something I need to make clear to you in advance: you will need to consider the issue of your family members when making this transfer."

As soon as Director Peng uttered those words, Zhang Cong's face instantly darkened, and he felt extremely displeased.

He thought to himself: What does "consider family issues yourself" mean? How can a leader say such a thing at this critical juncture? What does it mean at all? In an instant, countless questions and dissatisfaction surged into his mind like a tide, overwhelming him completely.

He was filled with suspicion, completely unable to fathom what Director Peng was really up to. He knew that if the organization was indeed facing some thorny problems, Zhang Cong, as a cadre with a strong sense of responsibility and a broad perspective, would naturally be understanding.

However, what is puzzling is that before even officially starting work, they actually threw out such a confusing and baffling question, which instantly caused his goodwill towards the People's Bank of China to plummet.

Regarding this job change, the People's Bank of China was by no means the only or irreplaceable option for Zhang Cong. In fact, he had two other paths to choose from—the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Publicity Department.

Sure enough, the leaders of both companies personally called Zhang Cong, expressing their high praise and affirmation of his personal abilities, and warmly welcoming him to join their respective teams.

They spoke earnestly, promising, "As long as your request is reasonable, feel free to raise it. The organization will do its utmost to find a way to resolve it properly." These sincere words were like the warm winter sun, shining directly into Zhang Cong's heart, making him deeply feel the organization's meticulous care and attention.

After careful consideration and deliberation, Zhang Cong resolutely abandoned the People's Bank of China option and chose the Publicity Department instead.

In his view, only in the publicity department could he maximize his professional expertise, truly specialize in his field, and shine in a familiar and virtuous area.

He firmly believed that he was well-versed in the publicity department and would be able to fully utilize his talents and potential to truly realize his personal value and make a greater and more far-reaching contribution to society through his actions.

For Zhang Cong, his decision to take up a position in the publicity department was not merely a rational plan for his personal career development; from a deeper perspective, it was actually a persistent pursuit of his life ideals.

Because he deeply understands a principle: everyone will face countless choices in their life, as well as all kinds of hardships and severe challenges, but only through perseverance, never giving up and relentless efforts and hard work can those dreams that once seemed unattainable be turned into reality one by one.

On such a scorching, unbearably hot summer day, Zhang Cong resolutely took a firm and powerful step. Filled with enthusiasm and boundless aspirations, he was undaunted by the difficulties and obstacles that might lie ahead, holding his head high and forging ahead bravely towards his own bright future!