Dong Xuebing was walking towards Western District State Security Branch Bureau . He was still thinking about the ridiculous goal he set for himself two days ago . But when he remembers that he had not even reported for work and he was already dreaming of becoming a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, he blushed . If his mother or his classmates knew about his dreams, they would surely laugh at him . But Dong Xuebing will not give up so easily . He will work hard to achieve this goal .
Western District, Zhixin Road .
West side of a cross junction .
Looking at the time, it was only 8 . 20 am . There was still time before 9 am . Dong Xuebing walked over to a roadside stall and bought an egg crepe for breakfast . He ate the crepe behind a pirated book store . He was familiar with this area . The venue for his written test, No . 15 Middle School, was just ahead . Just across the walkways was the South entrance to Jiangong Hospital . Further east was the northern entrance of Tao Ran Ting gardens .
Just after Dong Xuebing finishes his crepe, he saw a bus entering a bus stop in front of him .
A man alighted from the bus . All the passers-by turned to look at him . He was a young man about 1 . 9m in height and about 150 Kg in weight . He should be about Dong Xuebing’s age and had a fierce look . All the other office workers at the bus stop thought he was a hooligan and stepped away from him .
After alighting from the bus, the tall and fat man looked around and walked towards Dong Xuebing .
When Dong Xuebing thought that he was going to be beaten up by this big size hooligan, that big size man squats down on a step 1 m away from him . He reached out his hand and patted a dirty stray cat sleeping on the steps . He stroked the cat, and the cat was meowing and licking that man’s hand .
“Are you hungry?” That man asked the cat gently . “What do you want to eat? I will go and buy now . ”
The cat was meowing and playfully scratching that man with its claws .
That big size man played with the cat for a while before walking over to a roadside stall to buy a sausage and start feeding the cat . “Eat slowly . Don’t choke . ” His actions were a stark contrast to his outer appearances . Dong Xuebing was still not accustomed to this, but he felt that this was a caring person .
It was finally 8 . 50 am .
Dong Xuebing walked past that big size man and made a turn around the corner . He walked towards a rusty gate . He could see 2 old buildings which were built in the 70s or 80s in the compound . The metal gates were closed, and there was only an opened window by the side of a small guardroom . A few people were pushing their bicycles slowly through the gate . Dong Xuebing felt he was in the wrong place . He thought this was an office building and the condition of this place was too poor . There were even no guards outside . This was more like a state-owned factory, rather than a State Security branch .
There were no signages at the entrance .
Dong Xuebing looked around and then tried to follow a middle age man, who was pushing his bicycle, through the gates .
“Eh! You . Wait!” An old man’s head sticks out of that open window of the guardroom . “Who are you looking for?”
Dong Xuebing immediately replied: “Is this the Western District State Security Branch Bureau? I have just passed my Civil Servant test this year, and the Political Section office had called me to report today at 9 am . My name is Dong Xuebing . ”
The old man nodded and picked up the landline phone to make a call . After a few seconds, that old man hung up the phone and nodded to Dong Xuebing . He hands over a registration book to him . “Sign this, and you can enter . The Political Section office is at the southeast building . That grey colored building . It is on the second floor, right at the end of the corridor . You proceed there straight . Don’t wander around . ”
“Ok . Thank you . ”
The mood in the compound was very different from other government agencies . Beijing people were very hospitable and will greet and chat for a while when they see someone they know . They will talk about some meaningless stuff, like “Have you eaten breakfast?” “how’s your flu?” “Are your kids in school?” Etc . But in this compound, the people only nodded to each other and did not speak . Only when they saw a leader, they will open their mouths and greet them “Good morning, Section Chief . ” Or “Good morning, Director . ” There was no pointless chatting .
Grey building .
Second floor’s corridor .
Dong Xuebing saw the sign “Political Section office” on the wall . But there were lots of offices there, and he does not know which office to enter . When he was hesitating, he heard footsteps behind him . He turns around . Huh? It was that big size man he met at the bus stop . Was he also from the State Security?
“Excuse me . ” Dong Xuebing asked . “This is my first day . Do you know which office should I go?”
That big size man paused and scratched his head embarrassedly . “I am also here to report, and I am also looking for the office . ”
“Huh? What a coincidence . ” Both kept quiet . Dong Xuebing could feel this person was not good at talking like him . He cleared his throat and said: “Errrmmm…… My name is Dong Xuebing . ”
That big size man smiled: “I am Sun Zhuang . I have just graduated from University . My friends in school call me Zhuang Zhi (means pillar in Chinese) . ”
Both shook hands and walked into an office nearest to them . They entered the correct office . A staff member in civilian clothes told them to wait there . A Deputy Chief from the Political Section office entered the room and go through all the paperwork and told them the rules and regulations within the department .
More than an hour past .
The Deputy Chief took a sip of tea: “That’s all . The both of you will be posted to the General Affairs Department . I heard that the department is short on manpower . Try to familiarize yourselves with this place . Tomorrow will be your official first day . As for your uniforms, we will give it to you when it is ready . Anyway, other than some meetings in the City Bureau, we do not need to wear the State Security uniforms . This is not important . ”
After finishing what he had to say, he asked the staff member to show Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi where their office was .
The General Affairs Department was located on the ground floor . It was a partitioned small office . There were 8 to 9 desks in it .
That staff member from the Political Section office walked in and said: “We have newcomers . Both are fresh graduates . This is Dong Xuebing, and this is Sun Zhuang . ”
Dong Xuebing knew the first impression was essential and he modestly said: “I am new here and do not know anything . Please guide me along in the future . Thank you . ”
Zhuang Zi heard Dong Xuebing, and he quickly said: “Me too . Please guide us along . ”
The people in the office look at both of them from head to toe .
One girl in the office laughed . “Don’t worry . Once you enter this office, we are one big family . ”
That staff member from the Political Section office pointed to the 5-6 people in the office . “Chief Zhou had gone to the doctor? He does not seem to be around . This lady is Tan Limei, that is Old Yan, Guo Panwei, Guo Shunjie, Changjuan……”
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