Chen Yuan followed Li Jianjun into the living room, which was about twenty square meters in size, and the layout and furniture were all meticulously arranged, indicating his extraordinary status at a glance.
At this time, the dining table was already set with dishes: a steamed fish, a plate of refreshing radish, and several steamed buns stacked neatly.
In this era when resources were not abundant, such a daily meal was quite extravagant.
"Come, sit down and eat something," Li Jianjun greeted him warmly.
"Thank you, Uncle Li," Chen Yuan nodded and walked to the dining table to sit down.
He unsealed the Moutai he brought and poured a glass for himself and Li Jianjun.
"Uncle Li, as a junior, I'd like to toast you," Chen Yuan pushed the wine glass towards Li Jianjun.
Li Jianjun smiled, raised his glass, clinked it lightly, and then drank it all in one gulp.
Chen Yuan also quickly finished his, accompanied by a burning sensation in his mouth.
"Moutai still has the best taste!" Li Jianjun smacked his lips and nodded in satisfaction, "I haven't been this happy in a long time. Today, you must have a few more drinks with this old man."
"Absolutely!"
Chen Yuan subtly refilled both their glasses.
...
After three rounds of drinks, Li Jianjun's spirits gradually rose, and his eyes sparkled with the light of memories.
"Back then, your father, he was a tough guy on the battlefield.
Once, we were surrounded by the enemy, running low on ammunition, and the situation was critical. It was your father who braved the hail of bullets to crawl out and bring us back supplies..."
As he spoke emotionally, Li Jianjun's voice choked slightly.
"It's a pity, if it weren't for that mission, your father wouldn't have..."
Chen Yuan remained silent, aligning with Li Jianjun's emotions. He, too, admired this nominal father.
"But Yuan'er, you're also doing great!" Li Jianjun patted Chen Yuan's shoulder, "I also retired from the military due to injuries, but I can still contribute in the rear! Don't be discouraged, you have a long way to go!"
Chen Yuan nodded emphatically: "Thank you, Uncle Li. Uncle Li from the military region also told me the same thing, that no matter where I go, I should always have a heart to contribute!"
"That's exactly right!" Li Jianjun refilled both their glasses again, "Come, have another drink!"
They drank glass after glass, and the bottle of Moutai gradually ran low, with both their faces flushed.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Chen Yuan tentatively asked: "Uncle Li, now that I'm returning from the military, I wonder where I'll be assigned to work?"
Li Jianjun put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.
"I was just about to talk to you about this. I'm planning to send you to the Street Office for some experience. What do you think?"
Street Office?
Chen Yuan's heart trembled.
He hadn't expected Uncle Li to be able to arrange his post-military assignment. He had indeed paid his respects to the right person.
A thought flashed through his mind—the Street Office was a grassroots department with real power, directly interacting with the common people, doing practical work, and offering considerable room for promotion.
"I'll listen to Uncle Li!" Chen Yuan replied.
Li Jianjun nodded in satisfaction: "Work hard. Young people should start from the grassroots. Although the Street Office is a bit tough, it keeps you grounded and you can learn a lot."
...
After the meal, Li Jianjun called over a polite young man with glasses, dressed in a neat uniform, whose demeanor was steady and proper.
"Minister Li, what are your instructions?" Secretary Wang asked respectfully.
"This is Chen Yuan, the son of my old comrade-in-arms. He just transferred back from the Southwest First Military Region. You accompany him to handle the transfer procedures and make sure everything is taken care of properly," Li Jianjun's tone was calm but left no room for doubt.
"Yes, I will make sure everything is arranged," Secretary Wang nodded in agreement, his gaze sweeping over Chen Yuan, secretly noting this person who received special attention from the leader, "Comrade Chen, shall we go now?"
Chen Yuan nodded, stood up, and bid farewell to Li Jianjun: "Uncle Li, thank you for your care today. I will definitely visit you often in the future."
Li Jianjun patted Chen Yuan's shoulder: "Good, if you have any difficulties, come to me anytime."
Leaving Li Jianjun's residence, Chen Yuan followed Secretary Wang into a Hongqi CA72.
"We're going to the Civil Affairs Department. Everything has already been arranged there, so it should go smoothly," Secretary Wang said while driving.
The car drove on the streets of Beijing, and Chen Yuan looked out the window at the hurrying pedestrians and bicycle traffic, feeling a surge of emotions.
"Comrade Chen, which unit did you transfer from?" Secretary Wang asked casually, breaking the silence in the car.
"Just call me Xiao Chen. The Southwest First Military Region. I served there for five years," Chen Yuan replied simply.
Soon, the car stopped at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Department.
Secretary Wang skillfully guided Chen Yuan through the hall, turned down a few corridors, and arrived at the door of the Transfer and Resettlement Office.
"Section Chief Zhang, hello!" Secretary Wang greeted enthusiastically as he entered, "This is Comrade Chen Yuan, Minister Li specifically instructed us about him."
Section Chief Zhang, wearing glasses, immediately stood up: "Please sit down quickly!"
Chen Yuan sat down in a chair in the office, and Section Chief Zhang quickly pulled out a stack of forms.
"Comrade Chen, these are the materials you need to fill out. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me anytime."
Secretary Wang sat by the side, occasionally explaining some of the form-filling requirements to Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan noticed that Secretary Wang was very skilled in handling these matters, clearly having worked in government agencies for many years and being familiar with all sorts of procedures.
After filling out the forms, Section Chief Zhang collected them and handed them to the clerk for archiving.
At this moment, Secretary Wang took out a document sealed with kraft paper from his briefcase, clearly marked with the words "Confidential."
"Comrade Chen, this is the list of available job positions for transferred military personnel. You can take a look," Secretary Wang said softly.
Chen Yuan took the document and carefully flipped through it. The document detailed various optional positions: production positions in state-owned enterprises, management positions in government agencies, Street Offices, various schools, etc., with detailed job responsibilities and salary descriptions marked after each position.
This was clearly not a list for ordinary transferred military personnel, and some of these positions would not be available to ordinary transferred military personnel.
Chen Yuan felt a surge of emotion in his heart; having connections truly made a difference.
Of course, as the son of a martyr and having made contributions on the border, he himself had a certain priority right of choice.
After carefully reading through it, Chen Yuan's gaze finally settled on the option of "Hongxing Subdistrict Office Cadre."
This was exactly what he wanted—it aligned with Uncle Li's arrangement and provided a legitimate opportunity to move into South Luogu Lane.
"I'll choose this one, the cadre at the Hongxing Subdistrict Office," Chen Yuan said, pointing to the form, "Do I need to confirm with Uncle Li?"
"No need, Minister Li said you still have to walk your own path," Secretary Wang replied.
He quickly made a mark on the form, then put away the confidential document and put it back in his briefcase.
"Next, we'll go to the Human Resources Section to complete the final procedures. It should be done very soon," Secretary Wang stood up and guided Chen Yuan to the next office.