Chapter 409: Chapter 409: On TV
Today's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and National People's Congress are not as arrogant as they later became, so Feng Zhenchang had a relatively relaxed meeting. He just sat in the audience, took the various documents handed out, listened to the leaders on stage, and sometimes pretended to be serious by underlining some key points with a pen.
When he first attended the meeting, he found it very novel. He met many leaders that he could only usually see on TV, and he received government documents with official seals, which gave him a strong sense of mission and responsibility.
For him now, the novelty has worn off, and as for a sense of mission and responsibility, well, it's better to get down to work on a project.
Similar reports are always boring, and they last for an hour or two. In the end, this can actually be classified as manual labour. There were many people in the meeting room who were daydreaming while holding the report. Feng Zhenchang even saw that some members were staring at the report in their hands, as if they were dozing off.
Of course, he couldn't have fallen asleep. Having farmed the land for decades, listening to a couple of hours of reports was nothing for him. Besides, no matter what, being able to sit here and attend the meeting was an honour, and he cherished it.
In addition, there was a very important objective reason. It was quite cold that day, and it really wasn't a good time to doze off.
During the two sessions, there were also various meetings. The leaders of the county's four teams took turns meeting with members from all walks of life. Therefore, for the two days, the county TV station's 8 o'clock drama was uniformly pushed back, and in its place were reports from the two sessions venue and reports of leaders meeting with members.
So for these two days, apart from those families with someone attending the meeting, other people basically didn't watch the county TV station in the evenings.
After finishing the morning agenda, Feng Zhanchang returned to the construction hotel. His roommate, Lao Meng, was now being polite, which made Feng feel a little uncomfortable. It wasn't the Feng Feng from before, who called him Feng Zong all the time.
'Feng Zong, come, this is just brewed tea, the county tea factory's new tea this year. I think it's quite good,'
'Mr Feng, here are the washed apples,'
'Mr Feng, this is a new type of cigarette from the provincial cigarette factory this year, it tastes very mellow when smoked,'
Since learning of his identity yesterday, Lao Meng has been so polite, and Feng Zhenchang has said this several times without effect, so he has to let it be.
Lao Meng is so fawning over him, not for anything else, but he is always thinking about asking Feng Zhenchang to help him out, especially if there is any opportunity to make money, and he hopes to be able to get a leg up.
However, Lao Meng really misjudged the situation this time. Feng Zhenchang, with his personality and experience, would only work steadily and would never think about making quick money.
Lao Meng was very excited about participating in politics for the first time. Now, apart from smoking, drinking tea and eating fruit, he also rarely asked Feng Zhenchang for advice on business, instead discussing the content of the report and asking Feng Zhenchang for his opinion.
What could Feng Zhenchang possibly say in this regard? He mumbled a few words from the report, and on the pretext of being a little tired, lay down in his clothes and prepared to take a nap.
'Mr Feng, you can sleep without worry, I'll wake you up for dinner,' Lao Meng wisely turned the TV volume down to the minimum.
He didn't even get a chance to close his eyes for a while when there was another knock on the door. "Is Mr Feng in?" The voice sounded familiar.
'Yes, I'm here,' Lao Meng opened the door, and in came Zhao County Magistrate's secretary Xiao Yan.
'Hello, Mr Feng. At 3pm this afternoon, in the government's small conference room, County Magistrate Zhao will officially meet with you. There will be reporters from the county station, and there will be cameras. The footage will be edited and broadcast on the evening news. So you need to make some preparations in advance.'
Going on TV, even if it's just the county station, is a big deal for Feng Zhanchang. He's both excited and a little nervous. 'Please sit down, Director Yan,' said Lao Meng, who had already made some new tea and brought it over.
'Director Yan, as you know, this is the first time I've been on TV. Could you tell me specifically what preparations I need to make?'
'It's not much. Just pretend the camera and the reporter don't exist. Act normally. That's best,' he said, sizing up Feng Zhenchang. 'This suit is quite appropriate. If you're free at lunchtime, you should go to the barber's and blow-dry your hair,'
'Okay, I'll go after lunch. Anything else I should be aware of?'
'The most important thing is that during your conversation with the county head, don't deliberately look at the camera. Other than that, I don't have anything else to say. I have things to do, so I won't disturb you, Mr Feng.'
'Mr Feng, what are you still doing? You should hurry and notify your family of this happy event.' After seeing Feng Zhenchang do nothing after sending Yan away, Lao Meng reminded him.
'Right, I should tell them,'
Feng Zhenchang happily called Mei Qiuping, his fourth son, and the Mei family, 'The county head will be talking about the meeting with the county head on the news tonight, so make sure you watch!'
He even called Feng Yiping to report the good news, and he asked his son in passing, 'What should I pay attention to?'
What should he pay attention to? Feng Yiping didn't have much experience with being on TV, and Secretary Yan had already covered everything, so he didn't have much to add.
Moreover, according to their arrangement, it was unlikely that they wanted to reach any consensus in this most formal of meetings. This was obviously a staged photo opportunity, one of the many gestures of goodwill that County Magistrate Zhao continued to release. 'It's fine, just talk to County Magistrate Zhao as you normally would, just be natural,'
Feng Yiping said with some emotion after hanging up the phone. This serious member of our party cadre is really something.
At 3pm, Feng Zhenchang, a little apprehensive, walked into the small conference room of the county government under the guidance of Secretary Yan.
It looked very similar to the set-ups often seen on TV news: two sofas, a coffee table in the middle, and a camera on a tripod opposite, with a female reporter in a red suit standing next to it. Secretary Yan went over and spoke to them for a while, and the young reporter said to Feng Zhenchang with a smile, 'Mr Feng, just be yourself, just be yourself, it's very simple, you can sit down and get used to it first,'
Feng Zhenchang has experienced many formal occasions over the years, and the excitement he felt when he first learned that he was going to be on TV has already subsided somewhat. Now he is a little worried that County Head Zhao will not take advantage of this opportunity to get him to agree to something. After all, a camera is an even more undeniable means than black and white words on paper.
His worry was completely unnecessary. After sitting for a while, County Head Zhao walked in with a smile on his face. The two shook hands in front of the camera, then sat down, the guest on one side and the host on the other. In the ten minutes or so that followed, County Head Zhao never mentioned the investment, but instead chatted with Feng Zhenchang about some family matters and asked about their experiences of just arriving in the provincial capital to make a living.
Feng Zhenchang talked about these things with ease, and when he thought about the year or so before when he got up early and worked hard, rain or shine, selling candied chestnuts on a tricycle, he felt a little sentimental. Once he got into it, he forgot about the camera on the side, and the result was quite good.
During the county news segment before the news broadcast, many families in the village gathered in front of the TV for the rare opportunity to pay attention to the boring news. Today, especially in the evening, Feng Zhenchang's nephews and nieces were telling everyone in the village that Feng Zhenchang would be on TV tonight, and they wanted to show their support for the good work he has done for the village over the years.
In Meijiawan, several families are having dinner together today. Usually, when they eat, the little ones, who always like to make a racket, are told again and again that they must be quiet for a while.
Feng Zhanchang stayed in his room, and Feng Weidong hurried over to keep him company. After ten minutes or so, his segment finally came on the air, with the following narration: 'This afternoon, the county head cordially met Feng Zhanchang, an outstanding private entrepreneur in our county. The county head highly praised Feng Zhanchang's act of investing in his hometown after becoming rich, and Feng Zhanchang also expressed his affirmation of our county's investment environment...'
Feng Zhanchang looked at himself on the TV screen and called Mei Qiuping: 'What we were talking about at the time was nothing like what the announcer said,'