He started his leadership work when he was just thirty years old. At that time, the whole mountainous district had nearly a hundred cadres but only a few people graduated from university like him, so it was not strange.
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| Illustration: Thanh Hanh |
Through his long career, although he was not a very intelligent or sharp person, gradually, by the time he was about to retire, he had become the director of an important department of the province.
Although his office was not outstanding, it still progressed steadily. He himself, when put on the scale, was not inferior to any department director in the province. He also had meetings, also stood on the podium to deploy work, also signed, also went to the grassroots, also inspected, checked, and also resolved scandals and complications smoothly. Of course it was like that.
People often say that being a leader is easy because there is a whole staff to help. I don't know about other places, but at his office, it is true. His staff are all talented and experienced people. What is worth mentioning is that they always help him wholeheartedly and effectively. The work they advise always achieves extremely good results.
He was lucky, very leisurely but the agency was still full of achievements. Thanks to them, he was proud of his superiors and the world. Of course. The first person to be credited for his agency's achievements was him, not how his subordinates advised and planned. Fortunately, he was a person who understood people and property, always understanding Confucius' philosophy of "respecting the master and supporting the minister". That means he always respected the contributions of those who advised him on everything from big to small, and then rewarded them appropriately. That's why many people felt regretful when he retired.
Yes! It is true that he is retired now. Oh, there is one detail about his personal life that I forgot to mention. That is, three years after his wife died, he married a young woman twenty years younger than him. Even the matter of marrying this woman, he was advised by “them” because if he were like him, he might as well retire.
They said: “A son raising his father is not as good as a wife raising her grandfather.” Moreover, his family’s economy was very abundant, so of course they had to enjoy themselves, and enjoying themselves alone was boring. The old people had a saying: “Eating alone is painful.” I must admit that their advice was very accurate. Since he quit his job, having his wife by his side made the house warm and happy. He was satisfied and extremely grateful to his subordinates. Having such colleagues was better than finding gold.
Since his retirement, he has been devoted to his wife. There is no need or demand of hers that he cannot satisfy. From the most modern TVs, refrigerators, washing machines to the most fashionable clothes, shoes, lipsticks, etc. in the supermarkets, no matter how expensive, he is willing to open the safe and give it to his wife to buy without hesitation.
The big entertainments that the ladies are especially interested in, such as traveling and going to beauty salons, are very expensive, but he is still "ok" with everything! Perhaps the only thing he cannot satisfy his wife's request is that although she has sometimes invited him to travel here and there, because of his weak kidneys, and also because he has been addicted to the "animal world " program, he cannot take his eyes off the TV screen day and night.
Since his retirement, he suddenly became interested in the “animal world” program. It brought him so many strange things that he had never known during his entire working life. For example, the birth of seahorses is carried by the male, not the female like thousands of other species. It is so strange and interesting. He loved this program so much that he once loudly declared to the world that he only needed two meals of vegetables plus the “animal world” program to live happily and healthily. It is true that he was and is extremely satisfied with his current simple and leisurely life. Cooking, cleaning the house, looking after the garden… he had his “maid”, his cousin, whom he brought from the countryside. Therefore, he had more than enough time and conditions to live according to his wishes.
Yes! He would have been very secure and satisfied, if not for the day when people accidentally caught his wife and the city's traditional wrestling trainer staying together in a hotel. Needless to say, he was devastated. It was an unimaginable betrayal. Why did his wife betray him when he treated her so well? Why did a frugal, exemplary husband like him, who only needed rice and vegetables and the "animal world" program every day, get cuckolded by his wife? Why?... Why?... Thousands of questions swirled around him but he could not find a correct answer. He felt exhausted and completely disoriented.
Sitting alone in solitude, he did not know why he missed his former subordinates so much. In the past, from big to small matters, they had always given him sincere and reasonable advice. During his difficult and complicated working life, he had never encountered any trouble. How sad! If only they had been by his side, he would not have to suffer like this. Looking at the piles of tables, chairs, beds and cabinets cluttering the house, he felt extremely empty.
* * *
He couldn’t sleep. The animal world program also stopped. He sat quietly at the table as wide as a wooden boat, reviewing the mistakes he had made in the past that led to his wife’s betrayal. But his heart was melting, like a ship without a rudder, unable to arrange everything. Suddenly he called out loudly to his cousin. She was a simple and honest country girl, sitting timidly on the edge of the chair. He cleared his throat and frowned, saying to his “maid” cousin in a melancholy voice:
- I'm so sorry. You're both a relative and a maid, why didn't you give me any advice on such a terrible matter?
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202409/tham-muu-40f25af/
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