390: An unexpected encounter with Zhang Linhua and his son

In less than an hour, Zhang Linhua rushed over. After the father and son met and had a brief discussion, they walked into the Ecological Breeding and Fishing Park together.

The two of them approached Wang Ying. She greeted Zhang Linhua in a low voice, and he nodded, saying quietly, "Ying'er, you drive back first!"

"Your couple's outing is turning into a father-son outing. I'll have Zhenyue bring you here to play next time he's off duty."

Wang Ying was very sensible and guessed what the father and son intended to do. She agreed and turned to walk outside.

The father and son sat down to fish, not in a hurry to meet Lin Zifeng. They wanted to create a situation where they 'accidentally' ran into Lin Zifeng and his wife.

However, while fishing, they both kept a secret eye on Lin Zifeng's side.

No matter what, the two of them were not going to miss their chance encounter with Lin Zifeng today.

Time passed minute by minute, and as noon approached, Lin Zifeng's side still had nothing to show for their efforts.

On Zhang Zhenyue's side, however, a fish took the bait. He was very experienced at playing the fish, and the father and son deliberately moved closer to Lin Zifeng's spot while reeling it in.

Soon, a large fish weighing seven or eight pounds was pulled ashore by Zhang Zhenyue.

The large fish flopped around incessantly, catching the attention of Lin Zifeng and Chen Yuxi.

Zhang Linhua said loudly on purpose, "Zhenyue, this fish isn't small! It must be seven or eight pounds. We're in for a treat this lunch."

Hearing Zhang Linhua's familiar voice, Lin Zifeng subconsciously looked toward him.

Zhang Linhua also pretended to look at Lin Zifeng by chance, his expression perfectly showing just the right amount of surprise.

Zhang Linhua feigned a momentary daze before saying in surprise, "Secretary?"

After calling out those words, Zhang Linhua hurried over to greet them, and Lin Zifeng and Chen Yuxi also stood up.

Zhang Linhua extended his hand from a distance, saying with a face full of smiles, "Secretary, Director Chen, I didn't expect to run into you here. You also have an interest in fishing!"

While shaking hands with Zhang Linhua, Lin Zifeng said with a smile, "Today is my first time even touching a fishing rod. I just came here to relax."

"I've been fishing all morning and, unsurprisingly, I've blanked."

"I'm not as experienced or skilled as you two; you caught such a big fish as soon as you started."

"It's only your first time fishing, so it's normal to go home empty-handed. When we first started, we didn't know how many times we blanked!"

Zhang Linhua said quickly with a smile.

At this time, Zhang Zhenyue walked over carrying the large fish and said with a subservient smile, "Hello, Secretary. Hello, Director Chen. My hands are covered in water, so I won't shake hands with you."

Lin Zifeng and Chen Yuxi smiled and nodded in response.

Zhang Linhua spoke again, "Secretary, Director Chen, a chance encounter is better than a planned invitation. It's already noon, so let's finish off this fish together!"

"I hope the Secretary and Director Chen will give us this opportunity."

"Then we shall respectfully accept. We came empty-handed, so we'll be riding on your coattails."

The Zhang father and son maintained a very humble posture, and their work performance had been quite good, so Lin Zifeng did not refuse them and agreed readily.

Seeing Lin Zifeng agree, the father and son happily invited the two to the Fresh Fish Restaurant.

Lin Zifeng nodded with a smile and took the lead in walking toward the Fresh Fish Restaurant.

As they walked side by side, Zhang Linhua didn't forget to remind Zhang Zhenyue to pack up Lin Zifeng's fishing gear later.

The group of four entered the Fresh Fish Restaurant. Zhang Zhenyue requested a Private Room and then took the fish to the kitchen.

The waiter attentively brought tea and a fruit platter to the three of them. Zhang Zhenyue told the owner to serve a table of their signature dishes and then went outside to collect the fishing gear.

More than half an hour later, besides the fish, the waiter served several signature dishes.

Zhang Zhenyue attentively poured wine for Lin Zifeng and Zhang Linhua, and also poured a glass for himself.

"Secretary, let's start eating! That fish still needs to stew for a while,"

Zhang Linhua said with a smile.

The group tasted several dishes together. After trying them all, Lin Zifeng put down his chopsticks and said, "The taste is good and quite unique."

"I see that Zhenyue is quite familiar with this shop. Do you come here often?"

"To be honest, Secretary, although it's only been open for about a month, I came here many times before it officially opened,"

Zhang Zhenyue said frankly.

Seeing a hint of confusion in Lin Zifeng's eyes, Zhang Linhua quickly added, "Secretary, it's like this: these Ecological Breeding and Fishing Parks were actually a proposal from Zhenyue. He encouraged several capable local businessmen to build them."

"Zhenyue felt that the industries in Gangou Township were a bit too limited. Besides planting various seeds, we also need to develop other industries."

"With these Ecological Breeding and Fishing Parks, we can also drive the tourism industry in Gangou Township."

"Zhenyue is responsible for this project, which is why he has been here many times to observe the development. That's why he's so familiar with the place."

Hearing Zhang Linhua's explanation, Lin Zifeng nodded with a smile and said, "This project has a lot of potential. It's well done. Zhenyue is also very accomplished and has great ideas. Keep working hard in the future; your ideas can be even bolder."

"As long as it can develop the local economy and bring practical benefits to the local people, even if some minor mistakes are made, it doesn't matter."

Hearing Lin Zifeng's affirmation and encouragement, and seeing the appreciative look in Lin Zifeng's eyes as he looked at Zhang Zhenyue, the father and son were both overjoyed.

Zhang Zhenyue quickly picked up his wine glass, stood up, and said, "Thank you for your praise and encouragement, Secretary. I will definitely continue to work hard in the future and will not disappoint you or the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government. I'll toast to you."

Lin Zifeng picked up his glass and said with a smile, "Mayor Zhang, let's have a drink with Township Head Zhang!"

Zhang Linhua agreed and quickly raised his wine glass. The three of them drained their glasses at the same time.

They talked as they ate and drank. The shrewd Zhang Linhua took the opportunity to subtly mention the achievements his son had made in his work over the past two years.

He spoke in a way that wasn't obvious or off-putting, yet allowed Lin Zifeng to hear the key information in his words.

However, Zhang Linhua also knew when to stop and appropriately ceased his praise at the right time.

After Lin Zifeng gave Zhang Zhenyue a few words of encouragement, the three of them changed the subject and chatted about family matters and recent interesting anecdotes.

The meal was enjoyed by both hosts and guests. After lunch, they drank tea for another half an hour before the group walked out of the Fresh Fish Restaurant together.

They arrived at the parking lot together, and Zhang Zhenyue thoughtfully put their fishing gear into their trunk.

Lin Zifeng shook hands with the father and son to say goodbye and then got into the car with Chen Yuxi.

Since Lin Zifeng had been drinking, Chen Yuxi took over the driving.

Watching Chen Yuxi drive out of the parking lot, Zhang Linhua patted Zhang Zhenyue's shoulder and said with a smile, "Son, you're becoming more and more mature."

"Calling me immediately when you saw Secretary Lin was definitely a wise move."

"While being practical in your work, you also need to let the leaders know about your efforts!"