Chapter 28: A Mistake Was Made

As the nameless Taoist left, Zhu Daodong felt an emptiness in his heart, and he couldn't muster any energy, as if the mainstay had been suddenly taken away. He didn't expect that the next day, he would make a mistake while writing a report, almost scaring him out of his wits.

Shumu Ridge was a poor village, and fertilizer was a luxury for many farmers. The village promoted and encouraged the use of organic manure, which not only saved on chemical fertilizers but also protected the farmland. This was proposed by Chen Shuli, so whenever there was a village cadre meeting, he would enthusiastically talk about the benefits and achievements of organic manure.

On Monday evening, Chen Shuli instructed Zhu Daodong to prepare a report, summarizing the total amount of manure accumulated this month. Zhu Daodong had a habit of separating numbers and text, otherwise, it was easy to get confused while calculating the numbers. As a result, he didn't expect that preparing this report would take him until the early hours of the morning. Zhu Daodong was usually in good spirits, but due to the nameless Taoist's departure, he had been somewhat dazed these past few days and forgot to fill in the numbers at the end.

The next morning, he submitted the report to Chen Shuli. Now, Zhu Daodong had a good grasp of the secretary's habits, and Chen Shuli didn't look at it, just placing it on the table. However, during the meeting, while Zhu Daodong was closing his eyes to rest and make up for the lost sleep from the previous night, he suddenly heard Chen Shuli reading the part about the manure. He suddenly realized that he had forgotten to fill in the numbers!

He was drenched in sweat, but Chen Shuli didn't pause, continuing to read from the report. When it came to the amount of manure, Chen Shuli still didn't realize the mistake and loudly read: "The entire village has accumulated ten thousand, one thousand, one hundred, and ten cubic meters of manure."

Although Zhu Daodong had used the "Turtle Breathing Technique" to lower his hearing to the minimum, Chen Shuli's voice still sounded like a thunderclap to him.

After finishing, Chen Shuli still didn't realize the mistake and continued to speak enthusiastically, not noticing the issue until the end of the speech. However, Zhu Daodong clearly saw that Yuan Ping, sitting next to Chen Shuli, twitched his lips.

It was over. The person involved didn't notice, but Yuan Ping heard it clearly. If he were to seize the opportunity, Chen Shuli might vent his anger on him... Could his temporary assignment end here? No, absolutely not, Zhu Daodong roared in his heart. He didn't want to see Tang Taojiang's face again, nor did he want to return to the education sector, at least not in the Yuhua County education system.

Zhu Daodong's mind was racing, and he needed to find a way to fix this quickly. Given the delicate relationship between Yuan Ping and Chen Shuli, Yuan Ping wouldn't let such an opportunity pass. But how could he prevent Chen Shuli from holding him responsible? It was difficult, very difficult.

Even after Chen Shuli announced the end of the meeting, Zhu Daodong still hadn't come up with a solution. Seeing the meeting adjourn, he had to gather his courage and approach Chen Shuli. Zhu Daodong was originally sitting at the back of the meeting room, and as the village cadres were leaving, he could only slowly move towards the stage. He looked at Chen Shuli and Yuan Ping, who were sitting on the stage. Chen Shuli was drinking from a teacup, while Yuan Ping was smiling at him, as if he would win a prize as soon as Zhu Daodong reached the front.

Zhu Daodong looked at the two of them and suddenly had an idea. He suddenly showed a pained expression, clutched his stomach, glanced around, and immediately turned to leave with the other village cadres. Although Zhu Daodong didn't look back, he noticed the disappointment in Yuan Ping's eyes.

Zhu Daodong's performance was very convincing. Yuan Ping indeed wanted to use this opportunity to criticize Zhu Daodong, making Chen Shuli feel embarrassed. This wasn't because Yuan Ping had a grudge against Zhu Daodong, but because he was very willing to do anything that would make Chen Shuli uncomfortable, even if it was at his own expense.

Seeing Zhu Daodong's expression, he knew he might have a stomachache. "No problem, you can't stay in the toilet forever, right? I have all the time in the world to wait!"

Zhu Daodong indeed returned quickly, but he chose the right moment. He waited until the village cadres and other leaders had left before showing up. Zhu Daodong had a sudden idea; he knew that Yuan Ping would criticize him in front of Chen Shuli to make Chen Shuli feel embarrassed. However, whether there were outsiders present was crucial for him.

If Yuan Ping mentioned the mistake in front of the village cadres, Chen Shuli would be embarrassed, and the result would be that Zhu Daodong would also be embarrassed. His fate might return to its original path, and even if he had a chance to rise again, it would be uncertain when.

But if only the two of them were present, the focus would shift to the power struggle between the village chief and the secretary, and he, the secretary who made the mistake, might be able to stay out of it. Zhu Daodong's decision to leave earlier was a gamble, betting that Chen Shuli wouldn't let Yuan Ping succeed.

Sure enough, as soon as Yuan Ping saw Zhu Daodong, he didn't care that only the three of them were left in the meeting room. He immediately put on a stern face and said, "Zhu Daodong, what's wrong with you? How could you forget to include the numbers in the report? What does 'ten thousand, one thousand, one hundred, and ten cubic meters' mean?"

Zhu Daodong's face turned red, and he looked at Chen Shuli without making any excuses.

"Little Zhu, you can't do this. Fortunately, Yuan Ping pointed it out; otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed. Fortunately, they are just village cadres, and they are as rough as I am, so it's not a big deal. In the future, be more careful and don't make such mistakes again," Chen Shuli said with a smile, patting Zhu Daodong on the shoulder before turning to leave.

"I will definitely be more careful and ensure this doesn't happen again," Zhu Daodong said to Chen Shuli's back.

"In the future, be more careful. Checking the draft a few more times won't hurt," Yuan Ping said, not achieving his goal, and he picked up his teacup, slowly leaving the meeting room.

Only then did Zhu Daodong feel his legs go weak, and he quickly sat down in a nearby seat. What a close call! If Yuan Ping had criticized him in front of the village cadres, Chen Shuli wouldn't have let it go, and even if he wasn't sent back immediately, his chances of being officially appointed after a year would be slim.

Now, he was halfway into the political arena, even though he had entered it by chance. Since he was in, he had to be extremely cautious in his actions and words. With no connections or backing, he could only rely on his own efforts. Sometimes, a tiny mistake could bring disaster. Remember, remember!