Chapter 34: Regularization

"Hey, why is he here?" Zhu Daodong, to more conveniently take care of the Party Secretary and the Township Chief, had already moved to live in the township government office. As a borrowed staff member, he wasn't given a house, so he set up a military bed in the office. Of course, the single room at the school that Zhang Zhichun hadn't reclaimed was still available, and Zhu Daodong would return to the school to sleep on Sundays.

The person in Zhu Daodong's mind was precisely the one he had accompanied for drinks at noon today, Deputy Director of the County Public Security Bureau, Zhao Jinhai. Now, to gather more information, as long as he wasn't sleeping, the entire township government's two office buildings were under his surveillance. When Zhao Jinhai entered the township government with Hou Yong, he immediately recognized them.

Could he be here to visit Secretary Chen or Township Chief Yuan? Both Chen Shuli and Yuan Ping were in their offices tonight. Zhu Daodong thought. But he soon realized something was off; Zhao Jinhai was asking Hou Yong about him, indicating he was looking for him.

As the footsteps drew closer, Zhu Daodong became even more certain of their intentions. Don't underestimate the advantage of knowing a bit of information in advance. At the very least, it ensures that Zhu Daodong can present his best side to others. Over time, a good impression would be left in others' minds.

Now, Zhu Daodong could identify all the township officials by their footsteps. From the gatekeeper, Old Wang, to Chen Shuli, as long as they moved, he could recognize them. Even for some of the main leaders, like the Secretary, Township Chief, three Deputy Township Chiefs, and other leaders, he could identify them by their breathing alone.

"Director Zhao, Chief Hou, why are you here?" Zhu Daodong opened the door with a look of "surprise" on his face. If there was one thing that troubled him, it was this expression, which gave him a headache. He already knew they were coming, but he had to pretend to be surprised.

"I was supposed to leave in the afternoon, but I overslept and just woke up," Zhao Jinhai said with a hearty laugh.

"We just went to the school, and Principal Zhang said you moved to the township government," Hou Yong explained. When Director Zhao woke up, he immediately demanded to see Zhu Daodong. Knowing Zhu Daodong's dormitory at Shulinling Middle School, he came with Zhao Jinhai.

"Xiao Zhu, you're quite impressive. If you were in the military, you'd definitely be a good soldier," Zhao Jinhai said loudly as he sat in Zhu Daodong's chair. He had a strong voice, and even when speaking casually, his voice was very penetrating.

"Director Zhao is a county leader, and I'm now one of your soldiers," Zhu Daodong said with a smile as he poured them tea.

"In my old unit, we first tested a soldier's drinking ability before their military skills. A person who can drink won't be a coward," Zhao Jinhai said loudly as he took the teacup Zhu Daodong offered.

"By that logic, Chief Hou and I aren't bad soldiers, right?" Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Hou Yong needs more training; two bowls of wine is just barely passing," Zhao Jinhai said, staring at Hou Yong with a smile.

"Next time Director Zhao comes to inspect, I'll definitely improve," Hou Yong said, his face turning red, standing at attention, and speaking firmly.

"Xiao Zhu, I'm known as a big drinker. Are you just going to treat me with tea?" Zhao Jinhai didn't comment on Hou Yong's words, knowing that anyone could talk big. However, he didn't dislike Hou Yong. If Hou Yong couldn't impress him with his drinking, there would be few in the county who could sit at the table with him.

"I only have old white spirit here. Should I go get a box of Wuliangye for you, Director Zhao?" Zhu Daodong's face also turned red; he didn't expect Zhao Jinhai's drinking bug to start again so soon after waking up.

"Old white spirit is fine. In the old unit, we drank either Erguotou or old white spirit, which is even more satisfying than Wuliangye," Zhao Jinhai said with a laugh.

When Zhu Daodong had nothing to do in the evening, he would drink a couple of bottles himself. But he was very careful, always disposing of the bottles in the garbage pile outside the township government. He pulled out a box of old white spirit from under the bed, brought out three teacups, and filled them. Each cup held about half a kilogram, and a bottle of wine was just enough for two cups.

"I only have some pickled tofu. I'll go and cook a few dishes," Zhu Daodong rubbed his hands, feeling a bit neglectful. If it were just him and Hou Yong, it wouldn't matter, but Zhao Jinhai was the Deputy Director of the County Public Security Bureau, and the police station had treated him with great respect, indicating his significant influence.

"No problem, old white spirit with pickled tofu is fine. Come, come, let's sit and drink," Zhao Jinhai waved his hand. He rarely ate much when drinking; at the noon banquet, at least half of the dishes were untouched.

"Director Zhao, welcome to my humble abode. I'll drink first to show my respect," Zhu Daodong said loudly.

"Xiao Zhu, you're too formal. I already made you a friend at noon. Don't call me Director Zhao anymore; call me Brother Zhao," Zhao Jinhai said, feigning anger.

"Brother Zhao is right. There's no Director Zhao here tonight, only friends. I'll drink this cup as a penalty," Zhu Daodong said loudly again.

"That's more like it. When you come to the county, you must visit me. It's hard to find someone who can drink these days," Zhao Jinhai said, turning from anger to joy with a smile.

Just as Zhu Daodong finished his drink, there was a knock at the door. He quickly opened it, "Secretary Chen! I'm sorry to disturb your work."

"No problem, no problem. Director Zhao, why didn't you let me know you were here?" Chen Shuli smiled, but his target was Zhao Jinhai, not Zhu Daodong.

As the top leader of the township, Chen Shuli often reported to the county's main leaders. Frequent reporting and consultation were very important for him. Once, while reporting to the County Party Secretary, he met Zhao Jinhai, and they drank together in the County Party Secretary's office. Who could drink with the County Party Secretary? Chen Shuli quickly found out through connections that Deputy Director Zhao Jinhai of the County Public Security Bureau had a close relationship with the County Party Secretary. Knowing this, he began to pay special attention to Zhao Jinhai.

"If I had let you know, would you have dared to come drink? Or would you have left after one bowl of wine?" Zhao Jinhai didn't care whether Chen Shuli was the top or second-in-command, teasing him without hesitation.

"To drink a bowl of wine with you, Director Zhao, one must have some real skills. How many people in the county can do that?" Chen Shuli didn't get angry but said with a proud smile.

"Not necessarily. There are two people here tonight who can drink," Zhao Jinhai shook his head and said loudly as usual.

"Chief Hou's drinking ability is well-known in the township. Can Xiao Zhu drink too?" Chen Shuli asked in surprise.

"Secretary Zhu isn't just good at drinking; he's very good at it. Director Zhao and Secretary Zhu became brothers through drinking, which will be a good story," Hou Yong, who had worked for over ten years, said. Though he didn't have Zhu Daodong's hearing, he praised Zhu Daodong highly in front of Chen Shuli, doing what he could for Zhu Daodong.

"That's my mistake. I should have discovered Xiao Zhu's talent earlier," Chen Shuli said with regret.

Damn, am I a talent just because I can drink? What about all the materials I wrote for you? Zhu Daodong thought to himself, seething with resentment.

"It's not too late to discover it now. Xiao Zhu, since Secretary Chen is here, let's drink together. You should also toast Secretary Chen a few times to show him what a real drinker is like," Zhao Jinhai said with a smile.

"Sure, Brother Zhao," Zhu Daodong quickly brought another teacup and filled it for Chen Shuli.

"I'll toast Director Zhao first, thanking him for coming to our Shulinling Township to inspect and guide our work," Chen Shuli said, raising his cup to Zhao Jinhai.

"I'll join you. This cup represents the gratitude of the township party committee," Zhu Daodong said, raising his cup as well.

Three days later, Chen Shuli presided over a township party committee meeting, which included a personnel issue: the regularization of Zhu Daodong, the township government secretary...

During the party committee meeting, Zhu Daodong actually attended, responsible for taking minutes. When discussing his regularization, he voluntarily left the room. Of course, this was just for show. How could he not take it seriously? It was Chen Shuli who proposed it, praising Zhu Daodong's solid work, outstanding ability, and bachelor's degree. Since joining the township government, Zhu Daodong had worked diligently and deserved to be regularized early... The words almost pierced Zhu Daodong's eardrums, he thought, how hypocritical.

Less than an hour after the meeting, the township's organizational commissioner, Mei Wenming, formally notified Zhu Daodong and presented him with an appointment letter, officially appointing him as the secretary of the Shulinling Township government. The organizational relations were already completed, and Zhu Daodong only needed to transfer his salary and work to the township finance at Shulinling Middle School to officially become a member of the township government.

Seeing Zhu Daodong's effort to suppress his joy, Mei Wenming inwardly marveled at this young man. He was calm, well-educated, and young. Now, it seemed that Secretary Chen also appreciated him. Especially the last point, which was hard for ordinary people to achieve, especially for an outsider. Even if his abilities were outstanding, according to normal procedures, he would be regularized after a year. The early regularization only indicated that his work ability was outstanding or that he was highly favored by Secretary Chen.

As for Zhu Daodong's connections or background, Mei Wenming, as the organizational commissioner, equivalent to the township government's organizational minister, knew better than most. Zhu Daodong had none of these.

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End of Chapter 34