Chapter 37: Managing the Alcohol

"First, we need to start with the reception when it comes to the integrity building in Shumu Ridge Township. In the past, whenever visitors came, they would always go to restaurants, which was a huge waste. From now on, we must strictly prohibit this! Of course, we need to entertain guests; when a guest comes to your home, you have to serve them a meal. In the future, we will determine the reception standards based on specific situations. For those who can bring benefits to the township, such as the Poverty Alleviation Office, Civil Affairs Bureau, Finance Bureau, Forestry Bureau, and the County Party Committee and Government, we should entertain them seriously, and the standards can be higher. However, for ordinary guests and unimportant inspection teams, we can entertain them in the township government canteen. Even when entertaining in the canteen, we must not be wasteful. For example, drinking alcohol must be managed by the office. If you want to drink in the canteen, you must first get the alcohol from the office!"

After this meeting, Zhu Daodong had an additional task: managing the alcohol. This was a tricky job, and Zhu Daodong didn't want to take it at all. He himself enjoyed drinking and understood the key issues involved. The officials in the township government were all heavy drinkers. In the past, Zhu Daodong had seen that when people from above came, if Chen Shuli and Yuan Ping were not around, they could quickly fill several tables. The county bureau people were familiar with most of the township officials, and if it was mealtime, it would be strange if they didn't drink a few cups.

Moreover, Zhu Daodong offended one person: the canteen manager, Old Wan. He had always been in charge of the alcohol, and now it was suddenly handed over to the office. Wasn't this indirectly saying that Wan Jianhua hadn't managed it well? Even in the meeting room, Zhu Daodong heard him curse: "Damn it."

Although it wasn't directly aimed at him, it showed that he was unhappy.

Zhu Daodong was secretly troubled. He had always wanted to do something practical, but he ended up with a job that would offend people. However, this was a task personally assigned by Chen Shuli, and he couldn't refuse it. He had to find a way to manage the alcohol well without offending people, at least not someone like Old Wan. As for those township officials who liked to drink for free, they were not a priority. If he was afraid of everything, he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything!

In the evening, Zhu Daodong went to visit Wan Jianhua.

"So late and you still have guests?" Wan Jianhua asked coldly when he saw Zhu Daodong, his usual smile gone.

"No, I just came to see you," Zhu Daodong said.

"I can't afford such a visit," Wan Jianhua's words were as sour as pickled vegetables.

"I've always wanted to come and sit with you, Old Wan. I've heard you can drink well. Let's have a couple of cups." Zhu Daodong smiled, understanding his resentment. He had brought four bottles of Laobai Gan and placed them on Wan Jianhua's table.

"I'm useless now, how dare I drink with Secretary Zhu?"

"Aren't you insulting me? Am I that superficial? Old Wan, I know you're upset, but think about it, it might not be a bad thing for you." Zhu Daodong smiled, found two cups, and filled them.

"Actually, I don't want to manage the alcohol. But when Secretary Chen said it, it was like slapping me in the face. How can I stop the township leaders from drinking? Can I dare to stop them?" Wan Jianhua, seeing Zhu Daodong's sincerity, let out all his grievances.

"Old Wan, you misunderstood Secretary Chen. This time, he's serious. You, Old Wan, are a well-known good person in the township. If you were to manage the alcohol again, wouldn't it be difficult for you? You need to understand Secretary Chen's intentions." Zhu Daodong handed the wine to Wan Jianhua, raised his glass, and drank it in one go.

Zhu Daodong's humility and comfort made Wan Jianhua unable to say more. After thinking about it, what Zhu Daodong said made sense. If he managed the alcohol again, he would bear the main responsibility when Secretary Chen investigated.

Wan Jianhua drank the glass in one go. As soon as he put it down, Zhu Daodong refilled it. They clinked glasses, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

"Secretary Zhu, you're well-read. Tell me, although Shumu Ridge Township is poor, I've managed the canteen for over ten years, and I haven't bankrupted the township," Wan Jianhua said after drinking half a bottle of wine.

"This is in response to the county's integrity building. Since Secretary Chen is focusing on receptions, we, the soldiers, must firmly support and execute it," Zhu Daodong smiled. Integrity building was a temporary thing; it had been talked about and enforced since the founding of the country, but after decades, people still ate and drank as they pleased.

"You're right. Following the party and government is always the right choice," Wan Jianhua laughed bitterly.

Old Wan had been in the township for over ten years and knew all the history. Today, with his mood and the wine Zhu Daodong brought, he drank a bit more and couldn't stop talking. He recounted the township's history in detail, especially summarizing the current leaders: Secretary Chen couldn't control things, and Township Chief Yuan couldn't keep his pockets closed.

Since Zhu Daodong was seconded to the township government, especially after he moved into the office, he knew everything that happened in the township. But before he arrived, he couldn't hear everything. Therefore, his conversation with Old Wan was very enlightening. Although some things were hearsay, Zhu Daodong believed that there was no smoke without fire.

It was easy to understand why Secretary Chen couldn't control things, but it took Zhu Daodong some time to figure out why Township Chief Yuan couldn't keep his pockets closed. Zhu Daodong originally thought he was the only one who knew about Yuan Ping's affairs, but it turned out that the people's eyes were sharp. Zhu Daodong, who was paying attention to Chen Shuli and Yuan Ping, was also very clear about what happened to them. He had heard people giving gifts to Yuan Ping, both money and goods, both in his office and at his home.

Tonight's visit to Old Wan was very fruitful. He not only eliminated the rift with Old Wan but also learned many secrets from him, far exceeding his expectations.

The next day, Zhu Daodong made a large board, essentially an enlarged table. It listed the date, the guests being entertained, the number of guests, the leaders and officials accompanying them, and the amount of alcohol used. Zhu Daodong placed this board in the canteen on the first day so that all the township officials could see it. Of course, there were no guests, so it wasn't used. Zhu Daodong didn't want to use it on the first day; he wanted to show everyone that the amount of alcohol consumed would be recorded, and when Secretary Chen's punishment came, it would be clear who would be scolded.

The next day, Zhu Daodong moved the board to the office. He just wanted to use it as a deterrent to show everyone that he was serious and not to make things difficult for him or themselves.

However, on that day, a deputy director of the Justice Bureau and a section chief came down. Chen Shuli and Yuan Ping were both in the county, so a deputy township chief was responsible for the reception, along with a few people from the justice office, totaling no more than six or seven people. Therefore, when Old Wan came to get the alcohol, Zhu Daodong gave him three bottles. These were one-liter bottles, and he thought three bottles would be enough.

For his first time distributing alcohol, Zhu Daodong was very cautious. Although he was in the office, he could hear everything that happened in the canteen. Soon, Zhu Daodong's eyebrows furrowed tightly because he realized that the number of people drinking was not three or four, but thirteen or fourteen!