Chapter 58: The Military Order

When it came to acting, Zhu Daodong had gained some experience over the past few months at the township government. He quickly said with feigned excitement, "Township Chief, thank you so much. But Director Liu also has his difficulties, and as the superior department, we need to understand his situation."

"Who will understand your difficulties if you understand his? I'm telling you, Zhu Daodong, the enterprise management fees must be collected. Otherwise, you are not fit to be the director of the enterprise office!" Yuan Ping said sternly.

"Yes, yes, Township Chief, rest assured, I will definitely collect every cent of the enterprise management fees. In fact..."

"In fact, you haven't collected a single cent!" Yuan Ping sneered.

"But I have already talked to Liu Wei..."

"I don't care about the process, I only care about the result. Zhu Daodong, I'm telling you, if you can't collect the enterprise management fees, I will remove you from your position as the director of the enterprise office!" Yuan Ping said with a stern voice and a fierce expression.

"Township Chief, I will definitely collect the enterprise management fees. The distillery has no money this month, so I asked Liu Wei to use hundreds of boxes of premium old white wine from the distillery's warehouse to offset the debt. As long as we sell this wine, the enterprise management fees will be fully covered. We might even make a few thousand more."

"What if the wine doesn't sell?" Yuan Ping sneered, "And you say we might make a few thousand more. Zhu Daodong, I'm telling you, even if you make a few thousand more, or even a few tens of thousands more, the township won't take an extra cent. It will all be yours!"

"Is that true?" Zhu Daodong, who had been interrupted by Yuan Ping, was already seething with anger.

"When have I ever lied? I will not only tell you this, but I will also say it at the party committee meeting. But if the wine doesn't sell, will you pay the enterprise management fees?" Yuan Ping said sarcastically.

"Even if you kill me, I can't come up with ten thousand yuan." Zhu Daodong smiled bitterly. The township government's salary was slightly higher than that of a school, but only by a few hundred yuan. To save ten thousand yuan, he would have to live frugally for at least two years.

"I won't kill you, but if you can't collect the enterprise management fees, the director of the enterprise office will be replaced by someone who can." Yuan Ping said coldly, revealing his true intentions.

"It's definitely impossible to collect the money this month, but by this time next month, I guarantee I will collect the full year's enterprise management fees in one go." Zhu Daodong said confidently.

"Fine, I'll give you one month!" A cunning look flashed in Yuan Ping's eyes.

In the afternoon, Yuan Ping proposed a party committee meeting. Chen Shuli had already learned about the conversation between Yuan Ping and Zhu Daodong. Although he thought Yuan Ping was making a mountain out of a molehill, he still agreed to hold the meeting. Yuan Ping wanted to use the enterprise office to undermine his authority, and Liu Wei's cooperation was good. However, he underestimated Zhu Daodong's abilities, especially his business acumen. Chen Shuli believed that Yuan Ping would end up shooting himself in the foot.

The main topic of the Shumu Ridge Township party committee meeting was the issue of Zhu Daodong, the director of the township enterprise management office, who, in the face of difficulties in collecting fees from the Shumu Ridge Distillery, had taken it upon himself to use the distillery's inventory of aged wine to offset the debt. The township government was not a liquor store, so why did they need so much wine?

At the meeting, Yuan Ping "painfully" pointed out that Comrade Zhu Daodong was still too young and had acted rashly after becoming the director. With the intention of saving a comrade, the township agreed to give Comrade Zhu Daodong one month to sell the inventory wine. The township's only requirement was that within one month, the distillery's annual enterprise management fee of ten thousand yuan be paid to the finance office. As for Zhu Daodong's suggestion that the sales of the inventory wine might exceed ten thousand yuan, Yuan Ping proposed, and the party committee unanimously agreed, that if Zhu Daodong could exceed ten thousand yuan in sales, the excess would be given to him as a bonus.

Of course, there had to be a penalty. If Zhu Daodong could not pay the ten thousand yuan in enterprise management fees within one month, it would mean that he was not suitable for the position of director of the enterprise office, and the party committee would follow the procedure to revoke his position. To ensure that Zhu Daodong was not interfered with while selling the premium old white wine, all the wine would be handled by him, and no one could interfere.

This was essentially a military order, but it was recorded in the form of a party committee meeting record.

Interestingly, the person writing the meeting record was Zhu Daodong himself, so this military order was also, in a sense, written by his own hand.

After the meeting, Yuan Ping seemed elated, walking down the corridor with his hands behind his back, humming an unknown tune. Zhu Daodong, as usual, walked last, leaving only after cleaning up the meeting room.

Holding a special party committee meeting for one person was rare in the history of Shumu Ridge Township, especially for someone who had been working for less than a year, like Zhu Daodong. Regardless of whether Zhu Daodong could sell the inventory of premium old white wine, at least now his name was widely known in Shumu Ridge Township. All the township officials, village secretaries, and village chiefs deeply remembered this young man named Zhu Daodong.

Liu Wei also learned about the content of the party committee meeting as soon as possible. He hurried to the township government to find Yuan Ping and reported that Zhu Daodong had used the premium old white wine to offset the enterprise management fees and planned to repackage, change the bottles, and rename the wine. If Zhu Daodong really sold the premium old white wine and the sales exceeded ten thousand yuan, wouldn't he become an accomplice?

"Ridiculous!" After listening to Liu Wei's report, Yuan Ping spat out these words after a long pause. His expression was full of disdain. In his view, the distillery had its own sales department, and these hundreds of boxes of wine had been in storage for years. How could Zhu Daodong, with his three heads and six arms, sell all this wine in one month? This was a joke!

"Township Chief, should we still follow Zhu Daodong's instructions to repackage, change the bottles, and rename the wine?" Liu Wei asked cautiously.

"Sure, since Zhu Daodong has guaranteed that he can sell the wine within one month, we shouldn't be too petty. There's no need to hinder him; it would be too boring. We need to make him lose with no regrets. Otherwise, if he goes to Secretary Chen crying and complaining, we would feel bad too." Yuan Ping waved his hand "generously."

A chill ran through Liu Wei's heart. Damn it, if you hadn't deliberately refused to pay the enterprise management fees, would there be so many problems? Hindering him is what you do!

After leaving Yuan Ping's office, Liu Wei felt a bit sympathetic for Zhu Daodong, but ultimately, an arm can't twist a leg. If he had to choose between Zhu Daodong and Yuan Ping, he would definitely choose the latter without hesitation. Even if Zhu Daodong had Chen Shuli's support, the party committee meeting had already decided. In Liu Wei's view, Zhu Daodong's term as the director of the enterprise office would last at most one more month.