Chapter 75 of 100

Chapter 75: Smoothly Becoming Deputy Township Chief

12 min read3,056 words

"Secretary Chen, isn't the candidate you reported, Zhu Daodong, a bit too young?" Yu Zheng'an, the head of the county organization department's cadre section, frowned slightly when he saw the materials on Zhu Daodong among the candidates reported by Shumu Ridge Township. Twenty-four years old, that's really too young, isn't it?

"Director Yu, although Comrade Zhu Daodong is young, he is capable, competent, and well-educated, having graduated from a university. After careful consideration and thorough research by our township party committee, we finally decided to recommend him. Every year, the documents emphasize the need for younger cadres. So, why can't we really implement it?" Chen Shuli said with a slightly teasing smile.

"That's not what I meant. I'm just curious. Zhu Daodong is from out of town and has only been working for a little over a year. How could he receive such unanimous praise from the township leadership? He must have some extraordinary qualities," Yu Zheng'an said with a smile.

"Director Yu, what do you think of our Shumu Ridge liquor?" Chen Shuli didn't answer directly but asked with a smile.

"It's excellent. When people mention Shumu Ridge Township, the first thing that comes to mind is Shumu Ridge liquor," Yu Zheng'an said with a smile. "Could it be that Shumu Ridge liquor has something to do with him? Or did he develop the liquor?"

"Both are true. Shumu Ridge liquor has become a calling card for our township. In this matter, Zhu Daodong has made significant contributions. He has a good grasp of economics. Under his guidance and planning, the township established a new tofu factory, a village-run collective enterprise, which can produce over two tons of tofu daily, all of which are sold in the city. The annual sales will be higher than those of the liquor factory," Chen Shuli explained. When Hou Lihua reported the tofu factory's performance to him, he initially couldn't believe the figures. The profit in the first month exceeded ten thousand yuan, and it would only get better from there.

"Alright, since the township party committee strongly recommends him, I respect your choice," Yu Zheng'an said with a smile.

However, Yu Zheng'an had to report this matter to the county organization minister, Peng Ming. Peng Ming was also surprised at first by Shumu Ridge Township's recommendation of such a young deputy township chief candidate. But when he heard the name Zhu Daodong, his attitude changed immediately. He clearly instructed Yu Zheng'an to respect the decision of the Shumu Ridge Township party committee and conduct the investigation work responsibly.

"Minister, does this Zhu Daodong have any special background?" Yu Zheng'an was surprised by Peng Ming's sudden change in attitude. Zhu Daodong was just an ordinary clerk. Even if he were promoted to deputy township chief, he would still be a deputy section-level cadre, at least three levels below the county organization minister. Why did the minister's attitude change so drastically upon hearing his name?

"There's no harm in telling you. Secretary Guo once paid attention to him," Peng Ming said. He believed Yu Zheng'an understood the weight of these words. There was another thing he didn't say: Secretary Guo had once had a drink with Zhu Daodong privately. Not many people knew this, but he was one of them.

"I know what to do," Yu Zheng'an thought, no wonder.

With Chen Shuli's strong recommendation and Secretary Guo's attention, Zhu Daodong's investigation went smoothly. When Yu Zheng'an submitted his report to the three-person group consisting of the township party committee secretary, the deputy secretary in charge of party affairs, and the organization commissioner, it went smoothly. Zhu Daodong was then interviewed and quickly designated as a candidate.

After a seven-day public announcement, Zhu Daodong's candidacy as deputy township chief was submitted to the county standing committee for discussion. Although this was the final and most important step, it was essentially a formality. After all, this was strongly recommended by Chen Shuli, and the county committee respected the township party committee's opinion.

On December 10th, the Shumu Ridge Township People's Congress convened a special meeting. First, they removed Deputy Township Chief Wang from his position, and then elected Zhu Daodong as the new deputy township chief. After his promotion, Zhu Daodong was responsible for culture, education, health, sports, family planning, and oversaw the education committee, family planning office, health center, cultural station, and enterprise office.

Although he had many responsibilities, Zhu Daodong's main tasks were the family planning office and the enterprise office. The difficulty of family planning work was probably similar across the country. If Zhu Daodong could handle this well, he would be considered a competent deputy township chief, and even an excellent one. The reason he was also given responsibility for the enterprise office was due to his business acumen.

The performance of the Houjiatang Village tofu factory had already spread throughout the township government, and even all the village party secretaries and village chiefs knew about it. Everyone was surprised. Who would believe that such ordinary tofu could be sold in the city and generate such significant economic value? But after visiting the tofu factory, their doubts disappeared. The clean, bright, and spacious factory, the skilled workers, the sterile packaging, and the neatly stacked finished tofu products all indicated the factory's profitability. From the daily production of over 5,000 pounds of tofu, they could infer the factory's profit, which matched the data.

Of the 5,000 pounds of tofu, 60% was fresh tofu, 20% was dried tofu, and the remaining 20% was fermented tofu. The profit from dried and fermented tofu was higher, but the daily production was lower. Fresh tofu, although less profitable, had a higher production volume, which compensated for the lower profit margin. The sales revenue from 3,000 pounds of fresh tofu was around 1,000 yuan, and the revenue from dried and fermented tofu was also around 1,000 yuan each. Therefore, a daily net profit of 480 yuan was reasonable and convincing.

After believing in the tofu factory's substantial profit, everyone was left with envy. But one person was an exception. He felt not only envy but also deep regret. All of this should have been Jinsha Village's, but due to his caution, or perhaps his disdain for Zhu Daodong, he had missed this great opportunity. Now, he was left with only envy, jealousy, and regret.

"Old Hu, what do you think?" Seeing the silent Jinsha Village party secretary, Hu, Hou Lihua walked over with a smile. He had to thank Secretary Hu; otherwise, such a good opportunity would never have come to Houjiatang Village.

"Old Hou, you're lucky. I have nothing to say this time, but rest assured, I'll go to Deputy Township Chief Zhu tomorrow and ask him to show us a way forward for Jinsha Village," Secretary Hu sighed. He now sincerely admired Zhu Daodong, but he didn't necessarily admire Hou Lihua. Such things could be achieved with courage. Although the people managing and operating the tofu factory were from Houjiatang Village, they were following Zhu Daodong's plan and were merely executors.

If Zhu Daodong could give Jinsha Village another project in the future, he believed he could seize the opportunity and do just as well as Hou Lihua, if not better.

"That's indeed a good idea, but there are over twenty villages in the township. Now that Deputy Township Chief Zhu is in charge, whether he can specifically provide a project for Jinsha Village is uncertain," Hou Lihua said sarcastically.

"Hmph." Secretary Hu was speechless but, after some thought, said defiantly, "Jinsha Village is also an administrative village in Shumu Ridge Township and falls under Deputy Township Chief Zhu's jurisdiction!"

"Yes, Jinsha Village is indeed part of Shumu Ridge Township, but Deputy Township Chief Zhu needs a suitable project. Running a business isn't a game. For the tofu factory, Deputy Township Chief Zhu made several trips to the city, and the investigation report was dozens of pages long," Hou Lihua continued to undermine Secretary Hu.

"Old Hou, you damn bastard, I'm going to find Deputy Township Chief Zhu right now. If he doesn't find a way for Jinsha Village to prosper, I'll follow him every day until he agrees!" Stung by Hou Lihua's ridicule, Secretary Hu's stubbornness flared up. He was already filled with regret, and Hou Lihua's provocation pushed him to turn and leave, riding his bicycle to the township government.

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