Chapter 76: The Gap

Since the election at the People's Congress, Zhu Daodong has been continuously attending various banquets, meeting with leaders, colleagues, subordinates, department heads, and even any township government officials he knows or doesn't know. He must give face to those he knows, and he can't be arrogant to those he doesn't. As a new appointee, he faces many tests, but fortunately, his alcohol tolerance is bottomless; otherwise, he would have to be sent to the hospital for glucose every day.

At first, Zhu Daodong drank to his heart's content with everyone until they were all under the table. But later, he changed his strategy. Being able to drink is a skill for a leader, but excessive drinking is a flaw. Therefore, after accompanying the deputy township heads and the deputy party secretaries, he would pretend to be "drunk" after drinking one or two kilograms of alcohol, giving the guests face while allowing himself to escape the situation early.

Thus, when Secretary Hu visited Zhu Daodong in his newly assigned dormitory, the smell of alcohol could be detected from three meters away. In the past, when Zhu Daodong drank, there was hardly any alcohol smell on him because he would drink every drop without spilling any.

"Township Head Zhu, I'm really sorry to disturb you after work," Secretary Hu said as he entered the room, immediately detecting the strong smell of alcohol. He knew that Zhu Daodong, as a new official, would have a continuous series of drinking sessions, and now was not the right time to discuss such matters.

"It's fine, Secretary Hu, what's the matter?" Zhu Daodong was actually very clear-headed. He had spilled the alcohol on himself to make people believe he was drunk.

"Township Head Zhu, I'm really confused. Today I went to the tofu factory in Houjiatang Village, and it left a deep impression on me. I deeply regret not listening to you back then. Otherwise, the Houjiatang Tofu Factory would now be the Jinsha Village Tofu Factory," Secretary Hu sighed heavily, filled with regret.

"Old Hu, that matter is in the past. Your caution at the time was not without reason. After all, the investment was huge, and if it failed, it would affect hundreds of households in the township," Zhu Daodong said sincerely. Perhaps he had blamed Secretary Hu at first, but after the Houjiatang Tofu Factory began production, this thought gradually faded. Now, seeing the factory thriving, he no longer thought about it, and if Secretary Hu hadn't mentioned it, he might have almost forgotten.

"Township Head Zhu, Jinsha Village has already lost one opportunity, but I promise we will not lose another!" Secretary Hu said loudly.

"I understand your meaning, but I currently don't have any suitable projects for Jinsha Village," Zhu Daodong naturally understood Secretary Hu's intentions. Who wouldn't be envious of the Houjiatang Tofu Factory? After all, the factory was supposed to be built in Jinsha Village.

However, while they might be envious, it would be difficult to start another tofu factory like Houjiatang's. First, the Houjiatang Tofu Factory produces over 5,000 pounds of tofu daily, almost monopolizing the city's market. Second, the tofu has a brand, and the packaging clearly states "Shulinling Tofu." The trademark is registered, and the city's residents have become accustomed to the taste of the Houjiatang Tofu Factory. It would be challenging for tofu from other places to enter the market, and the risk would be much higher.

"Don't worry, but whenever Township Head Zhu has any ideas, please think of us Jinsha Village first. I want to make a commitment here: from now on, any work assigned by Township Head Zhu, Jinsha Village will complete with 100% effort, no discounts," Secretary Hu said, having nothing much else to offer Zhu Daodong except perhaps his full support.

"Then I thank Jinsha Village for your support," Zhu Daodong smiled.

Four days after the People's Congress election, Zhu Daodong officially took office. His first task was to inspect the units under his jurisdiction, listen to reports, and familiarize himself with the work of the departments. Of course, he didn't need to specially visit the Education Committee and the Enterprise Office. He came from the education system and was familiar with the situation of the Education Committee. Shulinling Middle School, where the Education Committee was located, was also generally overseen by the Education Committee Director. The current principal of Shulinling Middle School is Zhang Zhichun, and he is quite familiar with the situation there. Even if he were to visit, it should be last.

However, what Zhu Daodong didn't expect was that Zhang Zhichun would be the first to invite him for an inspection. According to Zhang Zhichun, since Zhu Daodong came from the Education Committee, his first inspection must be there. He also wanted to visit his former colleagues at the middle school and the class he used to teach. Moreover, Zhang Zhichun repeatedly emphasized that the school would be on holiday in a few days, and if Zhu Daodong didn't visit now, there would be no chance this year.

Unable to refuse the invitation, he had to go to the Education Committee first. Over the past year, the Education Committee had basically remained the same, with the same few people. They were all familiar with Zhu Daodong, and the only change was that he had become their superior. From now on, any matters concerning the Education Committee would need to be reported to him first.

Long Yiping watched as Zhu Daodong, sitting on the platform, listened to Zhang Zhichun's report, nodding from time to time. He was filled with many emotions. The scenes from when they were first assigned to Shulinling Middle School were vivid in his mind. Although he was an undergraduate and Long Yiping was a junior college graduate, the gap wasn't significant. They all started as ordinary teachers, and the only difference was that Zhu Daodong became a class teacher right away.

But the events that followed in Zhu Daodong's life left him, the observer, dazzled. Soon after joining the school, he was recognized by the former principal, Liu Tao, quickly joined the Party, and was promoted to deputy director of the teaching office. He remembered that he and Fan Mingfeng had to rely on Zhu Daodong to plead with Xu Zhengwu to reduce their teaching load.

Later, when Liu Tao was caught in a scandal, Long Yiping thought Zhu Daodong would be in trouble. After all, a new emperor means new ministers. But to their surprise, Zhu Daodong not only retained his position as deputy director of the teaching office but also received the position of Youth League branch secretary when Zhang Zhichun took over.

It was truly a case of envy killing a person. He was still an ordinary teacher, and last year he was only rated as an excellent young educator. But over a year ago, Zhu Daodong held two positions. Later, due to his role as Youth League branch secretary, he was seconded to the township government and was formally transferred after a few months. The transformation from an ordinary teacher to a township government staff member happened right before his eyes, making him both envious and admiring. Zhu Daodong was an outsider with no acquaintances or friends in the area, yet he entered the township government through his true abilities, which made him and Fan Mingfeng genuinely convinced. Zhu Daodong had both luck and real talent.

After entering the township government, he thought Zhu Daodong would temporarily disappear from his sight. But unexpectedly, Zhu Daodong was soon promoted to the director of the Enterprise Office. Although the position of director of the Enterprise Office wasn't a high rank, it was a real promotion. Later, when he was responsible for the sales of Shulinling Liquor, Long Yiping thought Zhu Daodong would stumble, but the result was surprising. Shulinling Liquor became famous. Even now, Long Yiping still thinks about finding an opportunity to ask Zhu Daodong for a couple of bottles, not for himself but as a very popular gift.

Less than a month after being promoted to the director of the Enterprise Office, there were rumors that Zhu Daodong might be elected as a deputy township head. For young teachers like Long Yiping and Fan Mingfeng, who had only been working for a few years, a deputy township head was a position to look up to. In just over two years, they, who had started on the same level, were now far behind Zhu Daodong.