Chapter 11

Xingtang County is neither big nor small, and if something happens here, it's really hard to keep it a secret if others want to know. The incident on the antique street yesterday and the task assigned by the county education bureau today quickly spread throughout various departments. Everyone who heard it was not particularly shocked.

To everyone, Su Mu was just a small ant, and such an ant trying to shake the towering tree that is Xie Wen was simply impossible. Getting entangled with Xie Minghao, the spoiled son of an official, was asking for trouble.

Those in the county who were not part of Xie Wen's faction thought this way, let alone those who were directly under Xie Wen, like Yang Song, the mayor of Heishan Town. He would not let this opportunity to curry favor pass.

"Secretary Liu, thank you for the reminder. Rest assured, I will handle this matter beautifully."

Yang Song hung up the phone, lit a cigarette, and slumped into the leather chair. In the rising smoke, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Su Mu, you could have gone after anyone, but you had to provoke Secretary Xie. If you hadn't caused trouble, I would have kept you around, but now that you've brought this upon yourself, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After a few puffs, Yang Song dialed a number, "Yang Hu, come to my office right away!"

Su Mu, who had no idea how serious the situation was, returned to Heishan Town directly after the meeting in Xingtang County without resting.

Gao Ping had given him a month, and if he didn't act quickly, it would be impossible to complete the renovation of the dilapidated school buildings in Heishan Town.

"Lin Chen, why are you standing here?" Su Mu appeared outside the town government building and greeted Lin Chen, who looked anxious, with a smile.

"Mayor Su, you're in a good mood. Do you know that Heishan Town is in chaos? Secretary Liang wants you to go see him as soon as you return." Lin Chen hurriedly said.

In the Heishan Town government, Lin Chen was just a messenger, and anyone could give him orders. In this sense, Deputy Mayor Su Mu was less well-known than Lin Chen.

"In chaos? What happened?" Su Mu, hearing this, was not particularly alarmed. He took out a cigarette and offered it to Lin Chen, smiling, "Tell me, what's going on?"

"It's all because of you!" Lin Chen had no mood for smoking. If it weren't for their close friendship, he wouldn't have stepped forward at this time.

"Me?" Su Mu frowned.

"Of course, it's because of you. What you did in the county has already spread to the town. Everyone knows you hit Secretary Xie's son, and no one wants to have anything to do with you, for fear of being remembered by Secretary Xie. The old secretary is also angry. You must be very careful when you go to see him!" Lin Chen whispered.

It was about that!

Su Mu was momentarily stunned and then shook his head helplessly. Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles. What he did yesterday in the county had already spread throughout Xingtang County. After all, in the entire county, no one else dared to hit Xie Minghao except for him.

"Is it just the old secretary who wants to see me?" Su Mu asked, his mind racing.

The more critical the moment, the more important it was to remain calm. The knowledge he gained from the official ranking system told him that only in a calm state could one solve any problem.

"Not just that! Mayor Yang also asked me to wait here and tell you to go see him as soon as you return. I just prioritized the old secretary." Lin Chen said.

"No problem, let's go then!" Su Mu smiled, threw the cigarette to the ground, took a deep breath, and walked toward the stairs without hesitation.

Lin Chen followed behind, sighed helplessly, and whispered, "Mayor Su, everyone in Xingtang County knows what kind of person Xie Minghao is. Why did you provoke him for the sake of an outsider? I think even the old secretary can't protect you now. You're in trouble."

Su Mu was moved by these words. In Heishan Town, probably only Lin Chen, who was not in a high position, was willing to speak such heartfelt words to him. Knowing that he was about to be in trouble, Lin Chen still didn't look down on him. Besides Lin Chen not fearing trouble as a small official, it was also related to his character.

In the past, Su Mu would have said, "I'll remember this favor." But after being influenced by the official ranking system, he knew that sometimes words needed to be spoken with artistry.

For example, now!

"Lin Chen, I know your heart. Don't worry, I have a plan for this matter." Su Mu smiled.

Lin Chen looked at Su Mu and, for some reason, felt much less anxious. "Mayor Su, to be honest, you handled this well! You don't know how many people wanted to beat up Xie Minghao. If it were me, I would have done the same. I support you!"

Su Mu smiled without comment, walked to the secretary's office, knocked, and entered when he heard "Come in."

"Old Secretary, you wanted to see me?" Su Mu stood in the office with a smile.

Bang!

Liang Changgui stared at Su Mu for five minutes, making him feel uneasy. Just as Su Mu was about to speak, Liang Changgui suddenly slammed his hand on the desk. The sound echoed through the office, and everything on the desk jumped and clattered.

"Deputy Mayor Su, what a fine job you've done!" Liang Changgui pointed at Su Mu's nose and shouted, looking like an enraged lion.

Su Mu stared at Liang Changgui calmly, knowing his character, and did not try to lie or defend himself. He spoke calmly.

"Old Secretary, I know why you're so angry. It's because I hit Xie Minghao and provoked Secretary Xie, right?"

"You know! I sent you to the county for a meeting, not to cause trouble! Hitting Xie Minghao, everyone in Xingtang County knows he's Xie Wen's only son. You hit him, and now you're in for it!" Liang Changgui said angrily.

"Old Secretary, I know I acted rashly, but if I had to do it again, I would still do the same. Don't worry, sit down and have some water. Getting so angry over Xie Minghao isn't worth it, not at all!" Su Mu smiled, quickly poured a cup of water, and respectfully placed it on the desk.

"You, you!" Liang Changgui glared at Su Mu, "You know Xie Minghao is a scoundrel, so why did you provoke him?"

"Old Secretary, if it were you, you would have done the same. But since I've done it, there's no point in talking about it now. Don't be angry." Su Mu said with a grin.

Liang Changgui glared at Su Mu, knowing he was telling the truth. The deed was done, and there was no way to undo it. Since that was the case, he had to deal with the consequences. He had originally planned to give Su Mu a good scolding, but seeing Su Mu's attitude, he knew it would be pointless.

Deep down, Liang Changgui trusted and had high hopes for Su Mu. If he had to choose, he would rather hand Heishan Town over to Su Mu than to Yang Song, who only cared about power and never thought about the people.

Because of deep affection, there was also deep resentment!

"You, you're still too young and impulsive. You helped someone, and they just left. Now you've offended Secretary Xie and caused trouble for yourself. Tell me, how do you plan to handle the renovation of the dilapidated school buildings in Heishan Town? Where will you get the funds?" Liang Changgui asked, sipping his tea.

After the expanded meeting of the Xingtang County Education Bureau, Gao Ping had called each of the fifteen town mayors and deputy mayors. That's why Liang Changgui was so angry. He knew this was Xie Wen using Gao Ping to get rid of Su Mu, and giving him only a month was clearly a setup.

Indeed, due to the population, the ten natural villages in Heishan Town had few students. To save educational resources, a single school was built in the middle of the ten villages. All elementary school students attended this school called Dalishu. But even for one school, a significant amount of money was needed to completely renovate it into new buildings.

Heishan Town could not possibly provide this money!

The reason was simple: besides the town's poverty and lack of funds, even if there were, Yang Song would not sign off on the allocation. Completing the renovation in a month was a joke.

"Old Secretary, the renovation of the dilapidated school buildings ultimately comes down to funding. As long as there's money, there's no need to look elsewhere. The villagers who know how to build houses will come in droves." Su Mu smiled.

"Nonsense, do you think I don't know that!" Liang Changgui grumbled.

Indeed, there were many people in the ten villages of Heishan Town who knew how to build houses. They might not be able to build tall buildings, but two-story houses were no problem, thanks to some of them being foremen outside the town. Even if not, they could hire construction teams. These were minor issues; the key was the funding.

Without money, everything was just talk!

"Tell me, where do you plan to get the funds?" Liang Changgui asked, smoking his pipe.

"I don't have a clear plan yet, but don't worry, Old Secretary, there will be a way!" Su Mu smiled.

In his mind, if all else failed, he would sell a few antiques, even if he had to pay out of his own pocket to build the classrooms.

With the official ranking system in hand, getting some money was not difficult.

"Just keep talking, keep talking. If you can't complete this task in a month, we'll see what you'll do. Alright, don't stand there, seeing you makes me anxious. Go back and figure out a solution!" Liang Changgui waved his hand irritably.

"Yes, I'll figure it out!" Su Mu stood up and left the office. As soon as the door closed, Liang Changgui sat in his chair and muttered to himself.

"Do I really have to put aside my pride and ask that little brat for help? Ah, you're still too young, too impulsive..."

After leaving the secretary's office, Su Mu adjusted his mood and entered the mayor's office. As expected, he faced Yang Song's premeditated difficulties.

Unlike Liang Changgui, who had shouted at him, Yang Song, who was adept at playing political games, preferred to use underhanded tactics.

Just like this time!

Yang Song directly told Su Mu that the town had no funds and that he had to complete the renovation of Dalishu Elementary School within a month. The funding issue was entirely Su Mu's responsibility. If he failed, he would be in trouble.

Su Mu was indifferent to Yang Song's attitude. Arguing with such a person would not only be against the rules but also beneath his dignity.

By the time he left the mayor's office, it was almost time to go home. Su Mu tidied up and walked out of the town government building, facing the complex gazes of the others.

Just as Su Mu appeared at the door, a figure jumped down from a camouflaged SUV parked under an old locust tree across the street. She waved at Su Mu.

"Su Mu, over here!"

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