Chapter 46

Liang Changgui, as the undisputed old secretary of Heishan Town, had never let anyone make him feel wronged. He would say whatever came to mind, that was his temperament.

You, Lin Fenghe, could get away with it once or twice, and I wouldn't hold it against you for Xie Wen's sake. But now you seem to be addicted to it, and you even started pointing fingers at the town's work right after you arrived. What do you think you are? A deputy town mayor, interfering with the town mayor's authority? I've never seen such an ugly attitude!

"Deputy Town Mayor Lin, please watch your tone, this is not the Agricultural Bureau!" Liang Changgui said bluntly.

"Deputy Town Mayor Lin, I think you haven't adjusted your mindset yet. I am no longer Deputy Director Ma, and you are no longer Deputy Director Lin, but the deputy town mayor of Heishan Town. As a member of this team, if you still think like a bureau director, it will be hard to carry out the work effectively," Ma Xiang said with a smile.

"I'm just eager to get started and get involved in the work," Lin Fenghe's face turned red, not expecting things to turn out this way. Xie Wen's influence didn't seem to work. But having been a deputy director before, he quickly found a way to back down without hesitation.

"Is that so? I was planning to make arrangements later, but since Deputy Town Mayor Lin is so eager, I'll adjust the work assignments now in front of the old secretary." Su Mu looked at the scene before him, a cold smile flashed in his eyes as he spoke.

"Town Mayor Su, go ahead!" Liang Changgui said with a smile.

"Lin Chen, as the former deputy director of the Party and Government Office, he knows his responsibilities well, so I won't elaborate. As for Town Mayor Ma, since he used to work in the county's Cultural Bureau, he must have excellent qualities. From now on, he will be responsible for education, science, culture, and health in Heishan Town, as well as the Civil Affairs Office, the Rural Medical Office, and the Forestry Station. And Deputy Town Mayor Lin, since you were the deputy director of the Agricultural Bureau, you must be very skilled in agriculture. You will be responsible for agriculture and the Family Planning Commission, as well as the Petition Office." Su Mu said without hesitation.

"Of course, these are just general assignments. I will have Director Lin convey the specific details to both of you later. Do you have any objections? Does the old secretary have any additional comments?"

This was a direct and ruthless move.

You, Lin Fenghe, think you're so capable, right? Fine, I'll let you be in charge of agriculture. In Heishan Town, agriculture is almost non-existent; it's all mountains. Where will you find extra land to develop agriculture? And the Family Planning Commission, in this rugged town, do you think anyone can handle it without some authority?

"The Party Committee manages personnel, this is the town government's business, I have no additional comments." Liang Changgui said calmly, but he was secretly delighted.

You, Lin Fenghe, really think that with Xie Wen's support, you can bully Su Mu because he's young? Let me tell you, his methods are more powerful than anyone's, and you'll see.

"I have no objections, I will firmly follow the leadership's arrangements!" Ma Xiang said with a smile. These peripheral tasks like education, science, culture, and health are not easy to get, and Su Mu's sincerity was evident. The departments he assigned were also quite good, much better than what Lin Fenghe got.

"I have no objections!" Lin Fenghe said in a huff.

"Good, since there are no objections, let's finalize this. Old Secretary, I want to report the second matter, which is the construction of the primary school in Heishan Town. This is not a small matter and must be resolved immediately. The children can't keep attending classes in the village committee offices," Su Mu said.

"Have you found a construction company, Town Mayor Su?" Liang Changgui asked.

"Yes!"

Su Mu nodded and said, "I think Luo's Construction is a good choice. This company is well-known in Xingtang and Qinglin, with a long history and high standards. If we entrust this project to them and have our town fully supervise it, there should be no problems!"

"Good, if that's the case, make the arrangements as soon as possible. We need to start the project as soon as possible so that the children can move into spacious and bright classrooms," Liang Changgui said.

"Understood!" Su Mu replied.

The meeting was essentially a performance by Su Mu and Liang Changgui. If these two reach an agreement, the others won't cause any trouble.

In fact, according to Su Mu's initial plan, the renovation of Dalishu Primary School was to be put out for bidding. But after visiting the four construction companies Lin Chen recommended, he determined that only Luo's Construction was qualified. The other three were all related to Tianwei, and Su Mu knew exactly what Tianwei was about.

To ensure the successful construction of Dalishu Primary School and to prevent Heishan Town from becoming a laughingstock in the county, Su Mu made a decisive decision.

Su Mu's decision was purely based on work considerations, not influenced by his relationship with Luo Lin. He hoped that Luo's Construction would seize this opportunity. If they succeed, he wouldn't mind allowing them a share in the future development of Heishan Town.

After all, Luo's Construction is a local construction company in Xingtang County, and there's no reason not to support local businesses within the scope of policy.

"Once the main matters are settled, the arrangements for the two deputy town mayors' accommodation will be handled by Director Lin. If there are no other issues, let's gather for lunch to welcome the two deputy town mayors," Liang Changgui said.

The meeting ended amidst such tension. Lin Fenghe, in his unique way, had probed the leadership situation in Heishan Town and didn't say much more. After Lin Chen arranged the accommodation, he secretly went to the corner to call Xie Wen.

On the other side, in the town mayor's office, Ma Xiang sat smiling, "Town Mayor Su, before I came, County Magistrate Zhao instructed me to follow your arrangements."

Taking a stance!

Even if he knew that Ma Xiang was sent by Zhao Rui'an, if he didn't report to Su Mu, it would be unacceptable. Su Mu smiled and offered him a cigarette, and as the smoke rose, he said, "The work in Heishan Town cannot be done without County Magistrate Zhao's support. Town Mayor Ma, let's work together."

"Yes, Town Mayor Su!" Ma Xiang maintained a basic smile.

No one knew what Ma Xiang was thinking. Sitting on a cold bench in the Cultural Bureau, being suddenly transferred here by Zhao Rui'an, he must have some skills. Before fully understanding Heishan Town, maintaining a smiling face and not offending anyone was a rare quality.

Pfft!

After Su Mu sent Ma Xiang off, he stood by the window, looking at the sky outside, a mysterious smile on his lips, "The calm Heishan Town has been disrupted so quickly. But it doesn't matter. I don't care who you two are loyal to, as long as you don't interfere with my plans, it's fine. Even if you just occupy your positions without doing anything, it's fine. But if anyone dares to block my plans for the high-tech ecological park, I won't show any mercy!"

At the welcome lunch, Lin Fenghe didn't act as outrageously as he did in the morning. He seemed to have changed, even starting to offer toasts, clearly more restrained. But these were just surface appearances. Su Mu, who already knew Lin Fenghe's background from Lin Shuang, knew that Lin Fenghe, relying on Xie Wen's support, was even rude to the director of the Agricultural Bureau.

A person who is used to being arrogant can't suddenly change. The reason for this change was probably because Xie Wen had scolded him.

I want to see how long you can keep up this act, Lin Fenghe. Xie Wen sent you here to cause trouble for me, but I'm not afraid. I'm waiting for your moves.

While Su Mu was thinking, Lin Chen was already holding a wine glass, his face flushed and his expression excited. He walked up to Su Mu and said directly, "Town Mayor, I know words won't do much now. Just watch my actions, and I'll make you satisfied. The Party and Government Office will work well under your leadership."

This was a declaration of allegiance, Lin Chen's first public indication of his stance.

"Lin Chen, you should know that once you drink this glass, there's no turning back. Are you sure you want to do this?" Su Mu held the glass playfully.

"Sure!" Lin Chen nodded without hesitation, "Town Mayor, I know very well how I got this position. Just watch me."

"Good, let's work hard together. Cheers!" Su Mu didn't pretend and drank the glass directly.

"Town Mayor Su, you're not being fair. Why are you only drinking with Director Lin and not with me? Do you look down on me? Come, let's have three glasses!" Lin Fenghe swaggered over, shouting loudly.

"Come, Town Mayor Lin, I'll drink with you!" Lin Chen said quickly.

"No, Director Lin, do we have to worry about not having a chance to drink? If you want to toast me, we can do it later. Now I want to drink with the town mayor, and we must drink to our heart's content!" Lin Fenghe shouted, known for his drinking prowess in the Agricultural Bureau, he could easily drink a pound and a half.

Lin Fenghe, who had been severely scolded by Xie Wen, was not willing to lose face. He was determined to regain his dignity at this dinner. He didn't believe that this white-faced bookworm, Su Mu, could outdrink him. He was determined to make Su Mu drink until he vomited and lost face.

"Town Mayor Lin, are you sure you want to drink with me?" Su Mu smiled.

Scared, are you? Trying to act mysterious? Let me tell you, I'm not falling for it. Lin Fenghe shouted, "Yes, I want to have a good drink with the town mayor."

"Alright, since Town Mayor Lin is so enthusiastic, how can I not join you? But these glasses are too small, and three glasses can't show the unity of the Heishan Town government leadership. Let's use bigger glasses. You toast me three, and I'll toast you three. Six glasses in one go, how about that?" Su Mu laughed.

Scaring who? Thinking I'll fall for your trick? Dream on! Lin Fenghe shouted, "Alright, let's do it. Bigger glasses, six glasses!"

The conversation quickly drew the attention of the others. Everyone knew what Lin Fenghe was trying to do, but they didn't expect Su Mu to agree. He's too young. What can he do? If he ends up losing face, what will he do?

His authority in Heishan Town would definitely be weakened. Is it worth ruining his future over a few drinks? No one was optimistic about Su Mu, even Liang Changgui frowned, wanting to stop him but seeing Su Mu shake his head, he didn't say anything, wondering if Su Mu could really drink. He had never heard of it.

Clang, clang, clang!

A row of six large wine glasses was placed on the table, each filled with liquor, about three ounces each. Six glasses would be one pound and eight ounces. Even without drinking before, few people could handle it steadily.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense!