Chapter 3

The collapse of the school building in Chunzhu Township caused a huge stir. Before dawn, all the township leaders rushed over to see the collapsed student dormitory, which left them all in a state of shock.

Chang Mingwei, the deputy secretary of the township party committee who was temporarily in charge of the township, was sweating profusely. He was likely to become the top leader of the township, and at this critical moment, if a child had died, the responsibility would have been enormous!

Even before he arrived, Chang Mingwei was already cursing from a distance.

"Niuzhongzhong, you damn fool, what the hell happened!"

When he heard that Ye Zetao had discovered the situation and convinced Principal Niu to evacuate the children, Chang Mingwei looked at Ye Zetao with a special kind of meaning in his eyes.

Walking over, Chang Mingwei shook Ye Zetao's hand and said, "Comrade Xiaoye, you did a great job!"

After a busy night, Ye Zetao felt very tired and said, "I just did what I should have done! A lot of work still needs to be done by the township!"

"Very good! Very good!"

Chang Mingwei was even more satisfied with Ye Zetao.

The incident was significant and could not be concealed. Soon, a team of leaders led by the vice-county magistrate in charge of education arrived in Chunzhu Township.

Seeing the chaotic scene of broken tiles and the damaged beds, Vice-County Magistrate Guan Yuguai was shocked and gave the township leaders a severe scolding, indicating that he was ready to dismiss someone immediately.

After the scolding, he sat in the township government office to listen to the situation report.

Both Principal Niu and Chang Mingwei were extremely grateful to Ye Zetao and mentioned his name in the report.

After listening to the report, Guan Yuguai had Ye Zetao brought over. Seeing Ye Zetao, who was still in his dirty clothes, Guan Yuguai walked up to him and firmly shook his hand, saying, "Xiaoye, I represent the county government to thank you for your work!"

Ye Zetao smiled and said, "Fortunately, nothing serious happened!" As he spoke, he showed a bit of embarrassment.

After praising Ye Zetao for a while, Guan Yuguai, who was not a member of the standing committee, hurried back to the county.

The leaders left after a brief visit. Looking at the dilapidated school, Ye Zetao said to Principal Niu, "Principal Niu, the children are in a bad state after a night of fear. I think we should clear the beds and use the ones that can still be used. Find some people to repair the damaged beds!"

"Good! Good!" Principal Niu was still in shock from the collapse of the dormitory.

Holding Ye Zetao's hand, Principal Niu said, "You've done a great deed! A great deed!"

Ye Zetao didn't know who he was referring to. He looked at the people around him and sighed. The township leaders were dealing with the anger of their superiors, and all the work was left to Principal Niu. He could only do his best!

There was no good solution for the moment, so the students were arranged to sleep in each classroom, with desks in the front and beds in the back.

Seeing the students sleeping in the classrooms, Ye Zetao felt a lump in his chest.

The next day, many villagers whose children attended the school came to the school in groups.

Seeing the collapsed dormitory and hearing the accounts from some informed villagers, everyone knew about the young man Ye Zetao. For the villagers, nothing was more important than the fact that he had saved their children.

Since the villagers learned about Ye Zetao's actions, they looked at him with a different kind of respect. Some villagers even came to him, shook his hand, and offered him cigarettes without saying much.

Looking at these simple villagers, Ye Zetao felt that he would be failing in his duty if he didn't do something for the children.

After a busy day, Ye Zetao entered the party and government office, but the atmosphere there made him uncomfortable.

"Ha ha, our hero is back!" Jiang Guoping said with a forced smile as Ye Zetao entered.

"Xiaoye, you've worked hard. Sit down and rest!" Director Niu Changsheng, who rarely took the initiative, stood up and shook Ye Zetao's hand.

"Director, I need to apologize for not asking for leave before helping out at the school all day!" As he entered, Ye Zetao suddenly realized he had forgotten to ask Niu Changsheng for leave.

"Ha ha, with the praise from Vice-County Magistrate Guan and Secretary Chang, everyone knows what you did at the school!" Jiang Guoping laughed.

Glancing at Niu Changsheng, Ye Zetao noticed a cold light in his eyes.

Damn Jiang Guoping, he's trying to get me in trouble!

Ye Zetao, though clear in his mind, still respectfully said to Niu Changsheng, "Director, no matter what, I was wrong. As a party member, I didn't strictly discipline myself, which is a sign of disorganization and lack of discipline. Please criticize me!"

Hearing this, Fang Yimei, who was watching from the side, showed approval in her eyes. She thought to herself, I didn't expect Ye Zetao to be so capable, easily deflecting Jiang Guoping's hidden attack.

Niu Changsheng smiled slightly and said, "Don't let it happen again. Xiaoye, you must always strictly discipline yourself, as we are party members and have different perspectives!"

Seeing that Niu Changsheng's cup was empty, Ye Zetao quickly poured him some hot water.

Niu Changsheng was satisfied with Ye Zetao's behavior and patted his hair, saying, "The township just had a major incident, and now this. It's really a bad time. At this critical moment, no one can afford to have any problems!"

After chatting for a while and taking a phone call, Niu Changsheng called Jiang Guoping and hurriedly left.

Seeing them leave, Fang Yimei smiled at Ye Zetao and said, "Xiaoye, you've really made a name for yourself this time. I bet most people in the township can't even remember the leaders' names, but they'll remember yours!"

Ye Zetao smiled bitterly, understanding that Fang Yimei was hinting that his reputation was getting too big.

In the political arena, being famous isn't always a good thing, but this time, even if he didn't want to be famous, he couldn't avoid it.

Seeing that Ye Zetao didn't respond, Fang Yimei whispered, "I heard that Jiang Guoping has a relative who is the deputy director of the county finance bureau. Through that connection, he's been working hard and might become the director of the party and government office!"

Ye Zetao looked up at Fang Yimei, who was wearing a fashionable outfit that made her look very young and bright.

"You seem to be doing well too," Ye Zetao smiled.

Having just started his job, Ye Zetao knew that there would be significant changes in the township, but he didn't think about what benefits he might get, as he had just started working.

Fang Yimei, feeling Ye Zetao's gaze, straightened her already prominent chest.

Ye Zetao, of course, didn't think that Fang Yimei would see him as a potential romantic partner. Such a woman valued power and influence. Recently, he had heard some rumors that Fang Yimei was very active in the county.

Looking at her prominent chest, Ye Zetao thought, "Someone might already be working on her!"

Quickly dismissing those unhealthy thoughts, Ye Zetao took out the township's documents and studied them again.

He had done what he could for the middle school, and there was no way he could get involved further. Besides, it wasn't his place to interfere. Now that he was working here, he needed to focus on understanding the township's situation.

Ye Zetao also studied the township's leadership structure. Chunzhu Township had nine party committee members. The secretary, township head, and organization committee member had died in the accident. The chairman of the people's congress was old and unlikely to advance, and the armed forces minister generally didn't compete for the top positions. Therefore, the deputy secretary and discipline inspection committee secretary, Chang Mingwei, was likely to become the new secretary. The other members would all want to advance, and there would inevitably be competition. Who would secure a position in the new leadership?

Looking at Niu Changsheng's seat, as the director of the party and government office who was close to the secretary, it was both an opportunity and a risk. If he was promoted, everything would be fine, but if a new secretary who didn't like him came in, his days might be tough.

Smiling softly, Fang Yimei asked, "What are you thinking about?"

In the same office, Fang Yimei got along better with Ye Zetao.

"Thinking about you," Ye Zetao joked to divert her attention.

Rolling her eyes, Fang Yimei laughed, "Tell me honestly, did you have a girlfriend in college?"

At the mention of this, Ye Zetao's eyes darkened for a moment before he smiled and said, "What do you think?"

Fang Yimei laughed, "You're so handsome, I bet a lot of girls liked you!"

"I'm not that handsome, but I do have a lot of energy!" He made a chest-expanding gesture.

This gesture made Fang Yimei giggle.

Indeed, her already attractive chest jiggled as she laughed.

After a bit of banter, Fang Yimei took a phone call and hurriedly left.

Seeing that the office was empty again, Ye Zetao smiled. Everyone was so busy these days!

Without anyone else around, Ye Zetao thought about his ex-girlfriend from college. He thought about how she had broken up with him because his family was just ordinary workers, believing he had no future, and her family opposed the relationship.

Thinking about his family, Ye Zetao knew he had no connections and could only rely on himself. His mother had retired, his father was on internal retirement, and the family's income was very low. His older sister was laid off, her husband worked outside, and his younger brother was still in high school but doing well in his studies.

Thinking about the family's difficulties, Ye Zetao decided that he should send some money home when his salary was paid. Thinking about finally being able to help his parents, his mood improved.

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