Chapter 29: Navigating All Sides

On the way, Wu Lei drove very steadily, and Wang Jian felt very comfortable sitting in the car. He thought that they were currently in need of a driver, and wondered if Wu Lei could take on the role. But then he reconsidered, thinking that Wu Lei was loyal and would be better suited to stay in the Party and government office, so he dismissed the idea.

“Director Wang, where should we go first?” Wu Lei asked Wang Jian, who was sitting in the back.

Wang Jian thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to the county committee first!”

Ren Pingyi had called first, so Wang Jian decided to see him first before visiting Liu Qingshan. The car slowly drove into the county committee compound. Wang Jian got out of the car and went to the county committee office to ask if Ren Pingyi was available. Standing at the door of the county committee office, a few young people inside saw Wang Jian, who looked young, and assumed he was just a regular employee from a town. They questioned him arrogantly.

“Who sent you to see Secretary Ren?” one of the young men asked sternly.

Wang Jian stood calmly and said, “No one sent me; I came on my own!”

“On your own? Secretary Ren is so busy, who can just see him whenever they want? Are you here to report an issue? Issues should be reported through the proper channels. If everyone came directly to the county secretary like you, wouldn’t the leaders be overwhelmed? Tell us what your issue is first!” the young man said assertively.

Wang Jian remained unperturbed and said, “I didn’t say I was here to report an issue. Can’t I just come to chat with Secretary Ren?”

“Chat? Ha, that’s a joke. Does Secretary Ren have time to chat with you? I think you’re here to report an issue. Go away, if you have issues, report them to the petition office!” The young man, convinced that Wang Jian was there to report an issue, impatiently tried to push him out.

“Little Wang, you’re here?” Just as Wang Jian was being harassed by the young man, the director of the county committee office, Zhuang Lin, walked over and called out.

Hearing Zhuang Lin call him “Little Wang,” the young man hurriedly said, “Director Zhuang, this person wants to see Secretary Ren, it’s really funny!”

“Oh.” Zhuang Lin’s face remained expressionless as he said, “He’s not here to see Secretary Ren; Secretary Ren is here to see him. Little Wang, come with me!”

Zhuang Lin personally led Wang Jian to Ren Pingyi’s office, leaving the young man standing there, stunned.

“Who is this person?” After a while, the young man asked.

Another young man recalled and said, “Director Zhuang called him Little Wang, but he seemed to treat him with great importance. Could this be Wang Jian? He was just appointed as the township chief of Xianhe Township, and has only been working for a little over a year!”

“It’s him!” The young man realized and felt regretful.

Wang Jian followed Zhuang Lin to Ren Pingyi’s office. After Zhuang Lin reported and left, Ren Pingyi stood up when he saw Wang Jian, gesturing for him to sit down. He then took out a pack of Da Zhonghua cigarettes from the drawer and threw one to Wang Jian. Wang Jian caught it and put it aside, then took out a lighter to light one for Ren Pingyi, but did not smoke himself, as it was best not to smoke in front of a leader.

After lighting the cigarette, Ren Pingyi said approvingly, “Little Wang, now that you’re the township chief, do you feel the weight of your responsibilities? If you have any difficulties, you can come to me!”

Wang Jian sat on the side of the sofa and, hearing Ren Pingyi’s question, said respectfully, “I am very grateful for Secretary Ren’s trust in me, appointing me as the township chief of Xianhe Township. I feel a great sense of responsibility. Xianhe Township is very backward in many aspects, dragging down the county. I hope to change its backward appearance through hard work. Although there are many difficulties, I will strive to overcome them. I think Xianhe Township is suitable for agricultural restructuring to increase farmers’ income, so I hope Secretary Ren will give us strong support, especially in terms of funding!”

“Ha, good, Little Wang, I didn’t choose the wrong person. You have a clear vision and are capable. The county will fully support Xianhe Township’s work. I’ll do my best with the funding, but you know our county’s finances are also backward, and we don’t have surplus funds to invest. As long as you have the drive, the backward situation of Xianhe Township will definitely change,” Ren Pingyi said with a hearty laugh.

Wang Jian, feeling inspired, said loudly, “Please rest assured, Secretary Ren, we will work hard to improve Xianhe Township comprehensively!”

“Good, very good. You need to work well with Zheng Shiguang. He is also someone the county committee trusts, but for major affairs in Xianhe Township, you should report to me directly. I don’t want to hear from others. Do you understand? I won’t say more, just work hard!” Ren Pingyi said with deep meaning.

“I understand!” Ren Pingyi was clearly hinting that Zheng Shiguang was also someone he trusted, but not as much as Wang Jian. Wang Jian understood the implications. If this was true, things in the township would be easier, at least Zheng Shiguang wouldn’t make things too difficult for him.

“Alright, you can go back now. If you have any issues, come to me directly!” Ren Pingyi stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray and prepared to stand up to see him off.

Wang Jian quickly stood up, and Ren Pingyi walked forward to shake his hand. Then they said their goodbyes.

Leaving Ren Pingyi’s office and closing the door gently, Wang Jian passed by the county committee office again. The young man who had seen him earlier hurried over to apologize, “Sorry, Township Chief Wang, I didn’t recognize you earlier. Please come to our office more often to guide our work!”

Wang Jian said with a faint expression, “It’s fine, ignorance is not a sin. Just treat me as an ordinary citizen!”

“Ha, Township Chief Wang, you’re so humorous. Do you have time tonight? I’ll treat you to a meal as an apology!” The young man, hearing the underlying meaning in Wang Jian’s words, became even more respectful.

“I’ll see if I have time. I have some things to do now, so I won’t disturb you!” Wang Jian, who never liked people who were arrogant at first and then humble later, said a few words and left.

“Alright, Township Chief Wang, please give me the chance!” The young man continued to speak even as Wang Jian walked away.

Bowing slightly, Wang Jian got into the car and said to Wu Lei, “To the county government!”

In Wang Jian’s mind, he leaned more towards Ren Pingyi. Liu Qingshan had never directly interacted with him, but he was the one who had pushed for his promotions. Wang Jian decided he still needed to meet him.

Arriving at the county government, Wang Jian, having learned from the experience of not being able to see a leader by going to the office, called Liu Qingshan directly on his phone. Liu Qingshan answered and told him to come directly to his office on the third floor.

Wang Jian ran a few steps and arrived at Liu Qingshan’s office. Liu Qingshan showed exaggerated enthusiasm, pulling Wang Jian’s hand and seating him. He saw great political potential in Wang Jian, who had been praised by the provincial party secretary and was under the care of the provincial party organization minister. His future was limitless.

“Little Wang, in this personnel adjustment, the county committee did not originally include you as a candidate. But at the standing committee meeting, I thought of how Zhang Zeguang had recommended you multiple times to me. I felt very sad. Secretary Zhang was a very good secretary, but he passed away at a young age, which is a great loss. So, I proposed you for the position of township chief to take over his role. Of course, this is a step-by-step process. First, you become the township chief, and then the party secretary will come in time. I’m telling you this so you understand Secretary Zhang’s legacy and hope you can carry on his political work and improve Xianhe Township!” Liu Qingshan said emotionally, holding Wang Jian’s hand.

Wang Jian was somewhat moved. He didn’t know there was such a small episode. It seemed that Liu Qingshan was the one who strongly supported his appointment as township chief, while Ren Pingyi seemed to have gone along with it. By mentioning Zhang Zeguang, Liu Qingshan was indicating that Wang Jian should follow in Zhang’s footsteps and work for him in Xianhe Township. This put Wang Jian in a difficult position. Both Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan were trying to win him over. What should he do? Should he side with one or try to navigate both sides?

“County Chief Liu, I am also very saddened by Secretary Zhang’s passing. I worked under him, and everyone was very upset by this. I will work hard and, as you require, improve Xianhe Township. Whatever you ask, I will do my best to complete!” Wang Jian felt he couldn’t offend anyone. Since Ren Pingyi wouldn’t hear what he said, he might as well make Liu Qingshan happy.

Liu Qingshan looked very pleased and said, “Good, Little Wang. If you have any difficulties at work, report them to me promptly. If you need anything, including personal needs, you can tell me. You don’t have a house in the county yet, right?”

“County Chief Liu, I just started working and can’t afford a house yet!” Wang Jian felt a lot of goodwill from Liu Qingshan’s concern and smiled.

Liu Qingshan also smiled and said, “I’ll have the county government office arrange a house for you. You can stay there when you come back to the county!”

“No, County Chief Liu, I don’t need it!” Wang Jian waved his hands, not expecting Liu Qingshan to be so enthusiastic and offer him a house.

“Ha, Little Wang, this house is public property, just for you to stay temporarily, not to give you. Don’t worry!” Liu Qingshan laughed heartily at Wang Jian’s frowning and waving hands.

“Then, County Chief Liu, is this okay?” Wang Jian realized he had misunderstood. Liu Qingshan was genuinely trying to help him with his accommodation in the county. Although he had a dormitory in the township, most officials now lived in the county, and it wouldn’t look good for a township chief to live in the township dormitory all the time.

“No problem, don’t be so formal about it!” Liu Qingshan didn’t take it seriously, it was just a matter of a word.

“Thank you, County Chief Liu!” Wang Jian thought it was just temporary accommodation and shouldn’t be a problem, so he agreed.

Liu Qingshan continued to chat with him for a while. Wang Jian felt that Liu Qingshan was more approachable than Ren Pingyi. Although Ren Pingyi had also shown enthusiasm and happiness when he met him, it felt a bit fake, not as genuine as Liu Qingshan. After this meeting, his feelings began to lean more towards Liu Qingshan.

After staying for a while, as he left Liu Qingshan’s office and walked to the stairs, someone suddenly recognized him and called out, “Township Chief Wang!”

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