Chapter 33: A Trip Home

It was evident that Wang Jian had a broader perspective and did not take the opportunity to criticize Gao Rongmei and Li Xiangshan for not reporting to him, which could have affected the family planning inspection work. The attendees at the meeting saw Wang Jian speak for the first time at the two committees meeting and felt that his thoughts were clear and well-organized, and he controlled the meeting's pace well. His demeanor and speech left a bright impression, and after the meeting, people looked at him with more respect.

Wang Jian returned to his office with his notebook in hand. Lu Fang and Fang Zhiming walked together, whispering to each other. Clearly, they also sensed Wang Jian's capabilities and felt somewhat uneasy. Although they currently had the upper hand in terms of influence, who knew what would happen as Wang Jian gradually established himself in Xianhe Township?

As the two were walking, Guo Qiang appeared from somewhere. He was neither a member of the two committees nor part of the expanded meeting. He approached Lu Fang and Fang Zhiming, said a few words, and the three of them walked into Zheng Shiguang's office together.

After arriving at the office, Wang Jian took out a pack of instant noodles to prepare for a meal. Li Xiangshan and Gao Rongmei suddenly knocked on the door. Wang Jian put the instant noodles aside and called out, "Come in!"

Seeing Li Xiangshan and Gao Rongmei enter, Wang Jian remained calm, sitting behind his desk and observing their expressions. Li Xiangshan smiled awkwardly and said, "Deputy Township Chief Wang, you haven't eaten yet?"

"Oh, I feel a bit hungry, so I'm having a pack of instant noodles. Do you two have something to discuss?" Wang Jian asked, his expression changing slightly.

Li Xiangshan stood in front of Wang Jian's desk and said, "We came to ask if Deputy Township Chief Wang has any further instructions regarding family planning. We want to implement them properly when we return!"

Wang Jian glanced at Li Xiangshan with a deep, inscrutable look. He knew that Li Xiangshan was trying to curry favor with him, but it was clear that Li Xiangshan and Gao Rongmei were already discarded pawns. Zheng Shiguang did not like them, and it was too late for them to try to align with him. He could not risk offending Zheng Shiguang by taking them in.

Wang Jian thought for a moment. Li Xiangshan and Gao Rongmei needed to be handled separately. Li Xiangshan was a member of the two committees, and even though Zheng Shiguang did not like him, he could only adjust his responsibilities and not dismiss him. However, Gao Rongmei was of no use, and Zheng Shiguang could dismiss her at any time.

"The family planning issue was discussed clearly at the two committees meeting. Just implement what was required. You should also address the suggestions made by other colleagues to ensure the inspection goes well. Director Gao, please step out for a moment, I need to talk to Deputy Township Chief Li!" Wang Jian said after some thought.

Gao Rongmei was clearly a supporting role. Li Xiangshan gave her a signal, and she turned and left. Wang Jian pointed and said, "Deputy Township Chief Li, please sit down!"

Li Xiangshan sat down, and Wang Jian offered him a cigarette. Li Xiangshan waved it off but still accepted it. Wang Jian threw the cigarette pack aside and did not smoke, and Li Xiangshan held the cigarette without lighting it.

"Deputy Township Chief Li, the family planning work is in a passive situation, and Secretary Zheng is very upset. I just took office and encountered this situation, it's really difficult!" Wang Jian said with a smile, looking at Li Xiangshan.

It seemed that Wang Jian was sympathizing with his situation. Li Xiangshan felt that Wang Jian had a deeper meaning in keeping him for a talk. He shook his head and said, "Deputy Township Chief Wang, to be honest, I didn't want the family planning work to turn out this way. Who doesn't want to do a good job? But you know, when Secretary Zhang was in charge, Gao Rongmei was the director, and I didn't have much say. Secretary Zheng thinks I didn't put in enough effort, but I really can't express my difficulties. I feel that Deputy Township Chief Wang understands me and doesn't join others in criticizing me!"

"Deputy Township Chief Li, you're going too far. What do you mean by criticizing me? I think we should face the opinions of others correctly. Only then can our work improve. I mainly lack understanding of the situation, and neither you nor Gao Rongmei came to report to me, so I didn't offer any suggestions. We are a team in the township government, and we shouldn't use the term 'criticizing' among colleagues!" Wang Jian suddenly became serious.

Li Xiangshan's body trembled slightly as he sat. He felt that Wang Jian was too hard to read. On the surface, he showed a bit of kindness, but when others responded to this kindness, he shot back with cold words, leaving them at a loss. The reason was that he had not taken Wang Jian seriously enough, making a significant mistake.

"Deputy Township Chief Wang is right. I was momentarily confused. In the future, I will report to you in a timely manner!" Li Xiangshan said honestly.

Wang Jian observed Li Xiangshan's performance and felt that although he could not openly include Li Xiangshan in his team, it was necessary to appropriately win him over.

"Alright, Deputy Township Chief Li, you decide what to do in the future. We are all part of the government team, and we should focus on doing our jobs well. I still believe in your abilities!" Wang Jian said in a calm tone.

Li Xiangshan immediately stood up and said, "Please trust me, Deputy Township Chief Wang. I am confident in doing my job well!"

Wang Jian looked at him for a moment and then smiled, "Hehe, Deputy Township Chief Li, why are you being so formal? Be more relaxed. We are all part of the same team, no need to be so overly polite!"

"Hehe!" Li Xiangshan felt that he was too concerned with gains and losses and did not act like a deputy township chief in front of Wang Jian but rather like a new employee. He laughed awkwardly.

"Deputy Township Chief Li, do you want to have some noodles? I have another pack!" Wang Jian stood up, looking at Li Xiangshan, preparing to see him off.

"I'll take Deputy Township Chief Wang out for a meal. Eating instant noodles is not good for your health!" Li Xiangshan said with concern.

"No need, I got used to eating them in college. I'm not used to rich food. If Deputy Township Chief Li wants to treat me, I have plenty of time!"

"Alright, I'll arrange it in a few days!"

Li Xiangshan left Wang Jian's office satisfied. The conversation today was fruitful, at least gaining some goodwill and support from Wang Jian, which would help him in his future work.

Wang Jian ate his instant noodles while thinking about Li Xiangshan. So far, there was no one in the two committees who truly stood by him. Liu Fang and Li Xiangshan could be said to have mutual goodwill, but they did not firmly stand on his side.

The next day was the weekend, and Wang Jian specifically went back home. Although his family was also in Dongting County, they were not in Xianhe Township but in Wushan Town. He had applied for a position in Xianhe Township because Wushan Town did not recruit civil servants at the time.

Lu Jun drove him home. Seeing Lu Jun respectfully open the car door for him, Wang Jian smiled and said, "Brother Jun, I'm not an important leader. I can open the door myself. Don't open the door for me in the future, or I won't even know how to do it!"

"Deputy Township Chief Wang is an important leader to me, I don't care about others!" Lu Jun said with a serious face.

Lu Jun's loyalty and flexibility made Wang Jian trust him more. From the small act of opening the car door, it was clear that he always placed his arm above the door to prevent Wang Jian from accidentally hitting his head, showing a level of care that could rival a professional bodyguard.

"I understand your intentions, but you also need to consider my feelings. I'm still young and don't want everything done for me. I don't want to be seen as bureaucratic. Do you understand?" Wang Jian said earnestly.

"I understand, Deputy Township Chief Wang!" Lu Jun finally understood Wang Jian's thoughts and agreed awkwardly.

"Alright, drive back first. Come back to pick me up around 5 or 6 in the afternoon!" Wang Jian was going to meet Zhao Dongbo in the afternoon and planned to stay at home during the day.

Wang Jian's home was in Haizi Village, Wushan Town. Seeing a car arrive, the village children gathered around. Wang Jian smiled and told them to move aside, and Lu Jun drove away.

Wearing a white shirt, holding a teacup, and carrying a file bag, Wang Jian looked like a typical township official. Walking on the village dirt road, the villagers greeted him from a distance, knowing that he had passed the civil service exam. Wang Jian returned their greetings and then walked to his home.

Three rooms with a corridor were located by the roadside. Wang Jian quickly reached his home and saw his mother, Zhang Qiujing, sifting through a pile of grain. His father, Wang Guozheng, was probably out working, and his younger brother, Wang Dan, was at school. His sister, Wang Yuanfeng, had graduated from a vocational school and worked at a state-owned enterprise in the city and did not come home today.

"Mom, I'm back!" Wang Jian walked into the house and said to Zhang Qiujing.

Zhang Qiujing looked up and saw her son, quickly put down her tools, and stood up, asking, "Jianjian, why are you back?"

"It's the weekend, I came home to visit!" Wang Jian walked over and squatted down to help his mother with the farm work.

Seeing her son's thoughtfulness, Zhang Qiujing looked at Wang Jian with affection. Among her three children, Wang Jian was the most successful. He was smart from a young age and was the first son, deeply loved by his grandparents.

"Have you eaten? I'll prepare a meal for you!" Zhang Qiujing went to prepare a meal for Wang Jian.

Wang Jian quickly stopped her and said, "Mom, I'm not hungry. I have some news to tell you. I'm the deputy township chief now!"

Unable to contain his excitement, Wang Jian told his mother the good news as soon as he got home. Zhang Qiujing was taken aback and asked, "Jianjian, what did you say? Deputy township chief? What does that mean?"

"Hehe, Mom, being a deputy township chief means I'm a deputy township chief. What else could it mean?" Wang Jian said with a smile.

"Aren't you the director of something recently? How did you become a deputy township chief? How big is this position?" Zhang Qiujing, a rural woman, knew nothing about the political hierarchy.

Wang Jian had to explain the political system to her, "Mom, do you know the town chief? I'm like the town chief in our town."

"Can you manage the village chief?" Zhang Qiujing asked.

"Of course, what's a village chief?" Wang Jian said proudly.

"Then talk to our village chief and tell him not to cut down the trees at the edge of our field!" Zhang Qiujing said immediately.

Wang Jian was surprised, "Mom, someone wants to cut down our trees?"

"The village doesn't allow trees at the edge of the fields. Whoever plants them will have them cut down!" Zhang Qiujing explained.

Wang Jian fell silent, thinking about how overbearing the village chief was, even controlling what the villagers could plant.

"What's wrong, son? Can you manage it?" Zhang Qiujing asked anxiously.

"Mom, I'm the deputy township chief of Xianhe Township, not the town chief of Wushan Town. Although I can't directly manage it, I think I can find a way!" Wang Jian thought for a moment and said.