Chapter 82: County Reception

Several thugs fled in a panic, and Ye Fengling smiled as she looked at Wang Jian, saying, "County Chief Wang, you have quite the skills!"

Wang Jian smiled and replied, "I just know a bit of Tai Chi. Your two interns also have good skills!"

"Hehe, they've learned a bit of Judo and such!" Ye Fengling said with a smile.

Among the group, only Hao Li was quite frightened, repeatedly saying, "This place is too chaotic!"

Wang Jian was speechless; what could he say when such things happened in his hometown!

After chatting and laughing for a while, they returned to the hotel. The next day, Wu Shiyu brought Hao Li to Dongting County.

Upon hearing that Wu Shiyu was coming, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan both came out to greet him, with Wang Bensheng, the county transportation bureau chief, following behind.

After seeing Wang Jian, Ren Pingyi realized that Wang Jian had accomplished something significant, managing to invite a provincial transportation department official to inspect the road construction project in Xianhe Township. This greatly surprised him!

Liu Qingshan was also pleased. He had long heard that Wang Jian had marginalized Zheng Shiguang, and Lin Hongjun was unhappy about it. Now that Lin Hongjun had fallen, Zheng Shiguang was about to be dismissed, and Xianhe Township would almost entirely fall under Wang Jian's control. This major move indicated that his decision to nominate Wang Jian as the township chief was correct! However, Ren Pingyi's recent plan to have Ning Xingong take over Zheng Shiguang's position made him somewhat dissatisfied, leading to a rift between them, which delayed Zheng Shiguang's dismissal and Ning Xingong's promotion.

Ren Pingyi warmly shook hands with Wu Shiyu and then introduced Hao Li and Ye Fengling. Liu Qingshan, however, patted Wang Jian's shoulder first, showing his concern.

"Wang, this trip to the province has been quite fruitful. Xianhe Township will see significant development!" Liu Qingshan said with a smile.

Wang Jian modestly replied, "It's all thanks to Secretary Ren and County Chief Liu's leadership!"

"Haha, well done, Wang!" Liu Qingshan laughed heartily.

As they chatted and laughed, Ren Pingyi glanced over, and after shaking hands with Wu Shiyu and Hao Li, he walked over and smiled at Wang Jian, saying, "Wang, you've even invited provincial leaders. Why didn't you tell me about this good news first?"

Wang Jian quickly replied, "I wanted to give Secretary Ren and County Chief Liu a surprise!"

"Haha!" Ren Pingyi laughed, Wang Jian's words dispelled his doubts, and he hadn't told Liu Qingshan either.

Wang Jian and Ren Pingyi chatted merrily, while Wang Bensheng stood aside, looking somewhat awkward. The road he had promised to build for Xianhe Township had not been confirmed, and now Wang Jian had brought provincial officials. Moreover, he hadn't realized that Wang Jian had such a close relationship with the county party secretary and county chief, which made his plans fall through!

"Wang Chief, when will you start building the road you promised us? You can't go back on your word!" Wang Jian saw Wang Bensheng standing aside, his plump face prompting him to give him a bit of a warning in front of the county party secretary and county chief.

Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan immediately turned to look at him. Wang Bensheng, already weak, started sweating, and quickly said, "Township Chief Wang, how could I go back on my word? I'll start building it right away!"

"Old Wang, you must fully support Xianhe Township's work. Provincial leaders are here, so you must provide good service in all aspects!" Ren Pingyi said sternly.

"Yes, yes, yes, Secretary Ren, I will provide good service!" Wang Bensheng hurriedly nodded and bowed.

Liu Qingshan also said seriously to Wang Bensheng, "The county's road construction must be accelerated, and Xianhe Township is the top priority. You must personally lead the work and do it well!"

"Yes, yes, County Chief Liu, I will personally do it well!" Wang Bensheng again nodded and bowed to Liu Qingshan.

Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan were satisfied.

After the conversation, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan invited Hao Li and her group to the county party committee meeting room for a small meeting. Liu Qingshan represented the county and reported on the status of Dongting County's transportation construction, mentioning some financial and technical difficulties. Hao Li explained the purpose and significance of her visit. To ensure the county's attention to her work, she emphasized that Hu Zuoyun had specifically arranged for her to come, hoping for strong support from Dongting County to complete the tasks assigned by the provincial department.

Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan immediately understood the significance. A provincial department chief's personal concern for a small township's road construction was highly unusual! They didn't know what connections Wang Jian had used to get the transportation department chief to take the initiative. As Hao Li spoke, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan smiled and looked at Wang Jian.

In the end, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan specifically required that all county departments, especially the county party committee office, county government office, and transportation bureau, fully cooperate with the inspection work. All reception expenses would be covered by the county treasury, and Xianhe Township would not have to pay a penny, with the saved money used entirely for road construction to show the county's emphasis on the project.

Hearing this, Wang Jian breathed a sigh of relief. The township's finances were in dire straits, and if the township had to bear the reception costs, it would have been a significant headache. Now, with the county covering all expenses, his burden as township chief was greatly reduced.

To better support the inspection work, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan decided to form a leadership group, with County Party Committee Standing Committee member and Deputy County Chief Fang Shuzeng as the leader, and Wang Bensheng and Wang Jian as deputy leaders, leading the team to Xianhe Township to guide the work.

Fang Shuzeng, who was in charge of transportation, was originally part of Lin Hongjun's faction. Now that Lin Hongjun had fallen, he was leaning towards Ren Pingyi. Apart from Lin Hongjun, Ren Pingyi had no one in the county government, and he was currently working on promoting Fang Shuzeng to the position of deputy county chief. Fang Shuzeng naturally had to work for Ren Pingyi. In this regard, Liu Qingshan had no objections, as it was reasonable for the division leader to lead the team, and he couldn't say anything against it.

Wang Jian noticed that Zheng Shiguang was not included in the leadership group, estimating that his situation was dire. However, this was unusual; even if he were to be dismissed, he should still be listed to avoid prematurely revealing the secret.

After making these arrangements, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan naturally invited Wu Shiyu and Hao Li's group to a banquet, leaving the meeting room and getting into the car to head to the county party committee and government reception center.

Ye Fengling, as a member of the delegation, attended the meeting but did not say much. Her heart was still with Jie Lianbing, and she wanted to see her immediately, but these matters had to be resolved first. Chen Yu, as a businessman, knew the strict hierarchy in government affairs and had no way to intervene.

Upon entering the reception center, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan welcomed everyone to their seats. In terms of rank, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan were higher, and although Wu Shiyu was a transportation bureau chief, he did not have the same weight as a county-level official. However, with Hao Li present, she was the main focus. As a deputy section chief in the provincial department, Hao Li was not a major figure, but she was a provincial leader and thus had to be taken seriously by the local officials.

After the seating arrangement, everyone took their places. Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan did not know Wang Jian's drinking capacity and specifically called the county party committee office director, Zhuang Lin, to accompany them. Zhuang Lin was known for his drinking capacity and was expected to do well.

However, Wu Shiyu knew Wang Jian's drinking capacity and was intimidated by the many people from Dongting County. He said to Ren Pingyi, "Secretary Ren, I'm not feeling well today. Let's just have some red wine!"

"Director Wu, why red wine? Let the ladies have red wine, but we will definitely drink white wine!" Ren Pingyi immediately disagreed.

Wang Bensheng also knew Wang Jian's drinking capacity and did not dare to challenge him, remaining silent. Wu Shiyu frowned, feeling at a disadvantage, as he had brought only a deputy director and the office director from the city bureau, clearly outnumbered by the Dongting County officials.

Zhuang Lin immediately brought out several bottles of white and red wine, pouring some for everyone. Ye Fengling did not want to drink, but Ren Pingyi insisted, and she reluctantly allowed it.

After the food and drinks were served, the toasts began. Ren Pingyi first thanked Hao Li and Wu Shiyu for their long journey, followed by Liu Qingshan welcoming them on behalf of the county government. After two toasts, the atmosphere became lively.

Ren Pingyi, Liu Qingshan, Fang Shuzeng, and Zhuang Lin frequently toasted Wu Shiyu and Hao Li. Wang Jian, of course, could not be too passive and occasionally raised his glass to toast Wu Shiyu and Hao Li. After toasting them, Wang Jian naturally had to toast the county leaders. Although Ren Pingyi said, "Wang, let's not fight among ourselves!"

Wang Jian insisted on toasting, and Ren Pingyi drank with satisfaction, as did Liu Qingshan.

Wang Bensheng saw this as an opportunity to toast Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan, hoping to build a closer relationship with the county leaders. However, Ren Pingyi waved his hand and said, "Old Wang, no internal fighting. Focus on toasting Director Wu and Section Chief Hao!"

Wang Bensheng awkwardly sat down and went to toast Wu Shiyu. Wu Shiyu said, "Old Wang, we're in the same system. Why are you toasting me? You should toast Secretary Ren and County Chief Liu!"

This left Wang Bensheng in an awkward position, seeing Wang Jian sitting there smiling, he quickly said, "I'll toast Township Chief Wang!"

Wang Bensheng only thought of toasting him at the end, and Wang Jian decided to give him a taste of his own medicine, saying, "Wang Chief, fill your glass first!"

Wang Bensheng's glass was only half full, and he hesitated, knowing that Wang Jian would drink it all in one go, which could make him look foolish. But with the words out, he had no choice but to fill his glass.

"Wang Chief, this glass I toast to you, hoping for an additional two kilometers of road!" Wang Jian brought up the old topic again.

Ren Pingyi, hearing this, asked what it was about, and Wang Jian explained the story with a smile. Everyone laughed, and Wang Bensheng's face turned red, smiling awkwardly.

"Come, Wang Chief, I'll drink first!" Wang Jian said, raising his glass.