Chapter 2: Tianshui Bazi

Indeed, Deputy Secretary Tie's remarks are quite reasonable. The village head of Tianshuiba must be selected promptly. It has been left vacant for too long, which is not acceptable. Secretary Li and Mayor Zhang from the county have urged this matter several times, and both prominent leaders have publicly made commitments. Whoever can resolve the longstanding issues of Tianshuiba will be promoted immediately. A staff member will be promoted to deputy section chief, a deputy section chief to section chief, and a section chief to deputy director. The leadership cannot be said to lack attention to this matter; Secretary Qin is also watching closely and is anxious about it.

From then on, Qin Zhiming naturally became subservient to County Party Secretary Li Hongyang, positioning himself in opposition to County Mayor Zhang Caozhong. Consequently, during the regular meetings of the Party Committee, the two leaders of Linquan Town were not on good terms; it was rumored that on one occasion, they nearly slammed the table in anger. However, overall, Secretary Qin managed to keep a firm grip on the situation, preventing Mayor Wu from spiraling out of control. Some committee members even jokingly suggested that Mayor Wu's mental breakdown, which led to his attempted suicide, was a result of the long-standing pressure exerted by Secretary Qin.

Even if there is no connection, one can never be sure that the talented graduates from prestigious universities will not have their day of success in the future, so it is not a loss to establish good relationships in advance

Qin Zhiming scanned the faces of the committee members and found that everyone was now looking down at their own chests. It was as if a beautiful maiden were hidden inside, and he couldn't help but feel indignant, muttering to himself: "What a den of thieves! When there are benefits to be had, each one raises their head like a fighting cock, but now they all look wilted and defeated."

As a result, I became acquainted with Li Hongyang, and soon after, I was appointed as the Party Secretary of Linquan Town, a renowned town in Yuyang County, which could be considered a stroke of luck.

Qin Zhiming coughed twice and continued to transform his sorrow and anger into strength, saying: "Comrades, although Mayor Wu has left us, we must not lose his spirit of hard work and dedication. After Mayor Wu's visit to Tianshui Bazi, such an incident occurred, which indicates that Tianshui Bazi is indeed a tough nut to crack. Today, we, the several members of the Party Committee, are here to discuss the future development of work in Tianshui Bazi."

Su Jiazhen stole a glance at Ye Fan, and a small red cloud began to rise on her face

Two years ago, when Qin Zhiming was just demobilized and arrived at the local area, the then county head Zhang Caozhong directly appointed him as the director of the county's Religious Affairs Bureau, under the pretext of taking care of military transfer personnel. He was immediately given a position at the departmental level, which was considered quite good.

After taking a shower in the evening, Ye Fan felt somewhat tired. He pondered aimlessly for a while, uncertain about what tasks Secretary Qin would assign him the next day, and then fell asleep.

Indeed! That's right! Now, it is estimated that Old Zhou will need to rest for a few months. However, the work at the Tianshui Dam must still be carried out. Everyone, we have received the education from the Party and are paid by the people, so we should serve the people. Look around, who can take over Old Zhou's work

Let me say a few words, comrades. The departure of Mayor Wu has placed our work in a rather passive situation. Tianshui Bazi has a population of over ten thousand, with ten natural villages, each housing over a thousand people. Everyone should be aware that these ten villages are divided into several factions. Last year, during the election of a village head, there was almost a mass brawl. Our Linquan Town police station chief, Comrade Zhao Tiehai, is quite capable. I heard he is a former special forces soldier. He went up with five police officers to mediate, and as a result, he ended up with a scar on his face that nearly disfigured him. Last year, during the election of a village head, there was almost a mass brawl. Our Linquan Town police station chief, Comrade Zhao Tiehai, is quite capable. I heard he is a former special forces soldier. He went up with five police officers to mediate, and as a result, he ended up with a scar on his face that nearly disfigured him. In the end, the county had to dispatch armed police to quell the situation. Ultimately, since the village head could not be elected in a timely manner, Deputy Mayor Zhou Changdong, who is in charge of cultural and health affairs in our town, had to take on the role temporarily, as he is a local from Tianshui Bazi and knows the people well. However, everyone knows that recently, Old Zhou's health has not been good, and he has had to go to the county hospital for treatment due to his old ailments. Yesterday, Tianshui Bazi became restless again, which is why Mayor Wu rushed over. Who would have thought that such an incident would occur? If the issues in Tianshui Bazi are not resolved properly, I fear there will be even greater chaos.

In addition to Qin Zhiming, there were also the Chairman of the Town People's Congress, Xiao He; the Deputy Secretary of the Town Party Committee, Cai Dajiang; the Secretary of the Town Discipline Inspection Commission, Tie Tuo; the Town Organization Committee Member; the Deputy Town Mayor for Industry, Song Ningjiang; the Town Propaganda Committee Member; and the Deputy Town Mayor for Agriculture, Zhang Xilin. In the last corner, there was also a note-taker, Wang Yuancheng, the Director of the Party and Government Office, who is not a member of the Party Committee but attended the meeting as an observer

In the conference room of the Linquan Town Government, the air was filled with fragrant smoke. The Party Committee Secretary, Qin Zhiming, sat at the head of the oval conference table with a dark expression. Meanwhile, the seat of the former town mayor, Wu Xinming, was naturally empty, as among the seven members of the town's Party Committee, only the hanged Mayor Wu was absent, while the other six were present.

Fatty Chen Zhenming found it somewhat unbelievable

Comrades, today is the darkest, saddest, and most painful day for our Linquan Town. Our esteemed mayor, Wu Xinmin, has left us just like that

It is important to note that Wu Xinming, who hanged himself, was a trusted confidant of Zhang Caozhong, the county head of Yuyang, while Qin Zhiming was the right-hand man of Li Hongyang, the county party secretary

After Qin Zhiming finished speaking, he glanced around at everyone and began to close his eyes slightly, waiting for others to speak

With a full and imposing demeanor, Qin Zhiming, exuding the aura of a soldier, took a sip of tea and cleared his throat, signaling to everyone that he was about to speak

One of these two subordinates is the deputy director, and the other is the office director. They do not even have a single soldier, and they have been in Yuyang County for quite some time, feeling frustrated and lamenting their misfortune. What a pathetic situation that even as a deputy director or office director, they have to pay out of their own pockets to eat on the street.

Oh! A university student, from Haijiang University. How did you end up in this remote place

It is already quite good that the leaders who came down from above have not asked you anything. Therefore, who among these two would still be willing to listen to you, Director Qin Zhiming? In any case, the Religious Affairs Bureau is already at the bottom among the dozens of departments in the county. Can you really arrange for us to go to some temple to serve as hosts?

Qin Zhiming repeatedly used the word 'most' three times to reinforce his stance, wearing a face full of sorrow, though it was unclear whether it was genuine. This inadvertently drew a few committee members to secretly chuckle.

In his heart, he thought that since this young man named Ye Fan was arranged by Secretary Qin, it was possible that he had some connection with Secretary Qin, so he was relatively warm towards Ye Fan

Because the religious bureau can only visit certain temples and nunneries. In those places, aside from providing some vegetarian dishes and soup, it is impossible for them to offer any red envelopes to you

This guesthouse is quite good; in Linquan Town, it can be considered a high-end place. However, back in 1995, it only had a bed, a 17-inch color television, and a bedside table

In fact, the religious affairs bureau in the county consists of only three people, including the desk and personnel, so Qin Zhiming, as the director, actually manages just two subordinates

The secretary of the town discipline inspection commission, Tieto, wore a face full of worry

Fortunately, Qin Zhiming struck it rich later on, and in his boredom and frustration, he decided to go fishing by the river every day. This fishing endeavor led him to catch a big fish, and inadvertently, he ended up saving a relative of the county party secretary, Li Hongyang, who had carelessly fallen into the river.

The town's organizational committee member and deputy town mayor for industry, Song Ningjiang, picked up the conversation.

This is Qin Zhiming's signature move; whenever there is a meeting in the town, he always starts with a 'cough.' In fact, there is no phlegm blocking his throat; it is likely that he uses this sound to remind everyone to pay attention to the leaders' speeches.

It is said that this room is exclusively for the county leaders, as all the other rooms are equipped with black-and-white televisions. After listening to Su Jiazhen's introduction, Ye Fan felt a slight sense of gratitude towards Director Chen.

Cough cough

Therefore, everyone immediately sat up straight, straightened their backs, and pretended to listen attentively as they gazed at him

After all, the deceased was an incumbent mayor, which is a significant matter. After several hours of investigation, it is said that the body has been transported to Moxiang City for autopsy and examination. According to rumors, the possibility of homicide has been ruled out, and it is purely a case of hanging suicide. Of course, Ye Fan is indifferent to all of this; after all, he has never met Mayor Wu, so it has nothing to do with him. Therefore, he simply goes back to sleep soundly. Of course, Ye Fan is indifferent to all of this; after all, he has never met Mayor Wu, so it has nothing to do with him. Therefore, he simply goes back to sleep soundly.

Evening

As soon as Ye Fan left, someone from the county criminal police team arrived, and it was reported that Zhang Hui, the deputy captain of the criminal police team from Moxiang City, also brought several detectives with him

Director Chen, what nonsense are you talking about? This person is a newly assigned university graduate, and a top student from Haijiang University. Secretary Qin asked me to bring you here to arrange a room for him.

It is difficult to find even a few university students in the entire Linquan Town, except for a few at "Linquan No. 2 Middle School." Even the town government is composed of a motley crew, with most being vocational school graduates, and only a few junior college graduates, which is already considered impressive. Moreover, most of them are merely diploma holders from distance education programs. Even the top figure in the town government, Secretary Qin, only obtained a junior college degree from a party school, so it is no wonder that he is surprised.