On Tuesday morning, as Chen Bin had just walked into his office,
Jiang Huai knocked on the door and came in.
"Secretary Chen, the town allocated two hundred thousand yuan to the villages. Are you aware of this matter?"
Chen Bin felt slightly bewildered after hearing this.
"No, I wasn’t aware. No one mentioned it to me. What is the two hundred thousand yuan for?"
"I heard it’s supposed to enrich the villagers’ ideological and cultural lives. As for the specifics, I don’t know much either."
Two hundred thousand yuan was no small sum for impoverished Qinghe Town.
More importantly, as the town’s Party Secretary, Chen Bin wasn’t even informed of such a major decision.
Looking at Chen Bin’s calm demeanor, Jiang Huai was utterly surprised.
In truth, the matter had already occurred yesterday. Jiang Huai deliberately waited until today to bring it up to gauge Chen Bin’s reaction.
Before entering the office, he had guessed that Chen Bin would surely explode in anger.
However, this composed reaction left him astonished.
At that moment, Chen Bin asked again.
"Who approved the disbursement of funds?"
"Mayor Lu. He said you’ve recently arrived at the town and aren’t familiar with many matters yet. Since two hundred thousand isn’t considered a big sum, he didn’t inform you."
"Alright, make sure to report cases to me promptly in the future. Understood?"
After leaving the office, Jiang Huai returned a few days later to knock on the door once more.
He informed Chen Bin that this time, Lu Huisheng had secretly approved another sum of one hundred thousand yuan.
"What’s the money for this time?"
"To hold a Yangko dance event!"
"A Yangko dance event?"
Seeing the confusion on Chen Bin’s face, Jiang Huai explained,
"Our town government often organizes Yangko dance competitions for the villages to enrich the villagers’ spiritual and cultural lives. The ultimate champion receives a prize of one hundred thousand yuan."
Two hundred thousand yuan last time, now one hundred thousand.
There was a cold smirk in Chen Bin’s heart as he wondered what sort of tricks Lu Huisheng was trying to pull this time.
Indeed, it wasn’t long before Lu Huisheng stirred up more trouble.
Two village Party Secretaries in Qinghe Town had reached retirement age and were due to step down according to procedure.
Regarding the matter of their successors, it would normally require deliberation and consultation with Chen Bin by the organizational committee members and deputy secretary.
However, not a single person involved reached out to Chen Bin, and the matter was decided privately without his input.
Chen Bin, the town’s Party Secretary, had practically become a figurehead.
Even with this series of events, Chen Bin still didn’t lose his temper.
He thought about what Xu Tai had advised a few days earlier, and it started to make sense.
If the work issues couldn’t be sorted out clearly, then first resolving this habit of factionalism among people like Lu Huisheng would be crucial.
Otherwise, they would continue their backhanded tactics behind the scenes.
That evening after work, Chen Bin called Jiang Huai into his office.
"Director Jiang, do you have time tonight to have dinner together?"
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Huai nodded.
"Sure, I’ve been meaning to invite Secretary Chen to dinner recently anyway."
After work, they headed to a hotel in Qinghe Town together.
They casually booked a private room, and once the food was ordered, Jiang Huai began pouring wine for Chen Bin with great deference.
Since Chen Bin’s arrival at Qinghe Town, Jiang Huai might be the only person in the town government to show him such respect.
Jiang Huai was thirty-five, about ten years older than Chen Bin.
Yet, when interacting with Chen Bin, his words were always courteous.
Additionally, whether for big or small matters, he always reported to Chen Bin.
Although Chen Bin couldn’t discern Jiang Huai’s exact motives for doing so, outwardly, his actions were undeniably pleasant.
"Director Jiang, how long have you been working in the town government?"
Without any delay, Jiang Huai answered instantly.
"By the end of the year, it’ll be seven full years."
"I’ve noticed how dedicated you are at work, yet you’re still an office deputy director. Why’s that?"
With an embarrassed smile, Jiang Huai scratched his head.
"Not to boast, but I’m quite content with the position I’ve managed to reach."
"Contentment is not a bad quality, but if you lack ambition, it can be quite dangerous. From my observations over the past while, I believe you have the skills—you’re just missing opportunities for promotion."
Upon hearing Chen Bin’s hint-laden comment, Jiang Huai appeared visibly moved.
"Thank you, Secretary Chen, for the praise. I’ll make sure to double my efforts in my work moving forward!"
He then raised his wine glass.
Chen Bin picked up his glass, clinked it with Jiang Huai’s, took a small sip, and continued talking.
"During this period, I’ve mostly familiarized myself with the town’s operations, but I don’t have a clear understanding of things at the grassroots level. You’ve been working here for so many years. Could you explain the situation in more detail?"
"Secretary Chen, while I’ve been in the town government for several years, my tasks mostly involve party and government office affairs. I seldom inquire about other matters."
This response caught Chen Bin off guard.
Everybody in the town government seemed intent on maintaining a distance from him.
The only one proactively showing goodwill was Jiang Huai.
If Chen Bin was deliberately trying to win him over, then why did Jiang Huai still appear somewhat reserved?
After some contemplation, Chen Bin suddenly understood the reasoning behind it.
He had only recently arrived, while Mayor Lu Huisheng was enjoying a strong position of influence.
Clearly, Jiang Huai didn’t dare put all his bets on Chen Bin.
Although his behavior called into question his loyalty, Chen Bin found it understandable.
After all, the two weren’t particularly close, so Jiang Huai’s vigilance was natural.
After finishing the meal and returning to his lodging, Chen Bin sat on the bed, his mind racing.
Initially, he intended to use Jiang Huai to gain insight into matters like the village Party Secretary appointments made by Lu Huisheng and others.
But since Jiang Huai was unwilling to speak up, Chen Bin would have to find someone else for this task.
After much reflection, a name suddenly came to mind.
The next morning at work, Chen Bin immediately called the former Party Secretary of Qinghe Town, Su Xiangqian.
"Director Su, this is Chen Bin."
"Ah, it’s Secretary Chen. How are things going in Qinghe Town? Is everything running smoothly?"
"Thank you for asking, Director Su. I wonder if you’re available tonight. I’d like to treat you to some drinks."
"No problem at all. In fact, I’ve been meaning to make the acquaintance of our local hero from Tianhai."
"Great! I’ll arrange a venue and let you know the details."
"You’re too kind, Secretary Chen. Alright, but next time it’ll be my turn to host."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Bin immediately contacted Cheng Zhuang to drive over to the county’s best hotel and book a private room.
That evening, after sharing the address with Su Xiangqian, Chen Bin left work early and arrived at the reserved room ahead of time.
About twenty minutes later, Su Xiangqian arrived leisurely.
"Apologies for the delay—I had an unexpected issue pop up after work."
Chen Bin greeted him with a smile and shook his hand.
"No problem at all. I didn’t get here long ago myself."
Once they were seated, Chen Bin gestured for the server to come over and asked Su Xiangqian to order the food.
Su Xiangqian, however, pushed the menu back to him.
"Secretary Chen, you’re the host today; the choice is entirely yours."
Not wishing to continue the polite pretense, Chen Bin pushed the menu back toward Su Xiangqian.
"How about this? I’ll choose the wine, and you pick the dishes. Fair, isn’t it?"
Su Xiangqian relented and decided on three dishes and one soup.
Chen Bin thought the order seemed a bit sparse, so he instructed the server to bring in some Bailing Wine and added two more dishes.
Soon, the food and drinks were served. As they shared pours and bites, Su Xiangqian smiled and asked,
"Secretary Chen, after gaining a better understanding of Qinghe Town, are you feeling as though you don’t know where to start?"
Chen Bin sighed, a hint of melancholy on his face.
"Exactly. The issues in Qinghe Town are serious, and I haven’t yet come up with any solid solutions."
Su Xiangqian chuckled and remarked, "Actually, I think the higher-ups made the most sensible decision by sending you here!"