Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 191 Hu Lijin, Director of the Town Party and Government Office

Zhang Ping, with his fat head and large ears, was clearly displeased to see a stranger enter: "Who are you?"

"Mayor Zhang, this is Wu Zhiyuan."

Zhang Ping was taken aback: "Wu Zhiyuan? Could it be Wu Zhiyuan, the one who came to our Xindian Town to serve as the Party Secretary?"

Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "It is indeed me."

Zhang Ping was even more astonished: "The county party committee's organization department didn't call?"

Under normal circumstances, when a town party secretary takes office, the county party committee's organization department should at least send a deputy minister to accompany him to the new post. The town will then hold a meeting of town and village cadres to formally announce the appointment, which is just a formality.

Wu Zhiyuan is a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee, so at least the Standing Committee member and the Organization Minister of the County Party Committee should accompany him.

But why did Wu Zhiyuan come alone today?

Wu Zhiyuan noticed Zhang Ping's confusion and explained with a smile, "Mayor Zhang, it's like this: Secretary Gan originally wanted to personally escort me to Xindian Town, but I thought it would be better to avoid formalism and just walk around and take a look, without any formalities. Secretary Gan also adopted my suggestion."

Whether out of affection or fear that Wu Zhiyuan would discover the secret under the table, Zhang Ping stood up, straightened his trousers, walked over from his seat, shook hands with Wu Zhiyuan, and sat down on the sofa.

Suddenly, a farting sound came from under the desk.

The fart wasn't very loud, so it seems the person who farted tried to hold it in but couldn't.

The sound of that fart proved that Wu Zhiyuan's judgment was correct: there was someone under the table, and it was very likely a woman wearing red sneakers.

Zhang Ping's face was rather unpleasant, as if his underwear had been pulled down.

Wu Zhiyuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw the red shoes under the table move.

Zhang Ping covered it up by saying, "This office has been in disrepair for years, and there might be some problems with the pipes; there are occasional strange noises."

Wu Zhiyuan didn't respond, not wanting to expose Zhang Ping's lie. Instead, he said, "Mayor Zhang, I came uninvited. I hope I haven't bothered you?"

Zhang Ping gave an awkward smile, got up, made a cup of tea, and handed it to Wu Zhiyuan: "Secretary Wu, what are you saying?"

I just didn't expect Secretary Wu to be so approachable and pragmatic, going on an incognito visit.

By the way, what information did Secretary Wu find out?

Knowing Zhang Ping's character, Wu Zhiyuan didn't want to mention what he had seen and heard in the Xindian Town Industrial Park for the time being, so he said, "I went to the vegetable market and found that sewage was flowing everywhere and the greenhouses were about to collapse. I was really worried that the greenhouses would collapse."

"Really?" Zhang Ping looked surprised.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't know if Zhang Ping was genuinely surprised or just pretending.

However, Zhang Ping most likely won't go to the vegetable market.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded.

Zhang Ping took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Secretary Wu goes deep into the grassroots and understands the people's conditions. He is a role model for us to learn from."

Regarding the issue of the farmers' market mentioned earlier, I have indeed heard some comrades raise this concern.

The town has limited financial resources, much of its infrastructure is dilapidated, and there are shortcomings in its management.

Wu Zhiyuan said seriously, "Discovering a problem is not terrible; what is terrible is turning a blind eye or seeing it but not solving it."

The farmers' market is crucial to people's daily food supply, and any safety hazards must be eliminated immediately.

"Secretary Wu is right. Safety is not a trivial matter and must be taken very seriously."

Wu Zhiyuan noticed that, based on his first impression, Zhang Ping was very good at maintaining his position and was not arrogant, with a fake smile on his face from time to time.

Some people wear their emotions on their sleeves.

Some people, however, do not show their emotions.

Clearly, the latter is more difficult to deal with.

Zhang Ping stood up: "By the way, Secretary Wu, I heard you were coming, so I had the Party and Government Office arrange an office and dormitory for you. Come on, I'll show you around."

Zhang Ping made a phone call to the director of the Party and Government Office as he walked out.

After Hu Jinlong's incident, Zhang Ping became the local tyrant of Xindian Town.

He originally thought he was going to take over as the town's Party Secretary, but unexpectedly, Wu Zhiyuan was parachuted in from the Provincial Public Security Department.

Zhang Ping called his uncle, Zhang Xiaotian.

Zhang Xiaotian said that Wu Zhiyuan was Xu Youwei's former secretary, and instructed Zhang Ping to lie low for the time being and wait for an opportunity to act.

Wu Zhiyuan followed Zhang Ping out of the office.

Zhang Ping was in a hurry to leave because he wanted to keep the secret of the person hiding under his desk.

Although Wu Zhiyuan discovered suspicious points, he refused to admit it until he saw the real person.

The director of the Party and Government Office was the beautiful young woman Wu Zhiyuan had seen before, named Hu Lijin.

Hu Lijing sways her waist as she walks.

"Director Hu, this is the newly appointed Secretary Wu," Zhang Ping introduced.

Hu Lijin sized up Wu Zhiyuan and said in an exaggerated tone, "Secretary Wu is so young and handsome? After reading the documents, I thought Secretary Wu was an old man over fifty."

Zhang Ping laughed heartily, and Wu Zhiyuan laughed along with him.

Hu Lijin's laughter echoed in the empty corridor. She turned and led the two toward the stairs: "Secretary Wu, your office is arranged in the first room at the west end of the fourth floor. It's quiet and well-lit."

The dormitory is behind the office building, and it's all ready. I'll show you around now.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, at the far west end of the building, a sign read "Secretary's Office."

Hu Lijing opened the door.

The office was indeed cleaned, but the desks, chairs, and sofas were not brand new.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't care whether it was new or old.

The old ones absorb less formaldehyde.

When they went to the dormitory, Zhang Ping made an excuse that he had something to do and did not accompany them.

He probably thought the woman under the table had left safely.

The dormitory was located at the foot of the mountain behind the house, consisting of several rows of tiled houses.

Each row of tiled houses contains several suites, with a layout of two bedrooms and a living room.

The living room contains a fabric sofa, a glass coffee table, and an old-fashioned color TV.

There are two bedrooms. The master bedroom has a 1.5-meter wooden bed, a simple wardrobe, and a desk.

The second bedroom has the same layout. The bedding is all new.

The kitchen and bathroom were kept fairly clean.

There was a faint musty smell in the room.

"The conditions are simple, I'm sorry Secretary Wu. This room has been empty for some time."

I just had someone clean it this morning and ventilated it, but there might still be a slight smell.

The bedding and sheets are all new, so please feel free to use them.

"It's alright, this is already very good." Wu Zhiyuan walked to the window.

Outside the window is a hillside covered with miscellaneous trees and wild grass, but the air is fresh.

Hu Lijin checked the time: "Secretary Wu, the cafeteria will open for lunch in a little while."

The canteen provides three meals a day, though the food is average. However, special meals are prepared for the town's top leaders.

Wu Zhiyuan was taken aback: "Special treatment?"

Hu Lijin smiled slightly: "Yes, it's customary to cook a few dishes separately for the Party Secretary and the Mayor. It's been like this for many years."

"Do any other cadres have any objections?"

"What complaints could there be? If leaders don't receive special treatment and are treated the same as ordinary cadres, who would want to be a leader?"

For Wu Zhiyuan, receiving special treatment from superiors was nothing new.

This is the case in many organizations.

For example, in the provincial department where he works, department-level cadres do not eat in line with other cadres, but instead have special meals prepared for them.

"Director Hu, I'll have lunch with the other cadres; I won't seek special treatment."

On Wu Zhiyuan's first day in town, abolishing the special meals would undoubtedly offend Zhang Ping.

"Secretary Wu, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Giving special treatment to children is a common practice, and it's been like this for many years. No one has ever raised any objections."

If you don't accept special treatment, then Mayor Zhang will be in a difficult position.

"He eats his, I'll eat mine."

"But……"

"Director Hu, that's fine then."

"Alright then." Hu Lijing changed the subject. "Secretary Wu, your office and this dormitory used to belong to Hu Jinlong."

Originally, I didn't plan to arrange it this way because many people are superstitious and think it's bad luck, especially since Hu Jinlong got into trouble.

But Mayor Zhang insisted on this arrangement, so I couldn't say much. He also said that Party members and leading cadres should not believe in feudal superstitions.

Wu Zhiyuan smiled calmly: "Director Hu, the office is a place for working, and the dormitory is a place for resting. Both are for people to use."

It doesn't matter who used it before.

What's important is what the people sitting in that position and living in that house are thinking and doing now and in the future.

Mayor Zhang is right; materialists don't believe in idealistic or superstitious things.

As for Comrade Hu Jinlong, he made a mistake and will naturally be dealt with according to Party discipline and national law.

But his mistakes won't be passed on to me just because of an office or a dormitory.

Similarly, if I make a mistake in the future, it won't be because the house has bad feng shui, but because I myself have gone astray. Do you agree?

She nodded quickly: "Secretary Wu is right. I was overthinking it, and my ideological awareness was not high enough."

Hu Lijin spoke up because many leaders are wary of this kind of thing. This kind of thing can't be kept secret, and Wu Zhiyuan will find out sooner or later. It's better to be upfront, since the responsibility doesn't lie with her.

As the two were heading to the cafeteria, a woman walked towards them.

Hu Lijin greeted her.

Wu Zhiyuan noticed that the woman was wearing red sneakers.