Chapter 122: Running for Township Head (1)

The township government's New Year greeting party was held successfully on the eighth day of the lunar new year. Regardless of rank, all township cadres were in high spirits when they met, wishing each other a prosperous start to the year and smooth work ahead.

Guo Wei was beaming, handing out a red envelope to everyone he saw. Old Zhao from the finance office held a sign-in sheet; everyone who received an envelope had to sign to confirm. I received one too, stuffing it into my pocket without looking, and sat on a chair in the conference room talking to Liu Hongyan, asking with concern if she had fully recovered.

Liu Hongyan had lost a significant amount of weight. Her waist, which had once been as delicate as a willow in the wind, now looked like it could be spanned by a single hand. Her chest seemed to have shrunk as well, hidden within her oversized clothes, leaving no trace of her former silhouette.

The township government's greeting party had been a tradition of Liu Quan's for many years. No matter how difficult the finances were, he would always give out a red envelope during the party. Guo Wei followed the old custom, and the cadres were always happy to attend activities that provided such direct income.

As soon as Zhu Shizhen walked in, he started scattering cigarettes everywhere, forcing them on people regardless of whether they smoked or not. After all, it was the New Year; those who didn't smoke would either pass them to someone nearby or tuck them behind their ears—in any case, they had to accept. Not accepting was disrespectful to the person offering. Zhu Shizhen offered them with a grin, and others accepted with a grin. When he reached me, he teased, "Party Committee Member Chen, you come from the city, you must have some good cigarettes."

I quickly pulled a pack of Furongwang from my pocket and offered him one. The other cadres started clamoring, saying I shouldn't just offer cigarettes to the leaders, they wanted some too. I smiled and offered them to everyone I met. By the time I reached Guo Wei, he didn't smoke and didn't take one, looking at the Furongwang in my hand and saying, "That's a good cigarette."

After one round, the pack was empty, so I had to leave the conference room and walk quickly, preparing to go to Pan Xiaoqin's supermarket to buy a few more packs.

Just as I stepped down the stairs, I ran into Yue Bai. Seeing me, she asked with a beaming smile, "Where are you rushing off to?"

I was surprised to see Yue Bai at the township government. Logically, she wasn't a cadre and didn't need to attend the greeting party. Besides, it was already the eighth day of the lunar new year, and the shops run by their business should have been opening for operation; how did she have time to come to the township government?

Yue Bai probably saw my confusion and said with a faint smile, "The township said all cadres and staff had to come today. Township Head Zhu told me."

I smiled and walked past her. After a few steps, I remembered something, turned back, and asked Yue Bai, "Did Township Head Zhu have any other instructions?"

Yue Bai shook her head. Seeing I had nothing more to say, she walked toward the conference room with a carefree gait.

Outside, the sky was clear. On the morning of the eighth day, a long-awaited red sun poked its head out from the top of the opposite mountain. Once the sun appeared, the cold air that had soaked the land all winter vanished without a trace. The mountains became bright, the water became bright, and people's moods brightened along with them. A few sparrows hopped and chirped among the branches, and one could already see the budding new green on the branches that had shed their winter coats—the world was full of vitality!

People were arriving on the road one after another; a few cadres even brought their children.

Business was booming in Pan Xiaoqin's supermarket. During the New Year, the small restaurants were temporarily closed. Everyone was helping out in the supermarket; even her blind mother was fumbling around helping to organize stock. Pan Xiaoqin had a fine layer of sweat on her forehead, directing Pan Shurong to place the New Year cigarettes and alcohol on the shelves.

Seeing me, she came out with a smile, greeted me, and asked what I needed.

I said I had run out of cigarettes and wanted to buy a pack.

Pan Xiaoqin giggled and said, "It's our own shop, why buy? Just take it." She added, "What's one pack of cigarettes good for? With so many cadres, I heard that everyone who gets a salary from the township government is coming today; I'm afraid one carton won't even be enough." She called the young girl helping out to bring a carton of cigarettes and shoved it into my hands. After thinking for a moment, she took it back from me and pulled me into the back room.

"I heard the township government is going to re-elect the township head. Township Head Zhu bought a lot of cigarettes and alcohol from me, and he started visiting people to pay his respects on the first day of the New Year." Pan Xiaoqin asked suspiciously, "I heard he never used this tactic before. Look, Brother Shurong even received cigarettes and alcohol from him."

"What is he up to?" I muttered, frowning. Zhu Shizhen, if you want to be confirmed in your position, you don't need to resort to this, do you?

"It's obvious, he's canvassing for votes," Pan Xiaoqin said, her eyes drooping. "One village, one representative; one representative, one vote. Those who eat are soft-mouthed, those who take are soft-handed. When the time comes, do you dare not vote for him?"

"This is bribery, I'm afraid," I said. "Anything else? The meeting is about to start, can I go?"

Pan Xiaoqin stared into my eyes and said, "Brother Chen, you don't want to run for election?"

I said with a faint smile, "It's not something I can achieve just because I want to. Things in the officialdom are very complicated."

"You just need to tell me if you want to run or not," she said earnestly. "I think the position of township head would be better if you held it."

I smiled and asked, "Why would it be better if I did it?"

"You're young, you have drive. Look, you're the first person in Suxi Township to start a company, and you're a cadre from the city, knowledgeable and experienced. Compared to them, who have been holed up in Suxi their whole lives and have only ever seen a patch of sky the size of a palm, you can definitely lead us Suxi people to prosperity." She looked at me with hope, her face full of longing.

"You don't understand yet." I dropped this sentence and hurried toward the conference room.

Pan Xiaoqin's words had actually stirred up waves in my heart, and Zhu Shizhen's actions also made me feel precarious. Although Huang Weiwei had expressed her parents' intentions throughout Chunshan County, many things often turned out unexpectedly.

Zhu Shizhen was a locally-born cadre who had operated in Suxi Township his whole life and had occupied the position of acting township head for half a year. In the eyes and hearts of the cadres and the masses, he was the township head; although the organizational procedures hadn't been completed, it was just a matter of process. If I were to jump in halfway, things might go wrong, and not only would I fail to be elected township head, but my path to staying in Suxi Township might also be cut off.

In this world, it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain! Zhu Shizhen could be classified as a "villain." After all, having been a township official for decades, his connections were deeply intertwined, and he had, more or less, done a few things for the villagers. Ordinary people don't look at flaws; in their hearts, as long as a cadre does one thing that satisfies them, that cadre will be labeled a "good official" for life.

Zhu Shizhen had indeed schemed regarding Liu Quan, but that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't a good official.

At the time, Liu Quan's hardline policies were difficult for Zhu Shizhen to accept, which was why he had stabbed him in the back. Zhu Shizhen dared to stab him in the back, so naturally, he had his reasons. Liu Quan's policies were indeed unacceptable to a large portion of the cadres, and Old Zhu had relied on this mass base to topple Liu Quan. By now, almost all the cadres in the township knew he was the whistleblower. Moreover, Zhu Shizhen had put in quite a bit of effort regarding the resumption of road construction.

Just as I entered the conference room, Guo Wei announced the start of the greeting party. A long string of red firecrackers was hung under the corridor railing. As soon as the meeting began, the firecrackers were lit, popping and crackling, with red paper scraps flying everywhere.

Once the firecracker sound stopped, Guo Wei cupped his hands and said in a clear voice, "Colleagues, first of all, I wish everyone happiness for your whole family, and secondly, I wish everyone a smooth year of work."

He was now the top leader of Suxi Township, in charge of thousands of people who faced the yellow earth and turned their backs to the sky; his words were instructions!

Zhu Shizhen had been sitting beside him with a smile on his face the whole time. As acting township head, Zhu Shizhen still held the position of Chairman of the Township People's Congress. With the two top leaders of the township government wishing everyone a Happy New Year, the cadres cheered in unison. The conference room was filled with a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.

My mind was still occupied with other matters. Looking at the smiling Zhu Shizhen, I always felt his smile was incomparably evil. If it weren't for Huang Weiwei's reminder and Pan Xiaoqin's warning, I might not have paid much attention to his actions. Since Zhu Shizhen wanted to become a stumbling block on my official career path, I had to find a way to remove him and throw him into the abyss.

The greeting party was just a tea party; there was nothing important, nothing more than exchanging pleasantries. The meeting lasted less than an hour before Guo Wei announced its conclusion. Several township cadres wanted to pull me away to play mahjong, but I smiled and declined. Seeing a crowd following Guo Wei, I gave up the desire to talk to him and walked to Zhu Shizhen's side, asking, "Township Head Zhu, are there any activities?"

Zhu Shizhen looked me up and down and said, "Party Committee Member Chen, what kind of activities do you want to organize?"

I said, "No activities, that's why I'm asking the leader."

Zhu Shizhen looked around, and seeing no one was paying attention to us, he took my hand and said, "Party Committee Member Chen, shall we step aside to talk?"

The so-called "stepping aside to talk" meant finding a place where no one was around to say things that were inconvenient for others to hear.

I followed him to his office. The office was cleaned very thoroughly, and on the desk were two brand-new small red flags: one national flag and one Party flag.

Zhu Shizhen's current office was the one previously used by Township Head Hao. After Township Head Hao left, Zhu Shizhen changed the orientation of the original desk, but everything else remained basically the same; the two small red flags on the desk were new, placed there after he moved in. Others had once advised Zhu Shizhen not to sit in Township Head Hao's office, but Zhu Shizhen pointed to the small red flags and said, "Don't worry, these ward off evil."

Actually, I understood why Zhu Shizhen wanted to move into Township Head Hao's office. In the hearts of the villagers, the township head's office had already formed a fixed symbol.

"After the New Year, the county will send people to elect the township head," Zhu Shizhen said. "It's been half a year; it's better to get it elected. I'm just about ready to lay down this burden." He seemed to sigh with relief, as if a weight had been lifted.

I handed him a cigarette and said, "Township Head Zhu, you can't lay down the burden. Suxi Township is currently at a critical stage of development; changing cadres is not conducive to carrying out work."

"It's the same whoever is township head. There are Party committee and government leaders above, and mass support below. I've done quite a few things in the past half year, though not everything went well. Actually, I still want to do more for the people of Suxi Township," Zhu Shizhen said, lighting his cigarette. "Secretary Guo is a young cadre with ability and drive. When young people do things, some aspects still need more consideration. So I think it's better for the township head who partners with Secretary Guo to be a bit older. That way, things can be considered more comprehensively."

I smiled and said, "Township Head Zhu, in terms of seniority, you are the most senior, and in terms of ability, it's obvious to everyone. So, the Suxi Township head position is yours and yours alone."

He stared into my eyes for a moment and said earnestly, "Little Chen, we've worked together for over four years. You know my character, Old Zhu. Being a cadre is about principles; within principles, one can be flexible. Outside of principles, one must insist on principles. As long as one grasps the red line of principles, finding ways to do things for the common people is the most basic requirement for a cadre. As for me, I am a cadre who grew up with Suxi Township; I have deep feelings for Suxi Township, and doing things for the people of Suxi Township is my lifelong pursuit."

Zhu Shizhen's declaration left me feeling restless. After such probing, I realized Pan Xiaoqin's words were true. Zhu Shizhen kept saying he wanted to lay down the burden—this old fox was playing "to catch, one must first let go"!

Seeing I hadn't responded for a long time, he said with a faint smile, "Of course, with a cadre like you, Little Chen, to help me, what kind of difficulty could we not overcome!"

Watching his mouth open and close, my mood plummeted to the bottom. ===== CHAPTER 123 =====