18: Chapter 18 Accommodation Arrangements

The atmosphere of the subsequent meeting was relatively lively.

The main content of the meeting was for the new Township Head to get acquainted with the leadership team and the various village party secretaries.

Although Secretary Xue Hongtao was very resistant to Sun Ning's arrival.

But now that the situation was set in stone, Secretary Xue Hongtao passively accepted it.

He did not try to pull any stunts to intimidate him.

After all, he was a man of great principle.

Once a matter was decided, he would accept it.

However, he was still determined to keep a close eye on Sun Ning.

He could not let this Township Head act recklessly; if it led to negative consequences, the fifty thousand fellow folks of Mishui Township would have to pay the price.

In fact, Sun Ning's recent initiative to pay for the meal had gained him a little bit of internal approval from the man.

By the time the meeting ended, it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

When Director Zhou Qiang announced that they would be eating braised lamb across from the Township Government, everyone was shocked.

Deep down, they all had the thought that this stubborn old man had seen the person sent personally by the head of the Organization Department yield.

However, Director Zhou Qiang was also a qualified confidant and immediately announced the news that Sun Ning was treating them.

This made the suspicion that had just arisen towards Secretary Xue Hongtao disappear.

At Old Sun's Braised Lamb Restaurant, when Sun Ning arrived, Secretary Xue Hongtao was already sitting upright in the seat of honor.

Sun Ning was quite surprised; he had already prepared for the possibility that Secretary Xue Hongtao would not show up.

"Party Secretary Xue, thank you for gracing us with your presence."

"It would be a waste not to eat when there is meat!"

"We still have to work in the afternoon, so let's not drink today. Another day, I will treat you to a proper drink."

Originally, Secretary Xue Hongtao was a bit angry upon hearing Sun Ning's slightly teasing words.

But upon hearing Sun Ning say that they shouldn't drink at noon, he no longer felt that the teasing was grating.

This was exactly the effect Sun Ning wanted.

He wanted to subtly change the thinking of this stubborn old man.

One must know that there was no such thing as a ban on drinking at noon at this time.

Unknowingly, Sun Ning had taught Secretary Xue Hongtao another lesson.

"Haha, good. Director Zhou Qiang, did you hear that? Pass the order down: no drinking during lunch hours on workdays."

Who said this man was upright? Wasn't he also capable of playing little tricks?

Several of the township party committee members present showed expressions of displeasure on their faces.

However, Sun Ning didn't care; it was good to give these people a heads-up beforehand.

When the next step of issuing a regulation on no drinking during workdays at noon in Mishui Township came, the voices of opposition would be smaller.

As for whether it offended people or not, Sun Ning didn't care. How could one not offend anyone while working?

Therefore, today's welcome banquet was a bit strange.

One must know that Heyang had always had the custom that a banquet was not a banquet without alcohol.

For a moment, they didn't know if the new Township Head was generous or stingy.

However, the township party committee members, deputy Township Heads, and others one by one toasted Sun Ning with tea instead of alcohol.

Sun Ning also used this opportunity to get familiar with these people and memorized all their names.

After they were full and satisfied, everyone dispersed.

Only the director of the Party and Government Office remained to take Sun Ning to his office.

"Township Head, this is the previous Township Head's office. Do you think it needs any changes?"

"No need, this is just fine."

"Alright, the office has been cleaned. You can put your luggage here first."

In fact, Sun Ning's luggage was very simple, just a few sets of clothes and some books.

He could just buy other things here.

As a grown man, he could just make do easily.

The office was arranged, but the place to stay gave Director Zhou Qiang a hard time.

Mishui Township was a poor township; there were no dormitories, let alone a guesthouse.

In the past, they never had outsiders in Mishui Township; most were locals.

Even if they weren't locals, they were from the county seat.

Therefore, the Township Government compound only had a few simple rooms for duty personnel to stay temporarily.

Director Zhou Qiang hesitated for a long time, but still wanted to confirm the accommodation issue with Sun Ning.

He was not Secretary Xue Hongtao, who held the imperial sword and dared to offend anyone.

He was still young and still had the chance to become a deputy Township Head, or even a Township Head in his lifetime.

He did not dare to offend Sun Ning to the point of no return.

Didn't he see that the man was personally escorted down by a member of the County Party Committee and the head of the Organization Department?

"Township Head, what about accommodation? Do you want to live in the county? The township can reimburse the rent."

"No need. Go and see whose house on the street is for rent, and just rent a room for me."

"Then, Township Head, please rest in the office for a while. I will come back after I've rented a house."

"Thank you for your hard work, Director Zhou Qiang."

After Director Zhou Qiang left, Sun Ning checked the time; it was already time for work.

He simply washed his face and went to Secretary Xue Hongtao's office.

Visiting leaders at the beginning of taking office was something that was expected.

Otherwise, if word got out, he might be labeled as disrespectful to older comrades.

Officialdom rules—Sun Ning still had to abide by them.

Knocking on the door of Secretary Xue Hongtao's office, the old man was still reading documents at this moment.

What an energetic little old man.

"Party Secretary, am I disturbing you?"

As he spoke, he offered Secretary Xue Hongtao a cigarette.

"At this time of the month, there's nothing busy in the fields, so how could you be disturbing me?"

This old man was quite cute in his own way.

It was almost the end of the year; shouldn't it be the busiest time?

All kinds of work summaries and evaluations.

Welcoming inspections from all sorts of big shots from the county, and so on.

Yet this old man always believed that the common people's crops were the top priority.

How could one not respect this kind of conduct?

"Party Secretary is right. I am new here, and I ask for your support."

"What, did you hear some rumors? As long as you conduct yourself properly, I will support your work."

The implication was: just honestly build up your credentials, and don't stir up trouble.

Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite.

How to put it? The two were just getting to know each other, and there wasn't much to talk about.

After saying a few plain, polite remarks, Sun Ning left his office.

On the surface, Secretary Xue Hongtao had no way to sideline Sun Ning.

Logically speaking, the two were of equal rank.

Now, from top to bottom, the policy of separating party and government affairs was being strictly enforced.

Sun Ning was explicitly appointed as the acting Township Head, in charge of the overall work of the Township Government.

It was undeniable that the Party Secretary had great authority, but at most, he could only privately get people not to cooperate.

Matters on the surface had to be discussed on the surface.

After leaving Secretary Xue Hongtao's office, Sun Ning returned to his own office.

He had not been sitting in his office for long when Director Zhou Qiang returned, looking dusty and travel-worn.

It seemed he had handled this matter personally.

In the end, Sun Ning chose the home of an old couple from the list provided by Director Zhou Qiang.

This old couple's children were all successful and no longer lived in Mishui Township.

Therefore, several rooms were vacant, and upon hearing that it was for the new Township Head to live in, the couple agreed.

The main thing was that it was very difficult to find a house specifically for rent in Mishui Township.

Finding a family willing to give up a room to rent to Sun Ning, and one that also met the criteria of being quiet, low-maintenance, honest, and clean...

It must have taken a lot of effort for Director Zhou Qiang.

He couldn't let the Township Head live in a family that had trouble every day.

Furthermore, most people in this era stayed at home.

The wave of migrant workers going to the south had just begun, and those who went out were all relatively bold.

In another year or so, one would be able to see the scene of ten thousand people heading south to work.

Therefore, there weren't many families that could spare a room.