19: Chapter 19 First Day in Office

It was already evening at Old Man Zhou's house.

The elderly couple couldn't stop declining the gifts—one held two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes, and the other held two gift boxes.

That afternoon, with the help of two young men from the Party and Government Office, Sun Ning had finished setting up his home.

The elderly couple had taken a great liking to this handsome young man, Sun Ning.

They had been busy helping him back and forth the whole time.

To save Sun Ning money, they even brought out their best coarse cloth bedsheets from the bottom of their chest.

They were spotlessly clean, woven bit by bit by the elderly couple themselves.

Unable to refuse the elderly couple's kindness, Sun Ning accepted them.

Privately, he gave the money to the Party and Government Office staff, asking them to hand it over to the elderly couple along with the rent.

He also came from a rural background and knew how simple and honest these elderly people were.

Some would not bear to spend a single extra cent on themselves, yet they could generously give strangers what they considered their best possessions.

For a moment, he thought of his own grandparents.

They were just as kind and just as warm-hearted.

Since he hadn't started working at the government office yet, Sun Ning planned to grab a bite outside that evening.

However, the warm-hearted elderly couple insisted he stay for dinner.

Not wanting to go out all alone, Sun Ning took them up on their offer.

While the elderly couple prepared dinner, Sun Ning slipped out to buy those gifts.

Although today's dinner was simple, it was very heartwarming.

The next day, after finishing his workout, Sun Ning arrived early at the government compound.

Liaison Xiao Yuan from the Party and Government Office was cleaning the room.

Sun Ning understood that this must be the liaison temporarily arranged for him by Director Zhou Qiang.

He was also one of the people who had been busy helping Sun Ning clean up yesterday.

Sun Ning actually knew this person; Liaison Xiao Yuan was two years older than him and had been recruited into Mishui Township after graduating from college.

Since then, he had been rotating through various units in Mishui Township, never managing to reach the deputy section-chief level.

In the year Sun Ning was reborn, he had finally managed to become the director of the Party and Government Office, but unfortunately, he still hadn't been appointed as a member of the Township Party Committee.

Sun Ning didn't have a bad impression of him, so he readily accepted Director Zhou Qiang's arrangement.

"I'm sorry, Township Head, I'm late. I'll finish cleaning up right away."

"It's me who arrived early. Thank you for your hard work, Liaison Xiao Yuan. The office is already very clean. Unless there are special circumstances, cleaning it once a week is fine."

"Also, please ask Director Zhou Qiang to notify all the deputy Township Heads to attend a meeting after work starts."

"Yes, Township Head, I'll go notify Director Zhou Qiang right away."

Yuan Hongkang was overjoyed that Sun Ning could actually remember his full name.

Even his steps felt much lighter.

This was the benefit brought to him by Sun Ning's enhanced memory; he could clearly remember everyone's name.

These details might seem insignificant, but they could still win people over.

At critical moments, they were quite useful.

For instance, tipping someone off.

At 9:30 AM, in the small meeting room of the Mishui Township Government compound.

Sun Ning sat upright in the center, looking down at the people below him with a slight sense of superiority.

A sense of achievement welled up, and at the same time, his sense of responsibility gradually strengthened.

Attending the meeting were Executive Deputy Mayor Li Shusheng of Mishui Township, Gongfan County, Vice Township Head Wang Penghui, Vice Township Head Wang Ling, and Deputy Township Head Dong Zhensheng.

Director Zhou Qiang of the Party and Government Office and the Township Head's Liaison Xiao Yuan were also present.

"Comrades, I've invited everyone here today because I want to understand the progress of our township's various tasks."

"Comrade Li Shusheng, let's start with you."

When Executive Deputy Mayor Li Shusheng heard Sun Ning's address, he felt a wave of annoyance.

He was old enough to be Sun Ning's father, yet Sun Ning was solemnly calling him "Comrade Li Shusheng."

It wasn't Sun Ning's fault for calling him that; his age was just too awkward.

Addressing him by his full name was a bit impolite, and addressing him by his position felt distant.

He could only use the combination of his name and "Comrade," which sounded formal and solemn.

The Executive Deputy Mayor is mainly responsible for assisting the Township Head in carrying out government work and is in charge of daily government affairs.

Their importance in the government setup was unquestionable.

Executive Deputy Mayor Li Shusheng gave a standard, by-the-book introduction to the basic work in Mishui Township.

He gave a rough report including the population, total economic output, fiscal expenditure, and other situations.

Next, the vice Township Heads in charge of agriculture, industry, science, education, culture, and health each introduced their respective duties.

Sun Ning had been observing these four deputies; everyone was just going through the motions.

He knew that the Organization Department head personally sending him over was just a show of deterrence.

It wasn't enough to make them align with him on the very first day.

Sun Ning also knew that these deputies of his were all relatively old and had lost their past drive.

They all just wanted to transfer back to the county seat.

Otherwise, he would really suspect that these people might work against him in the future.

However, it was impossible to say that Executive Deputy Mayor Li Shusheng had no resentment in his heart.

Although the previous Township Head was suddenly transferred away, everyone knew it was to make room for Sun Ning.

But what if?

His qualifications were sufficient; what if he could have made it?

Sun Ning had a rough understanding of the situation in Mishui Township.

It could be summarized in four words: poor and blank.

The whole township was primarily agricultural, with grain production focused on wheat and corn, supplemented by a small amount of cash crops.

As for industry, most of the previous collective enterprises were on the verge of bankruptcy.

Not to mention commerce and finance.

What worried Sun Ning even more was that the education situation in the southeast and northwest was not optimistic.

Anyway, the situation in Mishui Township was hard to describe in a few words.

But the situation in Mishui Township was like a blank sheet of paper, allowing him to paint a magnificent landscape.

The meeting continued in a dull atmosphere.

He didn't lecture the others, nor did he talk at length about his philosophy for governing the region.

Everything said now would be useless talk.

As long as he could bring in money and attract investment, it would inevitably mobilize these people's enthusiasm for work.

The meeting ended, and the necessary procedures Sun Ning had to go through upon arriving in Mishui Township were finally complete.

Next was the time for Sun Ning to enter work mode and show his skills.

After the meeting, Sun Ning returned to his office, with Yuan Hongkang following closely behind him.

"Liaison Xiao Yuan, go and find all the materials from the township for the past year."

Yuan Hongkang acknowledged and prepared to close the door to leave.

"No need to close the door, leave it open."

Seeing Yuan Hongkang about to close the door, Sun Ning immediately spoke up to stop him.

The main reason was that he was lazy.

Today was his first official day of work, and all the offices in the township might come to report on their work.

Reality was not television; there wouldn't be a plot where no one paid attention to him on his first day.

After all, a superior rank can crush a subordinate.

Everyone was mixing in the system; even if they weren't in the same faction, even if they wanted to get rid of him.

They still had to go through the motions on the surface.

Sun Ning was the Township Head personally sent by the Organization Department head; except for Secretary Xue Hongtao, who wouldn't be afraid?

There were also those who wouldn't go through the motions, but those were the die-hard loyalists of certain people.

Sure enough, not long after Sun Ning returned to his office, everyone was like sharks smelling blood.

The heads of various departments all came to report on their work, and although Liaison Xiao Yuan wasn't at the door, they tacitly lined up.

The first one to come in was the director of the Family Planning Office.

To be honest, Sun Ning was not interested in family planning work.

So, he said a few high-sounding words and sent the Family Planning Office director off to work.