12: Has Chapter 12 really been sidelined?

Finally, Township Head Liu Qiang could only say, "Secretary Qin, I'd like to toast you as well."

The two raised their glasses. Qin Chuan downed his in one gulp, as if it were nothing more than plain water.

Township Head Liu Qiang had originally intended to just go through the motions and take a small sip, but since Qin Chuan had already finished his drink in one go, leaving not a drop behind, he had no choice but to finish his own in one gulp as well.

Once the liquor hit his stomach, his gut began to churn violently. His face turned bright red, then went slightly pale, and cold sweat broke out all over his forehead.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure it all.

Before long, the alcohol went to his head, and he gradually began to lose his composure, spouting nonsense.

He actually stood up, patted Qin Chuan on the shoulder, and slurred, "Se... Secretary Qin, you... you've come to our Dahe Township. Don't worry, everything is under my protection. No one dares to disobey. Everything is up to me..."

Director Li Youfu, the head of the Party and Government Office, hurriedly pulled on Township Head Liu Qiang, saying, "Township Head Liu, you're drunk. Go to the room next door and rest for a while."

"Go... go away, I'm not drunk."

Township Head Liu Qiang waved his hand impatiently and continued, slurring his words, "Se... Secretary Qin, from today on we are brothers. I'm the big brother, you're the little brother. I..."

He was forcefully pulled away by Director Li Youfu before he could finish.

This was completely inappropriate. There were so many people present, especially Organization Minister Sun Zhen, a member of the County Party Committee. How could he say such things?

Many people's expressions changed, while others looked on with mockery—Ma Zhengnan, for instance, likely felt a sense of satisfaction deep down.

Having fought for so many years, seeing Township Head Liu Qiang get drunk and make a fool of himself made him inwardly overjoyed.

And what about Organization Minister Sun Zhen?

His expression was quite grim.

This Township Head Liu Qiang was simply outrageous. This was not how a Party member or a township head should speak. The good impression he originally had of Township Head Liu Qiang had now plummeted.

"Comrade Qin Chuan, we've had enough. We're heading back to the county now."

Organization Minister Sun Zhen stood up to leave, and his entourage followed suit. The meal could only end here, but fortunately, they had already eaten their fill by that point.

Qin Chuan stood up, saw them to their cars, and watched them depart.

At this moment, Qin Chuan was in a fairly good mood. Township Head Liu Qiang's drinking habits were surprisingly terrible; he actually spouted nonsense when drunk. It probably wouldn't be long before what he said spread privately and perhaps even reached the ears of the county leaders, which would definitely be a blow to his personal prestige.

Director Li Youfu finally got Township Head Liu Qiang settled and walked over. "Secretary Qin, your office has been arranged. Let me take you there."

Qin Chuan nodded slightly.

The office was at the far eastern end of the second floor. It was the same office used by the previous Party Committee Secretary of the township. After a simple cleaning and arrangement, it was now Qin Chuan's office.

Township Head Liu Qiang's office was also on the second floor, but at the far western end.

"Secretary Qin, this is your office. Is there anything that needs to be renovated or rearranged?"

It was evident that the desk, office chair, sofa, and coffee table had all seen better days; the paint was peeling in some places, but everything had been wiped clean.

Qin Chuan replied, "This will do for now."

He didn't have high demands for his office, and he didn't want to waste resources or disturb the people by carrying out extensive renovations.

"Secretary Qin, your dormitory has also been arranged. Let me take you there."

As the head of the Party and Government Office, he essentially acted as the chief housekeeper; the arrangements for offices, dormitories, and even vehicles all fell under his purview.

Dahe Township had a dedicated dormitory building, also located within the Township Government compound—a red-brick structure with decades of history.

The environment of the dormitory was just so-so, barely livable. As the Party Committee Secretary of the township, Qin Chuan's dormitory was the best one—a small suite with an inner and outer room, slightly better than the other single-room dormitories.

The dormitory had clearly been cleaned thoroughly. Qin Chuan didn't have high demands, nor did he request any renovations or new furniture.

In the afternoon, everyone returned to work one after another.

Qin Chuan sat in his office and instructed Director Li Youfu to bring over the economic development data for Dahe Township from the past few years, then sat there and began to look through it.

While flipping through the documents, he waited for his subordinates to come and report on their work.

When a new secretary takes office, it is customary for leaders, both big and small, to scramble to report on their work, the goal being to leave a good impression on the new leader.

To his surprise, only three or four people came to report on their work throughout the entire afternoon; it was very quiet.

A cold smile immediately appeared at the corner of Qin Chuan's mouth.

He would never believe that no one had secretly signaled them not to come. Having spent so long in the system in his previous life, he knew these tricks like the back of his hand.

The key was that even Director Li Youfu hadn't come to report on his work.

This was interesting.

The head of the Party and Government Office is supposed to be the absolute trusted aide of the township Party Committee Secretary. For him not to come and report thoroughly—was it really that obvious?

What surprised Qin Chuan a little was that Ma Zhengnan actually came by just before the end of the workday.

"Secretary Qin, sorry to bother you. There are some work-related matters I would like to report to you."

This was the first township leader to come and report. Qin Chuan was quite warm, chatted with him for a while, and took the opportunity to learn quite a bit about the situation.

In particular, Ma Zhengnan mentioned that Director Li Youfu was very close to Township Head Liu Qiang and belonged to Township Head Liu Qiang's camp, warning Qin Chuan to be extra vigilant.

This might be suspected of sowing discord, with the goal of using Qin Chuan to get rid of Director Li Youfu so that Township Head Liu Qiang would lose a capable lieutenant. However, what he said was also a fact; it was never a good thing for the head of the Party and Government Office to be too close to the township head.

The next day, the situation remained the same.

Very few people came to voluntarily report on their work, and Qin Chuan's office was quite desolate.

By ten o'clock, Qin Chuan was not prepared to stay in the office any longer. Instead, he prepared to go to the county. As a newly appointed official, it was mandatory to report on his work to the County Party Secretary and the County Head.

If you don't take the initiative to report or pay a visit, the leaders might have some thoughts: "What is wrong with this comrade? He doesn't understand any rules. He has already officially taken office, yet he hasn't come to report on his work."

Qin Chuan picked up the phone on his desk and called Director Li Youfu directly. He had no one else to use for the time being. Although he knew Director Li Youfu was one of Township Head Liu Qiang's people, he still had to have him handle certain matters.

Director Li Youfu came over very quickly. "Secretary Qin, what do you need?"

Qin Chuan said, "Has my car been arranged? I need to go to the county."

Director Li Youfu said, "It has been arranged. The driver is Chen Haisheng, and the car is a Beijing Jeep. I will take you there."

He wasn't arrogant enough to make Qin Chuan go to the motor pool himself; instead, he led Qin Chuan over and called Chen Haisheng over.

Qin Chuan saw his car—a semi-new military-green Beijing Jeep. What surprised him was that an Audi Q5 was parked next to it.

The Audi Q5 was on a completely different level than the Beijing Jeep.

Dahe Township actually had such a car, and it was parked right inside the Township Government compound.

As the top leader, Qin Chuan naturally had to ask what was going on.

"Director Li, whose car is this?"

Director Li Youfu did not hide it. "This is Township Head Liu's car."

What!

Qin Chuan was a bit surprised. Township Head Liu Qiang was just a township head, a section-level cadre, yet he dared to ride in an Audi Q5. Wasn't he afraid of the repercussions?

Besides, he was the top leader, the Party Committee Secretary of the township, and his official vehicle was only a semi-old Beijing Jeep, while his second-in-command's official vehicle was actually a luxury car like an Audi Q5.

Compared to the Beijing Jeep, the Audi Q5 was definitely a luxury car; one of them was worth the price of several Beijing Jeeps.