123: Chapter 123 Clearly Defines the Division of Labor

By March, Hukuang Township had already warmed up a bit.

The Hukuang Township Party Committee meeting was scheduled for 2:00 PM. Just past 1:00, Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming walked into Xu Weidong's office carrying a basin of water.

This was a habit he had developed over the past month. He came in every morning, noon, and evening to wipe the desk, change the water, and water the plants, working more diligently than the young staff in the Party and Government Office.

Wang Jianguo, the director of the Party and Government Office, initially felt embarrassed that his work was being snatched by a Deputy Party Secretary, but after seeing that Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming never missed a day, he eventually accepted it.

Since he couldn't stop him anyway, he simply gave up and let it be.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming wiped the desk three times until he could see his own reflection.

He scalded the teacup with boiling water and poured half a cup, letting it cool.

He had figured out Xu Weidong's habits: he didn't like tea that was too hot or too cold; lukewarm was best.

The potted plant on the windowsill was kept lush and glossy by him, with water droplets still clinging to its leaves.

After finishing, he stepped back two paces, looked at it as if admiring a work of art, and nodded with satisfaction.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor, mixed with hushed laughter. Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming didn't turn around; he knew who it was.

Committee Member Chen Ruo was standing at the door with He Wenjing beside him.

He was a Deputy Township Head who had just joined the Party Committee this year, in his early forties, lean and gaunt, with a face that looked like it had been carved by a knife.

The two men watched Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming stooping to arrange the documents on the desk and exchanged a look.

"Oh, Secretary Hu, here to wipe the desk yourself again?"

Committee Member Chen Ruo's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for people in the corridor to hear.

"You even snatch this kind of work? The people in the Party and Government Office should be paying you a salary."

He Wenjing chuckled from the side and said, "Committee Member Chen, what do you know? This is called having an attitude. Us rough folks can't learn that."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming straightened his back, folded the rag in his hand, and turned around unhurriedly.

He glanced at Committee Member Chen Ruo, then at He Wenjing, his face expressionless, as if he were looking at two pieces of furniture.

Then he walked out carrying the water basin, not pausing for a second as he passed by them.

Committee Member Chen Ruo's smile froze on his face. He had prepared a few even harsher words, but Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming didn't take the bait at all. It was like punching cotton; he felt stifled and uncomfortable.

The smirk on He Wenjing's face couldn't hold up either; he gave a dry cough and looked down at his phone.

In the conference room at the end of the corridor, Secretary Zhou Song was already seated. A notebook was spread out in front of him, and he held an unlit cigarette in his hand, his gaze fixed on the door.

He had heard the scene between Committee Member Chen Ruo and He Wenjing, and he had also seen Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming walking over with the water basin.

He said nothing, just lit the cigarette and took a puff.

When Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming entered the conference room, Committee Member Gao Jin was hunched over the table looking at his phone.

Seeing him enter, Committee Member Gao Jin stood up immediately and took the water basin from his hands with a grin.

"Secretary Hu, let me, let me."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming waved his hand and said, "No need."

Committee Member Gao Jin didn't listen and had already carried the basin away.

He came back after putting the basin away, pulled out the chair in front of Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming, straightened the notebook, and refilled the teacup.

The whole series of movements was smooth and fluid, as if he had done it countless times.

This was the scene Committee Member Chen Ruo and He Wenjing saw when they walked in. The two exchanged a look, said nothing, and sat down in their respective seats.

Committee Member Chen Ruo sat opposite Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming, with He Wenjing next to him. The two opened their notebooks but refused to look in Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's direction.

At 1:59, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng pushed the door open and entered.

He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, holding a cigarette in his hand, his pace unhurried.

Luan Ping followed behind, carrying Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's teacup and notebook.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's gaze swept across the conference room. Committee Member Gao Jin was refilling Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's water. The desktop in front of Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming was gleaming, the notebook was placed perfectly straight, and the teacup was steaming.

He glanced at his own bare desktop; there were still cigarette butts from the previous meeting in the ashtray.

"Comrade Hu Ming, your service attitude is quite something."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng said as he sat down with the cigarette in his mouth, his voice loud enough for everyone in the conference room to hear.

"In all the years I've been holding meetings, I've never seen any leader enjoy this kind of treatment."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's hand, which was flipping through the notebook, paused for a moment, then continued turning the page as if he hadn't heard.

Committee Member Gao Jin also kept his head down, pretending to organize the documents on the table. The conference room was silent for two seconds; the air was thick like congealed lard.

Secretary Zhou Song extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, his face expressionless.

Committee Member Chen Ruo's mouth curled up slightly, then quickly flattened. He Wenjing looked down at his phone, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Luan Ping placed Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's teacup down and spread out his own notebook, looking straight ahead the entire time.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng flicked the ash and said nothing more.

He knew Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming wouldn't take the bait, and continuing would only make him look petty, but he was still feeling resentful.

In his dozen or so years in Hukuang Township, when had he, Township Head Jiang Tiansheng, ever been given the cold shoulder like this?

A Deputy Party Secretary who climbed the ladder because his sister married an old man dares to put on airs in front of him?

At 2:00 sharp, Xu Weidong pushed the door open and entered.

Party and Government Office Director Wang Jianguo followed behind, holding a folder.

Xu Weidong was wearing a white shirt. His gaze swept across the conference room, paused for a moment on Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming and Committee Member Gao Jin, and his mouth curled up slightly.

"Secretary Hu, Committee Member Gao, stop working, sit down."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the conference room heard it clearly.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming acknowledged and sat back in his seat.

Committee Member Gao Jin also stopped and returned to his seat.

Xu Weidong sat in the head seat. Wang Jianguo placed the folder in front of him and retreated to a seat on the side.

"Comrades, the main purpose of today's meeting is to clarify the responsibilities of the leadership team members."

Xu Weidong opened the folder without any unnecessary chatter.

"After the leadership team adjustment, some comrades' positions have changed, so the original responsibilities need to be adjusted accordingly."

"During this period, I have assessed the situation, communicated with Township Head Jiang Tiansheng, and come up with a plan."

"Let's go over it at the meeting today and see if anyone has any opinions."

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng sat to the side, his cigarette already extinguished, wearing a polite smile.

Communicated?

Xu Weidong had indeed "communicated" with him, but it was a notification, not a discussion.

The plan was decided by Xu Weidong himself. When he showed it to him, it was already written, and he only had time to circle it.

In townships, the Party Committee Secretary leads everything; that is the rule.

Although he understood this rule, understanding it and being unhappy about it were two different things.

Xu Weidong began to read the responsibility plan. The adjustments for the previous Deputy Township Heads and station heads were routine, and no one paid much attention.

The atmosphere in the conference room was relaxed; some people were drinking water, others were twirling pens.

Then Xu Weidong read out Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's name.

"Comrade Hu Ming, Deputy Party Secretary, in charge of Party building, organization, personnel, united front, mass organizations, political and legal affairs, comprehensive governance and stability maintenance, peace construction, and grassroots governance."

The air in the conference room suddenly changed.

Committee Member Chen Ruo's pen stopped in mid-air, the expression on his face like he had been slapped.

The notebook spread out in front of him still had the words "Second Half of the Year Organizational Work Plan" written on it, which looked like a joke at this moment.

He opened his mouth to say something, but when his eyes met Xu Weidong's calm face, he swallowed the words back.

What could he say?

It is only natural for the Party Committee Secretary to adjust responsibilities.

Xu Weidong didn't mention him at all; if he jumped out, wouldn't he just be asking for trouble?

Luan Ping's expression wasn't any better.

Political and legal affairs, comprehensive governance and stability maintenance, peace construction... these were his turf, and now they all belonged to Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming.

He subconsciously looked at Township Head Jiang Tiansheng. Township Head Jiang Tiansheng didn't look at him, his gaze fixed on the desktop, expressionless.

The cigarette in his hand had burned down to the filter; he only reacted when it burned his fingers, and he threw the butt into the ashtray.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming sat in his seat, controlling his expression very well.

He just nodded slightly and made a note in his notebook, as if all of this was expected, but his hand holding the pen was trembling slightly.

Party building, organization, personnel, political and legal affairs, comprehensive governance, stability maintenance—all of these combined amounted to almost half the power of the Party Committee Secretary.

He had been suppressed under Township Head Jiang Tiansheng for two years, endured for two years, and waited for two years. Now, he had finally waited for it.

Committee Member Gao Jin was beside him, his mouth curling up so much he couldn't suppress it. He looked down, pretending to read his notebook, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Secretary Zhou Song sat opposite, glanced at Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming, then at Xu Weidong, said nothing, wrote a few words in his notebook, and then crossed them out.

Xu Weidong continued to read the subsequent responsibilities. Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen was still in charge of the economy, and Committee Member Gao Jin was added to civilization creation and the Culture Station.

Committee Member Chen Ruo was nominally in charge of grassroots Party building, but everyone could tell it was an empty shell.

Luan Ping's political and legal affairs, comprehensive governance, and stability maintenance were all gone, leaving only the Justice Office and legal education/propaganda.

After finishing, Xu Weidong closed the folder and looked up, saying, "That is roughly the plan."

"Let's see, does anyone have any opinions?"

The conference room was silent for five seconds. In those five seconds, everyone's thoughts were racing.

Committee Member Chen Ruo's face turned pale and then green. Luan Ping kept his head down, drawing circles in his notebook. He Wenjing drank water, looking unconcerned.

Zhou Lan flipped through her notebook expressionlessly, while Deputy Township Head Gong Zizhen leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting back and forth between Xu Weidong and Township Head Jiang Tiansheng.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng spoke up: "Xu Weidong's plan is very well considered. I agree."

In townships, responsibility allocation is the power of the Secretary; the Township Head can offer opinions but cannot veto.

If he were to oppose Xu Weidong in front of the entire leadership team, that would be openly tearing off the mask.

And after tearing off the mask?

He is the Township Head, Xu Weidong is the Secretary. If it goes to the county, who will the higher-ups support?

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng had been in townships for over twenty years; he could calculate this account better than anyone.

"Comrade Hu Ming is the Deputy Party Secretary; it is only right that he takes on more."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming looked up and glanced at Township Head Jiang Tiansheng.

This was the first time in over two years that he had seen this expression on Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's face.

"Thank you for your support, Township Head."

"I will definitely do my job well."

Committee Member Chen Ruo finally spoke, his voice somewhat dry.

"I... obey the organization's arrangement."

After finishing, Committee Member Chen Ruo seemed to have his strength drained, leaning back in his chair and saying nothing more.

Luan Ping followed up, his voice muffled: "I have no objections."

The others nodded, and it passed unanimously.

Xu Weidong picked up his teacup and took a sip; the temperature was just right.

He put down the teacup and his gaze swept across everyone present.

"Responsibilities are now clear; everyone should perform their respective duties."

"The work of Hukuang Township cannot rely on me alone, nor can it rely on Township Head Jiang Tiansheng alone. It requires everyone to work together."

"Meeting adjourned."

The sound of chairs being pulled echoed. Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming was the first to stand up, closed his notebook, nodded to Xu Weidong, and walked out of the conference room with steady steps.

Committee Member Gao Jin followed behind, his steps so light it was like walking on clouds.

Committee Member Chen Ruo was the last to get up, stuffed his notebook into his bag, and pulled the zipper three times before it closed.

Damn it!

Why was I running my mouth before the meeting?

That sycophantic villain, Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming, he actually managed to lick his way to success?!

When passing by Township Head Jiang Tiansheng, he wanted to say something, opened his mouth, but swallowed it back, and finally walked away with his head down.

Luan Ping followed Township Head Jiang Tiansheng out, wanting to assist him, but was quietly brushed off by Township Head Jiang Tiansheng.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng walked in the corridor, his pace much slower than when he arrived.

Luan Ping followed behind, wanting to speak but hesitating.