138: Chapter 138 A Pledge of Allegiance

"Go find Committee Member Chen Ruo and ask him to come over."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming picked up a document on the table and turned a page, his tone returning to that unhurried cadence.

"Just say I have something to discuss with him."

Committee Member Gao Jin stood up, acknowledged the order, and walked out quickly.

Committee Member Chen Ruo's office was at the other end of the corridor. Committee Member Gao Jin walked quickly, as if afraid of being seen.

He knocked on the door, and the voice of Committee Member Chen Ruo came from inside.

"Come in."

Committee Member Chen Ruo was sitting behind his desk organizing materials; he was taken aback when he saw Committee Member Gao Jin enter.

Committee Member Gao Jin closed the door and lowered his voice: "Committee Member Chen Ruo, Secretary Hu has asked you to come over; he has something to discuss."

The pen in Committee Member Chen Ruo's hand paused. He knew that Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming calling for him wouldn't be about anything easy, but he couldn't refuse to go.

Ever since he had made his stance clear in Xu Weidong's office last time, he had been extremely cautious in front of Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming, not daring to show any negligence.

He put down his pen, stood up, and followed Committee Member Gao Jin out.

When they reached the door of Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's office, Committee Member Gao Jin pushed it open, let Committee Member Chen Ruo go in first, followed him in, and then closed the door tightly.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming was sitting behind his desk. There were two cigarette butts in the ashtray in front of him, and the office was filled with the faint smell of smoke.

"Committee Member Chen Ruo, sit."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming pointed to the chair opposite him, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Committee Member Chen Ruo sat down opposite him, his back straight and his hands on his knees, his posture as upright as if he were attending an interview.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming did not rush to speak; he lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled slowly.

"Committee Member Chen Ruo, I called you here today because there is something I want to discuss with you."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming held the cigarette between his fingers, leaned back in his chair, and fixed his gaze on Committee Member Chen Ruo's face.

"Recently, some comrades in the Township Government have raised quite a few complaints about the work of Station Chief Sun Changhe at the Forestry Station."

"A few days ago, Luan Ping, Director Bai Jie, Deputy Township Head Liu Desheng, Station Head Zhu Yan, Station Master Liu Ping, Station Master Zhao Sen, Station Head Jin Ming, and Liu Hao lined up to go to Secretary Xu's office to report the situation."

"You've heard about this, right?"

Committee Member Chen Ruo nodded. Of course he had heard about it; the matter was spreading like wildfire throughout the township, and it would be hard not to know.

His expression didn't change, but his heart had already started pounding.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming calling him here at this time couldn't just be to brief him on the situation.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled slowly, his voice unhurried.

"Committee Member Chen Ruo, you are the Organization Committee Member; you are more familiar with the situation of the township cadres than we are."

"Are there any problems with the work of the comrades on the Township Government side over these years? Is there any situation that needs to be reported to Secretary Xu?"

Committee Member Chen Ruo's heart skipped a beat; he understood the hidden meaning in Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's words.

Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's people went to Xu Weidong to complain about Station Chief Sun Changhe, and Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming also wanted him to go to Xu Weidong to complain about Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's people.

Using their own methods against them. He actually wanted to say that the work of the comrades on the Township Government side was quite solid and there were no major problems.

But the words reached his lips and were swallowed back down.

He knew that Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming wouldn't believe such words. Saying them would only make Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming think he was prevaricating, shirking responsibility, or covering for Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's people.

He had only recently defected to their side, and Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming was still testing his loyalty.

If he said one wrong thing at this moment, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

"Secretary Hu, there are indeed some problems with the work of the comrades on the Township Government side."

Committee Member Chen Ruo weighed his words carefully; every syllable felt like stepping on a landmine.

"In my position as Organization Committee Member, I have grasped some information. Some comrades do indeed have areas that need improvement regarding their work style and work discipline."

"For example, some comrades are not punctual for work, some demand or accept bribes while conducting research in the villages, and some are not standardized in the use of project funds."

"I am aware of these situations and have also gathered some materials."

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. The smile was very faint, carrying a sense of satisfaction.

"Committee Member Chen Ruo, the fact that you can grasp these situations shows that you do your work very meticulously. Secretary Xu needs someone to report the true situation to him."

"Since you have the materials in hand, organize them, find a suitable time, and go report to Secretary Xu."

"You are the Organization Committee Member; reporting on the situation of cadres is your duty. It is justified, and no one can say anything about it."

Committee Member Chen Ruo nodded, but his heart felt as if it were pressed down by a stone. He knew what this meant.

Once he went to Xu Weidong to report the problems of those people, he would stand completely on the opposite side of Township Head Jiang Tiansheng.

Those people would not let him off, and Township Head Jiang Tiansheng would let him off even less, but he had no way out.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming was testing him, and also forcing him to take a stand.

If he refused, he would completely lose trust on Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's side, and he would be caught between a rock and a hard place in Hukuang Township.

"Rest assured, Secretary Hu, I will go back and organize the materials."

His voice was very steady, so steady that even he himself was somewhat surprised.

Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming nodded, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and his tone returned to that unhurried cadence.

"Good. Once you have organized them, bring them to me to see first. I will help you arrange when to report to Secretary Xu."

Committee Member Chen Ruo acknowledged the order, stood up, picked up his notebook, and turned to walk out.

When he reached the door, he paused, wanting to turn back to say something, but in the end, he didn't open his mouth; he pulled the door open and walked out.

Returning to his office, he closed the door and sat in his chair for a long time.

He looked at the pile of materials on his desk and stared blankly for quite a while. He knew that he had no way out.

From the moment he went to Xu Weidong's office to beg for mercy, from the moment he said to Xu Weidong, "I am drawing a line with Township Head Jiang Tiansheng," he had already had no way out.

He couldn't go back to Township Head Jiang Tiansheng's side, he dared not offend Deputy Party Secretary Hu Ming's side, and he dared not show the slightest negligence toward Xu Weidong's side.

He was like someone being roasted on a fire; turning over and over, it was painful either way.

He picked up the materials on the desk, flipped through them one by one, and recorded the problems related to the Township Government cadres in his notebook one by one.

Station Head Zhu Yan of the Water Conservancy Station had an irregular use of project funds last year; although the amount was not large, there were problems with the procedures.

Station Master Liu Ping of the Animal Husbandry Station accepted a meal invitation from village cadres while conducting research in the village last year; although it wasn't a big deal, it didn't sound good if talked about.

Station Master Zhao Sen of the Culture Station was often late for work and left early; his name appeared in several surprise inspections.

Station Head Jin Ming of the Family Planning Station delayed the distribution of family planning reward and assistance funds to one household by three months, leading the common people to petition.

Liu Hao of the Statistics Station sometimes submitted statistical data that did not match the actual situation; although it wasn't a major problem, it added up to quite a bit.