Early the next morning.
As the town mayor, Chen Fang had held his first leadership team meeting since taking office.
Everyone got to know each other a bit, and also understood the division of labor among the various deputy mayors.
The atmosphere of the meeting was the same as the day before, lively and harmonious.
After the one-hour meeting ended.
Just as Chen Fang had returned to his office, the Director of the Township Government Office, Li Yong, came in and placed three folders in front of Chen Fang, saying, "Mayor Chen, you haven't chosen a communication officer yet. Here are three shortlists I've prepared, would you like to choose one?"
The so-called communication officer.
Is in fact the mayor's secretary.
Policy-wise, township officials are not allowed to have secretaries.
So, they're nominally called communication officers, but it's really the same thing with a different name.
Chen Fang tapped his fingers on the folders and said, "Director Li, you can decide on this small matter. Whoever you think is suitable, just arrange for that person."
This response left Li Yong somewhat flattered.
After all, secretaries are close to the leadership.
Every leader takes this seriously, and letting someone else pick implies a lot of trust in them.
"You can rest assured, leader, I will definitely make a strict selection for you."
Having said that.
Li Yong was about to take his leave.
When Chen Fang said, "Wait a moment."
"Leader, is there anything else?"
Chen Fang asked, "Director Li, do you smoke?"
"Yes, it's been a habit of many years, I can't change it," he scratched his head somewhat sheepishly.
Chen Fang nodded, opened a cabinet of his desk, took out a black plastic bag, and said, "Before I came here, some friends gave me some cigarettes. Although I smoke myself, I don't really have much of an addiction, and it would be a waste to leave them here. If you don't mind, Director Li, you can take them back with you."
"Mayor Chen, how could I accept this? I should be the one offering them to you."
"What's this talk of offering and such? I hope to learn from you here in Fuguang Town in the future, Director Li. If you're going to be polite with me, then I'll start being polite with you too."
Chen Fang's words sounded very pleasant.
Li Yong was somewhat embarrassed.
He took the plastic bag and saw that there were four cartons of cigarettes inside, and all four cartons were all Zhonghua brand.
"Leader, this..."
Seeing Li Yong about to be polite again.
Chen Fang glared at him and said, "Alright, enough. Come, sit down and chat with me."
Li Yong quickly went to the water dispenser to fill Chen Fang's cup with water, asking, "Leader, what would you like to know? Li Yong will hold nothing back."
The guy was clever and knew what "let's chat" meant.
Chen Fang smiled and said, "Director Li, as you see, I have just arrived in Fuguang Town, and I'm still not familiar with everyone, especially the leaders. Could you introduce them to me?"
Li Yong pondered for a moment and asked, "Leader, whose situation would you like to know about?"
"Let's start with our Secretary Xu."
"Secretary Xu is 45 this year. He was transferred here about three or four years ago from his position as the town mayor of Gulinx Township. He's quite low-key in his interactions with others, always smiling. He is an amiable person."
When Li Yong said this.
Chen Fang remembered the scene of Xu Ming welcoming him yesterday.
The impression he got was indeed like this.
"And Chairman Luo of the People's Congress?"
Chen Fang continued to ask.
Upon mentioning this person, Li Yong frowned.
He said, "Leader, Chairman Luo is either thirty-eight or thirty-nine this year. As for him, well, he has been a leader in Fuguang Town for a long time, elevated step by step during the time of the former Mayor Yuan Zhenting. How should I put it, he's got kind of a quirky temper..."
Li Yong didn't dare to speak too plainly.
But the words "quirky temper" gave Chen Fang a general idea.
The most important piece of information was not this, but the implied message to Chen Fang that Luo Yide was a person from the old Mayor, Yuan Zhenting.
As the third key figure in Fuguang Town.
It would have been a logical progression for him to become the mayor after Yuan Zhenting retired.
With Chen Fang unexpectedly coming into the picture, blocking his path, it would be normal for him to have some feelings about Chen Fang.
"What about Cong Duo, Deputy Secretary Cong?"
Chen Fang continued to ask.
If the previous two were merely a prelude, Cong Duo was the main point Chen Fang wanted to inquire about.
When Li Yong heard the name Cong Duo, his face took on a profoundly secretive smile.
He asked, "Leader, hasn't Deputy Secretary Cong had any private contact with you?"
Chen Fang was taken aback.
He asked, "How did you know?"
Li Yong smiled slightly and said, "Leader, it was I who arranged for your dormitory. Yesterday afternoon, she took your dormitory keys away, saying she wanted to personally take you. That's when I knew."
Chen Fang sensed something brewing.
He asked, "So you're saying, this sort of thing, it's not the first time it's happened?"
Li Yong said, "Well, Deputy Secretary Cong is very beautiful, known as the flower of our Fuguang Town. Since she's a flower, and a blooming one at that, naturally there won't be a shortage of bees and butterflies."
Bees and butterflies?
Chen Fang smiled knowingly.
He had already grasped the general idea.
The two men talked with great interest.
Just then, Li Yong's phone suddenly rang.
Li Yong took out his phone, a bit embarrassed, and said, "Leader, let me take this call."
Chen Fang nodded.
Li Yong picked up the call and asked, "What's happened?"
Chen Fang didn't know what was being said on the phone, but Li Yong suddenly stood up and asked, "When did it happen?"
Continuing.
Li Yong hung up the phone and said, "Leader, Deputy Magistrate Xu is coming over for an inspection, and his car has already entered the town area."
The visit of the Deputy County Magistrate was no small matter.
Especially as he was the newly appointed Deputy County Magistrate.
Fuguang Town, being remote with poor road conditions, rarely hosted visits from county leaders; the former Deputy County Magistrate Sun Shenru had never even been here.
Upon hearing this news, the entire township government compound descended into chaos.
By the time Chen Fang and Li Yong hurriedly ran out,
the township committee leadership members were already lined up respectfully in the courtyard.
Although it was already late autumn,
the weather was acting capriciously today.
It wasn't even noon yet, and temperatures had soared to 32 degrees Celsius.
Dressed in suits and formal attire, it took less than five minutes for everyone to start sweating on their foreheads.
Chen Fang, feeling unbearably hot,
left the lineup
and sat down under the corridor on the first floor.
Seeing this,
Luo Yide turned his head and said, "Comrade Chen Fang, do you have no sense of organizational discipline, not even the basic respect?"
"What do you mean?"
Chen Fang asked.
Luo Yide, looking as though he was disappointed to the extreme,
said, "Are you really asking me what I mean? Deputy Magistrate Xu will be here any minute, and look at the state you're in now!"
"What's wrong with me? It's so hot, she's in the car with air conditioning while we're out here roasting in the sun. You should be asking her what she means. And the rest of you shouldn't stand there like idiots. Come here and get some shade; otherwise, you might get heatstroke soon."
"You just wait, Chen Fang. I will definitely report this to Deputy Magistrate Xu exactly as it happened," Luo Yide said, acting as if he had struck Chen Fang's Achilles heel.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Deputy Magistrate Xu will be here soon, and if she sees you fighting, she'd think our leadership team isn't united," interjected Xu Ming, trying to smooth things over with a laugh.
But before he had finished speaking,
Cong Duo sneered and said, "Secretary Xu, I think Chairman Luo is right. Town Chief Chen is young and arrogant, showing no regard for Deputy Magistrate Xu or all of us. If Deputy Magistrate Xu arrives and sees our lack of organization and discipline, it will be our Fuguang Town that loses face."
The sarcasm in her words was evident.
It seemed that having her advances rebuffed last time and losing face, Cong Duo had now turned spiteful.