Chapter 26: Dinner with the Township Head

Li Zhen was not carried away by Li Haotian’s flattery. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "I want to know what you plan to do next. That kid Lu Hao must not be allowed to have an easy life."

He had no intention of letting Lu Hao off. Two years ago, the child of a high-ranking official was sent to Anxing County government to build up his resume. The official’s child ended up hitting and crippling a person while driving under the influence. Lu Hao, who happened to be passing by, apprehended the perpetrator and handed him over to the traffic police. When the matter blew up, Lu Hao even testified in court, which not only forced the official’s family to pay substantial compensation but also resulted in the official’s child being dismissed from both his posts and sentenced to prison.

The incident caused quite a stir in Anxing County at the time, and the higher-ups blamed Li Zhen for failing to suppress it.

Back then, Li Zhen had tried to negotiate with Lu Hao, claiming he had already found a scapegoat and pressuring Lu Hao to commit perjury, but Lu Hao refused everything. Since then, Li Zhen had held a deep grudge against him.

Previously, as long as Liu Yuanda, the County Party Secretary, was there to protect him, Lu Hao was difficult to deal with. But now that Liu Yuanda was in trouble and his dismissal documents were imminent, Li Zhen would have no more reservations about dealing with Lu Hao once he took action.

Having received the promise of a promotion from Li Zhen, Li Haotian was even more eager to please. He smiled sinisterly and said, "County Magistrate, things in the townships are complicated. Lu Hao is in that position, but it doesn't mean he won't run into trouble just because he tries to avoid mistakes. Sometimes, whether or not he makes mistakes isn't up to him. Who knows? One day, he might end up just like Song Bo."

Hearing this, Li Zhen’s expression finally improved. He said meaningfully, "Good. If you have ideas, you should act on them. By the way, I’ve had the County Finance Bureau allocate 300,000 yuan in poverty alleviation subsidies to Fangshui Township. Find a way to divert those funds to settle the accounts for President Liu’s company first."

Li Haotian understood what Li Zhen meant and agreed immediately, "No problem. I’ll handle this."

Liu Ruyan’s expression remained unchanged as she clinked glasses with Li Haotian and chuckled, "Then I’ll thank the Township Head in advance."

The three of them enjoyed the meal thoroughly.

Before they parted ways, Li Haotian finally couldn't help but ask, "County Magistrate, I heard that Liu Yuanda’s dismissal papers are coming down soon, and the new County Party Secretary has already arrived. It seems she’s staying at this very Yunding Hotel?"

"You are well-informed. That’s right, Secretary Ye is indeed staying here." Li Zhen let out a belch, though his expression was clearly sour.

He had expected to be promoted further. His connections in the provincial government had repeatedly assured him that the position of County Party Secretary would be his, but a change occurred at the last minute, and he would have to remain in the position of the second-in-command for now.

However, Anxing County was already firmly under his control, and any new County Party Secretary would find themselves restricted at every turn.

As a socialite in political circles, Liu Ruyan noticed Li Zhen’s displeasure. She gave Li Haotian a look and said at the right moment, "Township Head Li, you might not know this, but this Secretary Ye is just here to gild her resume. Once she leaves, the position of County Party Secretary will still belong to our Magistrate Li."

Li Haotian immediately realized he might have said the wrong thing and quickly added, "Who is the County Party Secretary doesn't matter. What matters is that Anxing County is Magistrate Li’s territory. In my eyes, the true leader has always been Magistrate Li. Wherever Magistrate Li is, that is where I will look."

Li Zhen looked pleased, but he still said in a deep voice, "Keep that kind of talk behind closed doors. Don't embarrass me in public."

"Yes, yes, of course. Don't worry." Li Haotian quickly toasted him.

He only wanted to confirm if Secretary Ye had arrived. If she had, personnel adjustments in the county would follow soon. After all, when a new official takes office, they always shuffle people around. If Magistrate Li exerted some influence, he would likely replace Zhao Gang as the head of Fangshui Township, making it even easier to deal with Lu Hao.

Early the next morning, when Lu Hao walked into the Poverty Alleviation Office, everyone except Niu Dashan had arrived. They were all busy with their work, and with the new reward and punishment measures Lu Hao had introduced yesterday, everyone’s enthusiasm was high.

"Director!"
"Good morning, Director!"

Seeing Lu Hao enter, everyone greeted him.

Tang Chunyan stepped forward and said, "Director Lu, the 300,000 yuan poverty alleviation subsidy from the county finance department has arrived in our account. Should we distribute it to the impoverished households?"

"Don't be in a rush. Sort out the information on the impoverished households as quickly as possible. Anyone who doesn't qualify must be removed. We must ensure the money goes to the families in need," Lu Hao nodded and instructed sternly.

Previously, the management of the Poverty Alleviation Office was chaotic. Song Bo had committed many acts of embezzlement and allowed ineligible people to claim funds. Lu Hao had to rectify the situation.

Tang Chunyan nodded quickly. Being a local of Fangshui Township with relatives and friends in various villages, it was relatively easy for her to determine the true situation.

"By the way, Director, what happened to your arm?" Tang Chunyan noticed a bloody mark on Lu Hao’s arm that hadn't been there yesterday.

"It’s nothing, I just took a tumble yesterday," Lu Hao said, brushing it off with an excuse.

After that, he checked the time; there were two minutes left until work started, and Niu Dashan had not appeared yet. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Just as he was about to return to his office, Niu Dashan rushed in, panting heavily.

Seeing Niu Dashan’s appearance, everyone in the office was stunned.

His head was wrapped in bandages, his face was swollen like a pig’s head, and his arms were covered in bruises.

Everyone looked at the injury on Lu Hao’s arm, and it seemed everyone realized what had happened.

Niu Dashan noticed everyone staring at him and knew what they were thinking. He couldn't hide his embarrassment and roared, "What are you all staring at? Don't you have work to do?"

After all, he was a big, burly man who had brought several others with him, only to be taken down by Lu Hao alone. Although it was shameful, Niu Dashan had realized later that he actually admired Lu Hao; the kid certainly knew how to fight.

At Niu Dashan’s shout, everyone in the office, except for Tang Chunyan, lowered their heads and went back to work. After all, Niu Dashan was a well-known troublemaker in the township government, and no one wanted to provoke him.

Niu Dashan still didn't speak to Lu Hao, not even making eye contact, but Lu Hao knew that Niu Dashan’s punctual arrival was his way of showing his attitude.

Lu Hao smiled and said, "Everyone, keep up the effort. Let's finish rectifying the mess left behind by the previous office as soon as possible, so that such mistakes never happen again. Niu Dashan, you are responsible for reviewing all poverty alleviation documents. If anyone has any questions, you can ask him; he has the most experience in this field."

This arrangement surprised everyone in the office. They looked at Niu Dashan, waiting for him to lash out at Lu Hao.

However, Niu Dashan didn't utter a word of rebuttal. Instead, he shouted, "What are you looking at me for? Is work written on my face? Get to work!"

Niu Dashan’s reaction made Lu Hao even more satisfied. He turned and returned to his office—this was the result he had wanted.

The fact that the Disciplinary Committee hadn't found evidence of corruption against Niu Dashan suggested that he wasn't as unscrupulous as Song Bo. Plus, having spent many years in the Poverty Alleviation Office, he was truly experienced. If utilized correctly, he would definitely help the office get back on track faster.

That same day, Lu Hao held another meeting to reiterate the reward and punishment system and made minor adjustments to the division of labor, dividing the work into grassroots poverty alleviation and financial expenditures.

Niu Dashan was in charge of grassroots poverty alleviation and was tasked with leading people into the field, while Tang Chunyan was in charge of the expenditures for each project.

By having the two manage separate aspects, they could supervise each other. This way, Tang Chunyan would know exactly where the money was being spent when she authorized the payments. This was the most ideal system Lu Hao had contemplated for a long time.

Of course, Lu Hao also rescinded the punishment he had given Niu Dashan the previous day, though he emphasized repeatedly that from now on, anyone who violated the rules of the office would be strictly punished.

Although Niu Dashan didn't show it on the surface, he was secretly moved by Lu Hao’s willingness to let bygones be bygones and entrust him with responsibility.

Over the next two days, Lu Hao led the staff to re-examine the lists of impoverished, five-guarantee, and low-income households in every village, constantly going deep into the grassroots to investigate each family’s situation. It was exhausting work.

He hoped that every cent allocated by the government would reach the people, and he sincerely hoped that the farmers in Fangshui Township would live better lives.

However, the deeper he went into the grassroots, the more Lu Hao felt that poverty alleviation in Fangshui Township was a difficult task. The complaint he heard most often was about the chemical plant built a few years ago.

Although many young people in the villages chose to work at the chemical plant to earn more money, the working environment there was atrocious, causing the air quality in nearby villages to be extremely poor, and the non-compliant sewage also left the villagers complaining incessantly. This strengthened Lu Hao’s resolve to investigate the chemical plant.

The changes in the Poverty Alleviation Office and the progress of its work were naturally noticed by the leadership of Fangshui Township. Hong Haifeng even specifically called Lu Hao in to praise him.

As the person in charge of poverty alleviation, he naturally hoped that the office would perform better and do more practical things for the people.

But when Lu Hao returned to his office, he unexpectedly received a call from Li Haotian.

"Hello, Township Head Li!"

Although Lu Hao knew what Li Haotian had done, he maintained a respectful tone on the surface. In the political system, everyone wears a mask; only a fool would tear it off—except for hot-tempered people like Niu Dashan.

"Are you free tonight? Let’s grab a meal together," Li Haotian said straightforwardly. As a leader, he had no need to engage in small talk with Lu Hao.

Li Haotian inviting him to dinner? Lu Hao’s mind didn't process it for a moment; it felt as if the sun had risen in the west.

After a brief pause, he quickly replied, "Fine, I will be there on time."

"Qiushui Restaurant. Just head over there after work," Li Haotian said and hung up.