Power and Wealth

Monday.

Morning.

County Party Committee compound.

After coming to work, Dong Xuebing went to his office in the county compound. He pulled open the curtains and opened the window to let the sunlight in. Immediately, he opened a drawer, found a box of good tea leaves, used his newly bought electric kettle to boil water, and casually prepared the tea set to start brewing and enjoying the tea. The flavor of Longjing tea was rich, and as hot water poured onto the tea leaves, a faint tea fragrance splashed out, filling the room.

Dong Xuebing thoroughly enjoyed one cup, then two, then three. Good things had been happening recently, and his mood was relaxed. Looking at the familiar office and gazing at the familiar scenery outside the window, Dong Xuebing knew that he might not stay in Zhen Shui County for much longer. Surprisingly, he was starting to feel a bit reluctant to leave.

Knock, knock, the sound of a knock on the door.

Dong Xuebing withdrew his gaze. "Come in."

Yao Cui pushed the door open. "Xuebing."

"Cui'er." Dong Xuebing waved. "Quick, just brewed some tea, perfect timing."

Yao Cui smiled, walked over with some documents, sat down, and took the tea cup Dong Xuebing handed to her. She sniffed it and lowered her head to take a sip. "Good tea, so fragrant."

Dong Xuebing said, "It's not as good as before. It's been a couple of months."

Yao Cui took another sip. "It's still good. Well, you know how to enjoy life."

Dong Xuebing laughed. "Haha, I'm just making a show. I don't understand. These were given to me as gifts; not drinking them would be a waste. By the way, take some more later."

"Oh, come on. Whenever you ask me to take some, I take several pounds of tea. Only my dad and I drink tea in my family, and we can't finish so much." Yao Cui poured herself a cup without being too polite.

Dong Xuebing said, "If you can't finish it, give it away. Anyway, I can't take it with me."

Yao Cui was puzzled. "Take it with you? Take it where?"

Dong Xuebing realized he had let something slip. The situation was not settled yet, and he hadn't planned to tell anyone. "Uh, nothing. By the way, do you have something to discuss?"

Yao Cui put down the teacup. "Almost forgot. Mayor Jiang notified us at the last minute. There's a meeting at ten."

Dong Xuebing nodded, poured out the tasteless tea leaves, added some fresh ones, and topped it up with water, shaking it lightly.

Yao Cui looked at him. "Hehe, something on your mind?"

Dong Xuebing smiled. "Just thinking about some things. You've been with me for over four months now, right?"

Yao Cui nodded. "You've been in office for a little over four months, and I've been with you for about the same time. What's up?"

Dong Xuebing pondered for a moment. "What are your plans for the future?"

Yao Cui laughed. "What plans can I have? Just let me continue being a good secretary for my old classmate."

"I'm serious." Dong Xuebing said. "You can't be a secretary forever. You'll move up. What are your thoughts?"

Yao Cui waved her hand. "My abilities are limited, and I haven't thought much about it. Thanks to your help, I got this deputy section chief position. Otherwise, I would have been a clerk for my whole life. What skills do I have? I don't even know."

"Humble, isn't it?"

"I call it self-awareness, hehe."

Seeing her not saying anything, Dong Xuebing thought momentarily. He suddenly said, "In Qing Shui Township, a deputy township Chief is not in good health and has applied for medical retirement. The application has just been submitted, and the county will approve it. After completing the procedures, it should be done within this month or the next at the latest. The current township chief in Qing Shui Township is also due to retire by the end of the year, so he will step down. Therefore, I'm thinking of transferring you to Qing Shui Township. Start as the deputy township Chief. Once you're familiar with the work and achieve some results, I want you to take over when the township Chief steps down. Cui'er, what do you think?"

Yao Cui was stunned, "Didn't I just suggest this?"

Dong Xuebing smiled, "Deputy township Chief, just a lateral transfer."

Yao Cui said, "I have no problem. It's a good opportunity. But what about your secretary position here?"

"It's fine on my end. As long as you agree, I'll inform Mayor Jiang when the time comes."

"Why are you in such a hurry? It's good for you to have me as your secretary. I'm just getting familiar with the work, and I'm afraid I won't be competent if I go to the township now," Yao Cui expressed her concerns.

Dong Xuebing shook his head, "You always say you're incapable, but I don't think that's the case. It's more about whether you have confidence or not. The deputy township Chief position is rare due to the current deputy's medical retirement and the upcoming retirement of the township Chief. So, I want to arrange it for you as soon as possible. Okay, let's settle it like this for now."

After a few more cups of tea and some casual chat, Yao Cui finally left.

Dong Xuebing's haste in arranging things for her had his considerations. It might be too late if he issued the transfer order later and then arranged for Yao Cui. He needed to use his current influence to pave the way for his old classmate, ensuring everything was in place for Yao Cui. As for Yao Cui's side, it was likely not a big issue, given her connection with his friend Chang Juan and her prior appointment as deputy director.

At ten o'clock.

County Government.

Small meeting room.

When Dong Xuebing entered, Deputy Mayor Ci Boyang and Lu Zhi were present. After exchanging greetings, Dong Xuebing took his seat.

"Mayor Lu, what's the matter today?"

"Mayor Li, I'm not quite sure."

"Is there an urgent matter that we haven't heard of?"

Several deputy Mayors looked puzzled, as if none had received any information about the meeting and didn't know what was being discussed. Only Dong Xuebing sat calmly, indicating that he knew some details. When Mayor Jiang entered, Ci Boyang frowned and looked at him, about to ask a question.

"Mayor Jiang."

"Mayor Jiang."

"Since everyone's here, let's begin the meeting."

Jiang Fangfang sat in the main seat, placing documents and a tea cup on the table.

Secretary Li Xiaona was the last to enter, closed the door, took up her pen, and sat at the back, ready to record the meeting.

Everyone looked at Jiang Fangfang, waiting for her to speak.

Jiang Fangfang took a sip of water at a leisurely pace, glanced at everyone, and said, "The main purpose of today's meeting is to make certain adjustments to the work assignments of some comrades."

As soon as the words fell, several deputy Mayors were slightly stunned. There had been no recent job transfers or major failures or mistakes in their work assignments. What did it mean to adjust work assignments, and they hadn't heard any information about which work assignments would change? This matter involved everyone's interests and work, so naturally, everyone's nerves were tense. They exchanged glances, and in the end, it seemed like an unspoken agreement as most of their gazes focused on Ci Boyang and Dong Xuebing. If there were any disharmonies within the county government, it was undoubtedly Ci Boyang, the only deputy Mayor firmly aligned with Secretary Meng. Therefore, everyone speculated that this adjustment was probably unrelated to themselves, mainly targeting Ci Boyang. However, there was also some confusion. The relationship between the Jiang faction and the Meng faction had just eased, entering a honeymoon period. If Mayor Ci Boyang’s interests were harmed, affecting his foundation, it would be equivalent to the Jiang faction declaring war on the Meng faction again, especially when Jiang was in control of the overall situation. What was Mayor Jiang planning at a time like this? If not handled properly, the stable situation could be thrown into chaos.

Even Li Xiaona looked at Mayor Jiang in surprise. As the secretary, she hadn't received any information beforehand and was completely unaware.

The meeting room became somewhat noisy.

Many people whispered and discussed for a few moments.

Ci Boyang’s complexion didn't look too good.

Jiang Fangfang still maintained her indifferent expression. When the meeting room gradually quieted, she calmly said, "As everyone knows, recently, Mayor Dong has achieved remarkable results in the investment promotion department he oversees, attracting nearly two billion in funding. This also means an increase in workload." Seeing the puzzled looks of everyone, Jiang Fangfang continued, "At the same time, Mayor Dong is also the overall commander of the dormitory project. This workload has seriously affected Mayor Dong's physical condition. As many of you may know, Mayor Dong has hardly taken a break for over a month and is very tired. There was even one time when he almost fainted."

What does she mean?

Why is she shifting the focus onto Mayor Dong?

Jiang Fangfang continued calmly, "Yesterday, I communicated with Mayor Dong, and he took the initiative to propose reducing the burden on himself. I agreed. Therefore, starting today, Comrade Dong Xuebing will hand over the work of the Development and Reform Bureau, which he was in charge of, to Comrade Ci Boyang. The science and technology work previously assigned to Comrade Ci Boyang will now be overseen by Comrade Dong Xuebing."

Oh.

Mayor Dong is offloading responsibilities.

Mayor Ci's authority is increasing.

Everyone was stunned. Wasn't this the opposite?Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novelenglish.net . Fɪre.nᴇt

Ci Boyang also didn't expect such a reassignment of duties. He couldn't understand what kind of play Jiang Fangfang was making. Was she trying to create a conflict with Dong Xuebing? This doesn't make sense. There were no reports of them arguing or having any disputes. Could it be that Dong Xuebing genuinely felt the burden was too heavy? Although according to Mayor Jiang's proposal, Ci Boyang was also handing over the science and technology department to Dong Xuebing, could the science and technology department be compared to the development and reform department? It's like comparing finance with archives – the weight of responsibilities is significantly different. Ci Boyang would gain a significant advantage if it were divided this way.

Lu Zhi wanted to say something in defense of Dong Xuebing, but seeing Dong Xuebing's indifferent expression, he refrained from speaking.

A silence fell over the room.

Jiang Fangfang said, "There's nothing else, let's adjourn."

Ci Boyang looked at Dong Xuebing with suspicion and uncertainty.

The others also cast puzzled glances at Dong Xuebing.

What was going on? Working too hard, body not okay – who would believe such an excuse? Everyone knew that Dong Xuebing could lift thousands of kilograms of stone walls, handle a situation with a broken body, and single-handedly take on more than twenty villagers. He lifted a foreigner weighing over three hundred kilograms onto his shoulders with just one hand. If your body can't handle it, who in the world has a body that can?

It's inexplicable.

When did Mayor Dong become so noble?

He voluntarily handed over responsibilities to his political rival.

As the meeting dispersed, the news spread. Without exception, Dong Xuebing's move left everyone puzzled.