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The office conditions of the Baoliushu Township Government were even worse than those of Qin Chizian's hometown. The police station, industrial and commercial bureau, broadcast station, finance office, civil affairs office… all the institutions were crammed into a small courtyard, consisting entirely of low, flat buildings.
The party and government office was no different; four people were squeezed into one office. A woman in her thirties listened to Qin Chizian introduce himself and then turned to the young man sitting near the door. "Degang," she said, "has Village Chief Wan given you any instructions? Please take Xiao Qin to the dormitory to get settled."
She turned to Qin Chizian and said, "My name is He Hongmei. Secretary Hu and Village Chief Wan have gone to the county for a meeting. We'll discuss the specific arrangements once the leaders arrive."
Qin Chizian took a moment to observe the office. The bamboo door curtain, the ceiling fan, and against the wall was a hand-cranked mimeograph machine, giving it a sense of nostalgia.
Besides Mr. He and a young man named Xiao Zhu, there were two men in their forties sitting at a table against the wall. They were smoking and drinking tea face to face, seemingly ignoring Qin Chizian entirely, not even batting an eye.
It seems to be two seasoned bureaucrats, unafraid of anything, just waiting for their time to pass. He Hongmei doesn't need an introduction, and Qin Chizian also sees no need to initiate a greeting.
In the backyard, a row of dormitories was built at the foot of the mountain, at least two stories high. Xiao Zhu led him up to the second floor.
Xiao Zhu looked to be only a year or two older than Qin Chizian, but his stern face was marked with the weariness and stories of life. He introduced himself: "My name is Zhu Degang, I was assigned here last year. Sister He is in charge of our Party and Government Office."
Qin Chizian asked him, "Zhu, you've been here for a year now. How's work going?"
Zhu Degang replied, "It's just like that. Our county is the worst in Jiangcheng, and Baliushu is the worst township in the county... I studied enterprise management, but here I'm just doing odd jobs like making wax paper, running errands, and miscellaneous tasks..."
Qin Chizian decided not to pursue the topic any further. Noticing the layer of dust in the corridor, he asked, "Zhu, are there not many people living here?"
Zhu Degang said, "The town mayor and the secretary each have a room, but they rarely stay here. There are several rooms at the rural supply and marketing cooperative that are in much better condition, and the leaders usually live there." He pointed to one of the rooms and added, "This is my dormitory. I found a partner here, and now we are married. I usually stay at my wife's place." In other words, among the eight rooms upstairs and downstairs, only Qin Chizian lives alone.
Bought meal tickets at the cafeteria, only to find out at mealtime that there were only seven or eight people eating. The meal consisted of sweet potato congee, plain steamed bread, and stir-fried sweet potato stems with red chili. It's surprisingly healthy. Watching Qin Chizian enjoy the meal, the cook Master Liu looked pleased and said, "See, it's not my cooking that's the problem, right?"
At night, lying on a small wooden bed and listening to the night wind outside, I remembered the brilliant neon lights of Jiangcheng the night before. Today, I am already in a strange rural area hundreds of miles away, feeling as if I have crossed into a different world.
In the morning, breakfast at 7:30, work at 8:30. He Hongmei took Qin Chizian to an adjacent office: "Village Chief Wan came back last night, come with me to meet him."
Village Chief Wan, whose real name is Wan Hongcai, is in his forties, tall and thin, with a worried look on his face. "You're Xiao Qin, right? Have you arranged for your food and accommodation? In twenty days, we will have the county's mid-year economic work conference. You are a University graduate, so you should fully utilize your initiative and the knowledge you have acquired. Study carefully how to help village improve its economic work as soon as possible... You can go now."
Again to He Hongmei: "Mr. He, let's arrange Xiao Qin to work in your office first!"
He Hongmei hesitated: "Town mayor, our office can only fit four desks, and they are all occupied... How about you talk to get either Zhao Chenguang or Liu Jiajin transferred out for me?"
Wan Hongcai lowered his head to look for something, waved his hand and gestured: "I've handed the person over to you, you figure out the arrangement. Both of those troublemakers were arranged by higher-ups. Can I make the decision?"
Qin Chizian Basically didn't say much and was just sent away.
Damn, what's going on? There's not even a place to sit!
He Hongmei was straightforward: "Xiao Qin, our office writes the economic work report for the village every year. I'll arrange for someone to set up a table in your dorm. You can focus on writing this for the next few days. If you have any questions, ask me. The main focus is on the economic development direction and planning for the second half of the year and the future of the village."
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