Conversation 005

  Han Dong's heart skipped a beat. What did the county head mean? They had agreed to meet at this time, but now he was going to make him wait for another half an hour, which was very unusual.

  Chen Minxuan glanced at Han Dong, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. "You wait here, I'll go first. After you're done talking, come over and I'll take you to arrange your dorm."

  Han Dong did not know why County Chief Fang Zhong wanted to see him for half an hour, he could only quietly sit in the secretary's office and wait.

  Shi Yong poured him a cup of tea and then sat quietly, twirling a pen in his hand. When Han Dong wasn't paying attention, a few threads of mockery leaked out from his gaze.

  Time passed minute by minute and second by second, thirty minutes was not long but hard to bear.

  Han Dong's mood gradually calmed down as time passed.

  This little grievance is nothing and cannot bring him any substantial harm.

  Han Dong glanced at his watch and saw that the time had almost passed, so he said to Shi Yong: "Director Shi, would you please go and ask County Magistrate Fang for instructions?"

  Shi Yong nodded silently and knocked on the door to ask for instructions. He came out quickly, "Comrade Han Dong, the county magistrate asks you to go in."

  "Thank you, Principal Shi."

  Han Dong let out a sigh of relief and thanked Shi Yong before walking over to knock on the door.

  "Come in." A slightly hoarse voice came from inside.

  Pushing the door open, Han Dong finally saw County Magistrate Fang, who had kept him waiting for half an hour. He was wearing a gray suit, his oily hair combed slick and neat. Since he had his head lowered, all Han Dong could see was his not-so-broad forehead and slightly furrowed eyebrows.

  "County Magistrate Fang, hello, I'm Han Dong, here to report for duty."

  Han Dong's voice was still loud and clear, and hadn't faded away after half an hour of decadence.

  The Statistics Bureau is a department of the county government, and as its director, Han Dong can naturally report to the county magistrate.

  "Uh-huh, I'll be fine soon, you sit down first."

  Fang Zhong still didn't lift his head, he held a pen in his hand and slowly slid it across a document.

  "Alright."

  Han Dong sat down neatly in the chair in front of his desk, put his hands on his knees, held his breath and waited quietly.

  Han Dong was mentally prepared and knew that the county head would definitely take advantage of him, so he wasn't in a hurry. He looked straight ahead with a faint smile on his face, not showing any impatience despite being kept waiting by Fang Zhong several times.

  The room was quiet, Fang Zhong held a pen and kept lightly brushing against the document, as if pondering over an extremely important file.

  Although he never lifted his head, he was observing Han Dong with the corner of his eyes.

  "This kid is quite calm and composed, surprisingly making it to the deputy department level at such a young age. What's his relationship with Shen Congfei? Hmmph, actually proposing this kid as the acting mayor of Tiedai Town, can he do it?"

  Fang Zhong secretly deliberated and deliberately opposed it, precisely because Han Dong was a person strongly recommended by Shen Congfei. Who made Shen Congfei not on the same side as him?

  After about half an hour, Fang Zhong finally put down the file and pen in his hand, slowly raised his head, and said calmly: "Is it Han Dong?"

  "Yes, County Chief Fang." Han Dong said with his chest out.

  He didn't understand why the county head wanted to treat him like this. From the moment Chen Minxuan called, Han Dong had been waiting for an hour and a half. Fortunately, he had practiced martial arts since childhood and his qigong skills were excellent; otherwise, he would have been tormented into anxiety long ago.

  Fang Zhong looked at Han Dong's calm face and thought to himself: "This kid is a talent, unfortunately he's not working for me."

  "Well, I asked you to come today to talk about the work of the Statistics Bureau. I hope that after you take office, you will really grasp various tasks and bring our county's statistical work to a new level."

  "The Statistics Bureau, as an important department of the county government, provides crucial information support for the government's decision-making, and cannot be taken lightly. It is precisely because of this that the County Party Committee and the County Government have entrusted such an important department to you, hoping that you can make innovations and creatively carry out various tasks."

  The county magistrate Fang Zhong's eloquence is still very good, a cold yamen, he also made it sound extremely important, as if letting Han Dong go to be the director of the statistics bureau was a sign of his appreciation and cultivation.

  Han Dong had a faint smile on his face, his eyes looking straight at Fang Zhong, occasionally nodding in agreement, pretending to be listening attentively. After hearing him talk so much, it was nothing but empty words, without any real significance.

  Fang Zhong spoke for over ten minutes like a river in full flow before waving his hand to let Han Dong leave.

  "Huh?"

  Standing at the entrance of the county government building, Han Dong let out a long sigh, as if to exhale all the unpleasantness that had been accumulating in his heart.

  "It seems I've gotten myself into a quagmire."

  Han Dong thought to himself, "What's the big deal about the muddy pit? I'll wade through it anyway. Even if the road is treacherous and full of thorns, it can't stop my forward march."

  Han Dong clenched his fists and walked quickly towards the Organization Department.

  "Come on, Han Dong, I'll take you to the dormitory."

  Chen Minxuan couldn't see any displeasure on Han Dong's face, thinking that this guy was really something, if it were himself being kept waiting three to five times, his mood would have been ruined, how could he still be so calm?

  Han Dong carried his bag and followed Chen Minxuan downstairs, where the driver was already waiting in the car. In the car, Chen Minxuan mentioned something about the dormitory, but Han Dong didn't care, thinking that the dormitory was just a place to rest. He had been thinking about the situation in Fuyi County all along and tried to ask Chen Minxuan indirectly, but he didn't get any meaningful information.

  The dormitory of the Grain Bureau is on the third floor, with two rooms and one living room. It's a bit old-fashioned, although it looks like it has just been swept, but there is dust all over the floor, and there are cobwebs on the ceiling.

  Chen Minxuan furrowed his brow, "Hmm, it's a bit simple here, Han Dong, you'll just have to make do. I'll get someone to clean up later."

  He walked over and picked up the dusty phone, looked at it, and said: "I'll have someone turn on the phone for you this afternoon. This house hasn't been lived in for a long time, so the phone was also cut off."

  This house is really too simple, Han Dong thought, how can I live like this, I have to clean it up thoroughly in the afternoon.

  There was a faint musty smell in the bedroom. Han Dong walked over and pulled open the window, and suddenly a large amount of dust poured down, making him cough uncontrollably.

  Han Dong walked into the living room, coughing as he spoke: "Director Chen, it's already noon. I'll take you out for lunch. I'm not familiar with Fuyi either, so you can choose a location."

  Chen Minxuan smiled slightly and said, "Han Dong, don't be so polite. How about this? I'll treat you to lunch today, consider it a welcome for you."

  The two went downstairs, drove to a restaurant, ordered a private room, and ordered several dishes. Chen Min said: "I still have to go to work this afternoon, so let's each drink a bottle of beer."

  Han Dong said: "Alright, let's listen to Chen Bu's."

  His address to Chen Minxuan was somewhat casual, and being too respectful at times was actually a kind of estrangement.

  After a while, the waiter brought up the wine and dishes. Han Dong poured a full cup of beer, held it with both hands to Chen Minxuan and said: "Come on, Director Chen, I'll toast you a glass. Today is really troubling you."

  Chen Minxuan quickly stood up, holding Han Dong's hand. "Han Dong, it's just the two of us here, don't be so polite with me either. These are things I should do anyway. Besides, I won't be able to help you much."

  He could tell that Han Dong was trying to get something out of him, but he also knew that there were limits to what he could say. Besides, some things he couldn't talk about in depth.

  "Chen, I've done it, you can do as you like. I hope you'll support my work more in the future." Han Dong said, tilting his head back and downing the entire cup of beer.