Chapter 2: The Village Heads Red Man

  After watching the middle-aged man leave, Ye Pingyu looked down at the small piece of paper in his hand, carefully preserved it, and then turned around to walk towards the not-too-distant Caoling Village Government Courtyard.

  After graduating from Anning Economic College, he was assigned to work in the Party and Government Office of Cao Lingzi Township. It has been more than three months since then. Ye Pingyu walked to the gate of the township government compound, looked up at the familiar gatehouse and iron gate, and stepped inside.

  After walking in, he greeted Old Yang who was watching the gate and went straight to the party and government office at the back.

  The party and government office of Cao Lingzi Township is located in a simple two-story office building, the entire space looks very cramped. In a less than 20 square meters old room, there are five or six broken tables and chairs, on which are piled telephones, newspapers, documents and other things, looking messy.

  Sunlight pours in from the window, and only then can the things inside the room be seen clearly. After Ye Pingyu walked into the office, his eyes scanned around and he saw several colleagues chatting inside.

  A few days ago, an explosive incident occurred in the countryside. Yang Maojun, the secretary of the township committee who was attending a meeting in the township, and Niu Zhencai, the director of the party and government office, were suddenly taken away by the county discipline inspection commission on the spot. Until now, they have not returned. The people in the township are now in a state of panic, and several colleagues in the office are also uneasy. In private conversations over the past few days, everyone has been talking about this incident.

  But as soon as he came in, those chatting colleagues quickly sat back with a pretentious air, pretending nothing had happened, treating him like an undercover agent lurking in the office to spy on them.

  Seeing their appearance, walking to the seat in front, and sitting down with a plop, Ye Pingyu thought for a moment and couldnt help but secretly laugh. He had never been the kind of person who liked to report on others, yet there were people in the office who loved to do so.

  As he thought of this, Ye Pingyu looked over at his colleague Liang Jun, who was comfortably reclining in his office chair, eyes half-closed, occasionally glancing sideways at Chang Fang, who was admiring herself in a small mirror.

  As soon as he saw Liang Juns appearance, Ye Pingyus eyebrows were furrowed. This kid usually liked to report to the leaders and everyone was very disgusted with him. However, this kid used to be Niu Zhencais darling, following behind Niu Zhencai every day, flattering him. Now that Niu Zhencai had gotten into trouble, he couldnt even sit still in the office a few days ago, but now he looked like nothing was wrong with him, which made people feel very strange.

  Another person who, like Liang Jun, is making people feel strange is Old Zheng. This Old Zheng is older and more senior in age, usually not speaking much or smiling, and never talks to the young people. Just now when he came in, he was wearing his usual glasses, sitting there reading the newspaper, occasionally writing or drawing on it. When he saw him come in, he didnt even lift his head, nobody thought it was strange, but at this moment, he discovered that Old Zheng was secretly laughing to himself, seemingly unable to control it, laughing non-stop!

  Whats so funny about a newspaper? Ye Pingyu was perplexed, thought for a moment, and then turned his head to look at Zhao Yannan, the pretty office beauty sitting on the other side.

  At this time, Zhao Yan was also constantly looking at Old Zheng, who was holding a newspaper from Donglin County. He had been reading it since they arrived in the office and had not finished yet after more than an hour, and he would occasionally burst out laughing. Whats wrong with this old man?

  Yao Weiguo sat there with a gloomy face, the secretary and director had gotten into trouble, he was heartbroken. As the secretarys relative, he had always been a prominent figure in the party and government office, now that the secretary had gotten into trouble, his mood couldnt be worse.

  Ye Pingyu swept his eyes across the people in the office, thinking that among them, he should be the one with the best mood and the most at ease. People in the countryside knew that since he started working here, he had the best relationship with the township head among all the staff in the party and government office, and except for Old Zheng who was a bit of an oddball, the others were all from the same faction as the original secretary and director.

  The village head was always suppressed by the secretary at that time, and he had to hold his tail and be a man every day, with no real power. As his red person, not only did he not get any benefits, but also because of his close relationship with him, Niu Zhencai found an excuse to severely criticize him, criticizing him so much that his whole body was covered in goosebumps at the time!

  It was only later that he discovered all this was due to Liang Jun secretly reporting to Niu Zhencai behind his back!

  When it comes to this matter, Ye Pingyu is very indignant. In fact, he didnt have the intention of getting close to anyone at that time. As a newcomer who had just started working, he didnt have many thoughts. He just saw that the village head was very polite to him, while the secretary and director were looking down on him with their noses upturned. Over time, his relationship with the village head naturally became closer, but he didnt expect Niu Zhencai to suddenly fly into a rage and scold him severely.

  Although he was criticized and suppressed at that time, now its a blessing in disguise. The secretary and director are both in trouble, and the township head seems to be taking over soon. If the township head becomes the township party committee secretary, he will have all the power in his hands. He will become the most popular person in the party and government office, and Yao Weiguo, Liang Jun, and others will have to step aside. Those two little beauties, Chang Fang and Zhao Yanan, will probably follow him around everywhere, haha, just thinking about it makes me happy!

  Through the window, a strand of autumn sunlight shines gently on his body. Ye Pingyu squints his eyes, as if he sees that golden throne beckoning to him. As soon as he becomes the director of the Party and Government Office, humph, Zhao Haibo, who has been showing off in front of him, will definitely have to give him some face!

  Just as I was thinking about something, I suddenly heard Old Zheng making a rustling sound at his seat. Turning my head around, I saw Old Zheng standing in front of the office desk, with his fists clenched and eyes fixed firmly, standing there for a while before walking out of the party and government office without saying a word.

  Everyone saw Old Zhengs strange appearance and couldnt figure out what he was doing, they all watched him walk out of the Party and Government Office.

  "Hehe, go out and take a walk!" Old Zheng had just left, and Liang Jun suddenly stood up from his seat, smiled, and then turned around to head towards the door.

  As soon as the two of them walked out of the party and government office, the office immediately fell silent. Everyone had their own thoughts. Since the secretary and director got into trouble, how to adjust the rural leadership team and who would take over as the director of the party and government office became everyones top concern. Today, Liang Jun and Old Zhengs strange behavior must be related to this matter.

  Chang Fang had been sitting there, staring at the small mirror, but every move around her was under her scrutiny. After Old Zheng and Liang Jun left, she put down the mirror and looked at Ye Pingyu sitting next to her: "Xiao Ye, those two have already left, why are you still sitting here?"

  Yeping Yu said casually as soon as she asked this question: "Fang sister, what does it have to do with them if they go out?"

  Chang Fang chuckled and said: "Youre now the village heads favorite, be careful they snatch your position!"

  Ye Pingyu was shocked in his heart, but on the surface he remained calm and composed, "Fang Jie I dont know what youre talking about, and this position isnt something that can be snatched away!"

  Zhao Yanan smiled and said, "Ping Yu, you cant say that. Youre the village heads favorite, but some things wont stand up to scrutiny. Be more careful!"

  Ye Pingyu furrowed his brow and stopped responding to Zhao Yannans words. The colleagues in the office were not easy to deal with, and if he continued to follow their lead, he would fall into their trap. They just wanted to probe his true intentions.

  Seeing Ye Pingyu not responding, Chang Fang and Zhao Yanan exchanged a smile and also stopped talking. At this moment, the phone on the nearby office desk rang, and Yao Weiguo, who had been silent for half a day, answered the call and then said to Ye Pingyu: "Xiao Ye, the mayor wants materials, let you go up!"

  As soon as he heard this, Ye Pingyu hastily opened the drawer to find the materials that had been written in advance and rushed to the second floor to the county magistrates office.

  He left, and the remaining three people started discussing again, but this time their focus shifted to Ye Pingyu.

  He rushed to the office of Township Head Cao Daifu on the second floor in one breath. As soon as he entered, Ye Pingyu saw that Cao Daifu was holding a phone and talking to someone else, with his legs crossed on the table.

  "Haha, its still uncertain for now, but thanks a lot, buddy!" Standing at the door, Ye Pingyu heard Cao Dafus hearty laughter.

  After finishing the phone call, he turned his head to see Ye Pingyu, and Cao Dafus face was stern again. Ye Pingyu hastily walked forward and handed over the materials, then stood aside.

  Cao Dafu took the materials handed over by him and looked at them seriously.

  After a while, with a creaking sound, Cao Dafu put down his feet and his stout body suddenly bounced out of the deeply recessed chair.

  "Xiao Ye, this material is well written!" Cao Dafu praised after finishing reading.

  Ye Pingyus face broke into a smile, Cao Dafu glanced at him and leaned back in his chair, but suddenly asked: "Little Ye, something has happened in the countryside, what is the current situation with the Party and Government Office?"

  As soon as Cao Dafu asked this, Ye Pingyus heart sank and he didnt know how to answer. After thinking for a moment, he said: "Town head, Yang Secretary and Niu Director were suddenly taken away, everyone looks like they cant sit still..."

  Ye Pingyu had not finished speaking, when Cao Dafus eyes immediately shot out a sharp light, slamming the materials onto the table and sternly saying: "You cant sit still, you have to sit. Little Ye, help me keep an eye on things. At this critical moment, whoever is not honest, I will remove their position!"

  "Yes, yes, Village Chief!" After hearing Cao Dafus words, Ye Pingyu hastily responded repeatedly. Since the secretary director had an accident, Cao Dafus temper had become bigger and bigger, and the village chief who was very polite to people and spoke very kindly was gone.

  Turning out of Cao Dafus office, Ye Pingyu felt a weight lifted off his shoulders and let out a long sigh. For some reason, every time he saw Cao Dafu now, he felt a few more points of tension in his heart, unlike before. In the past, when Cao Dafu saw him, he was all smiles, speaking softly and showing great concern, but now he had become almost like the original secretary, or even worse, making people feel uncomfortable.

  Cao Dafus orders put him in a difficult position, they were all colleagues in the office, but he was asked to keep an eye on them. He knew he wasnt good at this kind of thing, Liang Jun was actually very capable, but since he used to be the secretary and director, Cao Dafu definitely didnt trust him. Now that he was given such a heavy responsibility, although it could be seen as a show of trust, it really put him in a difficult spot!

  It seems that being a good leaders right-hand man is not an easy thing! Ye Pingyu suddenly thought.