Half an hour after Qin Mu left his office, the county party committee office issued a notice, which was distributed throughout the county.
The message was simple: Huaining County currently has no plans to issue subsidies; all rumors are false and should not be believed.
The notice came from the county party committee office, naturally representing the will of County Party Secretary Liang Guan.
This left all the county's civil servants bewildered.
What exactly did this mean?
One minute it was said that Secretary Liang had requested the county government to issue subsidies to all cadres, and the next minute he was denying it, saying the news was false.
Whom should they believe?
"I'm speechless. All that excitement for nothing!"
"So, all of this was Secretary Liang fooling us?"
"I knew it! Secretary Liang isn't a good person; he's playing this trick!"
"We've all been deceived?"
...
Many people were discussing this, and the focus of the conflict naturally rested on County Party Secretary Liang Guan.
After all, the rumors started circulating from Secretary Liang's side, and now that they've been refuted, everyone knows that Secretary Liang is clearly playing a trick on them.
They've all been fooled!
"County Chief, you're amazing!"
Just before leaving get off work, Han Ying excitedly walked into Qin Mu's office and said, "I understand now. Since you couldn't deny it, you simply made a big fuss, spreading it throughout Jiangzhou, forcing Secretary Liang to resolve the issue. Is that the plan?"
"That's right."
Qin Mu nodded slightly, no longer hiding anything, and said bluntly, "Subsidies for cadres in various places are related to local economic development. Huaining County's economic development ranks at the bottom of the city, yet it's receiving subsidies of over ten thousand yuan. What will cadres in other areas think?"
"With more discussion, the city government leaders will naturally pay attention, and Secretary Liang will definitely feel the pressure."
"In the end, he'll have to handle this mess himself. Anyway, all the news is centered around Liang Guan."
The only thing Qin Mu hadn't expected was the speed at which the news spread; it reached the city government leaders in half a day.
This is truly the information age!
How interesting!
Han Ying's eyes were full of smiles. "This is called being too clever for one's own good. If Secretary Liang hadn't wanted that reputation, he wouldn't have been dragged into this."
"That's right."
Qin Mu nodded slightly. "Secretary Liang wanted a reputation for working for the benefit of all cadres to win people's hearts, but in the end, he became the center of the whole rumor. Once he refutes the rumors, all the reputation he's built up will vanish instantly!"
"This tells us that as cadres of the people, we should work diligently and practically. Trying to be clever all the time, without being pragmatic, will eventually lead to our own downfall."
Hearing this, Han Ying's eyes were filled with admiration.
"County Head, but the most important issue hasn't been resolved yet."
Han Ying suddenly remembered and asked, "Secretary Liang only denied the subsidy distribution, but what about the visits to the masses, the meetings with leaders, and the cultural performances..."
"I've been thinking about that. It's the end of the year, and some necessary expenditures are unavoidable."
Qin Mu explained, "We just need to control the amount. After a year of hard work, if we don't give out any benefits, wouldn't we be considered stingy?"
"The real purpose of this whole thing with Secretary Liang is to control spending and regain control. How much money we spend and how we spend it should be under our control."
Oh right!
Hearing this, Han Ying was amused.
"You're right, I forgot. The county government always has such expenditures at the end of the year."
Han Ying, having come from the county government office, knew better than anyone what needed to be done at the end of the year.
"Alright, let's leave it at that!"
Qin Mu glanced at the time and ended the conversation. "It's time to go home. You should go home early too!"
"Okay!"
Han Ying readily agreed, said goodbye to the county head, and left.
Qin Mu quickly tidied himself up and headed outside as well. Zhao Yanan had said she was coming to see him today; by now, Yanan would probably have already prepared dinner.
Thinking of this, Qin Mu quickened his pace.
Upon reaching the county committee dormitory compound, before going upstairs, he ran into Xu Lu.
The latter seemed to have arrived home earlier.
"County Head Qin, do you have guests today?"
Xu Lu asked casually upon seeing him.
Guests?
What guests?
Qin Mu was puzzled and subconsciously replied, "No, why?"
"Then you should go up and check on them!"
Xu Lu smiled and reminded him.
What did she mean?
Qin Mu wanted to ask more, but Xu Lu kept urging him to go upstairs. Qin Mu simply hurried up, wanting to see who was at home.
Upon reaching the hallway, he immediately saw Zhao Guanlin standing outside.
Zhao Yanan's older brother, a department head in the provincial department—what was he doing here?
"Brother Zhao, what brings you here?"
Qin Mu walked over, greeting him with a smile, and said, "You're coming? You should have told me beforehand so I could have entertained you!"
Hearing this, Zhao Guanlin didn't respond at all. He merely glanced at Qin Mu, then gestured towards the house, saying, "You don't need to entertain me. There's someone inside who needs your attention!"
Huh?
There's someone inside?
Qin Mu was puzzled and subconsciously walked over, glancing inside.
He saw a middle-aged man sitting upright on the sofa, his eyes filled with authority, his entire being exuding an air of quiet authority.
Zhao Yongfeng!
Father of Zhao Yanan and Zhao Guanlin!
The leading figure of the second generation of the Zhao family.
Unexpectedly, he's actually in my dormitory?
What's he doing here?
More importantly, Qin Mu didn't see Zhao Yanan anywhere, meaning Yanan wasn't here, but Zhao Guanlin and Zhao Yongfeng were.
"Uncle Zhao, why did you come in person!"
Many thoughts flashed through Qin Mu's mind, but he quickly stepped forward, smiling and greeting him, "I didn't prepare anything here, and Yanan didn't tell me beforehand, I'm really sorry!"
"How about this, I'll treat you tonight, let's sit down and chat, have a meal together, how about it?"
"No need for a meal."
Zhao Yongfeng refused directly, "I came just to talk to you!"
"Come, sit down, let's chat!"
He gestured to the seat next to him.
Well…
Is he here to interrogate me?
Even if Qin Mu was naive, he could sense the murderous aura emanating from Zhao Yongfeng; it was clearly aimed at him. If he didn't perform well today, his relationship with Ya Nan might be over.
"Uncle Zhao, please speak, I'm listening!"
Qin Mu, sitting to the side, spoke directly.
"What will come, will come. Whether it's good fortune or misfortune, there's no escaping it!
Anyway, just face it calmly!"