While Chen Feng and Cheng Lu were discussing how to gather information about Elder Meng, Qin Yan had already begun a conversation with him.
After a few exchanges, Qin Yan realized that Elder Meng was no ordinary man. In the past, she could get a general idea of other influential figures in Mingshan Town with just a few words. However, Elder Meng skillfully evaded several of her probing questions without revealing anything.
"Vice Town Chief Qin, since your arrival in Mingshan Town, the local economy has grown at a visibly rapid pace. You truly are the iron lady of Mingshan Town," Elder Meng said with a smile.
"Elder Meng, you are too kind. Mingshan Town is the largest town in Yongming County, representing half of its economy. Its prosperity is due to its strong foundation, and has little to do with me," Qin Yan replied humbly.
"Modesty aside! By the way, intern Cheng Lu will be regularized in a few days. I have a small, perhaps impolite, request…" Elder Meng asked softly.
"Elder Meng, we are colleagues. Please, feel free to speak your mind. There's no need for formality," Qin Yan responded.
"Vice Town Chief Qin, since you are so forthright, I won't beat around the bush. Cheng Lu is the daughter of a friend of mine. She graduated from Capital University, a truly outstanding student. I was thinking, Mingshan Town's economic department is quite capable of training young people, and you are in charge of Mingshan Town's economy. How about letting Cheng Lu gain some experience in your department?" Elder Meng suggested tentatively.
"Elder Meng, if Cheng Lu were a local to Mingshan Town, I truly couldn't help with this. You are the head of the political work department here, so you should know that personnel appointments require prior public notification. If Cheng Lu is not from Mingshan Town, then no one will know of her connection to you. Even if it were publicized, there wouldn't be major issues," Qin Yan stated honestly.
To put it simply, Cheng Lu's situation was akin to a backdoor deal in the political arena: I place my daughter in your department, and you place your son in mine. This way, both parties' connections are utilized. Simultaneously, both appointments would undergo public notification, posing no obvious problems, and the matter would be settled discreetly.
"Vice Town Chief Qin, with your words, I am reassured," Elder Meng nodded with a smile.
Qin Yan chatted with Elder Meng for a few more moments before concluding their conversation. Elder Meng was a very cautious person, his background deeply concealed. Further probing would likely yield nothing, so she decided to stop.
However, even without uncovering Elder Meng's background, two points were certain: Elder Meng had significant connections, and these connections were located in Jiangcheng. Furthermore, it reaffirmed that Cheng Lu was no ordinary woman. Knowing these two points was sufficient. Henceforth, her dealings with Elder Meng would focus on building rapport. This would allow her to review and familiarize herself with all personnel files in Mingshan Town with Elder Meng's assistance, and later, leverage him to expand her network in Jiangcheng. While she had connections in Jiangcheng, they were not particularly powerful, necessitating Elder Meng as an intermediary. Relationships need to be nurtured periodically; relying solely on one network would not lead far.
Meanwhile, Chen Feng engaged in a conversation with the drivers outside the living room, but the results were disappointing. All he gathered was a general understanding: Elder Meng possessed formidable connections in Jiangcheng, but nothing more could be ascertained. It was undeniable that Elder Meng's background was exceptionally strong; any less influential background would have left some trace.
"Vice Town Chief Qin, I apologize. I had hoped to glean some information about Elder Meng from the drivers in Mingshan Town, but Elder Meng's background is too formidable. All I could ascertain is that his connections are in Jiangcheng; I have no idea who specifically they are," Chen Feng explained to Qin Yan in her office the next day, specifically about Elder Meng.
"Chen Feng, you don't need to blame yourself for this. If even I couldn't extract any information from Elder Meng, then others certainly couldn't. You were quite clever to try and subtly gather information about Elder Meng by approaching his drivers," Qin Yan said, looking at Chen Feng with admiration. This young man had matured significantly since he first arrived. Not only was he astute, but he had also become more loyal.
"Vice Town Chief Qin, it seems that Mingshan Town, despite its small size, is a place where dragons and hidden tigers reside. Elder Meng, Cheng Lu... they are all unfathomable," Chen Feng remarked subconsciously.
"Your awareness indicates further maturity. As the saying goes, there's always someone better, and in the political arena, there are countless hidden influential figures. Therefore, if we wish to thrive in politics, we must be extremely cautious. As for Elder Meng, we will leave it at this. It is sufficient to know that he is an important figure whom we can only win over, not offend. Now, speaking of more serious matters, there are two important tasks I need you to undertake today…"
"Vice Town Chief Qin, please, just give the orders," Chen Feng replied.
"The first task is to personally deliver an important document to Jiangcheng. The second task is to attend the opening ceremony of the study group this afternoon. From now on, you will spend half a day each week attending the study group. The opening ceremony is very important, so do not be late," Qin Yan stated with a serious expression.
"Understood, Vice Town Chief Qin," Chen Feng replied firmly.
"Aren't you curious about what the important document is?" Qin Yan asked, slightly surprised.
"Vice Town Chief Qin, I am merely a driver. The important documents of Mingshan Town are not my concern. I only need to ensure that the important document is delivered safely and on time," Chen Feng replied truthfully.
"Having such awareness is excellent. You have the makings of someone who can navigate the political world. However, in my eyes, you are not an outsider. I'll let you in on a little secret: this document concerns the proposal to upgrade Mingshan Town from a township to a district. Once approved by Jiangcheng, Mingshan Town will no longer be called Mingshan Town within five years; it will be known as Mingshan District. At that point, I have a high probability of being promoted to District Chief of Mingshan District due to this matter," Qin Yan explained with excitement.
"Vice Town Chief Qin, you can rest assured. The conversion of Mingshan Town into a district is a foregone conclusion. With Mingshan Town's ever-increasing economic development, Jiangcheng, in order to expand its economic territory, will definitely agree to the conversion," Chen Feng said, catering to Qin Yan.
However, to be frank, although everyone knew that Mingshan Town's integration into Jiangcheng City was only a matter of time, they were unaware of the immense difficulties involved in the process. Not to mention other factors, but one point alone presented an insurmountable hurdle. Seventy percent of Yongming County's finances originated from Mingshan Town. If Mingshan Town were to be separated, what would happen to Yongming County? This was also the reason why Mingshan Town's attempts at conversion had failed several times in the past decade. Yongming County was not foolish enough to easily relinquish such a valuable asset as Mingshan Town! From another perspective, the conversion of Mingshan Town into a district presented both a significant challenge and a major opportunity for Qin Yan.
To deliver the important document to Jiangcheng swiftly and accurately, Chen Feng drove to Jiangcheng without even having lunch. Normally, the journey took forty minutes, but today, he arrived in thirty.
"Secretary Wang, I have delivered the document. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back to Mingshan Town now," Chen Feng said softly after handing the document to Secretary Wang, a key figure in Jiangcheng.
"You can't leave yet," Secretary Wang called out to Chen Feng immediately.
"Is there something?" Chen Feng asked, looking confused. He was just a driver delivering a document; what use could they have for him?
"The top leader of Jiangcheng is very interested in this proposal, so you must explain the details of this proposal to me. That way, I can explain it to the top leader of Jiangcheng," Secretary Wang stated truthfully.
Upon hearing Secretary Wang's words, Chen Feng found himself in a terrible dilemma. If he stayed to explain the proposal to Secretary Wang, he would be late for the opening ceremony of the Mingshan Town study group that afternoon. However, if he refused to stay and explain the proposal, he would inevitably offend Secretary Wang. He had no personal relationship with Secretary Wang, so he wasn't worried about offending him. However, Qin Yan had a significant connection with Secretary Wang…