Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat.
Qin Yan was indeed a prophet, saying Bureau Chief Wu and Principal Ding would make a move, and they actually did.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Feng asked calmly.
Panicking now wouldn't help since it had already happened.
"A group of substitute teachers are in Bureau Chief Wu's office. But, as you know, Bureau Chief Wu hasn't returned from Yongming County yet, so you'll have to handle it."
Wang Tao said, gasping for breath.
"Got it, I'll be there immediately."
Chen Feng understood instantly. Bureau Chief Wu was deliberately absent at this time, wanting to retaliate using the substitute teachers' issue.
"Deputy Town Chief Chen, you need to be careful. These substitute teachers are very agitated."
Wang Tao reminded him before rushing off.
This mess was caused by Bureau Chief Wu, and he didn't want to be the scapegoat.
Chen Feng took a deep breath and walked straight into Bureau Chief Wu's office.
"Deputy Town Chief Chen, what do you mean by coming here?"
The substitute teachers questioned Chen Feng indignantly.
"Bureau Chief Wu is busy today and cannot come. I will receive you."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"You're receiving us? Will that help? We've approached Bureau Chief Wu several times, but our issues have never been resolved. If even Bureau Chief Wu can't solve it, can you?"
The substitute teachers looked at Chen Feng with righteous anger.
"I am the Deputy Town Chief in charge of education in Mingshan Town. Tell me, can I solve problems?"
Chen Feng reassured them.
"Since you say so, let's get straight to the point. We've been substitute teaching in Mingshan Town for decades, and now a single document has fired us? We were promised that after ten years of substitute teaching, we would be regularized. Haven't all of us taught for more than ten years? And now, with one document, we're fired without any compensation. Isn't this incredibly heartless? If Mingshan Town doesn't resolve this, we'll go to Yongming County. If Yongming County can't resolve it, we'll go to Jiangcheng."
As they spoke passionately, a few substitute teachers started throwing things.
Chen Feng didn't get angry. He put himself in their shoes; if he encountered such a frustrating situation, he would also lose his temper.
"A single document? What document? How come I don't know about it?"
Chen Feng patiently persuaded everyone.
"Bureau Chief Wu said that several primary schools in Mingshan Town are to be merged due to population decline. With fewer schools, we need to be cut. Cutting us is fine. We're not unreasonable; fewer schools mean fewer teachers must be cut. However, to cut us without any compensation, this we will never accept, not even if we die. What's even more infuriating is that they are cutting us, the substitute teachers, while simultaneously hiring new teachers. How can anyone swallow this? Therefore, today, the Mingshan Town Education Bureau must provide an explanation."
"Is there such a thing?"
Chen Feng asked back.
"It's absolutely true."
"Alright, then please wait a moment. I'll make a call to inquire."
After speaking, Chen Feng directly called Bureau Chief Wu.
That scoundrel, Bureau Chief Wu, had turned off his phone.
With no other option, Chen Feng had to call Qin Yan.
On the phone, Qin Yan explained the situation with the substitute teachers in detail.
This matter had been agreed upon by all the leaders of the Mingshan Town Education Bureau, and the Mingshan Town government had also approved it.
The reason was simple: the schools were indeed being merged and reduced.
Furthermore, what the substitute teachers said about reducing substitute teachers while still hiring new ones was also a fact.
"Town Chief Qin, did I hear correctly? I can understand the large-scale dismissal of substitute teachers due to fewer schools. But why are new teachers being hired at the same time as dismissals? What kind of operation is this? Why not dismiss the substitute teachers and hire fewer new ones?"
Chen Feng asked with confusion.
There were quite a few political maneuverings.
Without prior preparation, honestly, it was hard to understand immediately.
"Chen Feng, this is your political naivety. You should be able to guess such an obvious matter."
"Town Chief Qin, I truly can't guess Bureau Chief Wu's such a maneuver."
"Since you can't guess, I'll explain it to you briefly. School mergers are a national policy of China. With the population decreasing due to economic development, this is a trend. However, hiring new teachers is a requirement of political unspoken rules; you must hire them, even if there's overstaffing. This is because these newly hired teachers are basically the children or relatives of the leadership."
Qin Yan explained.
"Town Chief Qin, I understand what you're saying. But if this continues, won't the education sector be overstaffed and inefficient in the future?"
Chen Feng probed.
"Chen Feng, to be honest, this problem isn't only in the education sector; it exists in other government departments as well. Theoretically, with a decreasing population, all government personnel should decrease accordingly. However, the result is that more people are hired year after year. The children of the leadership must be taken care of; this is an unspoken rule that neither you nor I can prevent. This is also why, throughout Chinese history, despite efforts to streamline the workforce, the number of personnel has only increased. Since the Song Dynasty, the number of government personnel in China has never decreased."
Qin Yan continued to explain with a heavy expression.
Honestly, deep down, she disagreed with such behavior, but given the general trend, she had no choice but to go with the flow.
"Town Chief Qin, what you're saying makes sense. However, Bureau Chief Wu's behavior is too unsightly. He's discarding substitute teachers like trash, without any conscience."
Chen Feng said indignantly.
"Chen Feng, you shouldn't be so angry. I told you before, you caused Bureau Chief Wu and Principal Ding a loss of several million, and they won't let you off easily. The substitute teacher incident is Bureau Chief Wu deliberately making things difficult for you. If you don't handle it well, your position as deputy town chief will be unstable."
Qin Yan explained.
"Then what should I do? Now dozens of substitute teachers are surrounding me demanding an explanation. I've never dealt with anything like this before, and I really don't know how to handle it."
Chen Feng replied dejectedly.
"You must learn how to handle it. If you can't withstand these minor storms in the political arena, how will you withstand the major storms in Jiangcheng, the provincial capital, or the capital city later on?"
Qin Yan said sternly.
"I understand, Town Chief Qin. I will find a way to handle this matter properly. Bureau Chief Wu and Principal Ding want to drive me out of Mingshan Town, but I won't let them!"
After hanging up the phone, Chen Feng took a deep breath.
"Everyone, please remain calm. Let's think together and see if there's a good way to resolve this matter."
"Deputy Town Chief Chen, don't waste time. It's clear that Bureau Chief Wu doesn't want to deal with this. What solution can you, an outsider, possibly have? Since Bureau Chief Wu is hiding and refusing to deal with it, then fine, we'll go to Yongming County now to demand an explanation..."
The substitute teachers shouted agitatedly.
"You are teachers, you should understand the law. If so many people go to Yongming County together, what kind of nature does that have? Do I need to tell you?"
Chen Feng said sternly, trying to dissuade them.
"Is there a problem if we go to Yongming County in a calm manner?"
The substitute teachers retorted defiantly.