Having spent years here, constantly exposed to the ebb and flow of human relationships, Old Harris was momentarily stunned, but he didn’t dare accept the cigarette from Ryan Carter. Instead, he frowned slightly and said, “At work? How come I’ve never seen you before?” Seeing that Ryan Carter had delicate features and wore glasses, giving off a scholarly air, Old Harris actually developed a rather good impression of him. “Young man, which department do you work in?”

Ryan Carter chuckled, tossed the pack of cigarettes into the security room, and said, “Sir, I’m Ryan Carter, a college graduate reporting to the township government’s General Office today, here as a new temp worker.”

Upon hearing this, Old Harris was baffled. Oh my! Did I hear that right? A college graduate? General Office? Temp worker? Everyone knows what temp workers in the General Office of Yanjiang Township do—it’s all the dirty, tiring, and thankless jobs. Any credit goes to the office leaders. What college graduate would willingly come here to suffer?

Sighing, Old Harris glanced at Ryan Carter and said in a low voice, “Young man, let me give you some advice. You’re a good college graduate—why come here to be a temp worker? You’d better find another job as soon as you can.”

Ryan Carter smiled, knowing it was his pack of cigarettes that had worked, and pretended to be helpless as he shook his head. Ryan Carter said, “There’s nothing I can do. My family doesn’t have any connections. My dad had to pull a lot of strings just to get me this job, so I’ll just make do for now.”

After speaking, he smiled at Old Harris again and said, “I’ll chat with you more when I have time. Could you help me make a phone call?”

As the two were talking, a middle-aged man carrying a black leather bag walked through the gate, nodded and smiled at Old Harris, and was about to head upstairs when he saw Ryan Carter smiling at him. The man blinked and hesitated slightly, “Are you Ryan Carter?”

Of course, Ryan Carter recognized the man in front of him. A month ago, after graduating from college, his parents had taken him to visit this very deputy township head of Yanjiang Township, Matthew Wright. He was in charge of population and family planning, health, civil affairs, and other work. He was already fifty-four this year and would retire next year. Since he was a local and had a good temperament, he had a good reputation among the locals and was known as a genuinely nice guy. It was thanks to his connections that Ryan Carter was able to get a temp job in the General Office of Yanjiang Township Government.

Seeing this, Old Harris was momentarily stunned, then coughed lightly and, without missing a beat, slipped the pack of Hongtashan cigarettes into his own pocket. Looking at Matthew Wright, he chuckled and said, “Deputy Head Wright is here. This is the new college graduate in the General Office, Ryan Carter. What, you know him?”

Matthew Wright smiled. Although he didn’t have much real power in the township, everyone gave him some respect since he was about to retire. Besides, someone about to retire like him didn’t have many demands. This time, it was just for the sake of local ties that he helped arrange a position for Ryan Carter in the General Office, which hadn’t taken much effort at all. To be honest, it was just a temp job doing odd tasks, and since Ryan Carter was a college graduate, the General Office’s supervisor, Deputy Head Foster, had agreed without hesitation.

Looking at Ryan Carter, who was gazing at him respectfully, Matthew Wright chuckled and said to Old Harris, “This kid is a relative of mine. What’s wrong? Did he give you trouble?”

Chapter 005: None of Them Are Easy to Deal With

Old Harris let out an awkward laugh, nodding and bowing to Matthew Wright as he said, “Listen to you! This young man is educated and polite. He was just asking me how to get to your office.”

Ryan Carter was momentarily taken aback, then realized Old Harris was covering for him. After all, since he was arranged here by Matthew Wright, it made sense for him to visit him on his first day. Gratefully glancing at Old Harris, Ryan Carter smiled slightly and said, neither humble nor overbearing, “Uncle Wright, I was just about to go to your office.”

Matthew Wright smiled without saying anything, just patted Ryan Carter on the shoulder and said calmly, “Not bad. Come with me, I’ll take you to meet Deputy Head Foster.” With that, he headed toward the township government office building. Ryan Carter followed closely behind, tactfully keeping a step back. After all, the other was his superior, and Ryan Carter understood the importance of hierarchy.

When they reached the door, Ryan Carter stepped forward, reaching out to open the door before Matthew Wright, and said respectfully, “After you, Deputy Head.”

Nodding at Ryan Carter, Matthew Wright showed a satisfied expression. This young man wasn’t old, but he was quite perceptive and knew his place.

It had to be said, although the Yanjiang Township government building looked impressive from the outside, the quality inside was really poor. The four-story building was as dilapidated as an old, long-neglected dormitory. Ryan Carter even felt that his own college dorm, which was over a decade old, was better than this rundown office building. Of course, not a trace of this showed on his face; he maintained a calm smile and followed closely behind Matthew Wright.

Having worked in the township government for over twenty years, Matthew Wright was a completely marginalized figure, but because he’d been here so long, he was a true old hand and knew everyone inside out. With retirement approaching, he sometimes spoke with no reservations at all.