“Ryan Carter…”

“Yes, township chief, you called me.”

“Here’s the thing. You were brought in by my arrangement, we’re all fellow villagers here, so I won’t hide anything from you. I’m about to retire soon, and I’m probably the most laid-back person in this township government. The one in charge of your general office is Deputy Township Chief Foster. As for him, well, he’s got a bit of a temper. Sometimes he might say things that sound harsh—don’t take it to heart, it’s all for the sake of work!”

Ryan Carter nodded, quietly taking note of it. It seemed that this Deputy Township Chief Foster was likely a rather hot-tempered person, and his own days ahead might not be so easy. What’s more, Ryan Carter had clearly picked up on some hints from Matthew Wright’s earlier words. It looked like, although this person held the title of deputy township chief, he didn’t really have any real power. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said things like “it’s all for work.” After all, if it were a deputy township chief with real authority, and someone he’d brought in was scolded by others, it would be a loss of face for him, and he’d definitely stand up for his own person.

But it’s exactly people like this that you can’t afford to offend. Ryan Carter knew well what it meant for someone to have survived in a place like this for decades—a true old hand. Officialdom is like a battlefield; you can’t underestimate anyone. If he wanted to establish himself in this Yanjiang Township government, the first thing was to understand everything about this place. That was also why he’d taken the initiative to befriend the gatekeeper. Now, however, his focus had shifted to Matthew Wright, who was walking ahead of him.

Walking respectfully behind Matthew Wright, Ryan Carter put on a humble, eager-to-learn expression, listening to his words and subtly expressing his gratitude. Finally, the two of them arrived at an office on the third floor. At the door, Matthew Wright reached out to knock, only to find the door was ajar. Peeking inside, Matthew Wright shook his head at Ryan Carter with a hint of helplessness and said, “Looks like these guys aren’t at work yet. How about this, I’ll take you to Old Foster’s office and have him bring you over.”

Before coming, Ryan Carter had already asked around through some acquaintances about who this Deputy Township Chief Foster was. His name was Andrew Foster, a deputy township chief transferred from another area, responsible for propaganda and united front work, and in charge of the Party and government office, the labor union, the Communist Youth League, the Women’s Federation, the elderly, and ethnic and religious affairs. Judging from his responsibilities, Ryan Carter knew that this person was probably, like Matthew Wright, a leader without real power.

Seeing that no one was inside, Matthew Wright said rather casually, “Let’s go, Little Ryan, I’ll take you to Deputy Township Chief Foster’s office.”

The two of them arrived at Andrew Foster’s office, and sure enough, the deputy township chief was already there. After listening to Matthew Wright’s introduction and looking over Ryan Carter’s university diploma, he offered a few words of warm encouragement. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the phone and called the deputy director of the township government office, Emily Allen, asking her to come over.

Emily Allen was a woman in her thirties, tall and slender, dressed in a sharp denim outfit. However, her somewhat heavy makeup made Ryan Carter feel she had a bit of that “mature charm.” After hearing Andrew Foster’s introduction of Ryan Carter, this Director Allen raised her willow-leaf eyebrows and looked Ryan Carter up and down with her alluring eyes, smiling as she said, “Oh, Little Ryan, you really are quite the handsome young man. I bet you had plenty of girls chasing you back in school, right? Tell big sis, how did such a young and good-looking guy end up coming to a place like this?”

Ryan Carter showed just the right amount of shyness, lowered his head, and didn’t say a word. Instead, Matthew Wright beside him snorted inwardly, cursed silently, and said with a laugh, “Little Allen, that’s not right. Revolutionary work is the same everywhere! Besides, you’re not that old yourself, and aren’t you here too? Seeing you young folks, I’m the one who should really feel old!”

“Oh, listen to you, Deputy Township Chief Wright, you’re still full of vigor, you don’t look like someone in your fifties at all.” Emily Allen covered her mouth with her hand and laughed coquettishly. But her words gave Ryan Carter some new thoughts. It seemed this Director Allen was no simple character. Even though Matthew Wright was a powerless deputy township chief about to retire, and she, Emily Allen, was just a deputy director of the government office, she dared to speak to Matthew Wright like this right in front of the actual director, Andrew Foster. Clearly, she didn’t take either of them seriously.

As for Andrew Foster, who had specifically called Emily Allen over but hadn’t said a word since introducing himself, it seemed he wasn’t an easy one either—definitely content to watch Matthew Wright and Emily Allen go at it.

Sure enough, there’s no such thing as a simple person in a government office.

Chapter 006 Paying Party Dues

As expected, as soon as Emily Allen finished her sentence, Matthew Wright’s face darkened. Although he was over fifty and about to retire, being talked back to like that by an office director who was technically his subordinate, and right in front of the young Ryan Carter, he immediately felt humiliated and was about to lose his temper.