As soon as he heard this, William Owen became even happier. After all, it was truly rare for a graduate from a prestigious university to return to his hometown to work and have such a mindset. Patting Ryan Carter on the shoulder, William Owen smiled and said, “You’re not bad, kid. You’ll definitely have a bright future!”

After saying this, he turned and left the office with the printed speech in hand.

Although he quite admired Ryan Carter, after all, he was just a fresh graduate, a young kid. As the deputy party secretary, the gap between the two of them was simply too great.

Ryan Carter didn’t mind at all. Instead, Michael Thompson quietly gave Ryan Carter a thumbs up. After all, knowing William Owen’s background and still being so calm—if it were Michael Thompson himself, he would probably have been stammering, not knowing how to respond.

After work, Ryan Carter rode home on Michael Thompson’s motorcycle, picked up two home-raised hens, and paid a visit to Matthew Wright. Since he had mentioned it in the office that morning, he naturally had to keep his promise.

Matthew Wright’s wife, Linda Thompson, was very warm and welcoming. After taking what Ryan Carter brought, she went straight to the kitchen.

With a chuckle, Matthew Wright said to Ryan Carter, “Xiao Lu, it’s your first day at work today. How do you feel?”

Ryan Carter replied respectfully, “Not bad. Everyone is very friendly. I even ran into a classmate from middle school.”

“Oh?” Matthew Wright was surprised and smiled, “Who was it?”

“Michael Thompson.”

Ryan Carter answered calmly.

Now it was Matthew Wright’s turn to be surprised. He reached out and laughed, “Not bad! With that little rascal around, at least no one in the office will dare bully you.”

The two chatted for a while longer, talking about various matters in the township, and only then did Ryan Carter take his leave.

As soon as he stepped out of Matthew Wright’s house, the smile on Ryan Carter’s face vanished without a trace. Through his conversation with Matthew Wright, he learned that right now, in Yanjiang Township, no one could shake Ethan Green’s position. Whether it was the township head or anyone else, Ethan Green had the district chief backing him, so he wasn’t afraid of anyone’s little tricks.

But he clearly remembered that Ethan Green was eventually transferred!

Ryan Carter was left completely puzzled.

……

At the same time, William Owen was on the phone with Charles Grant.

“Old Han, what made you think of checking in on me?”

Having known each other for many years, and having been bunkmates, William Owen spoke without much formality, getting straight to the point with Charles Grant.

Charles Grant chuckled and said lightly, “What, I got promoted and you’re not feeling anxious?”

William Owen’s heart stirred. With so many years of friendship, there was no need to beat around the bush, so he asked directly, “What? You want me to make a move?”

To be honest, he hadn’t expected Charles Grant to get this far. Back then, both of them had just graduated from university, but Charles Grant had worked his way up from a regular staff member to a division-level cadre, and now had made a meteoric rise into the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League in Beijing. To say he wasn’t envious would be a lie, but he really hadn’t thought he’d have a chance to make a move himself.

Charles Grant laughed, “Your secretary Samuel Thompson in Muyang City was my classmate in the Party School’s advanced training class. So, what do you think? Want me to put in a word?”

William Owen hesitated for a moment, a bit indecisive. Suddenly, he remembered a sentence Ryan Carter had written on that document today: “As a cadre, you must dare to be the first. You need the courage to eat crabs, don’t wait, you must dare to fight!”

Thinking of this, William Owen spoke with determination, “Alright, where to? You’re the leader, I’ll follow the organization’s decision.”

Charles Grant seemed a bit surprised at his old friend’s sudden courage. Usually, when they talked about such things, William Owen would always avoid the topic, but this time he volunteered himself, which was quite unexpected for Charles Grant.

“Old Stone, what’s gotten into you? Volunteering yourself—I thought I’d have to talk you into it!” Charles Grant laughed.

William Owen chuckled, “If you want to serve the people, you have to have the courage to eat crabs, to dare to fight. Otherwise, when will you ever realize your ambitions?”

Now Charles Grant was even more surprised, and couldn’t help but sigh, “Alright, alright, this stubborn old stone finally gets it. I’ll be straight with you: you’re probably going to get a promotion, likely to a full division-level post. As for the exact position, I can’t disclose that.”

William Owen was instantly stunned. To be transferred directly from township party committee deputy secretary to a full division-level post was a meteoric rise. The difficulty of jumping from section chief to division chief was self-evident. Thinking of this, he was filled with emotion, and his gratitude toward Charles Grant was beyond words. “Secretary Han, I…”

Charles Grant didn’t say much. Setting aside their years of friendship, as someone with great political ambition, he naturally needed to support his own team. He was just surprised at William Owen’s change. After thinking for a moment, he still asked, “Peter White, you’re different from before today, aren’t you? Tell me, what miracle pill did you take to suddenly become so enlightened?”

Chapter 015: A Way to Make Money