Originally, William Bolton’s father Edward Bolton was hoping he could use this opportunity of the county’s young cadres training to make a good impression and maybe get promoted to deputy township chief or something. Who would have thought that before the training even started, William Bolton suddenly fell seriously ill with a persistent high fever, missing the training altogether. The old couple could only watch anxiously, and these past two days his mother Grace Sutton has been nagging him non-stop.

In response, William Bolton just smiled. Politically, he was far more mature than his parents. Although, as a rule, getting into the young cadres training class was always a sign of an upcoming promotion, William Bolton knew very well that his chances of being promoted were slim.

This year’s situation was a bit special. The State Council had held several meetings to discuss the issue of younger cadres and had issued a series of important directives on how to strengthen the training of young officials. As for himself, he was just catching a ride on the coattails of this policy; it was just the people below putting on a show.

Focusing on cultivating young cadres showed the organization’s emphasis on them, but whether someone could be promoted required a comprehensive consideration. William Bolton was self-aware enough to know he definitely wasn’t in that scope of consideration.

Still, despite all this, William Bolton wasn’t discouraged. The hardships and trials of his previous life had forged his tenacious character, and the rollercoaster of being terminally ill and then reborn had pushed him to mature even further. Politics is, after all, the ultimate test of a person’s endurance, intelligence, and emotional intelligence. The way of officialdom is deep and complex; short-term gains or losses don’t mean much. As long as he was in this circle, there would always be opportunities.

He knew clearly that, although he seemed down and out at the moment, his starting point was much higher than in his previous life. No matter what, he was a civil servant now, and with that status, he had room to maneuver.

“Mom, I want to go to the Party School this afternoon to see if there’s still a chance to join the class for a while. It’ll be good for my future work, too.” After lunch, William Bolton said to his mother with a smile.

“Qingyun, I think you’d better forget it! Your dad asked around and heard that the promotion slots have already been decided. Even if you manage to join the class now, you won’t get promoted, so what’s the point? You might as well focus on recovering your health. The conditions in the mountains are tough!” Grace Sutton sighed.

“Mom, how can you say that? The organization arranged the young cadres training, which shows they value us. It’s only right for me to seek progress. Should I stop learning just because there’s no chance of promotion? That kind of thinking is unacceptable!” William Bolton said seriously.

“You little rascal, you’re not even a minor official yet and you’re already talking like one to your mother. Let’s see how I’ll teach you a lesson!” Grace Sutton scolded playfully, picking up a broom and swinging it at William Bolton.

William Bolton laughed, dodged his mother’s swipe, and quickly ran out the door.

In the western suburbs of Yongping County, there’s a small hill called Tiger Mountain by the locals, covered with orange trees. The county Party School is located there.

William Bolton walked onto the main street of the county, reached into his pocket, and found he only had a few dozen yuan on him. He smiled wryly to himself, but still spent 38 yuan on a pack of Furongwang cigarettes—after all, he couldn’t look too shabby when meeting the leaders.

After buying the cigarettes, he had no money left for a taxi. The Party School was a bit out of the way, with no bus routes, so William Bolton had to walk. Fortunately, the county was small, and he reached his destination in less than half an hour.

“Hey, comrade! Who are you here to see?” As William Bolton was about to enter, the gatekeeper stopped him.

“Oh, my name is William Bolton, from the young cadres training class. I’ve been sick these past two days and I’m here to explain the situation to Principal Thompson.” William Bolton replied with a smile, skillfully handing over a cigarette.

The guard took the cigarette, eyed William Bolton suspiciously, but seeing his attire, he did look the part of a young cadre, so he said nothing and dialed the internal phone.

“Hello, is this Principal Thompson? There’s someone outside named…”

“Here, let me talk to him.” Before the guard could finish, William Bolton grabbed the phone and said politely, “Hello, Principal Thompson, this is William Bolton from Liziping Township. I couldn’t attend the young cadres training these past two days due to illness, so I came today to explain the situation to you in person. Would it be possible for me to come in and report to you in detail?”

“William Bolton?” A puzzled voice came from the phone; clearly, Principal Thompson wasn’t familiar with the name. But William Bolton spoke very appropriately, and it wouldn’t look good to refuse him outright—after all, he was from the Organization Department, and if a young cadre seeking progress was turned away, it could be seen as suppressing initiative, which wasn’t worth it.

“All right, just tell the gatekeeper Xiao Wang and come to my office!” Principal Thompson said kindly.

The county Party School principal was named David Thompson, who also served as deputy head of the Organization Department, at the division chief level. He was about forty, looked neat and capable, and had a bit of a scholarly air. It seemed the organization had good reason to appoint him as the Party School principal.

“Hehe, Xiao Zhang! Come in, have a seat!” David Thompson greeted him warmly, standing up as soon as William Bolton entered.