Could he be some kind of high-ranking official? William Harris's previously indifferent attitude immediately changed. No matter what, if he could help them resolve the issue, it would at least not be a bad thing for himself.

“Henry Arnold, you should consider yourself lucky to get a hundred yuan. Do you want to take this to the police station?” William Harris shouted at Henry Arnold.

“Brother Wang, since you’ve spoken, a hundred it is!” Henry Arnold glanced at William Harris. He knew William Harris; nowadays, William Harris was quite a figure in the township. If he pissed him off, he might really end up at the police station. Anyway, he’d managed to get a hundred yuan, so it wasn’t a loss. He snatched the money from the driver’s hand, grabbed the child he’d found from who-knows-where, and ran off.

“You can go now. That guy is just an unemployed drifter from the township.” William Harris smiled as he spoke to the middle-aged man.

“And you are?” The middle-aged man took a liking to William Harris and asked.

“I’m William Harris from Huancheng Township.” William Harris replied with a smile.

Nodding, the middle-aged man handed William Harris a business card with only a name and phone number on it. “Young man, I owe you one. I work in the provincial government. If you’re ever in the province, contact me.” With that, he got into his car, waved to William Harris, and left.

“Philip Reed.” William Harris looked at the name, but it didn’t ring a bell. He casually slipped the card into his jacket pocket.

Although he didn’t know what kind of figure this person was, at least he’d made the acquaintance of a provincial official, so William Harris was in a pretty good mood.

Huancheng Township is an important township. In addition to the three top leaders, there are also two deputy township heads.

There was another deputy township head, named Samuel Hill. He was a local, about forty-seven or forty-eight years old, not highly educated but very capable, having worked his way up step by step. Unfortunately, due to his education and age, he couldn’t advance any further. Reaching this position was already quite an achievement. He was usually good to his subordinates and was in charge of things like family planning, so he had a decent reputation.

“Deputy Township Chief Hill.” As soon as he entered the government compound, William Harris saw Samuel Hill getting out of a shabby minivan. Since Samuel Hill was always approachable, William Harris quickly greeted him.

“Xiao Wang, hello, hello.” Samuel Hill reached out to shake William Harris’s hand, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then walked inside.

Samuel Hill’s official demeanor was very steady, without any ups and downs.

Seeing Samuel Hill’s state, William Harris knew this man wouldn’t be affected, meaning his position as deputy township head was unlikely to change.

If the Party Secretary or township head really got into trouble, as long as no one was sent from above, Richard Howard definitely had a shot at promotion. Being able to observe official “aura” ensured accuracy in handling matters, so William Harris felt he needed to speed up his contact with Richard Howard. Although Richard Howard had already shown interest in recruiting him, the key was to take the initiative himself.

That afternoon, nothing much changed in the government compound. People didn’t seem to sense anything about the events that were about to unfold. Lily Scott had probably gone out with the township head and was in a great mood, spending the whole morning looking in her little mirror.

David Carter spent the whole afternoon going in and out of the Party Secretary’s and county head’s offices. No one knew what he was busy with, but he clearly wasn’t in a good mood—his face was long all day.

Throughout the afternoon, William Harris kept analyzing the situation. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Richard Howard would get promoted. He remembered that last year, the deputy county Party Secretary had nominated him for the position of deputy secretary, but it hadn’t worked out. Now, with this situation, at the very least he should be able to get the deputy secretary position.

After work, William Harris had dinner and then took a canister of tea worth a thousand yuan to Richard Howard’s house.

William Harris had once read something about the unspoken rules of officialdom. It said that officialdom was a game for the wealthy: when dealing with superiors, a thousand yuan was just to get your name on the list, ten thousand to check in, fifty thousand to get a hat, and a hundred thousand to bring good news. Naturally, William Harris filtered out anything above fifty thousand—he couldn’t afford that much, nor even ten thousand. After thinking it over, he decided to just get his name on the list.

Richard Howard’s wife didn’t live with him in the township. Their home was in another township, and she was said to be a schoolteacher. Since it was unclear how long Richard Howard would be working here, she hadn’t transferred over.

Carrying the tea, William Harris gently knocked on Richard Howard’s door.

Because he didn’t have much power, Richard Howard’s home was noticeably quiet. Richard Howard was sitting on the sofa watching the news.

When he saw William Harris arrive, Richard Howard’s face lit up with delight. What officials fear most is having no visitors; only when people come does their power feel real.

“Xiao Wang, you didn’t have to bring anything.” Richard Howard pretended to be annoyed, even personally making tea.

“Township Chief Howard, it’s just a small token, nothing more.” William Harris said with a smile. Seeing Richard Howard making tea, he thanked him, stood up, and took the cup to make the tea himself.

After chatting for a while, William Harris said seriously, “Township Chief Howard, something strange happened in the office today. I feel I should report it to you.”