Power and Wealth

Noon.

12 pm.

County Party Committee compound.

Dong Xuebing walked into the canteen under the scorching sun. Today, he decided to have steamed buns. It was also hot inside the canteen, with steam rising from the steamers. Dong Xuebing nodded and exchanged greetings with some acquaintances and colleagues. After getting his meal, he headed towards the window with shade. It was cooler there.

"Mayor Dong."

"Uh, please sit."

"Let's switch tables."

Several clerks sitting at that table quickly stood up.

However, Dong Xuebing immediately gestured with his hand and took an empty seat, "If it's okay, I'll sit here and eat together. Don't let me disturb your conversation."

"No, not at all."

"That's good."

"You're too polite, Mayor Dong."

"Yeah, the buns taste great."

"Yes, our canteen's buns are the best."

Dong Xuebing chatted casually with them while eating.

A gentle breeze blew, quite refreshing. Well, he should wear less tomorrow.

After lunch, Dong Xuebing didn't return to his office. Thinking about the upcoming city investment promotion conference, he called Yao Cui.

"Xiao Yao, have you had lunch?"

"Not yet. I'm busy with something; I'll eat soon."

"Eating is important. Work can be done at any time."

"Haha, okay. I will listen to our Mayor Dong."

"By the way, help me contact the Investment Promotion Bureau. I'll go there later."

"Is it an inspection during lunchtime? Okay, I'll inform them."

After hanging up, Dong Xuebing calmly walked towards his Land Rover. After a brief hesitation, he stopped and turned around, walking directly out of the compound. It was a good opportunity to exercise his body, and it wasn't too far. After being busy for so long without any free time, today marked the first time Dong Xuebing visited the Investment Promotion Bureau since taking office. He didn't plan to make any sudden attacks, so he informed his secretary in advance. Dong Xuebing had established a stable position in Zhen Shui County, proving himself with his work capability and gaining a certain level of respect. There was no need for him to resort to sudden intimidation.

Just before 1 pm.

A three-story office building came into view.

Looking at the sign at the entrance of the office courtyard from the road, Dong Xuebing frowned slightly. He knew this was the address of the Investment Promotion Bureau and had passed by a few times. However, he had never entered seriously. Looking closely, there were signs of the Zhen Shui City Investment Promotion Bureau and two other department signs. Several units shared the three-story small office building.

So miserable.

Too weak.

Why don't they even have an independent office space?

Dong Xuebing looked at the entrance, but there was no gatekeeper, and the reception room was empty. He walked slowly into the courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw Zheng Dayou, the director of the Investment Promotion Bureau, at the entrance of the office building. Two other people were beside him: a woman in her thirties and a young man in his twenties with a prominent mole on his forehead.

"Mayor Dong."

"Mayor Dong."

Everyone greeted him.

Dong Xuebing smiled and nodded at them, "Let me introduce you."

Zheng Dayou pointed to the woman, "This is Cheng Yujie, our veteran at the Investment Promotion Bureau. She has worked in investment promotion for at least seven or eight years and is very experienced. Currently, she is in charge of finance, office management, and other business."

Cheng Yujie smiled, "Hello, Mayor Dong."

Dong Xuebing shook hands with her, "Hello, Director Cheng."

Cheng Yujie quickly waved her hand, "I'm just a staff member, not a director."

A staff in charge of many departments, including the office, business, and finance, could hold at least a Deputy Section Chief position.

Zheng Dayou coughed and then pointed to the young man, saying, "This is Chen Yunsong. He is a new civil servant who joined recently. He's very flexible and handles things smartly. Currently, he is in charge of data management and occasionally handles some business matters. When there's a car, he is also the driver. Oh, right, he is also the contact person for business matters for the time being. This young man is very capable and hardworking."

Dong Xuebing:"…… "

Chen Yunsong respectfully greeted him, "Mayor Dong."

Dong Xuebing shook his hand, not knowing what to say.

Zheng Dayou probably knew what Dong Xuebing was thinking, "Mayor Dong, shall we go upstairs? I'll slowly report the situation to you."

"Okay, let's go upstairs." Dong Xuebing lifted his foot.

"Watch your step," Chen Yunsong quickly reminded.

In the next step, Dong Xuebing stepped on a partially concealed wooden board and swayed, almost stumbling. Upon closer inspection, he found that a section of the cement steps leading to the office building had collapsed. It was covered with a worn-out wooden board, uneven and shaky. Dong Xuebing glanced at it and gained a preliminary understanding of the working environment in the County Investment Promotion department. When he served as the director of the Investment Promotion Bureau in Yantai County before, the working environment was average, but even so, they had a few cars and an independent office building. Unlike in Zhen Shui County, the departments were well-organized, with clear divisions.

But in Zhen Shui County…

It was incredibly dismal.

Is this even a direct department of the County Government?

When he reached the second floor and saw the office space of the County Investment Promotion department, Dong Xuebing's imagination was completely overturned. He felt like Sister Jiang had tricked him.

With these resources and this environment, it'd be a miracle if they could attract investment.

If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't invest either.

The second floor had a large office area with four or five desks. There was a sign on the only office in the back, which must be Zheng Dayou's. Other than that, well, there was nothing else. Dong Xuebing didn't even see anyone in the office area except for a girl sitting at the front desk.

The front desk girl quickly stood up, looking a bit nervous.

Zheng Dayou introduced, "This is Staff Member Gong Na, responsible for reception and logistics. She's been here for less than a year. Oh, by the way, she is also temporarily acting as the cashier."

"Mayor Dong." Gong Na greeted hurriedly.

Dong Xuebing nodded, "Hello."

A cashier doubling as reception and logistics – it was a mess of responsibilities.

Sighing, Dong Xuebing turned to Zheng Dayou and asked, "Where are the others? Have they gone for lunch?"

Zheng Dayou smiled bitterly, "What others? There are only four of us in the investment promotion department now."

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In such a large organization, there were only four people.

Dong Xuebing immediately said, "Let's talk in your office."

"Sure, please come this way." Zheng Dayou led Dong Xuebing into the only office in the office area. After entering, he poured a glass of water for Dong Xuebing.

Naturally, Dong Xuebing had no intention of drinking it and asked, "I've been busy since I arrived, and later, I took leave due to an injury for quite a few days. I didn't have a chance to understand the situation. Old Zheng, how come our investment promotion bureau only has four people, and there's not even a deputy director?"

"We had a deputy director before," Zheng Dayou explained helplessly, "But he retired. To save expenses, the higher-ups didn't send anyone else down. As for the Office Director, uh, we've never had one. Staff Members perform all duties. There are no departments either. With just these people, whoever is free will do the work." He continued, "The county's finances were tight last year. Quotas were given to various departments, and we wanted to hire more people, but we didn't have the conditions. The county didn't approve, and our county's investment promotion work hasn't been good these years. It's my responsibility. We don't get more than five or six investors a year. Don't laugh at us. We mostly sit and do nothing all day with just the four of us. Mayor Dong, it's not a matter of our work attitude but that no one is willing to invest in our county. We called and begged people, and in the end, not to mention investment, they won't even come for a visit because they find our county too far away with too much wind and sand."

Talking about this, Zheng Dayou also had a stomach full of bitterness and poured it all out to Dong Xuebing.

Dong Xuebing pondered for a moment. "Show me the investment performance over the past few years."

"Sure, I'll have someone fetch it." Zheng Dayou immediately went out to give the order.

Not long after, Gong Na, the office clerk, came in holding a stack of documents and placing them on the table. She also curiously glanced at the city's youngest Deputy Division Chief level leader.

Zheng Dayou had originally wanted to pick up the documents and briefly explain them to Dong Xuebing. However, Dong Xuebing shook his head and said there was no need. He picked up the documents and read them. This type of report was generally not understood by outsiders, and even if understood, it would take a lot of time to browse through because it contained a lot of nonsense and some surface-level data done for appearances. However, Dong Xuebing flipped through it a few times and roughly understood it. He had been the Investment Promotion Bureau Director before and knew where the focus should be.

Five minutes later, Dong Xuebing put down the documents and remained silent.

Originally, from the information he got from Mayor Jiang, Dong Xuebing had anticipated the situation and knew their investment promotion work was poor. However, he didn't expect it to be this bad.

The average annual investment promotion target was less than five million in the past five years. Dong Xuebing looked at Zheng Dayou and said, "Not even five million in a year?"

Zheng Dayou pondered for a moment. "Yes, and last year was considered a lot."

When he was the Investment Promotion Bureau Director in Yantai County, Dong Xuebing's subordinates could easily secure an investment of five to ten million with a casual signature. Investments in the range of one to two million were even delegated to the staff members when the business department leaders didn't bother. However, these investments that the Yantai County Investment Promotion Bureau looked down upon were roughly equivalent to the annual investment promotion performance of Zhen Shui County.

It was truly shocking, and the comparison was eye-opening.