Chapter 2395 - 2395:

Originally, on this floor there were three units like the one used as Liu Zhizhong's dorm.

But the other two are empty; nobody lives in them. The renovation in those two is also pretty decent: one is assigned to the town People's Congress chair, the other to the town armed forces minister.

It's just that, basically, the people who serve as township-level leaders here in Linxi don't live in the office compound; they either own a place in town or rent one. The People's Congress chair is the former town Party secretary who stepped back to second line and moved over; he's a local, has a house in town, so he doesn't live here.

The armed forces minister was transferred from a neighboring town; he has a home and family in Wangjiang Town, so he doesn't stay here either. Normally he just goes back to Wangjiang after work and only comes over when he's on duty. Sometimes, if there's nothing major going on in town, it's fine if he doesn't come at all.

So, mixing around here is actually pretty good; there are leaders who basically don't show up for work all year round and still take their salaries for nothing!

For a single mayor like Liu Zhizhong, it doesn't really matter; he doesn't mind that the place is old and shabby, and he's too lazy to use public funds to rent in town, so he'll just leave it at that!

This way of thinking also earned silent approval from Wu Ming deep down…

Of course, Liu Zhizhong also said: he hoped that in future they could move into new dorms, meaning the entire office compound would be torn down and rebuilt, expanded and upgraded!

Wu Ming smiled and nodded. "Let's hope that day comes. Depends on Mayor Liu."

"Heh, we'll just see as we go. Anyway, let's go grab dinner together at the canteen. Then I'll trouble you to help me carry my stuff up to the dorm?"

Wu Ming was taken aback, shook his head and said, "Hey, Mayor Liu, our canteen only provides one free meal at noon, it doesn't cover breakfast."

"Oh? What's the story?"

Liu Zhizhong raised his eyebrows, puzzled.

"In this compound, I used to be the only one living here, so the canteen doesn't do breakfast or dinner. Now with you added, it's still probably not worth opening. The other leaders or staff either have houses in town or are renting; some take care of breakfast and dinner at nearby restaurants, some eat at home. Of course, in twos and threes, little cliques, every few days they'll eat and drink together at restaurants in town, that's normal. And…"

As he spoke, Wu Ming trailed off, seeming a bit hesitant.

Liu Zhizhong said, "What is it, Director Wu? There's something you don't want to say? Just say it, no need to hold back, hehe…"

As he spoke, Liu Zhizhong also handed him a cigarette.

Wu Ming took the cigarette, lit up, slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, then lowered his voice and said, "Tonight, Secretary Yang and the other main leaders will definitely be getting together at Jun's Restaurant, the most famous place in town. They won't invite you. Hehe…"

"Oh… mm…" Liu Zhizhong nodded to show he understood. "They're probably a little circle, with Secretary Yang at the center, having a private get-together to talk about what they think of me as the newcomer, or to discuss how they're going to get along with me?"

As he spoke, Liu Zhizhong recalled that after entering town, driving along the main road, he had indeed seen outside a lane on the left a building that looked fairly imposing, like a restaurant—that must have been Jun's Restaurant.

Wu Ming nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. "Yeah, that's right, Mayor Liu, you've got it. Hehe… Generally, any private gatherings or receptions in town are held at Jun's Restaurant. A lot of folks also hold their family celebrations there. Business at that restaurant is solid; it's got a bit of a monopoly feel to it."

Liu Zhizhong understood and nodded. "Whenever a town has a restaurant like that, it basically boils down to two reasons: either the food is genuinely excellent, the chef's skills are good; or the dishes are average but the place has leaders looking out for it. Hehe…"

Wu Ming also gave a knowing smile and said, "Jun's Restaurant is indeed a 'relationship household.' Its owner, Chen Jun, is the younger brother of our town People's Congress chair, Chair Chen. Chair Chen has been in office here for thirty years. Hehe… those who get it, get it…"

Liu Zhizhong nodded. "Exactly, an old Linxi hand. From clerk to mayor, then to town Party secretary, and now People's Congress chair, still working on the second line! Deep roots, wide connections, plenty of face, and plenty of tricks, hehe…"

In his mind, he naturally made a note of this Jun's Restaurant, and at the same time focused particular attention on the town People's Congress chair, Chen Hua. Generally, with local old-timers like that, if you get along well with them, a lot of things become much easier.

So, an idea popped into Liu Zhizhong's mind.

After that, he went with Wu Ming to a small restaurant just outside the town Party committee and government compound, where they ate a bowl of noodles as their dinner.

Of course, Wu Ming picked up the tab for that bowl of noodles, and Liu Zhizhong didn't say anything about it.

After dinner, back at the compound, Wu Ming and the gate guard helped Liu Zhizhong carry his things up to the dorm.

The gate guard left first, and Wu Ming stayed with Liu Zhizhong to help arrange the room a bit.

Once everything was done, Liu Zhizhong said to Wu Ming, "Tomorrow's the big day, our town Party committee is going to hold a meeting, right?"

Only then did Wu Ming suddenly remember; he slapped his forehead. "Ah, right, right… I actually forgot about that. Mayor Liu really understands the grassroots, hehe…"

That's indeed how it works: when a new mayor like Liu Zhizhong takes office at the local level, the town Party committee will definitely hold a meeting. That's basically the organization formally communicating with Liu Zhizhong, and laying out the blueprint for local development. It's somewhat like a standing committee meeting at the district or county level.

Townships are still at the grassroots, but all the forms and patterns don't differ much from those of the higher levels.

So Liu Zhizhong said, "Tomorrow, Director Pu from the Party and government office will accompany Secretary Yang and attend; you should accompany me and attend as well—that's the usual practice, right?"

"Hehe… Yes, yes, I definitely have to go along, to get a sense of the focus and direction of the town's future work."

"Tonight, a bit later, take some time and go over to Jun's Restaurant. In my personal name, book a table, the highest standard, both in dishes and in alcohol. After tomorrow morning's Party committee meeting ends, I'll host all the participants there for lunch."

"Ah? This…" Wu Ming was stunned when he heard that, and tried to dissuade him. "Mayor Liu, the best set menu at Jun's Restaurant runs over ten thousand a table, and the alcohol is even pricier. Doing this… under your personal name isn't really necessary; we could charge it to public funds and get it reimbursed."

Liu Zhizhong frowned. "Public funds? You'd even dare reimburse an amount that big?"

"Hehe, townships have their own ways. If the amount's big, we just split it up and reimburse it in batches. When the auditors from above check, there won't be any problem!"

Liu Zhizhong waved his hand. "No need. We'll just do it under my name. I can afford a meal like this."