I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 153 The quickest and easiest way for men to strengthen their bond is by drinking.

Since Miao Hongbin was treating everyone to dinner that evening, Fang Qingye couldn't play badminton with Xia He, so she knocked on Xia He's office door and explained the reason to her.

Miao Hongbin also explained why he treated Xia He to a meal, saying there was no need to hide it from her.

"You and County Chief Miao have a good personal relationship." Xia He smiled and said, "This kind of gathering is much more valuable than those work-related social events. Go ahead."

"Then I won't be able to play ball with you tonight."

"We'll go fight tomorrow."

"I'm going fishing tomorrow, so I probably won't have time when I get back," Fang Qingye reminded her.

"How about I go fishing with you?" Xia He looked at him playfully.

"Aren't you afraid of getting a tan?!"

"Scared! I was just kidding. I can't keep bothering you like this. We can fight on Sunday night." Xia He laughed.

Fang Qingye arrived at the appointment on time that evening.

They took a taxi to the Chundu Hotel and went to the reserved private room. There were already some people there. Fang Qingye saw her second uncle, and of course, Miao Hongbin was also there. Everyone greeted each other and chatted.

Fang Qingye then learned that Miao Hongbin was not only the deputy county head in charge of industry, but also the general commander of the New Energy Vehicle Industry Base Construction Command, personally overseeing the construction of the industry base.

Before long, everyone had arrived and sat down around the round table.

There weren't many people; including Miao Hongbin, there were only eight. Fang Qingye knew almost all of them; they were all leaders from various units. There were people from different departments in the county, as well as township secretaries and mayors.

Not all of them were top leaders; some were deputies as well. It was obvious that they all had good personal relationships with Miao Hongbin.

Since it was an informal occasion with friends, everyone was relaxed and toasted Miao Hongbin to congratulate him.

Miao Hongbin was also happy and accepted all the drinks offered. Soon his face was flushed, but he was not drunk at all and continued to chat and laugh.

This left Fang Qingye deeply impressed.

He must have drunk about seven or eight ounces, right? If it were me, I would have been drunk several times over by now.

At this moment, Miao Hongbin stood up, holding his wine glass, and said to a man in his early forties:

"Zhaotao, the county is planning to build a new energy vehicle industrial base, mainly in your Xiyang Town. Whether the land acquisition can be completed as soon as possible and the three connections (electricity, water, and roads) can be achieved is the key to the smooth implementation of this project. I, as the commander-in-chief, am under a lot of pressure. So, brother, it all depends on you. I'll toast you today!"

The man named Zhao Tao, whose real name was Li Zhao Tao and the Party Secretary of Xiyang Town, quickly stood up, holding a wine glass in one hand and patting his chest with the other: "Don't worry, County Chief Miao, our town has been prepared for this. We've mobilized our best personnel and will ensure the task is completed according to the county's deadline! However..."

"Just what?"

“We are still short-staffed. Although we have already transferred 10 cadres from various townships, plus 30 from our town, it is still not enough,” Li Zhaotao said, explaining his difficulties.

"Not enough people? I'll send more! In short, the task must be completed on time!" Miao Hongbin said with a smile, "Brother, I made a solemn promise to Secretary Wu and County Chief Hu!"

"As long as we have enough manpower, we can divide the work into sections and assign specific areas to handle each task, and there won't be any problems!"

After toasting Li Zhaotao, Miao Hongbin filled his own glass and looked at Fang Jianhua: "Jianhua, you have to keep a close eye on the construction funds for me. We finally managed to get some special funds from the province and city, and they must be used for the project construction. They can't be misappropriated!"

"Don't worry, County Chief Miao, even if I misappropriate other special funds, I wouldn't dare to misappropriate this one. It will definitely be disbursed on time!" Fang Jianhua said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll toast you!" The two drank it all in one gulp.

"After toasting Lao Fang, I'll toast Xiao Fang." Miao Hongbin said, smiling broadly at Fang Qingye.

"Whether it's Lao Fang or Xiao Fang, I'll call them brothers today! Brother, the county investment company is planning to borrow 5000 million yuan from your Dongfang Bank for preliminary infrastructure construction. This matter is urgent and time-sensitive, so I hope you can go back and urge your bank manager, Xia, to report to the city branch as soon as possible and get it approved quickly!"

"Our branch manager, Mr. Xia, has already reported this matter to the relevant leaders of the city branch. It will be handled as a special case, so County Chief Miao, you can rest assured," Fang Qingye said with a smile.

"Alright! I'll toast you!" Miao Hongbin raised his glass again.

Fang Qingye's face immediately fell: "County Chief Miao, I really can't drink anymore."

"That won't do! Then let your second uncle drink it for you!"

Fang Qingye had no choice but to drink the wine in her second uncle's stead, even though her stomach felt terrible.
Quickly eat some food to calm down; there's no live performance.

After the banquet, Fang Qingye took a taxi home, lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep without even taking a shower.

Of course, drinking the night before didn't affect going fishing the next morning. Although she was still a little dizzy when she woke up, Fang Qingye still got up early, washed up briefly, ate something outside, packed her fishing gear, and drove straight to Wujia Village.

The morning air was fresh, and birds sang and flowers bloomed everywhere. Fang Qingye felt refreshed and relaxed, and the drunkenness of last night was completely gone.

Sigh. Why do you have to drink?

Can't people get together to fish or drink tea and still strengthen their relationships?
But he also knew that his thinking was very naive.

The quickest and easiest way for men to strengthen their bond is, of course, drinking.

He was going to pass through Xiyang Town on the way—not far from the county seat. There were lush green rice paddies on both sides of the road. He saw a few people standing on the right side of the road, taking notes. There was also a car parked next to them, so he slowed down and prepared to pass.

He suddenly realized that there was a familiar face inside – his high school classmate Wang Lei, who worked at the Panlong Township government.

So he pulled the car over to the side of the road, stuck his head out of the window, and shouted at the other person, "Wang Lei!"

When Wang Lei saw Fang Qingye, he immediately walked over with a smile and greeted her, "Yezi, are you out having fun?"

"Yeah, I just went fishing. Hey, what are you doing here?" Fang Qingye asked curiously.

"I was seconded to the New Energy Vehicle Industrial Base Construction Command to handle land acquisition and demolition work," Wang Lei explained.

"Oh," Fang Qingye looked at the lush green rice paddies in front of her: "All this land has been requisitioned?"

"Yes, the town issued a notice in April, telling farmers not to plant rice seedlings after they finished planting wheat and rapeseed this season, because the land would be requisitioned. But some farmers just wouldn't listen. We are dealing with this now, and each of us is assigned to work with several households."

"This job must be tough."

"I've been working for two years, and there's no easy job in the township!" Wang Lei sighed, then laughed and said, "But it's okay, as long as I run around more, talk more, and use my brain more, I can still get things done."

Fang Qingye nodded after hearing this.

Just as he was about to reply, someone called out, "President Fang, wanna go fishing?"

Fang Qingye turned her head and saw Miao Hongbin walking from the other side of the road. He was no longer drunk from last night and looked energetic. There were two people following behind him. Fang Qingye had seen one of them when they were drinking last night. He was Li Zhaotao, the secretary of Xiyang Town. Both of them were wearing straw hats.

(End of this chapter)