Right path to power

"By the way, Lin Xiao, I have to toast you too! There was a misunderstanding between us before, I hope you don't take it to heart. I remember, back in school, you, me, Liu Yun, the three of us were the best of buddies, I'll never forget that kind of brotherhood."

At this moment, Xie Tiancai took the initiative to show goodwill, and at least his expression seemed quite sincere.

Lin Xiao raised her glass and gently clinked it with his, then said softly, "True feelings never fade, no matter when."

Clinking glasses is a matter of basic politeness. As for the so-called "brotherhood" that Xie Tiancai mentioned, whether it really exists or is a genuine feeling, only he himself knows for sure.

"Lin Xiao, my good brother, I won't hide it from you anymore. I own half of the shares in Fengshan Elementary School's cafeteria, but it's always been Cai Maowei who's running it. If I had known that kid was so unreliable, I wouldn't have partnered with him. So, I'm going to make some serious changes. Don't worry, I'll definitely follow the strictest standards. I just hope you can give me a chance to make amends."

After saying that, Xie Tiancai picked up the small glass and poured at least two ounces of 53-proof liquor directly into his mouth. A few seconds later, his face turned bright red, and a few red blood vessels could be seen in his eyes. Then his body swayed irregularly twice.

Finally, Xie Tiancai looked at Lin Xiao with deep affection and said, "Brother, my good brother, I'm begging you, please?"

At this moment, Yan Yifan also said loudly, "Lin Xiao, since Tiancai has put it this way, please be lenient. It's not a big deal. We're all classmates. It's common for us to help each other."

Then, he turned to Bai Jiansen and said, "Teacher Bai, do you think what I said makes sense? Shouldn't classmates help each other?"

Now, Bai Jiansen finally understood. At first, he felt a little strange that Yan Yifan asked him to call Lin Xiao, but he didn't think too much about it. Now it seems that tonight's so-called "class reunion" was actually Yan Yifan and Xie Tiancai trying to use Lin Xiao's gratitude to force him to agree to help. He was just a tool.

However, he had also heard about the Fengshan Elementary School incident, and the problem was quite serious. He felt that the matter should be dealt with strictly.

"Classmates should help each other out when they can, but I think it depends on the specific situation," Bai Jiansen said meaningfully.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh. He looked around and found that everyone was looking at him. He thought to himself that these two guys were trying to use this meal, the teacher, and his classmates to morally blackmail him tonight.

Unfortunately, no matter how well-thought-out such a plan was, it was ultimately futile.

Just as Lin Xiao was about to speak, there were several more knocks on the door.

Then, before anyone could react, the door was pushed open, and Dong Zhibiao, the deputy director of the county education bureau, stood at the door with a smile, holding a glass of wine.

"Director Dong?"

"Kobayashi, it really is you! What a coincidence! Come on, let's have a drink."

"Director Dong, hello." Bai Jiansen also stood up to greet him.

Dong Zhibiao looked over and noticed him, nodding with a smile, "Oh, Teacher Bai, you're here too?"

"Yes, Lin Xiao and the others are having a class reunion, so they invited me."

"Of course, of course."

When Dong Zhibiao was still the vice principal of the county's No. 2 Middle School, Bai Jiansen was a homeroom teacher in the junior high school. More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it is rare that Dong Zhibiao can still recognize Bai Jiansen at a glance.

After exchanging pleasantries, Dong Zhibiao first toasted Bai Jiansen before toasting Lin Xiao.

Immediately afterwards, he politely greeted the others and then left.

Although the others didn't know exactly who the person was, they heard Lin Xiao and Bai Jiansen calling him "Director Dong," so they had a general idea of ​​who the person was, and they also knew very well that he was only there for Lin Xiao.

"Lin Xiao, I've heard about what Lao Xie said earlier. Just as Lao Xie said, I don't think it's a big deal. It's just a small favor for you, but it's a big deal for Lao Xie. As an old classmate, I personally hope you can lend a hand. This would be a good thing for your good relationship back then and for our friendship as classmates."

Just now, Yan Yifan was quite annoyed that no one introduced him. He initially picked up a wine glass as well, but in the end he put it down and didn't touch a drop of wine.

Therefore, he then spoke at length, feigning righteous indignation, and once again sought other forms of "moral resonance" and "emotional feedback": "What do you all think? Isn't that right?"

"That's true."

"Old classmates should help each other."

Everyone has difficult times.

"That's right, it's like the idea that those who get rich first should help those who get rich later."

......

Everyone chimed in, thinking that this time Xie Tiancai had asked for a favor, but next time it might be them.

Therefore, even if one is unwilling to meddle in other people's business, one still hopes that others will be willing to help, especially that one day they will be willing to help oneself.

Faced with this scene, Lin Xiao remained calm and composed. He chuckled, raised his glass, and said, "Come, let me toast everyone."

Everyone raised their glasses, but after finishing their drinks, they all stared at him with expectant eyes.

Everyone knew that Yan Yifan worked in the provincial department, but a local official is more powerful than a county official. In Fengshan County, the only person who could really help was Lin Xiao.

"We are classmates. I will do my best to help if I can, and I will not make promises I can't keep. Didn't Teacher Bai also say that it depends on the specific situation?"

This time, not only Fengshan Primary School, but also all schools with problems, are being taken very seriously by the county party committee and county government. The county has not only held a special meeting to discuss this, but also sent a special report from the supervision office to every member of the county party committee. Do you know what this means?

That's right, everyone knows I'm the deputy director of the county government office, but you might not know how many deputy directors there are in the county. There are a total of ten deputy directors, and I'm ranked last. My main job is to serve the leaders.

So even if I wanted to help, I couldn't get involved, let alone have the right to interfere.

The person who just came to offer a toast is Deputy Director Dong, who is currently in charge of the county education bureau. Think about it, if a deputy is in charge of the work, what exactly happened in the county education bureau? Let me put it this way, their Director Fu was suspended from his duties for investigation because of the Fengshan Elementary School incident.

Therefore, this matter is no longer just a matter for Fengshan Primary School. At this stage, it can only be handled through formal procedures; no one else can help.

Lin Xiao patiently explained, firstly because it was indeed based on reason, and secondly because she didn't want to give others a reason to criticize her.

While everyone was processing Lin Xiao's words, Lin Xiao himself stared at Yan Yifan and smiled, saying, "Yifan, since you're so concerned about Fengshan Elementary School, do you know what exactly happened to the hygiene of their cafeteria?"

Yan Yifan was stunned, and for a moment he was speechless.