Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

Shen Erhe was a political cadre and knew absolutely nothing about exploration.

He was taken aback when Qi Tongwei asked about the exploration plan.

But he reacted quickly, and in the next second, he demonstrated his shrewdness to the fullest.

He glanced at Qi Tongwei, gestured with his chin to Li Guangran, and said with a smile.

"The Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources is here to provide guidance and oversee your work..."

The specific exploration plan still needs to be decided by you... Engineer Li, don't you think so?

Upon hearing this, Li Guangran glanced at Qi Tongwei and reluctantly took over the conversation.

He put down his wine glass, chuckled, and began to speak with a smile.

"Director Shen is right... The main role of higher-level units is to supervise and guide..."

We'll work with the county to develop the specific exploration plans and development schemes..."

After hearing what the two said, Qi Tongwei felt a sudden surge of joy for no apparent reason.

Perhaps Shen Erhe is a better fit to stay in Fuyuan than Zhao Dehan.

He doesn't understand the business, so he has to rely on the local authorities for many things and is led by the nose...

But then Qi Tongwei thought again that something was wrong.

Although Shen Erhe doesn't understand the business, there are plenty of people above him who do.

If the exploration plan or development scheme is too far off, the higher authorities will not approve it.

Seeing that Shen Erhe genuinely didn't understand the business, Qi Tongwei stopped pursuing the topic.

He winked at the group, and they understood, immediately launching a new round of relentless questioning...

After a welcoming banquet, Qi Tongwei had gained a deep understanding of Shen Erhe.

After settling the three superiors in, Qi Tongwei was still not sleepy, so he pulled Li Guangran back to the room for tea.

I was still drinking Golden Osmanthus tea. I had just finished eating, and the oolong tea was just right to cut through the grease.

It was minus thirty degrees Celsius outside, but the stove inside was burning bright red, making it warm as spring.

Qi Tongwei said softly as he brewed tea with a kettle.

"As Mr. Lu Xun said, to drink good tea, one should use a gaiwan... We don't have that, so we'll just have to make do..."

Li Guangran's mind was still on the drinking party, so he didn't respond.

He lit a cigarette for Qi Tongwei, frowned, and said with a wry smile.

"Secretary Qi, was my assessment correct...? A master of social maneuvering, yet utterly clueless..."

Sending someone like this to oversee the development of Huoshaoliang, I don't know what the higher-ups were thinking..."

Qi Tongwei took a drag of his cigarette, refilled his tea, and took over the conversation with a smile.

"He doesn't understand the business, so he has to rely on you and the local resources for specific tasks..."

From this perspective, his appointment to oversee the burning of Liang might not be such a bad thing after all...

Upon hearing this, Li Guangran pondered for a moment and then asked again.

"So you mean... we should cooperate with him, or even fully support him?"

Also, what do you think is his real purpose in coming down here this time...?

Qi Tongwei glanced at Li Guangran and answered decisively, his tone very confident.

"The general direction is definitely to conduct preliminary investigations and determine exploration plans..."

However, with the Lunar New Year approaching, coming down at this time is just for show, to express a stance to those above.

They won't make any big fuss, let alone take any concrete action...

Seeing that Qi Tongwei shared the same idea, Li Guangran nodded and continued to ask.

"What about the exploration plan...? Do you mean we should provide it to him...?"

Qi Tongwei took a sip of tea, chuckled, and said in a deep voice.

"Don't be so eager to make a sale. Don't let his lack of business acumen fool you; he's incredibly shrewd..."

If you offer a solution, he definitely won't adopt it and will even suspect you have ulterior motives...

Upon hearing this, Li Guangran nodded and muttered something under his breath.

"If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either... It seems we can only wait and see..."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei took a deep drag of his cigarette and added a comment.

"Zhao Dehan just returned to Yanjing...we'll have to wait for news from him..."

I just hope that these troublemakers won't cause any more problems in the coming days...

......

Ever since their setback at Fuyuan Mine, Shen Erhe and his group have kept a much lower profile.

The task force basically stayed in Bianxi City and didn't cause any more trouble.

As December approached and the Lunar New Year drew to a close, various tasks in Fuyuan County were gradually coming to an end.

Qi Tongwei was extremely busy.

He was overwhelmed with meetings, receptions, and visits, both large and small.

Fortunately, Baimaiti and Wu Shanheng were capable of handling things and helped Qi Tongwei relieve a lot of pressure.

Otherwise, just the drinking and socializing alone would be enough to make him live a life of debauchery every day.

During this period, Qi Tongwei also received two phone calls from Handong.

One call was from Lu Daiyu, and the other was from the Gao sisters.

Both phone calls had the same purpose: to ask Qi Tongwei when he would be going home for the Chinese New Year.

Qi Tongwei did not show favoritism and gave a consistent answer.

He didn't dare to say anything definitively, only that he would definitely go back, but at least after the third year of junior high.

Time flies when you get busy.

Before we knew it, it was New Year's Eve. The county committee compound was deserted, with only a few people left.

With everything finally settled, Qi Tongwei, who had been busy for a year, could finally catch his breath.

Today is his last day of visits, and after that he can celebrate the New Year.

Thinking about his first Spring Festival in Bianxi, Qi Tongwei couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Just as he was lost in thought, the phone on the table suddenly rang.

Qi Tongwei picked up the phone and said something casually.

"Qi Tongwei, Secretary of the Fuyuan County Party Committee..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhong Xiaoai's clear and beautiful voice came through the microphone.

"Oh my, Secretary... you're really busy every day... still working on New Year's Eve..."

Upon hearing Zhong Xiaoai's voice, Qi Tongwei's lips curled up, and he casually cracked a joke.

"Who is Li Wanji? My wife's name is Zhong Xiaoai... I don't know Li Wanji..."

On the other end of the phone, Zhong Xiaoai hesitated for a moment, then her face turned bright red.

She spat and said in a deep voice.

"Pah, shameless, you're never upright."

I have something important to tell you. I'm going to my grandparents' house with my parents for Chinese New Year...

Grandpa can't make phone calls from outside, so I'm sending you my New Year's greetings in advance...

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately smiled and said...

"Please give my regards to my parents...and if it's convenient, please give my regards to my grandfather as well..."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiaoai lowered her voice and spoke softly.

"I'll be back on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year... You better wait for me..."

Upon hearing that Zhong Xiaoai was returning to Bianxi on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Qi Tongwei quickly spoke up.

"No, wait for my call. I need to go back to Handong for the New Year... Let's not go the wrong way..."

Once I have accurate information, I'll call your second brother...

......

After finishing the last day of visits, the Fuyuan County Party Committee compound finally became completely quiet.

Looking at the red lanterns hanging high at the entrance of the county committee.

Qi Tongwei exhaled a breath of cold air and muttered something under his breath.

"Hello, 1992... Happy New Year, Qi Tongwei..."

Just as he was getting into the mood, a hearty laugh suddenly came from behind him.

"Secretary Qi, why are you on duty at the gate on New Year's Eve...?"

Qi Tongwei was taken aback and immediately turned around to look in the direction of the sound.

It was Su Lie who spoke, but Su Lie was not the only one who came.

There were three other people standing beside him: Wu Shanheng, Yu Duoduo, and Li Guangran.

Upon seeing this configuration, Qi Tongwei immediately understood and asked with a smile.

"They've all come from the border regions, they have no home or livelihood in the western borderlands... What brings you here too?"

Su Lie grinned, his smile still sunny and honest.

"It's the first year since the branch office was established, and as usual, I'm on duty tonight..."

After saying that, he lifted the bag in his hand and continued.

"Don't stand here, it's below minus thirty degrees today... you'll freeze solid..."

Let's go, let's have some fun, drink and watch the Spring Festival Gala...

----------

Thank you everyone for adding bookshelves; the number of books dropped drastically...