Chapter 163: Chapter 163: This is clearly a dead end!

Compared to Lv Zhong’s anger, Chen Bin remained calm, with a constant smile at the corner of his mouth.

Su Xiangqian saw the atmosphere gradually cooling down and quickly spoke up.

"Secretary Chen, you’ve just arrived and probably aren’t very familiar with everyone yet. Let me introduce you to them."

What followed was Chen Bin shaking hands with each person, thereby making initial acquaintances.

Afterward, Lv Zhong and Chen Bin, surrounded by the crowd, walked into the town government office together.

In the meeting room, Lv Zhong read out the County Committee’s appointment.

He also affirmed Su Xiangqian’s work during his tenure.

Subsequently, Su Xiangqian and Chen Bin each said a few polite remarks, and the meeting ended hastily.

Upon exiting the office building, Lv Zhong stopped Chen Bin and said,

"Secretary Chen, you don’t need to see me off. You should focus on understanding the situation here and quickly immerse yourself in your work."

Chen Bin nodded. "Alright, then I won’t see you off further."

After watching Lv Zhong and Su Xiangqian leave, he turned around and entered the office building.

At this moment, a man respectfully approached him and said,

"Hello, Secretary Chen. I am Jiang Huai, deputy director of the Party-Government Office. Shall I show you to your office and lodging?"

Chen Bin nodded slightly, smiling as he replied.

"Sure, could you tell me where the lodging is?"

"It’s not far from the town government office. How about asking your driver to join us, and we can all head over together?"

Most of the workers in Qinghe Town are locals; initially, there weren’t any dormitories built.

However, to accommodate staff from other regions, the town prepared a guesthouse.

Since it was rarely used, it looked practically brand new.

Chen Bin’s room was situated deep inside the guesthouse, in a very secluded spot.

But it was also the largest room.

Inside, there were not only tables, chairs, benches, but even a TV, refrigerator, and washing machine—fully equipped with necessities.

The conditions and facilities were no less comfortable than the leadership quarters of Qingshi County.

As Chen Bin inspected the room, Jiang Huai explained,

"Our town has specially created three rooms like these for visiting leaders, and this one is the most luxurious."

The dilapidated state of Qinghe Town and the opulence of this guesthouse formed a sharp contrast in Chen Bin’s mind.

It seemed that during his tenure, Su Xiangqian focused solely on ingratiating himself with higher-ups, neglecting real work.

"Is there anyone else staying in the guesthouse?"

"Committee member Cai Lixia and Deputy Town Mayor Jia Fugui, but they’re in regular rooms, which are nowhere near as good as this one."

Among those who had welcomed him earlier, Chen Bin vaguely remembered the presence of someone named Cai Lixia.

But having only shaken hands, he had no recollection of what she even looked like.

"Do you eat here as well?"

"Yes, all three meals a day are handled by the guesthouse. If there’s anything you can’t eat, you can tell me directly, and I’ll inform the people in charge."

After nodding, Chen Bin asked Cheng Zhuang to unpack their things while instructing Jiang Huai,

"Take me to the office now."

"Alright, please this way."

The town government’s office building had three floors. Leadership from the Party Committee worked on the third floor.

Leadership from the government departments worked on the second floor, while others all worked on the first.

Jiang Huai led Chen Bin to the third-floor office, opened the door, and revealed the surroundings—it was all quite worn.

However, it appeared relatively clean.

Once Jiang Huai left, Chen Bin sat down in the chair.

Not long afterward, there was a knock at the office door.

The person who entered was a young woman who seemed just over twenty.

She was quite short, only about five-foot-three.

Her delicate features and slim figure stood out.

Though she lacked a prominent chest or hips, her aura was pleasant enough to barely qualify her as a beauty.

"Hello, Secretary Chen. My name is Cai Lixia. I currently handle areas like unions and the Women’s Federation."

Chen Bin smiled and replied, "Are you here for something specific?"

"I’m wondering if now is a good time for me to report on my work."

"Of course, please go ahead!"

Receiving Chen Bin’s affirmation, Cai Lixia opened the file folder she was holding.

She then reported all aspects of her work to Chen Bin.

Chen Bin listened intently throughout.

Since he had just arrived in Qinghe Town, hearing the work reports helped him quickly grasp key points.

Shortly after Cai Lixia left, there was another knock at the office door.

This time, the visitor was also a woman.

She appeared to be in her thirties, older than Zhao Xinmei and Xu Ruoxuan.

Tall and shapely, she exuded a coolly elegant vibe that seemed to keep others at bay.

"Secretary Chen, my name is Ding Zi. I’m the Propaganda Committee member."

With that, she began her work report.

Although her presentation was equally thorough, Chen Bin’s impression of her wasn’t favorable.

After all, he was a leader—why would Ding Zi wear a perpetual scowl?

Once Ding Zi left, Chen Bin expected other staff to come and report their work in succession.

But in reality, no one came for the rest of the evening.

Over the next few days, his office remained eerily quiet.

Town Mayor Lu Huisheng and the other Committee members never showed up to work.

Returning to his room, Chen Bin was approached by a visibly angry Cheng Zhuang.

"Brother, I’ve heard that the town mayor and the others are feigning illness to give you a hard time."

Nodding slightly, Chen Bin asked,

"What else have you heard?"

"I heard that Lu Huisheng originally had his sights set on the secretary position. Since you parachuted in, he’s been deeply resentful. Unless he manages to drive you out, he won’t let it go."

Worried, Cheng Zhuang added,

"Lu Huisheng is a local. He’s been the town mayor of Qinghe Town for many years. If we don’t resolve the issues surrounding him, things could get really problematic!"

"Don’t worry. I know what to do."

Seeing Chen Bin’s confidence, Cheng Zhuang let out a small sigh of relief.

His belief in Chen Bin was absolute.

On Saturday morning, after breakfast, Chen Bin had Cheng Zhuang drive him and the Deputy Town Mayor out to conduct village inspections.

Jia Fugui, aged thirty-five, was a graduate of Tianhai Agricultural University.

Among the Deputy Section-level or higher cadres at Qinghe Town, Jia had one of the highest educational credentials.

Strangely, though, he was the only leadership team member who hadn’t become a Committee member.

Chen Bin found this odd. Agriculture was Qinghe Town’s pillar industry.

How could the Deputy Town Mayor in charge of agriculture not also be a Committee member?

While troubled by such thoughts, he refrained from questioning further.

For the rest of the day, accompanied by Jia Fugui, Chen Bin visited every village in Qinghe Town.

The more he toured, the more disheartened he felt.

Qinghe Town was impoverished because it had too many people and too little land.

Besides agriculture, the town had no alternative resources for development whatsoever.

Given these circumstances, prosperity seemed impossible anywhere.

Noting Chen Bin’s furrowed brow, Jia Fugui sighed.

"Our county lies at the junction of two provinces. The surrounding areas are all saline-alkaline soils. Places suitable for farming are extremely scarce. Over the years, we’ve tried various approaches, but none of them have come to fruition."

Hearing this, Chen Bin’s frown deepened.

Initially, he had thought more land could support plantation efforts, while more people might enable labor absorption through factories.

But now it was clear—too little land, too many people, and no alternative resources for development.

This was a deadlock!

To go from the thriving Qingshi County to the hopeless Qinghe Town.

The stark contrast left Chen Bin profoundly unsettled.

Nonetheless, he understood that wherever people existed, there was hope.

He was certain he could achieve something remarkable here.

This impoverished remote town would never become his final destination!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com