Please, mature women, have some self-respect. I just want a raise and a promotion.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chaoshan froze, his gaze returning to Lin Zheng.

A few dozen seconds later, Zhou Chaoshan looked away.

"This is a serious matter; I need to consider it."

He did not believe Lin Zheng's words.

Although Lin Zheng was seen off by the deputy minister of the Organization Department when he came down, this does not prove that Lin Zheng had a relationship with the district's top leader.

Moreover, he also received information that the newly appointed town mayor was merely there to gain experience, and that she was a woman.

These kinds of cadres are no match for seasoned veterans like Tan Huafeng.

If he blindly takes sides now, the risk is too great; he's just playing with his job.

Zhou Chaoshan's reply was exactly what Lin Zheng had expected.

This kind of cunning old fox won't act until he sees the rabbit.

If you want him to take sides, just using Deng Jianfeng's name as a shield won't be enough.

To win over Zhou Chaoshan, one must first demonstrate one's own strength.

Fortunately, the bank card that Ma Liang gave me was an opportunity.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Chaoshan saw that it was almost time, so he made an excuse to leave.

Lin Zheng checked the time; it was one o'clock in the afternoon.

He lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and then drove to Tianhe Town Wharf.

According to the city's map, Tianhe Town Wharf will be developed into a vegetable market, a seafood wholesale market, and a cold storage plant.

In terms of green spaces, there should be supporting facilities such as a public park, shopping mall, primary school, and residential area.

The construction period is divided into six phases, involving land acquisition and six village committees.

The development of the wharf's vegetable market was the first phase, and also the most difficult one.

The land to be acquired is approximately 750 mu (about 43 hectares), which will be used to build a vegetable market, resettlement housing, roads, etc.

Of these, 700 mu are public land and more than 50 mu are agricultural wasteland.

The ownership of these lands belongs to Yangxi Village Committee, while the right to allocate and use them belongs to the town government.

The current situation is that all the land has been acquired, but the funds have not yet been allocated.

The above arrangement is to wait until the town mayor is in place before fully implementing it.

Lin Zheng wanted to come over first to understand the situation so that he would be well-informed and wouldn't be flustered when starting his work.

About forty minutes later, Lin Zheng arrived at the dock and was stopped by two burly men as soon as he got out of the car.

Parking costs ten yuan.

Lin Zheng was taken aback and asked, "Isn't this a public area? Why do we have to pay for parking?"

"Hey buddy, you just got here?" the burly man on the left asked.

Lin Zheng nodded.

The burly man on the right said, "This area has been contracted out; all vehicles parked outside need to pay a fee."

"Contract it out?"

Lin Zheng asked, "This is public land. Who has the authority to contract it out?"

"Stop with all this nonsense, are you going to pay or not?"

"If there's anything you don't understand, go to the village committee."

Lin Zheng didn't argue with the big man; he paid the money and went directly to the village committee.

As soon as Lin Zheng arrived at the entrance of the village committee, he heard shouts from people playing cards.

Lin Zheng frowned, walked in, and saw that the huge service hall was completely empty.

The room to the left of the hall was very lively, with shouts of people playing cards coming from inside.

Lin Zheng walked over and pushed open the door, and the inside instantly fell silent.

The group put down their cards and all turned their gazes toward them.

Zhang Hong, the deputy director of the village committee who was in charge, looked at Lin Zheng for a few seconds and asked, "Who are you? This is an important office area; do you think you can just walk in like that?"

"I'm looking for Director Ma Liang."

"Looking for Director Ma? What's your relationship to him?"

Lin Zheng said, "I'm the newly appointed head of the coordination team. I'm here to get some information from him."

Upon hearing this, the group quickly put away their cards.

Zhang Hong also changed his attitude: "You must be Comrade Lin Zheng?"

"Director Ma is out. If you need any information, feel free to ask me."

"What's with the parking fees at the dock? Did the village committee contract them out?" Lin Zheng asked.

Zhang Hong was taken aback and said, "Comrade Lin Zheng, let's talk in private."

The two arrived at the conference room. Zhang Hong took out a cigarette and handed one to Lin Zheng, then lit one for himself.

After taking a few puffs, Zhang Hongcai lowered his voice and said, "The village committee doesn't have the authority to contract out public land, but the town does."

"The person collecting the fees is a relative of Secretary Tan, and the village committee doesn't dare to interfere."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zheng immediately understood what was going on; it was all related to Tan Huafeng.

After understanding the situation, Lin Zheng frowned deeply.

The difficulty of setting up work at the dock was far greater than he had imagined.

After leaving Yangxi Village Committee, Lin Zheng circled the dock again, his furrowed brows never relaxing.

The surrounding environment, residential buildings, and power and internet cables were all tangled together in a chaotic mess.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Lin Zheng drove back to the guesthouse.

He brought his laptop and marked the buildings that needed renovation and those that needed to be demolished in a unified way.

After everything was done, it was already 8 p.m.

Lin Zheng logged onto the government website again, and after seeing the progress bar, a smile appeared on his face.

Tomorrow is the last day of the public announcement period, and also the day he officially takes office.

Some people will definitely not let things go their way.

He took this opportunity to let everyone see his strength.

Just as Lin Zheng was planning a grand show for tomorrow, at the same time, in the Dilong Hotel in Tianhe Town, in the luxury private room number 666.

"This kid really thinks he's someone important, going all the way to Yangxi Village Committee to do research?"

"Don't you know that in Tianhe Town, without my approval, he can't even begin the most basic tasks?"

At the head of the table, Tan Huafeng swirled the red wine in his glass, his eyes full of disdain.

Liu Haode laughed and said, "He dares to go against you, Secretary Tan. He really doesn't know what he's getting himself into."

"When he officially takes office tomorrow, the disciplinary committee members will take him away on the spot. I wonder if he'll be paralyzed with fear?"

Tan Huafeng turned to look at Liu Haode: "Have you arranged everything?"

Liu Haode patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Secretary Tan, Lin Zheng has already accepted it."

"Fifty thousand yuan isn't a huge sum for an official, but it's enough to give that kid a run for his money."

"Once he's in the disciplinary committee, how can he not honestly confess his problems?"

After listening, Tan Huafeng nodded in satisfaction.

"You need to work on Ma Liang's mindset, so that his statements don't contradict each other."

"Understood, I guarantee there won't be any problems," Liu Haode said.

Chen Shunhai chimed in, "Sending that kid in will also have a deterrent effect on the new women."

"We need to make that woman understand who's in charge in Tianhe Town."

The three of them burst into laughter after they finished speaking and raised their glasses to celebrate in advance.