In officialdom: After she left, I rose rapidly through the ranks!

Twenty minutes after Yang Sen made the call, Deputy Village Chief Yang Shi and three others returned.

As soon as Deputy Village Chief Yang Shi entered the village office, the smell of alcohol immediately filled the air.

Chen Jingcheng's expression instantly turned somewhat unpleasant.

There's a strict ban on drinking alcohol at noon, yet these people are already drinking like this after just having a meeting this morning?

The village office was empty, the gate was tightly closed, and only a young man who was helping out in the village arrived late. As a result, none of the village cadres were there.

After we arrived, was that all?

Yang Shi seemed to sense that Chen Jingcheng's expression was off, and quickly said with a smile, "Sir, I'm sorry for being late. I've neglected you."

"Please don't leave tonight. Our village is hosting a simple meal for you. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingcheng looked at Yang Shi and asked, "Who are you?"

Yang Shi quickly introduced himself, along with three other people, all of whom were village officials.

Although Chen Jingcheng did not bring a breathalyzer, was a test still necessary?

Some people are flushed from drinking, others have a normal complexion but reek of alcohol, and still others are unsteady on their feet. This isn't drinking; it's being drunk!

You want to treat me to a casual meal?

This is like inviting yourself to drink with someone, and then breaking the rules together!

"Excuse me, sir, my name is Yang Shi, and I am the deputy village head of Yangshulin Village."

"Sir, what's your name?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingcheng pointed to his name tag and said in a deep voice, "My name is Chen Jingcheng."

"It seems Yang Sen didn't remember my self-introduction very well, so he forgot to tell you."

"I am the deputy director of the government office, the director of the inspection office, and also the leader of this inspection team."

"Deputy Village Chief Yang, where is your village chief?"

Yang Shi then realized that the person who came was actually Chen Jingcheng.

They weren't really familiar with Chen Jingcheng's name, since they didn't know much about what was happening in the county.

However, they still knew how powerful the title of deputy director of the county government office was, as it was reserved for people close to the county leaders.

Moreover, Chen Jingcheng is also the director of the supervision office and the head of the inspection team.

This is the department specifically assigned to manage them.

Yang Shi immediately gave the accountant a wink, and the accountant immediately understood.

The red envelope was a bit small; we'll add more. After all, the person who came was no ordinary individual, and since he was the head of the inspection team, he must have team members as well.

Deputy Village Chief Yang Shi quickly extended his hand again, smiling broadly, and said, "Director Chen, hello, hello! I really didn't know you were coming. I'm so sorry for not welcoming you properly."

"Our village chief has some business to attend to, but he'll be here shortly. Please wait a moment."

"Director Chen, um, what brings you here?"

"If there's anything we haven't done well in our work, please be sure to remind us and offer your criticism and corrections. We will humbly accept your feedback and earnestly make improvements."

Chen Jingcheng looked at Yang Shi, then at the others, shook his head, and said, "I wouldn't dare to offer any criticism or corrections."

"I'd like to ask you all, did you attend today's meeting?"

Yang Shi knew that there was no way to avoid this matter. They had all been drinking, and if they tried to make excuses at this point, they would be completely unable to defend themselves.

"Yes, I attended. At the meeting, County Chief Li's speech was thought-provoking and left a deep impression on me."

"After the meeting adjourned, our Xiaoshiqiao Town held another meeting to reiterate the key points of County Chief Li's speech. At the same time, the cadres in our village also studied County Chief Li's speech in depth."

"Don't worry, leader, we have all studied diligently."

Yang Shi looked at Chen Jingcheng with a serious expression, his face conveying how seriously they studied the speech, how carefully they grasped its spirit, and how determined they were to implement it.

But it is precisely because of this that it seems so ridiculous.

County Head Li's speech emphasized the issues of conduct, discipline, and attitude among all Party members and cadres in the county. He stressed that drinking alcohol during workdays is strictly prohibited and directly pointed out that this ban applies to all public officials in the county, including Party members and cadres in villages and communities!

As it turned out, the deputy village chief, Yang Shi, spoke the best he could, but at that moment, four people returned, and all four of them reeked of alcohol.

This is blatant lying! Do you really think Chen Jingcheng is a three-year-old child who can be fooled?

Village cadres are just village cadres.

The village officials of Yangshunlin Village are indeed extraordinary.

"So, you all studied diligently and implemented the instructions conscientiously, and the result is that you finished learning, understood, and resolutely carried out the plan this morning, and yet you all ended up like this at lunchtime?"

Chen Jingcheng smiled and shook his head, saying, "Call your village chief over too. I want to see if he's the one who's drunk this much."

However, Yang Shi immediately smiled and said, "Sir, our village chief will be here soon, please wait a moment."

"Leader, we hope you can understand. We have indeed studied County Head Li's speech carefully and are truly determined to implement it. However, you are a leader in the county, and the situation in the village is somewhat complicated, which you may not be familiar with."

"We are directly facing the masses, so we must have a good relationship with them."

"Today is truly a special case."

"Director Chen, please forgive me, really, please forgive me."

After saying that, Yang Shi immediately looked at the accountant.

The accountant understood immediately and quickly took an envelope out of her bag.

The envelope was quite thick.

There wasn't two thousand yuan inside anymore, but three thousand.

Yang Shi immediately placed the envelope in Chen Jingcheng's hand and said softly, "Leader, really, it's not easy for us village cadres."

"The situation in the village is really too complicated."

"Please be lenient. We promise this will only happen once, and there will absolutely be no next time."

"Don't worry, sir, we will definitely remember your understanding and help. Please, just give us a hand."

As they spoke, the envelope was placed in Chen Jingcheng's hand.

Chen Jingcheng took the envelope, but didn't open it. He just held it in his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Quite a few."

"That's more than my monthly salary."

"Yangshulin Village is very wealthy."

"I'd heard before that the village officials were all quite wealthy, and it seems that's true."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shi assumed that Chen Jingcheng was satisfied, and immediately smiled, saying, "Director Chen, I'm glad you're satisfied."

"This is a small travel allowance for you. Please don't find it offensive. Just accept it. You've come all this way; we can't let the leaders go without even a meal or a cup of tea."

"Don't worry, no one will know about this. Please accept this as a token of my appreciation."

Please accept this?

If Chen Jingcheng were to actually accept this money, then he wouldn't be Chen Jingcheng.

Looking at Yang Shi, Chen Jingcheng snorted coldly and said, "So, in your eyes, I, Chen Jingcheng, am so worthless?"