"Old Cai, what's the character of the newly appointed Director Nan like?"
"Fierce, but though she's a female comrade, she conducts herself openly—no underhanded tricks behind the scenes."
Did Secretary Cai, having been caught in a weak spot, really have no power to resist?
No!
It was because he recognized that Nan Sheng was easier to get along with than Ou Yaosheng. He’d only ever rise as high as a town director in his lifetime, so what did it matter if Nan Sheng occasionally overshadowed him? Peaceful coexistence was the best outcome.
Director Nan made her displeasure known openly—such a person harbored no darkness in her heart. Ou Yaosheng, on the other hand, operated in the exact opposite manner: quiet and unassuming until he struck, and when he did, it was lethal.
Cao Guoxiang also preferred working with straightforward people, but he couldn’t help laughing at Secretary Cai’s description. "Then tell me, just how fierce is she? You look downright terrified!"
Back when Secretary Cai had been pushed to the brink of resignation by Ou Yaosheng, he hadn’t even yielded then.
Secretary Cai gave an awkward smile and explained everything—except for his own less-than-dignified incident.
"Director Nan’s brilliance lies in how she wields her authority. She picks the perfect moments to assert her dominance. Losing to her straightforward tactics—I accept that.
And she’s incredibly persuasive. Any twisted logic that comes out of her mouth somehow ends up sounding perfectly reasonable."
Secretary Cai was signaling his surrender—Nan Sheng would be the one calling the shots in Sanwei Town from now on—and subtly urging his superiors to start courting her favor.
"Director Nan’s appointment to Sanwei Town was facilitated by the military district. Do you know what rank her husband holds?"
Secretary Cai replied, "Not too high, not too low—a battalion commander. He came by the government office to pick her up not long ago. Looked quite young."
Cao Guoxiang fell silent for a moment. He had investigated this Director Nan—she’d accomplished great things in Huaishan County’s government, and he rather admired her.
Who would’ve thought she’d end up assigned as a revolutionary committee director? He could only hope power wouldn’t corrupt her. With the military district backing her, even if he wanted to act against her, it’d be troublesome. At most, he could sideline her authority.
"Let’s go. I’ll go meet this Director Nan myself."
In the county government, Cao Guoxiang’s word was law. Even Ou Yaosheng’s scheming had only managed to cut off one of his key aides.
During meetings, town secretaries or mayors typically sat on the left, while revolutionary committee members took the right. At the head of the table, Cao Guoxiang occupied the central seat, with Ou Yaosheng to his right.
Cao Guoxiang began the meeting. "With the New Year break approaching, this session will focus on summarizing this year’s work.
Let’s maintain our successes and discuss shortcomings collectively to prevent oversights. We’ll start with Yong'an Town."
Nan Sheng noticed that in Rongcheng, the position of town mayor was often left vacant—unless the town was particularly large and required additional oversight.
Rongcheng’s climate allowed for year-round vegetable cultivation, with wheat yielding two harvests annually. With proper planning, rice could even yield two to three harvests. After meeting grain quotas, villagers lived comfortably.
The reports from town officials were also interesting. Town secretaries emphasized crop yields as their key achievements, while revolutionary committee directors highlighted ideological progress and the number of people sent to labor reform.
When it was Sanwei Town’s turn, Secretary Cai spoke first. Sanwei’s harvests had been consistently strong, with no issues except for the recent poisoning incident.
He reiterated his self-criticism, but Secretary Yi from Cuihu Town pointed out that the poisoner had been a revolutionary committee member—so the oversight couldn’t be pinned on Secretary Cai.
The revolutionary committee’s arrogance had long been resented, and with this opportunity to strike, town secretaries began piling on. Yet Nan Sheng remained unshaken.
Let them talk—she’d stay seated. After all, no one had called her out by name.
Nan Sheng wasn’t familiar with the other revolutionary committee members, and Director Ou was curious to see her tactics. Everyone feigned ignorance, waiting to see how things unfolded.
What should’ve been an annual review had turned into a denunciation session.
When Nan Sheng refused to take the bait, someone finally singled her out. "Director Nan, what’s your take on the poisoning incident?"
Nan Sheng stood. "Let me introduce myself first. I’m Nan Sheng, the newly appointed revolutionary committee director of Sanwei Town. Pleased to meet you all!
Regarding the poisoning incident, everyone here has already said plenty, so I won’t add much—after all, I’d only been in the role for a month when it happened.
That said, Secretary Cai and I quickly identified the culprit afterward. But that’s just my job—no need to praise me. I already know I’m outstanding!"
Her words left many speechless.
Ou Yaosheng even chuckled—her audacity was impressive.
Cao Guoxiang sighed and steered the discussion back on track. "Director Nan, what the other comrades mean is that since Yu Gan was part of the revolutionary committee, and you’re its director, you bear some responsibility."
Nan Sheng refused the blame. "Secretary Cao, I demoted him and removed him from the revolutionary committee office as soon as I took over. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t even my subordinate anymore."
"But it was your demotion that made him resentful and led to the poisoning. You bear absolute responsibility for this," Secretary Yi pressed, relentless.
Nan Sheng wondered—when had she ever crossed him?
"Wait—who are you again?"
"I’m Secretary Yi from Cuihu Town."
Good. She’d remember him. From now on, she’d oppose him at every meeting.
"Secretary Yi, by your logic, we shouldn’t punish subordinates no matter how badly they misbehave? That’s a deeply flawed mindset. If leaders can’t enforce rewards and punishments, how can we maintain order?
No wonder Cuihu Town’s harvests rank mid-to-low despite its fertile land—turns out it’s because of your incompetence."
"You don’t understand—Cuihu faces constant floods. Our yields are decent under the circumstances!" Secretary Yi, struck where it hurt, fell silent.
Then Secretary Pan jumped in. "So, Director Nan, you’re saying you bear no fault at all?"
Nan Sheng replied righteously, "What fault could I possibly have? Since my arrival, the government staff have worked harder, ideological issues have vanished, even the laborers swing their hoes with renewed vigor!
And just because someone tried to harm me, you want to pin the blame on me? Fine—I’ll take this up to the city and provincial authorities. I was doing perfectly well in Huaishan County—why is it that the moment I come to Sanwei Town, I’m expected to shoulder all the blame?"
Her threat of escalating the matter to higher authorities silenced the room. If she really complained, Secretary Cao would have their heads.
Ou Yaosheng hid a smirk, waiting to see how Cao Guoxiang would handle this.
Fortunately, Secretary Cao was no pushover. He swiftly concluded the poisoning incident.
"Director Nan makes a valid point. She acted justly—the responsibility shouldn’t fall on her. On the contrary, her swift response in apprehending the culprit deserves recognition. For this year’s evaluation, she shall receive an 'excellent' rating."
Director Ou added, "Secretary Cao is absolutely right. I fully agree—Director Nan is indeed an outstanding comrade."
Then Secretary Cao shifted the topic, "I heard that after Director Nan took office, there have been innovations in the management system for the sent-down households. Could you share your insights with everyone?"
Nan Sheng stood up with confidence, ready to share. After all, collective learning fosters a more harmonious society...
