Noon.
Lunchti.
A food truck entered the temporary County Party Committee compound and parked in the yard, where staff began unloading thermal boxes and distributing the als. In the old County Party Committee compound, the canteen had been outdated, so there had been a period when als were delivered by food trucks. Back then, als were delivered directly to various office areas and departnts, so no one had to leave their desks. However, due to limited conditions now and the chaotic layout of the rows of houses, everyone had to co out and line up to get their lunch. It was an inconvenience, and although everyone complained, there was no choice but to adapt.
Dong Xuebing also ca out.
"Secretary, here's your al." A staff mber handing out als saw Secretary Dong and imdiately grabbed a box to run up to him.
Dong Xuebing waved his hand. "No need, I'll stand in line."
"Ah, uh..." The staff mber froze, unsure of what to do. "But..."
"Hehe, everyone else is lining up. I can't cut in line," Dong Xuebing said with a smile, then joined the end of the line. After all, everyone was getting the sa al. This had been sothing Dong Xuebing insisted on—there should be no difference between the work als for leaders and staff mbers. It was a part of his governing philosophy: equality for everyone, without any special privileges for the leaders that would lead to gossip behind their backs. Before, he hadn't had the power to implent this principle, but now that he was the head of the county, he had no reservations and could follow through on his political beliefs.
Grabbing food was no different.
Dong Xuebing had to lead by example.
Seeing the county party secretary standing in line just like everyone else, people started discussing among themselves. They were still surprised by his behavior, but there was a sense of warmth and admiration behind that surprise. With a leader like him, they felt secure, and if he could do this, what else was there to complain about? Even their complaints about the temporary County Party Committee compound diminished. In dostic society, people's complaints often don't stem from things being "too good" or "too bad" but from a lack of fairness. When everyone is treated the sa, and the environnt feels relatively equitable, internal conflicts are reduced, and work efficiency increases. This creates a healthy work environnt.
A mont later, several secretaries ca out.
Among them were Zhang Dongfang's secretary and the secretaries of other county leaders like Wei Zhixuan. They all ca to get food for their leaders and didn't have to line up.
However, Zhang Dongfang's secretary had a sharp eye and imdiately spotted Dong Xuebing in the crowd. It wasn’t just his sharp eyesight—after all, Dong Xuebing was the county head, and even though he was in line, the people in front and behind him weren't behaving quite naturally. They seed nervous, and so of the staff mbers in line were even sweating, unsure whether to pretend they weren’t hungry and walk away so that Dong Xuebing could get his al faster. The atmosphere was unique, and Dong Xuebing stood out, almost like a crane among chickens.
"Uh." Zhang Dongfang’s secretary paused.
"What’s wrong?" The other secretaries asked.
Zhang Dongfang’s secretary quietly pointed toward Dong Xuebing. Everyone turned to look and froze for a mont. Since they moved into the new compound, Dong Xuebing hadn’t had lunch there because he was always too busy, so they hadn't seen him queue up for als. Dong Xuebing hadn’t required anyone else to do so, but by insisting on doing it himself, his actions could still send a powerful signal.
The secretaries wiped the sweat off their faces, not daring to cut in line to get their food. They couldn’t do that—if the County Party Secretary was queuing, how could they possibly skip ahead? That would be disastrous.
So, they discussed it among themselves and decided to go back.
About two minutes later, Zhang Dongfang, Wei Zhixuan, Sun Changzhi, and the other leaders ca out one after another to get their als personally.
"Secretary."
"Secretary Dong."
A few of them greeted him.
Dong Xuebing smiled at them. "You're here."
Zhang Dongfang nodded and, along with the other county leaders, queued up at the back.
Chang Lin laughed heartily. "I sll stir-fried pork. It slls so good!"
"As expected, Old Chang has a sharp nose. I didn’t sll anything," Dong Xuebing joked.
The discipline inspection secretary, Wang Bin, laughed and said, "Secretary, you don't know. Old Chang has a special fondness for stir-fried pork." He turned to Chang Lin and asked, "How long have you been eating stir-fried pork? Aren't you tired of it? When you first ca into the office, everyone gave you a reception, and you finished an entire plate of stir-fried pork by yourself. You ate it so deliciously. I fought you for a while, but you only left a few pieces of chili."
Wei Zhixuan chuckled. "I rember, too. Old Chang's appetite, no one can compare."
Hearing this, Zhang Dongfang and the other leaders laughed kindly, and the atmosphere beca quite pleasant.
The most awkward ones were the staff mbers and junior officials in the middle of the line, stuck between several leaders. Seeing the situation, they all wanted to step aside and make room for the leaders so they could stand together and chat. But as they were about to leave, Dong Xuebing pulled one of them back. Looking around, the other county leaders didn’t let them leave either.
"Where are you going?"
"Stay in line, don’t ss up the queue."
"If you leave now, you’ll have to go to the back of the line when you return, haha."
The leaders had no airs about them, and their words were humorous.
The staff mbers and junior officials looked at each other, feeling embarrassed, and didn’t leave.
The other governnt staff watching the scene felt like sothing had changed since Dong Xuebing arrived in Jiao Lin County. They weren’t sure if it was just their imagination, but it seed like the county's work efficiency and overall atmosphere had completely changed. The transformation was so drastic, and the most noticeable thing was that even outside of work hours, the county leaders’ faces weren’t as dark anymore. Even during als, the county leaders lined up just like the staff, and the County Party Secretary paid for his als and hotel bookings. Though these may seem like small, inconspicuous actions, they gave everyone a sense of positive energy. People weren’t fools—such changes were noticeable, little by little. The work environnt felt much more relaxed and comfortable than before.
All of this ca from Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing didn’t know whether this was good or bad or if it would significantly impact the country’s developnt. So leaders might not like him for it, and so staff might accuse him of showboating. But it didn’t matter. It was fine with him even if it didn’t have any positive effect. He didn’t care how others saw him. Dong Xuebing just didn’t want to disappoint his sense of pride and persistence. That was his governing philosophy.
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