The Official Ladder: I ascend to the pinnacle of power, wielding the power of life and death.

After breakfast, Jiang Yiming drove his parents and sister back to their hometown in Xinping County.

He had originally invited Ding Li and his sister to spend the Spring Festival together at his home, but Ding Li's sister, Ding Guoguo, wanted to go back to her hometown to visit, so she asked Jiang Yiming for leave, and the two siblings went back to their hometown together to spend the Spring Festival.

Not long after I arrived in Donggou Township, I received a call from Wang Jiajia, the township head.

“Secretary Yiming, Yuanyuan said she misses you. I thought you were going back to your hometown to pay New Year’s visits today, so I took her with me to Donggou Township. When you get to Donggou Township, call me and I will take Yuanyuan there.”

"I'm almost at Jiangzhai Village. Please bring Yuanyuan over here."

Jiang Yiming said.

Yuanyuan is a villager from Yunhu Village. He met Yuanyuan and her grandson when he first became the head of the industrial park.

Yuanyuan is the descendant of a martyr. Her father sacrificed his life on the front line of flood control, her mother is missing, and her grandfather suffered from throat cancer. The village chief, Wang Fugui, also seized her pension and other subsidies, which resulted in Yuanyuan not starting school at the age of eight.

Later, Wang Fugui was dealt with and the pension was returned to him and his grandson, but they still had difficulty going to school.

Jiang Yiming then paid for his schooling out of his own pocket until he started working.

She also asked Wang Jiajia's husband to tutor Yuanyuan.

He would visit the grandfather and grandson occasionally.

In 02, Yuanyuan's grandfather also passed away, leaving her forever.

Yuanyuan became an orphan.

However, Wang Jiajia took the initiative to call Jiang Yiming, expressing her willingness to take on the responsibility of caring for Yuanyuan.

Jiang Yiming knew that Wang Jiajia was willing to take care of Yuanyuan for two reasons. First, they had developed feelings for each other. Second, she knew that he would continue to pay attention to Yuanyuan's situation. If Yuanyuan was taken care of by her, regardless of whether she would stay by his side in the future, she would have a connection with him through Yuanyuan, and their relationship would not be broken.

Jiang Yiming didn't object to this, as long as Wang Jiajia's family treated Yuanyuan well, that was enough.

"Okay, I'll go directly to Jiangzhai Village to find you later."

Wang Jiajia immediately said.

When Jiang Yiming returned to Jiangzhai Village, his third grandfather's house was already surrounded by people.

It wasn't that the villagers were bored and gathered around him, the deputy secretary; rather, most of the villagers shared the surname Jiang, and within five generations, most were relatives, so many had come for a meal.

After Jiang Yongchen made a name for himself, he built a villa at home. The yard was so big that there was room to set up ten tables.

Today's banquet was held in his courtyard, and a chef was specially hired to help out. The rest of the cooking was done by his aunt and mother-in-law.

As soon as Jiang Yiming's car stopped, a group of people rushed up to greet him.

Jiang Yiming's pragmatic work style, coupled with his unpretentious manner, made him very popular with the villagers.

Most of the people who come up to say hello are genuinely sincere, although some are just trying to flatter and build rapport.

Jiang Yiming, his third uncle Jiang Fusheng, and several other grandfathers sat together and chatted.

Not long after, Yuanyuan arrived, accompanied by Wang Jiajia.

"Yuanyuan is here."

Jiang's mother happily stepped forward and patted Yuanyuan's head. Her family had visited Yuanyuan several times with Jiang Yiming.

Happy Chinese New Year, Auntie.

Yuanyuan called out obediently, then her big eyes kept searching for Jiang Yiming's figure.

"Yuanyuan is so good."

Jiang's mother took out a red envelope and stuffed it into Yuanyuan's pocket. Seeing that Yuanyuan was about to refuse, she smiled and said, "This is a custom. Children cannot refuse New Year's money."

Yuanyuan had no choice but to accept it. When she saw Jiang Yiming, she ran over quickly and said in a clear voice, "Brother Yiming."

"Yuanyuan, you've grown taller again."

Jiang Yiming stood up and ruffled the little girl's round, beautiful hair. The little girl was 12 years old and had already reached his chest.

He then greeted Wang Jiajia, saying, "Mayor Wang, you've worked hard."

"It's no trouble at all, it's my duty. I've brought her over to you, I'll be leaving now. Let her stay with you for a couple of days, then you can bring her back later."

"no problem."

Jiang Yiming smiled and said, "Since you're already here, why don't you stay and have dinner with us?"

"Then I can't refuse your kind offer."

Wang Jiajia was just being polite; she certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity to interact more with her superiors.

She is an ambitious woman who knows how to leverage opportunities.

Jiang Yiming didn't drink alcohol because he had to drive to his uncle's place in the afternoon, but the elders all drank, so he sat next to them and kept them company.

The drinking party didn't end until after 2 a.m.

The meal was a lively and enjoyable affair.

Next, we visited relatives on my mother's side to offer New Year's greetings.

Uncle, aunt, second aunt and other relatives all rushed to the eldest uncle's house.

Because there were too many people, there wasn't enough room to sit down for a meal, so my uncle invited everyone to eat at a hotel.

At the dinner table, Jiang Yiming also learned about the recent situations of his relatives.

My third uncle made some money from raising livestock and plans to expand his operation.

Although Jiang Yiming didn't give any instructions, many people were still willing to entrust small projects to his second uncle.

My uncle drives long-distance trucks; it's hard work, but he can support his family.

My aunts' families are doing much better than before.

"I'll say it again: if you have any ideas, you can ask my dad, and he'll help you make arrangements."

Jiang Yiming said, "If anyone bullies you, call me. We don't bully others, but we must never let anyone bully us."

After dinner, some played cards, while others chatted idly.

Jiang Yiming was pulled aside by his elders to chat.

"I remember that my second uncle's cousin Tianming and my third uncle's cousin Xiaofen are graduating from university this year, right? Have you decided where you're going?"

Jiang Yiming inquired.

The two families quickly called Sun Tianming and Sun Xiaofen over.

"Tianming, Xiaofen, your brother Yiming is asking you what you want to do after graduating from university."

"Brother Yiming, I want to be a policeman, what do you think?"

Sun Tianming was four or five years younger than Jiang Yiming. He used to follow Jiang Yiming around a lot, so he spoke with more confidence.

"Sure, the police are there to protect people's lives and safety."

Jiang Yiming laughed and asked, "Have you ever thought about where you want to be a policeman?"

Sun Tianming glanced at his mother and whispered, "Let's go back to our county town."

Jiang Yiming could tell that Sun Tianming was unhappy, since most people were unwilling to return to their county town after graduating from university.

"Why not go to the city center, or a bigger city?"

Jiang Yiming inquired.

"My mom won't allow it."

Sun Tianming mustered his courage and said, "He said that if he comes back and you take care of him, he can not only get a good position, but also have a better chance of being promoted. Most importantly, he can also take care of the family."

“Yiming, I’m doing this for the child’s sake. Think about it, if Tianming gets into a different place, our family has no connections and no money, he’ll only be able to be a lowly policeman for the rest of his life, which is not only hard but also dangerous.”

My second aunt quickly said.

“Aunt, what you said makes sense and is a direction to consider. However, I personally suggest that we go to Yiyang City, or even a higher platform, since the platform in Xinping County is too low.”

Jiang Yiming smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about anything else. I know a lot of people in Yiyang City, and I will take good care of them."

"Of course, the final choice depends on your own thoughts, the two elders and Tianming."