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

"Secretary Jiang, I'm really sorry. Something came up in town and I was delayed. I'll punish myself with a drink later to apologize to you."

Peng Yunqing took the initiative to apologize.

"Mayor Peng, what are you saying? We all work at the grassroots level, I understand you."

Jiang Yiming invited Peng Yunqing to sit down.

"Haha, that's true. Secretary Jiang is no longer the deputy director of the county party committee office. He's now a grassroots cadre like me."

Peng Yunqing smiled and said, "From now on, we'll be brother units. If anything happens, we can keep each other informed, which will make things easier."

"It's natural."

After the food was served, Jiang Yiming and Peng Yunqing ate and chatted, while Jiang Yongchen served them.

The two quickly finished a whole bottle of wine, and Peng Yunqing was slightly drunk.

“Brother Yiming, to be honest, I’m a little envious of you. You became the de facto leader at such a young age, while I’m nominally the town mayor and the head of the town government, but in reality, I’m just a perennial runner-up.”

Peng Yunqing sighed, “There are many things I can’t decide, and many decisions I can’t implement. Sometimes I really want to lie down and do nothing. But then I think, I’m only thirty-one years old this year. If I don’t serve the people in my prime, it would be a waste. I feel a little unwilling.”

"Everyone experiences highs and lows in life; this is only temporary. I believe it will pass soon."

"No, no, I know it's hard for me to make any progress."

Peng Yunqing said with a wry smile, "The person I followed before went in, and I was labeled by him. Although the investigation showed that I was not involved in anything he did, it is still difficult to remove the label from me."

"Well, we're quite similar. You also carry the label of Secretary Ma. You and Secretary Ma are bound together by fate, and you share both glory and ruin. You should understand what I'm saying."

"So it's unlikely they'll use me unless I step in dog poop and have a stroke of luck."

"Not always."

Jiang Yiming smiled and said, "When I went to the countryside with Secretary Ma, Secretary Ma was very satisfied with your performance. He praised you many times in private for your strong work ability and quick thinking."

Peng Yunqing suddenly looked up: "Really?"

He then shook his head and said, "You're just trying to comfort me. If Secretary Ma really appreciated me, he would have transferred me from town mayor to township party secretary when the party secretary was being reassigned."

“I’m not lying to you, Secretary Ma really admires you. And I’ve met you a few times, and I think you’re a man of action, so I gave you an objective evaluation in front of Secretary Ma.”

Jiang Yiming laughed and said, "Brother Peng, you don't think I'm being nosy, do you?"

Peng Yunqing has a very strong political acumen. Jiang Yiming called him here today and said these things to him. It's definitely not just to have a casual chat.

There must be other meanings behind it.

"Brother Jiang, what are you saying? I'm grateful that you spoke well of me to Secretary Ma."

Peng Yunqing said earnestly, "If I gain Secretary Ma's approval, I will never forget Brother Jiang's kindness."

"Don't be so formal. Come on, let's have a drink. I hope Brother Peng's wishes come true."

Jiang Yiming did not elaborate on the matter.

After all, whether this matter will come to fruition is still uncertain. If things don't work out, making it clear beforehand might only lead to disappointment and offend people.

The dinner ended quickly, and Jiang Yiming returned to his office to make a few phone calls.

The main purpose was to recommend Peng Yunqing to Ma Qiyun.

Ma Qiyun had previously asked him to recommend one or two suitable candidates.

He hadn't planned to recommend anyone before, because even though the leader had given him the opportunity, if he used it, it would be like using up a favor, making it harder to recommend suitable candidates later.

However, if he wants to quickly advance the work in the industrial park, he needs to leverage some resources.

The audit bureau was the force he needed to rely on.

He wasn't familiar with the audit bureau, and building a good relationship with them would take time. The best way was to promote someone he knew.

On his way back, Peng Yunqing still had some doubts in his mind.

He felt that Jiang Yiming seemed to be hinting at something, but at the same time, he didn't seem to be saying anything at all.

"Is this guy really just bored out of his mind, making small talk with me?"

Just as Peng Yunqing was wondering what was going on, he received a call from the county party committee's organization department.

"Mayor Peng, our Minister Zhao has requested to meet with you at 3 PM this afternoon. Do you have time?"

"Minister Zhao wanted to see me?"

Peng Yunqing was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Yes, yes, I have time this afternoon."

"Okay, please arrive at the Minister's office at 3 PM sharp."

Hearing the busy tone on the microphone, Peng Yunqing felt as if he were dreaming.

He knew that Zhao Zhenlin wouldn't contact him for no reason.

It's very likely, as Jiang Yiming hinted, that he's about to be promoted.

At 3 p.m. sharp, Peng Yunqing entered Zhao Zhenlin's office.

Less than half an hour later, Peng Yunqing came out of the office.

A long-lost smile graced his face.

He took out his phone and called Jiang Yiming first.

"Brother Jiang, there are some things I won't say, but I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life!"

Peng Yunqing said earnestly.

For a young cadre like him, time is his political life.

Once you miss that crucial age, no matter how capable you are, it will be difficult to make significant progress.

Those leaders at the city level and above were promoted before reaching a critical age. Once they were a step behind, they would be a step behind again and would lose many opportunities for promotion.

He failed to smoothly transition from town mayor to township party secretary, which put him at a significant disadvantage compared to others.

Jiang Yiming's recommendation put him on the fast track, and he will receive greater promotions in the future.

"Brother Peng, you're too kind. I'll congratulate you in advance. You must treat me to drinks another day."

Jiang Yiming admitted that he was the one who played a role.

"We must invite them."

The two chatted briefly before hanging up.

Jiang Yiming had people waiting for him.

Sun Yuxiu, the general manager of Xinxin Food Company, is a capable woman in her forties, not very tall, with short hair that reaches her ears.

After introducing the two, Wang Jiajia got straight to the point.

"Mr. Sun, please briefly tell us about the development history of Xinxin Company and the difficulties it faces."

"Okay, Secretary Jiang."

Sun Yuxiu smoothed her hair and said, "Xinxin Company was founded in 1995. With the strong support of the county party committee and county government, it has developed rapidly, and the number of employees has grown from more than ten to more than thirty."

"Secretary Jiang, don't underestimate our small workforce. Our output is 30% higher than that of similar companies. This is mainly because the company has purchased semi-automated processing equipment."

"Our canned fruit is not only popular in our county, but also sold to surrounding counties and cities. We mainly cooperate with other companies to distribute it as holiday benefits to our employees. However, due to the economic downturn in recent years, factories have closed down, workers have lost their jobs, and everyone is struggling. Our products have also been affected. Many companies can't even pay wages on time, let alone buy employee welfare products."

"Due to the inability to recover many foreign debts and a decline in orders, the company had no choice but to suspend production."

Jiang Yiming jotted down several key data points from time to time, then asked, "Are you confident that your company will be able to recover?"

"Give me some start-up capital, and I'm sure I can get the company up and running again!"

Sun Yuxiu said, "In the past few years, I have been thinking about the future path of the company. To be honest, the company only has one product, which is too singular and has poor risk resistance."

"Therefore, I have been researching new products. Through our experiments and explorations, we have developed two products with unique flavors and great popularity: fermented bean paste and chili sauce."