Chen Feng’s blunt response left the provincial top-tier teachers feeling embarrassed.
“We refuse to believe you, a deputy town mayor, can actually do anything to us,” one of them declared. “Since you’re unwilling to transfer us to Jiangcheng, then fine, we’ll take leave. You want us to teach in the countryside? Never.”
With that parting shot, the teachers stormed out of the town government building.
After they left, Cheng Lu stared at Chen Feng, dumbfounded. Just a few days ago, when another group of teachers had come to discuss matters, Chen Feng had been as gentle as a spring breeze. Today, with a similar group of teachers, he was as hard as stone, a complete contrast.
“Chen Feng, wasn’t that a bit much?” Cheng Lu asked softly.
“What was too much?”
“These provincial top-tier teachers wanted to transfer to Jiangcheng. It didn’t seem like an unreasonable request. Since Director Wu agreed, why did you have to be so stubborn and disagree? Now you’ve not only offended Director Wu, but you’ve also offended these top teachers.” Cheng Lu sighed.
“If these provincial top-tier teachers were pursuing a transfer through normal channels, I wouldn’t bother to interfere. But they clearly intended to threaten me. Threatening me is one thing, but they were clamoring to leave right after signing a ten-year high-salary contract with Mingshan Town, before the ink was even dry. How could I grant their wish? I’m like this: for reasonable requests, I can be gentle. For unreasonable, even disgusting requests, I’m afraid I have to stand my ground.”
“Chen Feng, what if these provincial top-tier teachers just take leave and defy you?”
“I’ll provoke them to be even more extreme,” Chen Feng replied calmly.
“What? Provoke them to be more extreme? Chen Feng, did I hear you correctly? Others are trying to de-escalate, to turn big problems into small ones, and small ones into none. Why are you deliberately provoking these provincial top-tier teachers to make a bigger issue?” Cheng Lu asked, utterly bewildered.
“If they don’t make a bigger issue, how can I send them to jail?” Chen Feng replied calmly.
“What? You want to send these provincial top-tier teachers to jail?”
“Is there anything wrong with that? While these provincial top-tier teachers are talented, their hearts are not in the right place. They aren’t of much use. Since they’re so arrogant, let’s send them to prison,” Chen Feng explained unhurriedly.
“Chen Feng, if you do this, who will dare to come teach in Mingshan Town in the future?” Cheng Lu probed.
“Miss Cheng, to be frank, I’m only sending these provincial top-tier teachers to prison to deter teachers with ill intentions and to reform them. It won’t affect any other teachers. As the saying goes, if you have a clear conscience, you don’t fear knocking on the door in the dead of night.”
“Now I understand. Chen Feng, I have a new understanding of you. Simply put, you can be both soft and hard, combining strength and flexibility, with flexible methods…” Cheng Lu said with great excitement.
“Miss Cheng, please don’t praise me like that,” Chen Feng said with a humble smile.
“It’s not praise, it’s the truth. By the way, I’m very curious, how are you going to provoke these provincial top-tier teachers into taking extreme actions?” Cheng Lu asked curiously.
“It’s simple. If they take leave and stop teaching, I’ll directly suspend their salaries. They’re accustomed to a life of luxury, so they’ll definitely go to Yongming County to complain. Director Sun will surely embellish the story and instigate them to complain about me to Jiangcheng. I’ve done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide, so I’m not afraid of their complaints. Then, while they’re busy complaining everywhere, I’ll strike while the iron is hot, not only suspending their salaries but also their related benefits. This way, they’ll continuously escalate their complaints. In the Chinese bureaucracy, escalating complaints to higher authorities is a very serious matter. After a few such instances, they’ll be detained. Once detained, even for a single day, I’ll have an excuse to revoke their teaching licenses…” Chen Feng explained in detail.
“Several provincial top-tier teachers, gone just like that. Don’t you think it’s a pity?” Cheng Lu pressed.
“Not at all. China has a large population; talent is not something we lack. As long as the salary is high, we won’t lack talent. These provincial top-tier teachers, their minds are filled not with any educational ideas, but only with the word ‘benefits.’ It’s best they’re gone, so they don’t tarnish the words ‘teaching and nurturing.’ In fact, teaching, like the bureaucracy, can earn money, but you can’t only think about making money.”
“Your thinking is quite upright, a clear stream in the bureaucratic world. However, won’t this put you in direct confrontation with Director Wu and Director Sun?” Cheng Lu asked with concern.
“It’s not me confronting them; they’ve already confronted me. Do you think these provincial top-tier teachers would suddenly go crazy and insist on transferring for no reason? They wanted to put pressure on me, disrupt Mingshan Town’s education, and then have me held accountable and fired. Since you’re not an outsider, I won’t hide anything. I’m not only dealing with these provincial top-tier teachers, but I also have to deal with Director Sun and Director Wu. With these dregs of the education sector, who knows how many students are being ruined by them,” Chen Feng stated righteously.
Cheng Lu admired Chen Feng even more. It was rare to find someone who could retain such strong integrity in the world of money and power. Most people just went with the flow.
What happened next unfolded exactly as Chen Feng predicted. The provincial top-tier teachers gradually escalated the situation. Seeing that these teachers were on the verge of escalating the matter to the provincial level, Jiangcheng immediately detained them for three months on charges of malicious provocation.
This outcome surprised Chen Feng. He had expected Jiangcheng to detain them for at most a week to scare them, but instead, they were detained for three months right off the bat.
“Director Sun, we fell into a trap,” Director Wu said dejectedly to Director Sun at the Yongming County Education Bureau.
“I feel the same way. It seems I’ve underestimated this deputy town mayor who comes from a farming background,” Director Sun sighed deeply.
“Director Sun, we need to find a way quickly to bring Chen Feng down before he counterattacks. Otherwise, this guy will definitely take us down,” Director Wu said anxiously.
“Little Wu, don’t worry. You are the person I favor most. I won’t let Chen Feng harm you in the slightest,” Director Sun said with a peculiar look in his eyes.
“Director Sun, with Chen Feng stirring things up like this, I’m feeling very troubled. How about we go to a hotel room…” Director Wu said in a deliberately soft voice.