Chapter 9

The director of the municipal engineering office, Liu Fengjin, who had previously educated Han Youpeng, received a call from Han Youpeng saying he had something of great importance to report.

He was in the top-floor council room, discussing with several directors and bureau chiefs how to transform the city's appearance in the three months before the inspection team arrived.

Simply cleaning up was a huge mistake, a foolish and utterly stupid idea.

There are nearly 700 cities and over 1,600 counties in the country.

Why did only 31 cities win the title of National Sanitary and Civilized City in the last round?

Cleaning is something even kindergarten children can do, and they do it very well, keeping their schoolyards spotlessly clean.

So, to think that by cleaning up, one could win the most prestigious and hardest-to-achieve honor for a city, is nothing but a dreamer's fantasy, like marrying a fairy in a dream.

The review is conducted every three years, with a two-year-long comprehensive evaluation of various indicators, such as public security, crime-solving rates, employment rates, air quality, and so on.

In the third year, a comprehensive assessment is carried out, and the inspection team arrives for an on-site evaluation.

The Zhongyun municipal government, which had failed multiple times at the final inspection stage, had finally, through extensive experience and long-term research on other cities that had won this honor, summarized a set of scientific practices.

Three key points!

First: Urban technology.

Second: Urban culture.

Third: Urban characteristics.

As for urban sanitation, it is not even a condition, like how only women can participate in the Miss World pageant. If you have a full beard or if the city is untidy, wouldn't that just make people laugh until they burst their bladders?

The Urban Construction Bureau oversees all road and urban architectural planning in Zhongyun City.

So, in this major battle, the Urban Construction Bureau bears a particularly heavy burden.

Under the pressure, all department directors and bureau chiefs are pulling together, brainstorming every possible idea to improve the city's appearance.

The discussion at the meeting was intense. Some believed that the city's characteristics as a historical and cultural city should be vigorously promoted, and the cultural card should be played well.

Others argued that there are many historical and cultural cities, and several ancient cities with over a thousand years of history have been eliminated. This shows that the cultural card cannot be the main focus.

Since the cultural card is not a good main focus, then the technology card should be played.

With the rapid advancement of technology, if some high-tech urban facilities could be introduced, it might win the favor of the inspection team.

The department director who made this suggestion cited many examples of high-tech urban facilities already in use in foreign cities.

"Both technology and culture must be pursued."

The director of the Urban Construction Bureau, Yue Zhengdong, said, "At yesterday's city leadership meeting, a clear consensus was reached. The characteristics of a cultural city must not be lost, and the project of technology changing life must also be pursued."

"The leadership has given us a clear task: to focus on the city's historical and cultural heritage and urban technological life. For the next three months, all work will revolve around these two points."

A cell phone ring interrupted the director's speech. The ring was not harsh, and the meeting was a small one with only the directors and bureau chiefs.

So, no one had turned off their phones. The director stopped speaking and gestured for the municipal engineering office director, Liu Fengjin, to take the call.

The office was very quiet. Liu Fengjin looked at the caller ID and asked angrily in a low voice, "Didn't I tell you I'm in a meeting? What is it, hurry up and say it."

"Director Liu, it's a big deal, a big deal," Han Youpeng's voice was loud, and even the director, Yue Zhengdong, sitting at the front, could hear him clearly.

"Wait until the meeting is over," Liu Fengjin hung up the phone with a bang.

"It might be something urgent," Director Yue Zhengdong looked at the time. "Let's end the meeting here for today. Everyone go back and summarize, and bring your proposals to the morning meeting tomorrow."

The meeting ended, and the director sitting closest to the door got up to open it. Han Youpeng, who had been waiting outside, quickly ran over.

Han Youpeng held up his phone in one hand and several pictures in the other, his face flushed like a boiled shrimp. "Just sixty, Director."

Liu Fengjin's face turned red with anger. Han Youpeng was his subordinate. With all the leaders of the Urban Construction Bureau present, this was clearly making him look foolish.

Liu Fengjin had already decided to give him a good lesson when they got back.

The director of the Urban Construction Bureau, Yue Zhengdong, also just got up, a bit unhappy. "What has you so excited, Han? You have no tact at all."

"Ah, Director, please listen to me," Han Youpeng's face turned from red to white, realizing he had made a mistake.

He was young and lacked tact, and when he got excited, he could forget everything else.

To pass the civil service exam, one must be smart. The director and other leaders understood that Han Youpeng must have encountered something of great importance to act so rashly.

Despite his anger, the director gave Han Youpeng ample time to explain.

Han Youpeng, who had been scared out of his excitement, knew that if he couldn't explain himself well, he would be stuck on the bench for the rest of his life.

So, he put in 200% effort to explain the matter.

"Director, please look at this picture first," Han Youpeng nervously handed the pictures to the director and deputy directors.

The picture showed a piece of granite with a bas-relief.

Director Yue Zhengdong was about to scold him for making a fuss over a picture, but the words died on his lips as he was captivated by the graceful dancing figure on the stone.

Beautiful!

This was his first thought.

A work of art!

This was his second thought.

The flowing sleeves, the curled legs, and the delicate ankles of the dancing figure perfectly divided the stone, and the long rectangular stone exuded an unparalleled artistic aura.

The languid yet alluring gaze and the delicate fingers seemed to come to life, making one linger and admire.

The other deputy directors had similar expressions, some even squinting their eyes.

Men, after all, have a similar appreciation for beauty.

Han Youpeng smiled, confidently.

They were all captivated by the dancing figure on the stone, so they naturally didn't notice that the stone itself was the main focus.

So, Han Youpeng felt it necessary to remind them of the reason for his rash entry into the meeting.

"Director, if we install these road curbs with the dancing figure carvings on the main streets of Zhongyun City, what effect would it have?" Han Youpeng asked, somewhat boastfully.

"What?" Director Yue Zhengdong and the other deputy directors jumped up from their seats.

Director Yue Zhengdong held the picture, his hands trembling violently, even more excited than when Han Youpeng had burst into the meeting.

He grabbed Han Youpeng's shoulders, shaking him, and spoke incoherently, "You mean, these are road curbs?"

Then, Director Yue Zhengdong suddenly remembered Han Youpeng's loud declaration of "sixty, sixty" when he burst in.

Could it be...

The price of these road curbs?

"Yes!" Han Youpeng was elated.

"Sixty yuan, just sixty yuan for one curb."

"Just 5 million yuan more than our original budget, and we can pave the main streets of Zhongyun City with these artistic curbs."