Chapter 47

Chapter 3: Surveying the Three Rivers

Old Gu never expected that Li Yi’s Go skills would be even higher than he boasted. Li Yi led Old Gu into a life-and-death trap, and with the final perfect move, he completely defeated Old Gu, leaving him in disarray.

"Hey! Kid, do you know how to respect your elders? You dare to win against me?" Old Gu glared at Li Yi, getting angry.

"Haha, there are no fathers or sons on the Go board! If you bet, you must accept the loss!" Li Yi laughed.

Old Gu pushed the Go board away: "No more playing!" He got up, hands behind his back, and walked away.

Old Liang chuckled: "Comrade, you’ve offended a big shot!"

Li Yi said: "The Go board is like a battlefield; how can there be any yielding?"

Old Liang asked: "Are you really new here?"

"Yes, I’ve already reported in!"

At this moment, Old Gao from the personnel department walked over, returned the credentials to Li Yi, and said with a smile: "Isn’t it strange? This young man is really a new recruit to our advisory office! I just called the provincial party committee’s organization department to confirm, and indeed, this is the strangest thing this year!"

Old Liang said: "There are age requirements for advisors; the initial appointment age must not be less than 55 and not more than 65. But since this kid is here as a secretary, there’s no such restriction!"

Li Yi smiled bitterly: "Maybe it’s because they’re considerate of the advanced age of the seniors, so they sent me to write for you all."

The work in the advisory office is not as leisurely as the old comrades say; there’s still plenty to do every day. Every week, the higher-ups arrange survey projects, and after the surveys, they require advisory reports and research reports. Don’t underestimate these reports; they can reach the highest levels! Therefore, each survey is taken very seriously and objectively by the advisors.

Since Li Yi arrived, writing became his specialized task. Especially after his first advisory report received praise from the provincial party committee and government leaders, whenever there was a need to write documents or reports, everyone would call him. Through continuous learning, Li Yi’s official writing skills improved significantly.

The old comrades had no airs of leadership and treated Li Yi very casually. They would play a few games of Go, and even if they lost, they wouldn’t scold him. Li Yi was happy to interact with them.

However, Old Gu often made things difficult for Li Yi, always calling him to run errands, doing all sorts of dirty and tiring work. He would scold Li Yi for no reason and nitpick at his reports.

Li Yi thought, "Isn’t this too petty? Just because I won a game of Go? Is it really that serious? I don’t even dare to ask for a deputy section chief position."

One day, Old Gu presided over a meeting of the advisory office, and all the staff attended. Old Gu said: "I just came back from a meeting at the provincial government. Recently, there have been frequent water disasters in the province, and the provincial government requires us to conduct more research in this area."

Someone said: "Isn’t that the responsibility of the flood control office, the water resources department, and the hydrological bureau? We are all intellectuals; how can we understand those things?"

Old Gu said: "We should share the nation’s burdens! We are all old comrades, and among us are many experts in various fields. There’s no need to shirk responsibility. Next week’s survey will focus on water safety hazards. I will lead the team, and I hope other comrades will volunteer. Please raise your hands."

Everyone lowered their heads in unison, and a few old comrades even closed their eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Li Yi raised his hand: "Secretary Gu, I’m willing to go!"

"Hmm, good! Is there anyone else who volunteers?" Old Gu scanned the advisors present.

This kind of labor-intensive and unappreciated task was not something the savvy old comrades were interested in.

In the end, only two people raised their hands. One of them even mumbled an excuse: "I was scratching an itch!"

Old Gu not only didn’t get angry but smiled: "Alright, the three who raised their hands will participate in next week’s survey. By the way, the provincial government takes this activity very seriously and cares about our old comrades. They have allocated 100,000 yuan for the survey, and each participant will receive a bottle of special tribute liquor and a carton of Panda cigarettes..."

"Hey! If there’s such a good deal, why didn’t you say so earlier! I was raising my hand, not scratching an itch!"

"Count me in!"

"I’ll go too!"

Li Yi smiled. These old comrades, the older they get, the cuter they become!

Old Gu put down his cup and got up to leave.

A few old comrades pointed at Old Gu’s back: "This Old Gu! Still has that bad temper! No wonder he was kicked out of the State Council’s advisory office!"

Li Yi asked curiously: "Was Secretary Gu previously in the State Council’s advisory office?"

"Yes, he reported in a day before you! Ha ha! State Council advisor, that’s a position specially appointed by the Premier! Tsk tsk, what a prestigious position, truly speaking for the nation, reaching the highest levels!"

Li Yi nodded thoughtfully.

Old Gu’s full name is Gu Heng. Despite his harsh words, he actually took good care of Li Yi. Another advisor is named Fan Yao.

The first stop for the survey was the Three Rivers City.

Three Rivers City is a famous water town, not only crossed by the Xiang River but also has dozens of large and small lakes, as well as the largest reservoir in the province: the Malin Reservoir.

The provincial government’s advisory office is a full-hall-level institution, on par with Three Rivers City. However, since Old Gu and the others were from the higher-ups and were experienced advisors, Three Rivers City gave them the highest level of reception. The city’s party secretary Meng Di, mayor Xiong Xijie, and vice mayor Luo Zhenghao all attended the welcome banquet.

When they saw Li Yi, they all thought he was Old Gu’s secretary. When Old Gu introduced him as Advisor Li Yi, the leaders of Three Rivers City were secretly amazed. Such a young advisor was unprecedented. They speculated that Li Yi must have a distinguished background, and although they didn’t actively seek to befriend him, their words were quite friendly.

They originally thought the survey would just involve looking at documents and checking data, but Old Gu’s style was very practical. He asked Li Yi and Fan Yao to go out and inspect the local water conservancy projects and identify safety hazards.

The Three Rivers City flood control office, water resources bureau, and hydrogeological survey bureau each sent a staff member to accompany them.

When choosing the locations, Li Yi said: "Old Fan, you’re the senior, so you can go to the major lakes. I’m young and strong, so I’ll check the large reservoirs."

Fan Yao chuckled and agreed, praising Li Yi as a good kid.

Li Yi, accompanied by the three staff members from Three Rivers City, went to the largest Malin Reservoir.

Surrounded by towering mountains, the reservoir was built by damming the mountains and constructing the foundation. At a glance, the vast expanse of water looked like a sparkling green gem. For decades, it has nourished the green mountains on both sides and supported the people in the surrounding areas.

The reservoir controls a watershed area of over 700 square kilometers, with a maximum capacity of 538 million cubic meters. The beneficial water level is 110 meters, with a corresponding capacity of 256 million cubic meters. It can support 30,000 acres of aquaculture and has a hydropower station with an installed capacity of 3,200 kilowatts. The dam’s crest elevation is 120 meters, with a maximum height of 50 meters. The total discharge capacity is 15,000 cubic meters per second, and the dam is 3,610 meters long.

Listening to the engineer from the water resources bureau introduce the relevant data, Li Yi was deeply moved. This grand project was built in the early days of liberation, entirely by hand and shoulder. The power of the people is truly immense! The residents below the dam still remember the grand scene of the reservoir’s construction, a time of great enthusiasm and unity.

Standing on the wide dam, Li Yi looked at the rippling water and the green mountains in the distance and asked: "How many gates does the reservoir have?"

"Sixteen!" The engineer smiled and pointed out to Li Yi: "You can rest assured; even if the reservoir is full, as long as the gates are opened, the dam will be safe!"

Li Yi looked up at the sky.

The gloomy weather had persisted for several days, and the unusually strong wind made people feel as if they were about to be blown away.

Li Yi couldn’t help but recall a folk saying: "Thunder first, no rain; wind first, rain mixed with hail." Looking at the already high water level in the reservoir, his brows suddenly furrowed, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

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